A spontaneous community faction project.

[Green1]

You guys need to be a bit fair and give the other space factions a chance.

Elon Musk wants a piece of Branson's tail!!!

...and he has his own ideology and starting tecks and thinks he can win.

And what about Bigelowe over in Vegas?

Toooo funny!!!

I nearly ruined another STDIN and have even more spatter over STDOUT. I tried to write 'Branson' wimpy and effete, and unless he can stay out of trouble while he gets established -- ANYONE can own his tail..

Are you feeling like writing his arch-nemesis into the game too?!?!   

Branson himself may be wimpy, but you got to remember... he has bad ass folks in his employ.

Do not believe me? Burt Rutan!

While other folks that age are laying up in a nursing home getting high on prescription meds and peeing on themselves, Rutan owns face. In the SMAX future, Burt Rutan is a cyborg who still has Elvis sideburns. Rutan is so hardcore, if you want to be his apprentice you have to build your own aircraft from scratch then fly it over to New Mexico to join him.

At this point, he probably has replaced his heart with a machine and has a metal gauntlet with an impact weapon.

Like or dislike Branson, but I would give him a bit more teeth particularly when he keeps the company of demigods.

[Kilkakon]

I didn't know Virgin had a security division. XD What are they, Company of Answers (a faction from my C&C mod who try to take over the world)?

[Green1]

I didn't know Virgin had a security division. XD What are they, Company of Answers (a faction from my C&C mod who try to take over the world)?

Yeah Kilkakon, Branson is not a joke. He should have his own definate strengths in a scenario like this.

Also remember, Branson STOLE Rutan directly from a man only second to Bill Gates --- Paul Allen of Microsoft.

But Allen is not concerned, for he has found a NEW secret weapon! This weapon thought left for dead and betrayed. His precious ideas ridiculed. HIS birthright ...TAKEN! His future seemingly relegated to the footnotes of wikipedia and some cushy college professorship. The door opens, and hood reveals the another faction leader... Micheal Griffin formerly of NASA! And he wants vengence against both Musk and Branson for challenging his "genius".

Unfortunately, all our faction leaders arrive finally at Mars about the same time. But, there is a catch. It turns out that crackpot Richard C. Hoagland was right! There are martian natives!

Hoagland told them so on coast to coast... but our heroes did not listen...

Oh my... a mod.

[Green1]

I am feeling kind or creative today and had to double post on this.

Kilkakon, I checked out your youtube channel and you had a Let's Play of Ultima: Martian Dreams. For those unfamiliar, it was an adventure on Mars with Victorian era heros like Sigmund Frued, Carnegie, Tesla, and many others. Now the gameplay of that is horribly outdated and after watching you play it, I was going damn... we put up with that stuff back in the day?

But I say the heroes of today are far more interesting than the heroes of the Victorian era. We have even better mythology with our crackpots. We have figures who are just as large in life as Twain, Carnegie, etc.

What about a mod like that? I will write fluff and story... about MODERN space age heroes like the current crop of space industry folks actually ending up on a Mars that is Hoagland inspired instead of Lowell inspired:)

Think of the nerds that would LOVE that!

[Green1]

THE FACTIONS:

The Planetary Society.
Leader - Bill Nye, CEO

Say what you want to about Bill Nye. A joke. A kid's show host. But Bill Nye is no Captian Kangaroo or Mr. Rogers or Teletubie. Nye is the hier apparent and disciple of Carl Sagan! For decades, he studied under Sagan's shadow. He absorbed Sagan's knowledge and drank beer with Buzz Aldrin and Stephen Hawking. To get money, he did silly educational shows until the time was ripe to take over the Planetary Society. Now, with the technology of the solar sail and mindless amatuer drones at UMSF in his thrall, he sets his sights on Mars. Know what else? He's pissed. He wants you to kneel before him as the new Sagan. Beoooch.

-2 growth. Nye has had horrible relations with the opposite sex. His one wife divorced days later and he had to get a restraining order he pissed her off so much!!
+1 Research. Nye takes after his former master and encourages new scientists. Being already on Mars encourages that further.

[Green1]

Faction:

Stratolaunch
Leader: Micheal Griffin, CEO

In the aftermath of the Ansari X-Prize, Paul Allen was not concerned with the apparent loss of Talent Burt Rutan to Sir Richard Branson of the Virgin Galactic faction. Griffin was the mastermind of NASA's Constellation project, an aggressive program to go to the moon then Mars. However, due to disillusionment to his management and his patron in government being ousted, Griffin was crushed and apparently delegated to the dustbin of history.

Now he is back! And, Due to Allen's wealth is on Mars like he wanted all along till fools like Obama gave it to Musk. He is pissed, too. He would love no more than to embarass the current  other factions and prove his rightness!

-2 Support. Nerdlike engineer alienates the common man.
+1 Industry. being a former administrator of NASA helps keep supplier relationships.

GETS FREE CONVENTIONAL MISSILE. The Aries I lives!

[Green1]

Mytholgy..

Bill Gates has in his possesion a document known as the Codex Hammer. This is the notebooks of Leonardo DavVinci but named after Armand Hammer, founder of Arm and Hammer baking soda that got possesion of this. Paul Allen drank beer with Gates and was privy to it's secrets.

The secrets affected each differently. Gates, with his new wife, malinda, decided to concentrate here on Earth.

Allen wanted to play with the other players. hence, our factions.

[Green1]

Which brings to mind Hoagland and metagame.

Now, there has to be some way for automatic sattelites. No faction with our current tech can go to Mars without it. Speaking of sattelites, sky hydroponics is stupid. Any way to get rid of that? Why grow stuff in space when land is available?

Human Genome project has already been discovered. All factions would probably get one free talent, even though the AC version smacks of eugenics. Still, I could see it due to strict applicaton processes all factions would have.

Pods would be ruins of Pathfinder, Viking, Opportunity, Pheonix, etc that prove Hoagland's theories.

[Davyboy]

Working on what Kilkakion quicked up for the logo, how about this version for monument use?

(Yes, I'm having transparency and sizing issues because I'm way out of my comfort zone(!)   )

[Davyboy]

Now, there has to be some way for automatic sattelites. No faction with our current tech can go to Mars without it. Speaking of sattelites, sky hydroponics is stupid. Any way to get rid of that? Why grow stuff in space when land is available?

Unfortunately, (and I admire your enthusiasm) in this area you're going to be disappointed in all likelihood. This line from alphax warns against trying to give space improvements:--

FACILITY    = Every new base gets this free facility.
;                 Param indicates facility (e.g. "4" is
;                 a Perimeter Defense) from the facilities
;                 list. Do NOT attempt to give satellites
;                 and secret projects this way.

OK, for scenarios it may be different. Even so - since you need Aero Complexes or the Cloudbase to build them in the first place, certainly to get the best return from 'Ponics and Powersats, it might look odd if you could assign sats prior to the relevant tech.

Speaking of sattelites, sky hydroponics is stupid. Any way to get rid of that? Why grow stuff in space when land is available?

Just change 'Orbital' to 'Disable' in this line of alphax:--

Sky Hydroponics Lab,          12, 0, Orbital, Disable,  +1 Nutrient ALL BASES

Personally, I like them. They help me win the game.

[Green1]

Working on what Kilkakion quicked up for the logo, how about this version for monument use?

That is almost Egyptian! Which would fit with a Hoagland conspiracy since the Face on Mars is often coupled with Pyramids.

It also impies more mythology. Maybe Branson knows things, too

[Green1]

As far as satellites, I would be willing to comprimise for entire terrain revealed with no fog of war and hydroponic sattalites disabled. At first off, building satellites would not be realistic. But, they would have at least one as part of the lander.

Geesh.. all these guys would have time to MRO, Hubble, or whatever.

Some techs would need to be renamed.

I am not sure how to disable water in a random game. Scenario, yes. But it really needs replayability.

[Buster's Uncle]

I'm game for some faction graphics, if you'll throw me some pictures to work with.  For each, I'll need a portrait, a logo, a base and a diplomacy landscape.  The latter two are the toughest, but might be the same thing...

[Buster's Uncle]

Do not believe me? Burt Rutan!

While other folks that age are laying up in a nursing home getting high on prescription meds and peeing on themselves, Rutan owns face. In the SMAX future, Burt Rutan is a cyborg who still has Elvis sideburns. Rutan is so hardcore, if you want to be his apprentice you have to build your own aircraft from scratch then fly it over to New Mexico to join him.

At this point, he probably has replaced his heart with a machine and has a metal gauntlet with an impact weapon.

Does Rec Commons need a "Burt Rutan Facts" thread?

[Kilkakon]

Here's my attempt at the city and sea city. Didn't get time to do walls, but I can do them after people say yay or nay.

I liked your gold flower there Davy! I've attached the naked one as I forgot to do it last time, in case it helps.