Em-8ER Lore Drop Transcriptions

Maven

Kaiju Slayer
Max Kahuna
Philanthropist
Jul 26, 2016
262
1,197
93
#1
I know a lot of folks in here are big lore nerds. I am one myself. In fact, the story and lore was what hooked me to Firefall all those years back.

While we are still in a nascent stage when it comes to Em-8ER, the lore is already taking shape and definitely looks interesting. Most of what we have is currently available in the Vision Book available to backers, and in the Vision Book Proofing posts in The Vault section of the forums (available to everyone). The other lore details are available as part of the Video Update Lore Drops.

While the info in the Lore Drops is mostly derived from the Vision Book Lore sections, there is a lot of additional detail in there that's unavailable elsewhere. It certainly does make for interesting listening.

Some time last year, Markus asked on Discord if there were text versions of the Lore Drops, so that he could make a translated version for his friends. That prompted me to transcribe the Lore Drops from the Video Updates. More lore is always good, and having a written record that's easily accessible is even better.

So, with @Grummz 's permission, I'm posting the transcribed versions of the Lore Drops from the Video Updates. For reference, the links to the actual videos are posted after the respective lore drops.


Video Update #8

Lore Drop #1

Gatestriders

*Jump to 6:40*

Em-8ER takes place after humans have discovered Faster Than Light travel, using D-Gates, four-dimensional wormholes that allow ships to travel instantaneously between vast distances of space. But when a gate is first constructed, nobody knows where it will lead.

This is where the Gatestriders come in, the role that players assume in Em-8ER. Originally founded as a colony of the United Nations of America, the Gatestriders were originally known as the Omega Frontier, but they soon changed their new name to the Gatestriders, after discovery of D-Gates. Born risk-takers, explorers and rugged adventurers, Gatestriders undertook the dangerous task of exploring what lay beyond newly constructed gates.

The Gatestriders are some of the best survivalists and explorers of all the colonies. Their original home-world was harsh, and exposed them to a wide range of environmental conditions, from extreme deserts to frozen wastelands, long nights, hostile environments and predators. The wildly diverse range of conditions made genetic alterations somewhat impractical, and the people of the Omega Frontier tended to avoid genetic solutions as a whole. They preferred to test themselves, as they were, against their new world. They relied on their technology and survival skills to carve out a harsh existence, and still thrive. This made them the ideal forerunners of humanity’s expansion amongst the stars.

But when one Gatestrider ship inadvertently wandered into a region of space forbidden by the advanced human race known only as the Enshigi, the retaliation against their home-world was swift. The Enshigi destroyed the Gatestrider home-world instantly, and without warning, leaving the remaining survivors stranded amongst the stars.

The Gatestriders immediately took to finding a new home-world, and the discovery of resource rich Em-8ER looked to be their last and only hope. It is here on Em-8ER that the Gatestriders have staked their ultimate claim of a new home-world. Organized into clans known as reaper teams, they begin the work of terraforming the icy volcanic planet and mining the rich resources they would need to thrive.



Video Update #9

Lore Drop #2

Saldara Garrack

*Jump to 5:04*

The Gatestriders are the foremost explorers of the universe. They are the daring adventurers who are the first to traverse newly built D-gates, to discover what lies beyond. Each new gate, a new destination, opening randomly in the cosmos, and the discoveries beyond can lead to riches, or quick death. A solar system with lush habitable planets, an asteroid belt or nebula, rich in rare minerals or gases, or the iron grip of a black hole, were just some of the possibilities. And in each case, a Gatestrider would be there, first to dare, first to discover, first to name, and first to claim. A Firstclaimer.

Of all the Gatestriders, Garrack had always been the boldest amongst them. She had a knack for choosing gates. By luck, sheer coincidence or some hidden machinery of cosmic guidance, she would find world after world that enriched her sponsors and grew her fortune and glory. She was Firstclaimer to over two dozen solar systems and was always willing to push farther than anyone else into the unknown reaches of space. One day, Garrack pushed herself farther than she ever had, plunging through the scintillating sheen of a newly constructed D-gate, she arrived at an expanse of nothing, emptiness. This never happens. D-gates always open near gravitational wells with a star and possible solar system always nearby, always within reach of sub-light drive. But this time there was nothing but the cold tapestry of unrecognized stars draped across the distant blackness of space, with absolutely nothing in between. The rest of her reaper team arrived soon after, and they too were puzzled by the lack of anything nearby. They pushed farther and farther into the inky blackness, finding nothing.

After several weeks of this, they voted to begin construction of the return gate, a process that would establish a link pair and allow the Cartographer AIs of both gates o begin churning through the astrological data, and establish their true position in space. But by the time the gate was done and long before the high-speed data chittering of the AIs had finally established their location, the fate of Garracks team and their home-world was already sealed.

They had trespassed.

They were in a black zone. It was forbidden.

The advanced human splinter civilization known as the Enshigi had never been heard from in hundreds of years, but before they ceased communications with the rest of humanity they left one very clear message: ‘Do not enter the black zones’.

Black zones, a seemingly random collection of stellar coordinates, strewn across the universe with no discernable pattern, were a legend, a dark story told in space ports for laughs and shivers over a drink. No one had ever gotten close enough to one before. Nobody knew what they contained or why the Enshigi had threatened destruction if humanity should ever find one.

But Garrack didn’t just find one at a distance, she had jumped right into the heart of one.

Within a week of arriving, the Gatestriders had lost their home-world. The Enshigi destroyed their star, sending it Nova, to smash their solar system. Garrack and her team rushed to return through the gate, only to find it collapsing, dissolving, twisting shut by some unseen force. Desperate not to be stranded they streaked forward in their ships through the dying gate, but the only ship to make it through before the gate folded in on itself, was Garrack's.

The full fury of humanity, and the majority of the Gatestriders, soon descended upon her. She had brought about the anger of the Enshigi, and she had destroyed their home-world. Accident or not, humanity turned their backs to her. She was alone, until one day, she found Em-8ER.

Saldara Garrack, Firstclaimer of Em-8ER, destroyer of the Gatestriders, and their last great hope for a new homeland, a home-world, and perhaps redemption.



Video Update #10

Lore Drop #3

*Jump to 4:35*

-Rework of section of lore drop #2

Garrack and her team triangulated their position and realized they had intruded into a forbidden zone, but pushed on regardless. When they got the signal about their home-world being destroyed, they rushed back to the gate, but only Garrack made it through. She bears the huge burden of the loss of her world, and arrives at Em-8ER hoping to redeem herself, and maybe find an edge over the Enshigi, so that they will no longer hold the rest of humanity hostage to their power.

-Rework end

-New Lore Drop

The Tsi-Hu

The Tsi-hu inhabited Em-8ER long ago, how long is unknown. It is also unknown if they are the original inhabitants of Em-8ER, or merely occupy the planet. But we do know that the Tsi-hu are not from our time.

When the Tsi-hu invade, they do so through rips of reality, portals where we catch glimpses from the other side. Image Capture and Recognition AI of the portals show a night sky different from ours and geography that is wildly varied. Em-8ER is an icy and volcanic planet, but the worlds through the portals seem lush and full of life. At first, we thought it was another planet entirely, but eventually when someone decided to run a regression of stellar data around Em-8ER, and compare it to the skies beyond the portals, it was a perfect match for this planet; only backwards in time by over ten thousand years or more. The exact date is unknowable, but it can be roughly estimated somewhere between 10,000 and 12,000 years ago.

We also know that the Tsi-hu are shapeshifters. So far, we’ve only identified them in two forms. The humanoid form is technologically advanced, with beam weaponry, biotech infused grappling hooks and a sophisticated and information dense language. The beast form is four legged with slashing bladed limbs and a ferrofluid-like mane that seems to change based on mood. The beasts are devoid of technology and fiercely feral. The Tsi-hu seem to be able to instantly and effortlessly shift between these forms at will. Their tactics are to lay down fire from afar before shifting to beast form and rapidly closing the distance to go hand-to hand.

The Tsi-hu seem organized as a military, with leaders, squads, platoons, and effective military strategy, but rather than employ aircraft and ground armor or mechs, the Tsi-hu seem to have evolved an entirely different type of heavy weaponry. What can only be described as giant monsters accompany them through the portals, serving as their siege engines. The creatures vary wildly in appearance and size, with squat six legged creatures acting like tanks and even giant fliers that can rain down biological fire upon our reaper teams. There are rumors of even larger creatures, seen through the mists of the portals, towering above buildings and even mountains. We’ve yet to see one of these larger creatures come through a portal, and we dread the day they do.

Taking a name from an ancient Earth language, we’ve called them Kaiju collectively and started to categorize them into ranks based on size and weaponry. So far, we’ve identified five categories of Kaiju, from the swarm like category zero, all the way to the giant theorized world ender category five’s we’ve glimpsed through the portals. All of them seem to be infused with Tsi-hu technology and we know that they employ shields in addition to their natural armor. Striking the vulnerable shield generators atop the spines of the Kaiju seems to be the most effective way of bringing them down.

We don’t know why the Tsi-hu are invading their own future, or why our presence here seems to have enabled these rips in time and space to appear. We looked for answers amidst the ruins of the planet, sifting through the often-beautiful stone and metalwork, what we presume to have been one of their cities. So far, we’ve not found any way to decipher their language. Not much seems to have been written down, and if there are terminals and computers we’ve yet to find them or recognize them. The architecture and technology of the ruins seems much more advanced and elegant than what we’ve observed from the Tsi-hu themselves, but I guess that’s natural since we’re looking at their past selves. Yet, some have speculated, that the ruins are different enough, that they might come from another species altogether, perhaps one settling the planet after the Tsi-hu were gone.

There is just so much we don’t know, but we’re trying to find answers as fast we can.



Video Update #12

Lore Drop #4

More on the Gatestriders

*Jump to 6:24*

Before their fall from grace, the Gatestriders were employed as the foremost explorers and terraformers of all the colonies. They were the vanguard for dangerous exploration through D-gates, and were awarded contracts to exploit what they discovered beyond. Whether it was efficiently strip-mining asteroid fields or entire planets, or setting up vast terraformers to prepare for colonies, the Gatestriders were without peer.

The business was highly lucrative, and the Gatestriders had amassed vast fortunes for their efforts. They employed fleets of ships, orbital base stations, mining mechs, omniframes and even military hardware. The latter came in handy against pirates, or black-op corporate raiders who might attempt to claim jump or steal from Gatestrider discoveries.

The Gatestriders themselves were formed loosely into houses, centered around families and their retainers, as well as the people they were responsible for governing. Everyone in a Gatestrider house was expected to pull their weight and contribute to the business of exploring space and capitalizing upon their discoveries. Houses were essentially extended families, a modern notion of a tribe that blended aspects of military, corporate and even feudal aspects. Gatestriders however rejected the notion of nobility or dynastic tendencies. Leadership was by meritocracy and new leaders were often brought in from outside bloodlines and integrated into family structure by name, either through marriage or adoption of both adults and gifted children.

When Gatestriders arrived at Em-8ER, they came in large orbital arks that housed families, staff and all the equipment necessary for mining, construction and terraforming. What could not be transported would be built on site using advanced construction machines that would take in the raw resources and output anything from omniframes, weapons and even ships, bases or food. Resources would either be mined from the planet below or from nearby moons and asteroid belts and used to construct any additional equipment necessary. The Gatestrider arks from each house would be placed into orbit around the planet and docked together to form a massive city platform. Sorties of reaper teams would be dropped from orbit to the surface below, for scouting, mining, construction or, if necessary, military actions.

To warm the surface of Em-8ER, Gatestriders constructed vast orbital mirror arrays that would focus the light from the system star onto pockets of terrain below. These mirrors would gradually warm kilometers of terrain at a time, starting with the most suitable areas for habitation or mining. As the surface warmed, atmospheric processors would be constructed from raw materials mined from the system. These giant floating gas refineries would begin the work of transforming the chemical makeup of the atmosphere, making it breathable and within human tolerances. Their gigantic air scoops would ingest atmosphere while internal processes refined it and expelled it out another vent. These floating factories would patrol the warm surface area, carving out a pocket of habitable space for crews to work.

Once a pocket was sufficiently habitable, work crews and reaper teams would descend and put in the long hours mining, constructing bases and deploying even more terraforming equipment to further transform the planet. These facilities would be used to bootstrap the pockets into suitable biomes, in order to self- sustain the new atmosphere and begin creating a planetary ecosystem. The process is extremely rapid, on a cosmological scale, taking a century or so to fully transform planets so long as they were close enough to human parameters to begin with. Planets that were unsuitable for terraforming would only be transformed to a degree comfortable enough to carry out large scale mining operations at the richest sites.

Em-8er was both rich in resources, and close enough to human parameters to make it worthwhile to both terraform and mine, and the presence of alien artifacts made it so valuable that the Gatestriders worked very hard to keep this discovery a secret while they attempted to forge a new home-world for themselves.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

These are the four Lore Drops currently available. I'll be updating this post when we do receive more. In the meantime, happy reading.

P.S.: These were manually transcribed, and I've done my best to capture everything accurately. If you feel something is off, please do let me know.
 
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Mahdi

Firstclaimer
Jul 26, 2016
1,079
2,330
113
44
South Carolina, US
#3
If only I had that much time to spend on something I love....

Oh wait I do, my wife and kids.

If only i had MORE time in life to spend on Em-8er that way you do Maven. A huge thanks again for being able to have that so simple and straight forward for everyone new that will be showing up around here. Great job!
 

Pandagnome

Kaiju Slayer
Fart Siege
Welcome Wagon
Happy Kaiju
Jul 27, 2016
7,730
10,079
113
Island of Tofu
#5
Maybe we can one day have a chief chat with Mr. Grummz about ember lore.
There are so many things i want to ask about the lore and the parts that could appear in the game.

I hope to see much of the lore implemented in the game in the:

Story to pull us into the world of em8er and understand as we unravel data logs, voice recordings, npc stories and such collected in a hive database to go back when you wanted.

Content to keep us engaged that enriches what is already there with more fun!

Rewards to keep us pleased some collectables hidden or tokens to trade for special items etc etc
Even event special rewards e.g. like the chosen glider in firefall

End game with some epic ending a cryptic message hmm, a happy dance who knows?
 

VRK9

Active Member
Sep 15, 2017
123
201
43
Portugal
#6
I was talking more of lore in the lore drops and in the book (don't remember it's name) VS lore in Em-8er.

E.G. - In lore drop 1:
"The wildly diverse range of conditions made genetic alterations somewhat impractical, and the people of the Omega Frontier tended to avoid genetic solutions as a whole. "
What kind of genetic alterations Gatesriders have? Could they appear in-game like some kind of super powers or things like tails, cat ears...?

E.G. - In lore drop 4:
"They employed fleets of ships, orbital base stations, mining mechs, omniframes and even military hardware. The latter came in handy against pirates, or black-op corporate raiders who might attempt to claim jump or steal from Gatestrider discoveries. "
Does that mean that could be some events were players are being attacked by human npc's using omniframes representing other factions or others planets humanities trying to steal resources from Reapers?

E.G. - In lore drop 4:
"The Gatestriders themselves were formed loosely into houses, centered around families and their retainers, as well as the people they were responsible for governing. Everyone in a Gatestrider house was expected to pull their weight and contribute to the business of exploring space and capitalizing upon their discoveries. Houses were essentially extended families, a modern notion of a tribe that blended aspects of military, corporate and even feudal aspects. Gatestriders however rejected the notion of nobility or dynastic tendencies. Leadership was by meritocracy and new leaders were often brought in from outside bloodlines and integrated into family structure by name, either through marriage or adoption of both adults and gifted children. "
Does that mean will we have factions in the game? How will they work?

E.G. - In lore drop 4:
"When Gatestriders arrived at Em-8ER, they came in large orbital arks that housed families, staff and all the equipment necessary for mining, construction and terraforming. What could not be transported would be built on site using advanced construction machines that would take in the raw resources and output anything from omniframes, weapons and even ships, bases or food. Resources would either be mined from the planet below or from nearby moons and asteroid belts and used to construct any additional equipment necessary. "
Does that mean we can thump on the moon and asteroids belts in-game? Or this could be like in Defiance, in the way players only go to the planet (like in the Defiance game) and NPC's go to the moon and asteroids with their own story rolling (like in the Defiance the show)?

E.G. - in lore drop 4:
"To warm the surface of Em-8ER, Gatestriders constructed vast orbital mirror arrays that would focus the light from the system star onto pockets of terrain below. These mirrors would gradually warm kilometers of terrain at a time, starting with the most suitable areas for habitation or mining. As the surface warmed, atmospheric processors would be constructed from raw materials mined from the system. These giant floating gas refineries would begin the work of transforming the chemical makeup of the atmosphere, making it breathable and within human tolerances. Their gigantic air scoops would ingest atmosphere while internal processes refined it and expelled it out another vent. These floating factories would patrol the warm surface area, carving out a pocket of habitable space for crews to work. "
Will that machinery be constructed by the players too or only the cities?

Sorry for the wall text i taked the opportunity to make the questions about the lore from lore drops.
I don't find the book with the lore from ember in the forums, does it be removed?
 

Maven

Kaiju Slayer
Max Kahuna
Philanthropist
Jul 26, 2016
262
1,197
93
#7
@VRK9 I'll try answer some of those the best I can, based off what we know so far. None of it is set in stone mind you. The story and the lore will evolve with the game. And of course, @Grummz is the only one who can give conclusive answers, so do ask them during Chief Chats.

1.
What kind of genetic alterations Gatesriders have? Could they appear in-game like some kind of super powers or things like tails, cat ears...?
The statement specifically says that genetic alterations were impractical and that they avoided genetic solutions as a whole. The Gatestriders were survivalists and depended more on their technology. Their background is described as such in the Lore:

The Omega Frontier began on the most habitable of the worlds surrounding their star, which wasn’t saying much. The world was canted at a harsh angle, it’s polar rotation at a seventy-six degree angle to the elliptical plane. The resulting environment was severe. It was blazingly hot near the pole facing the star, and near the pole furthest away it was frozen and dark. Days and nights at portions of the planet lasted for years, and gravity, while not exactly crushing, was still an exhausting 1.8 G. The local flora and fauna were also highly toxic or lethally aggressive to humans.

This made the people of the Omega Frontier some of the best survivalists and explorers of all the colonies. They were subject to a wide range of environmental conditions, from extreme deserts to frozen wastelands, long nights, hostile environments, and predators. The extreme range of conditions made genetic alternation somewhat impractical, and the people of the Omega Frontier tended to avoid genetic solutions as a whole. They preferred to test themselves, as they were, against their new world. They relied on their technology and survival skills to carve out a harsh existence and still thrive.
2.
Does that mean that could be some events were players are being attacked by human npc's using omniframes representing other factions or others planets humanities trying to steal resources from Reapers?
3.
Does that mean will we have factions in the game? How will they work?
Nothing has been confirmed yet. As it stands, the story and gameplay for initial launch will focus solely on the Gatestriders as a single faction, and their war against the Tsi-hu. But Em-8ER is planned to be an evolving story. Based on the success of the game, the story will be expanded further, and this may mean we get to see different factions in the far future. Guilds, of course, have been confirmed and will be introduced into the game after launch.

4.
Does that mean we can thump on the moon and asteroids belts in-game? Or this could be like in Defiance, in the way players only go to the planet (like in the Defiance game) and NPC's go to the moon and asteroids with their own story rolling (like in the Defiance the show)?
The gameplay will be restricted to the planet Em-8ER. Other planets are not planned currently. Again, they could be a possibility in the future, depending on the success of the game. But that depends on how the game evolves after launch.

5.
Will that machinery be constructed by the players too or only the cities?
From the Vision Book:

Players contribute resources to build up bases and to deploy giant Terraforming platforms in the sky. These platforms require a continuous supply of resources to convert the zone.
Like bases, terraforming equipment will be deployed, and maintained, using resources supplied by players. Notice the statement uses the word deployed. It remains to be seen whether it will just be launching a terraformer in one go, or whether we get to see actual construction stages.

The Vision Book was part of the old forum set up and has been archived along with all other threads that were part of the old forum. It can be found here:

https://forums.em8er.com/forums/vision-book-project-proofing.28/
 
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Mahdi

Firstclaimer
Jul 26, 2016
1,079
2,330
113
44
South Carolina, US
#8
Will edit this later because reading Panda and VRK9 posts triggered some thoughts I look forward to seeing a reaction to from y'all.

*edit*

The data pads and voice recordings that Panda hinted at, I can't help but remember the tread made quite some time ago with people doing custom recordings. Given a script from the team, I see the player base doing volunteer recordings again and perhaps contests like picking the nickname for the Tsi-Hu to get a good recording. But of course for the actual game content, maybe having to keep a privacy clause of some kind to not let spoilers out. Cut back on budget and keep the community involved in the development of Em-8ER.

Then I carry that into VRK9 bringing up the atmo processors. I hope these units are fairly large and easy to spot. When we lose a zone or have the map wipe event, some of these units can be crashed to the surfaces. For those in the community that are asking for more pilot experience outside of the onniframe, this could be an avenue for it.

I see us skimming around and seeing a shadow in the distance. Park outside, get out of the omniframe and go in. Not Tsi-Hu related, but Em-8ER nature "bugs" and such could great us, that or just make it creepy as hell and nothing to fight at all sometimes. This goes back to Panda's data pad part with being able to salvage from the crash site for circuits and such or being able to open lore through AI sounding recordings of what happened before and during the crash. I also toss in the thoughts of, depending on the stage of terraforming, at the higher tech unlocks we could craft sensors that are specific for the use of finding such salvage or data pads and recorders. Only usable during those tier unlocks and replaces a major function on the omniframe.

Anyways, that is what was on my mind this morning.
 
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Faeryl

Omni Ace
Staff member
Community Manager
Kaiju Slayer
Jul 26, 2016
901
2,604
93
Planet Earth, USA, East Coast
discord.gg
#10
I hope to see much of the lore implemented in the game ...
Will edit this later because reading Panda and VRK9 posts triggered some thoughts I look forward to seeing a reaction to from y'all.

*edit*

The data pads and voice recordings that Panda hinted at, I can't help but remember the tread made quite some time ago with people doing custom recordings. Given a script from the team, I see the player base doing volunteer recordings again and perhaps contests like picking the nickname for the Tsi-Hu to get a good recording. But of course for the actual game content, maybe having to keep a privacy clause of some kind to not let spoilers out. Cut back on budget and keep the community involved in the development of Em-8ER. [snip]

. . . more cool stuff . . .

It took me a hot minute to find this but . . .
I think @Grummz might have been giving all of us a hint here :

1547440036023.png


8 FOR EM-8ER :cool: :cool: :cool:
 

Pandagnome

Kaiju Slayer
Fart Siege
Welcome Wagon
Happy Kaiju
Jul 27, 2016
7,730
10,079
113
Island of Tofu
#11
for the actual game content, maybe having to keep a privacy clause of some kind to not let spoilers out. Cut back on budget and keep the community involved in the development of Em-8ER.
Ah the non disclosure agreements and stuff, i like that the community involved in the development will certainly help with our minds put together.

VRK9 bringing up the atmo processors. I hope these units are fairly large and easy to spot.
Me too or highlighted clearly


I see us skimming around and seeing a shadow in the distance. Park outside, get out of the omniframe and go in. Not Tsi-Hu related, but Em-8ER nature "bugs" and such could great us, that or just make it creepy as hell and nothing to fight at all sometimes. This goes back to Panda's data pad part with being able to salvage from the crash site for circuits and such or being able to open lore through AI sounding recordings of what happened before and during the crash. I also toss in the thoughts of, depending on the stage of terraforming, at the higher tech unlocks we could craft sensors that are specific for the use of finding such salvage or data pads and recorders. Only usable during those tier unlocks and replaces a major function on the omniframe.
That was one of the cool things in firefall to explore and not every area had a fight!
At night time it would be an experience even if there was a storm etc

I like the idea of the creepy areas maybe there could be strange sounds or whispers like the ghosts who still are in that area but subtle. Sometimes you see figures that you have not seen before and you could follow them...do they take you to a trap or lead you to something to find hmm

Imagine seeing random objects flying around on rare occasions, as if a poltergeist is playing around with you but you see it whizz past your mech sometimes hear it smacks against a wall or object is it trying to communicate or is it a kid kaiju playing with hightech gizmo hmm??

Also like to see flashbacks when you touch an item the electric goes through you, doesnt make sense but could be part of a clue for example the flash back showed the eyes green and a broken gauntlet ... maybe we must find this green eyes to unlock the gauntlet or that the green eye is guarding this item perhaps!


It took me a hot minute to find this but . . .
I think @Grummz might have been giving all of us a hint here :

View attachment 2759


8 FOR EM-8ER :cool::cool::cool:
Even Music!!!
 

VRK9

Active Member
Sep 15, 2017
123
201
43
Portugal
#12
Behold the wall text from the Lore of Em-8er!
From the Vision Book Project Proofing

From the SECTION - Terraforming & Mining:

“As the zone converts, it will start to change. There will be at least three stages of Terraforming. Zones will start as frozen and volcanic wastelands, and then move to a thawing stage. After thawing will be the final biome type, which will vary. Some zones are unsuitable for much more than deserts or grasslands, while others might spring into lush jungles or forests. New flora and fauna will appear to populate the zones, seeded from local remnants of bygone species and blended with stores from the Terraformer’s gene-banks.”
Will the new fauna and flora be hostile? Since some will be created by the gatestriders.

Can we customize our thmpr with different weapons or abilities?
E.g. In firefall we had small, medium and big thumpers for more resources and difficulty, in ember we could just equip a better drill to thump more and better. And in the other arm we could equip another drill or a plasma cannon (megamen style) or a rpg for torgue…


From the Section – Kaiju:

Could there be friendly tsi-hu factions inside the rift or friendly kaiju that could be domesticated?


From the Section – Omniframes

Since tsi-hu can shapeshift between humanoid form and beast form, can we have omniframes that can shift to vehicles like tanks or aircraft (transformer style) or animals (Voltron style) for different combat styles?

“Skim: Omniframes can assume a low stance, unfolding their wings and activating their jump jets to enable skim mode. Omniframes can skim, hovering just slightly above the ground, for long distances. Skimming drains the reaction core, meaning shields and abilities must recharge after skimming.”
Many people have asked if we can skim and fight at the same time without going to cooldown after doing it, maybe with perks?

“Melee Damage – Melee damage is damage cause by natural weapons (claws, Kaiju chomps, tail whips, etc.) as well as melee weapons (powered hammers, swords, etc.). Melee damage is progressively more effective against equal sized or smaller targets, and progressively less effective against targets larger than the attacker. Targets in Em-8ER are categorized as small, medium, large, and monstrous (the biggest Kaiju). Melee damage is only partially absorbed by shields, and most of the damage passes through to armor beneath the shields.”
Mr. Grummz said about this game will have an “Attack on Titan” vibe, but in that case this should be changed, because it is almost useless against bigger targets, isn’t it?

“Progressive Damage and Critical Hits
Omniframes incur progressive damage to components if they sustain critical hits. An Omniframe whose shields are down, and which is already heavily damaged, has a chance to sustain critical damage if hit by a direct weapon. Critical damage affects the vital systems of the omniframe or THMPR. A critical hit usually results in random damage to a particular system such as a weapon, an ability, shield regeneration, jump-jets, wings, movement and other systems. If a system is critically hit, it becomes inoperable or less effective. An omniframe may lose the ability to jump-jet, or skim, or may walk or run with a limp. Abilities may go offline, and passive or other systems may go down. Repairs to critical system can be made in the field or at the nearest base or facility.”
How will this work? I just ask because I played “crossout” and don’t like when my weapons and wheels are destroyed and I can’t do anything except wait for dead.


From the Section - Gameplay Goals

After the zones upgrade can we salvage the lower level omniframes to get resources for the new ones?

“Episodic
Em-8ER is episodic in story, gameplay and world. Regular updates will give player access to new areas to terraform and fight over. These zones will include new resources, and bring new tiers to unlock to expand the crafting of abilities and weapons in the game. Some updates will, if the game is successful, include releasing vehicles like aircraft and tanks and larger MEK to fight against new Kaiju. The story of Em-8ER will likewise unfold over time, expanding from first contact with the Tsi-Hu to all out war.”
This mean that the heavy frame isn’t the biggest or we will have other frame categories with light, medium and heavy frames like kaiju have categories from 0 to 6? Maybe giant frames with more than 1 pilot (like jaegar in pacific rim)?


From the Section - Dev Plans & Episodic Release

“New Story - Each episode will be accompanied by a new intro movie, writing and in-world flavor text and mysteries that will advance the story of humanity’s first contact with the bloodthristy Tsi-Hu.”
Does the story unravel only around players and their achievements or could it unfolds between NPC’s and other events far away from the players and from ember?


From the Section - Base Building

“Omniframe Hanger - Omniframe Hangers serve as the nearest place for players to store and browse their omniframes. Omniframes are delivered via dropship from the closest base with a hangar, and hangars are where players can repair, craft, and outfit their omniframes.

THMPR Hanger - THRMP hangers are where player THMPR MEK/A are launched on demand. The THMPR hanger is also where THMPRs can be rebuilt or repaired and upgraded.”
I though this was on our ship and not on bases. Can this mean we could have several frames and thmprs scattered between several bases, or we can only call from the nearest base?

“Repair Depot - Accelerates all repairs within a certain distance from the base. The repair depot sends out repair drones to assist with any repairs in the field nearby.”
Are they call downs or they are sent automatically?

“Dropship Pad - Enables fast travel between zones via dropship.”
Are those our dropships?


From the Section - Resources & Crafting

Could we have other ways to get resources in the future? Maybe by having or thmpr or other pet to activate other events besides thumping?
E.g. By opening space rifts (with our thmpr or another pet with that ability) to tsi-hu dimension and raiding their settlements.


From the Section – Invasions

“When Tsi-Hu destroy a base, they start to build their own structures. These serve as additional spawn points for the Tsi-Hu and, as they build up, gives them the ability to open a time breach large enough to spawn bigger and bigger Kaiju.”
Can we convert some of the tsi-hu structures to our own rather than destroy them?


From the Section – Lore

“Em-8ER is set in the Crixa universe. Crixa is a tabletop, space-opera RPG that we are developing in parallel to the video game. Crixa is set in an alternative history where the Axis won World War II but were, in turn, overthrown by scientists who established a ruling class called the Enshigi. The Enshigi became repressive, and were also overthrown and forced to flee to the stars. The fates of the colonies, the enigmatic Enshigi, and the violent Tsi-Hu are all intertwined. While Em-8ER represents only one planet in a vast space opera, it is one of the most important recent developments in the Crixa universe.

We hope you enjoy a snippet of this lore and backstory from both Em-8ER, and its larger setting, Crixa.”
Will we have other forms for the lore rather than the tabletop, like comics, books, videos…?

Since are there a lot of gatestriders factions could some be hostile to players and having their own agenda for ember?

“Humans had encountered plenty of creatures, both flora and fauna and strange life forms, but none had possessed intelligence, let alone a civilization.”
Could we have more information about the reapers home planet and others they discovered?

Thanks for your time. Have fun!
 
Likes: Drakin5

Pandagnome

Kaiju Slayer
Fart Siege
Welcome Wagon
Happy Kaiju
Jul 27, 2016
7,730
10,079
113
Island of Tofu
#13
Will the new fauna and flora be hostile? Since some will be created by the gatestriders.
If i had to guess some could be with crazy things happening with all that blending!


:cool:

Could there be friendly tsi-hu factions inside the rift or friendly kaiju that could be domesticated?
I hope so maybe there are variations of kaiju's hmm


an we have omniframes that can shift to vehicles like tanks or aircraft (transformer style) or animals (Voltron style) for different combat styles?
one of my dream a mech to a bike !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

it is almost useless against bigger targets, isn’t it?
But what if you target their eye it would ouch or other critical area more vulnerable, but then it depends also how quick the big target is moving i am just guessing hmm

How will this work? I just ask because I played “crossout” and don’t like when my weapons and wheels are destroyed and I can’t do anything except wait for dead.
Perhaps depends on the severity of the crit hit if it was say low it would slow you down, if it was higher it would reduce the effectiveness of the targeted area, and if it was extremely high it could temporarily put several areas offline but still have some operational otherwise be hopping out and RUN AWAY!

After the zones upgrade can we salvage the lower level omniframes to get resources for the new ones?
That would be a great, is it worth keeping the low lvl omniframe for low lvl zones too?

Maybe giant frames with more than 1 pilot (like jaegar in pacific rim)?
I like the idea that frames can upgrade to different lvls so just like the kaiju's 0-6. Mech's could go to mk1 to mk6. What about having a small team combining their mechs together like a voltron
could see 2 combining, so one controlling movement and powers while the other controls weapons and targeting.

Does the story unravel only around players and their achievements or could it unfolds between NPC’s and other events far away from the players and from ember?
Could be abit of both?...what if some are revolved around the player/achievements and the other is between npc etc

scattered between several bases, or we can only call from the nearest base?
I am guessing from the nearest base

repair drones to assist with any repairs in the field nearby.”
Are they call downs or they are sent automatically?
Be cool if they just automatically and do their thing

“Dropship Pad - Enables fast travel between zones via dropship.”
Are those our dropships?
I am going to guess its for dropship too

Could we have other ways to get resources in the future? Maybe by having or thmpr or other pet to activate other events besides thumping?
E.g. By opening space rifts (with our thmpr or another pet with that ability) to tsi-hu dimension and raiding their settlements.
would there be a limit to how many times or how long you could be there as opening the dimension uses great deal of energy, unless you are with a team that way it could be for longer perhaps hmm

Can we convert some of the tsi-hu structures to our own rather than destroy them?
I hope so using some reverse engineering/bp and building some of their tech for our benefit

Will we have other forms for the lore rather than the tabletop, like comics, books, videos…?
Comics and vids would be brilliant!

Since are there a lot of gatestriders factions could some be hostile to players and having their own agenda for ember?
Could imagine rogue Mercenary gatestriders who parted ways away from the original gatestrider and decide to do it for the profits and power not concerned who they battle as long as they get the highest payments :O

Could we have more information about the reapers home planet and others they discovered?
I am sensing its a mystery to be unraveled as we progress and perhaps even unlock the other planets as they are made available i hope!
 

Rawgi

Deepstriker
Sep 9, 2016
112
201
43
CA,USA
#15
It took me a hot minute to find this but . . .
I think @Grummz might have been giving all of us a hint here :

View attachment 2759


8 FOR EM-8ER :cool::cool::cool:
And so we get frustrated/disappointed because we think others will do as we would do in a given situation. But not everyone thinks as we do and does the "Right Thing". Many are opportunists and we cannot let it get us down when we see them take advantage.
 

Faeryl

Omni Ace
Staff member
Community Manager
Kaiju Slayer
Jul 26, 2016
901
2,604
93
Planet Earth, USA, East Coast
discord.gg
#16
And so we get frustrated/disappointed because we think others will do as we would do in a given situation. But not everyone thinks as we do and does the "Right Thing". Many are opportunists and we cannot let it get us down when we see them take advantage.
I'm sorry, you lost me there. What is this about?
 
Likes: Pandagnome

Pandagnome

Kaiju Slayer
Fart Siege
Welcome Wagon
Happy Kaiju
Jul 27, 2016
7,730
10,079
113
Island of Tofu
#17
And so we get frustrated/disappointed because we think others will do as we would do in a given situation. But not everyone thinks as we do and does the "Right Thing". Many are opportunists and we cannot let it get us down when we see them take advantage.
1560514577610.jpeg
Kaiju opportunist here will be waiting for you ingame !!!!!

I'm sorry, you lost me there. What is this about?
It is about a love story of a kaiju and a thmpr but it did not end well and so they had a big fight and it continued forever the end :O
 
Likes: Wyntyr