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Okay, so, lemme' try...
Every week, before Midnight on Saturdays, for as many years as the war can remember, the Itani and Serco nations have sent their reserves to clash in Deneb. It's become almost a tradition, and neither side cares to deviate from the attack plan simply because the risks of miscalculation would be far too great. Entire planets, even, would be conquered. The Itani dare not hold back in fear of of losing their ideal tactical presence in Deneb, and eventually the war. The Serco dare not push the effort too early in fear of falling into a trap and having their fleet obliterated by the Goliath Cannons, some of which have still not be discovered. And so they wait.
Every week freighters scramble to bring supplies to war front. Miners bring shipments of xithricate ore, traders deliver all manners of weaponry and equipment, fighters hone their skills, and bombers ready their scopes. Shipments of purified Xithricate ore are especially useful for the construction of "Behemoth Omega" class capital ships. Generally, the more pure Xith available, the bigger the Omega can be, and the more gun platforms can be stocked on it. As the time arrives, and the generals give their signal, a fleet stronger and more magnificient than the week before warps into Deneb. The sky turns to a wash of fireworks. Several skirmishes break out in nearby sectors as runners struggle to bring supplies to the battle. Soon enough, everything's quiet again, and the victor returns home a wreck, a little bit on fire. This week, that side has the advantage. The Omega is scrapped for surplus resources, it's N3 turrets made available on the market, and the cycle begins anew.
So... every week, kind of like Capture the Cargo, but hopefully more interesting with different supplies and stuff, a super massive flag ship on either side of the war would be constructed. Whoever wins the fight gets some sort of bonus, like N3's, or whatever else would be cool and fair at the same time, and bragging rights. Like that one guy said, it'd be totally sweet if players could stock their favorite ships and weapons aboard the Omega in the meanwhile, and even set their 'home station' to the flag ship. I can imagine convoys dodging in to restock the flaggy with some emergency Gauss Cannons, or players having to make due with Phase Blasters until new supplies arrive. And just think of how many players would show up for an event like this. There'd easily be half the universe every week. =D
Hell, even a HAC with buffed up stats might do the trick.
Every week, before Midnight on Saturdays, for as many years as the war can remember, the Itani and Serco nations have sent their reserves to clash in Deneb. It's become almost a tradition, and neither side cares to deviate from the attack plan simply because the risks of miscalculation would be far too great. Entire planets, even, would be conquered. The Itani dare not hold back in fear of of losing their ideal tactical presence in Deneb, and eventually the war. The Serco dare not push the effort too early in fear of falling into a trap and having their fleet obliterated by the Goliath Cannons, some of which have still not be discovered. And so they wait.
Every week freighters scramble to bring supplies to war front. Miners bring shipments of xithricate ore, traders deliver all manners of weaponry and equipment, fighters hone their skills, and bombers ready their scopes. Shipments of purified Xithricate ore are especially useful for the construction of "Behemoth Omega" class capital ships. Generally, the more pure Xith available, the bigger the Omega can be, and the more gun platforms can be stocked on it. As the time arrives, and the generals give their signal, a fleet stronger and more magnificient than the week before warps into Deneb. The sky turns to a wash of fireworks. Several skirmishes break out in nearby sectors as runners struggle to bring supplies to the battle. Soon enough, everything's quiet again, and the victor returns home a wreck, a little bit on fire. This week, that side has the advantage. The Omega is scrapped for surplus resources, it's N3 turrets made available on the market, and the cycle begins anew.
So... every week, kind of like Capture the Cargo, but hopefully more interesting with different supplies and stuff, a super massive flag ship on either side of the war would be constructed. Whoever wins the fight gets some sort of bonus, like N3's, or whatever else would be cool and fair at the same time, and bragging rights. Like that one guy said, it'd be totally sweet if players could stock their favorite ships and weapons aboard the Omega in the meanwhile, and even set their 'home station' to the flag ship. I can imagine convoys dodging in to restock the flaggy with some emergency Gauss Cannons, or players having to make due with Phase Blasters until new supplies arrive. And just think of how many players would show up for an event like this. There'd easily be half the universe every week. =D
Hell, even a HAC with buffed up stats might do the trick.
Brilliant idea SuperMegaMynt except....
The whole border skirmish thing, as it is now, is inconsistent with the backstory.
The ships and weaponry used on both sides are inconsistent with the backstory.
Lets see why:
ITANI SIDE
AD3912
...Many skirmishes have occurred since the battle Eo. All attempts at peaceful resolution with the Serco have been met with rebuke and retaliation. Analysis of the Serco response implies they feel insulted by the offers of terms, despite many of the terms being greatly favorable to their people. They seem to despise everything Itani, no offers of technology or strategic area interest them. Explanations of the different Orders mean little to them, as they espouse a belief that all Itani are a disease in need of cleansing. They will only accept total surrender, and even then they will guarantee nothing.
The great fleet of the Itani is very successful, defending against incursion after incursion of Serco attackers. The constant skirmishes become nearly a way of life for the two militaries. During this period, the lukewarm war becomes integrated as an accepted part of culture. The altercations are frequent, every few months, but few are injured. Both sides have erected devastating automated defense systems, and neither mount any large assaults. The Itani Defensive Corps are banned from such activity, and the Serco have made no attempts in recent memory.
AD4063
A massive Serco campaign begins, over two hundred capital ships and carriers making the jump across the well-established "border". The full power of the Itani military is brought to bear on the defense of the sector, along with the activation of all twenty asteroid-based defense cannon. Eighty Itani ships regroup near the defensive perimeter before wading into the fray.
...After all twenty of the massive defense cannon are knocked out, the Itani clearly begin to lose ground. Rather than risk being completely wiped out, they begin a strategic retreat to the next sector...
...The Akanese Obsidian Armada, numbering nearly ninety capital ships, emerges to wild cheering from the remaining Itani. In their wake follows over two hundred civilian ships, cannibalized and retrofitted for combat.
...Over the next few days, weeks, months, and years, the area around Aeron's Icefield was heavily fortified. Large asteroids were brought through the wormhole to act as bases for defensive batteries. A hundred years later, the three Goliath Cannon (Alecto, Megaera and Tisiphone) were constructed and lent their considerable presence to the defense of the region. The Itani never reclaimed the two lost systems, which were eventually colonized and fortified by the Serco. These borders remain to this day.
AD4119
The Itani make significant improvements to their, weapons technology, yielding more efficient and more damaging fire. Capital ships can now deliver a withering fullisade of high-energy pulse flares. Additionally, a new Cruiser class is introduced, making the Heavy Cruiser the largest of the Itani cap ships at nearly two thousand meters. Both Heavy and Light Cruisers can carry and sustain a number of smaller craft for long-range support purposes.
Altercations with the Serco have dropped off considerably, since the offensive of 4063. The Itani continue their defensive focus, learning lessons from that greatest of space battles, and further refining and altering their designs and strategies to eliminate perceived flaws.
AD4431
An Itani defensive fleet, undergoing training exercises near the Itani-UIT border, reports contact with multiple Serco fighters of unusual configuration. Attempts at pursuit are thwarted when the enemy vessels seem to "disappear". The Serco government is unresponsive to inquiry. Behavior of the fighters suggests scanning for wormhole areas, perhaps an attempt at locating the Akanese base.
SERCO SIDE
AD3830, Serco Prime
If the Serco had been a culturally and technologically stagnant people before, they are now a raging torrent of innovation. The Order of Akan's attacks utterly polarized the population into a common thirst for conquest and revenge. Massive resources are directed towards the design and construction of a new high-tech armada, built for no other purpose than to destroy the Itani. Nighthawks are greatly improved with better maneuverability and weapons. Their range can not be significantly enhanced with the limitations of existing technology, so instead the Serco build massive Carrier ships to take them to battle. Planetary bombardment ships, fleet-protection Destroyers, and troop carriers all make the way from the drawing board to the orbit of Serco Prime. The military as a whole undergoes a great reassessment of strategy, rethinking their ancient land-war tactics. Favor is found with small teams of enhanced, smarter Guises, compact enough for interstellar transport and numerous enough to provide a substantial ground force. The new Guises are controlled by an orbiting capital ship. Guise-like artificially controlled fighters are researched, but prove too unstable for short-term combat use. Initial testing of the ground forces goes well, and the Serco people remain stalwart in their call for vengeance.
AD4063
A massive Serco campaign begins, over two hundred capital ships and carriers making the jump across the well-established "border". The full power of the Itani military is brought to bear on the defense of the sector, along with the activation of all twenty asteroid-based defense cannon. Eighty Itani ships regroup near the defensive perimeter before wading into the fray. The Serco have greatly advanced their weapons technology, but are still hard pressed to break through the Itani focus fields or the xi-rite armor plating beneath. For twelve hours the battle rages, the firestorm leaving scars on the nearby planet and asteroid field that can still be seen to this day. After all twenty of the massive defense cannon are knocked out, the Itani clearly begin to lose ground. Rather than risk being completely wiped out, they begin a strategic retreat to the next sector, sending runners back to Eo and Itan for whatever reinforcements are available. Outnumbered nearly three to one by this point, the Itani are hard pressed, but they make the best use of their speed advantage, flying before the Serco, only to rally at the next tactically sound area. After making the jump to the next sector, they again regroup, hitting the Serco as they follow through the wormholes. The Serco take heavy casualties, both sides have lost thousands of people by this point, but they still press on.
After eighteen hours of strategic retreat and reassembly, the Itani are down to twenty two capital ships of varying types, and a hundred or so fighters. The Serco still wield nearly eighty capital ships, their carriers allowing them to swap out exhausted pilots in the middle of battle. The Itani have never developed carriers, their pilots usually returning to their home planet after a day's work, but no such luxuries can be taken here. Having been pushed back two systems from the border, the Itani are now only a single jump from Eo. Reinforcements have been few and far between, as most of the Itani military has already been expended. Knowing they are not far from the kill, the Serco begin to use their advantage of fighter numbers to harry any reinforcements who arrive...
SO...
ITANI have:
1. Fast small pleasure craft and transports retrofitted with modular gun ports
2. Heavy and light cruisers with high-energy pulse flares, capable of carrying fighters
3. asteroid based defense cannons
4. 3 Goliath cannons
5. Nuclear weapons
6. Shields
SERCO have:
1. fighter carrier ships
2. Capital ships
3. fleet-protection Destroyers
4. xi-rite armor
5. stealth technology
And just for the record, there is no mention about any Itani or serco warship, weapon or armor plating produced by TPG or any UIT faction.
So serco & itani using common TPG produced ships in combat is a total nonsense.
I would humbly suggest to either change the backstory or stick to it and apply techology and ships mentioned there before we even think of starting a new journey toward *Death Star Quests*.
The whole border skirmish thing, as it is now, is inconsistent with the backstory.
The ships and weaponry used on both sides are inconsistent with the backstory.
Lets see why:
ITANI SIDE
AD3912
...Many skirmishes have occurred since the battle Eo. All attempts at peaceful resolution with the Serco have been met with rebuke and retaliation. Analysis of the Serco response implies they feel insulted by the offers of terms, despite many of the terms being greatly favorable to their people. They seem to despise everything Itani, no offers of technology or strategic area interest them. Explanations of the different Orders mean little to them, as they espouse a belief that all Itani are a disease in need of cleansing. They will only accept total surrender, and even then they will guarantee nothing.
The great fleet of the Itani is very successful, defending against incursion after incursion of Serco attackers. The constant skirmishes become nearly a way of life for the two militaries. During this period, the lukewarm war becomes integrated as an accepted part of culture. The altercations are frequent, every few months, but few are injured. Both sides have erected devastating automated defense systems, and neither mount any large assaults. The Itani Defensive Corps are banned from such activity, and the Serco have made no attempts in recent memory.
AD4063
A massive Serco campaign begins, over two hundred capital ships and carriers making the jump across the well-established "border". The full power of the Itani military is brought to bear on the defense of the sector, along with the activation of all twenty asteroid-based defense cannon. Eighty Itani ships regroup near the defensive perimeter before wading into the fray.
...After all twenty of the massive defense cannon are knocked out, the Itani clearly begin to lose ground. Rather than risk being completely wiped out, they begin a strategic retreat to the next sector...
...The Akanese Obsidian Armada, numbering nearly ninety capital ships, emerges to wild cheering from the remaining Itani. In their wake follows over two hundred civilian ships, cannibalized and retrofitted for combat.
...Over the next few days, weeks, months, and years, the area around Aeron's Icefield was heavily fortified. Large asteroids were brought through the wormhole to act as bases for defensive batteries. A hundred years later, the three Goliath Cannon (Alecto, Megaera and Tisiphone) were constructed and lent their considerable presence to the defense of the region. The Itani never reclaimed the two lost systems, which were eventually colonized and fortified by the Serco. These borders remain to this day.
AD4119
The Itani make significant improvements to their, weapons technology, yielding more efficient and more damaging fire. Capital ships can now deliver a withering fullisade of high-energy pulse flares. Additionally, a new Cruiser class is introduced, making the Heavy Cruiser the largest of the Itani cap ships at nearly two thousand meters. Both Heavy and Light Cruisers can carry and sustain a number of smaller craft for long-range support purposes.
Altercations with the Serco have dropped off considerably, since the offensive of 4063. The Itani continue their defensive focus, learning lessons from that greatest of space battles, and further refining and altering their designs and strategies to eliminate perceived flaws.
AD4431
An Itani defensive fleet, undergoing training exercises near the Itani-UIT border, reports contact with multiple Serco fighters of unusual configuration. Attempts at pursuit are thwarted when the enemy vessels seem to "disappear". The Serco government is unresponsive to inquiry. Behavior of the fighters suggests scanning for wormhole areas, perhaps an attempt at locating the Akanese base.
SERCO SIDE
AD3830, Serco Prime
If the Serco had been a culturally and technologically stagnant people before, they are now a raging torrent of innovation. The Order of Akan's attacks utterly polarized the population into a common thirst for conquest and revenge. Massive resources are directed towards the design and construction of a new high-tech armada, built for no other purpose than to destroy the Itani. Nighthawks are greatly improved with better maneuverability and weapons. Their range can not be significantly enhanced with the limitations of existing technology, so instead the Serco build massive Carrier ships to take them to battle. Planetary bombardment ships, fleet-protection Destroyers, and troop carriers all make the way from the drawing board to the orbit of Serco Prime. The military as a whole undergoes a great reassessment of strategy, rethinking their ancient land-war tactics. Favor is found with small teams of enhanced, smarter Guises, compact enough for interstellar transport and numerous enough to provide a substantial ground force. The new Guises are controlled by an orbiting capital ship. Guise-like artificially controlled fighters are researched, but prove too unstable for short-term combat use. Initial testing of the ground forces goes well, and the Serco people remain stalwart in their call for vengeance.
AD4063
A massive Serco campaign begins, over two hundred capital ships and carriers making the jump across the well-established "border". The full power of the Itani military is brought to bear on the defense of the sector, along with the activation of all twenty asteroid-based defense cannon. Eighty Itani ships regroup near the defensive perimeter before wading into the fray. The Serco have greatly advanced their weapons technology, but are still hard pressed to break through the Itani focus fields or the xi-rite armor plating beneath. For twelve hours the battle rages, the firestorm leaving scars on the nearby planet and asteroid field that can still be seen to this day. After all twenty of the massive defense cannon are knocked out, the Itani clearly begin to lose ground. Rather than risk being completely wiped out, they begin a strategic retreat to the next sector, sending runners back to Eo and Itan for whatever reinforcements are available. Outnumbered nearly three to one by this point, the Itani are hard pressed, but they make the best use of their speed advantage, flying before the Serco, only to rally at the next tactically sound area. After making the jump to the next sector, they again regroup, hitting the Serco as they follow through the wormholes. The Serco take heavy casualties, both sides have lost thousands of people by this point, but they still press on.
After eighteen hours of strategic retreat and reassembly, the Itani are down to twenty two capital ships of varying types, and a hundred or so fighters. The Serco still wield nearly eighty capital ships, their carriers allowing them to swap out exhausted pilots in the middle of battle. The Itani have never developed carriers, their pilots usually returning to their home planet after a day's work, but no such luxuries can be taken here. Having been pushed back two systems from the border, the Itani are now only a single jump from Eo. Reinforcements have been few and far between, as most of the Itani military has already been expended. Knowing they are not far from the kill, the Serco begin to use their advantage of fighter numbers to harry any reinforcements who arrive...
SO...
ITANI have:
1. Fast small pleasure craft and transports retrofitted with modular gun ports
2. Heavy and light cruisers with high-energy pulse flares, capable of carrying fighters
3. asteroid based defense cannons
4. 3 Goliath cannons
5. Nuclear weapons
6. Shields
SERCO have:
1. fighter carrier ships
2. Capital ships
3. fleet-protection Destroyers
4. xi-rite armor
5. stealth technology
And just for the record, there is no mention about any Itani or serco warship, weapon or armor plating produced by TPG or any UIT faction.
So serco & itani using common TPG produced ships in combat is a total nonsense.
I would humbly suggest to either change the backstory or stick to it and apply techology and ships mentioned there before we even think of starting a new journey toward *Death Star Quests*.
I'm all for sticking to the plot Bojan, but at this point, everyone has access to everything except for a select ships (and even then, some people still have access to all of them). All I am proposing is taking the current state of affairs and making it more interesting by having a quest that can grab the attention of pretty much everyone on both sides of the war, as SuperMegaMynt pointed out.
Kudos to your idea Antirelic, and SuperMegaMynts too.
They are indeed brilliant.
I just couldn't help myself not mentioning the things that bug me for some time.
There is a considerable number of player suggestions for new ships, technology, missions & events in the suggestions forum. Some are very good, some are not, some are doable relatively quickly, some require lot of coding and development.
I know devs are doing what they can atm.
Until Incarnate is ready to reveal to general VO population *the grand scheme of things to come* I will, from time to time, try to remind them of those backstory and current VO reality inconsistencies.
They are indeed brilliant.
I just couldn't help myself not mentioning the things that bug me for some time.
There is a considerable number of player suggestions for new ships, technology, missions & events in the suggestions forum. Some are very good, some are not, some are doable relatively quickly, some require lot of coding and development.
I know devs are doing what they can atm.
Until Incarnate is ready to reveal to general VO population *the grand scheme of things to come* I will, from time to time, try to remind them of those backstory and current VO reality inconsistencies.
Bojan said:
And just for the record, there is no mention about any Itani or serco warship, weapon or armor plating produced by TPG or any UIT faction.
Totally NOT true:
AD3924
Exploration of the systems beyond Divinia leads to contact with the UIT. Surprisingly, the wormhole areas form something of a loop, connecting the Itani, UIT, and the Serco together. Itani-UIT relations become friendly, and within a few years the two nations are trading extensively. Historical descriptions of flight of the Union from Serco oppression give the Itani little hope for a peaceful resolution of their war. The UIT are happy to contribute their own technology to the effort, however, providing the Itani with many ingenious but often low-tech, solutions to problems. Among their contributions is their best Xithricite alloy. Light and incredibly strong, it becomes the new metal of choice for spaceship construction.
And then:
AD4346
To the great surprise of the Union of Independent Territories, the Serco approach and request diplomatic relations. The Serco even go so far as to make symbolic reparations for driving the Union from Terra II. The UIT still look askance at the Serco, but will trade with anyone if it results in their profit. Many Union merchants take great joy in toying with the Serco, negotiating vast sums in exchange for technological documentation, only to turn over flawed or incomplete information. Despite these setbacks, the Serco patiently absorb whatever they can learn from the Union, including (eventually) much of the Itani reactor technology. Now equipped with Xi-rite armored ships and more efficient gravitic pulse engines, the Serco begin to militarily match up with their enemy.
If you bother to read the whole thing, you can the Itani indeed have warships, that both they and the Serco got the Xirite armor from the UIT (which ingame can only be bought at UIT stations), and that the Serco have access to Itani gravdrive technology. It makes no sense that the Itani would still be flying retrofitted civilian ships.
And just for the record, there is no mention about any Itani or serco warship, weapon or armor plating produced by TPG or any UIT faction.
Totally NOT true:
AD3924
Exploration of the systems beyond Divinia leads to contact with the UIT. Surprisingly, the wormhole areas form something of a loop, connecting the Itani, UIT, and the Serco together. Itani-UIT relations become friendly, and within a few years the two nations are trading extensively. Historical descriptions of flight of the Union from Serco oppression give the Itani little hope for a peaceful resolution of their war. The UIT are happy to contribute their own technology to the effort, however, providing the Itani with many ingenious but often low-tech, solutions to problems. Among their contributions is their best Xithricite alloy. Light and incredibly strong, it becomes the new metal of choice for spaceship construction.
And then:
AD4346
To the great surprise of the Union of Independent Territories, the Serco approach and request diplomatic relations. The Serco even go so far as to make symbolic reparations for driving the Union from Terra II. The UIT still look askance at the Serco, but will trade with anyone if it results in their profit. Many Union merchants take great joy in toying with the Serco, negotiating vast sums in exchange for technological documentation, only to turn over flawed or incomplete information. Despite these setbacks, the Serco patiently absorb whatever they can learn from the Union, including (eventually) much of the Itani reactor technology. Now equipped with Xi-rite armored ships and more efficient gravitic pulse engines, the Serco begin to militarily match up with their enemy.
If you bother to read the whole thing, you can the Itani indeed have warships, that both they and the Serco got the Xirite armor from the UIT (which ingame can only be bought at UIT stations), and that the Serco have access to Itani gravdrive technology. It makes no sense that the Itani would still be flying retrofitted civilian ships.
Exactly jex:
...providing the Itani with many ingenious but often low-tech, solutions to problems. Among their contributions is their best Xithricite alloy..."
..Serco patiently absorb whatever they can learn from the Union, including (eventually) much of the Itani reactor technology. Now equipped with Xi-rite armored ships and more efficient gravitic pulse engines, the Serco begin to militarily match up with their enemy.
So where are UIT ships and weapons in this?
Itani used some low tech UIT technology + xitricite armor to improve their ships and weapons. They didn't quite say ok let UIT/TPG build ships for us so we can kill serco in them.
Serco *learned* from UIT about Itani reactor technology.
... equipped with xi-rite armored ships etc...
I dont see exactly serco asking UIT/TPG to build warships and weapons for them to kill Itani.
Backstory specifically points out that Itani/Serco designed and constructed their own ships.
Itani used *some* UIT technology in their ship designs and Serco used stolen Itani technology aquired from UIT and implemented it in their ship designs.
...providing the Itani with many ingenious but often low-tech, solutions to problems. Among their contributions is their best Xithricite alloy..."
..Serco patiently absorb whatever they can learn from the Union, including (eventually) much of the Itani reactor technology. Now equipped with Xi-rite armored ships and more efficient gravitic pulse engines, the Serco begin to militarily match up with their enemy.
So where are UIT ships and weapons in this?
Itani used some low tech UIT technology + xitricite armor to improve their ships and weapons. They didn't quite say ok let UIT/TPG build ships for us so we can kill serco in them.
Serco *learned* from UIT about Itani reactor technology.
... equipped with xi-rite armored ships etc...
I dont see exactly serco asking UIT/TPG to build warships and weapons for them to kill Itani.
Backstory specifically points out that Itani/Serco designed and constructed their own ships.
Itani used *some* UIT technology in their ship designs and Serco used stolen Itani technology aquired from UIT and implemented it in their ship designs.
Oh and I forgot another significant part of backstory related to UIT, here it is:
UIT
The Propeller Group (TPG) manages to launch an unmanned, remote-controlled probe into orbit...
...The probe itself proves quite serviceable, its tiny gravitic pulse engine (a diminutive homage to the great Itani designs on which it was based)
AND WHAT THEIR TECHNOLOGY IS ALL ABOUT:
...The representatives with whom the Itani interact were themselves of questionable origin. A disconnected league of corporations and powerful individuals control most of the UIT, but are often in competition with one another. Thus, the Itani found themselves flooded with requests by one group or another to purchase exclusive information on advanced technology. The Itani were more interested in sharing their knowledge with any who wished to learn, much to the annoyance of the individual UIT corporations. There were rumors even of small conflicts between forces of various groups and companies, vying with one another for Itani technology. The Energy Focus shield system particularly excited the UIT merchants and corporations, until they learned how many years of study and training were required to even begin to use such a device. After a few interactions, the Itani became somewhat wary of the strange Union, maintaining positive relations, but warning their populace about the potential dangers of visiting or trading there...
OK now it seems that advanced Itani technology sucks.
O great TPG can you please give Itani your super duper technology and build ships and weapons for them?
UIT
The Propeller Group (TPG) manages to launch an unmanned, remote-controlled probe into orbit...
...The probe itself proves quite serviceable, its tiny gravitic pulse engine (a diminutive homage to the great Itani designs on which it was based)
AND WHAT THEIR TECHNOLOGY IS ALL ABOUT:
...The representatives with whom the Itani interact were themselves of questionable origin. A disconnected league of corporations and powerful individuals control most of the UIT, but are often in competition with one another. Thus, the Itani found themselves flooded with requests by one group or another to purchase exclusive information on advanced technology. The Itani were more interested in sharing their knowledge with any who wished to learn, much to the annoyance of the individual UIT corporations. There were rumors even of small conflicts between forces of various groups and companies, vying with one another for Itani technology. The Energy Focus shield system particularly excited the UIT merchants and corporations, until they learned how many years of study and training were required to even begin to use such a device. After a few interactions, the Itani became somewhat wary of the strange Union, maintaining positive relations, but warning their populace about the potential dangers of visiting or trading there...
OK now it seems that advanced Itani technology sucks.
O great TPG can you please give Itani your super duper technology and build ships and weapons for them?
I think most of this part of the backstory is meant to actually rationalize the fact that most ships behave similarly (which is an issue of game balance); Itani tech is the basis for the TPG drives, but the Itani still make better tech, that they share with the UIT, and then the UIT give to the Serco, so in the end they all have the same tech. Likewise, UIT Xirite is given to both Serco and Itani.
As for ship designs (consults the wiki) let's see who created which:
UIT- EC-class, Rev, Atlas, Raptor, Moth, Maud
Itani- Cent, Wraith (not the Rev), Valk
Serco- Vult, Prom
Doesn't say- Hog, Hornet, Taur, Rag
So we have two designs for the Serco, three for the Itani (tho the Wraith is phased out) and five for the UIT, plus four that don't say (in fact, of those only the Hog has any description ingame). Those are, yes, too little designs for each of the warring nations and way too much for the neutral traders; I'm not sure if you ever see Itani or Serco NPCs flying UIT ships, but if they do then yeah, it's dumb. No idea whose design the HAC is supposed to be, and, of course, the Teradon became TPG since the Devs decided all of Luis' ship designs were TPG. I understand they do have other capship designs they want to add to the other two nations, but while they make an appearance, it makes perfect sense to have the Itani and Serco using the available ones; who cares if they are TPG or Made in Taiwan?
As for ship designs (consults the wiki) let's see who created which:
UIT- EC-class, Rev, Atlas, Raptor, Moth, Maud
Itani- Cent, Wraith (not the Rev), Valk
Serco- Vult, Prom
Doesn't say- Hog, Hornet, Taur, Rag
So we have two designs for the Serco, three for the Itani (tho the Wraith is phased out) and five for the UIT, plus four that don't say (in fact, of those only the Hog has any description ingame). Those are, yes, too little designs for each of the warring nations and way too much for the neutral traders; I'm not sure if you ever see Itani or Serco NPCs flying UIT ships, but if they do then yeah, it's dumb. No idea whose design the HAC is supposed to be, and, of course, the Teradon became TPG since the Devs decided all of Luis' ship designs were TPG. I understand they do have other capship designs they want to add to the other two nations, but while they make an appearance, it makes perfect sense to have the Itani and Serco using the available ones; who cares if they are TPG or Made in Taiwan?
I care and I hope other players care too.
When I first read backstory it intrigued me and got me ingame.
Immersion in a backstory universe is something to be desired.
I say NO to everyone using every available ship in VO.
Serco ships to Serco, Itani to Itani, UIT to UIT.
Devs introduced big cargo ship Behemoth as a TPG design. Hmmm....
According to backstory Itani had huge Divinian transport ships like 1000 years before UIT found out about Itani existence.
But in VO reality Itani don't have Divinian transports, they have to use behemoths as cargo ships.
The thing is... backstory offers so much possibilities for great rolepaying and exciting missions that we are missing atm.
How cool would it be to say, take a military mission to operate an asteroid based defense cannon in Deneb against serco intruders for instance?
Or, say, a serco military mission to get in a stealth SVG and destroy an Akanese recon ship in Divinia?
When I first read backstory it intrigued me and got me ingame.
Immersion in a backstory universe is something to be desired.
I say NO to everyone using every available ship in VO.
Serco ships to Serco, Itani to Itani, UIT to UIT.
Devs introduced big cargo ship Behemoth as a TPG design. Hmmm....
According to backstory Itani had huge Divinian transport ships like 1000 years before UIT found out about Itani existence.
But in VO reality Itani don't have Divinian transports, they have to use behemoths as cargo ships.
The thing is... backstory offers so much possibilities for great rolepaying and exciting missions that we are missing atm.
How cool would it be to say, take a military mission to operate an asteroid based defense cannon in Deneb against serco intruders for instance?
Or, say, a serco military mission to get in a stealth SVG and destroy an Akanese recon ship in Divinia?
Bojan, I care, FWIW.
I read all the backstory before subscribing, and I was really impressed at the twists of the main plot.
The Divinian transport you talk about probably is here:
---
http://www.vendetta-online.com/h/storyline_section9.html
AD3827
[...]
The monks were the closest, in their small, light aerobatic ships. But it was the inimitable mass of ships behind the monks that would truly have drawn the eye. Finally numbering over four thousand individual spacecraft, the vast cloud would truly have made an impressive sight. Among them, a pair of Divinian heavy transports, each over six thousand meters in length, which had left their positions orbiting Eo's moon to join the rescue effort. Together, their mass alone likely blotted out the sun, a pair of menacing goliaths of a scale never imagined by the Serco, surrounded by a cloud of ships so numerous that they filled half the sky. This vision proved too much for the Serco, who turned and fled for the wormhole. (Emphasis mine)
---
Just for laugh, I took Inc's "relative scale" snapshot here:
http://images.vendetta-online.com/screenshots/relative.scale.jpg
And, considering that the behemoth depicted is 28 pixel long (for 30 mt), added a 6000+ mt ship outline at ~5800 pixels. The result is here (big jpg, beware):
http://mmnet.mekwars.org/relative.scale_2.jpg
Now, I would take such a vessel, ram an HAC and just snap it in two! :)
It's all too obvious that the intenteded "Space Quake" slant given to the game doesn't allow devs to fully exploit the backstory ideas, most likely for balance reasons. We have no serious weaponry (where are nuclear devices?), no constant beams, no hitscan projectiles (400 m/s for rails is a joke [*]), no real homing ordnance, very low ranges for weapons, no truly explosive stuff, uncluttered skies, and the distinct feeling that we all wear some magical "size clipping" glasses that make us see only ships up to 30 mt in size.
So, I guess the sacrifices done on the altar of an exciting pvp are something we should just deal with. In this sense, compared to the backstory, there will always be a sense of "incompleteness", at least in my opinion. But that's by design, and in the end, it's what attracts people to this universe.
---
[*] ooc, some muzzle velocity taken from WikiPedia:
F92: 350 m/s, MP5: 270 m/s, M16: 975 m/s, M60: 853 m/s, AK47: 750 m/s, UZI: 400 m/s, M61: 1050 m/s, L55: 1750 m/s, railgun prototypes: 3500 m/s.
I read all the backstory before subscribing, and I was really impressed at the twists of the main plot.
The Divinian transport you talk about probably is here:
---
http://www.vendetta-online.com/h/storyline_section9.html
AD3827
[...]
The monks were the closest, in their small, light aerobatic ships. But it was the inimitable mass of ships behind the monks that would truly have drawn the eye. Finally numbering over four thousand individual spacecraft, the vast cloud would truly have made an impressive sight. Among them, a pair of Divinian heavy transports, each over six thousand meters in length, which had left their positions orbiting Eo's moon to join the rescue effort. Together, their mass alone likely blotted out the sun, a pair of menacing goliaths of a scale never imagined by the Serco, surrounded by a cloud of ships so numerous that they filled half the sky. This vision proved too much for the Serco, who turned and fled for the wormhole. (Emphasis mine)
---
Just for laugh, I took Inc's "relative scale" snapshot here:
http://images.vendetta-online.com/screenshots/relative.scale.jpg
And, considering that the behemoth depicted is 28 pixel long (for 30 mt), added a 6000+ mt ship outline at ~5800 pixels. The result is here (big jpg, beware):
http://mmnet.mekwars.org/relative.scale_2.jpg
Now, I would take such a vessel, ram an HAC and just snap it in two! :)
It's all too obvious that the intenteded "Space Quake" slant given to the game doesn't allow devs to fully exploit the backstory ideas, most likely for balance reasons. We have no serious weaponry (where are nuclear devices?), no constant beams, no hitscan projectiles (400 m/s for rails is a joke [*]), no real homing ordnance, very low ranges for weapons, no truly explosive stuff, uncluttered skies, and the distinct feeling that we all wear some magical "size clipping" glasses that make us see only ships up to 30 mt in size.
So, I guess the sacrifices done on the altar of an exciting pvp are something we should just deal with. In this sense, compared to the backstory, there will always be a sense of "incompleteness", at least in my opinion. But that's by design, and in the end, it's what attracts people to this universe.
---
[*] ooc, some muzzle velocity taken from WikiPedia:
F92: 350 m/s, MP5: 270 m/s, M16: 975 m/s, M60: 853 m/s, AK47: 750 m/s, UZI: 400 m/s, M61: 1050 m/s, L55: 1750 m/s, railgun prototypes: 3500 m/s.
So Deneb is supposed to be heavily defended, and the UIT are too uninvolved, living off the war without any drawbacks.
Easiest way to solve this is have the "Death Star" move through grey or UIT space on its way from the serco systems in the south to the corresponding Itani system. Remove border skirmishes in the northwest, as that border is stable and cannot alter because of the cannons, defenses, and other warlike paraphenelia.
UIT do not need to involve themselves, but the war may disrupt trade and other peaceful activities in the region, prompting them to lend support to one side or the other. I'm not sure what the exact route should be (keep to UIT space as much as possible, or grey space) but this could solve both problems.
Whatchya think?
Easiest way to solve this is have the "Death Star" move through grey or UIT space on its way from the serco systems in the south to the corresponding Itani system. Remove border skirmishes in the northwest, as that border is stable and cannot alter because of the cannons, defenses, and other warlike paraphenelia.
UIT do not need to involve themselves, but the war may disrupt trade and other peaceful activities in the region, prompting them to lend support to one side or the other. I'm not sure what the exact route should be (keep to UIT space as much as possible, or grey space) but this could solve both problems.
Whatchya think?
I want the ship in Syylk's pic...
http://mmnet.mekwars.org/relative.scale_2.jpg
that would be fun...
(sorry, childish drooling at the idea of ramming small ships and watching them blossom into flaming chunks)
http://mmnet.mekwars.org/relative.scale_2.jpg
that would be fun...
(sorry, childish drooling at the idea of ramming small ships and watching them blossom into flaming chunks)
Tenet 34: Peace is good for business
Tenet 35: War is good for business
Tenet 35: War is good for business
First area of conflict is Deneb since its a borderline between serco and itani.
According to backstory 2nd area of conflict is Edras/Jallik/Divinia since serco are trying to penetrate Itani defenses to find entrance to Akanese space in Divinia by using stealth fighters.
*Death Star* as a kind of a base of operations for serco forces trying to penetrate Itani Edras defenses would make sense too.
@saints shadow: like Syylk said Divinian transport would prolly be the ultimate VO weapon, destroying capships and stations by ramming them. :P
However a *baby* variant of Divinian transport would be more then welcome :)
According to backstory 2nd area of conflict is Edras/Jallik/Divinia since serco are trying to penetrate Itani defenses to find entrance to Akanese space in Divinia by using stealth fighters.
*Death Star* as a kind of a base of operations for serco forces trying to penetrate Itani Edras defenses would make sense too.
@saints shadow: like Syylk said Divinian transport would prolly be the ultimate VO weapon, destroying capships and stations by ramming them. :P
However a *baby* variant of Divinian transport would be more then welcome :)
oh, i wasn't actually being serious... i just like the image that came to mind!
However, I do agree with the idea of a *baby* variant of the Divinian transport.
However, I do agree with the idea of a *baby* variant of the Divinian transport.
It would be fun thou to have 1 Divinian transport on a constant cargo route from Edras to Deneb and back. So you can hop in and enjoy the scenery, read a book or maybe park your new TPG cargo ship /damn you devs!/ loaded with 200cu of goodies in it and enjoy a safe ride to your destination.
Yes. Sense of Scale. I want Divinian Transports. And other huge stuff.
http://www.vendetta-online.com/x/msgboard/3/13053
http://www.vendetta-online.com/x/msgboard/3/13053