games

Mechwars

Chapter 4. History of Terra

History is a wild and restless creature. The events recorded in history are a retelling of great success and horrible failure, bold characters and forgotten heroes. The thing to keep in mind is that history is a retelling. And, as with all retold stories, is subject to change. In our own lands, we can see various nations who have taken great liberties in rewriting their histories to present themselves in a better light. The same holds true within Terra.

The History of Terra is a text written by the notable scholar and historian Lazul Jypsen. He has chronicled the events from his first days, and presents his findings as he discovers them. The Timeline is the initial document that started his search for the truth, but it was the dedication and insight of Lazul that found what really happened during those dark years.

It is recommended that the reader review the first four chapters of the History of Terra to better understand the lands of Terra. The rest of the History of Terra is a foundation of resources to aid you in your pursuit of knowledge. The truth is locked in those chapters, and the truth can be a terrible thing.

Airen Koru, Editor.

site: http://www.mechwars.net

Planetarion

Planetarion is a sci-fi based strategy game for many thousands of players. It is played through HTML interface, so no download of any kind is required.

Each player has 1 planet to look after, to develop technology on, to build ships and other units, and take part in the universal struggle over resources in space; asteroids. The more asteroids you have, the more ships can you build and the stronger you are.

Cooperation and teamwork is the key to do well in Planetarion. We have grouped 25 planets together in galaxies to make teamwork and communication easy. Galaxies tend to cooperate and fight against other galaxies. Many alliances have also formed, and you should expect to see a handful of large alliances trying to dominate the universe. Huge alliance wars are not unheard of, although keep in mind that leading an alliance takes a lot of effort. Joining one is highly recommended, as politics are a major part of the game.

The more you put into the game, the more you get out. We have a very active community of players, and most of the events are planned on IRC or via email, outside the game itself. And the social aspect of the game is therefore very important, and fun. Make new friends, and fight new enemies.

Every hour, the whole universe is "ticked". This means, new resources are gained, your fleets can move closer to the target if they out on a mission, and it keep the universe persistent. This means, you do not have to be online all the time, only when it suits you. Your planet is there all the time, and your ships will fight if attacked, even if you are not there. So will the ships of others!

Know also, each "round" of Planetarion is reset after about 3-4 months, where everyone has to start anew, and the playing field is level. In each new round, there are new features in the game, you never know what the future will bring.

Notes: If you want to play the game, it is highly recommended you read through this manual before you begin, or at least within the first 3 days of playing, and try to team up with friends or an alliance before it is too late in the game.

site: http://www.planetarion.com (NOT a free game)

Ferion

Ferion - The Story In the distant past, on a far off planet a civilization stared up at the sky, eyes wide with anticipation. The pride of their planet was ready to fly. After millennia of bloodshed, peace had finally come to the planet of Ferion. That peace led to the creation of Ferion 1, a rocket powered colony ship, crewed by the best and brightest the Ferion could muster. Days rolled by as the launch preparations were completed. On the first day of the Ferion New Year the ship's crew boarded Ferion 1, and the countdown was initiated.

5----4----3----2----1

With a thunderous roar, the Ferion 1 slowly began to move. As it picked up speed, several powerful boosters helped it rocket out of the atmosphere and away from the gravity of Ferion. Months flowed away until eventually the ship reached a lush planet, the fourth planet of the Ferion solar system. The crew came out of cold sleep, and put down on the planet. Thus began the rise of the Ferion.

Slowly, the Ferion Empire's technology advanced. Over two hundred years had passed since the launch of Ferion-1. As they rapidly expanded with their highly touted warp engine, they met countless other species. However, none were anywhere near as advanced. Most were still using rockets to move about, but a few had harnessed nuclear energy. Despite their technological shortcomings, these upstart empires insisted on fighting the Ferion. None stood a chance. All were annihilated. System after system fell to the Ferion. It seemed as if there was not a civilization in existence that could stand against the Ferion.

Meanwhile, during the period known as the Great Exploration, A renegade scientist came up with a revolutionary technology. He created a means, by which the size of a planet could be increased, eventually leading to the creation of a ringworld. Though the technology was far from perfection, the ringworld procedure was attempted on a system deep within the Ferion Empire. It was a stunning success. Afterwards, throughout the empire, the Ferion were reforming their solar systems. Time continued to pass. Eventually, the Ferion were in possession of the most powerful, largest empire ever to exist. They controlled their entire galaxy. With their trademark weapon, the Ferionizer, they subdued and took over all that stood before them. The Ferion Empire felt invincible. Nevertheless, the hard-earned peace was to come crashing down.

In a nearby galaxy, a rival empire arose about the same time. The Karians were a ruthless race, bent on galactic domination. When rumors of the Ferion Empire reached them, Their leader dispatched a "diplomatic envoy" to meet the Ferion. In an instance of cruel trickery, the Envoy was led to the Home System to meet with the Ferion Emperor. That is when the Karians struck. They opened fire without warning, obliterating hundreds of ships, including the Ferion-1, then an orbiting museum. The treacherous attack left the Ferion Empire seething. A brief war ensued, but the development of new weapons by the Ferion Empire and Karians alike led to an uneasy armistice. For a century, the empires stood, unblinking, waiting for the other to make the first move.

In traditional fashion, the Karians took the initiative. Their warships attacked a hospital district, causing the sun to go nova, shattering the surrounding ringworld. Over 500,000,000 people were killed, the majority of them non-combatants. With revenge in their hearts, the Ferion Empire struck back. They mercilessly destroyed several Karian systems, and wiped out hundreds of Karian ships. So began a war that would rage for centuries.

Many battles were fought in the void between the two galaxies. Millions of souls met their end in those battles. There was never a day when the bordered were the same as the day before. Battles raged for weeks straight. Some days, several wings of Ferion Battleships would smash into the Karian perimeter. The following day, the Ferion incursion would be flanked and crushed by Karian warships. The war was going nowhere fast. Ferion public opinion was waning. The Ferion R&D teams worked fanatically to develop a new weapon that would return the momentum to the Ferion. Their development was a series of brand new ship technologies.

Two ships were equipped with these weapons as test beds. The FX-alpha and FX- Beta were equipped with the newly produced Traveler, Protector, and Annihilator. Tests on the experimental ships commenced immediately. At the same time, the war began to escalate. A Karian raiding party slipped undetected into Ferion territory. They cut a swath of terror through the heart of the Ferion Empire. Using genetically engineered plagues; they killed the populations on five ringworlds before the Ferion fleet was able to intercept them. As the raiders were killed off one by one, the lead ship escaped in the chaos. Behind the Ferion fleet, he found the FX-Beta dead in space. Unstable weapons energy manifolds had disabled the primary power systems; and while the Beta's crew struggled to get main power back online, the raiders boarded. Fierce deck to deck fighting ensued, but the poorly armed but gallant scientists and security officers were no match for the Karian soldiers. As the fighting began to tail off, the Beta's automatic systems repair had finished rerouting power. All main systems came back online, and the Beta's powerful energy core hummed. "FX-Beta, this is command. Drop shields and disengage weapons. The battle is over." Command ordered.

"Sir, we are getting no response from the Beta," the communications officer. "Scan her. Make sure nothing's wrong." The captain ordered. "Aye sir," the sensor operator said. As she worked her systems, her face twisted in disgust. "Sir, the Beta reads no Ferion life signs! However, there are approximately 300 Karian life signs on board! Sir, they are targeting weapons! I suggest we get out of here!" she said desperately.

"Get out of here now!" the captain ordered over all comm. frequencies. The Ferion battleship broke hard right. The rest of the fleet scattered. Despite their efforts, several Ferion warships were smashed into nothing. Despite its massive size, the FX-Beta swung around effortlessly and trained her annihilator on the flagship of the shattered fleet. In a blinding flash, a crimson beam of energy stabbed out from the Beta's weapons. Moments later, the flagship's shields fell, and the core went critical. When the violent explosion cleared, there was no trace of the Ferion warship.

Knowing full well that he could not hold out against a massively dedicated attack, he broke for Karian lines at full speed. Using his incredible speed, he was able to return to friendly space. For years to come, ships equipped similarly to the FX series would fight savage battles. The Karians called them Reapers, but they were essentially the same as what the Ferion Empire was fielding. Again, after roughly fifty years of static fighting, the war was screaming for a new weapon. Both sides had one in mind. The Karians had an ultra-deadly virus that they were going to release throughout the Ferion empire, and the Ferion had N/S warheads. These Nova/Singularity warheads were terribly deadly. When fired at a star or black hole. They caused a chain reaction that destroyed everything within a hundred light year radius. Their only drawback was their speed. When disguised as a simple asteroid, they had to move like one. In a daring move, a fleet over 10,000 Ferion warships planted the "asteroids" under the guise of a massive invasion. Despite the fact that the Ferion were repelled, they accomplished their mission. Back on the Ferion homeworld, the emperor pushed a series of buttons. This act sent into motion the most destructive attack ever conceived. In twenty-five years time, the Karian Empire would be reduced to a collection of ruined rocks. Time passed, and the Karians suspected nothing.

A different generation would see the horrific results of the N/S warheads. Within a matter of days, thousands of stars were annihilated, along with virtually everything in the rest of the galaxy. Despite the absolute destruction, the battered Karians continued to fight.

The Ferion realized that to defeat the Karians, they would need to wipe out every single Karian. On an outlying ringworld, four FX hulls were combined. That massive shell was slowly converted into a titanic N/S bomb. The massive bomb was flown directly into the black hole that formed the center of the Karian spiral galaxy. When the bomb arrived, it was directed to the event horizon remotely. The sudden graviton pressure set the weapon off. In its aftermath, the Karian galaxy was gone. All traces of the galaxy were wiped out. Joyous celebrations occurred on every planet in the Ferion Empire. A great peace followed. However, the centuries long war instilled in the Ferion a primal bloodlust. It was because of this bloodlust that peace was unable to take root. Soon after the war ended, several militant factions revolted. They were put down without much effort, but dissent and violence among the Ferion was rising fast. Despite the best efforts of the Ferion military, and the civil security corps, hundreds of small militia groups terrorized the population, and several prominent warlords called for another period of expansion. They were not looking for more land, but a new, more powerful enemy. The Ferion had tasted blood, and they liked it. Now they wanted more.

In the face of the carnage and near anarchy that was rocking the Ferion, the Emperor stood fast. He refused to see his own people bring the age-old empire to its demise. Days passed as he frantically tried to devise a way to stop the violence. He called the best the Ferion had to the homeworld. They came from all walks of life, all occupations, and every imaginable background. He gave them a simple mission. All they had to do was invent a game so violent, so chaotic that the Ferion would abandon their personal wars and take notice. After weeks of careful planning, the committee came to a decision. The Ferion Empire would take the vast space that used to be the Karian Galaxy and create several arenas in space with energy fields. These arenas would be populated by artificial star systems. In these arenas, the Ferion would transplant developing races. These races would have a choice. Either the race could accept the offer and be transplanted into the arena, or the Ferion Empire would obliterate them. With persuasion of that sort, few races resisted.

That was how the first arena was created. Sure enough, the raw violence of the Ferion Games captivated the Ferion citizenry. They abandoned their wars and took notice. The pure carnage of the games satisfied their thirst for blood, and the Ferion finally went back to rebuilding their torn empire. So goes the legend. Many on your planet dismissed the idea of an empire of such proportions as fantasy. Indeed, you yourself were unsure if you were actually alone in the universe. That though was dispelled when a massive battleship took up orbit over your planet. In a cruel twist of fate, the legend had come true. The Ferion demanded your participation in the games. Naturally, you grudgingly accepted. Now, with your planet moved light-years away, you are responsible for the well being of your people. Rumors begin to circulate that there is no way out of the cosmic arena. Despite these rumors, your are determined to find a way out. You must find a way to win the Ferion Games.

get it? :-)

site: http://www.ferion.com