Omnimaga

Calculator Community => Discontinued => Major Community Projects => S.A.D. (Seek and Destroy) => Topic started by: Hot_Dog on February 11, 2010, 03:24:23 am

Title: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on February 11, 2010, 03:24:23 am
I've reconsidered holding information of the S.A.D. universe, so although I won't give any information of the campaign itself, I'm now more than happy to share the setting and characters involved.  This is my treat to everyone on Omnimaga, it will not be posted on UnitedTi.  However, I'm not going to be able to give all the information at once, as the title implies.  The S.A.D. manual will include all this information.

There will be three types of information on this topic: Characters, Universe, and Timeline.


Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Information
Post by: Hot_Dog on February 11, 2010, 03:31:31 am
Timeline

2099: Lewis Pagfoln invents the primative form of the Reclauda, though it is not named so at the time.  In its early form, it is not designed for flexible flying.  However, it is the first space ship capable of lightspeed, and Pagfoln is awarded a Noble Peace Prize.
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on February 11, 2010, 04:08:00 am
Nice ^^


Just try to make sure to not spoil way too much though :P. Someone who has a lot of free time and patience would probably be able to know almost the entire story of Illusiat 13 by searching #omnimaga logs since Early 2009
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Silver Shadow on February 11, 2010, 09:30:29 am
*Drools*
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on February 11, 2010, 10:59:00 am
Quote
Just try to make sure to not spoil way too much though . Someone who has a lot of free time and patience would probably be able to know almost the entire story of Illusiat 13 by searching #omnimaga logs since Early 2009

Agreed.  I'm only going to show what one would find in the manual, although if people really want to be surprised, that's why the "Spoiler Alert" warning is displayed
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: ztrumpet on February 11, 2010, 04:49:02 pm
Awesome!  I like that.  When does SAD take place?
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on February 11, 2010, 06:22:24 pm
Maybe >9000 years in the future? :P
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on February 11, 2010, 06:30:28 pm
Quote
When does SAD take place?

Rather than answering that directly, I'll just say that one of these weeks, the answer will be on this topic.  Sorry, but it helps keep the excitement up
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: ztrumpet on February 11, 2010, 06:46:19 pm
Quote
When does SAD take place?

Rather than answering that directly, I'll just say that one of these weeks, the answer will be on this topic.  Sorry, but it helps keep the excitement up
Sure.  That's cool too.  I'd just go with A.D. 9001 for now. :P
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on February 19, 2010, 03:34:03 am
Universe: Inca

Star System: Eralo (Original System Unknown)
Population: Uninhabited (Originally 36,000)
Diameter: 164,000 km
Dominant Terrain: Arctic
Geography: One continent, several mountain chains
Orbital Period: Five Earth years
Rotation Period: .6 Earth days
Additional Characteristics: Nothing important

Inca was once a life-supporting planet, several thousand light years away from the solar system.  Bridges across caynons and the ruins of architecture leave evidence that the lifeforms on Inca were intelligent.  However, Inca was undiscovered by any extra-terristerial life for quite some time.

Undiscovered, that is, until its sun died.  A dead sun, of course, meant Inca lost its orbit, and traveled through unmapped space.  During that time, it transformed from a living planet into an icy rock.  And because the lifeforms on Inca could not evacuate, they died with it.

By pure chance, Inca came into orbit of the Eralo star system several thousand years later, in 2420.  But no one could know just how much interest...or why...the entire galaxy would take in this one dead planet once it was discovered...


So now you know, ztrumpet and Omnimaga, S.A.D. takes place in 321 AL (where AL is "After Lightspeed"), that is, 2420 AD
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Builderboy on February 19, 2010, 12:23:12 pm
 * Builderboy puts his fingers in his ears and closes his eyes *

La la la la la I'm not listening!!!

No actually I am, couldn't help it :P Wow, kudos on the great storyline.  AL is genius ^^
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on February 19, 2010, 02:50:45 pm
that is pretty nice :D, I like the planet idea
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: ztrumpet on February 19, 2010, 09:58:17 pm
Excellent!  That sounds great! ;D
 *ZTrumpet goes "Yay! I know know the year!" ;D
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on February 26, 2010, 10:26:53 pm
Timeline: 2104 (5 AL)

With Louis's invention of the Falcon (the primitive form of the Reclauda), and with everyone fully recovered from World War IV, money is poured into the space program.  With additional support from the Ptaloids, the Earth Space Exploration (ESEO) is formed.  Several hundreds of Falcons are built to explore space and to use it to better improve the knowledge and life of mankind.  Relationships with the Ptaloids are further strengthed with the technology of lightspeed, as the distance between Earth and Coronas was shortened from several days to mere hours.

With all these drastic and life-changing moments, the importance of the accomplishment of lightspeed could not be overstated.  It was this year that Earth first coined AL ("After Lightspeed") as a year counter.


--------------------------

I need to take the time to point out that, as you notice, there's a lot of terms yet to define, such as the Ptaloids.  They will definitely be described, but since I'm only posting on this topic once a week, it will take time. 
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on February 26, 2010, 10:32:09 pm
nice ^^
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: ztrumpet on February 27, 2010, 10:30:00 am
Excellent job! :)
I like everything I've seen so far-It's awesome! ;D
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on March 04, 2010, 12:54:40 am
Universe: Of Mankind, the Ptaloids and the Tosonians (Part I)

This will be in the manual.  I'm including it, as well as Part II, Part III, etc. in the manual because this is stuff that happens before the timeline, but is important. 


--------------------------------------------------------------------

In the year 2068, what humans had fictionized and made stories about finally became a reality.  The mother of all Sci-Fi storylines: Alien Invasion.

Like all stories of alien invasion, these creatures came in objects no one could recognize, essentially genuine UFOs.  Like all stories, the intentions of the aliens were unknown.  And like all stories, a war was started between these foreign creatures and humans.

But, unlike most science fiction, Earth was having absolutely no trouble in winning.  The armament of the UFOs stood no chance against the modern technology of Earth.

After two years of "pursuing a wild goose," these aliens realized that the only way to win the war would be adapting, and improving on, Earth technology.  They asked for help from Captain Jackson Leen, offering him a ruling position over Earth in exchange for aid in designing better war machines.  But even on board a cloaked UFO, the meeting was not top secret.  Four teenagers/children--Collin, his sister Megan, their friend Jamie and her boyfriend Ryan--out of curosity discovered the UFO and snuck aboard.  Hearing what the aliens had planned, they attempted to escape with the information, but were too late--the UFO sped into the atmosphere, leaving the children as unintentional stowaways.

While lightspeed had not yet been discovered, these UFOs were capable of traveling at great speeds, and the children soon found themselves beneath the surface of an unfamiliar planet.  They escaped, but had no immediate way to return to Earth. 

Exploring the planet, they came across a humanoid species, known as the Tosonians.  The leader, Jasilin, heard the story and was very kind to the children, explaining that Tosonians hated the alien beings, known as Ptaloids. (As the guard at the door said, "We know nothing of 'humans', but any enemy of the Ptaloids is a friend of ours.")  She described her kind as purely spiritual, taking on human form to adapt to the planet but otherwise without any physical characteristics.  Furthermore, she explained that Tosonians can read minds, control the subconcious, and in her case alone, predict the future.

She regretably, however, could not help the children under the circumstances.  As Tosonians were spritual beings, most of them could only create spiritual objects, which would be useless to humans.  There were two Tosonians who had learned to create physical objects, but they lacked the materials needed to make them.  And since the materials needed were in an area forbidden to beings as pure as the Tosonians, it was up to the children to gather them.  Jasilin advised that Collin should lead the group, with Ryan as a right-hand man in battle and advice.  Megan would, of course, offer sibling support.  And since Collin was bound to have difficulties leading the group, Jasilin highly recommended that Jamie be "the friend he needs," warning Ryan not to get jealous as Jamie would only be giving Collin the support he needed.

But Ryan did not heed this warning... (to be continued)
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on March 04, 2010, 01:37:39 am
darn nice story stuff ^^

Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: jsj795 on March 04, 2010, 10:01:24 am
Exploring the planet, they came across a humanoid species, known as the Tosonians.  The leader, Jasilin, heard the story and was very kind to the children, explaining that Tosonians hated the alien beings, known as Ptaloids. (As the guard at the door said, "We know nothing of 'humans', but any enemy of the Ptaloids is a friend of ours.")  She described her kind as purely spiritual, taking on human form to adapt to the planet but otherwise without any physical characteristics.  

If the guard told the children that they know nothing of 'humans' then how are the Tosonians taking on the human form?  ???

Otherwise, Nice Job!!!
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on March 04, 2010, 10:09:44 am
Exploring the planet, they came across a humanoid species, known as the Tosonians.  The leader, Jasilin, heard the story and was very kind to the children, explaining that Tosonians hated the alien beings, known as Ptaloids. (As the guard at the door said, "We know nothing of 'humans', but any enemy of the Ptaloids is a friend of ours.")  She described her kind as purely spiritual, taking on human form to adapt to the planet but otherwise without any physical characteristics.  

If the guard told the children that they know nothing of 'humans' then how are the Tosonians taking on the human form?  ???

Otherwise, Nice Job!!!

Oops!  That's something I will address.  Thanks for catching that!

EDIT: The quote SHOULD say "We don't know MUCH about humans."  Essentially Tosonians knew only enough about humankind to take on their form. 
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: ztrumpet on March 04, 2010, 05:03:49 pm
Nice!  SAD's going to have an awesome storyline!  Excellent work!  Great story. :)
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on March 06, 2010, 03:29:01 am
Nice!  SAD's going to have an awesome storyline!  Excellent work!  Great story. :)

Just wait till you see our pre-rendered 3d scenes, our musical score written by John Williams and our professional voice actors...

Sorry guys, but you knew I was just kidding
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on March 06, 2010, 03:32:24 am
lol nice one :P

But please, once SAD is done, do the following! :O

(http://xlib.mtv-music-generator.com/nspire3D2.png)

j/k too :P
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Builderboy on March 06, 2010, 06:39:17 pm
Hahaha, that looks a bit too detailed to be nSpire ;)

Nice job on the story though, can't wait to hear more :)
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on March 06, 2010, 06:40:40 pm
Well, we never know :P

The TI-Nspire is 16 shades of gray, like my screenshot. Of course it would have to support a lower unit cap, though.
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on March 12, 2010, 05:48:27 pm
I regret that finals week is preventing me from continuing the story of the Ptaloids and the Tosonians until next week.  However, here's something from the manual to keep you occupied:  (This Scouter information is found in the "Detailed" unit section of the manual.  People who just want to play can read information about the Scouter important only to game play.)

SCOUTER

   What the Tosonians lacked in technology, it had in engineers and mechanics.  At the start of the War for Facnon, the Tosonians could settle a planet faster than the ESEO could, and so gained the advantage of area control.  Lacking the men, the ESEO knew that it required a convenient method to quickly build up bases and defenses on a planet.  After 26 years into the war, it developed a cheap unit capable of such a task, called the Robotic Engineer.  The Robotic Engineer was designed to store the required resources to build an Operation Center, an ACC and enough refineries to mine the crystals it needed to continue base construction.
   By the time the Robotic Engineer was perfected in its task, the Tosonians had enough planetary control to win the war in a relatively short amount of time.  In a desperate attempt to stay in the war, the ESEO launched their Robotic Engineers without providing them with any personal defenses, and so while the Robotic Engineers succeeded in bringing the ESEO up to par with the Tosonians, they were quickly captured by the Tosonians and reproduced.  The Robotic Engineer could have given the ESEO the upper hand, but instead, its abduction evened the odds for both sides. 
Lack of defenses meant that any Robotic Engineer could be destroyed or stolen before its task was finished, leaving an unfinished base.  To solve this problem, weapons and sensors were added.  This allowed a Robotic Engineer to defend itself, but more importantly, a Robotic Engineer could scout a planet’s surface better than vessels in orbit of a planet could, allowing it to decide what should be built and if it was relatively safe to do so.  This ability gave it the name “Scouter.”
   Operation Centers and Transformation Gateways were altered to automatically mine titanium from the ground and produce Scouters.  Since Scouters are basic/cheap units, they require no Belthium Crystals.  In addition, a Scouter is solar-powered and does not require any fuel to operate.  Built-in storage allows a Scouter to run without light for up to five days, allowing a Scouter to work in dark areas.
   A Scouter is not only capable of base construction, but it also need not construct the entire building.  Fifty years after its development, both sides added robotic drones that could finish construction of a building that a Scouter started.  Therefore, a Scouter needs only to start contruction of a structure, after which the drones take over, allowing the Scouter to start another buiding.

Cloak (Deteroriating Upgrade)
   Since the addition of a Scouter’s defensive systems and sensors, the ESEO desired to add cloaking capabilities to a Scouter.  However, the cloaking devices used in Balkstones and Camozas were too large and too expensive to mass produce as part of the Scouters’ basic functions.  Even when a small enough device was developed, the cost was immensive, and remains so due to the small size.  Research continues to develop a cheap cloaking device, but in the meantime, the device is only added when desperately needed.  However, all Scouters are programmed to properly use the device in the event that it is installed.  Scouters require Sephrane Gas to cloak, and can be detected.


Jet Pack (Permanent Upgrade)
   After gaining complete control of Bronat, the Tosonians became fully aware of the importance of island control.  As the Scouter was the only unit available to settle most of the planet quickly, the Tosonians developed the Jet Pack to allow the Scouter to reach these areas.  Like the cloaking device, the Jet Pack is only added to a Scouter when needed, but all Scouters are programmed to respond properly when these devices are installed.
   A Scouter’s solar power is enough to operate a Jet Pack, and so a Scouter can use its Jet Pack indefinitely.


Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on March 12, 2010, 05:57:58 pm
I noticed progress on the game has slowed down a lot. I hope your school schedule gets less hectic soon x.x, it would suck if this project died :(

That storyline stuff is really nice, though. :)
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: ztrumpet on March 12, 2010, 06:28:37 pm
That's really cool!  I can't wait to play SAD! ;D
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on March 12, 2010, 06:30:33 pm
Quote
I noticed progress on the game has slowed down a lot. I hope your school schedule gets less hectic soon x.x, it would suck if this project died

Oh, far from dead, I'm just waiting for a sprite routine, hence the slow progress.  Poor Buckeye has his schedule just as busy as mine is, so it may be a bit before the project really gets fired up again.
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on March 12, 2010, 06:37:23 pm
Oh he's working on the sprite routine? I noticed he has barely been on IRC as well x.x

Also, I think he is working on another project atm, Idk if he's still working on the sprite routine but he might be more busy with Pokémon grayscale (see Revsoft)
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on March 12, 2010, 06:43:34 pm
Quote
Oh he's working on the sprite routine? I noticed he has barely been on IRC as well x.x

Also, I think he is working on another project atm, Idk if he's still working on the sprite routine but he might be more busy with Pokémon grayscale (see Revsoft)

Right.  We got in touch last week, though, so one of his goals, once things die down, is finishing the routine.  We just need clipping implemented.  I'm hoping the next screenshot I'll put up afterwards will be well worth the wait, it will allow the user to put buildings on the tilemap.  (If there were going to be public pre-alphas released, this would be the first one)  The code is done, it just needs the routine.
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on March 12, 2010, 06:59:04 pm
Aaah sounds ok. Just remember to have a plan B in case anything happens, though. I rarely saw team projects turn out good before. Often, an important member vanished completly halfway through the project, so the main author was forced to find someone else to do routines and stuff. I doubt Buckeye would leave or anything, though, but it's always good to plan in case too.
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on March 18, 2010, 11:48:34 pm
Of Mankind, the Ptaloids and the Tosonians (Part II)


...But Ryan did not heed this warning.  Despite Jamie's pleaing and her efforts to convince him that she had no "special" interest in Collin, he grew envious and finally left the group altogether.  Turning to revenge and his own selfish interests, he secretly led Captain Jackson Lee (and the men he brought with him) to the location of the children's campout, although only Jamie was there at the moment.  She was, of course, kidnapped, as Lee knew that simply by being on the planet, she had seen too much.  

Still believing that Jamie had a crush on Collin, it was Ryan's goal to rescue her and win her over once and for all.  Unable to do it by himself, however, he asked Collin and Megan for help, just until he reached a point where he was quite capable of handling the situation alone.  Knocking Collin and Megan unconcious, he took the rest of the rescue into his own hands.  It was the last mistake he would ever make, as he was captured by a security bot.

Waking up and realizing that Ryan was gone, both Collin and Megan suspected that he was responsible for their dillema, though they had no knowledge of his being abducted.  Their suspecisions and the situation required that they ignore whatever happened to Ryan, and instead they worked to free Jamie.

Back in her cell, Jamie learned the true nature of Lee's plans.  Although the Ptaloids had promised him a ruling position over Earth, they discovered his craving for power and realized that it would be a deadly mistake to have him as a leader over the planet.  Knowing his bargin was on the brink of being forfeited, Lee took over the research and production station centers, which cost the lives of hundreds of Ptaloids.  It was his goal to use his acquired assets to finish the task of the Ptaloids, but for his own gain.

Collin and Megan were successful at freeing Jamie, along with another captive named Hope. Finally noticing that Ryan was himself a captive, they sadfully but forgiveably left him behind, concerned that he would further hinder things for them.  The children narrowly escaped in a hovercraft as Lee attempted to lock them inside.

Knowing that Megan and Jamie needed time to recover from what Ryan had become, Collin guided the hovercraft back to the Tosonians who, despite their power, could not restore Ryan.  Jasilin shared in their sorrow, but encouraged them that their new member, Hope, would prove to be a valuable asset.  After regaining their strength, the children continued their journey to retrieve the rest of their materials, one of them being sulfur for fueling purposes.  

Not unexpectedly, the only place to get sulfer was in an underground volcanic region, inhabited by intelligent, insanly wicked creatures that neither the Ptaloids nor the Tosonians were able to exterminate.  A pure example of one region that the Tosonians considered forbidden for the likes of themselves.  Unknown to the children, Lee had successfully affected the mind of the king of the region, a dragon (known to the monsters of the region as "Carbor Bol"), ordering him--out of sure insanity--to eliminate the children by any means possible to keep his secret safe.

Hope was able to translate the language of these demonic monsters, and the plot for their extermination was discovered as the creatures evacuated the underground region to search for the children.  This meant the only thing blocking the sulfur was Carbol Bol himself. As soon as he discovered the children were after sulfur, he, with evil laughter, revealed his "orders" and battled the children, who had gained a lot of combat experience from their search for the materials.  After a fierce battle, they were able to destroy Carbol Bol (and his death meant all the other creatures of the region died instantly as well), but at a heavy cost, the death of Collin.  (TO BE CONTINUED)
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on March 19, 2010, 12:12:14 am
very nice, keep up the good work! :)
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: ztrumpet on March 19, 2010, 06:34:52 pm
Excellent!!  I love it! ;D

How many parts will there be total?
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on March 19, 2010, 06:50:29 pm
Excellent!!  I love it! ;D

How many parts will there be total?

Who knows?  I'm thinking about 3 or 4, but the last two or so aren't going to be as detailed.  Since this is supposed to describe and focus on how humans encountered and formed relationships/enemies with the Tosonians and the Ptaloids, part of my difficulty is avoiding telling too much of the children's story.
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on March 24, 2010, 11:57:36 pm
Of Mankind, the Ptaloids and the Tosonians (Part III)

Jamie was able to recover from her hysterics at Collin's death, but there was no hope for Megan at the time.  But both Jamie and Hope understood that they needed to get home in time to warn Earth of Captain Lee, and so they left Megan in the care of the Tosonians and continued to where the last materials they needed were located.

The area was a great city.  The city was not floating on the clouds, but many of the buildings were so high that they reached the clouds,  In addition, the city covered a vast area, about the size of China.  By examining a particularly interesting shield, and by watching some of the windows, Hope and Jamie speculated, though they could not know for sure, that this was the home of the Ptaloids.  They therefore proceeded with caution.

On picking up the last of their needed materials, the two children journeyed back to the Tosonians.  Upon reaching the underground factory that the UFO had led them to (which was not very far from the city), they noticed a very large power source.  Hoping to buy Earth enough time to build better weapons to face the inevitable attack by Captain Lee--and perhaps the Ptaloids themselves--the two destroyed the power source, causing the entire factory to wreck.  This brought Captain Lee, now all but completely insane, to the scene, and he attempted to kill Jamie and Hope once and for all.  He failed, as some Ptaloids came to the scene and rescued the children.

Despite being rescued by the Ptaloids, Jamie and Hope still believed that they were now in grave danger, especially since they were forced into the underground factory--in essence, back where they started.  They refused to listen to anything the Ptaloids were saying, instead trying to escape their grasp.  Only upon seeing Collin--fully alive and well--did they calm down and hear the Ptaloids out.

The Ptaloids--essentially yellow, human-sized insects with especially hard exoskeletons--explained that the war they started with Earth was for the sake of Earth, as they were attempting to keep it from starting World War IV on itself.  To answer the rest of the questions, the leader of the Ptaloids, Zhas, took the children further underground to the chamber of the creator of both the Ptaloids and the Tosonians: Dzhanus (Pronounced "Janus").

Dzhanus was basically a pure-energy being, enclosed inside a large glass ball, with what appeared to be a dead humanoid body gripping the ball.  It was here that that Collin, Jamie and Hope really began to feel nervous, but the voice of Dzhanus did more than calm there fears, helping them realize he was more of a friend than a foe.  Dzhanus felt that the best way to answer all their questions was to tell his story.

Dzhanus started out as a pure humanoid, but immortial, life form from a distant planet.  Although it was forbidden to search for, or even think of, extra-terrestrial life, Dzhanus had interest in it ever since he was a boy.  But since spacial travel was as forbidden as the thoughts of extra-terrestrial life, he had to learn how to leave the planet, so he took great risks to his life to learn how to achieve magic powers that supposedly had only existed in myths.  With his new-found power, he was able to scan for new worlds and to teleport himself to them.

But Earth was of the greatest interest to him.  He took years of his life to study human beings, and what fascinated him most of all was they had a soul, a spiritual trait not found in any other lifeforms.  (Indeed, Dzhanus's race had something entirely different and foreign to us humans).  Completely intrigued by the idea of a physical body and a spiritual soul living in complete harmony, he started becoming desirous for seeing such complete opposites living together, but seperate from each other.  As he left Earth, he realized he had learned something else from humans that his own kind had not shown him--the joys of having children.

So it was Dzhanus's goal to create his own children.  He wanted his children to have free will, and he wanted to make sure that he could in no way interfere with their choices, wanting love to be given, rather than forced.  Dzhanus also wanted these two to recognize that he was indeed their father.  He wanted to create both a "male" and a "female" child to be siblings and represent the two races he would create.  But most importantly, it was his desire that one race be entirely physical, and the other race entirely spiritual, hoping that total harmony would exist between these two races.

Dzhanus knew, however, that he only contained physical characteristics, as his race lacked any spiritual characteristics, including souls.  So he attempted to create his own soul in order to feel more love for the spiritual race he was about to create.  He was close, but since his body was different from a human's, his "soul" contained and lacked characteristics of a human's soul.  For instance, his soul now had to leave now and then from his body to recharge, or he would eventually die.  Essentially, he explained to the children, he was at the moment recharging his soul, and it was his body that was gripping the ball, "inactive" because the soul was not present.

After successfully making himself both physical and spiritual, Dzhanus created the Ptaloids, made to be completely physical.  His direct son was Zhas.  The Ptaloids were given whatever desires one could find in the physical, including the planet called Coranus, which was the planet everyone was currently on.  To Zhas himself, Dzhanus gave immortality and the ability to forget nothing.

Dzhanus also created the Tosonians, completely spiritual, and gave them the desires that one could find in the spiritual.  To Jasiline, his direct daughter, he gave immortality and the ability to see a few days into the future.

Finally, Dzhanus created two beings that were just like him, physical and with a "soul".  He also provided them with a world away from the Ptaloids and the Tosonians, as well as their own glass balls for recharging their souls.  Although Dzhanus created these two with free will, he had a desire that these two would create a new species of humanoid life that wished for knowledge and harmony just like he did.

Dzhanus's hopes for peace and harmony between the Ptaloids and the Tosonians  were dashed after a few years.  The Tosonians started feeling that because they were entirely spiritual, they were superior, and Jasiline felt that she was even more perfect than her father Dzhanus was.  The Tosonians grew jealous that a race as "flawed" as the Ptaloids should recieve just as much love and care from Dzhanus as the Tosonians did.  This jealously turned to hate, and a war started.  Dzhanus knew he would be unable to interfere, and instead tried to talk sense into the Tosonians.  But Jasiline felt so perfect that she had shunned out her father Dzhanus entirely, believing instead that it was her own mind trying to talk to her.

For a while, neither race could do anything in the war, as the Ptaloids could not create spiritual weapons and the Tosonians could not create physical weapons.  But by and by, the Tosonians were successful in designing physical weapons, and the Ptaloids were forced to retreat.  However, they had a shield around their great city to keep Tosonians out entirely, so the Tosonians, still filled with hatred and desire to eliminate the Ptaloids, instead stayed on the planet in humanoid form, hoping to build a physical weapon powerful enough to eventually destroy the Ptaloid city.

Dzhanus never again revealed himself to Jasiline, knowing that her overconfidence had left him as no more than a memory in her mind.  Instead he stayed with the Ptaloids, as Zhas still showed complete devotion and loyalty to his father.  As for Jasiline, she was able to learn to predict the future as much as two months ahead of time, and her pride had her believing falsely that she could predict centuries ahead of time.  Her belief in the perfection of the Tosonians was now complete.

It was troubling times for Dzhanus, but he never forgot just how much he owed humankind for what they taught him.  So, upon seeing a World War IV that would result in Earth's self-destruction, he had the Ptaloids try to gain control of Earth just long enough to help it get back on track and end all of its dreaded nature.  Unfortunately, the children's destruction of the factory meant there was no way the Ptaloids could intervene any longer.  Zhas knew that Earth was on its way to its doom.

With a fond farewell, the children left Dzhanus's room and left to return the parts to the Tosonians so that they could build the vessel needed to return them home.  Megan, of course, was overjoyed to see her brother alive, but poor Collin was troubled and lost in thought.  It seemed to him that the Tosonians, especially Jasiline, were too kind and gentle to show hatred to their brothers and their father, so he didn't know what to believe, as the Tosonians refused to say anything about their lives.  As the children headed home to Earth, he was left with a single prediction from Jasiline: "Thanks to you and your destruction of the Ptaloid's factory, Earth will be at total peace for all time.  There will never be any war among your people again...and you, children, will live long and happy lives."  Collin knew that if Dzhanus was correct, Jasiline would not have been able to see that far.  So he was left with the most difficult means of knowing who was telling the truth--if there would indeed be a devastating World War IV or not.  For both the sake of Earth and the sake of believing that such a sad history revealed by Dzhanus was a complete lie, he hoped that there would not be a World War IV on Earth.  (To be continued)
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on March 25, 2010, 12:59:30 am
seems nice so far, altough I am a bit tired to read it all atm x.x, I only read the first 5 paragraphs, probably gonna read the rest later
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on March 25, 2010, 05:24:06 pm
I kinda like how the game story has some small elements similar to Final Fantasy, Star Ocean and other more sci-fi RPGs rather than just sci-fi stuff. It makes it different ^^
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on March 25, 2010, 05:55:35 pm
Quote
I kinda like how the game story has some small elements similar to Final Fantasy, Star Ocean and other more sci-fi RPGs rather than just sci-fi stuff. It makes it different ^^

Interesting, because the only sci-fi RPG I ever played was Earthbound
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on March 25, 2010, 06:07:17 pm
aah ok, but it's typical from RPGs to have such elements anyway. But again, each person get inspiration from different sources, maybe that's why, idk how to explain it.
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on April 01, 2010, 12:03:26 am
Of Mankind, the Ptaloids and the Tosonians (Fourth and Final Part)

In 2087, more than 15 years later, Hope and Megan had been married for 5 years, with Megan expecting.  Collin desired to remain single, so Jamie (with Collin's best wishes) was engaged to an officer in training.

Just when Collin was beginning to feel that things were going well, it happened.  A single nuclear launch, and World War IV started.  It turned into a total war, and as a result, Jamie was killed.

Collin remembered being told that World War IV would mean the end of Earth, so he knew that somehow the Ptaloids would just have to help.  But they couldn't help; they were stuck with the original UFOs, lacking the resources that they had previously gotten from Lee.  Collin begged Zhas for some kind of solution, but Zhas explained the only way that they could intervene under the circumstances was to have the Ptaloids and Tosonians live in harmony again.  By doing so, they could combine their efforts to make a special kind of vessel--one with physical projectiles and spiritual armor--that would render itself totally invincible to Earth's weapons.  Unfortunately, with the pride that Jasilin had, this wasn't going to happen with things the way they were.  Collin, therefore, made the painful decision of attempting to break Jasilin's pride and make her realize just how much she needed her father Dzhanus.

To say the decision was painful is not an overestimate.  Collin, Hope and Megan did everything they could to leave the Tosonian world of Jagual a total wasteland.  Jasilin was totally heartbroken at Collin's betrayal, yet at the same time realized that she and the Tosonians were not as perfect as they claimed to be.  And it was then that she remembered Dzhanus, and quite clearly.  Crying out for forgiveness and for help, she found that Dzhanus and the Ptaloids were all the more joyful to make amends, and to help restore the Tosonian homeland.

With the bond between Ptaloids and Tosonians fully restored, the two races worked on the weapons to save Earth from its self-destruction.  The weapons were a success, and Earth surrendered to the Ptaloids, ending the war.  As Zhas had promised Collin, the Ptaloids took over Earth just long enough--about six months--for the people to carry on and rebuild their lives.

Seven years later, the people of Earth were still fixing their broken lives, but they never forgot that had it not been for the Ptaloids and Tosonians, they would have destroyed themselves.  Interested in extra-terrestrial life, they wanted to form relationships with these two factions. 

Jasilin was still deeply hurt at what Collin, and thus humans, had done to her race by destroying their civilization on Jagual.  While she understood that what happened was for the best--and therefore she showed no hatred toward humanity--she and the Tosonians were too upset to form any relationships with Earth.  Dzhanus understood this, but he did highly recommend that the Ptaloids give humanity a chance.  To everyone's astonishment, Zhas was inspired by Collin and found he had the same amazement in humans that his father had, despite the weaknesses they still had to overcome. 

And thus, little by little, year by year, the Ptaloids worked towards a firm relationship with mankind...and the humans and Ptaloids would eventually be as close as brothers.
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on April 01, 2010, 01:13:16 am
nice work again :)
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: ztrumpet on April 01, 2010, 03:14:32 pm
Excellent!  Wow!
I just read parts three and four and I really liked them.  It's an awesome story! ;D

What are you doing with this story in the game?

Excellent job writing it! :D
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on April 01, 2010, 03:22:48 pm

What are you doing with this story in the game?


Well, since the game takes place in 2420 AD, the story, and for that matter all information in this topic, is meant to introduce game players to the S.A.D. universe.  That way, when they play the campaign, they won't be sending me spammed emails with questions like "What is Coranas" "Why do Ptaloids and Humans respect each other so much" "Which faction invented the Degruser" etc etc etc. 

In other words, the story is in the manual, but the game itself takes place more than 300 years after the story
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: ztrumpet on April 01, 2010, 03:31:45 pm
Oh, okay.  That's awesome!  Great job! ;D
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on April 01, 2010, 07:17:59 pm
/me generally just doesn't include his email address in his readmes, since he got spammed with questions alerady awnsered there anyway x.x, he simply links to the forums :P
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on April 05, 2010, 11:48:37 am
Timeline: 2105 (6 AL)

Earth begins looking for someone to direct/lead the ESEO.  During the campaigning process, Zhas highly recommends and requested Collin, knowing that whatever happens with the ESEO affects both Earth and the Ptaloids.  As human beings wants to avoid the mistakes they made in the past, they take Zhas's advice, and Collin wins by a landslide.

That same year, Collin orders research in bringing medical aid to the Ptaloids, as they lack any sort of health treatment.
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on April 05, 2010, 02:42:12 pm
Nice :D
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on April 15, 2010, 11:34:10 pm
*BUMP*

Universe: Facnon

Star System: Runia
Population: 5 Billion Ptaloids, 4 Billion Humans
Diameter: 240,000 km
Dominant Terrain: Forest/Meadow
Geography: Three Continents, 4 Oceans, 6000 rivers
Orbital Period: 1.2 Earth years
Rotation Period: 1 Earth Day
Additional Characteristics: ESEO's major mining planet, plus location of the galaxy's largest waterfall.  Facnon is also the largest planet in the Milky Way as far as humans can tell

With the introduction of medicine to the Ptaloids, who accepted it graciously, the average lifespan of a Ptaloid increased seven-fold.  This in turn meant there was not enough space on Coranas to hold all of the Ptaloids.  Finding a bare planet, they took all of the knowledge they used in adapting Coranas and transformed this empty rock into a living paradise.  Even people living in the "Nine Most Beautiful Places on Earth" felt that they were living in "trash dumps" after seeing pictures of Facnon.

Although the Ptaloids graciously offered living area on this planet to human beings, mankind did not start settling Facnon until 20 years after Collin died of old age.
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on April 15, 2010, 11:38:24 pm
Nice. Do you think there will be those images (smaller and monochrome of course) included in the game?
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on April 15, 2010, 11:44:53 pm
Nice. Do you think there will be those images (smaller and monochrome of course) included in the game?

In the cutscenes, yes, but not anywhere else
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on April 15, 2010, 11:46:27 pm
yeah that's what I thought. Cutscenes pics would be nice (as long as there aren't way too many so it is not too large)

Also nice to see this is still alive ^^
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on April 23, 2010, 07:46:42 pm
Just a reminder that what I put in here is stuff that will be in the manual, not campaign spoilers.  Sadly, my drawing skills could be better, as these faces are not what I'm envisioning in my head :)


Character: Lieutanant Shawn Stalok

Race: Human
Age: 35 (Unconfirmed)
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 210 pounds
Characteristics not seen in this image: Blond hair with gel, blue eyes, weight is due to muscle and not to fat

The information concerning Stalok's early years is, quite literally, non-existent.  For a while, this kept him from entering the Tosonian War; however, his reflexes and IQ excel above those of any other pilot.  For 15 years, as far as anyone can tell, he dedicated himself to experimenting with the modern-day Reclauda, even though the engineers themselves felt they had perfected it.  The work payed off: he pilots his personal Reclauda so well, he can take on at least 325 enemy vessels all by himself.  Needless to say, he is a prize to any Admiral that he works under, making him a constant source of competition whenever he has to transfer.  In addition, the engineers at the ESEO are now trying to refit their machinery to design such Reclaudas, although they understand that Stalok's fast reflexes are quite rare to find, meaning that no one can control a Reclauda even half as well as he can.

Although most Admirals need Stalok for tactics and combat, he does, for no known reason, have a vast amount of knowledge on Tosonians.  From time to time he provides information that leads to great victories in battle.

No one knows why it is that Stalok keeps his hair spiked, or why he wears his sunglasses whenever he goes into battle.  While he does not reveal the reason, he does say that it has nothing to do with personal ego, vanity or beliefs.



EDIT: Read on in the topic to see Stalok's picture.  I made some changes, as further posts indicate
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on April 23, 2010, 07:47:45 pm
For some unknown reasons, despite the different hat, this face reminded me the character in Mark The Superkid Quest o.o

Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on April 23, 2010, 08:55:19 pm
I was afraid someone was going to call his "hair" a hat; I've got more work to do
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on April 23, 2010, 08:56:49 pm
sorry D:

but trust me, drawing characters this large, even in color, is so hard x.x (the reason why in RPG Maker games I always used a character generator)
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on April 23, 2010, 08:58:09 pm
Where do you get this character generator? And the image will actually be 24 x 24.  I just zoomed it in.
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on April 23, 2010, 09:01:41 pm
http://charas-project.net/charas_ex.php?lang=en

The sprites can be customized and used in other type of things, not just RM2K/3. You can even edit the PNG files afterward.

It's from 2003-04, though. For up to date version you have to use the online version of it at http://charas-project.net/charas2/index.php but it doesn't work in Opera it seems. Idk in which browser it works
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on April 23, 2010, 09:06:58 pm
I owe you one.  This should make things much better
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on April 23, 2010, 09:35:12 pm
no problem.

I should actually post this in the pixel art section. While it is not too practical for a 83+ RPG due to the char size (unless you dont mind using 24x32 chars and A LOT of tiles) it could still remain very useful for people. What I like is how colors can be changed
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on April 23, 2010, 09:39:00 pm
no problem.

I should actually post this in the pixel art section. While it is not too practical for a 83+ RPG due to the char size (unless you dont mind using 24x32 chars and A LOT of tiles) it could still remain very useful for people. What I like is how colors can be changed

For the campaign the characters walk a lot in cutscenes.  Although there are some suits/heads the designer doesn't provide, I can't tell you how useful I'm finding this program to be
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on April 23, 2010, 09:42:02 pm
aah ok :D glad it will be useful.

Btw you can create enemies with this too (if you ever wanted to do another calc game or even a PC one). A lot of them may look more like mechs/robots, though
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on April 23, 2010, 09:52:38 pm
Thanks to DJ, here's Stalok's new face, almost exactly what I envisioned.
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on April 23, 2010, 09:53:35 pm
ooh even better! ^^

I wasn't sure if the thing actually created the right size for facesets
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on April 28, 2010, 10:45:48 pm
Universe: Raptor

Time and time again, Scouters would report an opportune moment for attacking a relatively undefended base.  Most of the time, this would be the case when two opposing Scouters built fresh settlements close to each other, but there would be moments when a Scouter observed an area and found a relatively under-defended base.  However, Scouters were quite vulnerable to even the most basic of defenses, and quite frequently, reinforcements would arrive only too late. 

Knowing that these opportunities were frequent and provided an advantage, the ESEO immediately worked towards developing a solution.  In 267 AL, the Raptor was designed to take care of this problem.  Its speed, weapons power and high armor allowed it to take out the bases that a Scouter could not.

The Raptor was initially designed with one sole purpose: to attack bases when an opportune moment arrived, a moment that usually disappeared before forces could arrive.  With the assumption that men could not arrive in time to take advantage of said situations, the Raptor was designed to be entirely robotic, just like the Scouter.
 
Although not its only weakness, the Raptor’s top weakness is its lack of air weapons.  The ESEO found that arming the Raptor with air defense was too expensive, so when Raptors are sent on a raid, Argos, according to their programming, escort them, providing air support as well as additional anti-ground support.

Deflector Shield (Deterorating Upgrade)

There are times when defenses around a base are too strong to penetrate cheaply and effectively.  The Ptaloids provided the ESEO with plans for a shield that would deflect any weapons bombardment, a shield that could only be penetrated by Universal Defense weapons.  However, the shield could not cover a vast enough area to be used on large vessels, although research continues to develop larger deflector shields.  As for smaller vessels, the device could not fit inside of a Scouter, and Argos were too fragile to handle the power of the shield generator.  Logically, this left the Raptor as the only vessel capable of carrying the deflector shield.  Although a Raptor requires Sephrane Gas to use its deflector shield, it proves to be an invaluable asset as it cannot be weakened in any way, aside from Universal Defense weapons. 


Teleportation (Refillable Upgrade)

Teleportation with the aid of an Operation Center or Transformation Gateway proves undamaging to human beings.  The same could not be said of a vessels self-teleportation with a human being inside of it.  Consequentially teleportation, though relatively inexpensive, had to be restricted to robotic vessels.  Like the Deflector Shield, teleportation could not be added to Scouters and Argos, and so Raptors alone can teleport.  They can teleport to any area that has been explored, but for safety precautions, the area must be explored first.  A Raptor needs to stock up on special devices to allow successful teleportation, but it only has enough room to hold two such devices.
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on April 28, 2010, 11:19:44 pm
Nice :D

Keep up the nice work on the story :D
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on May 08, 2010, 12:13:00 pm
Timeline: 2125 (26 AL)

The Tosonian version of the "Black Death" begins to spread, and kills over two million Tosonians in five years.  Amongst those killed are the two Tosonians with the knowledge of creating physical objects.

Evidence suggests, but only suggests, that it was the Ptaloids who were responsible.  Since this is only a suggestion, the Tosonians keep it to themselves temporarily, not wanting to break the unity they had worked so hard to form.

2138 (39 AL)

Collin is only days from death of old age.  Remembering the blessings that humans have been, Zhas shows Collin the planet Facnon, offering it as a token of the Ptaloids' decision to make the last step of unity with humanity.  Three months later, a historic occassion on December 23rd, the alliance between Ptaloids and mankind is sealed once and for all.
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on May 08, 2010, 12:22:33 pm
Yay more story info :D
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on May 23, 2010, 06:19:54 am
* Some mysterious person on Omnimaga bonks Hot Dog on the head*

Universe: Ragnor

Star System: Runia
Population: Average of 300,000 Tosonians
Diameter: 11,000 km
Dominant Terrain: Barren Rock
Geography: One Continent, several islands surrounded by lava
Orbital Period: 25 Earth Days
Rotation Period: 12 Earth Hours
Additional Characteristics: Bronat's Moon


After researching the creatures that had been destroyed with the elimination of Carbon Bol, the Tosonians discovered just what it was that made them resilient to heat.  As Tosonians are able to take on different forms for the purpose of adaption, they were able to add these characteristics to their human form, enabling them to leave and enter the moon Ragnor whenever they desired.  Ragnor, being rich in belthium crystals, gave the Tosonians an upper hand in the Tosonian War until the invention of the Scouter.

Numerous assaults on Ragnor have all ended in failures.  Vessels can last only 15 minutes on Ragnor once through the atmosphere, and surface defenses prevent quick/direct assults on structures themselves.  This meant assults either exceeded the 15 minute time limit and plunged to the surface from overheating, or they had to leave early to prevent the deaths of hundereds of pilots.  No attack has been made since 270 AL.

The power generators that could potientally run the buildings on Ragnor require lighter armor and thus cannot last on the surface of the planet.  However, all the structures on Ragnor clearly run efficiently, which means they have some source of power.  No human or Ptaloid knows just what that power source is.
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on May 23, 2010, 07:28:29 am
is the temperature on the planet OVER NINE THOUSANDS??????

J/k nice work, I read this earlier
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: ztrumpet on May 23, 2010, 10:24:48 am
Excellent work!  SAD's story is incredible! ;D
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on May 24, 2010, 05:39:29 pm
I'm putting up two story setting things this week since I accidentally skipped a week.  The second will probably come Friday or so.

Timeline: 2156 (57 AL)

The Ptaloids invent the Balkstone.  Cloaking has not been discovered yet, so the Balkstone is instead invented as a "update" to primative UFOs, now that Earth technology is freely available to the Ptaloids.

2175 (76 AL)

Pluto is, after long awaited moments, settled and mined for necessary resources.  It also becomes an important trading center as it is only one light hour away from Coranas.  Thus, Admiral Josiah of the ESEO, President Bulcotton of Earth and several scientists and astromoners agree to reclassify Pluto as a planet.

Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on May 24, 2010, 05:49:14 pm
I don't understand why they suddently decided to declassify Pluto as a planet in the first place, anyway x.x

Nice job so far :)
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on May 24, 2010, 06:04:54 pm
I don't understand why they suddently decided to declassify Pluto as a planet in the first place, anyway x.x

Hard to believe that it wasn't that long ago when they did it...when I was writing the draft of the storyline, Pluto was still a planet.
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on May 24, 2010, 06:10:37 pm
Lol XD, but yeah, idk why they waited so long then suddently decided it was no longer a planet. Now all school/astronomy books are outdated/obsolete cuz of this x.x

I hate when they change stuff like this even if it's barely signifiant. I wonder if the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" expression would apply there?
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: calcdude84se on May 24, 2010, 07:43:30 pm
I know it's off-topic, and I myself don't want to bog anyone down in details, so links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_definition_of_planet (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_definition_of_planet)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clearing_the_neighbourhood (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clearing_the_neighbourhood)
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on May 26, 2010, 07:04:13 pm
Character: Zhas

Race: Ptaloid
Age: 457
Height: 5'11''
Weight: 251 pounds
Characteristics not seen in this image: Yellow color, walks with a cane

Zhas is the direct son of the being Dzhanus, and the leader of the Ptaloids.  Although he does not hold an official position among humans, he is a major factor in the ESEO's decisions, as well as the keystone holding the Ptaloids and the humans together.  As a result of the Tosonian War, he has spent more and more time away from his homeworld to work and live among human.

Because Zhas has a gift to remember everthing he has ever learned and experienced, he possesses great wisdom and military knowledge, and is greatly respected by everyone for this.  Because of this, he has great difficulty assuring the inhabitants of Earth that he wants to be treated as a friend--or a father image around children--rather than a god.  His numerous attempts to change the way he is viewed have ended in failures.  This attempts include, but are not limted to, social events with adults, offering dating advice to teenagers, playing with children, and makng friendships with outcasts and random people.  Though he is constantly continuing to live such a life among humans, he never lets it interfer with his military work and his leadership position amongst the Ptaloids.

World War IV left Zhas slightly crippled.  Collin's law to bring aid to the Ptaloids has left his injury completely painless, and he is also able to walk with the help of a cane.  The cane he uses was a gift to him from Megan and Hope, and he never goes anywhere without it.  Using whatever knowledge the Tosonians had left, the couple designed the cane so that Zhas could store some of his memories, allowing him to see them rather than just visualize them.  Although this was most important to Zhas in allowing him to relive his pleasent moments, it has proven to be a valuable asset for others, both when Zhas wanted to help his human friends see their mistakes and when the ESEO needed to review their battles during the Tosonian War.
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on May 27, 2010, 02:04:15 am
As always, nice work!
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on June 10, 2010, 03:13:20 am
With the coming of "The Tosonian War," I will make sure not to provide any spoilers for the game.  The manual for the RTS version of S.A.D. will probably contain more information than I will list on this site.  In other words, Seek and Destroy will assume that the player has played the Tosonian War.

Universe: Eralo

Star System: Eralo
Population: 2 Billion Humans
Diameter: 120,000 km
Dominant Terrain: Wheat Fields (Natural Growth), Grasslands, Evergreen Forests
Geography: One Continent and several islands
Orbital Period: 2 Earth Years
Rotation Period: 5 Earth Days
Other Characteristics: A major trading center until the discovery of Sheol.  Most scientific research for the Terran lifeforms is done at Eralo

Eralo is one of the ESEO's major military planets, both for producing and hosting fleets of ships and numerous ground forces.  In fact, Eralo was THE major military planet for the Terrans until the start of the Tosonian War, during which Facnon gained importance.

Despite the military importance of Eralo, it is most famous for Sheol, a name given for a mysterious underground world.  No one knows what lies below, except that no one who has entered has lived to tell the tale. The entrance cannot be destroyed with modern weapons, and in addition--for no apparent reason--the guards of the entrance keep disappearing.  The ESEO has understandably given up trying to guard the entrance, so only disciplined military members can live in the city of Tarcia, which Sheol lies just outside of.

Eralo bears remarkable resemblance to the Tosonian planet Bronat.  Tosonians, Humans and Ptaloids alike agree that this is pure coincidence.  Only by viewing the terrain from at most 100 miles above the planet can one tell the difference, as Bronat contains mostly beaches and oceans.
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on June 10, 2010, 03:26:02 am
Nice to see more updates! :D
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: ztrumpet on June 10, 2010, 10:18:13 am
That's neat. :)
Sheol sounds really cool! ;D
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on June 15, 2010, 08:36:18 pm
Timeline: 2200 (201 AL)
The Tosonians and the Ptaloids first notice that Dzhanus has gone silent.  No one knows why this is the case.  However, as Dzhanus helped to keep peace, tensions between the Ptaloids and Tosonians begin to build, especially considering the "Tosonian Black Plague."

2219 (220 AL)
The beginning of the year, Jasilin is assinated.  There is no proof that the Ptaloids were responsible, and of course, Zhas attempts to prove quite the opposite.  With almost 20 years of built-up tension, the Tosonians are in no position to believe this.  Both sides realize that war is just moments away.

The same year, Corson becomes the new leader of the Tosonians.  Knowing that war is inevitable, he elects Zalron as his right-hand man.
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on June 15, 2010, 08:48:41 pm
nice as always ^^
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: ztrumpet on June 16, 2010, 11:00:50 am
Wow, that's cool.  SAD's story = Awesome! :D
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on August 03, 2010, 10:30:12 pm
DEGRUSER


   The Degruser is not an ESEO invention, but a Tosonian invention, designed one year before the Tosonian War.  Its original purpose, indeed, was to ensure that the Ptaloids would pose no threat the moment that the Tosonians declared war.  Corson was fully aware that the Ptaloids had cloaking capabilities, but Tosonians lacked the detectors that the ESEO had developed.  Therefore, Degrusers were designed with armor heavy enough to withstand attacks from cloaked Balkstones.  During said attacks, a Degruser pilot would estimate where the cloaked Balkstone was located and target the area, resulting in only minor injury from the Balkstone.
The armament was cheap enough to allow both air and ground attack, and so the Degruser was the Tosonians “Tank” and anti-air weapon.  During the initial invasion of Facnon, the Tosonians sent hundreds of Degrusers via air transports, with positive results.  Even with the capture and production of better anti-air and anti-ground vessels, the Degruser was still greatly used as a frontal assault vessel, capable of absorbing heavy damage and providing heavy firepower.
Degrusers are barely faster than the modern Tanks, and so are vulnerable to their heavy firepower.  In addition, with the help of the ESEO, the Ptaloids were eventually able to develop better firepower for their Balkstones, leaving Degruser pilots little time to discover their position.  For these reasons, the Degruser was temporally replaced with the Dutchman, a flying assault unit.  While expensive and having a low rate of fire, it worked for about three years.  However, the ESEO perfected the Reclauda as an air-superiority fighter, and the Dutchmans stood absolutely no chance.  Degrusers started making a comeback in the Tosonian arsenal, and capture of a Reclauda with its detection device eliminated use of the Dutchman once and for all.
Degrusers are not the best choice of weapon against Universal Defense systems, and Tanks still prove to be a perfect counter to Degrusers.  So the Tosonians are still trying to develop an air-to-ground assault unit that can stand up to Reclaudas.
While the Degruser was invented by the Tosonians, researcher Robert Harold of the ESEO developed both upgrades.  He was ordered to take all the empty space a Degruser has inside of it and try to make the most of it.  Being inspired by the Starcraft and Star Trek franchises, his added Degruser abilities received great approval from the ESEO.

Mines (Refillable Upgrade)
    Robert, for his graduate project at the academy, had invented a metal that could not be detected by standard radar and/or ships sensors…and, unsurprisingly, called it Haroldium.  Although cheap to produce, haroldium is a metal relatively easy to destroy, and not stable…even a couple of kids playing around could bring down a structure made out of a thick layer of haroldium if they did so correctly.  Haroldium, therefore, is rarely used in construction of ships and structures.  Indeed, it is never used for ships intended for combat. 
But at first, the ESEO saw more potential for the metal that Robert had invented, and so tried to find some way of adding it to said structures and ships in order to allow permanent stealth.  The first attempt was mixing haroldium in with the titanium, iron, etc. used to construct such devices, which had no effect.  For the second attempt, Robert suggested that haroldium could be layered onto the metal, which did prove effective; however, the process was both inconvenient and time consuming.
It was then that a friend of Harold’s suggested using this metal for mines.  Mines that could previously be detected by conventional radar now lay undetected, and with the addition of the weapon to Degrusers, Tosonian ships would fall into trap after trap, as they could not locate any mines that Degrusers placed.  A Degruser can hold three mines, and they can be placed anywhere in the ground, destroying any ground vessels that move directly over them.
No one can question the irony that occurred when the Tosonians got a hold of these weapons and turned them on their inventors.  The ESEO knew it had to make a detector for them, even at the risk of the Tosonians getting a hold of the plans and being able to detect these mines themselves.  Thus, in the current state of the Tosonian War, mines can be sensed by modern detection units.

Photon Torpedoes (Refillable Upgrade)
While Robert had not invented Photon Torpedoes, he discovered how to get them to fire from a Degruser, when beforehand the torpedoes required bigger space vessels.  Being rather expensive, photon torpedoes are used only for missions requiring the extra damage potential, such as bases the size of a square mile or larger.  A Degruser can hold twenty Photon Torpedoes, and these torpedoes cause great damage against most structures.  Photon Torpedoes are ineffective against Universal Defense Systems and, of course, Operation Centers.
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on August 04, 2010, 08:48:32 pm
sounds like a pretty nice unit :D
Title: Re: S.A.D. Week-by-week Story Setting Information (Spoiler alerts)
Post by: Hot_Dog on August 12, 2010, 12:59:13 am
Corson

Race: Tosonian
Age: 362
Height (In Humanoid Form) : 5'11"
Weight (In Humanoid Form): 170 Pounds

Ever since the assassination of Jasilin, Corson has been the leader of the Tosonians.  Although he has made some "human" mistakes, he is well regarded as one of the greatest military leaders in history, comparable with men such as Robert E. Lee, Adolf Hitler, and Napoleon.  Even with Humans and Ptaloids combined against the Tosonians, Corson has made possible stalemate after stalemate, a major miracle considering the constant 5 to 2 outnumbering.

Unlike most Tosonians, Corson generally keeps to himself, even though for good reason.  No human being has ever seen him, and most Tosonians have caught his face only on visual broadcasts.  When he speaks to other military leaders, he generally keeps his back turned, looking these Tosonians in the face only from time-to-time, and then quite briefly at that.  Of course, Tosonians close to him, such as Zalron, are rare exceptions.

Though Corson has generally been a help to the Tosonians, he has created a few unnecessary stumbling blocks.  This has caused several Tosonians to form a rebellion to his rule, a rebellion known as the "Vultures."  Indeed, the very existance of the Vultures has proven quite harmful not only to Corson, but to Tosonian life in general.   So far, war has left Corson unable to eliminate the resistance, even though he has gotten close on a couple of occasions.

Throughout the Tosonian War, several victories have led people to believe that Corson could predict the future.  However, it is quite clear that when Dzhanus created the Tosonians, only Jasilin had this ability.  While Tosonians do have the ability to transfer thoughts and control minds, they have not been able to do it with each other.  Thus, the Tosonians are forced to disregard the rumor and accept the fact that Corson is just a military genius.  This has been the only deciding factor that has kept the Vultures at bay.