[Game_Master64]

Ok, so, earlier today i had an idea, only problem is i have no idea how to use FRED, or to mod, which this idea will require. So I'm throughing this out here for anyone who wants it to take. You see so many campaigns focused around the Shivans, though none of them which tell you anything about them, so i propose a massive project centered around the shivans, where you are the shivans, know what i mean? At the end of the FS2 campaign, Admiral Petrarch (I think, haven't played it for a while) suggests that the shivans are exiles, like the GTVA, so i propose that we uses that. Also, think about this for a while, the Shivans are undefeated overall. They annialiated the Ancients, they destroyed Vasuda Prime and cut off access to Sol in the Great War, and they destroyed one of the most populated sectors in the Second Great War. They have never lost, so i say we tell their story, from start to finish.

Chapter 1: The Ancients
So, this one will take some work. Ancient ships, as well as Shivan ships and weapons would have to be made. This one would basically be a tutorial for the players, since as the cutscenes in FS1 tell us, the Ancients didn't put up much of a fight. I'm leaving the exact story open ended for anyone who wants to take this.

Chapter 2: Exile
This chapter tells just how the Shivans were exilied, or seperated. I'm thinking of something along the lines of a supernova, which would lend it's self to why they destroyed Capella, or perhaps a new species that are hunting them. The Shivans seem to act with a hive mentallity, meaning they probably have a Queen, so maybe that can be incorperated in some way. This chapter would have to be quite creative, since there is no mention of this at all in either of the games.

Chapter 3: The Great War
Basically use the same missions as Freespace 1 but from the shivans point of view. Maybe start this before Ross 128, the original emergence of the Shivans, and continue it up until the Lucifer collapses the node to Sol.

Chapter 4: Post Great War
Could tell of the building of the Sathanas fleet, and possible a re-emergence of the new species, if thats used at all. Wouldn't be much to this chapter, sort of a mini-campaign. Possibly could give a reason as to why the shivans killed Capella, blackhole or something.

Chapter 5: Second Great War
Same as chapter 3, the Second Great War from the Shivan POV. Maybe start it before the GTVA discover the Knossos.

Chapter 6: Post SGW
no ideas here, maybe end it here or chapter 5, they get home or something.

These are all purly ideas, i had to get these down so they wouldnt bother me anymore. I'm not forcing anyone to do anything. If your interested, contact me.

[Rand al Thor]

Not saying its a bad idea but at least several parts of your idea have been tried before in one way or another and being big undertakings in themselves, most have petered out.

Now I don't want to step on ground I really have no idea about but even with all the new blood thats arrived here to help with all aspects of campaign work, I think you're gonna find help thin on the ground.

But maybe just take the first part yourself if you have to. There are several old ancient models floating about, mostly from two pre-Inferno R1 demo releases.

[Mefustae]

Perhaps you should try learning FRED before you plan out the project, so you can truly appreciate how laughably monumental such an undertaking would surely prove to be.

[Polpolion]

Perhaps you should try learning FRED before you plan out the project, so you can truly appreciate how laughably monumental such an undertaking would surely prove to be.

That is a great idea .

[Dark Hunter]

I agree with it being a good idea. Most of the material is already in place. He could get Ancient ships from Inferno, Shivan stuff from that partially-released Shivan POV mod (which contains such things as a Shivan mainhall). And for the two Shivan POV Great Wars... maybe he could just rearrange stuff from the original missions? And add one or two missions that aren't referenced just to have some originality.

But I agree with it taking you forever, especially if you're working alone. You probably won't find another FREDder to help you, most of us are already involved in one project or another.

[Snail]

That theory overlaps with mine.

My theory involves a 'cataclysm' which separated the Shivan fleets a long time ago (probably the destruction of several Jump Nodes simultaneously). After the cataclysm, the Shivans decided to nuke all other species because they did not want another cataclysm or something.

The one that came from Ross 128 and engaged in FS1 were different from the one in FS2. They were probably an expeditionary force which got separated after the disaster that separated the Shivans. Their fleet was very small so they decided that they had to create a sub-hive on board the Lucifer. This is why they needed to shield it and protect it so much.

The Comm Nodes in the second SOC loop were being used to try to communicate other Shivan fleets far away so the FS2 Shivans could join back up with them. The supernova of Capella was used as the gravitational field for the use of a super-jump node so that the FS2 Shivans could join up with some other Shivan fleet (alternatively it could be used as a beacon so the other Shivan fleets could find it, but it seems a stretch that the Shivans would blow up a star just for a signal).

This does not rule out another species, perhaps those who caused the 'cataclysm' in the first place.

Eh... I'm going to start my own thread for this... Sorry for stealing your thread.

Anyway, if you get this off the road I might actually help you, but I doubt it will go anywhere (no offense) as this seems like a massive endeavor and seems like another one of those mods which are way too ambitious. But I dig the idea anyway.

[Game_Master64]

thats all this was. an idea that anyone can manipulate, rip off, or otherwise use. i probably shouldn't have typed it up this way, maybe just a theory type thing would have been better.

[Snail]

I would like to work on the mod if there were more people on it, but that is never going to happen...

[Ace]

I do find it hillarious that people assume that the Shivans are from a position of weakness.

"Oh, those were the only Sathanases."

"Oh, yeah there's only one Lucifer."

We're talking about a race that's existed for millions of years purging life in the galaxy. Think of the Lucifer as a deathsquad, and the Sathanas as being more of a utility vessel than a real warship. Then you'll start getting good ideas for Shivan related campaigns.

As for the Lucifer and comm-nodes. It's obvious that the Shivans need centralized communication to function well, that does not necessarily make them a hive-mind.

[Snail]

Are you talking of my theory?

Well they are not a weak species. My theory actually makes it seem as if the Shivans are more powerful than they seem to be. Imagine the fleet that could emerge when all the Shivan splinters form back up. Hell think of the fleet that could form when the 80 Saths meet up with the Shivans on the other side of the Capella sun...

[don't even start about canon here, Mars ]

[neoterran]

they're not THAT powerful. They still need to use weapons that are technologically on par with terran/vasudan counterparts (lasers, beam weapons....dare I say...Flak)

If they were truly powerful, they'd crush terrans like ants, instead, humans are a worthy enemy for them.

[Ace]

Play FS1 again and come back saying that the Shivans aren't that powerful.

The Terrans adapted Shivan and Ancient technologies, and in the case of the Shivans the GTI was adapting their technologies long before the Great War began. Without that ability to adapt it would have been a very brief conflict.

[Dark Hunter]

they're not THAT powerful. They still need to use weapons that are technologically on par with terran/vasudan counterparts (lasers, beam weapons....dare I say...Flak)

If they were truly powerful, they'd crush terrans like ants, instead, humans are a worthy enemy for them.

[old argument]
Who's to say they've even taken all that much of an interest in us? Who's to say that we've been assaulted by even a fraction of their true military power?
[/old argument]

[Kie99]

they're not THAT powerful. They still need to use weapons that are technologically on par with terran/vasudan counterparts (lasers, beam weapons....dare I say...Flak)

If they were truly powerful, they'd crush terrans like ants, instead, humans are a worthy enemy for them.

They're perfectly capable of crushing the GTVA like ants.  They had a fleet of 80 ships, each one capable of destroying an entire GTVA Fleet effortlessly, which could collectively destroy star systems.

[neoterran]

still can't destroy earth tho, can they ? 

[BS403]

and we still can't get to earth, can we?

[Game_Master64]

they can't destroy earth because they screwed up the first time. sort of, isolation is sometimes worse then death

[Qwer]

I had idea of making Shivan-based campaign before, but I can't do it as school and other projects are keeping me busy and I'm afraid I'll never be able to make it. Also my idea had different storyline (it concerns only post-Capella events and is much more complex).

[Kie99]

still can't destroy earth tho, can they ? 

That's got nothing to do with power, if the Shivans had a fleet of a million ships, each more powerful than the entire GTVA put together, they still wouldn't get to Earth.  The fact the GTVA has a single planet the Shivans can not reach does not make them a worthy enemy of the Shivans.

[Snail]

The Shivans can rebuild jump nodes. :