Our Comic Lab in the Playground: An experimentation class

[CrimsonAngel]

Try using colors similar to oots. For example, I copied the colors and made the zombies on the left.

[MethosH]

Originally Posted by CrimsonAngel

Try using colors similar to oots. For example, I copied the colors and made the zombies on the left.

I curse you and yours well designed hairs!

[icastflare!]

Originally Posted by CrimsonAngel

holy crap, scoss is zombified and stole gausra's sword!

[CrimsonAngel]

Those are characters from my first webcomic.

[MethosH]

Attention: Call to arms... Or pencils... Or InkScape... Or whatever....

So... I was just at this thread and it make me think about science fiction universe based on space interaction.

Things like... Freelancer, Mass Effect, EVE, Star Wars (not so much), Star Trek, Taikodom, and so on.

And really made me go nuts about starting a universe building space-based project like this. I know I don't really have the time to do it alone, and it will be kind of sad to do so... (besides, if I put myself alone on another project The Q would try to crucify me)

So here is what I'm proposing:

A Universe Building Project based on space interaction more than planet interaction. Maybe we can go later on design the worlds (if we really get that far).

Here is the steps I'm thinking about (in this precise order):

1. Factions/Races/Civilizations/whatever designs (not much full and complex well-structured ideas, just basic ideas and designs)
2. Universe simplistic design: Where all the mapped systems are.. how many they are... names... sectors... and who controls what (that is important)
3. Finishing the races/factions/guilds/corporations/whatever designs now that we will have their homeland and we can work on conflicts and alliances based on territory
4. Ships Designs for each race/faction/whatever
5. Common Tech Design: Decisions like... do we have teleport system? Do we have fasers? Do we have laser guns or just regular projectile? Do we have force fields?
6. Start on the "universe story": At this point we can think on comics... Fill the gaps on stories about alliances and wars... Make a time line
7. Planet Design: I'm not really hoping to get this far... But with we do... OMG WE ARE AWESOME!

The first thing I want to say is... Who ever decides to join... Lets not get too much over our heads and try to bit more than we can chew. Lets set a limitation of 5 factions/nations/whatever (if we make real progress we can add more later or even change this number) and limit the ship design too. Create a goal make easier for us to say "here is where I need to stop working on this and move on". We can always go back and change things later. It's our universe.

There is absolute no rush with this project and I don't mind that we take our time to make it. I just hope to convince as many as you as possible and never let this die!

Who's with me?

[Darklord Bright]

Dibs on an alien race.

[MethosH]

Originally Posted by Darklord Bright

Dibs on an alien race.

Great! I'm not alone!

I sure want to see your idea :D

I've got one already. Isn't really an "race" is more of a faction/corporation.
Let me just go fancy here for a moment:

Argotanians United

The Argotanians United started as human company many years ago and grew so fast and so powerful that suddenly, as a surprise for more conservative parties, declared itself fully independent from any government or culture. Due to their cut of the exploration sector of the industry they were able to quickly explore a once unmapped sector, turn it into a safe and profitable zone, and declare it territory of the now first independent corporation, The Argotanians United.

as you can see this is just a basic idea, but I think that we are, for now, just looking for basic ideas and go with the best ones

(I'll will work on a design later)

[Dogmantra]

Dibs on the space elves.

[Keveak]

Originally Posted by MethosHazara

Attention: Call to arms... Or pencils... Or InkScape... Or whatever....

Spoiler

So... I was just at this thread and it make me think about science fiction universe based on space interaction.

Things like... Freelancer, Mass Effect, EVE, Star Wars (not so much), Star Trek, Taikodom, and so on.

And really made me go nuts about starting a universe building space-based project like this. I know I don't really have the time to do it alone, and it will be kind of sad to do so... (besides, if I put myself alone on another project The Q would try to crucify me)

So here is what I'm proposing:

A Universe Building Project based on space interaction more than planet interaction. Maybe we can go later on design the worlds (if we really get that far).

Here is the steps I'm thinking about (in this precise order):

1. Factions/Races/Civilizations/whatever designs (not much full and complex well-structured ideas, just basic ideas and designs)
2. Universe simplistic design: Where all the mapped systems are.. how many they are... names... sectors... and who controls what (that is important)
3. Finishing the races/factions/guilds/corporations/whatever designs now that we will have their homeland and we can work on conflicts and alliances based on territory
4. Ships Designs for each race/faction/whatever
5. Common Tech Design: Decisions like... do we have teleport system? Do we have fasers? Do we have laser guns or just regular projectile? Do we have force fields?
6. Start on the "universe story": At this point we can think on comics... Fill the gaps on stories about alliances and wars... Make a time line
7. Planet Design: I'm not really hoping to get this far... But with we do... OMG WE ARE AWESOME!

The first thing I want to say is... Who ever decides to join... Lets not get too much over our heads and try to bit more than we can chew. Lets set a limitation of 5 factions/nations/whatever (if we make real progress we can add more later or even change this number) and limit the ship design too. Create a goal make easier for us to say "here is where I need to stop working on this and move on". We can always go back and change things later. It's our universe.

There is absolute no rush with this project and I don't mind that we take our time to make it. I just hope to convince as many as you as possible and never let this die!

Who's with me?

ME, ME, PICK ME! *jumps up and down in enthusiasm*

I got no ideas yet but I sure won't stop thinking before I get one... Or steal one

[Darklord Bright]

Voilà, alien race and planet generated, courtesy of the Darklord.

Spoiler

Edit: Will try to work on some more space-related stuff like ships and such once there are more interactions for me to work with, but for now I'm just assuming that the Zodohaani do a lot of inter-stellar trading.

[Keveak]

Originally Posted by Darklord Bright

Voilà, alien race and planet generated, courtesy of the Darklord.

Spoiler

Edit: Will try to work on some more space-related stuff like ships and such once there are more interactions for me to work with, but for now I'm just assuming that the Zodohaani do a lot of inter-stellar trading.

Dibs on making another race and planet! I just got a good* idea.

*Well, in my mind anyway.

[Maximum Zersk]

Count me in too, Methos. This'll be fun.

I'll see if I can work on a race.

@Darklord: That is awesome. I have a question, though. In this matriarchal society, how are the men treated?

[smuchmuch]

I am intersted in helping with this glaxy building project.

[licoot]

Can I help?
I've got no great ideas as of yet but would be glad to help.

[Darklord Bright]

Originally Posted by Maximum Zersk

@Darklord: That is awesome. I have a question, though. In this matriarchal society, how are the men treated?

They have a much smaller opportunity to get decent jobs, usually relegated to being servants or miners. Only the rare exception is able to become a warrior, or get a decent position in a noble house without having to kill people to get there.

It is generally assumed that the men will look after the families while the women do the fighting and work with politics, though as I said, there are exceptions.

[licoot]

I just had an Idea for a race:


They would be a poor race exploited and enslaved by their neighbors, although not being a violent race they have a strong scene of pride. There is only one colony still standing on their home planet, one that isn't either controlled or enslaved anyway. And this is only kept alive via being hidden and the native warriors knowledge of their environment. This race is not that tecnologically advanced, but does use slightly modified technologies of other races.
Their name would be some kind of code, because the surrounding civilizations simply regard them as primitive beings and have simply cataloged them in explorations.

I think a way to help this would be if there native languages all consisted of clucks, or something along those lines, because of this (the language not being like conventional ones) the other civilizations thought they went intelligent.
Their Planet:

Spoiler

A swamp planet about the size of earth, it is technically a moon to a large Barron planet. It is surrounded by a smog masking it from easy view. The main reason why its inhabitants were isolated and their technology is so far behind

[Cizak]

METHOS!!!!

I. HATE. YOU!

Why are you always coming up with all these awesome ideas? Why do you continue to break the limit of your own awesomeness? And why, whyyyy are you so much better than me? I use to think i'm pretty good at coming up with stories, and then you just crash into this site and shatter all my thoughts that I am somewhat good, you... you... you damn half-human-half-god!

[Blayze]

Ideas for space species? Well, here goes nothing.

-The Ablinai-

Spoiler

"Saw my brother today. He'd become an Ablinai. Wasted a whole clip on him, but I don't care -- I won't let them have him."

"When you go up against one Ablinai, you're going up against all of them. It's like playing chess against four grandmasters who are of the same mind."

The Ablinai is not a species as such, it is a psychic, self-replicating parasitic organism -- but referring to those it takes over as Ablinai has become a common practice.

The original -- and so far, only -- Ablinai ever encountered was discovered by a scientist whose identity has long been forgotten. The parasitic Ablinai struck when it had its chance, latching onto its new host's head and merging with them.

The ablinai then used its host's scientific knowledge to answer the question of how to keep itself alive. It read their memories, learned of factions and wars, and decided to join the fray.

It grew extra portions of its body that then fell off, becoming smaller versions of itself that sought hosts of their own. It had a mental connection with each of them -- they were essentially biological message receivers.

With each additional host, the Ablinai's intelligence and knowledge grew. Nobody knows how long the parasite will live for -- only one has ever been discovered -- but somehow the hosts seem ageless as a result. They do not need sustenance or rest, and the Ablinai can even claim corpses if the brain is fresh enough.

This means that if the Ablinai are to ever be eliminated as a threat, the original one must be destroyed -- assuming, however, that its death will end the nightmare.

Easier said than done, however, when there's an entire faction out there that operates as one entity -- and they have not only the combined knowledge and brainpower of billions of people, but have also adapted many different forms of technology from each species to suit their singular purpose.

[Keris]

Originally Posted by MethosHazara

So here is what I'm proposing:

A Universe Building Project based on space interaction more than planet interaction. Maybe we can go later on design the worlds (if we really get that far).

Your ideas and projects are intriguing to me, and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
But before I go off on one about the ideas already put forward, what level of science and what level of fiction are you thinking of here?

Oh and FWIW, a race is a distinct population within a species. Unless there are no biochemical barriers and half-human hybrids running around, the aliens aren't anything like the same species.

[Keveak]

Originally Posted by Blayze

Ideas for space species? Well, here goes nothing.

-The Ablinai-

Spoiler

"Saw my brother today. He'd become an Ablinai. Wasted a whole clip on him, but I don't care -- I won't let them have him."

"When you go up against one Ablinai, you're going up against all of them. It's like playing chess against four grandmasters who are of the same mind."

The Ablinai is not a species as such, it is a psychic, self-replicating parasitic organism -- but referring to those it takes over as Ablinai has become a common practice.

The original -- and so far, only -- Ablinai ever encountered was discovered by a scientist whose identity has long been forgotten. The parasitic Ablinai struck when it had its chance, latching onto its new host's head and merging with them.

The ablinai then used its host's scientific knowledge to answer the question of how to keep itself alive. It read their memories, learned of factions and wars, and decided to join the fray.

It grew extra portions of its body that then fell off, becoming smaller versions of itself that sought hosts of their own. It had a mental connection with each of them -- they were essentially biological message receivers.

With each additional host, the Ablinai's intelligence and knowledge grew. Nobody knows how long the parasite will live for -- only one has ever been discovered -- but somehow the hosts seem ageless as a result. They do not need sustenance or rest, and the Ablinai can even claim corpses if the brain is fresh enough.

This means that if the Ablinai are to ever be eliminated as a threat, the original one must be destroyed -- assuming, however, that its death will end the nightmare.

Easier said than done, however, when there's an entire faction out there that operates as one entity -- and they have not only the combined knowledge and brainpower of billions of people, but have also adapted many different forms of technology from each species to suit their singular purpose.

Gah! Stop writing these so fast!

I won't get to post mine (which I'm trying to do as good as Bright did his) so here's a prototype of it



They're Caz, or more specific Tien'Caz*, from the planet Gran'Llanura. The race is based upon Free market value and a 'survival of the fittest' motto for males and a 'protect at all cost' for females (they're sparse in numbers) they're excellent merchants and cooks but surprisingly doesn't have any colonies. more to follow when I'm Pudding finished!

*Means they live in the Western Trade Union of Gran'Llanura

EDIT:
Yes I'm using food names instead of swearing, sue me

[Mad Mask]

Great idea Methos! I've got an interesting concept for a human "nation". I'll just open up my illustrator...

One thing that bothers me though: the limit of 5 civilisations seems a bit small, given the size of this forum. I think it's already full. Or have I misunderstood something?

[Keris]

Originally Posted by Mad Mask

One thing that bothers me though: the limit of 5 civilisations seems a bit small, given the size of this forum. I think it's already full. Or have I misunderstood something?

As I understand it, after submitting any number of basic designs, we argue amongst ourselves to decide which 5 we end up using.

[Keveak]

Originally Posted by Keris Rain

As I understand it, after submitting any number of basic designs, we argue amongst ourselves to decide which 5 we end up using.

I hope it doesn't end before I'm done, I have worked very hard on the page about the Caz for hours (and I'm not even finished yet!)

[MethosH]

First let me say... WOW You guys are awesome
I didn't expect so many replies in so little time.

Ok, now back on track.

Originally Posted by Dogmantra

Dibs on the space elves.

Hey just go for it despite the cliche. This is kind of a "species/clan/factions/civilizations" brain storm stage.

Originally Posted by Darklord Bright

Voilà, alien race and planet generated, courtesy of the Darklord.

Spoiler

Edit: Will try to work on some more space-related stuff like ships and such once there are more interactions for me to work with, but for now I'm just assuming that the Zodohaani do a lot of inter-stellar trading.

Originally Posted by Darklord Bright

They have a much smaller opportunity to get decent jobs, usually relegated to being servants or miners. Only the rare exception is able to become a warrior, or get a decent position in a noble house without having to kill people to get there.

It is generally assumed that the men will look after the families while the women do the fighting and work with politics, though as I said, there are exceptions.

*hug* This is awesome! Despite the fact that they look a lot like those guys from world of warcraft

Originally Posted by licoot

I just had an Idea for a race:


They would be a poor race exploited and enslaved by their neighbors, although not being a violent race they have a strong scene of pride. There is only one colony still standing on their home planet, one that isn't either controlled or enslaved anyway. And this is only kept alive via being hidden and the native warriors knowledge of their environment. This race is not that tecnologically advanced, but does use slightly modified technologies of other races.

Their Planet:

Spoiler

A swamp planet about the size of earth, it is technically a moon to a large Barron planet. It is surrounded by a smog masking it from easy view. The main reason why its inhabitants were isolated and their technology is so far behind

That is actually a good idea. I really haven't thought about the possibility of a species that don't actually "owns" its territory on any sector and is just explored by the others. Keep that on the list and lets see if the idea survives the other stages of the universe building process.

Originally Posted by Blayze

Ideas for space species? Well, here goes nothing.

-The Ablinai-

Spoiler

"Saw my brother today. He'd become an Ablinai. Wasted a whole clip on him, but I don't care -- I won't let them have him."

"When you go up against one Ablinai, you're going up against all of them. It's like playing chess against four grandmasters who are of the same mind."

The Ablinai is not a species as such, it is a psychic, self-replicating parasitic organism -- but referring to those it takes over as Ablinai has become a common practice.

The original -- and so far, only -- Ablinai ever encountered was discovered by a scientist whose identity has long been forgotten. The parasitic Ablinai struck when it had its chance, latching onto its new host's head and merging with them.

The ablinai then used its host's scientific knowledge to answer the question of how to keep itself alive. It read their memories, learned of factions and wars, and decided to join the fray.

It grew extra portions of its body that then fell off, becoming smaller versions of itself that sought hosts of their own. It had a mental connection with each of them -- they were essentially biological message receivers.

With each additional host, the Ablinai's intelligence and knowledge grew. Nobody knows how long the parasite will live for -- only one has ever been discovered -- but somehow the hosts seem ageless as a result. They do not need sustenance or rest, and the Ablinai can even claim corpses if the brain is fresh enough.

This means that if the Ablinai are to ever be eliminated as a threat, the original one must be destroyed -- assuming, however, that its death will end the nightmare.

Easier said than done, however, when there's an entire faction out there that operates as one entity -- and they have not only the combined knowledge and brainpower of billions of people, but have also adapted many different forms of technology from each species to suit their singular purpose.

Another type of idea that haven't crossed my mind. A great idea! Maybe they are somewhat misunderstood by the rest of the universe?

Originally Posted by Keris Rain

Your ideas and projects are intriguing to me, and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
But before I go off on one about the ideas already put forward, what level of science and what level of fiction are you thinking of here?

Oh and FWIW, a race is a distinct population within a species. Unless there are no biochemical barriers and half-human hybrids running around, the aliens aren't anything like the same species.

We are now in the species/civilizations/factions/whatever stage of the development. The idea is not to think much on the level of science now, just basic concepts for civilizations. After we decide the 5 (more or less) that will go into the universe we will explore the ideas and decide the level of science. All we have now to go with is "space exploration" and civilizations big enough to rule over entire sectors (sectors being a group of solar systems).

And nice tip with the race x specie. I don't think we should allow half-human hybrids.

Originally Posted by Keveak

Gah! Stop writing these so fast!

I won't get to post mine (which I'm trying to do as good as Bright did his) so here's a prototype of it



They're Caz, or more specific Tien'Caz*, from the planet Gran'Llanura. The race is based upon Free market value and a 'survival of the fittest' motto for males and a 'protect at all cost' for females (they're sparse in numbers) they're excellent merchants and cooks but surprisingly doesn't have any colonies. more to follow when I'm Pudding finished!

*Means they live in the Western Trade Union of Gran'Llanura

EDIT:
Yes I'm using food names instead of swearing, sue me

I kind of like this idea despite the fact that it makes me think more "fantasy medieval" than "sci-fi". I'm curious about their development on space.

Originally Posted by Mad Mask

Great idea Methos! I've got an interesting concept for a human "nation". I'll just open up my illustrator...

One thing that bothers me though: the limit of 5 civilisations seems a bit small, given the size of this forum. I think it's already full. Or have I misunderstood something?

You misunderstood. We will throw many ideas on the table and choose from them. I really don't want this to become a mess, because that is the first step for a project to die, so we should, at first, limit the number of civilization that will make it to the universe in this first cut. We can always save the other ideas to introduce them later if we think we have room for that.

[Herpestidae]

I Call the Proud Warrior Race Planet!

[Keveak]

Originally Posted by MethosHazara

I kind of like this idea despite the fact that it makes me think more "fantasy medieval" than "sci-fi". I'm curious about their development on space.

Funny how it turns out, I actually went with rodent people because I thought 'we need something not entirely humanoid', added some clothing I liked and suddenly they look like fantasy...
What's wrong with me!

Anyway, finished it. Hope it's not too stupid.

Spoiler

To answer a few questions that might arise:
Yes, their language is based of Spanish (albeit with different grammatical rules, which are consistent in the names)
Yes, they do brew bamboo beer and wine.
Yes, that's a Western Trade Union version of Wikipedia.
No, they're not cat people

[Darklord Bright]

Originally Posted by MethosHazara

*hug* This is awesome! Despite the fact that they look a lot like those guys from world of warcraft

They are a little similar, I guess, to the Draenei. But only on a very basic level - if you take a closer inspection:

Zodohaani don't have:
Hooves
Horns
Glowing white eyes
Elf ears
Hair Tentacles
Blue skin
Tails

Zodohaani also have slightly scaled skin, whereas Draenei do not. So yes, it's only a slight resemblance in the end.

[Dogmantra]

I hope there's actually a human race else my idea for Elves doesn't work at all... though it sort of does, I guess.

[Mad Mask]

Well, here's a draft of my concept. I'll add more stuff later:

The Columbian Confederation


Left to right: the Confederal Flag and the Space Colony Unity

Millennia ago, a nuclear holocaust between the two superpowers of Earth nearly extinguished the human race if not for the fact that had been averted at the last minute. Realising how swiftly the extinction of humanity could have occurred, both sides agreed that something had to be done to prevent any future cataclysm. They combined their scientific knowledge, and using state-of-the-art technology, built twelve gigantic space colonies capable of interstellar travel, crewed by the best of the species, and sent them to spread the human race across the stars. And so was born Project Columbus.

Flash forward thousands of years later. The mission performed far better than the initial previsions. It was so well executed that the scope of Project Columbus expanded well beyond its original purpose, and essentially became a nomadic civilisation leaving the print of human presence on every terraformable world it could find – the Columbian Confederation.

The Columbian Confederation includes mainly the original twelve and the more recently constructed non-sedentary space colonies, along with their attached spacecrafts. While the worlds they settled are technically part of the alliance, they are generally left to fend for themselves and are largely ignored.

[Keris]

Originally Posted by MethosHazara

We are now in the species/civilizations/factions/whatever stage of the development. The idea is not to think much on the level of science now, just basic concepts for civilizations. After we decide the 5 (more or less) that will go into the universe we will explore the ideas and decide the level of science. All we have now to go with is "space exploration" and civilizations big enough to rule over entire sectors (sectors being a group of solar systems).

Sorry, I phrased that somewhat ambiguously. I meant to ask how "hard" the science is in this setting. Will we have a foundation in real science, or is it all just fanciful nonsense? How "realistic" will the setting be?