Race suggestions for our upcoming 4x.

[x4000]

I've been thinking about the races for this game, and I've decided to do a compilation of all the races from AI War and TLF, plus some from our other games as well (Skelebots and Espers from AVWW).  I also want to do the Chelonians as a new race that is only in this game (they were originally going to be in TLF until the Hydrals replaced them), and something along the lines of a spectral menace could also be there to double down on the meaning.

This is the current list, feel free to add other suggestions if you like:

Some Sort Of Ghosts (New here)
Andors (TLF)
Acutians (TLF)
Boarines (TLF)
Burlusts (TLF)
Evucks (TLF)
Peltians (TLF)
Skylaxians (TLF)
Thoraxians (TLF)
Spire (AI War)
Zenith (AI War)
Neinzul (AI War)
Chelonians (Originally in Starport 28, now unique to this game)
Espers (Valley 2)
Obscura (TLF - Expansion 1)

[x4000]

As a clarification -- I felt like going this route was the most intuitive thing, on reflection, because then players no only get more cool backstory and tie-ins with our existing franchises, but also for fans of our work it makes for less learning.  You know something about the Burlusts as soon as you meet them in the new game if you have previously played TLF, for instance.

This will all be kind of an offshoot of the other universes, so it won't be canon in those other areas, though all of this could logically exist in the same universe, just different solar systems or galaxies.  Incidentally, AI War and Valley 1 and 2 are already tied together in that way.  Actually, frankly Valley 1 and 2 are tied together that way; they are very different parts of a much larger screwed up world.  But the Skelebot future has all sorts of AI War references, and is kind of a planet that was left behind in the civil wars of AI War's backstory.

TLF, on the other hand, is just some other solar system somewhere out there away from what is going on with AI War.  It's not alternate history or whatever, it's just not the same place -- the galaxy itself is freaking huge.

So what we're seeing here in this new 4x is a planet where some offshoots of these various races are unexpectedly thrown together.  I'd be curious if there are other fan favorite suggestions for the races.  Eagles, maybe?

[Castruccio]

You should totally have a race of the little guys from Tidalis.

[Aklyon]

As a clarification -- I felt like going this route was the most intuitive thing, on reflection, because then players not only get more cool backstory and tie-ins with our existing franchises,

More lore is pretty awesome!

but also for fans of our work it makes for less learning.  You know something about the Burlusts as soon as you meet them in the new game if you have previously played TLF, for instance.

And a bonus comes out of it too, which is win-win for you guys.

Aside from being picky on the skelebots (weren't they vaguely retconned from Valley2 after the rename to Robotic Research Center instead?) and bringing murdoch up somewhere because why not, I don't have any race in particular to suggest.

[Draco18s]

Boarines are a yes from me.  Because come on, space pigs.
Having the Hydrals at least mentioned would be a plus.  Whether or not they're actually around I don't know, but I kind of feel that if they were it makes the game feel like it takes place before TLF and I'd feel better if it takes place after.  The TLF races grew up and expanded beyond their home system.
Zenith and Spire?  Could totally see it.  In fact, that would be a plus, as the Spire has wicked awesome crystaline tech that no one else knows how to really utilize and the Zenith have their "so what if it's big?  we only need one..." (and have some kind of racial bonus towards building things really really big in reasonable times, but can't make anything small).

No strong opinions on the rest.

[Shrugging Khan]

Whoa whoa whoa...so we will be able to play the Zenith Remnant and subjugate those filthy spirelings?

I'LL HAVE A HUNDRED COPIES, PLEASE.

[x4000]

True, I'm not the biggest fan of the Skelebots.  I've taken them out.  Having a race of ghosts, as mentioned in another thread, would be really fun and interesting.  Could be a super different way to play the game, we'll see.  That might have to be expansion material, or an NPC race, not sure.

Having the Hydrals or not is something that did bug me a lot.  On the one hand I did want to show them, on the other hand that race is, well, special.  And I agree this should be taking place long after TLF.  But actually probably before AI War by several eons.  Interesting timeline we're building up here.

The guys from Tidalis would definitely be fun, but they don't really have names or a consistent style of being, and are quite cartoony.  I thought a lot about ways to tie that in but couldn't think of anything.

[x4000]

I'm also taking out humans, because if the timeline is TLF -> This Game -> AI War, as makes sense, then humans would not exist yet.

[nas1m]

True, I'm not the biggest fan of the Skelebots.  I've taken them out.

Oh my, I have been looking forward to them .
For some wonky reason I like them .

But on the other hand their aesthetics are fairly similar to the Andors, so there's that...

[Draco18s]

I'm also taking out humans, because if the timeline is TLF -> This Game -> AI War, as makes sense, then humans would not exist yet.

I am ok with this.  Humans as a race in a space 4X is just kind of "eh."

They end up being the race to which every other race is compared.  On the other hand, they can be used to compare every other race during balancing.

[x4000]

I'm also taking out humans, because if the timeline is TLF -> This Game -> AI War, as makes sense, then humans would not exist yet.

I am ok with this.  Humans as a race in a space 4X is just kind of "eh."

They end up being the race to which every other race is compared.  On the other hand, they can be used to compare every other race during balancing.

Yep on both counts.  They are also anatomically hard to draw in a pleasing fashion.  Personally the animated ones in Civ actually bug me.

[mrhanman]

If there's a race of ghosts, how do you kill them?  Is there going to be a competing race of ghostbusters?  Maybe another race feeds on the ghosts, or maybe the ghosts are captured and used as a source of energy for the galaxy.

[topper]

Hydral Ghosts

Isn't it plausible that a race of superpowered psychic space monsters could continue to exist on a spectal plane after their planets destruction?  Or is it bad to have Hydrals be the key race in two different games?

Obscura will be part of your game lore by then too  edit: (oh, i see it there now)

Also, what about the Greys (call it Greys Horde?) from Shattered Haven? Maybe it does not make the most logical sense, but you can at least pull in more lore. You have so many unique sounding races, having one with normal english words adds just as much variety.

[wwwhhattt]

If there's a race of ghosts, how do you kill them?  Is there going to be a competing race of ghostbusters?  Maybe another race feeds on the ghosts, or maybe the ghosts are captured and used as a source of energy for the galaxy.

I like the 'capture and use' ghost annihilation idea. Being ghosts I don't suppose they'd be building much themselves, but they could haunt/infiltrate/take over other races buildings or ruins. Could they be nomadic? That would put them well apart from most strategy races. As far as crash landing goes, they could have sneaked on board some other races ship and wiped out the other crew members.

For tying the game into TLF, how about making it a Hydral prison planet, far away from the TLF system (the cutting edge of Hydral space tech could have got quite sophisticated before they were destroyed). That could make non-TLF races a pain to justify though.

And lastly: Some kind of sentient plant race, literally growing across the map?

Also, what about the Greys (call it Greys Horde?) from Shattered Haven? Maybe it does not make the most logical sense, but you can at least pull in more lore. You have so many unique sounding races, having one with normal english words adds just as much variety.

Weren't the Greys like infected humans? (Haven't played SH for ages, meaning to go back). There could be a race which spreads by converting bits of other races (with the same source as SH).

[doctorfrog]

True, I'm not the biggest fan of the Skelebots.  I've taken them out.  Having a race of ghosts, as mentioned in another thread, would be really fun and interesting.  Could be a super different way to play the game, we'll see.  That might have to be expansion material, or an NPC race, not sure.

The guys from Tidalis would definitely be fun, but they don't really have names or a consistent style of being, and are quite cartoony.  I thought a lot about ways to tie that in but couldn't think of anything.

Just for the sake of argument: Skelebots can be like barbarians from Civ, these fairly weak and pesky things that form small collectives that end up just getting absorbed as the game progresses. Something to knock over, or in some mods, something that could be a real menace if they got roots in your territory, because then they could form a new civilization.

I remember there was this Star Trek: Deep Space Nine game (a plot-driven TPS) where the starting enemies were these robots that were like a primitive Borg. They weren't particularly intelligent, and were 100% cybernetic, but got along through a combination of piracy and scavenging. They would attack ships and use the raw materials to build more of themselves. That's basically all they did.

The Tidalians, maybe they'd be like the Zot-Fot-Pik, or better yet, the Orz, from Star Control II. The latter were kind of weird, silly, interdimensional beings, but later you find out that they completely annihilated another competing race for poking their nose too far in their dimension.