Here's an idea for anyone.



At some point in the game a random event occurs that animates destroyed ships and whatever remains of their crews across the galaxy. This includes some ancient ships. The zombie fleets activate everywhere.



The theory is a space time arc is generated that draws dust to any destroyed ship, including freighters (if such existed). The arc and dust activate the ships and blend any remaining biomatter into the ship and ship stations. The arc continues to spread from ship to ship and system to system until it has reached all systems.



Perhaps this was an ancient device planned as a last resort but never activated. Perhaps the player gets to decide where the arc begins. Once unleashed, and just when you thought it was safe, additional short arcs will occur at random locations and for shorter duration. To stop the arc would require it first being researched to understand it and then second research the method to stop or interrupt it.



Zombie fleets aren't accurate and I want to say "don't take on the traits of of the zombified race", but who knows!?



Zombie fleets don't initially travel or jump from system to system. They just stay and interdict or block. Over time they will begin to jump and wander.



If left unresolved, the arcs will gain strength. Instead of merely animating individual ships, the dust-arc will begin merging the damaged ships into a single massive ship. Imagine two dreadnaught class ships merged. Merging will start small, two Destroyer class ships into one and over time merge larger hulls into one. Eventually, the dust-arc could merge entire fleets into one massive ship.



Any thoughts?

Sorry RasterOps, but that is way too ambitious for what we are currently allowed to mod. Most of what can be done right now is edit the XML files, we can't code or add any features that don't already exist in some form already. What you suggest is more in the realm of an expansion than a mod...

I'd pay for that expansion.

So... self operated ships? Not sure how that would be logical

Maybe follow thier last programming, you know, bomb a planet, attack all intruders, etc.

Exactly. Even in "system defense" mode the dust-ships originally of a particular race would still attack ships from the same race. Also when considering how the dust-arc coalesces any remaining bio-matter into the ship and ship stations, their brain tissue is but a computer.



This idea is also about reanimating ancient ships having potential technology that surpasses our own.



Another aspect of this is, a mid to late game event that affects all races. It creates an enemy where there previously was none.

Pretty cool idea



(until it doesn't get out of hand)

Sounds like the derelict ship from Sword of the Stars, but why does it have to be zombies? It could just be still operating ships that outlived their crew, because well, how did an ancient ship with advanced technology not already get salvaged?

But it's not a single ship. They are random fleets of "destroyed" ships. Like ship graveyards.



During so many battles I saw those broken hulls in the background. So they aren't all being completely salvaged. I'd also like to think there are areas in this galaxy as yet undiscovered but it's hard to believe when all stars are connected and all stars are owned. There's no place to hide. Pirates disappear from the game as a surprise enemy because there's nowhere for them to originate. Only a random event will cause them to generate.



The idea came from seeing the derelict ships in battle, liking zombies, knowing dust is all around and recalling the Beast from Homeworld Cataclysm. The Beast was like a sentient virus that could travel on an energy beam and subvert a ship and its crew.



So this idea is really more like a semi-sentient dust ship rather than a zombie. But if you saw one of these ships coming at you what would you think? What would you call it?



Oh, and I have another idea that resembles the derelict from SotS.

RasterOps wrote:
This idea is also about reanimating ancient ships having potential technology that surpasses our own.

I was talking about that part, but the ships you see in the background are probably obsolete designs, they're more a nuisance like pirates than a real threat. What energy beams did the Beast travel on though? O_o

An ancient Endless ship would have to be undiscovered, it could happen. The universe and galaxy are supposedly vast. It should be easy to go unnoticed...



Yeah the background ships would be obsolete, which technically wouldn't make them much of a threat unless the dust-arc altered them somehow.



The Beast traveled on a close proximity beam that was better explained in the game. The virus/nanobots traveled on the beam to subvert each ship it came in contact with. I believe it could continue to arc from ship to ship as each was infected. IIRC it appeared blue-ish, thick with a white lightning-like interior.



I can image the dust-arc would be a combination of gold and lightning, as the dust is carried by the arc and activated when it contacts any derelict. I imagine the arcs are not unlike a Tesla coil from ship to ship and to Cosmic Strings.

Like a flying arc of god in space bringing life to inanimate objects lol