08/23/2022 - 5:00 PMWelcome to Loremakers: Community Questions, a series focused on answering your lore questions. We’ve done a deep dive through the lore Ask A Dev section and selected ten questions to answer about the Star Citizen universe. All questions were edited for context and clarity but you can click on the topic to go directly to the original post and join the conversation. Also, the Narrative team plans to do one installment of Loremakers: Community Questions every quarter with the next entry scheduled for Tuesday, November 22nd, so please join the discussion and drop any other questions you might have about the universe in our Ask A Dev forum.
Gangs and Syndicates in Nyx Question: I know Nyx is still a ways out, but do we have any preliminary thoughts on gang and syndicate names for the region?
Answer: One of the interesting challenges when looking at this system is trying to figure out how to make it feel distinct from other lawless systems like Pyro. We're still working with Design to figure out the exact number of gangs that will be needed in Nyx, but here's a sneak peek at one that we've been talking about.
The Moraine are an organization of thieves and smugglers based out of the Glaciem Ring. Too aggressive to be welcomed into the ranks of the People's Alliance, the Moraine believe that it is their right to steal from the rich and powerful who have benefited from widespread corruption. They use the profits from their criminal activity to finance their organization and create the life they feel they deserve.
One of the things that distinguishes the Moraine from other gangs is their intense loyalty to each other, even at the expense of personal enrichment. The first tenet of the Moraine’s code is: "All for the Family". In everything they do, the "found family" that the Moraine have gathered must come first. They never steal from each other and will treat the life/well-being of a fellow gang member over any reward.
Their commitment to family is so deep that the Moraine even build and maintain settlements around the Glaciem Ring. Some of these are used as dead drops in their smuggling endeavors, others are safe havens for the families of the active members within the Moraine. Although this can be viewed as a sign that the Moraine are more sympathetic, others believe that it’s a way to keep tighter control on their members as a potential traitor’s family is within easy reach of the organization and would pay the price on the traitor's behalf.
Questions on Works of Wonder Question: Given the similarities between the in-lore empire and the Roman Empire, what are the most grandiose constructions of the reigns of the Imperators? Did something like Hadrian's wall, the Pantheon, etc get built during this time? Why is the lore so oddly absent of architectural majesty? Do any plans exist to create parallels to these wondrous monuments in-game?
Specifically the pre-modern era, before the Messers fell. It seems odd to me that a bunch of megalomaniac, paranoid autocrats wouldn't create huge monuments to themselves, their power, or the glory of mankind/the empire. Even more odd, the few works of wonder that we do know of (The Ark, Synthworld) are either created under a more decentralized power structure, or otherwise (Lorville, ArcCorp) under a non-governmental, company-driven, profit-driven initiative.
Answer: Interesting question with a lot to unpack. Let's start broad and then focus on specifics. First, in the project's early days, Narrative created a broad timeline of architectural movements covering Humanity's expansion into space until the era of the game. Each style was given a Narrative framework to justify its existence and look, like the development of Hennowism around 2580 with its austere and defensive bunker aesthetic following Humanity's first war with the Tevarin. We intentionally kept these movements broad and loosely defined so they would direct and inspire the Art team while still allowing plenty of leeway for them to work their magic. So, to answer your question about the lore's being "oddly absent of architectural majesty," one reason would be that if we get too specific then we'll be constraining the Art and Environment team. We have weaved in some general architectural era call outs for a few locations, like Sherman in Castra containing the Monumentalist architecture style started by Imperator Corsen Messer V to be imposing and a symbol of the Empire’s immense power over the individual. While we’ve drawn these distinctions there's still plenty of freedom to explore what looks and feels right for a location when it comes time to tackle it.
That said, there are specific grandiose construction projects called out in lore from the Messer era. Yet, the two most prominent ones no longer exist. The first being the Empire’s Light Conversion Center on Charon III. This massive network of maximum security prisons housed political dissidents during the Messer era and was razed by the UEE following the downfall of the regime. The other well-known grandiose construction was Khanos Stadium in Angeli, Croshaw system. A vanity project for Ulysses Messer X that drove him to drain UEE coffers and steeply raise taxes to pay for it. The construction of Khanos Stadium created increased resentment against the regime and eventually drove the children of Ulysses Messer X to stage a coup that also destroyed the stadium during its grand opening. There's also the question of how many Messer era constructions would still survive in their original form. Buildings may still be there but many monuments to the Messers might not have survived the revolution. Deciding what's still there, and in what form, will be a fun aspect of world building with the Art team going forward.
The two most obvious wonderous monuments in-game, which you mentioned, are from the current era simply because we want players to visit them, and even help deliver supplies for one's construction. Of course, these locations are Synthworld, the UEE’s attempt to construct a planet, and The Ark, a repository for all the universe's knowledge, and their construction has been spun in lore as an attempt by the UEE to prove that Humanity could still come together as one to achieve ultra-ambitious goals. ArcCorp would definitely also be considered a wonder by some, and while yes it was built by a private entity, they’re also the de facto government of the planet, so would have the authority to streamline the ambitious construction undertaken there. ArcCorp also rents out most of the planet’s offices and production facilities, so while the planet-encompassing city would have been expensive to build, they clearly saw it as an investment that would constantly generate profits for them.
Botany in Star Citizen Question: Will the Galactapedia have more categorized entries for the flora of the verse?
I've seen in one or two entries mentions of Genus and Family when talking about species. I'm more curious about plant life on some of the moons, such as Amberdeen, Daymar ect. These plants are looking to be evolved to angiosperm levels of complexity while being in a non Earth life atmosphere. I mean photosynthesis can happen with little to no O2 in the air, in our current knowledge you mainly need co2, water and UV rays.
Just wondering if there is basically a Botany lore goal for how deep it will go?
Answer: Plant lore generally comes in two phases. When a new world goes into production, the Narrative team will do an initial pass to outline some flora that highlights the uniqueness of the planet and also focuses on collectables that may be of value to Players when they have a chance to explore. These help to inspire the Concept and Art teams who go on to create these assets and many more as development progresses. Once the Art team creates the final assets, the Narrative team will then go through and provide additional lore. The environment the plant lives in and what it looks like will inform the direction in which we develop the lore. For example, if the planet the plant is on was terraformed as in the Kavische’s case, we decide where the plant came from and how it got on the terraformed planet. If the plant is dark red or black, we might decide it came from a planet with a dim M-type star. If the plant is blue, we might decide it came from a planet with an F-type bright star. If there isn't any carbon dioxide for the plant to absorb, we may say that it evolved to consume nitrogen compounds instead. There are a lot of other factors to consider, like availability of water, the overall temperature, does anything eat it, how might it have evolved to ward off predators, etc. In a nutshell, we adapt the lore of a plant to how the plant is used in the game.
As far as taxonomic classification goes, we're comfortable giving a genus and species for some of the plants, but prefer not to go higher in taxonomic rank than that. If we were to create a whole expansive classification system all the way up to the domain for each planet with naturally-occuring life, things would get very out of hand very fast. We'd also need to get much, much better at Greek and Latin because unfortunately none of us majored in Classics.
Historical Ships Question: I've been curious for a while whether there has been any discussions about making ships that are not "state of the art?" Surely lore-wise there was a time when ships did not have artificial gravity regardless of thrust direction, or possibly ships that were not designed for QT that have been retrofitted with quantum drives.
We have plenty of people in our current timeline who choose either out of necessity or for nostalgia to drive older vehicles. Some upgrade them to run like newer vehicles, others keep them as true to the original as possible. I'm certain there would be people in the SC universe who would choose to do the same with ships.
Answer: Lore is littered with references to ships that would no longer be considered "state of the art" in the current UEE. From the Zeus, the first commercially available spacecraft, to the 2783 Retaliator still coveted by Bomber Boys, to the extensive classic ship collection Silas Koerner has stashed in a massive underground museum in Bremen, we've established a number of older ships and a culture of collectors that would want to preserve them in their original condition. That said, adding such a ship to the game poses a number of potential issues that would require solutions and support from many teams other than Narrative.
To begin, what ships get prioritized in the pipeline is mainly a decision for the Vehicle team and Chris Roberts. Narrative is here to support and provide lore around the selected ships, and if an older "classic" ship would happen to be on their list, then we would probably suggest one from the backlog of established ships. Still, selecting an older ship would create issues for the Vehicle team, which has been able to refine and ramp up their pipeline thanks to them honing in on the specific look and shape language of each manufacturer. Yet designing a ship made by a manufacturer centuries earlier would require them to explore what that brand would've looked like then. For example, Ford cars manufactured in the 1950s definitely have a distinct and different feel than their current ones. We would want that reality reflected in-game too, because otherwise what's the point of making an older ship if it’s essentially similar to their current offerings. So this becomes more of a time commitment for the Vehicle team as they reimagine a brand's look and build out any new assets needed to achieve it. There's also a wealth of design and gameplay issues to consider. Would "modern" components and capacitors be able to work with the ship, and if not how hard would it be for it to find replacements? Would the Zeus, which was built prior to Humanity discovering modern shield technology from the Tevarin, really not have defensive shields or weapons, which weren't standard on ships until the Second Tevarin War? And how much fun would that be for players flying a Zeus if it's common knowledge the ship is an easy kill?
Meanwhile, on the Narrative side, there would probably be laws set by the UEE to ensure all registered ships have some basic safety features that might've been absent from earlier vessels. Much like Esperia's take on alien ships, I wouldn't be surprised if an older ship makes it into the game that it gets framed as an updated version that embodies the look and spirit of the classic ship but with all the modern conveniences. The true classic, original ships would be so rare in the UEE that only the uber-wealthy, like Silas Koerner, could get their hands on one, and they would only be allowed to fly it under very strict conditions at events like the IAE.
What's life like in the emergency medicine profession? Questions: I'm interested in the lore behind the medics and doctors of Star Citizen's verse, as we all know the verse is a cold, and dangerous world where death lurks around every corner. It's only natural for hospital staff and paramedics to be up-armored or even more respected right? Are they paid better than we would consider today? What's the EMS system look like and are there any prominent individuals that pioneered emergency medicine for the future?
Answer: Medicine occupies a really important place in both the 'verse and in Star Citizen's gameplay. However, aspects of this topic - like how much medics and doctors earn - have more to do with design than lore. We'll leave that side of things to the design team. As for the lore...
The portfolio on the Brentworth Care Centers offers some insight here. The answer is ultimately quite simple. First, most well-equipped hospitals are in larger cities and space stations which have safety fail safes in place to mitigate danger. Threats to the medical infrastructure of those areas would elicit an immediate response from the governing authority. Second, seeing hospital staff in armor would likely distress patients, undermining any medical organizations' efforts to comfort their patients.
Of course, in a place where violent crime is rampant like Grim HEX, you would probably expect that the doctors and medical staff would have more weapons and armor on display (or easily accessible).
Next, you also asked about paramedics and Emergency Medical Services. There are many different kinds of emergency medical service providers in the 'verse. Some of them work for planetary governments, others for individual hospitals, and the rest - the vast majority of such groups - are private companies that provide different specialties and/or zones of operation. For example, Rijora Rescue, a Tevarin volunteer organization providing free medical service to Tevarin communities around the 'verse and using their efforts to help renew a sense of cultural pride and identity amidst their diaspora.
Emergency medical responders arm and armor themselves differently based on a number of factors including their company and location of operation. Some are more specialized paramedics, but there’s much more to "emergency response" than just medical treatment! In the broader field of Search & Rescue, responders need the skills and gear to address and overcome many different disaster scenarios. As a result, they are far more likely to carry armor and weapons, along with multi-tools, fire extinguishers, and other more specific pieces of equipment, depending on the nature of the beacon they are responding to.
Lastly, you asked about notable individuals in the field of medicine. We'd be remiss not to mention Doctors Diyo Nikolas and Ted Santos who founded BiotiCorp; the cutting-edge medical manufacturer responsible for the creation of the Calliope Machine. Now used widely throughout the UEE, it can efficiently perform massive bioreconstructive surgery that would have previously taken a team of surgeons multiple operations. The device is so effective, it's even been adopted for cosmetic surgeries. Plus, as mentioned in an early question, there is also Dr. Ibrahim who changed the universe with his work on regeneration.
So, there you have it. Medicine is always evolving, with new technologies rapidly challenging our understanding of what it means to live in the 'verse.
How old is the paladin helmet? Question: The org I'm in wears the Paladin Helmet and I wanted to know, how old it is?
Answer: The Paladin Helmet was first released to the public in 2855 and though the striking visual style has remained unaltered, Virgil updates the model with the latest defensive alloys to keep the Paladin Helmet competitive in the market.
The initial designs of the Paladin Helmet were first developed by Virgil Limited’s industrial division for salvage and repair operations. But it wasn't until the armor piece was reviewed by company executives that the helmet was adopted for the company's personal armor line. They kept the striking visual look but reworked the design to reinforce the helmet's protective plating and accommodate a combat-rated durable alloy to improve its overall defensive capabilities.
Thanks for this question! It got us thinking deeper about the company’s history, which we plan on expanding further upon in a future company portfolio.
Symbolism and History of UNE and UPE Logos Question: I have some questions regarding the UNE and UPE flags recently released as part of the Subscriber Desk Flag set. I figured the interlocking rings mean unity, but is that all there is to it, as far as SC lore is concerned? Why did the UNE choose exactly 3 (not 5 or more) interlocking rings? What made that choice so solid that the UPE chose to keep it (albeit making it 4 rings) after so many years? Why didn't the UEE flag keep the rings, and instead used its acronym as its centerpiece? Finally, is the aforementioned interlocking rings symbol still used in the UEE or has it been completely phased out?
Answer: The design for the UNE and UPE flags is a great example of how teams collaborate. It was also a task the Narrative team pushed for because defining the flags and symbols of previous iterations of Human government would create a visual language that could be added to locations, props, or other assets to hint at its age.
Now, the UEE flag was designed years ago so we already had a general look and some symbols as inspiration. Since the transition between various forms of government (UNE to UPE to UEE) was peaceful, we wanted to represent this process as evolutionary not reactionary by ensuring the colors and/or symbols persisted between the flags. Each flag would honor what came before while also adapting new elements to represent the ideals of the new government. Ideas like this and further guidance that contextualized the flags, along with general suggestions for what the UNE and UPE could look like, were compiled by Narrative in a document and passed along to the Props teams, who then worked on and implemented the design. Once the flags were done, Narrative came back into the process to do a pass on the name and description strings used in-game when interacting with the desk flag set. Some of the symbolism you asked about was addressed in those descriptions but other aspects weren't touched upon, so let's dig into it here.
The three interlocking rings on the UNE flag are meant to symbolize unity between Humanity's three main population centers (Earth, Mars, and Croshaw system) when the first unified government formed. The three rings being retained for the UPE flag paid homage to this while also adding a larger ring around the three interlocking ones to represent the wider universe that had since been discovered and brought into the UPE. Another circle with breaks in the four cardinal directions was also added outside that largest ring as a symbol of the UPE's intention to keep expanding in every direction. That brings us to the UEE flag, which retained the two outer circles in its design but dropped the three interlocking rings and replaced it with UEE. This can be read as an acknowledgement that the Empire had become something much bigger than those first three population centers. The three interlocking rings symbol was phased out with the creation of the UEE, so seeing it somewhere should be a hint that the item is centuries old. Players that like to loot might even see these symbols on some interesting items recently added to the game.
Regeneration Question Question: Since regeneration slowly deteriorates the body each time you die. Wouldn't it deteriorate the brain. People could start to become less rational and paranoid or other side effects after each regeneration. It could get to the point where their brains won't let them take care of themselves and you have instances where people say something like "don't worry about Bob, he's just had one too many regenerations."
Answer: You’re absolutely right! Bob could be in a lot of trouble. Regeneration technology is still quite new to the verse and not without issues. The question of how regeneration impacts the brain is particularly interesting!
If you want to learn more about regeneration technology, I recommend you read the foundational Death of a Spaceman post to learn about some of the underpinning thinking behind the ongoing design of this system. If you're looking for a short glossary of regeneration-related terminology, as well as a primer on the history of this unprecedented technology, the Loremakers' Guide to Regeneration is another post worth reading.
To summarize though, regeneration tech as we know it is fundamentally a synthesis of alien technology and human ingenuity. Even before gaining access to the Vanduul biogenetic scanning technology that would pave the way for the creation of the Ibrahim Sphere, Dr. Aka Ibrahim was passionate about finding a way to repair brain functionality for patients who had suffered some sort of mental loss or trauma.
While the Ibrahim Sphere has changed the meaning of life and death in the verse, there are still serious consequences to both mental and physical injuries and afflictions.
In order to benefit from an Ibrahim Sphere a person must have an imprint made. As a holistic record of an individual person, these imprints also register the body's age and preexisting mental and physical trauma. So, as a person undergoes subsequent regenerations, they still suffer from all the normal consequences of aging, along with the degenerative changes that can accompany it, as well as suffering from additional complicating factors such as traumatic response echos (TREs) that can permanently alter an imprint and gradually lead to its degradation - only hastening the body's natural degeneration. Not only that, but people who don't imprint frequently enough may suffer gaps in their memory upon regenerating, as in the Hazy Days short story featured in February's Jump Point.
As game development continues we hope that we will be able to represent these side effects of the process in-game, whether with cybernetic limbs or other physical indicators. Every regeneration brings you closer to suffering a permanent death, but fame and fortune are still out there for the taking.
Lore Post Idea Question: I like the idea of a lore post about the fallout and ramifications around a tech (or pilot) releasing classified data on new military vehicles to win an argument on the forums for Arena Commander. You guys could even use it as a way to tease any new vehicles that are in the pipeline right before they release. Have you ever considered doing this?
Answer: Turns out we've already done something similar to this! Back in 2017, Marketing showed us an interesting teaser for the Eclipse that included shaky, handheld footage of the stealth bomber from a distance. Marketing wanted the teaser to pique people's interest in the ship, including its striking silhouette while landed, without giving away too many details, and wondered if we could provide a little Narrative framework. We were more than happy to pitch in.
In the run-up to the teaser's release, we first planted a mention that a former, secretive military ship was on the verge of being declassified in a Showdown interview with Imperator Costigan. The following week we wrote a dispatch centered around a spectrum forum called "Zero-G Gearheads" where spacecraft enthusiasts gather to discuss their shared love of ships. Using Imperator Costigan's mention of a secretive ship to kick off a thread, we had members of the forum speculate on what was coming, and used the forum's social dynamics to push one of the posters into doing something very dumb. Upon the ship's announcement, the Eclipse ship brochure was even framed as a classified document now released to the public with a few important redactions still in place. Overall, it was a fun way to blend an interesting take on a Marketing teaser into the wider lore.
Nine Tails Lore Question: So let's talk about the Nine Tails lore. As a narrative introduction that will be built upon later, it is fine. It sets up a mystery and ties the gang to a wider world that has not been filled out yet letting us know that there's more to come. My concern is that this lore by itself sets the gang up to be convenient for gameplay at the expense of immersive lore. If the developers need a bad guy to do something stupid or pointless because it would create interesting gameplay, they can have the Nine Tails do it. Why are the Nine Tails doing this thing? Because they're crazy random that's why!
Answer: While it's helpful to have Nine Tails around for law-abiding players to confront, their actions aren't crazy random in our eyes. There's a deeper motivation and backstory for them, but in this interesting environment of live development, the question is when do we advance their story. We don't want to spoil anything, but want to assure you that even though the Nine Tails’ motivations aren't as apparent as XenoThreats’, that there's a method to their madness. In the meantime, we can't wait to see what theories the community cooks up!