Story Board Brainstorming Sink

Species suggestions, story ideas and contributions.
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Voice In the Wilderness
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#61 Post by Voice In the Wilderness »

Oh, agreed, there needs to be some reason that they start off at the same level of tech.

And they should Probably get Stealth Ships like the Darloks did, at the beginning of the game.

Impaler
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My Magnum Opus

#62 Post by Impaler »

I am currently working on my Magnum Opus Race.

The Nairb

So far I have about half the thing done. I would like some feed back. The genral theam is that of an inquisitive, creative, peacefull race that is able to interface with machines and each other by a direct nural linkage which gives them excelent space combat advantages (think vulcan mind medl). But they are prevented from being war-mongers by their the disatisfaction of their Peacefull population.


The Nairb


The Nairb are a race of intelligent, peaceful and inquisitive crabs that live beneath an Icy moon and are capable of direct neural linkage with each other and their machines.



Home Planet

The Nairb live in the Dlonyer system which is a Binary system. The main star is a cool Red/Orange star, the companion is an insignificant Brown dwarf orbiting at great distance. Neither star though is very significant to the Nairb as they live deep below an Icy Crust. Their world is actually a moon only slightly smaller then Earth orbiting a large Gas Giant. The Nairb call this moon the Sphere of Dlonyer or just S-Dlyonyer for short. They have know for a long time that their world is a sphere and that they inhabit the inner surface of that sphere. But until recently though they knew of nothing beyond the icy crust of their world. Beneath the 20 Kilometer thick ice crust their lies a salty Ocean 3-8 kilometers thick. At the bottom of this ocean are long winding Ocean spreading ridges driven by the planets internal heat. The heat is of course the result of tidal fluctuations with the Parent Gas Giant and 2 other smaller moons. These heat output of these spreading ridges along with a few isolated volcanoes create plumes of warm water that rise the full depth of the Ocean and even go so far as too thin the over riding ice sheet by a few kilometers over the hottest vents. A complex array of life forms live on the sea floor around the vents but this is not ware the Nairb live. The Nairb inhabit the Upper Ecology of the planet. They live at the Ice/water boundary, it is at this point that the water cools sufficiently to alow several important compounds to precipitate out of solution. These chemicals include Cyanide, Calcium Di-phosphate and Sulfur Nitrate. Along with reproductive spores upwelling from the bottom dwelling organisms support a ecosystem of chemo-synthetic algae vines and filter feeders that root themselves into the bottom of the Ice sheet. The Nairb are the top predator of this Ecosystem and feed on the small fish that live among the alga strands.

Physiology

An individual Nairb is just under 1 meter long when fully grown, their bodies are rounded bulbous and tick like. Their body is covered in a tough chitinous shell which, as they grow they molt this shell dozens of times and bloat their bodies before the new shell hardens. Each Nairb has six jointed crab like legs distributed evenly around bottom side of its body. Each leg about 30 centimeters long and contains three joints. At the terminus is a large Suction Cup 10 Centimeters across, within each cup there are 7 small claws that are hinged to the edge of the cup and a capable of folding away inside of the cup or folding completely out of it. The Nairb use these suction-cupped limbs to move about on the bottom of the Icy Crust and use the claws to grasp the small fish, which are their food. Their claws are also used to make burrows into the ice sheet of the planet, in which the Nairb live. The Nairb never need to worry about sinking as they are made naturally buoyant by gass pockets inside their body. In fact it is impossible for the Nairb to leave the bottom of the Ice Crust unaided, they live their entire lives upside down in or on the underside of the Ice crust.
Needless to say the Nairb (along with everything else on Dloyner) are completely blind, they communicate with ultra high frequency sound waves. The rapid vibration of four hardened overlapping plates that form their mouth generates the Sounds. The plates are serrated and arranged around the central mouth opening, when they snap together rapidly the sound waves generated are strong enough to stun their prey, which is then rapidly shredded by the scissoring action of the plates. Similar but more complex sounds are used for long distance communication between individuals. The food is sucked into their central stomach cavity ware it is digested. Unlike many other organisms the Nairb lack a one way digestive track , their stomach s a dead end, any undigested remnants are regurgitated when digestion is complete. The Nairb absorb Oxygen by means of 5 cm long gill fans which poke through holes in their outer shell in five parallel lines, when threatened they can retract all of these inside the shell for as long as their Oxygen supply lasts, which averages 5 minutes. These Gill fans are also the site of their sensitive hearing which they use as their primary sense, their hearing is powerful enough to guide them and allow them to hunt their prey by passive rather then active acoustics. Their Central Nervous system is large and rests directly under the Gill retraction sacks and is organized into five long lobes underlying each line of Gill fans. Each lobe acts as a parallel processor for its set of Acoustic gill fans resulting in their amazing hearing capacity.
But the most amazing capability of the Nairb is their nural linkage ability. Above Each individual mouth there is a long tear drop shaped bump in their shell, this is in fact the armored side of the lower portion of their neural appendage when it is retracted. The appendage is hinged at the base near the mouth and has a second hinge under the point the tear drop. When the limb unfolds it can stretch half a meter. At its tip folded beneath the bottom of the Tear drop is the neural pad, it resembles the prepossess of a Fly, along its edge are 26 short grasping hooks that perfectly mesh with that of another Neural pad like the clasping of two hands. This all acts to bring the 2 pads into perfect alignment so the millions of nerve endings in the pad form active synapses with the endings of the opposing pad. When two Narib link in this way they can communicate by thought alone. The effect is described by the Nairb as being able to listen to the others mind directly, information as well as emotion can be sent. Individuals must become familiar with the thought patterns of others though and as they do the detail and depth of the exchange increases. This serves as the key to their social interactions.
The Nairb Reproduce by egg laying. All Narib are Hermaphrodites who breed very rairly. Fertilization is performed by a gland located at the center of the Neural Pad. Eggs mature underneath the shell and are held dormant in the body until the next molting. The eggs are then shed with the old shell. The Adult will then guard the Shell Husk and its precious eggs. After 40 days the clutch of 20-30 eggs hatch into 5 cm long infant Nairb. These mature over the course of 12 years and around 30 moldings and are feed by the Adult during this time. Nairb have an extremely long life span and they continue to grow during this time, with the exception of their Neural appendage which remains constant in size beyond the 12th year to maximize compatibility. The average age at death is 250 years and the cause it usually accidental like an Ice burrow cave in or acute bacterial infection.

Society

The Nairb organized themselves into small breeding groups that average 3 members, though single pairs and groups up too 5 are not uncommon. Three is considered to be the ideal group in Nairb society because it gives the best balance between quantity and quality of Nural Linkage depth. Too many individuals can not effectively communicate because of unfamiliarity with each other’s though patterns and too few are felt to be un-enriching. These breeding groups form the basic unit of social structure and are linked together by weaker less familiar bonds. Young Nairb are the exclusive property of the individual that hatched them, the other biological parent is generally unknown (because reproduction can be performed with any linkage of their Nural appendages the Nairb are highly Promiscuous) and has no claim over or responsibility over the young if they are known. Once the young mature they disperse and form new breeding groups with other adolescent individuals, the selection of mates is nearly random, as the Nairb are not picky. In Nairb society WHO you know is as important as WHAT you know, their society is highly “Patriarchal” (but of course with out the masculine connotations). Being connected by frequent and strong Nural Linkage to an older, wiser, and respected individual is at least as important as merit in obtaining status to the Nairb. Yet merit is still important, older individuals will often be judged by the quality of the followers they have attracted and visa-verse for the followers.
Another major characteristic of the Nairb is their incredible curiosity. The expression “Curiosity killed the Nairb” is often quite true, many of the accidents that kill older Nairb occur during experiments or journeys of exploration. This drive to discover and explore has been the force behind the tecnological accendency of the Nairb civalization.


Thats all I have so far, hope to finish them up soon. By the way did anyone notice who I honored with the name of the race and their Planet of origin?
Fear is the Mind Killer - Frank Herbert -Dune

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Geoff the Medio
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#63 Post by Geoff the Medio »

This thread's been dead (heh, rhyme) for some time (heh, again), but it seems the best place to mention this...

It occurrs to me that it might be fun to make reference to Superman / Kryptonians in a FO race (hopefully without violating any copyrights). I'm not going to flesh out the story details or anything, as I don't read comics, but the key gameplay effect I'm thinking of is to have a race that:

-On planets in systems with yellow suns, has big bonuses to ground combat, but equally big penalties to population growth

-On planets in systems with red suns, has roughly normal population growth, but big penalties to ground combat

It seems like this might make for some interesting unique strategic considerations for this race.

Other races could have similar bonuses / penalties as well... but this is the obvious / fun one in reference to the established story.

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utilae
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Re: Story Board Brainstorming Sink

#64 Post by utilae »

The gameplay effect would be good. As long as the race is not invincible like superman.

Kitsune-dono
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Re:

#65 Post by Kitsune-dono »

Geoff the Medio wrote:This thread's been dead (heh, rhyme) for some time (heh, again)
Well, not for long...

And a race affected by sun radiation? That's a wonderful idea. While we're at it, why don't all races have a certain planet type that they do especially well on? That would certainly improve gameplay.

Anyway, now for the reason I came here...

I deleted my race thread, rereading the rules, and am posting it up here instead. It's still under development. I decided to come up with a race based off a favored animal of mine, the Vulpes Vulpes, or Red Fox. I put quite a bit of thought into this as you can see.

Sorry, got carried away on the history. ^^;

Vulpez

Homeworld: Jessu (Yez-zu) means “Prison”
The home world of the Vulpez is rife with volcanic activity and high temperatures. The temperature on a good day is around 90*F. The planet is unique in the fact that despite the volcanic activity, it has small patches of fertile soil dotting the lands, and a single vast ocean covering half the planet. Unfortunately, the ocean’s water level is slowly rising, with the volcanoes spewing molten lava into it; it displaces the water and has slowly caused it to rise over the years.

Rain is sparse over the land, and if anything only contributes to the heat by adding humidity. However it isn’t looked entirely upon with contempt, seeing as it saves farmers a long trip to fetch water. The planet is technically Terran, but the volcanic activity of the planet makes that fact questionable.

Any other planets in the system are uninhabited and either barren, volcanic, or radioactive. Their planet is the farthest from the sun and the only planet that can really support life in the system.

Physical Description: Normally I’d just draw a picture, but my scanner broke.
The Vulpez are a bipedal fox-like race with orange-red, golden, and sometimes soot-gray fur covering their body head-to-toe. Their head is like that of a fox, but supports a number of facial expressions, but not as many as a human face. The upper torso of a vulpez is of similar build to humans, complete with arms, hands with five fingers, and they even have a similar muscle-layout.

The lower torso is where things change. Their feet are those of a fox, being digitigradic, meaning they walk on their toes. The legs are shaped like those of a foxes’ as well. A long bushy tail extends from the spine just above the buttocks.

Social Structure: The social structure of the Volpez is divided into castes, and the planet is run on an aristocracy. There are six castes. They are, in rank of greatest to least:
1. Aristocrats (Nobles, Upper class, "rich people", etc.)
2. Farmers
3. Scholars (Scientists, Philosophers, Teachers, etc.)
4. Craftsman (Smithies, Inventors, Architects, etc.)
5. Working Class (Middle Class)
6. Underclass (Peasantry)

Aristocrats: The aristocrats run the world and its provinces. All the land on the planet is on one central continent that takes up half the world, the other half being water. This entire continent is considered a single country divided into nine provinces. No single Vulpez rules over the country, instead, the nine individual provinces are each ruled over by a council made up of aristocrats. These aristocrats take votes on decisions involving the running of their own individual province. Not all Aristocrats are on councils, most are just filthy rich by birth or business.

Rarely do any two, or more province councils have to gather together to make a decision. At most other times, provinces are at war with one another, rather than in agreement. These wars were originally started by past aristocrats in order to keep the population to a manageable level for the planet to support. The wars still keep that purpose, but are started more over past disagreements or personal quarrels.

Farmers: Just under the aristocrats are the farmers. They are actually the most important Vulpez on the planet. Due to a low amount of fertile soil, they go to great pains to make sure their province and other provinces have food. Food is the one thing a province will never cut off from any other province. It's an unwritten law. Even during times of war, the two warring provinces keep food trade between one another at the same level of activity as non-warring times.

Scholars: Curious about the nature of things, the Vulpez put learning and discovery towards the top. They wish to find the way to the stars so they can finally reach the Promised Land. Most of their advancements have been attained in an effort to reach the land. scientists, philosophers, and teachers are all looked towards for the advancement of the race. New discoveries lead to new methods, and new technology aimed towards attaining a passage to the stars is used to improve the conditions of everyday life. The Vulpez are masters of discovery.

Craftsman: Just under the scholars are the people who put the theories to test. Craftsman have been a key to the advancement of technology for the Vulpez. Generally, the Vulpez are hard-pressed at following instructions. They'd rather try it their own way. In the process they discover better ways to do things than the instructions gave, thus coming up with a superior product in the end.

Working Class: These Vulpez are exactly what you think they are: the average Joe. They wake up, go to work, work, come home, sit on the couch, and then watch T.V. all afternoon while their wives nag at them about how the lawn needs mowing. Well... they don't really have a lawn to mow, but you get the idea.

Underclass: The bums, peasants, and poor of the Vulpez society. This is by no means the largest class, but it's not small either. This class generally is the ignored class, more likely to starve or die in some war than get ahead in life.

Based on the total population of the planet, the percentage of each caste is:
Aristocrats: 2%
Farmers: 7%
Scholars: 12%
Craftsman: 17%
Working Class: 35%
Peasantry: 27%

The current structure has all nine provinces working together in relative harmony. After the launching of a colony ship to find the Promised Land in space(see the history entry), they all await news from the ship. All war has ceased in the event of this occasion, and the peace can only be broken by the attrition waiting.

Race Attributes: The Vulpez are masters of discovery and engineering. They are capable of quickly deducing solutions to problems. Unfortunately, putting words to action is their downfall. They tend to screw things up the first five times, but in the end, the product produced is slightly superior to most products of its type due to the time and effort put into making it right. Also, due to the lack of fertile soil on their home planet, they have perfected farming on a level not seen in any other civilization.

Basically: They are able to attenuate research faster than most other races(Probably calculated by giving them a little boost in how much research is produced by planets inhabited by them). Unfortunately the production of ships, buildings, etc. take twice as long to produce due to the race’s innate failure magnetism. But when the final product is complete it is slightly better than one produced by other races. Like if the average scout traveled at a speed of 1.0, their scout would travel at 1.1, 1.05, or something like that. (Read their history, it's enlightening.) They also have a slight bonus in food harvesting.


I put the history last due to its length.

History:
For millennia, the Vulpez have longed to walk among the almost celestial lights of the night sky. They looked out at the tiny pinpoints of light, curious as to what they entailed. Were they the spirits of ancestors long dead, watching over them or were they pathways to other worlds, other people? Throughout the ages, the distant specs of light were reflected off the eyes of the Vulpez, and the thought of leaving their barren world to visit a greater place lived within them all.

They named their home planet Jessu(Yez-zu) which was their word for “prison”. Rich in metallic resources with sparse patches of fertile soil, the planet is rife with volcanic activity. The temperature is on average at 90*F on its nicest days. The Vulpez find this temperature uncomfortable, but not as gruelingly so as a human would. The sun the planet orbits is a red star, and no other planets orbit this star as far as the Vulpez know.

The conditions on the planet upon which they live have driven many Vulpez to believe in prophesy, preached by lore masters and storytellers. Legends tell of a Promised Land in the stars, a land rich in vegetation, comfortable to live in, and free of strife.

The legend started as a mere thought, like all do. From there it evolved into an idea. Ideas are shared, and spread, causing the idea to warp with each telling. Then, stories are formed, stories meant to entertain the muse. From stories, some derive truth. From those whom derive the false as truth, come preaching of such things that are desirable. From preaching of the desirable comes the want to believe this desirable goal. From there, comes hope, and all who are desperate cling to any hope they may have.

The legend spread throughout the people, many wanted to accept it, looking to the stars for this new land. But to reach this land, they would need to work for it. Centuries passed, and the Vulpez drew closer and closer to reaching the stars. Great astronomers studied and made charts engraved into rock. Scientists developed new ways to produce a means to an end. Philosophers compiled and researched new information, recording it down for future generations.

Technology advanced slowly but steadily. The Vulpez tried many different techniques. The building of tall towers that collapsed due to needed supports that weren’t there. The launching of Vulpez by catapult-like-devices turned out to be a fatal venture. Climbing the highest mountains proved futile when they were discovered to either be not tall enough, or so tall as to cause asphyxiation upon reaching a too-high elevation. Giant cannons proved just as futile as the catapults, but moreso fatal, although they managed to launch the Vulpez higher.

Despite the Vulpez’s ultimate goal, many things prevented them at times from advancing. Wars broke out over land and agricultural resources. Agriculture was valuable, and land that could support it even more. When things got rough for the individual nations, and food was short, wars broke out. Neither country actually expected to win these wars, but they knew that such events would lower the population count to preserve a modest food supply. Due to such constant warfare, the Vulpez population never grew beyond 50 million in total.

Despite the wars’ effect on slowing down the advancement of their eternal goal, one war promoted it. During the 89th war, a weapon smith was developing a new type of self-propelled weapon. This weapon had a fuse that ignited a lifting charge to propel it forward. Eventually the lit fuse would burn into a chamber of gunpowder that would cause it to explode upon reaching a certain distance. He called it a rocket(actually, it was called a Ituru in their language, but it translates to rocket). This new weapon was much more suited for wiping out the opposition than the cannons they had been using.

Despite its intention of being a weapon, an order devoted to reaching the Promised Land saw it as a means of reaching their destination. However, they weren’t too keen on blowing up upon reaching said destination, so they decided to redesign the rocket to a larger and safer scale. Scientists and smithies of the day caught onto this idea, and knew that the order was onto something. For centuries they perfected it, making discoveries as they moved along.

They improved it with studier building materials, safer methods of launch, more efficient sources of fuel, and safety features to keep the passengers safe if something went awry and the rocket came crashing down. As they progressed through the years, all their attempts met with failure. Every launch, something wasn’t right and sent the rocket hurtling off course to the demise of the passengers.

The people lost faith in the idea, shoving it aside knowing they would never get to their Promised Land. Yet again, centuries passed, and new discoveries were made. One such discovery changed the course of things for the Vulpez forever: electricity. With it came things like artificial lighting, mass communication, new methods of transit, and machinery to allow efficient production.

But the most important invention was a machine that revolutionized the way things were accomplished: the computer. This machine started out only useful for simple tasks and was scoffed at as entirely useless. But over the course of just one century, that changed. Computer technology advanced to a level that allowed them to calculate a means to reach the stars.

Suddenly, the rocket was back. The first computer network was set up to monitor computer systems onboard the rocket. The technology allowed for more control over the rocket, allowing them to add wings, flaps, and tails for piloting. The engines were redesigned on a new electrical system that allowed the pilot to control the thrust. As five years passed, experiments and theories were thrown around, and tested. Finally, they were ready.

The craft was dubbed Kohana Nerono, or in their language, Passage to the Stars. It supported only one passenger, the pilot, and was stuffed with so much technology and fail-safes that it was almost too heavy to fly. Almost.

The pilot made pre-flight checks with the staff of the launch team before firing up the rocket. It successfully started, causing a roar of applause from the observers. Then, it lifted off. The Kohana Nuerion was the first ship to successfully launch into space. Unfortunately, the venture was not success.

As the pilot traveled higher, he reported to the ground crew issues with breathing. The ground crew attributed it to the force of the rockets momentum pushing against him and blew it off, telling him not to worry about it. However, by the time the craft had exited the atmosphere, the pilot was already beginning to asphyxiate. He gasped trying to breath, in the not-so-airtight rocket as it decelerated under the planets gravitational pull. The rocket ran out of fuel to burn and suddenly came to a complete halt in midspace.

Going down.

It shuddered and burned up upon reentry, crashing down to the planet’s surface and shocking many watching from the ground. This failure did not stop the Vulpez, they merely constructed a more airtight design and installed life support systems. By the time they had figured out how to seal off the rocket to air and install life support, technology had minimized. Equipment was much smaller and easier to install, allowing for two passengers on this journey: the pilot and copilot.

This time when the rocket Kohana Nurono Tolak(Revised Passage to the Stars) launched into space, it entered an orbit around the planet. But now, they still had a dilemma: the stars weren’t any closer. Reporting their find to the ground crew, the issue came up of how they were supposed to get the rocket safely back to the planet’s surface. Unfortunately, no solution arose and the pilots ended up spending their final moments asphyxiating three days later.

But despite their supposed failure, the technology used in the program was picked up by independent businesses and used in their own projects. In an odd turn of events, the Vulpez became one of the first races to invent space travel before inventing air travel. New designs were adapted from the rocket for flight in the atmosphere, and this time they invented a method for landing these vehicles. Unfortunately, no solution was found for landing from space until around a hundred years later. New technology allowed solid masses to repel gravity to create a hovering effect. This allowed cleaner and more environment-friendly means of traveling through the atmosphere without leaving exhaust.

Since the second launch, they had been successful in launching and landing starships, as well as creating orbiting stations over the planet. By now the Vulpez were anxious to try out new technology and decided to launch again, this time they built a ship called a Karoni(Colony Ship) and two Sukaoto(scouts) to guide it through space. This time they’d send a handful of their people with a means to survive for years to explore the blackness of space and seek out the stars. This time they’d find the Promised Land for sure, and guide their people from prison to paradise.

*The three ship setup is based off the current starting ships.
*The Orion fell before the Vulpez reached space if you wanted to know that.

EDIT: Sunday, June 24 8:00pm
Added:
* To home world entry.
* Rewrote social structure entry.
* Increased farming income to race attributes entry.
* Minor corrections.

Subtracted:
* Old social structure entry.

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eleazar
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Re: Re:

#66 Post by eleazar »

Kitsune-dono wrote:While we're at it, why don't all races have a certain planet type that they do especially well on?
That is how things will work. In fact, that's the main point of having planet types.

And please try to be a bit more original with the physiology that merely recyling a standard "furry" humanoid animal.

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Re: Story Board Brainstorming Sink

#67 Post by Kitsune-dono »

Pardon me? A little more original? I spent several hours typing all this up, maybe more, and the only comment you can give me is "please be more original on how the race looks".

I think that's kinda harsh. It's not a "recycled furry animal". What's wrong with humanoid animals? Sci Fi does it all the time. Star Wars did it. Titan A.E. did it. A lot of Sci Fi races are built off of animals. They're a good source to pick from if you want to create a nice looking and actually plausible physiology.

I'm sorry, but if you want to critique or ridicule my race, give me a bit more than "I don't like the way they look".

You know, I've been seeing your posts around here, and they all seem sensible. I took you for a better person than this. I must have misjudged you.
eleazar wrote:
Kitsune-dono wrote:While we're at it, why don't all races have a certain planet type that they do especially well on?
That is how things will work. In fact, that's the main point of having planet types.
Oh, well then it looks like my comment was unneeded. :D Sorry.

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utilae
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Re: Story Board Brainstorming Sink

#68 Post by utilae »

Kitsune-dono wrote: I think that's kinda harsh. It's not a "recycled furry animal". What's wrong with humanoid animals? Sci Fi does it all the time. Star Wars did it. Titan A.E. did it. A lot of Sci Fi races are built off of animals. They're a good source to pick from if you want to create a nice looking and actually plausible physiology.
Exactly why you got the bad comments. Animal humanoids are overused. Also the appearance of an alien creature is probably the most important thing, since the creatures appearance is what sticks in the players mind and conveys the overall theme, culture, and nature of the creature/race.

Now, don't take criticism personally. We have all done some kind of animal humanoid, and there is nothing wrong with a animal humanoid. If your animal humanoid is the best damn animal humanoid around, then it will surely be liked by many. You should however, also go crazy and be creative with a races appearance, as describing what the race looks like is a challenging and creative process.

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Re: Story Board Brainstorming Sink

#69 Post by Kitsune-dono »

utilae wrote:
Kitsune-dono wrote: I think that's kinda harsh. It's not a "recycled furry animal". What's wrong with humanoid animals? Sci Fi does it all the time. Star Wars did it. Titan A.E. did it. A lot of Sci Fi races are built off of animals. They're a good source to pick from if you want to create a nice looking and actually plausible physiology.
Exactly why you got the bad comments. Animal humanoids are overused. Also the appearance of an alien creature is probably the most important thing, since the creatures appearance is what sticks in the players mind and conveys the overall theme, culture, and nature of the creature/race.

Now, don't take criticism personally. We have all done some kind of animal humanoid, and there is nothing wrong with a animal humanoid. If your animal humanoid is the best damn animal humanoid around, then it will surely be liked by many. You should however, also go crazy and be creative with a races appearance, as describing what the race looks like is a challenging and creative process.
Yes, I know I shouldn't have taken it so personally. I wanted to go back and edit it to sound a little nicer. But I'll just leave it as is because it's what I said. The thing that irks me though is he brings this up just after I finish penciling out the sketch. Not that he could have known, but I just spent a total of a day's time spread over the last week sketching a picture. And then he brings up how my race looks...

See, when I look at an alien race, what I like seeing is logical. I don't like strange-shaped bodies or blob-like appearances. My personal preference is something that's easy on the eyes. Things like the stereotypic Martian look with an over-sized head and bulbous eyes just aren't my style. I prefer a more natural look rather than freakish. It's just personal preference.

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Re: Story Board Brainstorming Sink

#70 Post by Tortanick »

If you're interested in creating some races my recommendation is to go to this thread, and read up on at least the first three to get an idea of the favoured style of alien. I've personally found both the highly and moderately developed races to be very fun to read about

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