Introducing The Races (And Logo) For Spectral Empire

[Coppermantis]

I have to say, the M in the logo looks like an alien squatting and peeing to me. I apologize in advance if I cause others to see it that way. Perhaps fatten the leg up a bit so it doesn't look quite so much like a stream?

I don't really see it. 'Tis a bit of a stretch, think it's fine.

[Draco18s]

I have to say, the M in the logo looks like an alien squatting and peeing to me. I apologize in advance if I cause others to see it that way. Perhaps fatten the leg up a bit so it doesn't look quite so much like a stream?

I see it, but I can unsee it too.

[Histidine]

Augh, flashback to peeing Andor icon...

Anyway, just delete the fifth leg? and it'll be fine. Nobody even has any idea what that thing is supposed to do.

[Teal_Blue]

I have to say, the M in the logo looks like an alien squatting and peeing to me. I apologize in advance if I cause others to see it that way. Perhaps fatten the leg up a bit so it doesn't look quite so much like a stream?

The logo reminds me a bit of the tri-pods from the war of the worlds novel. Of course that is just my imagination. Please don't change it, I rather think its nifty having a 'symbol' double as the letter 'm' in Empire.   

-Teal

[TheVampire100]

Considering the new information about the Spire I recollected my information about them from AI War and have to say that this new reveal makes totally sense.
Let's have a look at what the Spire are. Spacecrafts, alright, but furthermore in the FS Campaign you get the info that they are a rock-like/crystaline race without adding more information to it. The Spire Spaceships look crystaline in structure (white and glowing appearance, as could you almost look through them), so you can say that your researchers have talked about the spacecrafts themselves when they talked about the Spire.

Now let's take a look at the Spire colony system. You can create new colonies from colony ships, so let's say that these ships are indeed Spire themselves this would say that the Spire itself carries the seed for a new population. How does Spire reproduce? Assuming they are mineral in structure they won't reproduce sexually instead they gather enough minerals to "construct" new Spires. However these minerals are rare and only found at specific places and that's the reason why Spire cannot spread across the entire galaxy like they want. The colony ships however contain enough minerals to create a new city with inhabitants in it. I guess the Spire have some kind of "morphing" process that allows them to shift between their spaceship/space travel form (so they can move between different planets and expand their reach) and an unknown surface form they use to live on planets (and I guess this form will be used in Spectral Empire).
The process of changing might be exhausting and takes some time, explaining why you need ressources and time to create spire crafts at the colony.
Some additional information about colonies: Whenever you create a new city the cap for spiry ships raises. Why is that so? Why only with these types of ships? Because new colonies means of course a greater population meaning you have MORE Spire ships at your hand.

Now let's have a look at the Spire mining system. You can mine asteroids for rare minerals. these are the minerals that I mentioned above that Spire need to evolve/reproduce. A miner ist propably a larvae like form of the Spire. It is currently young, has no wys to protect itself and searches for nourishment. After digesting minerals it can use the transforming ability that all Spire have to evolve in a better form, creating a new spire ship.
This explains also why the miner disappears after it created a new star ship: it just transformed into a better version of itself.

I may be right or may be fully wrong with everything I said above but this is at least my opinion on how Spire work and I think this is a pretty awesome setting for a sc-fi race.

[Zebeast46]

I really like the Fenyn and the Yali (too bad I cannot play as Yali) However, I believe the Fascist lobsters resemble the Burlusts too much. They both are good at fighting, they are both red (kind of a weak comparison I know) and they both have internal wars. My favorite races from TLF are the Peltians and the Boarines and I'll probably play a lot as them.

[x4000]

I really like the Fenyn and the Yali (too bad I cannot play as Yali) However, I believe the Fascist lobsters resemble the Burlusts too much. They both are good at fighting, they are both red (kind of a weak comparison I know) and they both have internal wars. My favorite races from TLF are the Peltians and the Boarines and I'll probably play a lot as them.

The Krolin and the Burlusts are two races that I am working on differentiating as much as possible, but I thought it was important to have two militaristic options.  I've made a lot of strides on this since the original post about them.

For the Boarines and the Peltians, those are both the most complex races to play as (see other post I just made), go figure.   Not that that makes them bad at all, but it makes them definitely different.  I think I may wind up playing as the Boarines a fair bit myself, although the Skylaxians pretty much always have a special place for me.

[Zebeast46]

Perhaps an idea to help differentiate between the Burlusts and the Krolin might be too add some sort of water capabilities, because they are Lobsters, and maybe make their military more water based and the Burlusts military more land based.

[x4000]

They actually do get some bonuses from being near water, so there is that.  The Yali are the main ones that are all about the water.  Anyhow, the racial differentiation is coming along pretty well at this point.  The social progress part of the game is really helping with that already.

[Zebeast46]

I will probably play as the skylaxians in my first game then play as either the Fenyn, Peltians or Boarines. Also, what are the zenith exactly, I know from ai war that they were supposedly wiped out (apparently not) but what do they look like exactly? Also, I am happy to know you are making progress.

[x4000]

The Zenith were an ancient race existing far FAR prior to the AI War timeline.  I don't know exactly how far back, but we'll say millions of years at the least, possibly as many as billions.  They are mostly shell-like creatures that look a lot like the armored golem in AI War.  Their spacecraft were partly organic, but unlike the Spire their spacecraft were not actually them themselves.  The armored golem was built pretty much in their image, though: like we might build a giant bipedal robot in our own image, if you know what I mean.

The timeline of SBR takes place in the fairly distant future from both AI War and TLF -- neither of which are on the same timeline, themselves, either.  Right now it's not clear which of those timelines is actually first, as they are in different galaxies.  And it's not clear exactly how far into the future the SBR events are, which are in yet another galaxy.

Suffice it to say, the bulk of the Zenith are indeed extinct, except for those that are... well, I won't really say.  They're on this planet, anyway.

[Aklyon]

Do these Zenith still talk in poem?

[x4000]

Did... the others?  I don't remember doing that, maybe that was a Keith thing I somehow missed.  Or maybe I'm just having a "way too many things to remember" moment.  Can you give me an example? 

[Aklyon]

Commander,

The Dark Spire attacking the friendly Shattered Pillar Zenith in the $planetName nebula just lost their last base there.  The Neinzul Astrids are still fighting, but this is a very positive development.

Attempts to communicate with the Zenith have failed up til now.  They're friendly, but still pretty aloof to humanity.  At least when fighting for their lives.  But we've got their attention now.  I've attached their message below.  It's a bit... sketchy.  Zenith are always like that.

=== ATTACHED TRANSMISSION ===

Human forces, welcome.
Welcome, little we can give.
Foes, come upon us.

One has fallen, rejoicing.
Rejoicing, little we can do.
Attacking, another yet remains.

We seek something from you, aid.
Aid, we shall give in return.
Artifacts, of the shadow shard.

So, please, as your own poets have said:
"Nuke them from orbit,
it is the only way to be sure."

Example ho!

[x4000]

Ha -- yeah, that was a Keith side of things. That's a different faction than my part.  He's got a different corner of the galaxy that he's been working on lore for than what I do.  Some of these races are rather scattered to the winds and have very different cultures in each part, despite some underlying commonalities.