Siegkrow posted:

The SA forums are getting brought back in the new planet.

SSNeoman posted:

Who are we most likely to butt heads with? And if Firaxite's a problem, what about Xenomass, since I assume we need that for Harmony units?

Siegkrow posted:

I say upgrade your basic units at least, having a strong standing army is a good defense before you start climbing that tech tower.

Sylphosaurus posted:

So, since we are going Supremacy/Harmony, will we be getting our own E.V.A units later on (emotionally unstable teen pilots optional)?

Level 3 Harmony posted:

If you can, touch a Siege Worm as it moves by. That will teach you all you need to know about the insignificance of humanity.
— Pastor Jack's Homiletics

Tenebrais posted:

I wonder, assuming this is purely a narrative thing, do the other nations have their own names for Al-Jalidia? Or was Al Falah's early cultural presence (and apparently being the first to arrive) strong enough that everyone has adopted the name?

SSNeoman posted:

How long is a typical game cause we're 150 turns in and just hit our first branching upgrades?

Kavithan Protectorate posted:

With end of the Great Mistake and the devastation it had brought, the Indian subcontinent's economic and political position was more precarious than ever. Populations faced extensive coastal flooding, crop failure, and pandemics with limited international humanitarian aid. Millions of refugees poured across India and surrounding nations in the greatest human migration on the subcontinent since the partition in 1947. Clashes between political and religious factions among desperate groups increased, and the centralized political power had only limited ability to help. The specter of a balkanized, ethnically torn subcontinent seemed all too likely.

In this turbulent mix, in the city of Delhi emerged Raj Thakur, a mystic preaching a heterodox and syncretic creed that appealed to all three major religions of the subcontinent. Thakur's message of the great potential of all people, the purifying power of sustainable living, and personal charity did what no political force could - it crossed religious and ethnic boundaries and united the people of the subcontinent. It became a political force of its own, a deeply felt grassroots movement that vanquished the worst of the religious, political, and ethnic violence. Thakur undertook a pilgrimage across the subcontinent on foot, leaving Delhi and walking to the Kush, followed by tens of thousands of his disciples, and a media captivated by the prophet. Arriving in the foothills of the Hindu Kush, Thakur and his followers' tent encampment became a nexus for his teachings, spreading around the world in person and on the Internet and television. His image and words were ubiquitous, bringing solace and care to the poor and diseased, and inspiring many of the upper classes to leave the security of their walled compounds to directly help others.

Raj Thakur died just three years after the end of his pilgrimage, leaving the work of his mission to his daughter, Kavitha. Kavitha Thakur is more media-reticent than her father, although this is seen by many as deferential to his vision and her personal choice to focus on her own religious writings. Raj Thakur's teachings and parables often used the imagery of flight and cosmic travel, and Kavitha Thakur has codified these as explicit support for the Seeding. It is said Raj Thakur saw the Inflection Point prophetically, and laid the framework for the Protectorate to participate in the Seeding.

Thakurism not only brought an end to warfare on the Indian subcontinent, it also precipitated a cultural flourishing beyond anything that existed up to the Great Mistake. Given a renewed sense of purpose by the Prophet, a great wave of new art, music, cinema, and video gaming sprang up, beginning in Delhi but spreading as fast as Raj Thakur's message of improving the lot of humanity. "The Prophet's Dream" is the common euphemism for the Protectorate's space program, and songs and movies extoll the moral value of educating oneself to work on the Seeding.

The Protectorate still has decades of war and environmental damage to heal, and resources are scarce, but the people of the Protectorate are optimistic about the future ahead. Of all the nations of the world, the Protectorate probably has the broadest spectrum of support for the Seeding projects, and the Protectorate's methods for choosing Seeding candidates are broadly democratic. Kavitha Thakur, although holding no formal office and claiming no titles for herself, is unquestionably the leader of this political and religious movement, and she has made it clear that she will see her father's dreams realized in this generation.

Kavitha Thakur posted:

Although western scholars are almost uniformly incredulous, the followers of Kavitha Thakur hold fast to the claim that she was born on the first day of June, 17 years before the events of the Great Mistake, making her well over 200 years old. More reliable estimates concede she may be considerably older than the average life expectancy.

As the daughter of revered northern mystic Raj Thakur, Kavitha had a strong spiritual connection at a young age. She often experienced near-catatonic states of “disembodied concentration,” during which she was said to have had visions of the far future. To the devotees of her father, this only served to solidify their belief that she would one day supplant him in his role, as he himself had declared upon her birth.

Nearly 80 years after Raj Thakur's journey to the Kush, Kavitha’s followers numbered in the hundreds of millions as the stories of her and her father become legend among desperate and forgotten peoples. Despite a number of political and military candidates tailored for the position, when it came time to elect a leader for the now geographically diverse region under their control, none saw a means to overcome Kavitha’s popularity. Swept up in a nearly uncontested vote and thrust into a position of political authority she neither desired nor prepared for, Kavitha focused her early efforts on what she knew best – humanitarian campaigns. She focused her vast resources on repairing the damage done by her predecessors to the people of the Indian subcontinent.

Peoples' African Union posted:

Although untouched by the consequences of the Great Mistake, the African continent suffered from the migration of those fleeing their homes. As the seas rose, more refugees retreated from North Africa and coastal African nations. The humanitarian disaster shattered the fragile economies of many of the African nations, and destabilized regimes across the region. A generation-long cycle of coups and short-lived dictatorships, as well as an epidemic of border wars, tore Africa apart. While much of North Africa would eventually join the Franco-Iberian European Union, alleviating some of the pressure, the sub-Saharan nations struggled to return to order.

Into that breach stepped the leaders of the old African Union and COMESA (the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa). Both organizations had been established for decades and were regarded highly among Africans. Drawing on its original charter, members of the old African Union sought to provide political and military stability by invoking heretofore ignored supranational powers. Led by some of the original COMESA founding states, the revamped “People’s” African Union was formed. Several of the more progressive other African nations quickly joined; then more stable republics of sub-Saharan Africa followed. Others states, however, were governed by dictators or torn by civil wars, and refused.

The largest members of the new People’s African Union merged their military forces into a unified command and stepped in to end the unrest and political disruption, replacing the old despots with new regimes that promptly joined the Union. Even as that task continued, the military moved against local bandits, pirates, warlords, and others that threatened all citizens of the envisioned united Africa. New military traditions arose, and a new sense of pride was instilled into the pursuit of a military career. A number of grateful member states of the African Union elected or appointed military officers as their leaders.

Meanwhile, COMESA – propelled by its ties to the old and new African unions – moved to bring economic stability and prosperity to the continent. Instituting a unified currency was the first step; demolishing the tariff and taxation schemes of the various member states as they were added was another. COMESA involvement in the new Africa eventually turned to tapping its prodigious natural and agricultural resources, while attempting to maintain its ecological diversity and heritage through extensive wildlife parks and natural wonders. Funded projects included dams, new energy sources such as wind-farms, and coastal and Congolese reclamation efforts. The African Common Market also invested heavily in education for the post-Mistake generations and in humanitarian projects, notably in the realms of health care and human rights. New industries were pursued, and the Union became one of the major players in international trade. But problems remain, although the People’s African Union continues to implement policies to address these. Notable are the remnants of nepotism and corruption that plague some of the member nations, and the occasional flare-ups of tribal and/or religious conflict.

As with many things in the Union, the merchants and traders took the leading role when the Seeding began. Most of the missions launched were led and populated by prominent regional businessmen and respected civil servants. Although the governance and characteristics of the dozens of colonies would take many forms, all had their roots deep in African history and culture. While it may be facile to claim that it takes a village to raise a child, it may be said with certainty that it takes a village to survive as a colony on a distant world. The attitude of the African colonial administration is best summed up by the unofficial motto of the People’s African Union, the ancient Bondei proverb that says, “Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable.”

Samatar Jama Barre posted:

Avuncular, genial, affable, affecting an air of bonhomie, Samatar Jama Barre wished to be addressed as Kubwa Mjomba (“great uncle” in Swahili) by those he both commanded and protected. Despite his seeming benevolence and absent-minded demeanor, he was nonetheless an efficient and effective administrator, an able diplomat, and ruthless when necessary. Barre was amused and likely pleased when detractors likened him to the traditional African village chieftains of the past, claiming him to be a throwback and out-of-step with the new world in the wake of the Great Mistake. But the Peoples’ African Union made a wise choice when he was selected as one of their colony governors.

Rising from the poverty and violence of the inundated streets of Hargeisa, Samatar joined the African Union’s resurgent military forces, eventually rising to the rank of Major. For three decades he served in a variety of increasingly important posts, military and civilian, rising steadily in both ability and influence. He was able to overcome lingering tribal tensions, dealing with the polyglot cultures of Africa with both reverence and common sense. Barre displayed those same diplomatic skills when negotiating with those outside the African Union, and brought to culmination several international agreements that helped propel the Union’s colonization effort before he was selected to command one of those colonies.

Barre proved to be just as efficient against any perceived threat to the well-being and safety of those under his protection. In dealing with nascent warlords, religious fanatics, and local dictators, he either brought about an equitable peace, or bludgeoned them into submission. Although never known as a military genius, his troops were extremely loyal to their “great uncle” and fought with abandon for his approval. Samatar Barre never lost a battle, although he took no credit for his victories and viewed them as lamentable necessities.

Though not religious himself, he was tolerant and accepting of others' religious traditions. In the end, it was this tolerance, coupled with his intellect and personality that would shape the African Union’s colony on the new planet.

Computing posted:

By the end of the 20th Century, computers had become an essential element of life on Old Earth. In factories, offices and homes, computers dominated human existence. When the colonists landed on this planet, it was vital for them to advance and adapt computing to survive. Discoveries in unique materials and advances in networking allowed ever more tasks to be transferred to the oversight of advanced computers. These advances would eventually lead to advances in cybernetics, as quantum computers were made ever more compact, and given sophisticated programs that approached self-awareness and creative intelligence. Within a few decades of arrival, the distinction between human and artificial intelligence had blurred to the infinitesimal.

Network posted:

As soon as feasible, colonial administrations established computer networks similar to those on Old Earth at the time of the Seeding. Since the ancient days of ARPANET, modern life has been driven by the data-interface exchange of the many types of networked computers; without this ability research, education, medicine, all human activities would revert to the Information Dark Ages of the early 20th Century. Although small compared to the systems on pre-Seeding Earth, the first networks yet contained dozens of network nodes, many of these portable quantum supercomputers that had been salvaged and re-tasked from the colony ships. While the architecture of the various networks varied considerably, the basic utility did not; it can be said that without the networks, no colony would have survived, much less prospered. As on Earth, when telecom satellites were eventually put into orbit, the self-enclosed networks were linked and a planet-spanning network has evolved. The latest developments in non-uniform memory access, cellular architecture, and vector processors since planetfall continue to upgrade the networks, and have allowed those colonies adopting the Supremacy ideology to even interface their citizenry.

Spy Agency posted:

The oldest mention of covert operations, espionage and subversion can be found in the writings of Sun Tzu and Chanakya, famed ancient military strategists on Old Earth. By the 18th Century, most nations engaged in organized spying on competing powers. But espionage reached new heights in the 21st Century, building upon the technological advances in miniaturization and communications of the previous hundred years. By the time of the Great Mistake, it was axiomatic that any government had a spy agency, and many had multiple agencies operating to cover various subjects of interest, including surveillance of their own citizenry. Beyond the national “intelligence” agencies, during this period corporate espionage became widespread, as the competition for profits between multinational companies became ever more ruthless and devious. By the Seeding, agents of national and corporation spy agencies (although few acknowledged the term “spy”) were regularly engaged in various nefarious activities: information gathering and analysis, code-breaking and SIGINT, sabotage, coups and takeovers, blackmail, even assassination. Whatever their own proclivities, most leaders of the interstellar colony missions eventually established some sort of spy agency and authorized covert missions. It was simply, many settlers felt, necessary to survive and prosper on this new world.

Robotics posted:

The field of robotics was already well advanced at the time of the Seeding, with robots used extensively in Mankind’s conquest of the Solar system. With the dramatic advances in mechanical manufacturing, electronic engineering and computer science since planetfall – not to mention the demands of the relatively few humans attempting to survive – it was inevitable that research into robotics was equally dramatic. From the semi-autonomous agricultural, mining and manufacturing robots to the AI humanoid forms, robots are so integral a part of every colony that their sheer numbers are unremarked. Research has focused on making them ever sturdier, so that more tasks in situations that would be extremely dangerous to humans can be transferred. Meanwhile, time-intensive service industries – such as child care and basic health care – are being transferred to humanoid robots.

Autoplant posted:

With advent of distributed control systems, robotics, artificial neural networking and advanced servomechanisms, many factories on Old Earth became partially- or fully-automated in the decades following the Great Mistake; colonial engineers have added their advances in cybernetics, process control and systems integration to create the modern “autoplant.” Initially the colonial autoplant robotics were limited to painting and assembly of pre-made parts, but the sophistication of new feedforward control systems implemented over recent years has brought the entire industrial process from materials production to product inspection and testing under automation, allowing for a speed and adaptability in manufacturing never before realized. Although protested by neo-Luddites and radical environmentalists, virtually all consumer goods are now produced in autoplants, which have collectively raised the standard of living to the highest ever known in human history. Most industrial production – military, vehicle, telecommunication, food processing, even medicine – is now taking place in autoplants. Some settlements have specialized in specific autoplant products based on proximate raw materials, generating trade opportunities. Furthermore, plans for orbital autoplants have been made public by aerospace engineers; these would be completely autonomous, with telemetric monitoring only, and devoted to manufacturing that would benefit from weightless or airless conditions or isolation (primarily for safety reasons).

Thermohaline Rudder posted:

Although not a rudder in the traditional sense, the Thermohaline Rudder still functions as one by creating controlled areas of backwash counter-drag to pull the aquatic-cities known as the ARKs along top-level, oceanic currents. The Thermohaline Rudder is in fact a series of facilities inside of a large complex that monitors and predicts marine-based thermodynamic forces, and allows for the manipulation of these forces so as to effectively “steer” a city. The complex also houses research facilities to monitor and study aquatic life-forms and changes in the environment.

Although all ARKs are effectively floating cities, they were not especially designed for mobility but rather habitation. The introduction of the Thermohaline Rudder allowed for cities to avoid aquatic hazards as well as enemy military forces. Alternatively, some cities used this as an advantage in combat, being able to bring an entire city’s defenses to bear down on hostile targets. The Thermohaline Rudder revolutionized marine warfare by introducing the floating city as a mobile fortress. As a result, these complexes became common, and adaptable to multiple biomes, from frigid to primordial.

Alien Sciences posted:

The alien sciences (or more accurately, “exo-sciences”) seek to understand the broad range of off-Earth phenomena, ranging from planetary studies (such as exo-geology and exo-climatology) to non-terrestrial lifeforms (exobiology and exo-evolution). While opportunities to conduct field studies were limited to the planets and planetoids orbiting Sol until the first interstellar exploratory probes, the two centuries following the Great Mistake nevertheless saw significant discoveries in alien sciences. Arrival on this planet funneled exo-science research into paths that would contribute to the survival and success of colonial endeavors. The first revolutionary, practical discovery beyond mere classification efforts was the refining of “xenofuel” from xenomass, freeing the colonies from reliance on traditional petroleum-based fuels, less common here than on Old Earth due to the younger age of this planet.

Xenofuel Plant posted:

The xenosciences led to many uses for native fauna, but perhaps the first important discovery was “xenofuel,” made from the ubiquitous Xenomass. Rich in recent carbon fixation, Xenomass can be converted to xenofuel through thermal, chemical and/or biochemical processes in colonial refining plants. Most of these processes were developed on Old Earth, although cultural and economic lassitude caused few biofuel plants to be built before the Great Mistake, when the ecological disaster promoted research into ever more efficient processes. For example, one of the first xenofuel plants made xeno-ethanol through fermentation from carbohydrates found in some indigenous fauna. Currently, the most common and least expensive xenofuel being produced is xeno-diesel, made from Xenomass using transesterification; latest figures put planetwide production at 205 billion liters. Recently, methods have been devised by researchers to create cellulosic ethanol from the lignocellulose found in many of the native grasses, and engineers are designing power plants to convert the ethanol to electricity. Xenofuel production is vital to colonial success, and most settlements have a xenofuel plant of some sort, large or small, operating at near capacity. Although some colonial scientists have raised concerns about the land-use change due to emissions from xenofuel production, these have largely been dismissed by colonial administrators to date.

Xenonursery posted:

Once colonial botanists began engineering indigenous flora for utilitarian purposes – agricultural, pharmaceutical, military toxins, and such – special nurseries were built to propagate these species. The xenonurseries were as varied in approach as those on Old Earth: in enclosed fields, in containers and beds, in greenhouses, in aquaculture ponds. While the mass production of seedlings and sets is labor intensive, much of this work has been relegated to automation and robots for temperature control, ventilation, light control, watering and feeding. While native and engineered species are occasionally propagated by seeds or spores, most cultivars are propagated asexually via cuttings or cloning. Those plants which have bulbs are reproduced via twin-scaling; recently, an increasing number of colonial xenonurseries use micropropagation for mass reproduction of a progenitor plant. Once the young plants are well established, they are usually transplanted to open-atmosphere fields or orchards for commercial purposes. Recently, some xenonurseries have been dedicated to propagation of unaltered native species in an effort to conserve those threatened by colonial expansion and terraforming. Like the alien preserves, these dedicated xenonurseries are the site of research in various disciplines, as well as used for cultural, recreational and educational purposes.

Terraforming posted:

Although limited terraforming had taken place on Mars and Ganymede, it was some time before colonial administrators and scientists turned their attention to discovering techniques that would work on this planet. Once a staple in the science fantasy genre, this fledgling interdisciplinary “science” began to be taken seriously in 1961 AD with the publication of an article concerning the seeding of Venus with algae written by Carl Sagan, a respected Old Earth astronomer. Since then, planetary engineers have slightly altered the climate of Mars and Ganymede through the introduction of chlorofluorocarbons, unlocked water deposits on the Moon and Mars, and engaged in the initial stages of paraterraforming on Titan, Europa and Ceres. Research into terraforming on this planet has become a major pursuit by some colonial administrations hoping to prosper through radical ecological tinkering.

Alien Lifeforms posted:

Although the entire biosphere, from the microscopic upward, was “alien,” it was the larger native lifeforms that drew the most attention – for obvious reasons. Initially, understanding was limited to autopsies of dead specimens and field observations of the likes of wolf beetles, raptor bugs, siege worms, kraken, etc. Eventually, living specimens were captured and confined in wildlife preserves, where crypto- and xeno-zoologists could focus on ethology, systematics and behavioral ecology rather than simply anatomy and physiology. In some colonies, these preserves were used for the edification of the population as well, being opened at select times to civilians, which had the benefit of raising general understanding of the alien lifeforms with which they shared their new home.

Alien Preserve posted:

At the end of the 20th Century, the field of anthrozoology – an interdisciplinary mix of anthropology, ethology, medicine (human and veterinary), history and social psychology – arose and grew dramatically over the next 100 years. This new academic discipline inadvertently sparked an ethical debate within and among the worlds’ religions concerning the role of animals in “the divine plan,” whether animals had souls, the function of reincarnation, and a host of other faith-based issues following the climatic changes in the wake of the Great Mistake. When the colony ships departed Earth, many colonists continued the debate...and with planetfall and the new species encountered it grew even more intense. On this new planet, some colony settlements established “preserves,” akin to the zoological gardens of Old Earth in structure but not function. Instead of being intended for the edification of the public, these alien preserves were to be used for scientific research. But these preserves also served as yet another basis for the debate about humanity’s destiny among some colonists, reinforcing philosophical notions of Harmony or Purity, according to the prevailing argument. In time, as the settlements grew into cities and shed their “frontier” culture, the alien preserves were opened to casual visitors. While for many a visit to the settlement’s alien preserve was a pleasant or exciting interlude, for others it became a pilgrimage of sorts.

Autonomous Systems posted:

Arising from “discrete mathematics,” automate theory focuses upon self-operating virtual machines devoted to computational analysis. Beginning with non-deterministic finite state designs, colonial researchers and engineers eventually reached the stage of constructing Buchi autonomous systems that utilize omega-limit mathematical languages for processing information and decision-making. The optimum use of the latter was found to be in the realm of “high-tech” manufacturing. The ability of such systems to foresee production and problems in the future, along with the ability to adjust accordingly, made these the ultimate overseers. Several colonial settlements currently make use of autonomous systems to run manufacturing plants devoted to the construction of complex devices: quantum computers, positronic “brains,” androids, robots, and other automata.

Drone Cage posted:

The Drone Cage is a lone trooper accompanied by remote-controlled, multi-purpose machines capable of both combat and first-aid. The machinist operating the drones is also equipped with genetic modifications and neural enhancements, making them uniquely capable of maintaining control and understanding of all of the placement and actions of themselves and the drones all at once.

This understanding of the robots as an extension of themselves, and delicate understanding of their structure and function allows the drone cage to be an incredibly effective combat participant.

The armor of the Drone Cage operator is made of a highly durable silicon-based polymer, and every inch of the suit is covered in sensors, communicators, and computerized systems. Altogether, this is an immensely versatile unit.

100 HOGS AGREE posted:

so how long is a turn then? Like a quarter?

quote:

quote:

"The Hellion project was unorthodox, even by Al Falah standards, but ultimately proved a remarkable success. Beginning with a stated goal of eliminating humans from direct combat situations in an infantry role, the Defense Force reached an exotic solution: what amounted to an organic drone unit, which was then enhanced with an extensive kit of bionics. Though hellions resembled humans when wearing their powered armor combat suits, the DNA of the organism inside had been modified extensively, and that was before the nervous system was mostly replaced by a bionic implant. Grown purely for combat, the combination of a specifically engineered and programmed brain with an integrated combat intelligence made hellions, though distinctly non-sentient, remarkably intelligent and flexible in the field. Dispensable drones though they were, hellions possessed all the initiative and flexibility of an organic creature while enjoying all the benefits of a networked combat-assist intelligence. To Al Falah, hellions were an elegant solution to an age-old problem of humans risking their lives in combat, synthesizing all the best attributes of living soldiers and automated combat drones. To the rest of the world, hellions were disturbing in the extreme. The first foreign film featuring an army of hellions rebelling against their Al Falah masters and going on a bloody spree across Al-Jalidia hit theaters less than a year later."

Boksi posted:

Just to confirm a minor detail, Hurricane Alaric formed outside the Mediterranean, then entered the Mediterranean and hit Greece as a category 5 hurricane? It wasn't a medicane that hit category 5?

The Sandman posted:

So the Hellions are rebranded Warframes?

Cythereal posted:

What's a Warframe?

Cythereal posted:

What's a Warframe?

Cythereal posted:

What's a Warframe?

Cythereal posted:

'Earth' isn't what our planet is called in Arabic. The Arabic name for our world is in fact 'Al-Ard.'

Omnicrom posted:

The player characters in the game Warframe, which are basically people in biotech power armor. Not 100% the same, but still.