AI War: Ancient Shadows Marauder Starbase Teaser

[Diazo]

Wait, the tooltip.

"Damage to do"

That's different isn't is? Normally when you mouse over an enemy you get the "Damage: xx" text right?

But that means we are mouse-over on that Starbase in the screenshot.

And FF is used for the Frigates in the Fallen Spire campaign so this is looking like a mini-fallen spire where you rescue/appropriate these remnants of humanity hiding out in the backwaters of the galaxy?

Although blue wormhole, maybe stealthed?

D.

edit: Or does the tooltip mean we are about to command our H-S-FF to attack the Maurader starbase? It is in green lettering though.

edit the 2nd: Wait! Marauders are an already existing minor faction, are these going to be pocket systems we have to clear out to stop the marauders attacks?

[Ragnarok]

Oh my. Words cannot describe my ecstatic frenzy.

[BobTheJanitor]

Well that's clearly not a standard planet in the background. I would say asteroids, but since the green glow is layered over it, I assume that means it's all part of the background and not close up near the station that we're looking at. If that glow is all part of a nebula, I'll have to cry foul, because there's no way you're going to see a nebula on top of any sort of object in space. The scale would be ridiculously wrong. That is either a tiny nebula hanging out in front a nearby destroyed planet (hint, there are no tiny nebulae), or that's a distant nebula in front of a rock the size of 100 solar systems. I'm assuming neither, and that what I'm taking as nebula is actually just some weird glowy pixie dust on top of a background cracked planet.

[Coppermantis]

I'm assuming that the hostile unit with the Rebel Colony placeholder in the sidebar is the Starbase that we see in the main screen. However, there's four of them, as well as four friendly starbases  (Unless Arcen is trolling by using completely unrelated images as placeholders.)

Since they're on the same planet, It makes me think that possibly these are mobile bases, sort of like the Clockwork in SPAZ or the Marauders and the Resistance are technically part of the same faction but with different outtakes on how to treat their own kind. Maybe.

That said, the green lettering seems to indicate that it may be friendly. Perhaps you can "convert" individual Marauder bases to your side?

[Mánagarmr]

I would love for the dual texture bug on constructors to be fixed in this expansion. It's been around since the 4.0 release

[Hearteater]

Mantis issue on that for reference

[Coppermantis]

I also notice that the starbase is in FRD mode. So that indicates that they will be mobile, but not necessarily able to go through wormholes.

[Draco18s]

I also notice that the starbase is in FRD mode. So that indicates that they will be mobile, but not necessarily able to go through wormholes.

Construction docks can be in FRD mode too.  Just FYI.

[Coppermantis]

Oh, true. That's more likely the case.

[LaughingThesaurus]

The idea of a backwater section of the galaxy (or a separate galaxy) that I can travel through boggles the mind. I love it! It's like, I remember reading somewhere about possible expansion content set in galaxies the AI was actually focusing on, as well as your own galaxy, got me hoping, but this is pretty fantastic to see.

...well, to theorize about. Maybe the blue wormhole is just something totally minor and I just made myself sad. Way to go me. =(

What my mind immediately jumps to on seeing that station, though, is the idea that each minor faction might get some extra special feature to it.

[keith.lamothe]

Just to corral wild speculation a little bit: the play area is still all one galaxy

[LaughingThesaurus]

Just to corral wild speculation a little bit: the play area is still all one galaxy

Oh, Keith, but that could mean anything. A backwater part of a galaxy could be the same galaxy but drastically increase the size of the map! You could get us on a technicality... can't have that!
In all seriousness... maybe there now can be neutrally-aligned planets by default? Like, a human marauder home planet, or etc.

[keith.lamothe]

Oh, Keith, but that could mean anything

Exactly

[LaughingThesaurus]

Ooh, you know how to write a good teaser comment...

[Wingflier]

It would be awesome if some planets were not controlled by either a human or an AI, but by a neutral 3rd faction.  It would be even MORE awesome if said neutral 3rd faction could battle and take over even more planets if you cranked its "settings" high enough!