Advancement Systems & Faction History

[captcoyote]

I would like to see the Third Way come up with a fancier advancement system.

I was with the Third Way in game 2, so I did not know any better. Now in game 3 I have been with the Navy and the Oman and have been impressed with the way they advance people. It is really no big thing, but in the Navy you start out as a Lieutenant and work your way up to some form of Admiralship (I only made it to level 9, Fleet Admiral before I left). In the Oman, I am not sure what language they are using but that language is used to signify your advancement. Right now I am "Naqeeb" level 6. I am guessing that it is some form of Arabic language.

In my story of for the (string) "The search :confused: for Wingee" I describe the Third Way as a religious faction out to convert the world. I also use jewels as a way of identifying various characters. I was thinking that something like this could be used to signify advancement. For instance: level 1 could be "discipleship" or "tiger's eye"; level 2 could be "dogma" or "peridot"; level 3 could be "tourmaline" or "obedience"; level 4 could be "clarity" or "topaz"; Level 5 could be "Knowledge" or "Jade."; Level 6 could be "Wisdom" or "Pearl"; Level 7 could be "Epiphany" or "Sapphire"; Level 8 could be "Salvation" or "Emerald"; Level 9 could be "Unity" or "Ruby"; and Level 10 could be "Miracles", "Divinity" or "Diamond." Just a suggestion.

Of course this begs another question that has always been on my mind. I hear talk that this game has some history, i.e., that each faction was intended to represent a type of people. In TVS you can spend a lot of time reading about each planet and what the various factions are like. This type of history is not intrinsic to EoCo, so one can only guess what is behind each faction. When I joined the Navy, in game 3, I was given the impression that the whole game was really written around this faction in particular. I was essentially told that in the original game the Navy was considered the protectors of Liberty in general (not just the planet). I was even told that "Clay" your online hint provider was actually a Navy man.

It is my understanding that MCA, and MAAS are both abbreviations, but I have no idea what those abbreviations mean. I also have an understanding from previous post that the MAAS has something to do with a business, but I have no idea what the MCA is supposed to represent. Also the league, what the heck is the league? Does anybody have any answers to these questions? And what do TTW members think of my advancement system? If you don't like it, what would you propose? Do other factions have fancy advancement systems?
Just curious.
:confused:

[inVurt]

Well, the history of the various factions really is laid out in the game Independence War 2: Edge of Chaos, around which this is all based. Off the top of my head, though, I couldn't really give you the low down on all the politics, since there's quite a bit in the game history. In the first game, I-War, the Alliance Navy were the "good guys", but in I-War2, they're kind of like the status-quo, or the police. Just government forces, really.

As for Oman rankings, they conspicuously stop after rank 6 or so, after which you just get the number. A bug or oversight, mayhaps?

-- inVurt

[Spektyr]

MCA - Mwari Colonial Alliance.

Maas - The Maas Corporation, named after the family that founded the corporation. The last Maas to sit in the CEO seat was Caleb Maas.

Basic Background:
(starting at the top, going clockwise around the map)

The Alliance Navy: The military of the government, the Alliance Navy isn't in a state of war, and is pretty much just the guys that get called in when the police can't handle the problem. However, in the Badlands, police/govt response depends heavily on who you are, not what the crime that's commited is.

The Mwari Colonial Alliance (MCA): This isn't fully explained exactly who they are in the game, but from what I can surmise they are a bunch of small business owners and people from the Mwari system that have banded together for mutual protection. The MCA produces or buys/sells a lot of advanced hardware used by the police and military, such as the Advanced Patcom.

The Maas Corporation: A gigantic corporation that owns the papers of indenture on a vast number of the indentured laborers in the Badlands cluster. It is the single most powerful corporation in the cluster. In the sim-game it is run by Caleb Maas, a ruthless tycoon known for goading his rivals into duels that he wins. He's a "hands-on" kind of guy and doesn't mind getting bloody.

The Third Way (TTW): Centered on Eureka, one of the few habitable planets in the Badlands, TTW is the primary supplier of food supplies to the Badlands. They are very elitist, referring to all non-TTW people as "lower-caste people". They feel they are genetically superior, and most people in the Badlands leave them alone because they are incredibly insulting, arrogant, and important to not tick off if you like eating.

The Oman: A group of people with a strong heritage, one of the only groups that can trace their lineage all the way back to before the colonization of the Badlands. They have a rich culture that seems to be middle-eastern based. All Oman that wish to become men must pass the Trials of Testing; Courage, Cunning, and Wisdom. Few outside pilots attempt this test and even fewer pass. They generally keep to themselves and mind their own business.

The League: A group of small business owners much like the MCA, only centered in the Hoffer's Wake system. Like the MCA they banded together for mutual protection, but lack the level of technology the MCA have. What they lack in hardware they make up for in comradierie and a sense of brotherhood.

In the EoC game storyline, the factions play the following roles:

Navy: basically neutral, ending as allies.
MCA: good guys
Maas: bad guys
TTW: a pain in the rear to talk to, but reluctantly helpful
Oman: Once you prove yourself by completing the Trials, you're a member of the family. Good guys
League: Good guys. Once you pass their 'entrance test' they're dedicated allies.

[tekno monik]

League's entrance test was lots of fun :-)

[Hamsterlord]

Originally posted by Spektyr
The Mwari Colonial Alliance (MCA): This isn't fully explained exactly who they are in the game, but from what I can surmise they are a bunch of small business owners and people from the Mwari system that have banded together for mutual protection. The MCA produces or buys/sells a lot of advanced hardware used by the police and military, such as the Advanced Patcom.

Direct from encyclopedia:

Mwari, one of the earliest colonies in the Badlands Cluster, was best prepared to go it alone when the corporations started buying up rights to the other systems.
They succeed in forming their own, self-sufficient set of stations and planetside operations.

The long-term goal of the M.C.A is to restart the terraforming projects abandoned by the New Alliance Government. In the more immediate term, they are
dedicated to producing a defence force to fight the growing ranks of pirates and gangsters which plague the Badlands.


They were a colony, not business owners. They had the resources and manpower to establish their own, self-sustaining government, which spanned the entire system. A fledgling industrial democracy.

[captcoyote]

Originally posted by inVurt
Well, the history of the various factions really is laid out in the game Independence War 2: Edge of Chaos, around which this is all based.
-- inVurt
Where is this game that you speak of? Is EoCo all that is left of it, or is it still available? Was it a game that you could buy in stores? Is there a current version that you can buy?

Hamsterlord also mentioned an "encyclopedia"? Is there really an encyclopedia or is he pulling my leg?

It just seems that many of you know so much about this game, and I feel like this is news to me.

[Hookem]

Independence war2 is a game you buy. In it you are a pirate that turns mercinary when the Maraders start to playge the Badlands.

the encycalpidea is in the game its explains history, technology and alot of other things.

[tekno monik]

Go to http://www.independencewar.com/

To get info on I-War2: Edge of Chaos, click on the green link on the left.. one on the otherside of the ship is a link to info about Independence War.