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Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => The FRED Workshop => Topic started by: Darius on April 26, 2019, 04:31:11 am

Title: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Darius on April 26, 2019, 04:31:11 am
(https://i.imgur.com/ze24WN8.png)


"It is the 23rd Century. Humankind has colonies throughout the Orion Arm of the galaxy.
The three great powers - Federation, Commonwealth and Combine - exist in a state of cold war.
The galaxy has become a dangerous place, and war is but a single spark away."

Solaris is a small project I've been working on over the past 12 months or so while I take a break from working on Blue Planet.
Set in an original universe where the discovery of hyperspace has led to a Golden Age of human colonisation and technology, Solaris takes place during an age of great changes. However, this is also an age of extremes - the Great War left several planets ecologically devastated, including the cradle of humanity, Earth. Like the Cold War of the 20th Century, humanity is faced with terrifying new doomsday technologies that have the potential to bring about Armageddon.

Features:

You've probably seen a few pictures from this floating around but I wanted to make sure this wasn't going to die a premature death in modder's hell before making a formal announcement. I'm slogging through the final mission of the first release with a period of testing afterwards to make sure everything works.

Aim is for a late May/early June release.



GALLERY:



(https://i.imgur.com/5jF6ety.png)

Hermes-class transport on docking approach to a military base.


(https://i.imgur.com/Tzl5SJi.png)

Leander-class cruiser on patrol in a dense asteroid field.


(https://i.imgur.com/8kozV6n.png)

Solaris uses the visual novel script seen in Just Another Day and Wings of Dawn.


(https://i.imgur.com/0VKetmZ.png)

The script is used for fiction texts and mission briefing as an alternative to the FreeSpace 2 interface.

Also in progress is a Sins of a Solar Empire mod from the guy who brought you Sins of a Blue Planet!
(https://i.imgur.com/euvNIwY.png)

(https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/947347364981811531/D5FCB684B0D600B90AC1EFDF4C6CCEF8CD576379/)

(https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/945096485104197971/A758C228EDE50C4CF0B6B26011E2E0F3C1B95257/)

Based on the same universe as Solaris, Sins of a Solaris Empire aims to bring the same epic space combat found in Sins of a Blue Planet.
More details to come later on in a separate thread.
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Phantom Hoover on April 26, 2019, 05:03:18 am
first thought: holy **** cool!

second thought: hehehe, durrrius
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Mito [PL] on April 26, 2019, 05:30:31 am
MOM GET THE CAMERA (https://youtu.be/mLRbZJS5A_E?t=5)

Okay, I'm absolutely positively totally hyped. OHHHHH
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Nightmare on April 26, 2019, 06:13:18 am
And I thought you've been smuggling screens from other games into the ScreenCap contest! :D
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Cyborg17 on April 26, 2019, 06:46:33 am
That's incredible! Very hyped! Are the models originals?? I can't understand what they are saying at the end of the intro on my phone.  :(
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: 0rph3u5 on April 26, 2019, 06:57:51 am
*looks for a spot to watch*
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Colonol Dekker on April 26, 2019, 07:32:17 am
What a lovely birthday present...you shouldn't have :)
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: HLD_Prophecy on April 26, 2019, 09:39:31 am
Noice!
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: General Battuta on April 26, 2019, 09:59:28 am
Hellllllllllll yeah
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: TechnoD11 on April 26, 2019, 10:19:31 am
Now this is fantastic!
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: AdmiralRalwood on April 26, 2019, 12:05:45 pm
Quote from: Phantom Hoover on April 26, 2019, 05:03:18 am
first thought: holy **** cool!

second thought: hehehe, durrrius
...yeah, my thoughts exactly
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: General Battuta on April 26, 2019, 12:22:01 pm
I don’t get it.
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Darius on April 26, 2019, 12:26:43 pm
I solemnly swear i am not self inserting as a mining station.
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Nyctaeus on April 26, 2019, 12:53:08 pm
:yes: :yes: :yes:

Make this happen!
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: General Battuta on April 26, 2019, 01:46:17 pm
Ohhhh lol
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: CapellaGoBoom on April 26, 2019, 06:57:03 pm
most impressive!
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Darius on April 28, 2019, 09:54:08 am
In this thread I'll be giving out some world and gameplay information about the setting of Solaris.
First of all I'll be going through each of the Great Powers - the Federation, Combine and Commonwealth.

Today's post will be about the player faction in the 10-mission first release, the Atlantean Federation.

But first, some political background.


Great Powers

The Miranda Accord of 2236 was signed into effect amongst the ashes of the Great War. The war was remarkable in the excesses of the tactics and weapons used, harkening back to the unrestrained industrial warfare of centuries ago. Unrestricted nuclear orbital bombardment had left several planets ecologically devastated, including Earth. By the time of ceasefire, billions of souls had perished. Humanity would not survive another such war.

A conference attended by representatives of every sovereign star nation set into motion a solemn, binding vow - never again will such widespread destruction visit humanity's homes among the stars.

In addition to finalising the terms of armistice, a major tenet of the treaty was drafted to prevent another such tragedy by restricting the storage and deployment of spaceborne nuclear weapons to capital ships. Further treaty restrictions to nuclear proliferation limited capital ships to the three recognised Great Powers: the Atlantean Federation, Sinarus Combine and Alban Commonwealth. If any nation violated these restrictions, an automatic declaration of war by the three Great Powers would be enacted to enforce the treaty.


(https://i.imgur.com/bPk4WL4.png)

"Liberty. Independence. Justice."

The Atlantean Federation is a Great Power.

The Federation came into being as a military alliance of nation states to provide mutual defense against the authoritarian Combine. Mindful of the threat the monolithic Sol government represented, member states of the Atlantean Federation swiftly passed a constitution guaranteeing the political freedoms and autonomy of its systems.

A mosaic of varying cultures and political beliefs, the Federation covers a vast territory that includes several resource-rich systems. These critical resources helped support a massive wartime armament investment during the Great War. Though the war involved most major powers in the galaxy, Federation ships made up the bulk of anti-Combine forces, and it was Federation warheads which devastated Earth from orbit. The fledgling alliance came out of the conflict with significant territorial and economic gains, overtaking every other rival to become the pre-eminent power in Terran space.

(https://i.imgur.com/32tGExg.jpg)

The Federation has the largest military by tonnage of the Terran powers. A significant military industrial complex powers the Federation economy. Fleet doctrine centres around formations of specialised escorts supporting the power projection missions of carriers and battleships. Federation Naval Operations prefers the use of kinetic launchers to the less reliable Coyote anti-ship missile for warship primary armament.


Coming soon - the Sinarus Combine.
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Colonol Dekker on April 28, 2019, 03:30:06 pm
As a resident of Earth, I'm pretty inclined to dislike the federation and feel that, probably rightly, that I'll side with the glorious Combine forces.
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: 0rph3u5 on April 28, 2019, 03:52:10 pm
Quote from: Colonol Dekker on April 28, 2019, 03:30:06 pm
As a resident of Earth

You should really expand your horizons.  ;)


Quote
A significant military industrial complex powers the Federation economy.

Clear sign that this state is destined to "backslide" - question is going to be, temporary or permanent?
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Colonol Dekker on April 28, 2019, 04:51:47 pm
Quote from: 0rph3u5 on April 28, 2019, 03:52:10 pm
Quote from: Colonol Dekker on April 28, 2019, 03:30:06 pm
As a resident of Earth

You should really expand your horizons.  ;)



I honour the homeworld by never leaving it  :D
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Nightmare on April 28, 2019, 06:44:11 pm
Can you give an estimate how many planets/stars have been colonised/belong to each faction? Just something rough like 10^X would be sufficient.
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: 0rph3u5 on April 28, 2019, 08:51:21 pm
Quote from: Colonol Dekker on April 28, 2019, 04:51:47 pm
*snip*
I honour the homeworld by never leaving it  :D

Just as I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide... (https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/54932/sea-fever-56d235e0d871e)  ;)
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Darius on April 28, 2019, 09:00:29 pm
Colonisation efforts have trickled along pre-existing space folds ("hyperspace lanes") due to vast energy savings compared to folding space manually. As a result the larger factions tend to only have ~10^2 systems with a percentage of those being colonised. The smallest nations are single system only.

Dekker: would having a Space Blighty change things?
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Colonol Dekker on April 29, 2019, 01:02:36 am
Possibly.  But it all depends on the circumstances, I'm normally earth before all else, except in BP where I'm more tev than buntu which surprises me.   

I do like a rich narrative,  and I'm looking forward to reading up on this.   #britainendures

I follow your YouTube channel and saw the trailer when it first went up,  I'm sure I commented but just in case it slipped though cracks, your hyperspace effects.    I like them :nod:.
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Darius on April 29, 2019, 03:58:42 am
All glory for the hyperspace effects goes to Mjn and BTA
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Darius on May 09, 2019, 07:57:42 am
(https://i.imgur.com/bmazkwp.png)

"One People. One Future."

The Sinarus Combine is a Terran Great Power.

The Sinarus Combine rose from the ashes of the Sol Combine, the powerful administrative hub of Terran space. Economic and ecological collapse at the end of the Great War led to the replacement of Sol's government with a new capital in the Sinarus system. For the first time in human history, Earth had lost her place at the zenith of Terran administration and culture.

The following years were dark times for Combine citizens. The Sinarus government inherited a small but densely populated territory dependent on imports from outlying systems - systems now under Federation control. The loss of Earth's infrastructure and much of her population had also shattered the once-proud nation. The pragmatic but totalitarian ruling government took drastic action - entire swathes of the population were mobilised into rebuilding the economy. Power was concentrated at the upper echelons of the single-party government with severely curtailed political and social freedoms for its citizens. The nation's citizenry committed itself to this gargantuan task, firm in the belief that this was a necessary sacrifice to ensure a future for generations to come.

As a result, Combine leadership expects absolute loyalty to the state, including compulsory military service and working in a chosen area of a socially useful occupation. In return, Combine citizens have the right to comprehensive state welfare, housing and education.

(https://i.imgur.com/J4pS5uf.jpg)

As the economy recovered, the Sinarus Combine star fleet benefited from an extensive modernisation program. Heavily-armed warships are designed with less specialised roles than Federation equivalents with an emphasis on flexibility of movement and independent operations. The Combine fleet promotes a "first strike" doctrine, emphasising speed and firepower over durability and combat endurance. As such, Combine warships are among the most heavily armed of the Great Powers, making extensive use of Javelin anti-ship missiles.
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Colonol Dekker on May 09, 2019, 10:25:26 am
I love them already.

/me ONE PEOPLE!  ONE FUTURE!
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: 0rph3u5 on May 09, 2019, 11:47:47 am
Sounds a bit like "Space Stalinism, but with positives" ... I am going to enjoy watching it burn :D
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Nightmare on May 09, 2019, 11:57:38 am
Nice nice. :nod: Mind adding some timeline with a handful of dates or so? I find them quite useful in original projects.
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Nyctaeus on May 09, 2019, 12:07:34 pm
Space commies! I can't wait to kick their asses :yes:
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: whitearrow on May 17, 2019, 07:11:08 am
"Sinarus" = Chinese+Russian?
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Darius on May 17, 2019, 08:12:51 am
Correct! (well, roughly!)

Earth was not yet unified as a single government when hyperspace was discovered. Space nations can be roughly analogised to Earth nations depending on the predominant culture that colonised that area of space.

And now you know the analogues of the other powers :)
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: 0rph3u5 on May 17, 2019, 02:15:38 pm
So then the romanic family of languages is spoken in the remaining Great Power?
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Colonol Dekker on May 17, 2019, 02:24:01 pm
(Only slightly) Off-Topic question for Darius here, but I can't find any BP mods for sins :|
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Nightmare on May 17, 2019, 03:03:40 pm
Quote from: Colonol Dekker on May 17, 2019, 02:24:01 pm
(Only slightly) Off-Topic question for Darius here, but I can't find any BP mods for sins :|

It's in Open Alpha: https://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=94457.0
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Darius on May 17, 2019, 07:43:57 pm
Quote from: 0rph3u5 on May 17, 2019, 02:15:38 pm
So then the romanic family of languages is spoken in the remaining Great Power?

Not sure what the Romanic languages are but names and places are latinised for convenience. Different language groups still use their own language but use English as standard
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: deathspeed on May 17, 2019, 11:14:38 pm
Quote from: Cyborg17 on April 26, 2019, 06:46:33 am
That's incredible! Very hyped! Are the models originals?? I can't understand what they are saying at the end of the intro on my phone.  :(

"Set up a secure channel for immediate data transfer.  I will send word of our victory."
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: 0rph3u5 on May 18, 2019, 12:20:55 am
Quote from: Darius on May 17, 2019, 07:43:57 pm
Quote from: 0rph3u5 on May 17, 2019, 02:15:38 pm
So then the romanic family of languages is spoken in the remaining Great Power?

Not sure what the Romanic languages are but names and places are latinised for convenience. Different language groups still use their own language but use English as standard

Maybe because I blundered with translation, "romanic" is out of use in english - I was referring to Romance Languages (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romance_languages).
Actually, I was just try to find out if the name "Alban Commonwealth" might go back to Latin (see the adjective "albus")
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Colonol Dekker on May 18, 2019, 01:00:10 am
Quote from: Nightmare on May 17, 2019, 03:03:40 pm
Quote from: Colonol Dekker on May 17, 2019, 02:24:01 pm
(Only slightly) Off-Topic question for Darius here, but I can't find any BP mods for sins :|

It's in Open Alpha: https://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=94457.0

Oh look, I was in the first few replies on that topic  :lol: :nervous:

No doubt in a few years time there will be a solar is mod for sins too.
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: deathspeed on May 18, 2019, 08:24:52 am
I want to play this.
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: TechnoD11 on May 18, 2019, 10:53:06 am
Quote from: deathspeed on May 18, 2019, 08:24:52 am
I want to play this.

+1
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: whitearrow on May 21, 2019, 06:29:03 pm
I've just had another look at the two videos about this thing.
It looks like ships here are at another level. Who made them? (can we have some more screenshots/videos/whatever? We are hungry you know:D :D)
Anyway, this mod is veeeery promising, can't wait to play it!
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Darius on May 21, 2019, 10:45:57 pm
Pretty much all of the ships are from CGPitbull (the same guy who did the ships for Rebel Galaxy). Most of the assets are from the Kurogane and Terra Nova mods for Stellaris. The rest were purchased directly from the modeler.

The ships are used under a royalty-free license so people are free to use them in their own FSO mods as well. Solaris is very much a community project and uses assets from all over HLP, so I hope to give something back to the community as well!

In terms of progress:
FREDing for Solaris has finished and I'm going through and testing for bugs/tightening gameplay. I'm on third-world internet at the moment but plan to have it upgraded next Friday. When that happens I'll upload the files for testing before a proper release shortly after. Likely aiming for first or second week of June.

My internet is the limiting factor for getting this out there so with luck the upgrade goes through smoothly!
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Colonol Dekker on May 22, 2019, 01:43:19 am
/me  is looking forward to faction 3 blurb/logo.   


On that note, are all your emblems vector tomfoolery or do you have plans in mind when you create them?
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Darius on May 22, 2019, 07:32:48 am
(https://i.imgur.com/DHi3fuF.png)

"For Crown and Country"

The Alban Commonwealth is one of the Great Powers.

Fortune and foresight secured Commonwealth power. The capital system of Alba is the nexus of a densely populated hyperspace network, with extensive trading lanes established rapidly after the system was colonised. The Commonwealth's economy almost exclusively relies on trade, with Alban corporations maintaining some of the largest merchant navies in the galaxy.

During the final stages of the Great War, the Commonwealth took advantage of a unique opportunity to offer its services at mediation. In a diplomatic triumph, the Commonwealth arbitrated terms that satisfied both the Federation's territorial demands and the Combine's need to save face to its citizens. In 2236, the Alban Commonwealth chaired a conference attended by representatives from every independent star nation to draft the Miranda Accord. The prestige secured the recognition of the Commonwealth as a Great Power. Though not the military or industrial equal of the Federation or Combine, the Commonwealth still commands substantial economic and cultural power.

The Commonwealth is a constitutional monarchy ruled by the youthful Edward Wynson, a perspicacious and well-loved sovereign. Rumours circulate regarding House Wynson's ability to read and influence people, a trait shared by each generation of Wynson monarchs. This ability has taken on an almost mystical status from various embellishments over time.

(https://i.imgur.com/4GIofBF.png)

Commonwealth military strengths lie in research and development, personnel training and naval intelligence. His Majesty's Navy is the smallest of the three Great Powers but emphasis on these strengths goes some way to offset the disadvantage in tonnage. Commonwealth operations often take place far from friendly bases and infrastructure, and warships of the Crown are engineered to be durable and reliable. The Navy's historical role of securing the Commonwealth's extensive tradelanes continues to this day.
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: 0rph3u5 on May 22, 2019, 07:41:42 am
... so "alban" is reference to scottish-gaelic name for Scotland, not the latin adjective for "white"?

Following "Space Stalinist/Maoists" I seriously was expecting some kind of "space facism", just because that would have been such a well-worn triangle.
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Nightmare on May 22, 2019, 07:47:25 am
Quote from: 0rph3u5 on May 22, 2019, 07:41:42 am
Following "Space Stalinist/Maoists" I seriously was expecting some kind of "space facism", just because that would have been such a well-worn triangle.

Why not something more original?
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Colonol Dekker on May 22, 2019, 08:04:04 am
Dammit.....


My heart is now a commonwealth one.   It's that bloody imperial lion and rule Britannia vibe.
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Nyctaeus on May 22, 2019, 08:11:10 am
May I suggest changing color of either Commonwealth or Federation? Both use yellow. Different colors would greatly help with visual identification.
Otherwise I love everything you guys prepared so far. Factions looks very detailed and distinctive.

BTW.
(https://i.imgur.com/Ru4YCUZ.png)
Awesome logo, but why so low-res and pixelated :]?

Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Darius on May 22, 2019, 08:22:43 am
I was on the fence about changing the colours but if it makes for better identification it's easy enough to do. Probably keep the golden lion so I'll change the Fed star.

The original logo was resized so that it doesn't crowd out the layout of the post, but it seems like it lost a few pixels in the process  :p
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: 0rph3u5 on May 22, 2019, 09:02:38 am
Quote from: Nightmare on May 22, 2019, 07:47:25 am
Quote from: 0rph3u5 on May 22, 2019, 07:41:42 am
Following "Space Stalinist/Maoists" I seriously was expecting some kind of "space facism", just because that would have been such a well-worn triangle.

Why not something more original?

... because familarity it is a powerful tool for guiding the audience, e.g. it highlights all the deviations from expectation down to the smallest details.
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Nightmare on May 22, 2019, 09:23:38 am
Ah, OK. Probably I'm just not mainstream target audience, familarity (like space nazis vs commies) usually triggers me into "I've seen this so often, who still cares" mode. That's one of the many reasons why I'm looking forward to this campaign. :nod:
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Darius on May 22, 2019, 09:27:27 am
It definitely would have been a fun trope and reinforce the familiar "Second World War in space" setting, but I would have struggled to portray a space fascist power as anything other than a one-dimensional caricature. What I ended up doing was having some minor fascist elements in the Combine with regard to authoritarianism and social/economic interventionism.

It's a multipolar universe though, so fascism may yet find some representation in one of the other nations.
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: Colonol Dekker on May 22, 2019, 12:58:10 pm
Blue and white for the first factions logo?
Title: Re: [WIP] Solaris (a FreeSpace Open Total Conversion)
Post by: 0rph3u5 on May 25, 2019, 04:30:16 am
Quote from: Darius on May 22, 2019, 09:27:27 am
What I ended up doing was having some minor fascist elements in the Combine with regard to authoritarianism and social/economic interventionism.

Are you sure that's not just Totalitarianism (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totalitarianism)?

Quote from: Darius on May 22, 2019, 09:27:27 am
I would have struggled to portray a space fascist power as anything other than a one-dimensional caricature.

I know that problem ... have the same isssue with the NTF; there is just something alien about nationalism my tiny mind can't wrap itself around.
If you like I could give you a few pointers how I hope to conquer that problem via PM.

Quote from: Nightmare on May 22, 2019, 09:23:38 am
Ah, OK. Probably I'm just not mainstream target audience, familarity (like space nazis vs commies) usually triggers me into "I've seen this so often, who still cares" mode.

That's because most media just uses characters like that as short-cuts, in games in particular to as "permitted targets". That's why you hardly see any other form of facism in (english-language) popular media than german Nazis or visual language calling straight back to it - here the associations are so well-kown and non-ambigious that no additional leg-work is required.
Which is kinda sad because there are much more interesting-from-a-purely-intellectual-standpoint examples of facism , e.g. the Franco-Dictatorship in Spain.