Open Source Project

[MysticWind]

I've planned out 14 factions, kind of themed for SMAC and SMACX. However, I don't have time to create all of them, so I plan to just release the traits and backgrounds about them, and people can use them as they like (that's the point of giving out factions, right?). Would anyone be interested to hear about them?

Also, has anyone read Earth by David Brin? Some of the factions are based on them.

[Illuminatus]

[Darsnan]

Originally posted by MysticWind
I've planned out 14 factions, kind of themed for SMAC and SMACX. However, I don't have time to create all of them, so I plan to just release the traits and backgrounds about them, and people can use them as they like (that's the point of giving out factions, right?). Would anyone be interested to hear about them?

I am currently working on a mod for SMAX, with the game beginning in MY 2492, and so therefore ideally there should be 14 new Factions to populate it with. So therefore yes I would be interested in hearing about your Factions.
Also, if your curious as to what my mod is about, you can get a feel for it here , as the thread discusses several aspects of the mod, as well as having a scenario available for playtesting.



D

[MysticWind]

My first set is 7, which are people who arrive at Chiron also on a ship. However, they left about 5 years after, on a rival, anti-UN organization's craft, and they were basically divided up before the crash. The first 7 factions have a few based on Earth, including a neo-Sun Worshipping alliance, and a faction comprised of seniors who are very much technologically advanced (Generation Y in 50 years, yo.)
The second set doesn't have much of a theme, but are supposed to be new factions that break up later on. Some are a critique about networknode's occassional goofiness. I created one Anti-Xenos faction that basically states they're against aliens, empaths, and robots.
I used to think that networknode's factions all belonged to one giant universe. I guess it wouldn't work. However, if I included my factions, as well as the orignal SMAC and SMAX ones, would it be too many? Also, is there any possible way to have 7 custom factions at once?

[GeoModder]

Originally posted by MysticWind
Also, has anyone read Earth by David Brin? Some of the factions are based on them.

O yes, I readed that book a few times. So to make a few educated guesses:

Ra-boys? Seastate? Nakiri? (those gaian girls), Settler gang? Those hidden 'Gnomen' group?

[Googlie]

Originally posted by MysticWind
Also, is there any possible way to have 7 custom factions at once?

Absolutely. You can have up to 5 custom factions recognized in your faction selection screen (add them to the alphax.txt under #CUSTOM FACTIONS and then change 2 factions in the #NEW FACTIONS to your additional custom factions (I usually take out the alien 2)

Then when you are in the game set-up screens and selecting your factions all 7 of your custom ones will be offered as choices

eg: here are my factions in my "funfiraxis" file:



Hmm - I don't know why that link is showing blank - anyone any ideas?

G.

[johndmuller]

Can't you just put them into #CUSTOMFACTIONS ?

Edit: Duh, I guess you already said or at least implied that for some reason the game only uses 5 from #CUSTOMFACTIONS. Seems strange though, as the other 2 sections deal with more and there doesn't seem to be any 'magic number' (like 8/16/32) limit involved.

[stuntman19]

Actually you can have up to 10 custom factions listed in alphax and they will all be selectable on startup. More custom factions can also be loaded manually as long as the faction files are in the game directory and you use the proper faction code to load it.

Here's mine right now:

#CUSTOMFACTIONS
BREE, BREE
REPLCNT, REPLCNT
ARTISAN, ARTISAN
IMP, IMP
SHOW, SHOW
AQUA, AQUA
ATLANTS, ATLANTS
UNICON, UNICON
SERA, SERA

[MysticWind]

I still haven't typed up the info for all 14 factions, nor have I planned out all of them completely. However, I have decided what each of them will be themed. I'll post the stuff I typed up later.

So far, basically my idea is a bit of "future alternate history." There was a ship launched after Unity, but it wasn't a corporate-sponsored one like the one set on NetworkNode.org. I read a piece by one "Neville66" on fanfiction.net, which is a perspective of the last days of Earth. In it, he mentions the United Nations fighting an "International Federation of Countries." I thought it was a canon part of SMAC, but he told me he thought of it as a minor idea, a new Cold Wars sort of conflict. Well, I decided to use this Federated Countries organization as a rival UN of the future, who sent this slightly more ragtag and hostile bunch of survivors on the FC Independence.
The first 7 factions would be an analogue to the original 7 in SMAC:

1. FC Magistrates- a less bureaucratic, more warlike UN analogue.
Storywise they're a rival UN created by separatist nations and international groups... more random thoughts on that later.

2. Parish of Planet- I always thought that aside from Islamic Caliphates, the only major religion to be treated as a government, and has enough credence to have their HQ regarded as independent nation, is the Catholic Church. However, in contrast to Miriam's fundamentalist non-denominational Protestants, they're much less aggessive.

3. Sons of Centauri-Ra: Think Ra Boys from David Brin's Earth. Worships the suns, and so suffer reproductive... ailments. They are not fanatic but have an insane agenda to eventually bring about a greenhouse effect on Planet.

4. Planetary Settlers: Kind of mentioned in the book Earth. They want to colonize Planet in an environmentally-friendly way, but so suffers monetary deficiencies.

5. Elders of Chiron: As a member of Generation Y, I often think about how my peers and I will rule the world with our technological upbringing, longevity vaccines, and lack of strange philosophies (we're not cynical as Gen X, nor are we pumped with narcotics and STD-spreading love). Also, I hear a lot about people angry with Baby Boomers for their poor parentage of us. Well, considering how Earth 2050 will be like, I doubt people will be happy with us. This tech-savvy group of seniors has retreated into their own cities, deciding to hoard their wisdom and knowledge of the past from all of the ingracious youngsters.

6. Darwin Raiders: I'm not sure of putting this one. They seem a bit too much like the Spartans. They're a survivalist group, but they think that by hiding in the wild, they'll eventually build up into a crazy nomadic army.

7. Either a neo-fem nation (environment, matriarchy, a bit anti-tech), or a powerful Neo-Luddite group.

I'll post the next 7 later. Please commeent!

Also, are any of the networknode.org sets connected? Are none of them part of the same universe?

[MysticWind]

Someone... please... respond?

[GeoModder]

You're sure you want the test of my criticism?

Originally posted by MysticWind
Well, I decided to use this Federated Countries organization as a rival UN of the future, who sent this slightly more ragtag and hostile bunch of survivors on the FC Independence.
The first 7 factions would be an analogue to the original 7 in SMAC:

Analogue? Similar social settings and abilities as in SMAC?

Originally posted by MysticWind 1. FC Magistrates- a less bureaucratic, more warlike UN analogue.
Storywise they're a rival UN created by separatist nations and international groups... more random thoughts on that later.

Sounds good, an agressive faction that perse wants to dominate the planet. Sort of combination of Peacekeeper votes and Spartan agressivity perhaps?

Originally posted by MysticWind 2. Parish of Planet- I always thought that aside from Islamic Caliphates, the only major religion to be treated as a government, and has enough credence to have their HQ regarded as independent nation, is the Catholic Church. However, in contrast to Miriam's fundamentalist non-denominational Protestants, they're much less aggessive.

For a change, why not letting this faction being 'dominated' by the Jezuiet thinking. Those are religious, but also scientificly strong. (+Probe, +Research)

Originally posted by MysticWind 3. Sons of Centauri-Ra: Think Ra Boys from David Brin's Earth. Worships the suns, and so suffer reproductive... ailments. They are not fanatic but have an insane agenda to eventually bring about a greenhouse effect on Planet.

-Planet then. To bad you won't make them fanatic (fanatic attack, I mean). In the book they do have a gang mentality. It could be nice for a change to have a fundamentalist greenhouser.

Originally posted by MysticWind 4. Planetary Settlers: Kind of mentioned in the book Earth. They want to colonize Planet in an environmentally-friendly way, but so suffers monetary deficiencies.

Give them the terraform bonus...

Originally posted by MysticWind 5. Elders of Chiron: As a member of Generation Y, I often think about how my peers and I will rule the world with our technological upbringing, longevity vaccines, and lack of strange philosophies (we're not cynical as Gen X, nor are we pumped with narcotics and STD-spreading love). Also, I hear a lot about people angry with Baby Boomers for their poor parentage of us. Well, considering how Earth 2050 will be like, I doubt people will be happy with us. This tech-savvy group of seniors has retreated into their own cities, deciding to hoard their wisdom and knowledge of the past from all of the ingracious youngsters.

Pacifist, non-growth faction? This sort of faction seems more like one that does not wants to trade it's technology, not one that researches a lot. (elder people are notorious for not having new insights, you know).
Perhaps a faction with a lot of free choice techs at the beginning of a game, but that must be countered then by -research so that others have a chance to catch up, and they can only watch jealously how other, more vibrant factions pass them in the end. Might not be bad to give them extra voting power as well.

Originally posted by MysticWind 6. Darwin Raiders: I'm not sure of putting this one. They seem a bit too much like the Spartans. They're a survivalist group, but they think that by hiding in the wild, they'll eventually build up into a crazy nomadic army.

Factions that don't progress technologically, won't make it long in the game.

Originally posted by MysticWind 7. Either a neo-fem nation (environment, matriarchy, a bit anti-tech), or a powerful Neo-Luddite group.

I'm not familiar with Luddite's thoughts, but for the neo-fem, sounds to much like the gaians.