Confused about the storyline (storyline q&a itt)

[FoosballX]

Wow lots of text here, and well I did read some of it, honest. So I'm going to post some stuff, and hopefully I'm not repeating some stuff.

Okay first off I would like to ask, why do the Kyr'Ozch have to be so much more advanced? Is there some rule in sci-fi that states, "If you have aliens in your story they must be the most advanced thing out there"? Okay yes they're crossed the galaxy or some other dimension, but lets keep in mind they have a map.

Okay so here's what I have to say on the subject after much thought and some debate.
There used to be this great post floating around that I have yet been able to find again, but it did a great job in explaining the Xan and the creation of Humans before the Ado and Pen quests were put into game.

From what I understand, the Xan start using the source and start becoming more and more corrupt and this once perfectly unified race starts to split into factions. Which is where the Redeemed and Unredeemed come from. Just before the Cataclysm two arks leave Rubi-ka one with the pre-redeemed Xan on one and the per-unredeemed Xan following behind. The Redeemed Xan goes off and starts seeding life across the galaxy as the Unredeemed follows behind killing off the Redeemed's seeds. Until they come to Earth and find the humans, and the Unredeemed see a bit of themselves in humans and decide not to kill them off but to stick around and manipulate some of them into doing their bidding, as we see in Prophet with Vanya and Roman then the Omega.

Okay so lets move back a bit to before the arks leave. Now if memory serves me right, there was a small independent group of Xan that saw the over use of the source as a bad thing, and knew something horrible was going to happen. And they start telling people "The end is near, stop screwing with the source" some listen and most don't.

This is my idea for the Kyr'Ozch. This third Independent group builds the first ark and takes off before the other sides do. Saying, "Screw nobody is going to listen to us we're out yo" and they go off with the idea to seed life some some kind of Xan will survive after all hell breaks loose. On their travels they stumble through some kind of worm hole and end up in some alterdimension galaxy/universe and here this group seeds what will become the Kyr'Ozch. Unlike the Redeemed and Unredeemed with Earth, this 3rd group stay and helps raise this new race they've created. And in doing so they teach them all about the source, and they teach them how it can corrupt them as well as empower them. So the Kyr'Ozch are instilled with this innate fear and respect for the source. So even though they have a record of where to find the source they don't go looking for it, because they know it's safe. We can even say it's been taught to them "Do not seek the source until it calls out to you". So when the beast dies and the ping goes off and Number 9 (turn me on dead man) send off his little bit. They see it as a call to arms with a single focus to protect the source. Whereas humans didn't have this kind of interaction with the Xan that gave them life, just little pushes here and there so they don't have this strong tie to the source.

Now so how much more advanced are they. If we go with the idea that this peace loving faction of the Xan helps in their evolution, they are for the most part a pretty peaceful race. Now they may have some really big advancements as compared to humans but they're not war like. But they have this instinctive drive to rush into battle to protect the source. So they pretty much come to RK with whatever they have weapon wise and come against a race of being that loves to kill things, and they are overwhelmed. They don't have the strategy to deal with the new foe they've encountered as they've never witnessed combat on this level, but it doesn't matter they need to keep sending in wave after wave to protect the source as that's the only thing that matters to them. So no they're not going to attack other planets or places because very simply they're on a crusade to kick the infidels out of the holy land. But in their rush to fight they pretty much come to RK with pitchforks, torches, and shotguns, while the humans are carrying nukes.

So when it comes to space travel and some other things they squash human tech, but when it comes to weapons and war they've way behind in the curve. And now a few years later the Kyr'Ozch are starting to see factions in their culture forming from this war, and there's a group sitting there going "umm maybe this head long attack wasn't that good of an idea, all we've seemed to really do is make them stronger and give them better weapons". Enter in the friendly aliens that are trying a different approach to what they see as a losing war.

As for why they can't really exist all that well on RK. Since there's been enough ripping off of Star Trek within these stories I'm sure one more won't hurt. I say they exist in a universe of fluidic space. Which would explain why it seems like you're underwater on the alien ships. A universe filled with a viscous slippery clear fluid, we can call it Universe KY.

[Psikie]

I've been holding a theory on a few things. No one really knows how many Arks seeded planets. So who knows how many different alien invasions from different offspring we could have in AO.

We know of earth/homo solitus and Kyr'Ozch. My theory would be that the Kyr evolved obviously under different circumstances than AO breeds. Think for example Nanomage, they probably can't survive away from RK/SL for lack of notum. So i believe Kyr are opposite. Possibly that is the reason they seem to be in battle suits. To protect them from the amount of notum that runs through RK. That would be reason enough why they can not or do not go to SL.

So maybe its not that we are using notum up and killing them, but the fact that now the notum is uncapped/unguarded (killing of beast) and spreading out that is killing them.

So now that the aliens are here and realize what is going on, there is no reason to kill us off with a massive invasion. That wouldn't do them any good, they need someone to re-cap the source.. or take up the immortal mantle of guarding it.

Just a thought.

[Psikie]

We evolved into a form that can harness and utilize notum through mechanical nanobots. Kyr use viralbots which are organic. So they would not want to kill us all off because we may be the only ones that can travel to SL to cap the notum source that is killing them. Their evolutionary track may allow them to manipulate novictum in a similar manner but they don't have access to get to SL to obtain it.

Just throwing that out there.

[trousers]

Just to add to what Foos said:

We discussed “why would a peace loving race have a navy?”. We talked about how while they're peace loving, they are still quite advanced.

In Universe KY they may have encountered a Low-Tech Species, similar, but slightly more advanced than the humans of 2011. This race was highly xenophobic and engage the Ky'jellies in combat. They were outclassed by the Aliens war machines which were based on Xan technologies (which they themselves were mostly peaceful techs).

So, the Fleet they had was Superior enough to kick the Low-Tech Species' collective butts, and the Aliens reveled in how Superior their navy was. Since it was the most Advanced Fleet in their universe they were content being a military superpower.

Flash Forward to 49479 and their Navy begins to clash to Omni-Tek's. It would be like Gulf War Tank Battle situation. The Aliens being the Iraqis. Now, Humans were not only baptized in fire, we've lived in it our entire lives. This strife has propelled our combat tech far further ahead of other species.

As we know from History, Military Advantage is not something that is guaranteed. Six years of engaging humans may have forced radical advancements in Alien Armament, which we will see when the 'proper' invasion fleet arrives.

[Cyberleet]

I never thought of the Kyr' as so 'intelligent', but technologicly advanced.

The killing of beast made us/rk open for attack or did it trigger the 'attack'? They were here first?

Similar like bugs, they always evolve and is a threat to our existence but we can exploit them at the same time. We can even manipulate some organisms w our technology.

Don't think SL fits to AO, some of it seems as a personifaction of human ethics and the stuff that makes us humans diferent from other living organisms...and fantasy vs reality.

As a Sci-Fi fan I liked AI tho, storywise.

BTW, I was puzzled that the DB became so numerous with Xan, why? I actually thought they were sents trying to dodge the blame and make us dislike neutrals as a bonus. They did some serious things to us all

Anyway, I hope to see more of this "explained" in gameplay so it makes sense to the player.

Will we see game-changes so the story becomes more up2date with actuall gameplay?

[trousers]

I would like to ask these few questions specifically:

1) Omni-Tek Director Eva Pourais. Same Person as Immortal Omega Eva Pourais?

2) The "Russian" Unredeemed Vanya. Since Vanya means Ivan, and Comrade Sergeyich is Russian ... Is Omni-Pol Commander Ivan Sergeyich the Unredeemed Vanya in 'Human Form', as seen in P w/o H?

3) Is The Source really the source of all life? I only ask, because I have heard of a band of Hip-Hop vigilante Keepers who guard the pyramid in Home. These New Keepers of the Block have devoted their lives to protecting The Block which resides, quite literally, inside of the pyramid. Above said Block is a Portal which they suspect links to The Source. They believe The Block is The Original Building Block of All Life, and it feeds The Source.

Just curious if NKOTB are on to something.

[Galilei]

Actually, thinking about it more, a combination between what Trousers brings up and the alternate dimension plan makes the most sense - Yes, the Kyr'ozch come from somewhere "else" over in their universe and thusly must travel a long time to reach Rubi-Ka... but why would they switch dimensions *first* and *then* travel halfway across the universe? It'd make more sense for them to travel to the rough location of Rubi-Ka in their own universe and then warp across to our dimension - To the point that it may well only be *possible* to shift dimensions in the rough vicinity of Rubi-Ka due to the spatial weakening caused by the Cataclysm/Shadowlands.

That also satiates my issues with supplies/reinforcements provided to the fleet as well as explains why they aren't striking other targets - They start at their home planet, travel to the area of Rubi-Ka's system in 'Universe-K', and then are able to use the destabilized space there to warp over to our universe. Satisfies time constraints, explains why they aren't hitting other targets, and gives us a good reasoning for their ability to resupply/reinforce the fleet so regularly without our own forces attacking *their* supply chain. *And* it makes it fit with that damnable document, so if you guys are happy with this then I am. XD

To me it sounds like a very dangerous operation to send ships from one universe to another - the few possibilities for that kind of travel that come to my mind are wormhole (unlikely), turning huge star into a singularity (not likely) or travel through quasar star or through black hole <> white hole combination (see more info here) or use The Source. I mean how you cross something between universes where there are no laws of physics or time at all (though the void between universes could be full of something)? How do you get enough energy to form such bridge between universes?

I think the most likely solution is The Source because it's have been said to exist in all universes - I mean the Kyr'ozch ancestors left the SL just before Cataclysm in an ARK, thus they might have had ancient logs of scientific data about that event and since that event threw them to another universe, they knew there was a way to get back - they might have had to cause another cataclysm size event in their own universe, possibly at their home planet if it was the location of the source in their universe or by destroying their home system's star or some other huge star, black hole, something that had enough energy, perhaps they had to move black hole near The Source in order to create pathway from their universe to ours... they could have tested it in small scale to send scout ships first to all possible universes they could locate and when they found the correct one with Rubi-ka, they could have caused "cataclysm" in their universe and ride that event to this universe with their fleet... and at the same time everything left behind might have been annihilated. Perhaps the Kyr'ozch fleet is the last of them alive and Rubi-ka is now their only "home"? Since their mothership survived the trip, it must be incredibly strong ship and we might not have yet actual technology to destroy it thus the invasion is going to continue indefinately.

And why it took 6 months - perhaps they spent milleanias between the universes (time could fly differently there) and when they popped into our universe it was on timeline six months since the beast was killed. Perhaps they had to avoid mass centers like star systems (you don't want to end up inside star or planet with your spaceship) and so they appeared in empty space from where it took 6 months to travel to Rubi-ka. There's all kinds of possibilities...

[Ebondevil]

#5: Until the servers shut down. ;P I hate this one too, but there's really very little I can do to logically explain it away. By now the Kyr'ozch should have won - Truthfully, given their numbers and their technology, no one should really stand a chance in a space battle against the Kyr'ozch, even with the advanced tech of the Goliath and Sunrise stations. It is really the dumbest invasion ever, but... kinda like the Beast respawning, this one's a game mechanic thing. Sometimes you just *can't* explain away some of the gameplay, much as I hate that and try to fight it as much as I can. ><

My take on this is factors in a number of elements, firstly, Cities have cloaks This means that the aliens are having trouble finding us, only when those cloaks fail, either due to a City controller having too much charge, or are intentionally taken down, do the aliens know where to hit us and then they start sending waves of aliens at us in a desperate attempt to do as much damage as possible before the city vanishes under it's cloak again, Omni-tek was prepared for them after-all so it stands to reason there's some defences in place.

Secondly I believe the friendly Kyr-Ozch at the end of Arid rift actually mentions that we're not fighting the actual aliens but instead complex bio-engineered battlesuits that are remotely controlled by the aliens, these things probably take time to manufacture, while the Aliens may have a nearly endless supply they're desperate, trying to distract us while they build up their forces, and at the same time attacking on multiple fronts: Sectors 7, 10, 13, 28, 35 and 42 come to mind as does Arid rift. Simply put: they haven't won yet because they don't have the resources to simply remove us, but they are gaining ground, two new sectors have been infested with aliens recently afterall, how many more will follow?

However, any time there's a chance for them to attack a city they will take it but afterwards they need some time to rebuild a strike force (2 hour wait till the cloak can be dropped?)

This doesn't mean that the plot involving them can't progress however, there are multiple factions after all (see Below).

Before I get into it too much (and, for the record, you *are* pretty much correct, and it may be that i'm either staring at this too hard or there's a massive plot hole here), I know I've seen stuff mentioning exactly what you brought up - That the aliens are traveling great distances to get to RK. Can one of you guys please direct me to where that information *is*? I ask because I wanna peer at the details for a few minutes and see if this is one of those cases where they changed their minds at the last minute and left contradicting documents laying around (us? never!! =P).

I do like the idea that they are in a alternate dimension (similar to 'Sliders' previously mentioned), this also helps to explain Atlantean and Rimor somewhat as well, but I digress, the alternate Alien Rubi-Ka itself (even if it's not the Aliens Homeworld) opens up some interesting Booster/Expansion possibilities as we could in theory take the fight to the Kyr-Ozch on this alternate Rubi-Ka, it would also allow for a lot of re-use of the zones already made, but with an alien twist to them making them somehow familiar and surreal at the same time.

#8: Both their creation and their method of working. Kyr'ozch viral bots, while similar to nanobots, are purely organic in nature, and do not have notum requirements to utilize - They can exist outside of a standing notum sphere with no problems at all.

#9: Most *likely* not - I mean, it's a pure game mechanics changeover. I could write somethin' up but it'd probably sound silly and just end causing more problems than it'd fix. ;P I am kinda amused by the thought of Izgimmer accidentally unleashing some kinda homebrew experimental viral bot cloud into the atmosphere of RK and causing everything to get all screwy. Could call it The Great Recompile. XD

Point #8 could actually be the solution to point #9, as Humans, with the friendly aliens help, try to shift more to Viral bots as a source of programming rather than using Notum, reducing the dependence on Notum and removing the limitations of it. The change to viral bots, as well as the research and development to get them working would then of course would make the nano formulas we currently use quite a bit different, effect the way our perks work, and how we'd interface with any equipment.

This could be caused by the clans trying to undermine Omni-Tek and undermine the value of Notum, or by Omni-Tek research into Viral bots, we've been running around with access to them long enough.

One final semi unrelated point: I find it rather interesting that shortly after humans removed the guardian from the source, the Aliens arrived, dragging those who had achieved oneness with the source out of the Shadowlands and back to Rubi-ka, drawing attention away from the plans the Redeemed and Unredeemed have for the source. Personally I don't think the SL storyline is complete, we've caught up to the past and history of the shadowlands, now it's time to continue with the plot into the future.

Long story short: Don't just focus on one story element (Fight between Omni/Clans, Fight with the Aliens, Trouble in SL), think about all the different branching factors and how to progress all of them, interweaving them together at times for a complex involving story that explains the changes to the world before and as they happen.

[Towerblock]

3) Is The Source really the source of all life? I only ask, because I have heard of a band of Hip-Hop vigilante Keepers who guard the pyramid in Home. These New Keepers of the Block have devoted their lives to protecting The Block which resides, quite literally, inside of the pyramid. Above said Block is a Portal which they suspect links to The Source. They believe The Block is The Original Building Block of All Life, and it feeds The Source.

Just curious if NKOTB are on to something.

The blooooooock.
./pray.

[Notcrattey]

Point #8 could actually be the solution to point #9, as Humans, with the friendly aliens help, try to shift more to Viral bots as a source of programming rather than using Notum, reducing the dependence on Notum and removing the limitations of it.

This would also stop the use of notum, stopping the un-intentional killing of the kyr universe. Could end up being the cause of peace between the 2 species and the stopping of the grand invasion.

[Saetos]

Point #8 could actually be the solution to point #9, as Humans, with the friendly aliens help, try to shift more to Viral bots as a source of programming rather than using Notum, reducing the dependence on Notum and removing the limitations of it.

This would also stop the use of notum, stopping the un-intentional killing of the kyr universe. Could end up being the cause of peace between the 2 species and the stopping of the grand invasion.

While it's an ideal solution, it wouldn't be an easy one: the Nano breed relies on the existence of Notum to survive (encompassed normally in trace residues from mining and processing), plus using Viralbots, while not a completely foreign (daresay alien) concept to us, since we've been using alien technology quite freely for years now, would require an overhaul in the methods used to program, as since we've made no NanoCrystals with viralbot technology (ViralCrystals?) the endgoal seems out of reach.

Also - correct me if I'm wrong, but the Aliens are tied to the Source somehow, as we kind of are, right? How, then, are we going to use the healing kits we rely so much on in the Shadowlands if, by using them, we weaken the Source and in turn the Aliens? If we want to establish peace with them (a goal I still find absolutely bonkers) any concurrent technologies we use that exploit the Source would make any peace efforts fruitless in the grand scheme of things.

[Notcrattey]

(a goal I still find absolutely bonkers)

Either that or get totally destroyed by the real attack :S

[SoapTarder]

While it's an ideal solution, it wouldn't be an easy one: the Nano breed relies on the existence of Notum to survive...

this also brings into question keepers and shades:

As a genetically engineered profession dependent on an abundance of notum, a Keeper/Shade must begin life in the Jobe research facilities in the Shadowlands.

maybe this has already been discussed. ignore if it has been.

[Kintaii]

this also brings into question keepers and shades:

As a genetically engineered profession dependent on an abundance of notum, a Keeper/Shade must begin life in the Jobe research facilities in the Shadowlands.

maybe this has already been discussed. ignore if it has been.

For the record, this is going to get fairly well ignored in the future development of the game (and really was kind of a simplistic handwave toward game mechanics that really just causes more issues than its worth). When we complete and launch the new startup experience, Keepers & Shades both will start in there the same as everyone else.

Also, not been ignoring you guys, just been.... kinda swamped the last few days. I'll pop back in soon to answer off more questions and chime in on the discussion. =)

[Galilei]

Unicorn Coordinator Magnum Blaine: I'm busy, what do you want?!
me: What is this place?
Unicorn Coordinator Magnum Blaine: Central Unicorn Defense Hub Zero-Niner. We're here under a joint treaty between both Omni-Tek and Clan forces due to some... interlopers who've decided to try poaching some of our precious resources.
me: Joint treaty?
Unicorn Coordinator Magnum Blaine: It isn't the first time this has happened... we've allowed similar workings for operations extending into the Outzone, which technically this is. So long as the job gets done, that's all I care about.

Unicorn Coordinator Magnum Blaine talks about joint treaty between Omni and Clans - can we get more info about the nature of this treaty? Where and when was it signed and by who?

Is there any background info about the "SBC-Xpm Site Alpha Romeo 25"? What's the purpose of it? Seems like it's somewhere in the Outzones or somewhere beyond Perpetual Wastelands / Broken Shores due to looking like desert area but there isn't any background info available.

Battlestations were intended to stop the Kyr'ozch invasion, right? Then why do we fight inside those stations all the time, instead of using them to fight against Kyr'ozch? Why can't we shoot the Kyr'ozch mothership with a battlestation? Why can't we man turrets outside battlestation and shoot those damn Kyr'ozch scout/invasion ships that try to enter Rubi-kas atmosphere and earn axp that way?

[trousers]

Battlestations were intended to stop the Kyr'ozch invasion, right? Then why do we fight inside those stations all the time, instead of using them to fight against Kyr'ozch? Why can't we shoot the Kyr'ozch mothership with a battlestation? Why can't we man turrets outside battlestation and shoot those damn Kyr'ozch scout/invasion ships that try to enter Rubi-kas atmosphere and earn axp that way?

My very complaint since day 1. THE BATTLESTATIONS WERE INSTALLED UPSIDE DOWN AND SHOOT THEIR DOOM RAYS AT THE PLANET INSTEAD OF OUT TO SPACE!!


Thanks a lot, ICC. They must have union contractors doing their doomsday machine installations.

[Redesine]

THE BATTLESTATIONS WERE INSTALLED UPSIDE DOWN AND SHOOT THEIR DOOM RAYS AT THE PLANET INSTEAD OF OUT TO SPACE!!

There's a good reason for this!

The doom rays were made by SOL!!!

So picture the scene:

A tired guy in a suit in a bar. He's on the Goliath funding commitee and not looking forward to taking the news back that they're way, way over budget. The whole project is about to be scrapped. He's about to lose his job. He's knocking a few back.

He finds himself talking to another guy in a suit, disclosing a few things that he should really be disclosing, but what does it matter now that the whole thing's just been a giant waste of time.

"Cash problems, you say?" pipes up the other guy. "Rubi-Ka, you say? Still don't have a contract for the main gun, you say? ... Well - how about that! It just so happens that I have seven giant guns just lying around in my garden along with big piles of credits that are really cluttering up the place. Sounds like you might be able to find a good home for them." he says with a nudge and a wink.

A few months later... A guy with a clipboard. A nano clipboard. And a somewhat less tired-looking chap in an expensive looking suit.

They're in the core.

"Well," says the clipboard guy, "Everything passes except this... thing here. It's just-" He pauses as a bank balance pops up on his clipboard, the numbers rising. "... definately the right way up, no problem here!" *STAMP*

From a platform where an open wall panel exposes the innards of the battlestation, an engineer with a shiny watch grins and winks at the guy in the suit.

[Aythem]

this also brings into question keepers and shades:

As a genetically engineered profession dependent on an abundance of notum, a Keeper/Shade must begin life in the Jobe research facilities in the Shadowlands.

maybe this has already been discussed. ignore if it has been.

In my (not so) humble opinion, the statement about keepers and shades shouldn't be taken literally, as in that they have to be conceived and born in Shadowlands. I don't think that was the intention of whoever wrote that, but it comes across in a lame way.

It's more that that have to 'begin their (professional) life in Jobe' because of whatever technological reason or somesuch. Now, many years later, technology has advanced, and wouldn't you know... we can engineer shades and keepers somewhere else (re: Kintaii's previous statement). Huzzah!

Survival - a matter of life or death, exist or not exist is a completely different thing. The nano mage breed is irreversably tied to Rubi-Ka (or another place where notum permeates everything). This is separate and has nothing to do with profession.

[Saetos]

for the record, this is going to get fairly well ignored in the future development of the game (and really was kind of a simplistic handwave toward game mechanics that really just causes more issues than its worth). When we complete and launch the new startup experience, keepers & shades both will start in there the same as everyone else.

Thank you!

[Notcrattey]

I have a question that needs answering!

If Nano programs and nanomages can't work on anything but rubi-ka thanks to the notum, how do they work on the battlestations in space?!

This is very important!