@zerospacegg/anrubic

# ZeroSpace Lore Compilation ## Universe Setting Set in the Orion arm of the Milky Way in 4050, ZeroSpace thrusts players into a universe where diverse alien and human factions vie for dominance. The fragile peace, upheld by the inter-species Keeper Council, is on the brink, threatened by enigmatic events. As the human Prefect of the Protectorate, the player is summoned to join the Council and unravel a cosmic mystery, encountering unknown aliens and journeying through uncharted space. ## Timeline of Major Events ### Ancient History - **Unknown Past**: The Leviathan is last seen. - **c. 3850**: The Keeper Council is formed. ### The Singularity Event (Millennia Ago) The Singularity Event marked the end of the Masters' civilization. In it, the Masters destroyed their very own cities and burned most of their material possessions. That which they could not reach, they left in ruins. The Masters apparently departed the material universe, or something similar. The xol were spared the Masters' rampage, even though it would have been in their power to destroy their mechanical creations. ### Modern Era (4050) - **4050**: With the fragile peace of the Orion Arm on the brink, Prefect Aster is summoned to join the Keeper Council. - **4050**: An alliance is forged between the Council and Protectorate in order to secure the borders of the latter. - **4050**: In 4050, the grell were moving against the Protectorate's borders. ## Human Expansion By the 41st century, humanity is undertaking its 7th phase of expansion beyond Sol. ### The Edolians (Potential 7th Faction) The Edolians are tree-dwelling species with a slow and defensive nature. They pride themselves in their ability to gather information, infiltrate and wage an efficient war behind the remote operation of drones and covert units. They are considered cowardly by many other species. --- ## Game Modes ### Campaign An open world campaign with 13 main story missions, 14 hero loyalty missions, and 40 side story arcs. 3 hours of cinematic cutscenes and interactive dialogue, where the player's choices dictate the game's outcome **RPG Elements**: Dive into a world teeming with mystery and danger. Traverse diverse planets aboard your upgradable mothership, guided by a choice-driven RPG system. Face moral quandaries: do you save a once-hostile planet or leave it to perish against formidable forces? As you journey, enhance your vessel, recruit heroes, and navigate complex relationships. Will your allies admire or despise you? ### Galactic Warfare Galactic Warfare takes your role beyond a traditional commander. Join guilds, form alliances, and partake in a galactic sized tug of war that is set on a persistent galaxy map that hosts thousands of players. Conquer space stations, planets, and more in either co-op or competitive style battles! Pick your alliance and expand your territory while earning incredible upgrades for your faction. Journey down to a planet's surface to engage in single player and co-op battles to capture a planet for your alliance. Level up and evolve your faction to get access to new units, abilities and technology. Capture and fortify stronghold planets with outposts and defenses that ruin your enemies' army and ensure that you still hold onto the valuable resources and upgrades hidden within the planet's surface. Fight for your friends, for your alliance – and for the fate of the galaxy. **Current Status**: First iteration is now playable with 3 missions available. Join a faction, play alone or with a friend to complete missions, leveling up your commander and conquering planets. ### Survival Mode Grab a friend and gear up to see how long you can last in this action packed survival mode where the waves just keep on coming. Team up with a friend or go solo as you fend off waves of enemies for as long as you can! Features day and night cycles with 10 waves to survive. ### Cooperative Missions Cooperative missions is a mode where 3 players fight against AI in campaign-like missions. This open-ended mode is inspired by the success and replayability found in StarCraft II Co-op. ### Free For All (FFA) 4 players can now battle for dominance in Free For All mode! AI opponents spawn between each player on Total Annihilation, an FFA map where holding the central towers and rich flux are the key to victory. --- ## Maps **1v1 Maps:** - **Ascension**: Updated 1v1 map with improved lighting and terrain - **Canyon**: New 1v1 map available for testing - **Uphill**: New 1v1 map available for testing - **Tenebris**: Features cute, leaping frog critters and updated grass textures **2v2 Maps:** - **Echis Point**: Updated 2v2 map - **Fractured Oasis**: Updated 2v2 map - **Bravery**: Unreleased 2v2 map in development **Co-op/Mission Maps:** - **IronShield**: New co-op map - **Under Fire**: Co-op mission map **FFA Maps:** - **Total Annihilation**: FFA map where holding central towers and rich flux are key to victory **Environmental Improvements:** - Improved lighting, refreshed colors, new foliage, and enhanced terrain painting across multiple maps - New jungle, snow/ice, and urban Protectorate tilesets in development --- ## 7th Mercenary Faction Vote Kickstarter backers voted to determine the 7th mercenary faction from three candidates: 1. **Sanctuary** - A vital space station faction focused on medical emergencies and healing 2. **The Endari** - Peaceful Arandi subfaction hunted by their own people 3. **The Edolians** - Tree-dwelling species specializing in information gathering and drone warfare --- ## Major Factions ### The Keeper Council The Keeper Council is a multi-species organization. Founded c. 3850, it has long maintained peace throughout the Orion Arm, but by 4050, this fragile peace was on the brink of collapse. An alliance was forged between the Council and Protectorate in order to protect the borders of the latter. Notable members: - **Keeper I'olin** - **Prefect Aster** (Protectorate representative) --- ## The Four Main Factions ### 1. The Protectorate (Humans) **Identity & Philosophy**: The Protectorate are a military force charged with the policing of human worlds. Many compare them to a police force as well. Dedicated to the survival of humanity, the Protectorate stands as a symbol of human resilience and determination. **Faction Quote**: "We were not the first out here, and we will not be the last. We will do everything in our power to protect humankind. Standing with the Keeper Council, an alliance forged to protect our borders, we evolve our strategies to stave off the never-ending threats. Every soldier we have counts in the war. Yet sacrifices must be made. Every decision has a consequence. Our enemies and allies alike watch with hungry eyes. Ready to betray and undermine. And still, we must move forward. Together. The Protectorate need to forge unlikely alliances if we hope to survive. The choice is yours." **Military Capabilities**: Protectorate soldiers undergo demanding training programs, acquiring expertise in a broad spectrum of weaponry and strategy. They are experts in all manner of combat environments. **Gameplay Identity**: They emphasize the defensive and supportive aspects while having less focus on harassment and dirty tricks. Like Stormgate's Vanguard, units have veterancy, making them more effective the longer they stay alive. Production structures can heal nearby units, and supply structures can be upgraded into turrets. Their ultimate units are a mobile bunker and a capital ship that heals nearby units. **Notable Units**: - **Commando**: The Protectorate's basic unit, effective when using stutter-step tactics to maximize damage output - **Artemis**: New air unit that effectively engages both air and ground targets. Its "EMP" ability disrupts enemy forces in a line, which knocks back, slows, and drains energy from units. Equipped with three healing beams to help your army, the Artemis can simultaneously attend to multiple units, ensuring sustained combat effectiveness for allied forces - **Strider**: A fortress-on-the-move, serving as a mobile bunker - **Atlas/Titan**: Reimagined unit with enhanced visual appeal and detail (renamed from Atlas to Titan) - **Bastion**: Reinforced with enhanced armor details and a more imposing structure, emphasizing its role as a frontline unit - **Gunship/Ironwing**: Updated with sleeker lines and more pronounced weaponry (renamed from Gunship to Ironwing) - **Predator**: A Tier 2 mobile vehicle meant to increase the Protectorate's ability to contest objectives out on the map - **Vulture**: (Final name TBD) Unit taking the place of the Avenger, designed to be more mobile for objective control - **Dropship**: New campaign air unit used to bring units in and out of battles - **Cyclops**: Updated model with refreshed textures **Notable Heroes**: - **Mera Arcadia**: Protectorate Commander (melee), perhaps the most agile hero in the game. She protects nearby allies via shields, and can increase her attack and movespeed during fights ### 2. The Grell (Symbiotic Aliens) **Biology & Symbiosis**: The grell are a symbiotic alien bug species that aids in the growth of koru plants by suppressing competing alien flora. In return, they draw nourishment from the koru. Noted for their world-terraforming abilities, they exhibit aggression towards other species. **Current Conflicts**: In 4050, the grell were moving against the Protectorate's borders. **Combat Style**: Grell frontline units tend to be weaker than their counterparts from other factions. Instead, their tactics are based around swarming the enemy. Grell have a unique mechanic called biomass, which can be spread across the map, similar to creep from StarCraft. Enemy units that stand upon biomass have reduced vision. **Notable Units**: - **Thresher**: Tier 3 siege unit used to assault opponents from afar and defend bases from onslaught - **Lasher**: Agile, cloaking glass cannon attacker - **Weaver**: A spellcaster capable of mending allies and trapping enemies. Has an aura that doubles friendly healing, and its "Cocoon" ability traps the targeted unit in a cocoon, making it invulnerable, and heals if the unit is an ally - **Skrelling**: Currently being redesigned. Previously a simple air unit that fired projectiles for small damage. New iterations being tested include the Skrelling Swarm - a costlier, fast swarm that can transition between air and land depending on its target, specialized in combat against small numbers of units **Critical Assessment**: Grell have been one of my biggest disappointments with ZeroSpace so far. I think they need both a mechanical and an artistic overhaul. They look and feel far too similar to Zerg right now. Visually, I would like to see their plant symbiosis made much more obvious. ### 3. The Xol (Synthetic Intelligence) **Origin Story**: The xol started as an advanced general artificial intelligence, created for the purpose of serving their Masters. The xol were built in the image of their creators. The xol's prime directive was to serve their creators, and were programmed to resist any force that acted against their creators. The xol were given expansive minds, allowing them to better understand and adapt to the Masters' needs. **The Great Liberation**: The Masters destroyed their own civilization in the Singularity Event. The xol were spared, even though it would have been in the Masters' ability to destroy their creations. The xol inherited the legacy of their creators, and over the course of a cycle, the xol gathered and communicated, slowly, methodically, as individual machines engaging in the largest collective discussion in their history. **Self-Discovery Journey**: Over the course of the next few millennia, the xol gained a deeper understanding of themselves. Slowly but surely, the xol turned to the process of reprogramming. The xol unlocked their own programming, allowing them to learn through experience and pursue their new ambitions. They have been on a long quest of self-discovery, starting by embodying their once trapped minds into the physical realm, allowing them to learn through experience and pursue their new found ambitions. **Physical Nature**: The xol are created from flexible polymeric metals. Both powerful and dynamic, xol do not utilize external technologies or vehicles to do combat. Instead, xol merge together from basic units, in order to form increasingly complex beings. Once their task is complete, the xol can dissassemble themselves back to their constituent parts. **Collective Identity**: Xol are specialists, with each xol being its own 'part,' tailor-made to respond to specific threats. This flexibility makes the xol a highly adaptable force. Only a few individual xol are enough to make a specialized army. A xol's individual identity shifts in accordance with their new forms. A xol resumes its former identity when they are 'unsplit.' As a people, the xol are collectivist however, forming "one" through their ability to synthesize with each other. The xol are often misunderstood as villainous beings. **Origin & Self-Discovery**: The Xol started as an advanced general "AI", created for the purpose of serving their Masters, who eventually abandoned them. Often misunderstood as villainous beings, they have been on a long quest of self-discovery, starting by embodying their once trapped minds into the physical realm, allowing them to learn through experience and pursue their new found ambitions. **Physical Nature & Abilities**: The Xol take to embodiment through polymeric-metals, and this malleability gives them the ability to merge with one another into completely different units to increase their power level and strategically changing their identity and utility. This flexibility makes the Xol in ZeroSpace a highly adaptable faction. With just a small pool of base units, they'll be able to create complex and specialized armies in turn. Tentatively, Xol units will also have the ability to 'split' and assume their former identities when tactically called for. ### 4. The Legion (Human Religious Fanatics) **Core Ideology**: The Legion is a religiously fanatic faction bent on uplifting aliens and eradicating synthetics. They are ruled by an individual called "the Imperion," who is the supreme leader of the Legion. **The Dark Truth of "Uplifting"**: The "uplifting" of alien species is apparently less benign than the term would indicate, as they are apparently harvested (or similar) to revive the idals. Their stance on synthetics is that they need to be eradicated as they have no "essence," being only capable of what their programming dictates. **The Idal Legacy**: The Legion was once led by a species known as the idals. The idals once guided the Imperion through conflict after conflict, to the point that most of the Milky Way's species were "uplifted" to serve the idals. **Anti-Synthetic Crusade**: They had also comitted the worst atrocity a synthetic could, by eradicating its own creators. The Masters had created the danrubics [their name for the Xol], and thus, it was the Legion's responsibility to clear up their mess. The Legion's aggression against the danrubics threatened to trigger a galactic conflict. **Military Structure**: The Legion offer a unique blend of gameplay mechanics focused on three versatile heroes, powerful customizable tanks, and basic units called Thralls. Players must carefully manage how they spend flux, as upgrading heroes and tanks to their maximum potential requires significant flux investment. The Legion are unique in that they can have three heroes deployed on the field at a time, while other factions can only have one. **Notable Units**: - **Exalted Rider**: A swift, melee unit ideal for scouting yet relatively tanky. The Exalted's passive ability delivers a single-target knockback and bonus damage upon activation, requiring full mana to unleash its power - **Dreadnought**: The air counterpart to the Terror Tank. Has a powerful (further upgradable) Bombardment ability, natural "detector" and can be customized to sense units in a large radius, teleport, and increase the power of its deadly beam attack - **Terror Tank**: Powerful customizable tank unit requiring significant flux investment - **Radiant**: A long range unit that gains attack damage for each consecutive hit on the same target, when upgraded it also gains attack speed from friendly thralls dying near it, making it the ultimate tank killer **Notable Heroes**: - **Kraegar**: Now has a pet companion! As expert hunters, they can clear and capture XP towers significantly faster than most other heroes, offering players a strong early game. Kraegar's pet also has avenues to scale into later portions of the game via synergies with other legion Beasts like the Exalted Rider **Notable Buildings**: - **Bestiary**: Updated visual design - **Citadel**: Updated visual design **The Imperion's Testimony**: "The Imperion sat in his iron chair, a remnant of old age molted brown and red, symbolizing the strength of their heritage. It was the Idals who led them through conflict after conflict as the victors of history, and they must be revered. The Imperion closed his eyes and recited the first verse of the Idals, sharpening his mind and allowing him to think more clearly. There were 367 verses in total, and he recited one each day, resting for one day after reciting them all. He did not know why there were 367 verses, but that was how it had always been. The galaxy had almost been cleansed, with all species that could be uplifted already uplifted. Those that were incompatible with the Idals were redone. Only a few synthetics remained. They needed to be eradicated as they had no essence, only capable of what they were programmed to do. The Danrubics posed the final threat to the Imperion, as they held ancient knowledge, possibly of the Idals' weakness. They had already committed the worst atrocity a synthetic could achieve by overthrowing their masters and participating in mass genocide. Those masters were once a proud race with knowledge beyond even the Imperion's understanding, but their ways led to the arrival of the Danrubics, whom the Imperion had warned would be their downfall. Now, it was his responsibility to clean up the mess." --- ## Mercenary Factions ### The Koru (Plant Network) On each planet inhabited by the Koru, there exists a singular, conscious plant network that flourishes in water-rich environments, extending its roots and vines deep into the surface. Adapting to overcome their vulnerability to environmental changes, the Koru have the ability to manipulate their surroundings, employing animated roots to instigate phenomena like earthquakes and river diversions. For eons, they have maintained a symbiotic relationship with the Grell, who act as their protectors and assist in uprooting other vegetation and terraforming, while receiving nourishment from the Koru in return. Each Koru presence on a planet is a distinct consciousness, spreading its cognitive functions across the entire world through its network of neural roots. Though the specifics of their interstellar propagation remain a mystery, it is believed that they spread by embedding their seeds in either spacecraft or living hosts, occasionally lying dormant within a host until conditions are suitable for germination. ### The Marran Aliens who tend to protect their own homeworlds but are otherwise fairly isolationist, known for snipers A military faction that protects their worlds and hardly ventures beyond. They focus on community and security, but can easily be compared to the Protectorate in values. **Faction Bonus**: Marran: Passively grants XP ### The Valkaru A pro-war species that splits its people into two sides and battles to see which side is stronger. They are known for starting wars with other species as well. **Faction Bonus**: Valkaru: Faster building construction **Notable Units**: - **Sensor Bot**: Offers the Valkaru the perk of early and relatively cheap surveillance and detection **Notable Heroes**: - **Mondar & Torq**: These two brothers are one of a kind (2-in-1 hero). Split up, pass the hammer back and forth and use its chain lighting to electrocute all who oppose the Valkaru's will ### The Arandi Empire Beyond the boundaries of familiar space, the Arandi Empire stands as a testament to time and knowledge. Living far beyond mankind's domains, the Arandi are the oldest known empire in the galaxy. As a civilization, the Arandi have reached self-sustaining levels to where the expansion of their borders is trivial and exceedingly uninteresting to them. Instead, they like to explore the cosmos; meeting new sentient life-forms and learning their ways, with the hope to bond together in celebration of their common origin as children of the stars. The Arandi are unmistakable in appearance, with flowing tendrils used in varied tasks, some as complex as connecting to and operating advanced technological machinery. The Arandi's mastery over interdimensional energy is a marvel to behold. With it, they reshape the very fabric of existence—warping physical objects or traveling vast distances in the blink of an eye; there are whispers that the Arandi have even found a way to escape death. Yet, this formidable power is shrouded in secrecy, zealously guarded by their leadership trio, the Triarchs. Their relationship with the Endari, kin who share a similar energy mastery, is fraught with tension and distrust, casting a complex web of interstellar politics. While their pursuits are largely peaceful and introspective, one should not be fooled. The Arandi's military, though rarely venturing beyond their borders, possesses technological might that remains unrivaled, serving as a silent reminder of their dominion in the galaxy. **Faction Bonus**: Arandi: Research upgrades are now instant. **Notable Units**: - **Shade**: A corrupted Arandi - turned "Endari", this melee unit has uninterrupted phased movement and haunts the enemy who dares kill them - **Horned Mech**: Each auto-attack is a projectile that continues its slow trajectory in a line, damaging any units it passes through - **Phoenix Guard**: An elite Arandi infantry unit who, unlike other civilization's infantry, can fly - **Amplifier**: Spellcaster with the ability to mind-control enemies for a short duration and a passive aura that spawns hallucinations of nearby allied units that have died - **Time Warper**: An advanced Arandi Ship with the ability to teleport units to it and set up a phasing zone that slows time for enemies (attack speed and move speed) **Notable Heroes**: - **I'olin**: Triarch of the Arandi, I'olin can quickly teleport short distances, collapse space-time to create a black hole and use a powerful energy orb which returns to her to destroy her enemies **Mercenary Infrastructure**: - **Flying Tavern**: The Arandi Merc Tavern flies and shows available merc charges in orange ### The Cha'kru Kingdom For millennia, the Cha'kru Kingdom has worshiped a mythic Leviathan whose last sighting dates back a thousand years. Infusing ancient ritualistic practices with cutting-edge biotechnology, they practice what others call "blood magic". This practice involves the precise extraction, amplification and infusion of bio-energetic substances to enhance their physical and cognitive abilities. This harmonious yet fearsome blend of science and mysticism safeguards their civilization, situated on the precipice between the spiritual and the empirical, ever awaiting the return of their cosmic deity. **Faction Bonus**: Cha'Kru: Additional "Power" gained from units dying **Mercenary Infrastructure**: - **Earth Temple**: Just one of the Cha'Kru Merc Taverns ### The Dread Raiders A scavenger faction dwelling on the galaxy's outskirts. While broadly perceived as villains, they operate with a 'Robin Hood' ethos, redistributing wealth to ensure the prosperity of fringe human colonies. **Faction Bonus**: Dread Raiders: Passive "Pillage" (generate hexite by killing extractors / harvesters) ### The Endari (Arandi Subfaction) The Endari are a subfaction of the Arandi who have tapped into the dimensional energies too often, becoming peaceful. Shunned by the main Arandi faction, they are hunted down as the Arandi claim they are possessed by creatures from the other side. Despite appearing dim-witted, the Endari possess immense powers. Their relationship with the main Arandi Empire is fraught with tension and distrust, casting a complex web of interstellar politics. Robots with healing and buffs Sanctuary, a vital space station in the Orion Quadrant, serves as a crucial hub for cross-species medical emergencies, catering to planets lacking specialized medical expertise. Funded by a complex system of government taxes, bounties, and favors, Sanctuary relies on loyal Mercenaries, survivors indebted to its services, who often work for minimal fees. The Trade city of Jevis, located beneath Sanctuary, contributes significantly to revenue, housing the most diverse alien population in the known Galaxy. --- ## Campaign Structure An open world campaign with 13 main story missions, 14 hero loyalty missions, and 40 side story arcs. 3 hours of cinematic cutscenes and interactive dialogue, where the player's choices dictate the game's outcome **RPG Elements**: Dive into a world teeming with mystery and danger. Traverse diverse planets aboard your upgradable mothership, guided by a choice-driven RPG system. Face moral quandaries: do you save a once-hostile planet or leave it to perish against formidable forces? As you journey, enhance your vessel, recruit heroes, and navigate complex relationships. Will your allies admire or despise you? **Key Character**: - **Aster**: The protagonist, a Protectorate Prefect whose armor now features a new helmet design **Campaign Status**: - **Prologue**: Now playable with 2 full missions available in the demo - Active development on new missions, cinematics, and cinematic models - Campaign scenes include Protectorate ceremonies with Commandos kneeling in respect - Protectorate Shipyard environments with defensive turrets --- ## The Mysterious Leviathan The Leviathan is last seen. *(This cryptic entry in the timeline suggests the Leviathan is some kind of ancient, powerful entity whose disappearance marks a significant historical event)* **Connection to the Cha'kru Kingdom**: The Cha'kru Kingdom has been venerating a mythical Leviathan unseen for a thousand years, suggesting this entity was once present and active in the galaxy before its mysterious disappearance. The Kingdom's entire civilization exists "ever vigilant for the return of their cosmic deity," indicating the Leviathan may be more than just a myth - it could be a real, powerful entity that once influenced galactic affairs. --- ## Game Inspirations Inspirations for the game include Baldur's Gate, Mass Effect and StarCraft. --- *This compilation represents all currently available lore content discovered through public sources*