KrimsonVagus wrote:
Ah yes! Flying Ice Faerie Warriors... lol Finally we can make faeries look badass.

Just like the pic you posted before but with winter-like blue armor, I guess. The Fae infants are infused with the Essence of an "Arctic Shrike" (Shrike means "butcher" btw It's a type of bird) or "Winter Shrike" as soon as they are born. As boys and girls, they are trained to control that essence (genes) with their minds so that they develop wings in adulthood >> Stormseekers!



The only problem is that they might look a little similar to the Nidya minor faction...

Yeah, the armor should be more "icy" looking, but still dark. To be different from Nidya, they won't hang in the air while idle, but rather stand on the ground and use wings only to move. Also the helmets should be probably less birdlike than on the illustration.



If defining the faction as 4 main aspects (like it is done for other EL factions here) I think we have the following atm:

• Frostborn
• Weather control
• Genetic engineering
• Power through understanding
  
  

Maybe weather control + genetic engineering is too many powers for one race and this will need to branch into 2 races, but let's try to keep it as one for now.



I've skim read some EL lore (found not that many sources though) and came up with a bit less generic back story idea for the race, but it still may conflict with existing lore, so maybe someone who knows it better can criticize.



Where it began



When the war between the Virtuals and the Concrete ravaged Auriga few survivors have escaped to tell the tale. One of them was a mysterious being called "Overseer", who was later named Ankhu, the Unliving God by his children. It is speculated that the Overseer is an actual Virtual who transferred his essence into a synthetic body. What's certain is that he took part in (or even lead) a lot of genetic experiments conducted by the Endless on Auriga which resulted in multitude of races inhabiting it at present. He managed to salvage a lot of genetic engineering and terraforming equipment of the Endless hiding it deep beneath the surface so it survived the upcoming cataclysm. When the last fires of war extinguished, he began his work on building an army. Using his remaining resources he created the first of the Winterspawn (although they were known by a different name at that time). Their dust infused bodies were immune to extreme cold so they were ideal workers for the barren wastes that the planet has turned into. He also taught them the basics of the art of genetic engineering, although they never really understood the fundamentals treating it more like magic rather than science and using the instruments they were provided with. He treated his creations as mere tools and weapons however, dedicated to his cause of turning the tide of the Endless war that still raged across the galaxy.

Being a mere weapon in a war they had nothing to gain from was not the destiny Isgar the Ice Spear, first of the Winterspawn, wished for his race. They turned on their creator and legend has it that Isgar fought the Unliving God in a duel and came out victorious. The Overseer has not been destroyed however. His power source was damaged and he entered a centuries long hibernation, his body being kept by the few Winterspawn dedicated to this cause.



Rebellion aftermath



In a few generations Winterspawn gradually lost the knowledge on genetics they originally had. Unliving God has become a mythical figure, as Isgar himself, even though he was still alive. Some branches of their society started worshiping the Unliving God and dedicated themselves to finding his body and bringing him back to life, so he will restore the greatness of their race. They saw the rebellion as treachery and felt like they've turned down the greater power and future for themselves. As Auriga climate started turning back to normal, they've discovered that they are poorly adapted to the higher temperatures, which impair their cognitive abilities and cause hyperthermia. Their genetic engineering skills were largely lost at this point. Unable to rewrite their genotype to adapt to new climate (a few attempts caused exotic diseases that killed a large percentage of the population) they were forced to retreat to the colder parts of the planet. An urge to recover this lost knowledge has forced them to start capturing specimen of other races to study the work of genetic engineering of the Endless and conduct gruesome experiments. They've discovered a way to share some of their genes with the captured creatures, making them cold immune and suitable slaves for their cities. The process of genetic rewriting was so painful for the most however, that they've mostly lost any memories of their past lives they had turning into semi sentient zombies.



What future holds



Unsatisfied with the climate change, elders of the Winterspawn rediscovered the lost terraforming artifacts salvaged by the Overseer - the Stormtowers. These were heavily damaged however and many of the advanced functions are available only in winter because of the severe overheating. Controlling the Stormtowers requires direct interfacing with the nerve system of the operator an either incompatibility with the nerve system of the Winterspawn or the damage the towers have suffered results in a quite short lifespan of those that dare to harness this power. These suicidal individuals are called Stormsingers. They are the vanguards of the new wave of the Winterspawn expansion. Winterspawn believe that their mission is to "harvest" the genes of all the remaining species of Auriga and reclaim their mastery of the genetics as well as change these species so they survive (in a twisted form) when the eternal winter comes.



(Consider this WIP)



I'm rather tempted to give them a branching main quest where they get to chose whether to resurrect their dead god or chose their own path...

Honestly, I prefer the second faction: The Winter Fae etc...



Casting magic using full science income OR having a separate "Ritual Counter" that consumes a percentage of science income, either of them would be great (though I prefer the Ritual Counter approach).

I don't mind having 2 magical factions. On the contrary, I think Ardent Mages and Winter Fae would make excellent traditional enemies (cuz Ardent Mages have Ardent FIRE, while the Winter Fae are FROST based), just like the implied traditional enmity between:

Necrophages VS Vaulters

Broken Lords VS Wild Walkers



In fact, we could further imply that the Winter folks were exiled and conquered by the Mages in the past. Since then, they have been patiently waiting for the Ardent Fire to be smothered by the Eternal Winter so they can finally rise and take back their lands. Cool story!



It all fits together perfectly theme-wise. On the other hand, having a "barbarian" faction sounds kinda generic especially since their characteristics sound like they belong to a Minor Faction (aka the Hurnas Orcs or the Ice Wargs etc.. It has been done before, you know). AND the necrophages so far have the best standard militaristic approach in this game (the Cultists being the best non-standard). Do we really need another standard military-focused faction?



I think more MAGIC would be more awesome at this point in the game.

So if you want my vote >> The magic-based Winter Fae sounds waaay more dynamic and interesting!

Furthermore, we could add that the Winter Fae were semi-humanoids that evolved specifically to adapt in winter climates. But instead of physically resisting it like the Vaulters did, they developed psychic abilities and adaptations using extraneous brain functions, such as:

1- the ability to consciously control their body metabolism, slowing or accelerating as they see fit, making survival in cold climate much easier.

2- The limited ability to mentally understand the genetic makeup of living creatures. This way, they developed a particular friendly relationship with arctic animals and plants, which allowed them to >> cultivate arctic plants in their harsh frozen ecosystem, as well as "borrow" adaptations like body fur etc... Some of them even physically assimilated plant and animal parts/genes to their own bodies! (insert were-bears/were-sheep/were-wolves here)

They became masters of mind and body commerce. Their "rituals" are actually mental procedures of analysis, grafting and assimilation of living cells and tissues down to their genetic structural level. But unlike other factions, they just do it mentally thanks to their advanced brain function...

(Unlike Ardent Mages who are mainly the masters of mind and body POWER instead)



Unlike the other factions, they actually look forward to seeing Auriga become an Arctic planet. They will do anything to see it become that way.



Alternatively, their story could be linked with an intervention by the Endless:

The Endless realized that Auriga is transforming into Arctic, so they decided to deposit the Winter Fae on the planet as an experiment to see if they will start a new life there and eventually maintain the frozen Auriga as they see fit.

greavance wrote:
Perhaps I'm the only one who feels this way, but I think that a faction that gets stronger during the winter is thematically at odds with the lore. I mean, the whole call to action for the factions is that they know the world is becoming uninhabitable, and they are trying to find a way to survive, which ultimately ties into ES by the survivors taking to the stars. If there was a faction that thrived in the cold, barren wasteland the world is becoming, doesn't that oppose the whole story of Auriga? When you find it in ES it is quite literally barren, unsuitable for producing food, industry, or dust, meaning it is presumably uninhabited, with only an endless relic which had been rebuilt by the inhabitants to give clues as to what had happened.



The implication is that whichever faction you play, and whatever victory condition you go for, you ultimately leave Auriga behind lest you succumb to the endless winter, right? If there were a faction that were stronger in winter, I'd be left wondering "Well why isn't there this great society present when you find the planet in ES."



I think having a faction that's DIFFERENT in winter could be interesting, i.e. having units that metamorphize or otherwise gain combat bonuses against other units during winter due to the fact that they are used to the harsh climate is cool. But I think having a faction whose economy performs better in winter would just be flat at odds with the theme.

I think we can either assume that something worse than just colder climate happened with the planet, or a winter faction can get a non cannon ending (cannon ending being it was wiped out by other factions).

KrimsonVagus wrote:


I think more MAGIC would be more awesome at this point in the game.

So if you want my vote >> The magic-based Winter Fae sounds waaay more dynamic and interesting!

Thanks, this is my favorite submission to this thread as well.

KrimsonVagus wrote:
Furthermore, we could add that the Winter Fae were semi-humanoids that evolved specifically to adapt in winter climates. But instead of physically resisting it like the Vaulters did, they developed psychic abilities and adaptations using extraneous brain functions, such as:

1- the ability to consciously control their body metabolism, slowing or accelerating as they see fit, making survival in cold climate much easier.

2- The limited ability to mentally understand the genetic makeup of living creatures. This way, they developed a particular friendly relationship with arctic animals and plants, which allowed them to >> cultivate arctic plants in their harsh frozen ecosystem, as well as "borrow" adaptations like body fur etc... Some of them even physically assimilated plant and animal parts/genes to their own bodies! (insert were-bears/were-sheep/were-wolves here)

They became masters of mind and body commerce. Their "rituals" are actually mental procedures of analysis, grafting and assimilation of living cells and tissues down to their genetic structural level. But unlike other factions, they just do it mentally thanks to their advanced brain function...

(Unlike Ardent Mages who are mainly the masters of mind and body POWER instead)



Unlike the other factions, they actually look forward to seeing Auriga become an Arctic planet. They will do anything to see it become that way.



Alternatively, their story could be linked with an intervention by the Endless:

The Endless realized that Auriga is transforming into Arctic, so they decided to deposit the Winter Fae on the planet as an experiment to see if they will start a new life there and eventually maintain the frozen Auriga as they see fit.

Some nice possible explanations of their nature. I'd say to make it more believable and "sci-fi" compatible they would either need special tech for surviving in extreme cold (granted by the Endless?) or be a non organic form of life (if the latter then some descriptions on how they do not bleed/have ice instead of blood/etc can be added for creating a fantasy look and feel). Maybe they can create some form of symbiosis with organic life forms and adapt them to cold (along with your idea of gene manipulation) and that's why they're abducting people.

But the planet was hit by the cataclysm during the Civil war of the Endless, and then it started having unpredictable seasons. So how could the Endless deposit a whole race on the planet after they were made almost extinct?

MANoob wrote:
Maybe they can create some form of symbiosis with organic life forms and adapt them to cold (along with your idea of gene manipulation) and that's why they're abducting people.

Yup, that's exactly the direction I was thinking of



One of their faction traits OR Technologies that you mentioned ("abductors") (could be renamed something like "Communion of Essence", whereby "Essence is the primitive word for "Genetics": This ability functions just like the Necrophage trait "Cull the Herd" except it provides Science instead of Food! This way, it will fit in with the theme of "communicating with frosty minor factions OR abducting their people in order to steal their Essence i.e their genes/adaptations for cold environments". For every pacified minor village in their territory they gain +2 Science per science worker (or even Food worker... depending on balance considerations).



Another possible trait or technology would be, again, similar to necrophages called "Mind Melding" (Star Trek reference! ) >> they gain Science Stockpiles from defeating their enemies, with a stockpile counter etc... This will help counterbalance the loss of science from casting their rituals. (Cultists have a similar technology but it works specifically for cities btw)

Through "Mind Melding" they can access and analyze the memories and genes of fallen enemies and learn from them even after death >> allowing them to extract knowledge.



Communion of Essence sounds better imo... and ultimately, it's up to you MANoob

If you like the direction this is going, just tell me and I'll assist you with writing/ideas if you wish.



EDIT: We could add early or default rituals/magic that improve Food, especially considering that they are most likely gonna start in Snow biome, and food is more important than Science at the start of the game.

Adventurer_Blitz wrote:
But the planet was hit by the cataclysm during the Civil war of the Endless, and then it started having unpredictable seasons. So how could the Endless deposit a whole race on the planet after they were made almost extinct?

Maybe as a last effort by the remaining few, and not a whole race but just a few specimen that later became much more numerous. If going with genestealer and Unseelie themes they maybe can reproduce by stealing specimen of other races and turning them in one of their own. Or maybe just ditch the part with the Endless influence. I'm not that well versed in EL lore.

KrimsonVagus wrote:
Yup, that's exactly the direction I was thinking of



One of their faction traits OR Technologies that you mentioned ("abductors") (could be renamed something like "Communion of Essence", whereby "Essence is the primitive word for "Genetics": This ability functions just like the Necrophage trait "Cull the Herd" except it provides Science instead of Food! This way, it will fit in with the theme of "communicating with frosty minor factions OR abducting their people in order to steal their Essence i.e their genes/adaptations for cold environments". For every pacified minor village in their territory they gain +2 Science per science worker (or even Food worker... depending on balance considerations).



Another possible trait or technology would be, again, similar to necrophages called "Mind Melding" (Star Trek reference! ) >> they gain Science Stockpiles from defeating their enemies, with a stockpile counter etc... This will help counterbalance the loss of science from casting their rituals. (Cultists have a similar technology but it works specifically for cities btw)

Through "Mind Melding" they can access and analyze the memories and genes of fallen enemies and learn from them even after death >> allowing them to extract knowledge.



Communion of Essence sounds better imo... and ultimately, it's up to you MANoob

If you like the direction this is going, just tell me and I'll assist you with writing/ideas if you wish.



EDIT: We could add early or default rituals/magic that improve Food, especially considering that they are most likely gonna start in Snow biome, and food is more important than Science at the start of the game.

Coming up with good English names is problematic for me since I'm not a native speaker. As for science per pacified village and after combat - these are Necrophage-like traits and I did not imagine the Winterspawn to be quite as aggressive, so even if it can make sense in terms of lore I'm not sure its suitable gameplay wise.



As for food rituals - Arctic biome is mostly science + industry, and industry can give you every other resource, so I don't imagine problems with it. Also I've envisioned Winterspawn magic to be "evil" themed and centered around hurting other factions rather then buffing their own eco (with a few exceptions). So creating food does not sound like something they would do.



But feel free to suggest any ideas or fork/reuse/improve my idea in any way you want, it's not that I've put a copyright sign on it .

MANoob wrote:


Coming up with good English names is problematic for me since I'm not a native speaker. As for science per pacified village and after combat - these are Necrophage-like traits and I did not imagine the Winterspawn to be quite as aggressive, so even if it can make sense in terms of lore I'm not sure its suitable gameplay wise.



As for food rituals - Arctic biome is mostly science + industry, and industry can give you every other resource, so I don't imagine problems with it. Also I've envisioned Winterspawn magic to be "evil" themed and centered around hurting other factions rather then buffing their own eco (with a few exceptions). So creating food does not sound like something they would do.



But feel free to suggest any ideas or fork/reuse/improve my idea in any way you want, it's not that I've put a copyright sign on it .

I see what you mean.



Having a bonus for science similar to bonus for Food of the necrophages is convenient because it is easier to add them into the Custom Faction options, and easier to make it balanced with other custom traits.

Most of us players don't use the Science workers very much. If we add "Communion of Essence" it will finally give us more temptation to use the Science workers more often.



Ultimately, it depends on your own vision of the faction though



I can suggest some names for units, spells, heroes etc.. for you if yous wish (I'll say them in the next comment)

Suggested female names and concepts:

1- Crystal Maiden (ice looks like crystal) or Ice Witch/Storm Witch/Cryomage/Cryomancer (Cryo=ice in Latin): a support unit using ice attacks, she may have an ice spear, wand staff etc... or even 2 ice claws as you said. Looks like a thin dark elf with slightly wrinkled skin. Very evil and intelligent look.

This example image taken from deviantart.com





Also we could go for the "Shaman" look. She could wear the skin of a bear or something...

And finally, an image showing "Queen of the Frost Giants"





2- Ursa Majus (a name derived from latin "Ursa"=bear and majus a combination of Ursa Major and Magus=magician or priest): A large bear-like woman with or without some fur/canines/claws etc... (maybe bear arms Ursa Maji have the ability to absorb the genes of animals, so they have the appearance and abilities of some winter beasts. They might have abilities like "hibernation" with fast regeneration in winter? or higher defense when under attack? etc...

She doesn't have to look "sexy", but she looks "impressive" and "strong".

The exact unit model can inspired from this one maybe?





3- Animagus Lupa (animagus=wizard that can transform into animals, and Lupa from latin "female wolf"): Same as previous suggestion but wolf instead of bear?

This image shows a similar concept >> Female Werewolf (imagine if she has armor instead of torn dress)







Male names and concepts:

1- Lycan Stalker OR Volkstalker (derived from Slovenian word for wolf) or simply Lycanthrope (a werewolf) : Most likely a ranger or infantry unit? We could give him thick white-blue fur and glaring scary blue eyes... More humanoid/elf features could be emphasized as well.







2- Chimera or "Khymera" (a monster that is a combination of other animals. Scientifically, it means "an organism composed of multiple genetically distinct cells"): This is not really male or female, but it is an excellent monster idea!

It is the result of an animagus who "went too far" and absorbed the genes of too many animals and lost his humanity OR it could the result of a horrible experiment by the Winter Fae to create the "perfect winter beast". It can also be Flying unit!





3- Frost Dweller or (again) Cryomage/Cryomancer: An ice wizard (support) OR a Winter Fae (Infantry) who learned to mentally change the chemical composition of his blood so that it is immune to freezing. His skin will turn to ice but his blood will still flow like a glacier.





He could be a primitive humanoid who simply absorbed winter adaptations. Basically, we could advance the Yeti concept for this one.







Possible hero names like:

Sirmirsauq the Binder (the Inuit word for "Glacier" or "moving ice")

Chief Beowulf (reference to the Norse folk tale character...)

Mauja the Fusionist (Inuit word for "soft deep snow") (Female hero?) Or Maujaq for male hero

Hybridlord Ixius

KrimsonVagus wrote:
I see what you mean.

Having a bonus for science similar to bonus for Food of the necrophages is convenient because it is easier to add them into the Custom Faction options, and easier to make it balanced with other custom traits.

Most of us players don't use the Science workers very much. If we add "Communion of Essence" it will finally give us more temptation to use the Science workers more often.

Well, my original trait design already includes plain +science on worker, can be renamed in any other way. Tying it to pacified villages encourages you to pacify them ASAP which is something I would like to enforce gameplay wise, but it can work. Science for kills trait would encourage you to kill everything that moves which is definitely not in line with my gameplay vision.

KrimsonVagus wrote:


Ultimately, it depends on your own vision of the faction though

Nothing prohibits you from having your own vision

KrimsonVagus wrote:
Suggested female names and concepts:

1- Crystal Maiden (ice looks like crystal) or Ice Witch/Storm Witch/Cryomage/Cryomancer (Cryo=ice in Latin): a support unit using ice attacks, she may have an ice spear, wand staff etc... or even 2 ice claws as you said.

Cool pic, pretty close to what I thought

KrimsonVagus wrote:


Also we could go for the "Shaman" look. She could wear the skin of a bear or something...

More into "intelligent" than "wild" look

KrimsonVagus wrote:


2- Ursa Majus (a name derived from latin "Ursa"=bear and majus a combination of Ursa Major and Magus=magician or priest): A large bear-like woman with or without some fur/canines/claws etc... (maybe bear arms Ursa Maji have the ability to absorb the genes of animals, so they have the appearance and abilities of some winter beasts. They might have abilities like "hibernation" with fast regeneration in winter? or higher defense when under attack? etc...

She doesn't have to look "sexy", but she looks "impressive" and "strong".

The exact unit model can inspired from this one maybe?

3- Animagus Lupa (animagus=wizard that can transform into animals, and Lupa from latin "female wolf"): Same as previous suggestion but wolf instead of bear?

This image shows a similar concept >> Female Werewolf (imagine if she has armor instead of torn dress)

Not really into female beast units...

KrimsonVagus wrote:


Male names and concepts:

1- Lycan Stalker OR Volkstalker (derived from Slovenian word for wolf) or simply Lycanthrope (a werewolf) : Most likely a ranger or infantry unit? We could give him thick white-blue fur and glaring scary blue eyes... More humanoid/elf features could be emphasized as well.



2- Chimera or "Khymera" (a monster that is a combination of other animals. Scientifically, it means "an organism composed of multiple genetically distinct cells"): This is not really male or female, but it is an excellent monster idea!

It is the result of an animagus who "went too far" and absorbed the genes of too many animals and lost his humanity OR it could the result of a horrible experiment by the Winter Fae to create the "perfect winter beast". It can also be Flying unit!

Both of these could work as a 3rd unit.

KrimsonVagus wrote:


3- Frost Dweller or (again) Cryomage/Cryomancer: An ice wizard (support) OR a Winter Fae (Infantry) who learned to mentally change the chemical composition of his blood so that it is immune to freezing. His skin will turn to ice but his blood will still flow like a glacier.

This could replace the witch.

KrimsonVagus wrote:


Possible hero names like:

Sirmirsauq the Binder (the Inuit word for "Glacier" or "moving ice")

Chief Beowulf (reference to the Norse folk tale character...)

Mauja the Fusionist (Inuit word for "soft deep snow") (Female hero?) Or Maujaq for male hero

Hybridlord Ixius

More into Inuit language based names, seems like a good idea, Beowulf is too well known and doesn't suit imo.



Basically right now I see the lineup as the following (as we only have 3 spots I have to be picky):

• I really want the 1st unit to be a specimen of the main race, since the 1st unit is what defines the overall outlook for me (you can never even research 2nd and 3rd units). Also flyer sounds like a good idea to me since no other race starts with flyer atm. If you want visuals, smth like this (but armed):
  
  
• 2nd unit should imo be and ice caster so witch/cryomancer/anything similar (don't want the tribal look though since the race is supposed to be much more intelligent than average humans)
• 3rd unit can be pretty much anything that fits the theme and is not too similar to the first two so Ice worm/Lycan/Chimera(probably ground based to avoid 2 flyers) can work as well as any other ice themed beast.
  
  

MANoob wrote:


Basically right now I see the lineup as the following (as we only have 3 spots I have to be picky):

• I really want the 1st unit to be a specimen of the main race, since the 1st unit is what defines the overall outlook for me (you can never even research 2nd and 3rd units). Also flyer sounds like a good idea to me since no other race starts with flyer atm. If you want visuals, smth like this (but armed):
  
  
• 2nd unit should imo be and ice caster so witch/cryomancer/anything similar (don't want the tribal look though since the race is supposed to be much more intelligent than average humans)
• 3rd unit can be pretty much anything that fits the theme and is not too similar to the first two so Ice worm/Lycan/Chimera(probably ground based to avoid 2 flyers) can work as well as any other ice themed beast.
  
  

Awesome. I fully agree with you so far. More "intelligent" than "savage"... (or a combination of both?)



Tier 2: We could combine the concept of male Cryomancer and female support unit >> A female who learned to change her blood composition, prevent herself freezing but can freeze others etc... I think having at least 1 female unit is pretty cool



Personally, I would recommend making the Khymera/Ice Wyrm the flying tier 3 unit because: Having tier 1 flying unit indicates that most of the entire race is able to fly from the start? It's up to you though...



So it looks like the Tier 2 and 3 units are pretty much good concepts right now, especially Ice Wyrm/Chimera/Khymera etc. (could be infantry or even Cavalry!). Now all we need is to get the Tier 1 Flying unit. How do we explain how they got their wings? That's our next challenge...

(btw, there is no major faction right now that has Flying and Cavalry together without infantry, maybe this one? )

KrimsonVagus wrote:
Awesome. I fully agree with you so far. More "intelligent" than "savage"... (or a combination of both?)



Tier 2: We could combine the concept of male Cryomancer and female support unit >> A female who learned to change her blood composition, prevent herself freezing but can freeze others etc... I think having at least 1 female unit is pretty cool



Personally, I would recommend making the Khymera/Ice Wyrm the flying tier 3 unit because: Having tier 1 flying unit indicates that most of the entire race is able to fly from the start? It's up to you though...



So it looks like the Tier 2 and 3 units are pretty much good concepts right now, especially Ice Wyrm/Chimera/Khymera etc. (could be infantry or even Cavalry!). Now all we need is to get the Tier 1 Flying unit. How do we explain how they got their wings? That's our next challenge...

(btw, there is no major faction right now that has Flying and Cavalry together without infantry, maybe this one? )

I was thinking Ice Worm rather than Ice Wyrm





I don't see problems with flying if we go with the theme that they are masters of genetic engineering and grafting. Flying seems like a useful ability for the warrior caste. Also faeries are supposed to fly, no? . In any case I think 1st unit should be some sort of warrior.



In terms of both intelligent and vicious I was thinking about their hero wearing rotten flesh of slain enemies as armor. but that might not satisfy the PG rating



P.S. If thinking about cav units pretty cool pic I've found while looking for the warrior (skimpy look aside). Not sure what it would do though:

MANoob wrote:
I don't see problems with flying if we go with the theme that they are masters of genetic engineering and grafting. Flying seems like a useful ability for the warrior caste. Also faeries are supposed to fly, no? . In any case I think 1st unit should be some sort of warrior.



In terms of both intelligent and vicious I was thinking about their hero wearing rotten flesh of slain enemies as armor. but that might not satisfy the PG rating



P.S. If thinking about cav units pretty cool pic I've found while looking for the warrior (skimpy look aside). Not sure what it would do though:

Ah yes! Flying Ice Faerie Warriors... lol Finally we can make faeries look badass.

Just like the pic you posted before but with winter-like blue armor, I guess. The Fae infants are infused with the Essence of an "Arctic Shrike" (Shrike means "butcher" btw It's a type of bird) or "Winter Shrike" as soon as they are born. As boys and girls, they are trained to control that essence (genes) with their minds so that they develop wings in adulthood >> Stormseekers!



The only problem is that they might look a little similar to the Nidya minor faction...

Perhaps I'm the only one who feels this way, but I think that a faction that gets stronger during the winter is thematically at odds with the lore. I mean, the whole call to action for the factions is that they know the world is becoming uninhabitable, and they are trying to find a way to survive, which ultimately ties into ES by the survivors taking to the stars. If there was a faction that thrived in the cold, barren wasteland the world is becoming, doesn't that oppose the whole story of Auriga? When you find it in ES it is quite literally barren, unsuitable for producing food, industry, or dust, meaning it is presumably uninhabited, with only an endless relic which had been rebuilt by the inhabitants to give clues as to what had happened.



The implication is that whichever faction you play, and whatever victory condition you go for, you ultimately leave Auriga behind lest you succumb to the endless winter, right? If there were a faction that were stronger in winter, I'd be left wondering "Well why isn't there this great society present when you find the planet in ES."



I think having a faction that's DIFFERENT in winter could be interesting, i.e. having units that metamorphize or otherwise gain combat bonuses against other units during winter due to the fact that they are used to the harsh climate is cool. But I think having a faction whose economy performs better in winter would just be flat at odds with the theme.

Lovely!

I have a few ideas in mind to fine-tune and further develop the story...

Weather manipulation is more of a Mass Psionic "Ritual" that requires the participation of a large number of Winterspawn to control the winds around them. You see, the Frost Dwellers/Cryomages at first control their body chemical composition and freezing immunity. But some of them went even further, developing Cold Blood: Through sheer willpower, they can reduce the temperatures OUTSIDE their bodies, and in large numbers they can create Blizzards over entire cities.



If the Ardent Mages use Dust Magic to control fire, the Winterspawn use their own minds to control temperature itself. It starts as a biological ability (metabolism etc.) but then they develop "Psionic Projection".



I think a major part of this storyline could be dedicate to the development of these psionic abilities. They want to build a Focus Tower so that all their most powerful Cryomancers can connect their neurones to the tower core and begin to summon the Final Storm upon Auriga. Even Further: Perhaps they are partly responsible for bringing the Eternal Winter to Auriga? This faction could become very important to the entire game story if we play our cards right (with good writing )



For example, consider their questline goes towards a Wonder Victory. But before they build the Wonder they must cast a ritual called "The Final Storm" which can researched at Era 4 or 5. Then they build the "Focus Tower/Stormtower" which allows them to project their willpower over extremely long distances, forming a great cloud called "Herald of the Ice Age", a massive snowstorm that will spread all over Auriga and turn it into an arctic paradise >> Wonder Victory

Of course, you can add the "Stormseeker" fanatics who are willing to sacrifice their lives to the Focus Tower in order to bring glory to the Winterspawn. (Maybe in the quest itself, you need 4-5 Cryomancer units in the wonder city? OR 4-5 Science Workers for X turns?)



In fact, if you follow this questline, they can be completely independent of the Endless influence.



Even better idea, the branching quest will give them 2 final scenario choices (just like you said) >>



1- Summoning the Final Storm ritual: The faction develops great psionic cold projection, and the story continues as I described above... without the Endless!

2- Resurrecting the Overseer: The second option, the faction focus on collecting genetic material (or essence) from all the creatures of Auriga, friend and foe, in order to build the "Primordial Embryo". This is the ultimate product of Genetics knowledge.

The Primordial Embryo is a massive bundle of intelligent living cells that reproduce extremely fast and can morph into any living tissue that it touches. It is like the "ultimate stem cell". It can heal all kinds of injury, and can even bring "gods" back to life. Anyone who can withstand and control these embryo cells in their bodies can forever grow stronger and they will never die of old age. Not only can they resurrect the Overseer and control his powers, but they themselves can become the most powerful soldiers in Auriga... all through biological superiority >> Wonder Victory?



So the 2 choices are simply: Greater Psionics VS Greater Genetics

1- Psionics = Artificial Ice Age with Focus Tower

2- Genetics = Resurrect Overseer with Primordial Embryo



At this point, you have the potential to add Endless influence if you want

KrimsonVagus wrote:
Lovely!

I have a few ideas in mind to fine-tune and further develop the story...

Weather manipulation is more of a Mass Psionic "Ritual" that requires the participation of a large number of Winterspawn to control the winds around them. You see, the Frost Dwellers/Cryomages at first control their body chemical composition and freezing immunity. But some of them went even further, developing Cold Blood: Through sheer willpower, they can reduce the temperatures OUTSIDE their bodies, and in large numbers they can create Blizzards over entire cities.



If the Ardent Mages use Dust Magic to control fire, the Winterspawn use their own minds to control temperature itself. It starts as a biological ability (metabolism etc.) but then they develop "Psionic Projection".



I think a major part of this storyline could be dedicate to the development of these psionic abilities. They want to build a Focus Tower so that all their most powerful Cryomancers can connect their neurones to the tower core and begin to summon the Final Storm upon Auriga. Even Further: Perhaps they are partly responsible for bringing the Eternal Winter to Auriga? This faction could become very important to the entire game story if we play our cards right (with good writing )



For example, consider their questline goes towards a Wonder Victory. But before they build the Wonder they must cast a ritual called "The Final Storm" which can researched at Era 4 or 5. Then they build the "Focus Tower/Stormtower" which allows them to project their willpower over extremely long distances, forming a great cloud called "Herald of the Ice Age", a massive snowstorm that will spread all over Auriga and turn it into an arctic paradise >> Wonder Victory

Of course, you can add the "Stormseeker" fanatics who are willing to sacrifice their lives to the Focus Tower in order to bring glory to the Winterspawn. (Maybe in the quest itself, you need 4-5 Cryomancer units in the wonder city? OR 4-5 Science Workers for X turns?)



In fact, if you follow this questline, they can be completely independent of the Endless influence.



Even better idea, the branching quest will give them 2 final scenario choices (just like you said) >>



1- Summoning the Final Storm ritual: The faction develops great psionic cold projection, and the story continues as I described above... without the Endless!

2- Resurrecting the Overseer: The second option, the faction focus on collecting genetic material (or essence) from all the creatures of Auriga, friend and foe, in order to build the "Primordial Embryo". This is the ultimate product of Genetics knowledge.

The Primordial Embryo is a massive bundle of intelligent living cells that reproduce extremely fast and can morph into any living tissue that it touches. It is like the "ultimate stem cell". It can heal all kinds of injury, and can even bring "gods" back to life. Anyone who can withstand and control these embryo cells in their bodies can forever grow stronger and they will never die of old age. Not only can they resurrect the Overseer and control his powers, but they themselves can become the most powerful soldiers in Auriga... all through biological superiority >> Wonder Victory?



So the 2 choices are simply: Greater Psionics VS Greater Genetics

1- Psionics = Artificial Ice Age with Focus Tower

2- Genetics = Resurrect Overseer with Primordial Embryo



At this point, you have the potential to add Endless influence if you want

One minor inconsistency I see is that the cryomages use their power to shield themselves from cold. This implies they actually need the heat when they do not use magic. While "adapting" to cold may be a suitable theme for a winter resistant faction, a true winter faction that benefits from winter and suffers from summer should be inherently cold resistant (as it is according to the latest suggested back story). Otherwise it would be difficult to explain why they need to summon the winter in the first place and why they suffer any penalties in summer. The part with rituals being group psionic spells works quite well. The path with summoning the Eternal Winter was the only one I originally though of (if you check the 1st post), and you've detailed it pretty well. Stormseekers/singers/whatever are just an explanation of sacrificing pop for shortening summer tech (Can be replaced with yet another ritual and simply cost a lot of science removing the sacrifice part though).



With the Overseer resurrection, I think we can use a little bit more epic storytelling however. Another wonder victory (just with different "skin") doesn't sound too exiting. My suggestion:



At some point the player decides to either a) work on resurrecting the overseer b) decide that the Winterspawn have their own fate. Let's explore branch a).



a) The Overseer is resurrected, however he has gone completely mad and sees all physical manifestation of life as blight that should be purged from the face of the galaxy. Only those who follow the "Virtual" endless path deserve to live. At this point you get a 2nd decision:

a1) Killing all living things is fun

a2) This is a bit too much even for a vicious bastards like the Winterspawn (and they will probably die as well, just being the last of the lot)



If you go with a1) you chose the elimination victory path (At this point you've already invested a significant amount of resources comparable with what's needed for the wonder victory into the resurrection, so what happens next is not OP but rather a more fun way to beat the game):



The Endless Night

• You get "Ankhu, Unliving God" unique hero (with crazy stats and unique badass skill tree which I can detail later if I'm in the mood)
• You automatically declare war on all remaining factions without an option to make truce
• Your approval is raised to fervent in all cities regardless of other modifiers and unit production cost is halved
• You have no military upkeep
• You get the genetic sterilisation ritual. Once performed it completely stops population grows of the given faction (result of a powerful genetic weaponry the Overseer creates). This effect ends after his death.
• All other factions get 'The end is nigh" quest telling that slaying the Overseer is the only chance for survival they have (this is very difficult but possible). All other victory conditions are locked until the quest is completed. It ends either with elimination victory for the Winterspawn or death of the Overseer.
  
  

In case of a2) you actually have to fight the Overseer yourself:



Greeting the Dawn



For this, guess what, you need to find the one who has beaten him once (Isgar) gaining another badass unique hero. There might be some intermediate quests but this all ends in a huge battle when the two fight to the death again. Isgar wins once more, completely destroying the Overseer this time. He and his most trusted followers decide that by bringing a monstrosity like the Overseer back to life the Winterspawn have proven they do not deserve another chance. They reprogram the Storm Towers to actually revert the Eternal Winter and bring Auriga's climate back to normal, even though this dooms their entire race. This still counts as a wonder victory however.



The b) path obviously contains the option of summoning the winter and maybe an option of reaching perfection in genetic engineering (just without the Overseer). These two can use some work to be more dramatic however lol.

MANoob wrote:
One minor inconsistency I see is that the cryomages use their power to shield themselves from cold. This implies they actually need the heat when they do not use magic. While "adapting" to cold may be a suitable theme for a winter resistant faction, a true winter faction that benefits from winter and suffers from summer should be inherently cold resistant (as it is according to the latest suggested back story). Otherwise it would be difficult to explain why they need to summon the winter in the first place and why they suffer any penalties in summer. The part with rituals being group psionic spells works quite well. The path with summoning the Eternal Winter was the only one I originally though of (if you check the 1st post), and you've detailed it pretty well. Stormseekers/singers/whatever are just an explanation of sacrificing pop for shortening summer tech (Can be replaced with yet another ritual and simply cost a lot of science removing the sacrifice part though).

Concerning the Cryomancers, they don't just use heat to "shield" themselves to cold. With the "Cold Blood" ability they BECOME cold, and with Psionic projection/blizzard >> they can project that inner cold at a distance >> Focus Tower + large numbers = Ice Age (gg lol)

MANoob wrote:
With the Overseer resurrection, I think we can use a little bit more epic storytelling however. Another wonder victory (just with different "skin") doesn't sound to exiting. My suggestion:



At some point the player decides to either a) work on resurrecting the overseer b) decide that the Winterspawn have their own fate. Let's explore branch a).



a) The Overseer is resurrected, however he has gone completely mad and sees all physical manifestation of life as blight that should be purged from the face of the galaxy. Only those who follow the "Virtual" endless path deserve to live. At this point you get a 2nd decision:

a1) Killing all living things is fun

a2) This is a bit too much even for a vicious bastards like the Winterspawn (and they will probably die as well, just being the last of the lot)



If you go with a1) you chose the elimination victory path (At this point you've already invested a significant amount of resources comparable with what's needed for the wonder victory into the resurrection, so what happens next is not OP but rather a more fun way to beat the game):



The Endless Night

• You get "Ankhu, Unliving God" unique hero (with crazy stats and unique badass skill tree which I can detail later if I'm in the mood)
• You automatically declare war on all remaining factions without an option to make truce
• Your approval is raised to fervent in all cities regardless of other modifiers and unit production cost is halved
• You have no military upkeep
• You get the genetic sterilisation ritual. Once performed it completely stops population grows of the given faction (result of a powerful genetic weaponry the Overseer creates). This effect ends after his death.
• All other factions get 'The end is nigh" quest telling that slaying the Overseer is the only chance for survival they have (this is very difficult but possible). All other victory conditions are locked until the quest is completed. It ends either with elimination victory for the Winterspawn or death of the Overseer.
  
  

In case of a2) you actually have to fight the Overseer yourself:



Greeting the Dawn



For this, guess what, you need to find the one who has beaten him once (Isgar) gaining another badass unique hero. There might be some intermediate quests but this all ends in a huge battle when the two fight to the death again. Isgar wins once more, completely destroying the Overseer this time. He and his most trusted followers decide that by bringing a monstrosity like the Overseer back to life the Winterspawn have proven they do not deserve another chance. They reprogram the Storm Towers to actually revert the Eternal Winter and bring Auriga's climate back to normal, even though this dooms their entire race. This still counts as a wonder victory however.



The b) path obviously contains the option of summoning the winter and maybe an option of reaching perfection in genetic engineering (just without the Overseer). These two can use some work to be more dramatic however lol.

I'm glad that you have an alternative to just "Wonder Victory"



So the questline of Option A (that you mentioned): When you build the Primordial Embryo etc.. It is NOT a Wonder. It is just a simple building that can only be built in "only ONE of your cities". It might give you some of the bonuses that you mentioned earlier from "The Endless Night", maybe? such as reduced unit building and buying costs OR even better >> increased regeneration for all units inside your territory! It makes sense cuz you have a powerful object that can regenerate insanely fast and can resurrect a god-like being. Then you immediately have to decide how you deal with the Overseer >> get branching choices A1 and A2 etc... just like you said to the end

Alternatively, if you want we resurrect Overseer without the Embryo thing? I REALLY like the embryo idea cuz it sounds creepy and sci-fi



Then Option B with Eternal Winter, Focus Tower, non-Endless choice etc....



Looks like it all fits together perfectly



There is only one problem left:

How do we convince the devs to include the idea of branching quest decisions? You see, I really LOVE the idea of multiple choices (and I think other factions deserve to have it as well)... BUT, we need to have a Plan B in case the devs decide that faction quests must have NO multiple choices. I played the other factions and I don't see any branching storyline



So here is Plan B, in case they say "NO MULTIPLE QUEST OPTIONS":

We will have to choose between the 2 choices we discussed previously >> Genetics and Resurrection OR Psionics and Eternal Winter Ritual



And one of them will have to be the single permanent questline. It's gonna be tough choice, but if we make that choice then we just focus on adding some drama to it



If they say "YES MULTIPLE QUEST OPTIONS" >> we proceed as normal

This way we have a higher guarantee that this faction gets approved

KrimsonVagus wrote:
Concerning the Cryomancers, they don't just use heat to "shield" themselves to cold. With the "Cold Blood" ability they BECOME cold, and with Psionic projection/blizzard >> they can project that inner cold at a distance >> Focus Tower + large numbers = Ice Age (gg lol)

I'm OK with everything here except for the shielding part - I think original Winterspawn are immune to cold by default. The only possible exception is if cryomancers are not Winterspawn, but rather different species that joined the cause (maybe Ardent mage defectors who thought that icy spells look cooler (pun intended)).

KrimsonVagus wrote:


I'm glad that you have an alternative to just "Wonder Victory"



So the questline of Option A (that you mentioned): When you build the Primordial Embryo etc.. It is NOT a Wonder. It is just a simple building that can only be built in "only ONE of your cities". It might give you some of the bonuses that you mentioned earlier from "The Endless Night", maybe? such as reduced unit building and buying costs OR even better >> increased regeneration for all units inside your territory! It makes sense cuz you have a powerful object that can regenerate insanely fast and can resurrect a god-like being. Then you immediately have to decide how you deal with the Overseer >> get branching choices A1 and A2 etc... just like you said to the end

Alternatively, if you want we resurrect Overseer without the Embryo thing? I REALLY like the embryo idea cuz it sounds creepy and sci-fi



Then Option B with Eternal Winter, Focus Tower, non-Endless choice etc....



Looks like it all fits together perfectly



There is only one problem left:

How do we convince the devs to include the idea of branching quest decisions? You see, I really LOVE the idea of multiple choices (and I think other factions deserve to have it as well)... BUT, we need to have a Plan B in case the devs decide that faction quests must have NO multiple choices. I played the other factions and I don't see any branching storyline



So here is Plan B, in case they say "NO MULTIPLE QUEST OPTIONS":

We will have to choose between the 2 choices we discussed previously >> Genetics and Resurrection OR Psionics and Eternal Winter Ritual



And one of them will have to be the single permanent questline. It's gonna be tough choice, but if we make that choice then we just focus on adding some drama to it



If they say "YES MULTIPLE QUEST OPTIONS" >> we proceed as normal

This way we have a higher guarantee that this faction gets approved

I think the Embryo part should be separate from the Overseer (that plot line is overloaded already).



So the overall choice tree would look like this:

To win we need:

a) Resurrect the old god

-> a1) And proceed with his mad plan

-> a2) And recognise the errors of this way

b) Find our own path

-> b1) By mastering genetics to change ourselves and creating a new god and messiah for the race -> Embryo thing

-> b2) By changing the world and summoning the Eternal Winter over Auriga -> Final Storm



If keeping this linear I think the default choice for the quest would be b2 as it makes most sense for a winter faction. I think the race would have to be split in two separate races in this case however (we already have enough trouble working both genetics and weather powers into a single race). So there would be:

• The Winterspawn - race that ruled Auriga during its "barren" period that does not welcome the climate change and can control weather.
• 2nd race with genetics, Overseer stuff etc. Thinking more about w40k dark eldar and their homunculi rather than winter fae here (If you're familiar with the subject).
  
  

I am sceptical about Amplitude ever adding this though . I'm pretty sure even if they make another G2G vote smth else would win. If modding support would be advanced enough at some point I could probably do the scripting/configuration/whatever kind of programming needed if I felt like it. I have no 3d modelling skills however (tried to do smth for Unity at one point and it was pretty horrible ). But anyways, I enjoy the process of creating such concepts (and all sorts of creative work actually).

MANoob wrote:
I'm OK with everything here except for the shielding part - I think original Winterspawn are immune to cold by default. The only possible exception is if cryomancers are not Winterspawn, but rather different species that joined the cause (maybe Ardent mage defectors who thought that icy spells look cooler (pun intended)).







I think the Embryo part should be separate from the Overseer (that plot line is overloaded already).



So the overall choice tree would look like this:

To win we need:

a) Resurrect the old god

-> a1) And proceed with his mad plan

-> a2) And recognise the errors of this way

b) Find our own path

-> b1) By mastering genetics to change ourselves and creating a new god and messiah for the race -> Embryo thing

-> b2) By changing the world and summoning the Eternal Winter over Auriga -> Final Storm



If keeping this linear I think the default choice for the quest would be b2 as it makes most sense for a winter faction. I think the race would have to split in two separate races in this case however (we already have enough trouble working both genetics and weather powers into a single race). So there would be:

• The Winterspawn - race that ruled Auriga during its "barren" period that does not welcome the climate change and can control weather.
• 2nd race with genetics, Overseer stuff etc. Thinking more about w40k dark eldar and their homunculi rather than winter fae here (If you're familiar with the subject).
  
  

I am sceptical about Amplitude ever adding this though . I'm pretty sure even if they make another G2G vote smth else would win. If modding support would be advanced enough at some point I could probably do the scripting/configuration/whatever kind of programming needed if I felt like it. I have no 3d modelling skills however (tried to do smth for Unity at one point and it was pretty horrible ). But anyways, I enjoy the process of creating such concepts (and all sorts of creative work actually).

Excellent



Whew, this was hard work actually..!



Previously, I was also developing this idea for water-based factions. I got the idea cuz I noticed that the oceans regions have some basic features such as elevations, coral reefs and broken ice areas. So I thought "maybe the devs are expecting to add some water factions from the beginning?" and "Maybe the coral reefs behave the same as forests on land?" etc...



So yeah, I would love to hear your feedback on this... although I think the Winter faction is much easier to apply than the water one

But who knows, maybe the devs want to add more than one new factions in the future?