Comment on the "Spartan Chronicles" - Page 4

Googlie · January 8, 2000, 19:04

Edgecrusher:

You can d/l the map from my homepage now

Googlie

Captain Kirk · January 8, 2000, 21:24

I'm all set to take over as the Believers. Just free Miriam and we'll be on our way. Or I could od a Free Dronesque type rebellion. Say have a powerful resistance leader lead all the drones in a holy revolt or something. Let me know what you think Googlie.

------------------
Damnit, Jim I'm a doctor not an animal psychologist

Aredhran · January 10, 2000, 12:13

Good to see Googlie out of the Consciousness, I did not like that one bit

. It it was a nice twist on the plot though.

Once again, congratulations to all the authors.

I only have one negative remark if I may: I thought the whole idea of Deirdre going Vendetta on the Spartans just because of them supposedly being responsible of a nuclear strike was completely unlike her.

She did not think twice about the repeated nerve-gassing that Yang did before, and she had no problems trucing with him and dragging Lal into the Vendetta (who obviously was quite happy to comply). I understand the need for the plot, but I think that was not very good... A very clumsy, "deus ex machina" way of bringing things around.

Aredhran

Googlie · January 24, 2000, 12:46

Edgecrusher:

A couplke of comments:

1) A progenitor fleet of 90 ships? Unless the six subspace generators have been built the fleet doesn't know where the two scoutships are

2) How has The Hive lost the HSA? They still control Communal Conquest (ex Morgan Pharmaceuticals) where it resides. (and the Hive has its own Covert Ops Center, - wouldn't that nullify the 25% chance having one brings to the attempt to subvert or steal tech?

4) When Yang moved the HQ to the Sea Hive, wouldn't his captives be moved there too? They'd be awfully hard to sprit away from a sea base.

In the Chrons we've tried not to stray too far from the game "rules" - at least for the major concepts - and usually have circulated e-mails among ourselves for any radical plot shift.

Cheers,

G.

January 24, 2000, 14:24

sorry... between .5 and .6 is when communal conquest is taken over via mind control probe... as for the progenitor fleet, i'd like to think that they're there in force. drop me a line. nothing is set in stone.

------------------
"edgecrusher" Spartan Probe Team 'angelis'

Kenlon · January 26, 2000, 06:23

Can I get the map and Word document?
Who is holding Miriam?
I have an idea for getting her back
into the thick of things. If no one
minds me mangling the SMAC rules a bit. . .

Anyone here played Shadowrun?

*sits back to see if anyone will get the
same idea he has*

------------------
Kenlon
[This message has been edited by Kenlon (edited January 26, 2000).]
[This message has been edited by Kenlon (edited January 26, 2000).]

Hydro · January 26, 2000, 20:15

Kenlon,

Miriam was freed by the Spartans a short time ago and is now chatting amiably with Santiago (Captain Kirk is leading this story line).

If you have some ideas then jump right in. However, you should probably chat with Captain Kirk to make sure you are in general agreement and won’t step on each other’s toes.

As to the map and text of SC, go to Googlie’s home page - it’s all there! He has done a LOT of work to keep it updated and it is an excellent resource.

Hydro

Kenlon · January 27, 2000, 05:35

D'oh!

Hmm. . . maybe I can adapt the idea to
spring Zak instead. . .

------------------
--
Kenlon

Googlie · January 27, 2000, 11:50

Or Morgan Junior

Under pressure from her Planetary pactmates Santiago couyld prolly be persuaded to release Zak from captivity.

But Yang will never give up Morgan's son.

[This message has been edited by Googlie (edited January 27, 2000).]

Jasonian · January 27, 2000, 15:28

What the... WHAT THE HECK?!

Geez! I guy stops reading for a week or so to study for mid terms, and now there are aliens!

Questions:

1) How did Miriam get out of the Sea Hive?
2) How did those aliens find Planet?
3) How did Marr get on the surface?

If any of those can be answered from the story, then I missed them.

Oh, nice little interlude from Zak there Hydro

.

January 27, 2000, 15:52

thanks for getting me out of that sixty ships problem. i don't know what i was thinking.

------------------
"edgecrusher" Spartan Probe Team 'angelis'

The_Progenitors · January 27, 2000, 20:17

Earthhuman Jasonian:

While chasing H'minee through the wormhole in The Crossfire Tales Conqueror Marr encountered a split infinitive which catapulted him into The Spartan Chronicles

January 31, 2000, 18:43

::steals the double post::
[This message has been edited by edgecrusher (edited January 31, 2000).]

January 31, 2000, 18:45

so, morgan is working on the Vats officially? i'm also stuck wondering where everyone is technologically... could someone throw me a lifeline?

------------------
"edgecrusher" Spartan Probe Team 'angelis'

Googlie · February 3, 2000, 01:47

I've added the Map as at six months to my home page for downloads

(As the original was done in the pre-smacx days, we have no alien bases - I've indicated the four Progenitor land bases with the sea colony pod graphic

- if anyone among the authors is better at working the scenario maps, feel free to edit and e-mail me and I'll put a better version up.)

Googlie

Googlie · February 3, 2000, 02:02

Re Yang's cloning vats:

it's a level 7 tech. All the level 6 techs have been discovered except the Photon wall.

Lal has monopole magnets
everyone has fusion power
Hive, Morgan and Sparta have orbital spaceflight, Hive and Sparta (stolen) have Advanced Spaceflight (Shard weaponry)
Hive have retroviral engineering (Genejacks)
Sparta and Hive have MMI (copters)
Morgan has Hybrid forests

Hive is researching Biomachinery (Cloning Vats, early prototype now in testing)
Gaians are researching Centauri Genetics

Sparta are researching Tachyon Bolt

Free Drones are researching Probability Mechanics

PKs are researching Orbital Spaceflight

Morgan is researching Photon Wave Mechanics

Nobody knows what the Usurpers are researching

How does that sound?

Googlie

Argonaut · February 9, 2000, 22:29

Can some one explain the strength of the Alien weapons to me? I sadly don't have SMACX. SMAC is all my old Pentium 100 can take, and as a starving artist I can't afford to upgrade it. My parents, of course refuse to accept that it's out of date since solotaire still works perfectly fine!
I've decided against writing in my custom faction, there's no room for them in the Chronicles world. Instead, I was thinking of creating an elite air unit, to add to the Spartan war effort. Would a Spartan needljet be able to stand up to a Progenaitor Gnat?

Aredhran · February 10, 2000, 05:27

Going off topic, sorry...

Argonaut, I'm running SMACX on a P100/24megs of ram. It's s-l-o-o-o-w, but it works fine. Make sure you turn off all the nice-looking features (such as unit animations), get the low-res caviar from the CD, etc.

Now back to Spartan Chronicles

Googlie · February 10, 2000, 12:18

Argonaut:

In a word, No, at least not on a level playing field.

But of course it isn't level.

The Gnats are flimsy biotekked spacefaring vehicles with awesome weapons - they need to be adapted to function in Chiron's heavier atmosphere and this will a) slow them down somewhat and b) dissipate the effect of their energy/resonance weapons somewhat.

If you're a Harry Turtledove fan (the alternate WW II history "In The Balance" etc) the early technology gap between Gnats vs Needlejets would be like F15s against Meteors/Vampires if you're a brit or Shooting Stars/Sabres if you're NA.

The gap will obviously be closed, but essentially it will give the Usurpers/Hive control of the air for a year or so.

But here's the kicker - the resource is finite. The scoutship has ten, and they'll need to plagiarize two to strengthen the others, so they will end up with eight killer craft - unreplaceable. They have both resonance bolt (12 value)and singularity laser weapons(24 value) - one prototype has string disrupter cannon (30 value), so they will be awesome (but few)

The kicker is the multiplying effect of their singularity engine.

We want the foe to be worthy of the combined humans, so i would see a kill ratio on the posts as being about 1:50 or so in the Progs favor, with maybe 1:200 or so for their prototype.

The humans will lose a few bases, ands many aircraft and ground troops (the Mk II Ogres will be formidable mechwarriors) but of course the humans will prevail in the end (won't they?)

Googlie

Argonaut · February 10, 2000, 15:48

Thanks Googlie.
That gives me an idea of where I need to head with my story-line. Now I just need to find the time to write it!

President Jakjon · February 10, 2000, 21:36

To Rynn:
You like the word "chameleon," don't you? (:-] Now, maybe I'm not clear on the technology level at this point in the story, but both of your mysterious-probe-team-types seem a tad advanced. Marlo is... er... was... a lesbian? I find myself wishing that I started reading the story at an earlier date, so that I would be more informed about the plot.

To Hydro:
Great description of the underground activity in a captured base!

To All:
There seems to be a lot of political manouvering and back-room skullduggery in this story. This is rather out of place, considering the Spartans, traditionally, are blatant militarists. It's just not their style.

------------------
--President Jakjon
--Datalinks

Argonaut · February 11, 2000, 00:13

Edgecrusher:

Teacup Gods? PLEASE write more! I want to know where you are going with this! Needless, to say my interest is piqued.

P.S. Where it Tau Ceti? Is it a SMACX thing?

February 11, 2000, 11:46

just a dramatic device i've picked up from reading too much from the discworld series. they'll prolly show up again, but only breifly. i just needed a way to get me to tau ceti and in a lighter way. part of the reason for the rather silly interlude as it were was to let some air out of the "too serious for its own good" balloon.

oh, and he's just a constellation of a teacup. the civilization had enough gods to cover all but one group of stars... and one day an astronomer's maid had mistakenly washed his teacup, which is practically a sin. he became so angry, he threw said teacup into the sky, as a reminder to maids everywhere to not wash out tecups unless asked.

edgecrusher, probe master

------------------
i've had the poison leak into my skin
and it corroded my heart away

March 13, 2000, 14:50

hey, i thought yous guys fergot about this...

Argonaut · March 17, 2000, 02:37

As there seems to be less, and less Chronicles posts, and fewer and fewer writers (not to mention that I have more and more time on my hands) I've decided to take on a bunch of new characters, to create some new action. Plus I FINALLY got SMACX (my computer is barely holding out on me) and am feeling inspired.
Here are the characters I'm thinking of working with, but if anyone has any objections I will willing go another route. And the finalists are:
*Zak (he's been stewing in that punishment sphere long enough)
*Morgan Junior
*Sinder Roze (Just the character, not the Data Angels {at least not as a faction}

)
*Captain Svensgaard and the Pirates
*Possibly Cha Dawn and Sister Mirriam with a slight chance of Guardian H'minee finally making an appearance (if you can't play the game with only one alien faction, then you can't write a story with only one

)
The sooner people get back to me one way or the other, the sooner I will start posting.

Ooh! And what happened to the Drones and the Cyborgs? They seem to have dissapeared!

------------------
Jason the Argonaut
"I like horses. Thank You."
-Daniel MacIvor

Dcole78 · March 18, 2000, 01:18

hey guys remember me? I wrote about that the subs long long ago... I finally got caught up on my reading of the chronicles (surprized you all had kept them going this long) and I am back to post some more! Baldwin will return!..one request argon don't do the pirate faction...I have plans for them!

Googlie · March 18, 2000, 11:31

Argonaut and Dcole:

Feel free.

The Drones have four bases - the two Hive that revolted and the two PK that lal swapped for techs. they, of course, are now part of the Axis group that are preparing for the showdown with Yang/Marr

It's tme Zak is released - Scott Allardyce acceptance of the Axis co-ordination role was contingent (per Anastasia) of santiago releasing Zak - I haven't written the tearful reunion of grandfather/granddaughter, so feel free to jump in and give the release a different twist

Argo - note Dcole's request that he be given the Pirates - we typically honor such "first come-first served" requests.

Miriam is released, guest of Santiago. Yang has reneged on his pledge (to Shauna) to allow the two ex-B bases self government.

The Caretakers haven't been forgotten. The_Progenitors team, and Hydro and I have them appearing a little later - Marr still has to tell his tale (over his pot of pol) of how he came to be on Chiron's surface - and the Caretakers figure prominently in that, of course.

Sinder Roze is up for grabs

The Cyborgs have the facilities station on the spartan/PK border, but neither i nor edgecrusher has developed that much. Santiago still hasn't formally recognized them, but neither has she moved to assimilate them, so fruit for the picking there.

Morgan Jr. was pretty much Hydro's character, so you'll need to e-mail him to see if there are any plans.

Originally I was going to build the cult around Ruth, until I realized that Cha Dawn was male ....LOL.... So feel free to introduce them.

cheers,

Googlie
[This message has been edited by Googlie (edited March 18, 2000).]

Argonaut · March 18, 2000, 12:29

All right, well I know where I am going to go at this point.

Dcole-> the pirates are all yours.

I think what I'm going to work with is:
1)Sinder Roze (one of my favourite new factions, I can't believe no one has called dibs)
2)Zak (Sorry Anasatsia, the reunion will have to wait)
3)Cyborgs (I don't know how yet but I think I shall work them in as a more active faction)

Googlie-> As for the Cult, I think I might hold off. Perhaps though, Ruth could become an object of worship to them, perhaps creating tension with Shauna's Christian beliefs?

Expect some posts later today.

Argonaut · March 18, 2000, 15:59

Hey, the first two posts are going up momentarily. This came up in my writing though, and I was hoping someone could help me.

What ranks exist in the Spartan Military, and in what order? If it's the same as your typical ranks than I would still be interested to know in what order those go. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Dcole78 · March 21, 2000, 01:12

ok guys the first of my new posts is up tell me what you think...thought the log would be a good addition feel free to use it in your posts as a writing device or as something more serious. As I said in the post it is supposed to provide protection for high ranking officials if there decisions are questioned. I will try and do about one post a week to keep things moving. When is the actual battle going to start by the way..?