Ideas for foundations of the story

[Zero Angel]

Please post ideas on what type of events might transpire in the story and over the course of the campaign. These ideas might be used by story writers and script writers to determine the direction the campaign might take. For example, a common one was the decision-path of both the stock and FE campaigns -- as well as the invasion of the planet in the stock/isdf campaign. What kind of basic ideas would be implemented in a good story?

Keep in mind that using ANY of these ideas is completely up to story writers. This is just here for brainstorming purposes, nothing else, really. It helps to get these things down early rather than trying to shoehorn an existing campaign to fit the ideas. Don't post anything really specific like planet names, and also if you're a story writer and post ideas here, dont feel ripped off if another person steals these ideas. That's exactly what the purpose of this thread is.

[Nielk1]

People seemed to like time travel, but it requires a LOT of work to implement. I can however give you some random bits of information that might be of use.

All times are hypothetical and do not reflect real values:
A ship enters near light speed at 0 hours, in 5 hours of time to the perspective of those inside, 5 years pass outside. An Einstein Rosen Bridge created from inside the ship would have 1 space destination, but two time destinations. The portal exit would be both either 5 hours or 5 years in the future of 0 hours. Had the ship exited light speed, the portal would be to 5 years, but while in that state there is the disparity between local time and real time.

This can be used as an interesting element, I can provide various scenarios based on stories we have already heard that use this and do not damage the Battlezone Universe like the previous stories do.

Utilizing what we had, I concoct thus:

The Hadeans, at war with the Olympians on their new world, also work on galactic conquest in order to gain more technology and strength to use against the Olympians. They happen upon the Cthonian offshoot called the Aeneans that split off during the exodus from their previous world Icarus after/before/during its destruction in the war against the furies. They consist of members from both 'races', and they have not had the best time on their wold. Their planet is not the most hospitable, so their joint efforts were required to make it livable, better strengthening whatever weak alliance remained from the war with the furies. They are the origin of the portal technology used by Hadeans much later in FE.

Now, they can have time portals, sure, but this would come later. One possibility is they have time portals, escape to the past of their own planet before they ever arrived, and leaving the attacking Hadeans to take the locational portal technology. I would note ping-ponging off a ship at light speed might have the interesting ability to time travel within the limited scope. Now, if they were to send a probe out with portal tech on it, at light speed, the probe might appear in a location occupied by the Olympians, who the Aeneans could have learned were still around during the Hadean attack, and dropped the object off roughly the moment the prob was sent via the concept outlined above. YEARS later the ISDF would discover the probe as it comes out of light speed over this world. The technology could have passed from the Olympians to the Scions of the Ark II to keep it safe from the Hadeans. Just some probabilities.

Now this story, has the finesse required for time travel. It also have a valid explanation for time travel. (Other than the Aeneans escaping into their own past, which would be impossible by this method unless there was a system in place before they arrived, perhaps the origin of their portal tech, though it more likely that technology be based on the Pegasus Device.) Now, maybe they never do escape into their past. Then the use of a system they may have put in place using what is described above may allow the Scions and ISDF to go back to the attack on the Aneans and fight with them. Then the secret the Olympians were protecting would have been both knowledge of the time travel system that was implemented and maybe higher level functions of teleportation such as intergalactic distances. It could be some deeper secret that does lead to time travel, or some ancient secret, or any other huge revelation, something that could not be understood without first following the breadcrumbs to the Aenean planet and utilizing the Portal/LightSpeed system to return to them before their extinction at the hands of the Hadeans.

This can be a story of time travel, saving an entire race, and even ancient mystery. It is all about what we make it.

I hope this base above is useful. I personally like limiting time travel to saving the Aeneans from extinction at the hands of the Hadeans, but ensuring the Hadeans still get away with the Portal tech so the events of FE still occur, and then moving back to your own time at some point via stasis/lightspeed or some such either before or after the mystery portion (Perhaps you must be in the so called 'present' to correctly solve this mystery). As a result of being in the present, you might meet the still existing and now more advanced Aneans.

[Clavin12]

What if the third race has been hiding all along and has been planning to come out at just the right time to take over. Then they are forced into early uncovery by the scions somehow. Maybe the scions where doing an investigation of a report they got of what the reporter thought was cerberi activity, then the scions find the third race and they fight it out.

Nevermind about that. I think the player should have the choice fairly early in the game whether to fight for or against the third faction.

[iron maiden]

Depends of course if the third faction is still usable, which I do believe it is.

I have a few ideas of my own:

A. Perhaps instead of time travel simply have the campaign on a far off planet reached with a very powerful wormhole or other theoretical speed of light travel mechanism.

B. I started a thread in the Overdrive Terminal to post Wikipedia articles and began the thread by posting one about a theoretical kind of planet called a Cthonian planet, perhaps we could some how incorporate this into the story.

C. Black holes, I just love 'em.

[Nielk1]

I guess the first question is what prototype do we use?

Find Secret, Meet Aliens, Save Aliens, 2nd Prototype as part 2
is my suggestion.

[iron maiden]

We could definately do that, though I think we should try to find something a bit less overdone. I believe what you have put forth has been done a bit to much.

[Clavin12]

How about this:

Guy and his minions finds aliens. Aliens capture guy and his minions. Aliens make guy and his minions fight other aliens or they will be enslaved for life. Guy chooses either to rebel and fight both or stay with first aliens. If he rebels the second aliens will propose to help him and his minions if they fight against first aliens. Guy can choose to fight both on his own or join second aliens. If the second aliens are chosen then they turn out to be treacherous while the first aliens are trustworthy.

And that's it basically. The fight on your own is the hardest path while the fight with the first aliens is the middle, and the fight for the second aliens is the easiest (so you're not too dissapointed when they turn out to be treacherous). Whadaya think? This is my prototype.

[iron maiden]

Needs A LOT of work, and as of now I am not much into it, but keep at it, you just might have something there.

[Clavin12]

Its a skeleton and that's the point.

[iron maiden]

In that case keep at it, but so far I am not seeing any BZ relation.

[sabrebattletank]

The "2nd aliens" can be isdf/scions.

e.g. guy is captured by 3rd faction, made to fight isdf/scions.

Also, we're still thinking of a scion-centric campaign, right?

[iron maiden]

Hope so.

[Clavin12]

The "2nd aliens" can be isdf/scions.

e.g. guy is captured by 3rd faction, made to fight isdf/scions.

Also, we're still thinking of a scion-centric campaign, right?

If it was so then the scion/isdf would have to be corrupt. Of course that's fine, and even called for, somewhat.

[iron maiden]

How exactly would they be corrupt, I am not seeing it.

[Clavin12]

They don't keep their word and go on to enslave you. For example you might fight your butt off for them but they instead of freeing you treat you like a hostage. If they were scion/isdf they could be considered rogue.

Another idea: what if in that story line they go on to take you back to earth making it up that you're a hostage and not letting you be seen. Then you'd have to fight your way out of that. How does a battle against the elite earth guard sound?