[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Fry_Day
No offense, but the amount of new species in campaigns is alarming.

It's just like the tendancy to make bigger ships with larger beams. You don't need that to make a good campaign. Actually, I think it harms the chances of making one, for reasons of plot coherency and gameplay balance.
Worse is the appearance of SEVERAL new races in one campaign. First contact is supposed to be a rare, almost unique moment, and there you go, turning it into "wee, another new race."

I could find more reasons as to why this seems a glaring mistake to me, but I won't bother typing them, since you won't change your campaigns anyway

There's a very specific reason and purpose for the appearance of the Nightmares in Reciprocity, I'll have you know.... including the reasons for the NTF's initial use of the Knossos, Bosch's true motives - and why the GTVA let him escape several times - and the Shivans motives for attacking in FS1.  And other stuff.  It's a very specific narrative device.

[karajorma]

Originally posted by aldo_14
There's a very specific reason and purpose for the appearance of the Nightmares in Reciprocity, I'll have you know.... including the reasons for the NTF's initial use of the Knossos, Bosch's true motives - and why the GTVA let him escape several times - and the Shivans motives for attacking in FS1.  And other stuff.  It's a very specific narrative device.

You`ve also basically described the reasons why the starborn are in Mindgames. In fact without the starborn there would be no campaign.

Originally posted by Fry_Day
No offense, but the amount of new species in campaigns is alarming.

It's just like the tendancy to make bigger ships with larger beams. You don't need that to make a good campaign. Actually, I think it harms the chances of making one, for reasons of plot coherency and gameplay balance.
Worse is the appearance of SEVERAL new races in one campaign. First contact is supposed to be a rare, almost unique moment, and there you go, turning it into "wee, another new race."

I could find more reasons as to why this seems a glaring mistake to me, but I won't bother typing them, since you won't change your campaigns anyway

I agree that you shouldn`t add a new race just to have a new race in the campaign or just to show off pretty new ships you`ve modded but if the new race(s) are an integral part of your campaign then add as many as you need.

As for first contact being rare what happens if you meet a race already in contact with other unknown races?

[Star Dragon]

Humans met the Centauri who knew the Brokiri and enslaved the Narn... (meet one race who knows of two others and you've made 3 contacts!)... Plus everyone the other 2 races knew and so on, an so on

   Seriously, Beyond Redemption will be a non cannon /non FS2 background Earth influenced by the SDF-3 and will feature a new (undescribed race) with , er, rather unique war machines in place of ships bigger than capital status (and a few surprises thrown in too). Of course I can plot out lots of ooo's and aah's and some flash here and there but I will really need help in fully developing this from one cool idea to a fuly fleshed campaign.

  Other than that, Gundam TC is just HUMANS! No Shivans, NO Vasudans!!! How's that for minimalism? Models are comming along but none successfully converted yet  If anyone want's to give a base Zaku a go PM me...)

   Nexus Chronicles will be the continuation of the BR background when the SDF-3 and it's Other Earth escort leaves to begin the journey back to the universe the SDF-3 originally came from and all the worlds they will discover on the way as the fleets quantum jump drives need recharge time (1 month aprox.) between universal barriers... Gonna be a LONG journey (cause of infinate amount of alternate universes)... So you can imagine all the races and new stuff they will find (pimp other mods here... Vasudan controlled universe, Shivan domination, Terran ensalved galaxy, Ancients rule over everyone, Star Wars, Star Trek, bab5, Insert sci-fi series-movie-book-anime here...) plenty to go on. THIS is basically my fun idea, not serious but I wanna do it. This definately needs scripters who like crossover stories and plausible storylines, character development.

[Black Wolf]

Originally posted by Fry_Day
No offense, but the amount of new species in campaigns is alarming.

It's just like the tendancy to make bigger ships with larger beams. You don't need that to make a good campaign. Actually, I think it harms the chances of making one, for reasons of plot coherency and gameplay balance.
Worse is the appearance of SEVERAL new races in one campaign. First contact is supposed to be a rare, almost unique moment, and there you go, turning it into "wee, another new race."

I could find more reasons as to why this seems a glaring mistake to me, but I won't bother typing them, since you won't change your campaigns anyway

Keep in mind that none of these campaigns actually interact with each other, so it won't be like the GTVA knows about the Nightmares, the ****, the aliens that aren't in over the top, the TI aliens and all the others all at the same time. The first contacts you make in each campaign will be rare and unique.

Also, with regard to TI specifically, the new race form the backbone of the storyline - without them we have no campaign. We aren't putting them in for the sake of it. Their place is carefully considered and scripted, and a lot of seemingly unrelated things link back to their involvement (both directly and indirectly).

[Black Wolf]

Originally posted by Star Dragon
  Nexus Chronicles will be the continuation of the BR background when the SDF-3 and it's Other Earth escort leaves to begin the journey back to the universe the SDF-3 originally came from and all the worlds they will discover on the way as the fleets quantum jump drives need recharge time (1 month aprox.) between universal barriers... Gonna be a LONG journey (cause of infinate amount of alternate universes)... So you can imagine all the races and new stuff they will find (pimp other mods here... Vasudan controlled universe, Shivan domination, Terran ensalved galaxy, Ancients rule over everyone, Star Wars, Star Trek, bab5, Insert sci-fi series-movie-book-anime here...) plenty to go on. THIS is basically my fun idea, not serious but I wanna do it. This definately needs scripters who like crossover stories and plausible storylines, character development.

Good luck. You're definitely going to need it. I mean, how many ST photon torpedoes to one SW proton torp? And how many of each of them to a Helios? Is hyperdrive faster than warp? Does subspace beat them all? One turbolaser shot to kill a TIE fighter in A New Hope - how many phaser blasts would it take? How many Subachs? And that's only the most basic idea of the balance problems you're going to have, as I'm only referencing the 3 Sci Fi universes I really know all that well. Even with modsalready existing, this'd be a huge project...Kudos if you do it and all, but let's just say I won't be holding my breath.

[LAW ENFORCER]

That sounds fun he he ...

and aldo basicaly answered for everyone as every one has a 'good reson' for including all those hundres of alien races in their campaigns.... at least in their own head anyway.
I do. That is if I have any aliens

[Thor]

I have created a subjugated race for Aftermath, my fiction.  They act as cattle/servents to the shivans.  Also added some more divisions within the shivans (Warriors/thinkers, the usual)  It'll be a good bit when it's done.

[Knight Templar]

No offense, but the amount of new species in campaigns is alarming.

 I laugh in your face.

[Fry_Day]

Agghh! It seems as if you're answering all the unanswered questions that made the FS2 plot good!
Not only that, but everyone seems to be taking the 'New Species' route to answer those questions.

[karajorma]

Volition told us to.

The shivans are part of a larger problem

If you can think of something besides another species make up your own campaign based around it

[Black Wolf]

Originally posted by karajorma
Volition told us to.
 If you can think of something besides another species make up your own campaign based around it

The Shivans are the physical manifestation of our subconsciously and inherently destrfuctive nature. During times when this nature reaches a peak (NTF rebellion, TV War) the combined destructive will of the masses brings them into existence, and our own arrogance is the thing that defines their strength. (We had the TV War tech, they had Lucy, We had the Collosus and beams, they had 80 Satthanni and BF and L Reds). The larger problem [V] spoke of is nothing more than our own inherently destuctive nature.

There - now try and make that into a campaign .

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Fry_Day
Agghh! It seems as if you're answering all the unanswered questions that made the FS2 plot good!
Not only that, but everyone seems to be taking the 'New Species' route to answer those questions.

Who's saying that i'm not using those answers to create new questions?

Reciprocity will NOT answer the whole FS story, or complete it... what you learn will hopefully point to deeper and darker truths.  In much the same way as FS2 did.

[vyper]

Do Shivan-Terrran Shivan-Vasudan Shivan-Ancient hybrids count? *retracts statement for fear of giving plot away*

[Star Dragon]

Vyper's referring to an intergalactic swingers club???

  So make a mod with NO new species (like Gundam TC!)

Hey BlackWolf,

   I've seen that movie. It's called: Forbidden Planet
Monsters from the ID. Dr. Morbius made a HUGE A$$ Shivan to destroy the Belleraphon and then later it trashed his lab. Ok maybe it wasn't a shivan, but maybe a hybrid like Vyper suggested!

BTW, whoever is making Shivans from their unconcious minds (KNOCK IT OFF!) drink some coffee or something!

"Can't sleep Shivans will eat me!"
 "Can't sleep Shivans will eat..."
   "Can't sleep Shivans wil..."

[Black Wolf]

Originally posted by Star Dragon
Hey BlackWolf,

   I've seen that movie. It's called: Forbidden Planet
Monsters from the ID. Dr. Morbius made a HUGE A$$ Shivan to destroy the Belleraphon and then later it trashed his lab. Ok maybe it wasn't a shivan, but maybe a hybrid like Vyper suggested!

BTW, whoever is making Shivans from their unconcious minds (KNOCK IT OFF!) drink some coffee or something!

"Can't sleep Shivans will eat me!"
 "Can't sleep Shivans will eat..."
   "Can't sleep Shivans wil..."

I haven't seen that movie, I just made the idea up off the top of my head. And it was at least three quarters joke. Still, it's as valid as any other theory til we get the final word from .

[Galemp]

*agrees with BW as it fits everything in the Ancients readings and canon*

Read some of my posts over at VW for my theories on the Shivans.

[Knight Templar]

Ok, this is a n00b question ( ) but is allowed to tell us the rest of  the story (legally?) or do they just want to keep it open ended so that we can keep on playing with it over and over?

[Solatar]

Yeah, there isn't going to be any Freespace3. Why can't they just tell us the rest of what happened?

[karajorma]

1) They don`t want to.  

or more likely

2) They don`t know

The Behind Enemy Lines campaign was written by the author that hired to write the storyline for FS3. Something about his comments at the time made me think that didn`t actually have a plot in mind for FS3 and were expecting him to do all the work. Still until we can get the guy (whose name escapes me at the moment) to say if I`m right or not this is all guesswork.

[Su-tehp]

Originally posted by karajorma
1) They don`t want to.  

or more likely

2) They don`t know

The Behind Enemy Lines campaign was written by the author that hired to write the storyline for FS3. Something about his comments at the time made me think that didn`t actually have a plot in mind for FS3 and were expecting him to do all the work. Still until we can get the guy (whose name escapes me at the moment) to say if I`m right or not this is all guesswork.

You mean Ascraeus? Um...dude, don't bother. I remember last year how he was all jazzed up to create FS2.9 and we were all jazzed up because we were finally getting a campaign that would continue the FS story...then we never heard anything from him again.