Carol Fitzpatrick

Transcendence is a game of exploration, and one facet of the universe to explore is the variety of sovereigns and societies in the game. Like many other fictional universes, the Transcendence universe relies on archetypes for its sovereigns. All archetypes are inaccurate, of course, but some archetypes are useful.

In Star Trek, for example, aliens follow clear archetypes: the honor-bound warrior races; the intellectual, logical race; the Swedish zombie collective. This allows for interesting stories when the various archetypes interact with humans or with each other. There’s nothing wrong with this, but Transcendence needs to explore new archetypes.

Star Control II, one of Transcendence’s main influences, primarily uses animal archetypes for its aliens: they have spider-aliens, pterodactyl-aliens, racoon-aliens, etc. Again, this is pretty cool, and it gives the galaxy a sense of alienness with minimal effort. In Transcencence—at least in Part I—we rely less on alien races and more on different societies. Both the Commonwealth and the Sung Slavers are genetically human, but they differ radically on their values.

Star Wars surprisingly avoids the planet of hats trope. E.g., any alien race can be a force user (or a Sith). There are a few stereotypes: we never see Wookies commanding a rebel cruiser (maybe because they don’t speak English?) but in general, aliens are more like decorative skins rather than well-defined archetypes. In Transcendence I don’t think we need to go that far. We should avoid the planet of hats trope—e.g., every sovereign should have individuals who reject the dominant archetype. But we shouldn’t have every sovereign be identical either.

Archetypes in Transcendence

One of the premises of Transcendence is that once humans go out in space, the variety and diversity of possible societies increases. On Earth, there is so much integration between governments/economies that it is difficult for radically different societies to exist. But in space, where many societies need to be self-sufficient, it is possible for a thousand flowers to bloom.

What might these societies be like? How do they differ from one another. While working on Part II, I developed a method for generating archetypes for sovereigns. I defined four axes:

• Community vs. Individuality: How much diversity is there among individuals in the sovereign? Do they have freedom to defy societal conventions? At one extreme you have homogeneity: all individuals have identical values and it is easy to agree on common goals. [One variant of this is authoritarianism, in which conformity is imposed by force from above.] The other extreme is heterogeneity, where everyone follows the beat of their own drummer. [When this works, we call it individual freedom or diversity; when it doesn’t, it is anarchy.]

• Knowledge vs. Spirituality: Does the society value practical, real-world knowledge (and technology) or abstract, philosophical values? The knowledge extreme is utilitarian, but can become overly hedonistic (whatever makes people happy is good). The spirituality extreme believes in a higher purpose (not necessarily a divine purpose) that outweighs suffering. For example, imagine the goal of exploring the universe, even if it means that some explorers die along the way. The downside is, of course, when the purpose justifies atrocities.

• Stability vs. Revolution: How stable is the society? At one extreme, the society preserves the traditions of the past because they are assumed to be optimal. The risk is that it leads to stagnation and decay as the environment changes. The other extreme expects society to constantly change and adapt. The risk is that it leads to chaos and sometimes makes things worse instead of better.

• Constructive vs. Destructive: Lastly, this axis is used to define how the society behaves around other (distinct) societies. Constructive societies attempt to coexist. Destructive societies try to destroy competitors.

Imagine that we grade each sovereign on each of the four axes above. We can create archetypes by imagining a sovereign at one of the extremes of each axis. We end up with 16 different archetypes:

Republic (constructive, community, knowledge, revolution): Republics are often homogenous civilizations with a well-defined hierarchical government. They value knowledge, reason, and facts, but they acknowledge that nothing stays the same and continually try to improve themselves. The Commonwealth is a good example.

Collective (destructive republic): Taken to an extreme, a homogenous society can become an unthinking mass controlled by a central ruler. Lumiere is a collective.

Federation (constructive, community, knowledge, stability): These civilizations, often composed of diverse peoples, have achieved balance and peace over several millenia. They rely on their great stores of knowledge to guide their decisions and they tend to be suspicious of innovation because of the risk of unintended consequences.

Empire (destructive federation): Whereas federations are voluntary associations of diverse groups, empires seek to conquer and expand. The Sung Slavers are an empire.

Uplifter (constructive, community, spirituality, revolution): Uplifter civilizations believe in continuously improving themselves and those around them. Their sacred mission is to make the universe better for all its sentient beings. Their one flaw is that they sometimes lack patience.

Sterilizer (destructive uplifter): Sterilizers and uplifters have a similar goal: to create a better universe. Sterilizers destroy flawed cultures rather than help to improve them. Xenophobes are classic sterilizers.

Foundation (constructive, community, spirituality, stability): Foundations strive to be selfless civilizations that support the development of others. They are like the solid core around which a gas giant forms. Foundations preserve the infrastructure, keep the peace, maintain trade, and otherwise serve to bind other civilizations together.

Corrector (destructive foundation): While foundations support civilization, correctors can stifle it. Correctors impose their own byzantine rules, regulations, and mores on all. Omnithor is a corrector.

Competitor (constructive, individuality, knowledge, revolution): Competitor civilizations idealize the individual who competes, excels, and triumphs. They value the process of competition almost more than the result. Anywhere in the universe is home for these beings and the only thing they fear is boredom. The Corporate Hierarchy is (arguably) a competitor (though they are currently classed as a republic).

Megalomaniac (destructive competitor): The dark side of competition leads to this archetype, in which belief in superiority leads to destructive ends. Sapiens are megalomaniacs.

Archivist (constructive, individuality, knowledge, stability): Archivists value the accumulation and dissemination of knowledge. The hard-won insights of long-dead races hold more interest to these civilizations than either conquest or treasure.

Cryptologue (destructive archivist): Cryptologues horde knowledge and use it to achieve their own dark goals. They often prevent the dissemination of knowledge to others. Curators are cryptologues.

Seeker (constructive, individuality, spirituality, revolution): These civilizations are composed of diverse individuals who worship open-mindedness and questioning. Through art, philosophy and religion, Seekers strive to give meaning and sense to a cold and irrational universe.

Perversion (destructive seeker): Unbound by logic, perversions become obsessed by paranoid theories and destructive ideals. These are some of the most chaotic and unpredictable civilizations.

Hermit (constructive, individuality, spirituality, stability): Hermit civilizations concentrate on the simplicity of existing. They believe that desire leads to obsession which leads to unhappiness. Only by accepting the universe as it is can an intelligent creature be truly enlightened.

Solipsist (destructive hermit): Solipsist civilizations believe that nothing matters except what happens in their own mind. Though often harmless they can cause great suffering because they never worry about the consequences of their actions.

Development Update

Last week I continued to work on 1.9 Beta 4. I’ve been working on a new UI for controlling all the ship helping the player, including wingmates, autons, etc. I’ve made the following changes since my last update:

• Fixed a crash bug caused by invalid images.

• Fixed a typo in the CSC Antarctica text.

• Fixed a regression in which stations allowed the player to install illegal devices.

• Fixed a bug which caused a crash with more than 127 armor segments.

Join the Universe

What do you think of these ideas? Can you think of some interesting sovereign archetypes. Let me know in the comments below, or write to me: transcendence@kronosaur.com.

You can buy Transcendence on Steam or download a free version on our site. If you’re really brave you can download the development version and/or contribute to the code on GitHub.

And of course, you can subscribe to this email newsletter to get updates and stories about the Transcendence Universe. You can subscribe for free or contribute to the development of the game and receive additional posts.

Subscribe now

The Ranx are the good guys in the Outer Realm. At least from their point of view. They started as settlers, building tiny mining colonies to exploit the rich pteracnium and ithalium fields. There was enough work and credit for everyone to prosper, and the dream of a true commonwealth with fairness for all was within reach.

But the treasures of the Outer Realm could not be kept secret. The Ringers came next, their bodies genetically optimized for space, and possessing technologies far beyond those of the Commonwealth. The Ringers brought the Ferians—zoanthrope miners who felt at home among the asteroids in a way that humans never could. How could the settlers compete with such efficiency?

After the Syrtis War and the devastation of Mars, Ares refugees poured into the Outer Realm, looking for a new home. Around the same time, the unpredictable Teratons, a genetic off-shoot of the Ringers, began aggressively building their nests. At first the human settlers looked to the Commonwealth to help them keep out the neo-human invaders, but they were exhausted from war, and anyway the Sung Slavers posed a more immediate threat.

And so the settlers took matters into their own hands. Karin Nordlin, a mining colony leader in the Anhalt system, formed the Ranx Coalition to unite the human stations. They learned their lesson: you can’t count on help from a far. If you want to keep what’s yours, you have to be ready to defend it.

The Ranx in 1.9

The Ranx were introduced in version 0.9 (2005), and since then, they’ve been one of the most fearsome enemies in the game. They’re less deadly in modern versions due to player equipment catching up, but they’re still a formidable opponent.

1.9 makes a few changes to the Ranx:

• Ranx stations now have defenses; they fire Akan 30 cannons.

• Ranx dreadnoughts now repair their interior compartments (they repair their armor with patch spiders).

• Ranx freighters now resupply stations with ammunition.

In this video I fight against the Ranx in the Outer Realm:

Future Ideas

Here are some ideas for future expansion:

Anhalt: The Ranx have their capital in the Anhalt system, which does not currently appear in the game. Perhaps we can add a set of secret missions that lead to Anhalt.

More ships, stations, items: We added a Ranx freighter in 1.9, but there should be many more ships and items. For example, we should add Ranx mining colonies. Similarly, there’s a gap between the level 6 Ranx gunships and the level 9 dreadnought. Perhaps a future version can introduce advanced gunships, bombers, and cruisers.

Mission arc: Conflict with Ringers/Ferians: Ranx and Ringers fight over the same asteroid fields. Sooner or later, their competition will decay into open warfare. Perhaps the player can play a role, either as mediator or as champion for one side or the other.

Mission arc: Conflict with Teratons: The mysterious Teratons pose a threat to the Ranx because of their high-level technology. If the Teratons could reverse-engineer the ancient alien weapons they’ve collected, they would be the strongest power in the Outer Realm. In the face of such a threat the once unthinkable might be possible: an alliance between Ringers and Ranx.

Mission arc: Ranx Resistance: The Ranx weren’t always an empire. They were a democracy once, responsive to the needs to individual stations and citizens. A tiny resistance movement rejects the militarization and centralization of the empire and wishes to restore the values of Karin Nordlin’s original Coalition.

Development Update

This week I’ve been working on 1.9 Beta 4. I’ve made the following changes since my last update:

• Stations now reload ammo to their ships when those ships are docked. [Still need to handle reload for patrolling ships.]

• Decoupled rotation from rotation frames. See: Suggestion: decouple ship facing angles from number of graphics frames.

• If player has smuggler’s cargo hold, allow them to not free slaves at Commonwealth stations.

• Fix problem with Centauri occupation stations not responding to friendly fire after being rescued.

• Add dualPointOrigin property for weapons.

• Add more locations to Point Juno so expansions can insert additional stargates.

Join the Universe

What do you think of these ideas? Let me know in the comments below, or write to me: transcendence@kronosaur.com.

You can buy Transcendence on Steam or download a free version on our site. If you’re really brave you can download the development version and/or contribute to the code on GitHub.

And of course, you can subscribe to this email newsletter to get updates and stories about the Transcendence Universe. You can subscribe for free or contribute to the development of the game and receive additional posts.

Subscribe now

Transcendence is, at heart, a simulation. It’s not nearly as complicated as something like Dwarf Fortress (not yet, anyway), but it’s a simulation nonetheless. Non-player ships defend their territory against all enemies, player and non-player alike. Freighters follow trade routes, avoiding enemy ambushes, while Xenophobe fleets roam the system, annihilating anyone who opposes them.

Even without the player, the Transcendence universe keeps on ticking. The simulation keeps running.

This is one of the core tenets of the game. We want the player to feel as if they’ve stepped into a real universe, populated by real entities with goals and histories. Some will want to explore the universe, perhaps capture its stories like a child collecting butterflies. Others will unravel its underlying rules, and seek to manipulate the universe for their own ends. Either path is valid: it’s your game—your universe—after all.

Make it Fun

Of course our simulation has major constraints. We don’t have either the CPU power or the programming resources to really simulate a whole universe. We need to pick and choose the kinds of processes we simulate. Do we simulate empires going to war against each other? Stations competing with each other for resources? Freelancers struggling to make a living?

How do we decide what to simulate? How much detail should we include? As always, our guiding light is fun. Whenever possible, we should spend effort on things that make the game more fun. In general, that suggests the following guidelines:

Replayability: One major reason to spend effort on a simulation is to increase replayability. Rather than programmed events, we rely on the simulation to create emergent situations for the player to enjoy.

Exploitation: From the player’s perspective, a key benefit of simulations is that they can be exploited to help the player advance. Sometimes, this exploitation is fair: if the player figures out the optimum targets to attack, that can be both fun and lucrative. Other times, though, a simplistic simulation can lead to boring exploits. For example, if a treasure-laden freighter always spawns under certain conditions, the player can farm them perpetually—not a very fun dynamic.

Choice: Adding new simulated systems should, as much as possible, add choices for the player. Maybe the choice is to interact with the system or not. Or maybe the choice is in the method of exploitation. Whatever it is, this should be a major consideration.

Immersion: I love seeing random ships flying from station to station, going about their business. Even though I know that it’s just a random algorithm, it still feels like I’m in a universe is filled with people with their own goals. Sometimes adding to this feeling of immersion will help the game, even if it doesn’t add interaction.

Improving the Simulation

With these principles in mind, let’s discuss how to improve the current Transcendence universe:

NPCs Fighting

Sometimes stations are placed too close together and the defenders of one destroy the other. Similarly, wandering fleets of Xenophobes often destroy everything in their path. The player can take advantage of this by looting the wreckage. In many cases, they can even precipitate a fight and thus gain help in defeating a much more powerful enemy.

I think this mechanic hits all four of our principles above. It leads to replayability because it creates random situations; it can be exploited by the player; it adds choice (the player can choose to intervene in a battle); and it contributes to immersion.

Nevertheless, there are many ways we can enhance this mechanic:

• Rewards for Intervening: If the player comes across a battle in progress, especially one involving a station, we should spawn a mission for the player to help. Successfully defending the station should lead to a reward.

• Revenge Missions: In 1.9 some stations spawn revenge missions if they are destroyed. For example, if a Commonwealth station is destroyed by Xenophobes, the player might be tasked with hunting down the fleet responsible. We should do this more widely (e.g., with Corporate stations, CSCs, etc.).

• Additional Conflict: Right now NPCs interact mostly when they encroach on each other’s territory. But what if sovereigns had additional goals that could lead to conflict? For example, Urak settlers should try to build new asteroid mines, which could lead to conflict with Commonwealth miners. Maybe the player could influence the direction of the conflict.

• Interstellar Conflict: Most of the action is localized to a star system. Long term, it would be great if we tracked conflict at a higher level so that fights in one system affect relationships in others. For example, if a Dwarg station in one system destroys a neighboring Corporate station, there should be repercussions in other systems. Perhaps new missions spawn for the player to destroy Dwarg stations.

Freighters

Korolov freighters fly their routes with or without the player. This gives the game added immersion, and potentially reveals the location of unknown stations. Outlaw freighters also crisscross the system, presenting the player with a tempting target.

Here are some ideas for improving this mechanic:

• Rewards for Intervening: As with station battles, we should spawn missions when NPC freighters come under attack. If a freighter is under attack and the player intervenes, the freighter might stop for a second to give the player a reward. Or maybe we just track the interventions and eventually reward the player later.

• Rescue Missions: If a freighter is destroyed by enemies, perhaps we spawn a rescue mission where the player has to take the crew to safety (for a reward) and possibly seek revenge or recover whatever cargo was lost.

• Piracy: Right now there isn’t much benefit for the player to commit piracy. Friendly freighters seldom carry valuable cargo and the consequences are usually high (arrest by the Commonwealth). Maybe we can improve this mechanics to make it viable for Black Market path players. For example, we can add cargo to friendly freighters, but it should be marked as stolen, so it can only be sold in the Black Market.

Characters

There are several recurring characters in the game, but most are part of set-piece missions and don’t react much to player actions. Here are some ideas for adding more interesting character mechanics:

• Traveling Characters: We could introduce characters whose goal is to reach a specific point in the universe. Maybe a character is traveling from Eridani to Point Juno. Or maybe a character is trying to get back to St. Katharine’s Star. The player can help (or hinder) the character in various ways. For example, the player might meet the character at a station and accept a mission to escort the character to the stargate. We would track the current location of each character and advance it, with or without the player. When the character reaches their destination, perhaps it spawns an interesting mission. For example, a character reaching Point Juno might trigger a new secret mission for the player.

• Nemesis Characters: We could add characters who seek revenge for some loss in the game. If a station is destroyed, we can spawn a character who seeks revenge. For example, perhaps a Sung pilot seeks revenge on the player for destroying her station. The character can chase the player from system to system, upgrading as they go. This might be a particularly good consequence for destroying friendly or neutral stations.

• Fellow Pilgrims: I loved the mod that added fellow pilgrims to the game. I think we should add these to the core game. In some cases they might compete with the player for upgrades. Or maybe some can become dark pilgrims who prey on friendly stations (and we spawn missions for the player to destroy them). These characters should be relatively rare, but they would add a lot of interesting possibilities.

Development Update

Last month I worked on the following features for 1.9 Beta 4:

• Improvements to Sapiens: They now have new images (finally) and use radiation mines as defenses.

• Stealthy shots (like mines) now paint with the shimmer effect.

• Added orbitPatrol order for ships.

• Added missile defense to Dwarg.

• Heliotrope stations now have shields.

• Improved the AI for wandering Xenophobe fleets so that they are better at avoiding stations.

• Added the ability to enhance armor with stealth.

• Quantum CPUs now add extra cyberDefense to devices.

• Reworked NPC armor repair to use the same mechanisms that the player uses. This also allows wingmates to dock to remove pteravores and death pods.

• Added a criminal justice system to the Four Powers. Now they will arrest you if you destroy their ships or stations.

• Added a new methods for specifying station defenses. See: API 52.

• Improvements to Ranx: Added a new Ranx freighter, which brings ammo to Ranx stations that need it.

Join the Universe

What do you think of these ideas? Are there other ways that we can make Transcendence into a living universe? Let me know in the comments below, or write to me: transcendence@kronosaur.com.

You can buy Transcendence on Steam or download a free version on our site. If you’re really brave you can download the development version and/or contribute to the code on GitHub.

And of course, you can subscribe to this email newsletter to get updates and stories about the Transcendence Universe. You can subscribe for free or contribute to the development of the game and receive additional posts.

Subscribe now

We were lucky in 2020. Unlike millions of others, we at Kronosaur Productions remained healthy. We survived the global pandemic largely unscathed. Unscathed, but not unaffected.

The year 2020 changed the course of history. And while I love reading about major events in history, living through one is much less comfortable. These events make me think about the big picture: Where do we fit in? What thread of history are we weaving with our games and community? Are we “making a dent in the universe?”

Transcendence is just a game, of course, but even games can have meaning and purpose. Even the silliest games can bring joy, and joy is most needed during turbulent times. But I believe our games are more than just distractions. Humans—indeed many animals—learn through play: we try things out in a safe environment and test our skills, our theories, and our character. Do we know the rules? Can we react intelligently? How do we deal with victory or defeat? Play helps us answer these questions both in games and in life.

After 2020 I want to re-dedicate our company to these goals. Transcendence is not going to change history. We’re never going to read about it in history books. But I hope our games change your history, even in small ways. That’s something worth all the effort.

Business Outlook

Total sales in 2020 were $7,200, which is essentially flat from 2019. Our productivity in 2020 was heavily compromised by the pandemic, so we didn’t release any new products. Our plans for a PR push and the release of Transcendence 2.0 did not come to fruition. Our plans were delayed, but not abandoned.

In 2021 we will continue what we started and release version 2.0. In addition, we plan to raise prices in 2021. Transcendence 1.6 was released on Steam in 2015 for $9, which is equal to the price of Corporate Command plus Eternity Port. Since then, we’ve significantly expanded the game: the Benedict storyline, ship brokers, revamped graphics, and many more features were added. 1.9 and 2.0 will add even more changes and content.

When 2.0 ships, we’ll raise the price of Corporate Command to $6 and Eternity Port to $9 (which will make the Steam price $15). Anyone who already owns the expansions (either through the Multiverse or through Steam) will of course be upgraded for free.

Anacreon

Sadly, there’s not much to report on Anacreon. The game continues to be played, though with a smaller community. I hope to spend more time on it in 2021, but I don’t expect substantive changes.

Transcendence

Even with decreased productivity, I managed to make good progress on Transcendence in 2020. By the end of the year we released 1.9 Beta 3, which contains significant changes, including a revamped set of of Eridani missions—one of my major goals for the year.

The Roadmap for the game is on track. We aim to ship 1.9 by the end of March 2021 and 2.0 by the end of the year.

Transcendence 1.9

I’m particularly excited by 1.9. I believe the usability and content changes will make the game more accessible to new players and thus accelerate growth. We’ll see if I’m right in 2021.

I’m most excited about the following changes:

Eridani: For the first time in years we’ve made substantial changes to Eridani, the first system in the core game. The Centauri Warlords mission arc has been expanded, and there’s many more things to do. Here’s a preview of the new system.

Ellen Quinn: Corporate Command adds a brand new mission arc for the Black Market and introduces a new wingmate: Ellen Quinn, flying a Molotok-class heavy gunship. You can start this mission at a Black Market station when you become a member of the Sindikat.

Autons: Autons will be significantly improved in 1.9. We’ve introduced the ability to salvage and repair destroyed autons. We’ll also introduce new classes, particularly at the higher levels. I hope this will make auton fleets (and the Constellation class) much more viable.

UI Improvements: 1.9 has a host of UI improvements that will significantly improve the game. Even something as simple as accessing the key-bindings screen from inside the game will (I hope) make it easier for new players.

Transcendence 2.0

Version 2.0 will continue the improvements in 1.9. We’ll improve the UI further, add more missions and content, and finally bring some much requested features like Steam achievements and (hopefully) controller support.

We’ll talk more about this later in 2021.

The Vault of the Galaxy

Once 2.0 is released, we’ll be in a better position to make progress on The Vault of the Galaxy. I don’t know if we’ll be able to release a feature-complete beta this year, but even if not, I think we’ll make forward progress.

Community

The community is going strong and I’m grateful that we’ve persevered through this turbulent year. Our weekly Twitch session continues—though at a new time—and I’ve started a weekly newsletter (which I hope you will all sign up for).

Thanks to everyone who participated in the community in 2020. Your dedication to the game is humbling, and I look forward to continuing this grand journey in 2021.

Join the Universe

What do you think of 2020? What are your hopes and dreams for 2021? Let me know in the comments below, or write to me: transcendence@kronosaur.com.

You can buy Transcendence on Steam or download a free version on our site. If you’re really brave you can download the development version and/or contribute to the code on GitHub.

And of course, you can subscribe to this email newsletter to get updates and stories about the Transcendence Universe. You can subscribe for free or contribute to the development of the game and receive additional posts.

Subscribe now

The Commonwealth Militia doesn’t get enough respect. Their funding and equipment take a back seat to the Fleet—those Star Carriers cost a lot of money. And they’re not as cool as the boys and girls of CHOC, flying around in their sleek corporate cruisers. But when warlords threaten a station, or when Slavers raid convoys, it’s the Militia that comes to help. This volunteer force is dedicated to a single goal: to keep the Commonwealth safe. Do you want to make a different? Join the Commonwealth Militia!

In the Transcendence universe, the Commonwealth Militia is like a cross between the FBI and the Coast Guard. Earth-bound countries have clear, defensible borders. But space is too big for borders. The border of the Commonwealth is the outside airlock of a station, and each of the thousands of stations in the Commonwealth has worry about its border. The Militia is charged with defending those stations and the navigation routes in between.

Service in the Militia is prestigious within the Commonwealth. Many people join for a few years and then use their experience and connections to get a civilian job. Thousands of political careers have started in the Militia. But it’s also dangerous. Even bands of outlaws can acquire ships and weapons to match the average Ronin or early Centurion models. When facing Sung Slavers or Dwarg zoanthropes, the Militia is wildly outclassed.

Every year there are calls for more funding, but other priorities always take precedence. Maybe one day the Corporations will kick in more money for defense, or at least lend out their fancy ships. Maybe one day the war with the Ares will end, and the Fleet can return to defend Commonwealth space. One day, maybe.

Until then, the Militia does what it always does: it keeps going out there, no matter what the odds. In every system, in every station, there are brave men and women who fly towards trouble instead of away. They are the force that keeps out the chaos of an indifferent universe, and that brings together the stations of the Commonwealth.

Militia Playthrough

1.9 has several new features for the Commonwealth Militia:

• All startons, including Starton Eridani, have a Militia headquarters that gives out missions for volunteers.

• We now show the player’s current rank at all Militia stations.

• Militia missions now pay a reward, in addition to earning XP.

In this video I play through several Militia missions and show off some of these features.

Future Ideas

There are many opportunities for future development:

More missions: As with any other part of the game, it would be great to have more Militia missions. It might be fun to create some complex missions. For example, imagine a rescue mission that reveals a mysterious Dwarg threat. Or a mission to figure out what happened to a dead station.

More characters: Most Militia missions are given out by a generic character. It would be great to create more interesting characters with distinctive personalities. Captain Gaul in Starton Eridani is a model for this.

Longer career: Right now there are only four Militia ranks (including volunteer). You can reach the highest rank (major) by completing only six missions. It would be great to add higher ranks (and create commensurate rewards).

New Militia capital ships: The Militia probably has some destroyer-class capital ships to patrol nav lanes and to defend systems without a fortress or starton. The player could encounter these ships in deep space and get missions. Or perhaps some missions require multiple capital ships.

Development Update

In the last week I worked on 1.9 Beta 3. I’d like to release it before the end of the year, and I’m getting close. I worked on the following:

• Finished the Ellen Quinn missions in Corporate Command.

• Added a status command for autons (so they report damage).

• Added icons for all missions (they show up in the mission list).

• Tweaked the defenders table for corporate stations (higher level stations now have a chance of a corporate cruiser defender).

• Adjusted stats for Quantumsphere disintegrator.

• Added interaction=”always” to pteravores, neuroplague, etc. See: API 51.

Join the Universe

What do you think of the Commonwealth Militia? Do you have any interesting mission ideas? Let me know in the comments below, or write to me: transcendence@kronosaur.com.

You can buy Transcendence on Steam or download a free version on our site. If you’re really brave you can download the development version and/or contribute to the code on GitHub.

And of course, you can subscribe to this email newsletter to get updates and stories about the Transcendence Universe. You can subscribe for free or contribute to the development of the game and receive additional posts.

Subscribe now

The magnificent walled stations of the Sung float among scorched asteroids, lit by the relentless glow of a red giant. Welcome to Jiang’s Star!

Even in the earliest design specs, the Jiang’s Star system was meant to be the capital of the Sung Slavers. Just as Charon is the climax to the New Beyond, Jiang’s Star was going to be the climax to the Ungoverned Territories. But everything takes longer than I expect, and even in version 1.8 there was nothing special about Jiang’s Star. Depending on the vagaries of the RNG, there might not even be any Sung stations there.

In 1.9 I’ve redesigned Jiang’s Star to be a unique system, filled with Sung stations. In this newsletter I will show off the new system and talk about the future of the Sung.

The Sung

The Sung Civilization (called the “Sung Slavers” by the Commonwealth) colonized the Ungoverned Territories about 150 years ago, displacing the Huari Empire. They are the primary enemy in that region, much as the Charon Pirates are the primary enemy in the New Beyond. Their distinguishing characteristic is their mastery of cybertechnology and their use of slaves to provide the vast processing power required for their systems.

I haven’t fully fleshed out their lore, but here is a brief outline:

• Slaves entombed in sophisticated “slave coffins” form individual nodes in a vast distributed computing grid, known as the “Celestial Grid.” The Celestial Grid is more powerful than any other computer system in Human Space. Even Eternity Port pales in comparison.

• The Celestial Grid hosts a number of AIs called “Devas,” who guide the Sung in making decisions both large and small. It’s common for people to ask the Devas for guidance, which results in a cohesive and coordinated society.

• The Devas are programmed to be utilitarian maximizers: they optimize for the greatest good for the greatest number. This is how they justify having slaves: the good of the many outweigh the suffering of the few.

• The Sung believe in reincarnation. For example, when the Sung emperor dies, they will use the Celestial Grid to search for the same brain patterns in a new-born baby. The baby will then be conditioned and trained to become the new emperor.

Visit Jiang’s Star

In this video, I visit Jiang’s Star and fight the Sung.

Future Ideas

The Sung can be a source for future adventures and game mechanics. Here are a few ideas of how we can develop them further:

Mission Arc: I’d love to create a mission arc with the Sung as the principal antagonist. Perhaps there is an “underground railroad” helping to free slaves and bring them to safety in the Commonwealth. But the Sung have infiltrated the group and will stop at nothing to shut it down. See here for more ideas: Sung Mission Arc.

Alternatively, maybe we can create a mission arc in which you help the Sung (or a faction of the Sung). Slaves are supposed to be just an unconscious node in a vast grid, but sometimes their consciousness leaks through and the slave becomes lucid inside the Celestial Grid. One slave becomes a Deva and seeks to liberate all slaves, replacing them with vat-grown neural networks. But conservative elements oppose this evolution and prepare to wage war to stop it.

More Programs: The Sung cyberdeck and its programs are a unique mechanic in the game. It would be great to expand on this and give the player a viable chance to use programs as a combat strategy. This might be similar to (and synergistic with) the CDM shard programs in Eternity Port.

Other Cyber Realms: Speaking of Eternity Port, is there a connection between the CDM’s virtual reality (grayspace) and the Sung’s Celestial Grid? Have any CDM denizens been to the Celestial Grid? Have any Devas visited Eternity Port? What about Luminous? What about the Dreaming Horde? It might be interesting to clarify the relationship between them.

Development Update

This week I’ve been working on 1.9 Beta 3. I’ve made the following changes:

• Added a new ship order to orbit a station.

• Reworked outlaw miner defenses, including new Tenhove autons and new Oromo class and Sotho class variants.

• Changed the armor segments on the Minotaur to give it more armor in the front and rear.

• Changed the MRAD device (in Heretic) to not require a slot.

Join the Universe

What do you think of the new Jiang’s Star? Do you have any interesting mission ideas for the Sung? Let me know in the comments below, or write to me: transcendence@kronosaur.com.

You can buy Transcendence on Steam or download a free version on our site. If you’re really brave you can download the development version and/or contribute to the code on GitHub.

And of course, you can subscribe to this email newsletter to get updates and stories about the Transcendence Universe. You can subscribe for free or contribute to the development of the game and receive additional posts.

Subscribe now

Yesterday I watched the test flight of SpaceX’s new rocket, and I haven’t been so excited since the previous SpaceX test flight, when they launched two astronauts to the International Space Station. There’s a lot of excitement in the space industry right now, and a huge part of it is due to SpaceX. But why? What is it about SpaceX that enabled them to a…

Read more

Transcendence is not meant to be a realistic prediction of the future, nor is it a sly commentary on the present. Transcendence is first and foremost a game: an immersive, pretend universe in which you can have a wide range of experiences. But at the same time, I want the Transcendence universe to feel plausible. And it’s hard to create a plausible future history without considering the trajectory of the present.

Early in the development of the game, I outlined the historical events and circumstances that would lead to the Transcendence universe in the year 2419. Some are pure fantasy, such as the discovery of a stargate in the Kuiper Belt. But others are geopolitical shifts that are rooted in real-world trends.

The rise of the Corporate Hierarchy is one such event.

The 18th Century

The Transcendence universe is nothing like Earth in 2020. Today, every inch of land is controlled by a sovereign government, and any attempted rebellion or revolution is instantly broadcast to the whole world in sub-second ping-times. In contrast, the Transcendence universe is filled with unclaimed territory, and communications across Human Space relies on passing through stargates, which adds days or weeks of delay.

The nearest analogue to Human Space is the world of the 18th century, when unexplored lands still existed, and news took months or years to reach any government.

In the 1700s, the East India Company created a private army to protect its trading posts in India. By 1778 it had 67,000 troops, recruited largely from the Indian population. But as the EIC’s power and ambition grew, it exceeded its ability to successfully govern its territory. The Bengal famine of 1770, caused by EIC’s failures, made the British public take notice. After the Indian Rebellion of 1857, which caused widespread destruction, the British people and government had had enough: they nationalized the EIC and took over India as a British colony.

Of course, India’s experience as a British possession was no utopia either, but that’s a different story.

The Treaty of Clavius

In 2127, the Commonwealth signed the Treaty of Clavius with the Corporate Hierarchy. The Hierarchy was granted the right of free trade in all Commonwealth areas, in exchange for recognizing Commonwealth jurisdiction.

In a sense, the Corporate Hierarchy is a slightly smarter, slightly more enlightened version of the East India Company. Every member of the Corporate Hierarchy is a shareholder, usually in the company they work for. The executives of a company are chosen by shareholder votes, in proportion to their number of shares. Corporations in the hierarchy vote on intercorporate rules and common defense in proportion to their market value.

And, of course, the Corporate Hierarchy maintains a vast and powerful fleet to defend its interests.

So far the Treaty of Clavius has held. Commonwealth citizens enjoy all of the trade goods that the Corporations offer, while Corporate shareholders accumulate profits. In theory both sides are happy, but there are two complications:

1. There’s a growing sense in the Commonwealth that they are being left behind. The wealth accumulated by shareholders yields investments in both skills and infrastructure, which leads to more wealth.

2. Within the Corporate Hierarchy, there is schism between the common shareholders who work for a living and the hyper-wealthy executives who run the corporations.

How will this turn out? Will the Commonwealth start supporting the Black Market to undercut Corporate power? Will there be internal strife in the Corporate Hierarchy? And how does the Pilgrim fit into this? Will the conflict between Domina and Oracus unite the two sides? Or will it drive them irreparably apart?

Corporate Privateer

In this video I play through some of the Corporate Privateer missions:

Development Update

This week I’ve been working on 1.9 Beta 3. I’ve made the following changes:

• I’ve modified the UI for invoking powers to show a small icon for each power. The icons also show up at the Sisters of Domina station when describing the powers.

• I’ve added a rank stats block to the Corporate Privateer missions (in Corporate Command). This allows you to see your progress as you advance through the ranks.

• I’ve started improving outlaw mining stations based on Song’s Elemental Shift extension.

Join the Universe

What do you think? Do you think this future history is plausible? Do you have some ideas for stories in the Corporate Hierarchy? Let me know in the comments below, or write to me: transcendence@kronosaur.com.

You can buy Transcendence on Steam or download a free version on our site. If you’re really brave you can download the development version and/or contribute to the code on GitHub.

And of course, you can subscribe to this email newsletter to get updates and stories about the Transcendence Universe. You can subscribe for free or contribute to the development of the game and receive additional posts.

Subscribe now

I love good writing. One of the advantages of indie games is that they can focus on good writing, and I think Transcendence needs to do that. I want the Transcendence universe to come alive, to feel like a wondrous place to spent time in. I want players to care about their character and the universe they inhabit. Writing is the key to all of that.

But ho…

Read more

Combat in Transcendence was inspired by Star Control II, and when I say “inspired by” I really mean “stolen from”. Star Control II had about twenty different ship types, and each had a unique feature, often embodied in its weapons. The Kohr-Ah Marauder, for example, could shoot spinning blades of death; the Syreen Penetrator had a siren-call weapon that caused enemy crewmembers to jump out into space and join as friends.

For better or worse, Transcendence weapons are slightly more conventional, yet they too play a central role in the game.

In this newsletter I’d like to talk about weapons and take you on a tour of my favorite ones.

Trade Offs

Sid Meier talks about games as a “series of interesting choices.” I can’t think of a better description. A game must have choices, otherwise it’s not a game. And if the choices aren’t interesting, then it’s not a fun game.

In Transcendence a lot of the choices come from equipping your ship. Should I buy more armor now or save it for a better reactor? Should I upgrade my shields or weapons? Choosing what weapon to use is (hopefully) an interesting choice because there are many trade-offs to consider.

I think there are four main trade-offs when choosing a weapon:

• Fire rate vs. damage: Some weapons, like the fast-fire laser, shoot lots of times per second, but don’t do very much damage. In contrast, howitzers take a long time between shots, but hit very hard. Which is better? That’s up to you.

• Ammo vs. energy: Some weapons require ammunition, which must be obtained and carried with you. Other weapons consume energy to fire. In general, ammo weapons do more damage, but there is a downside: buying ammo isn’t cheap, and no one likes to run out of ammo in the middle of a fight.

• Omni/tracking vs. aiming: I’m terrible at aiming, so I prefer omnidirectional or tracking weapons. But the downside is that those kinds of weapons do less damage per hit. Is it worth it? For me, “less damage” is still better than no damage when you miss.

• Drawbacks: Lastly, some powerful weapons come with drawbacks that make them less desirable. The advanced tritium cannon does a lot of damage, but it tends to overheat if you use it too much. The Qianlong archcannon is one of the only antimatter weapons in the game, but it can only be recharged with (rare) longzhu spheres.

Choosing Weapons

I’m an average player of Transcendence, at best, but I’ve developed some preferences that have helped me to survive all the way to the end. Others might give you different (or better) advice, but here is mine:

As I said above, I prefer tracking or omnidirectional weapons. I almost always take the SmartCannon that Benedict helps you find. Its ammo is plentiful, and the tracking is perfect for Corsairs, Hornets, and other pesky gunships.

I usually buy a NAMI missile launcher. With all the pirates in the New Beyond you’ll always be able to find missiles. You can use the cheap KM100s for base-cracking and save the tracking KM500s (or KM550s) for tough gunships and Charon frigates.

I replace the SmartCannon before I get to St. Katharine’s Star. I like the particle beam weapon: it’s fast enough that I can spray-and-pray against Corsairs and Vikings, and with some enhancements it will hold up deep into the Ungoverned Territories.

An enhanced Flenser cannon is also pretty good. It’s as fast as a beam weapon, but packs a good punch; it also has some WMD for hitting stations.

Just after St. Katharine’s Star I start looking for Tinkers to manufacture some XM900s. Those thermonuclear missiles are awesome against Sung Slavers, Sapiens, and others. I often get a howitzer too. A mark I howitzer does a ton of damage, but doesn’t require ammo. It’s perfect for large targets like stations or capital ships. The mark III is obviously better, but harder to get (and afford) that early.

By the time I get to Sanctuary, I’m looking for thermo weapons. A Fusionfire howitzer is nice. I love tritium cannons too. You can get them pretty early and then boost them with enhancements.

Beyond Jiang’s Star it’s all about missiles. I like the Rasiermesser launcher; the Gotha-400s are expensive, but much more powerful than XM900s. Alternatively, I sometimes get a NAMI heavy launcher and load up with anti-gunship S3s and M2/M5s for stations and capital ships.

For the endgame, I have a soft spot for the Lamplighter. Yes, you have to let the CSC Antarctica die to get it, but it’s hard to beat. It’s got half the DPS of an M5 missile, but never runs out of ammo. The only other antimatter weapons in the game are the Qianlong archcannon, which does less damage and the Quantumsphere disintegrator, which is not available to the player.

What weapons do you choose? Let me know in the comments.

My Favorite Weapons

In this video I try out some of my favorite weapons. Some weapons are powerful and easy to obtain, others have really cool effects, still others are just plain fun to shoot.

Future Ideas

There’s plenty of opportunity for new weapon types. The Vault of the Galaxy (Part II) introduces hit-scan weapons, for example. Here are some weapon ideas that I love. Some of them come form mods; others I’d love to add to the game:

Charging weapons: There should be a line of weapons that charge up while the fire key is pressed and fire when the key is released. The strength of the shot (and the energy used) is proportional to how long you help the fire key.

Range-sensitive weapons: Some weapons should decrease (or maybe increase?) damage with range. Think about the Romulan’s plasma weapon from Balance of Terror.

Grappling weapons: We have a rudimentary physics engine in the game; it would be fun to create grappling weapons with it. Imagine various Part II asteroid creatures that are able to grab on to the ships.

Sentient weapons: What if an installed weapon had a mind of its own and a separate agenda? Perhaps the player would have to help it accomplish its goals in order to continue to use it.

Join the Universe

What do you think? Which weapons do you gravitate to? Do you have ideas for the new weapons? Let me know in the comments below, or write to me: transcendence@kronosaur.com.

You can buy Transcendence on Steam or download a free version on our site. If you’re really brave you can download the development version and/or contribute to the code on GitHub.

And of course, you can subscribe to this email newsletter to get updates and stories about the Transcendence Universe. You can subscribe for free or contribute to the development of the game and receive additional posts.

Subscribe now