I remember reading about this a couple months ago, but it was sort of a fleeting thing though. I'm very happy to see this is still being done, because this has the potential to be great. Fantastic job, Dragon. Please keep working on it, and please keep it open-source. I won't say why.

Who are we doing this for? For us or for a newer audience?

If we're doing this for a newer audience then a mod of the old game (with its obsolete graphics) won't cut it, so a brand new game is required. This is what Timewarp is/was

If we are doing this for our own self indulgence then maybe a mod is better. Clearly we are nostalgia junkies otherwise we wouldn't be here. This is what Nicholai's mod is/was

This kind of thing has been attempted with all the best intentions on numerous occasions before.

TimeWarp was a huge profect that a LOT of creative energies went into. it seems bizarre that nothing came of it. Or are they just on hiatus?

After having a good look through the TimeWarp forum (which i hadn't even seen before), and also re-reading

Who knows what's happened to Nicholai. He had quite a few forum members helping him out with art and voice contributions. Can anyone out there tell me if they've had any contact with him recently? Valaggar was goind a lot of stuff there, a pity veryone was so mean to him. We might know what was going on.

Really I dont care who does it and how its done, I just want something to be done.

I find it sort of funny that TimeWarp is constantly brought up, when I was involved in the original design of it. I worked with the project for a while, and we were developing a story, I thought. I was working on a few sprites - and just nothing ever really happened with it. I lost interest when I stopped understanding what was going on with the project, and while they created a release, I was still never quite sure what the point of what they were doing was. In my opinion, the failure of TimeWarp was just too many people with too many ideas, and they constantly strayed away from ideas that would have worked. But, what do I know, I was in 6th or 7th grade at the time.

My advice? Keep the story ideas topic open. Let the brainstorming happen. It'll come naturally, don't force it until there's something concrete.

Time to gauge some enthusiasm for this before we get too carried away with story ideas. Registration of interest is based on the assumption that a kick-ass story line will be developed that will get people excited.

The concept should be fully developed before anything else is put into motion. You need something concrete to present to people, so they have a clear understanding of what is wanted, or it'll turn out to be a mish-mash of things. It's not a bad idea to do this, but it's not time just yet. Shiver's right, rein it in for now.

I think I'd prefer a new engine for a new Star Control project. Updated graphics, updated interface, etc. I can see why someone would want to work with it just as a mod, since the coding is likely familiar to a lot of people, but it's been done before.

Though, if a mod sequel turns out like any of the fanmade Fallout sequels, I would be okay with that too. I'm willing to bet the Star Control community could actually finish it's sequels though. It's likely not as sloppy as the Fallout coding and engine actually is. Isometric RPGs, whoo.

TimeWarp turned out like it did because too many people had too much input, and too many ideas. I wasn't suggesting a democracy, except between two creative minds in each section. The overall creative direction should be decided BEFORE the project even starts, and should stick to the basic design. I suppose it could be sized down to just two people behind the primary creative processes, but I don't believe that it can be successfully done as a fan project with just one person - unless that one person is doing the majority of the work. At least, I've never had any success with just one person in control.

The Mycon were unable to find peaceful relations with the Alliance, due to their necessary destruction of a certain class of world, in order to rebirth their race. Their lack of any perceived notions of morality, and the lack of any understanding of what an Alliance means, caused the Alliance to have to eradicate the Mycon from the galaxy.

This is the one thing I don't like. From dialogue, it seems that the Mycon joined the Hierarchy because they knew they couldn't defeat them. So I would assume they would attempt to join the Alliance, as they cannot defeat them.

Maybe, I cleaned up the post in the post that Cedrick made. When I gave it a little thought, from the picture that I painted in the backstory, the Alliance wouldn't have eradicated the Mycon. Instead, I added that they would regulate them to a single planet like the VUX and Ur-Quan.

I also gave this a little thought last night, before I went to sleep. Every project that I've ever worked on, whether it be a short story, novel, article, technical writing, etc. I have always had creative input from someone else. One person should not be in control of a project like this, it should be a creative and community effort - that everyone decides on as a whole beforehand what the main objective of the project should be. People should be regulated to specific tasks that they want to be regulated to.

For example, there should be no less than two main writers. You need someone to bounce ideas off of when writing, no matter how good you are. No one is capable of thinking of everything, but two people are capable of thinking of a lot more together than they ever would be by themselves.

Two people should be in charge of writing, two people should be in charge of music, two people should be in charge of graphics, and two people should be in charge of coding - at least. No one's perfect, and someone that's just as enthusiastic about something as you are, can provide a lot more quality to the end that you're seeking.

In otherwords, no overlord, group effort. It turns out better. Just make sure everyone lays out deadlines with the group - realistic deadlines. I'm sure someone else can regulate things and explain how to regulate tasks much more clearly, but it's just something I was thinking about.

[Things that could occur within this plot line:]

Backstory:
Immediately following the destruction of the Sa-Matra, the Chmmr systematically hunted down all the slave shielded planets and cracked them. The Syreen, Human, Spathi, Chmmr, and the Captain's homeworld were all freed. The Chmmr then turned their attention to the Ur-Quan and Kohr-Ah vessels. The Avatar vessels proved more than a match for the Dreadnaught and Marauder designs. The Ur-Quan and Kohr-Ah even pushed against the Chmmr and their allies together in a push for their survival. But the Utwig, Chmmr, Yehat, and Pkunk fleets combined were too much for even the great Ur-Quan to compete with. The Ur-Quan and Kohr-Ah were scattered in the end, and their fleets torn to shreds. The Ur-Quan eventually surrendered, while the Kohr-Ah fought until their last ship in the quadrant.

The quadrant was reborn with the New Alliance of the Free Stars, and the defeat of the Ur-Quan. With the threat neutralized, the question now became, "What do we do with them now that we have them by the tail?" The Chmmr suggested that we indoctrinate them into the New Alliance, while certain clans of the Yehat suggested the Ur-Quan be imprisoned as they had done to the Alliance. The Pkunk strongly opposed this, and suggested we free them entirely. The Syreen were apathetic to the plight of the Ur-Quan, as were the Orz. In the end, the choice fell upon the Human Captain and Humanity. This particular historical option will be left open. The player will decide whether the Captain obliterates, enslaves, or offers friendship to the Ur-Quan. This will only directly effect if the Ur-Quan are in the player's game and in what capacity.

The Spathi were freed from their Slave Shield by the Chmmr, though on their request they were immediately put right back underneath of it. Several Spathi however did not wish to be encased underneath of the shield like the others. These Spathi were known as the Black Spathi Squadron, they would colonize a small planet some light years away from their homeworld, to watch over their brethren.

The Thraddash and Ilwrath were not completely annihilated by their war that the Captain set them on. Remnants remained of both, and while the Ilwrath would not submit to the Alliance or join them, the Thraddash recognized the power of the Alliance. The Ilwrath in the end destroyed themselves by throwing their troops against the Alliance. The Thraddash become members of the Alliance, some remembering that the teachings of the Captain had kept them alive, while others just wanted the chance to rebuild and avenge their defeat.

The Yehat and Pkunk cultures meshed to one with the Pkunk Queen. The breed of the Pkunk slowly faded away, while the Yehat became the predominant culture, as many had expected. However, the honor of the Yehat, and the peace and forgiveness of the Pkunk had produced a reborn Yehat. The new highly spiritual, honor bound, and slightly psychic Yehat become fantastic ambassadors for the Alliance, embodying all that is good about it.

The Utwig stayed with the Alliance, but have had no significant socio-political or weaponry advances since the wars ended. They have no interest in Alliance politics, and only concern themselves with their influence of space.

The Suppox were more than willing to stay with the Alliance after the defeat of the Ur-Quan. Having made many new allies in the Humans, Chmmr, Yehat, Pkunk, Zog-Fot-Pik, and the various other cultures that made up the Alliance, the Suppox set out to learn as much as they could from every culture and eventually create their own.

The Umgah became funny blobbies for the Alliance. Though what that means isn't really known. Contact with the Umgah is scarce at best, though the Umgah produce many biological fixes for many races in the quadrant. Humanity in particular is able to live a significantly longer time. On occasion, someone gets some sort of 'joke' in their blood and explode.

The Syreen and Human cultures eventually intermingled with the union of Talana and the Captain. The physiological similarities made the breeding of the two cultures possible, and beneficial for the Syreen, which lacked males, in particular. Humanity eventually breeds out the Syreen culture, though Humanity reaps the benefits in absorbing the Syreen features into it's culture. Humanity advances its own development nearly two hundred years with this process, and their technology, culture, and general physical well being are increased almost ten fold.

The Shofixti culture left Delta Gorno, and set out on their way to find a new homeworld. The Chmmr suggested a planet not too far off from the Yehat sphere of influence. It turned out to be a perfect place, as the Shofixti quickly populated the planet and rebuild their star faring capabilities. Their culture has not changed much since the Yehat uplifted them, and many do not think they will.

The Slylandro while still unable to leave their star system, are visited regularly by Alliance fleets at the request of the Captain.

The Arilou once more disappear from known space, though they appear on occasion to speak with the Humans in the Sol system.

The Druuge continued to do business the way they always had, until the Alliance attempted to place restrictions on their slave trade. The Druuge took offense to this, and left the quadrant of space. They haven't been heard from since.

The Melnorme still inhabit various supernova stars in the quadrant, and on occasion do business with the Alliance.

The Mycon were unable to find peaceful relations with the Alliance, due to their necessary destruction of a certain class of world, in order to rebirth their race. Their lack of any perceived notions of morality, and the lack of any understanding of what an Alliance means, caused the Alliance to have to eradicate the Mycon from the galaxy. Alternatively, the Mycon could be regulated to a single planet like the VUX and Ur-Quan would be.

The VUX were unwilling to submit to the Alliance even after the defeat of the Ur-Quan and continued to fight on. The Yehat took it as their personal project to make the VUX submit. Eventually the VUX were defeated, and regulated to a small sector of space where they do not have to make any contact with other star faring races, and are allowed to live out the rest of their wretched existence.

The Zog-Fot-Pik exported Frungy to the quadrant. That's really all they did.

The mystery of the Androsynth went unsolved for some time, and eventually the Orz completely disappeared from Alliance radars. No one is really sure what has become of them. Even after multiple searches and scans of the area, the Alliance is still not completely sure what happened to the Orz and the Androsynth.

If the Ur-Quan are destroyed, they are destroyed. If the Ur-Quan are put under a slave shield, they are underneath a slave shield where the Sa-Matra was. If the Ur-Quan are allied to the Alliance, they are regulated to just one planet, and are not allowed to build any ships unless specifically commissioned by the Alliance. They live out their lives on a single planet where their greatest defeat occurred.

 In the years after the Ur-Quan Hierarchy was humbled by the New Alliance of the Free Stars, the famous Captain that rebuilt the Alliance retired to obscurity on his homeworld. Some years after his retirement, he was asked to serve on the council of the New Alliance of the Free Stars as the Admiral of the fleet. Though he initially denied the request, he would take them up on their offer and take up the head of the Alliance.

Fifty years pass, and the Alliance sufficiently builds up. Under the guidance of the Admiral, the council mediates many successful peaceful talks. The Humans, Chmmr, Yehat, and Suppox all have high ranking positions on the council. The Zog-Fot-Pik, Shofixti, Thraddash, and Utwig also have positions, but do not seem too interested in the political goings on.

After the quadrant is built up sufficiently, the Alliance decides that it is time to clean up the mess that the Ur-Quan left throughout the quadrant, and so the second great mission of the New Alliance of Free Stars begins. The mission to free the races that the Ur-Quan left enslaved in their wake before the battle against the original Alliance of Free Stars.

The Alliance decided that a small scouting force would be best for such a long expedition, since sending a large force would cost too many resource units, and be highly ineffective. An exemplary young Captain is given control of a prototypical human class Claymore vessel, and sent to begin the process.


Things that could occur within this plot line:
An introduction to 10 new alien races, that will be developed later, which will be freed from the Ur-Quan slave shields.

At least one scripted encounter with the remnants of the Kohr-Ah. Despite being defeated soundly in the Alliance quadrant, there are stragglers of the Kohr-Ah in the galaxy. They could possibly retreat and rebuild on another planet, and prepare themselves for another run at galactic cleansing.

The Druuge could become a minor nuisance to the new Captain, as they try to capture or trick the races that you free. It will be up to the Captain to either interfere and confront the Druuge or allow the races that you free to make their own choice.

The Melnorme could appear, reveal to the Captain who exactly the are, and what exactly the color of their bridge does mean. They can also be used as they were in Star Control as a hint system.

The Orz can return in this particular plot line and reveal themselves to be mere servants of the true evil of the story. The Arilou will return to warn you exactly of what is happening. The race that the Orz serve punch a hole in Quasi-Space and are finally able to materialize in Hyperspace. The story will explore the darker side of the fish people we all love, and add a villain that actually might make sense in the context of the original story. What exactly the race will be, what their motives are, and what they're capable of are unknown of course. They obviously have used the Orz as a simple scout race, to examine the various races of the quadrant, or galaxy.


Possible game play things:
Traditional Star Control combat.
Traditional Star Control conversations.
Someway to break the monogamy of collection resource units.
Ability to establish star bases in the new quadrant.
Meeting the goals of the New Alliance's council.
Ability to request reinforcements from the New Alliance's council, which could simply be named Star Control.
The ability to upgrade vessels within the Captain's fleet, perhaps only Alliance races.

Tim: I haven't seen any of your actual material, but your post in itself suggests that you aren't qualified to be in charge of the creation of a fan sequel. Random capitalization of words and excessive parenthesis use is not a good sign. Sorry. You are welcome to try and prove me wrong.

I wasn't looking to be in charge of anything, to be honest, I was just throwing out the idea. The writing was spur of the moment, so not everything was up to par on what it would be after I actually sat down to edit something. My creative processes are a little less than cognitive at times. I'm more than willing to go back and look it over, and properly edit everything into a cohesive idea - later.

I don't capitalize randomly, nor do I usually use parenthesis frequently. I capitalized where I thought a proper name should be used. I'm well aware of the fact that quadrant isn't a proper name, but it should be replaced by one. I do that while brainstorming on occasion, not uncommon for me. I added parenthesis where I was inputting a personal interjection so not to break from the line of thought completely.

e.g.: The Orz return and reveal the 'main bad guy of the story'. (The idea behind this isn't totally fleshed out, but the Orz are just fingers of a darker race that even the Arilou seem to fear. So, the main villain of the story would turn out to be the creatures that control the Orz. The story will explore the darker side of the fish people we all love.) <- This would be proper for what I was doing.

'Introduction of 10 new Alien Races and 10 new Ships. Which will all be freed from the Ur-Quan slave shields.' <- Ugly, no matter how I try to defend it. 'Star Bases' is also ugly.

The 'Things that will occur in the story:' and 'Gameplay ideas:' sections are full of ugly grammar, I know. As I said in the original post, it was just a rough idea I came up with after reading the entirety of the post. That's all, no offense taken. If anything, I'm embarrassed at how sloppy that turned out. I understand the concerns, and I don't want another Star Control 3 - nor do I want another TimeWarp.

If you're interested in seeing any of the writer's credentials for writing, in terms of actual story and depth and background, I'm more than willing to share a project that I've been working on for the past 6 years. It takes a long time for something to become in-depth and at times it can be frustrating if you're not capable of keeping that line of thought for a long time. I've changed around the exact details of this story so many times I can't count it, but everything has stayed together. It would just be the reference dictionary, and background time line that I created for myself, so that I don't stray too far away from my own canonical ideas.

[Backstory:]

Well, I haven't posted on here since I was a small child. Haven't even been involved in the Star Control community, outside of ghosting it, for 11 years now? (I ran the original Star Control Online RPG.) Wow. Anyway, I was reading this topic, and it sort of inspired me to write this up.

Star Control is what inspired me to become a writer in the first place, and is the reason I have any short stories published, and any work published at all. So, I figured when I read this, I might as well throw my hat into the writer bidding war before it became too intense.


Backstory:
Immediately following the destruction of the Sa-Matra, the CHMMR systematically hunted down all the slave shielded planets and cracked them. The Syreen, Human, Spathi, CHMMR, and the Captain's homeworld were all freed. The CHMMR then turned their attention to the Ur-Quan and Kohr-Ah vessels. The AVATAR vessels proved more than a match for the Dreadnaught and Marauder designs. The Ur-Quan and Kohr-Ah even pushed against the CHMMR and their allies together in a push for their survival. But the Utwig, CHMMR, Yehat, and Pkunk fleets combined were too much for even the great Ur-Quan to compete with. The Ur-Quan and Kohr-Ah were scattered in the end, and their fleets torn to shreds. The Ur-Quan eventually surrendered, while the Kohr-Ah fought until their last ship in the quadrant.

The Quadrant was reborn with the New Alliance of the Free Stars, and the defeat of the Ur-Quan. With the threat neutralized, the question now became, "What do we do with them now that we have them by the tail?" The CHMMR suggested that we indoctrinate them into the New Alliance, while certain clans of the Yehat suggested the Ur-Quan be imprisoned as they had done to the Alliance. The Pkunk strongly opposed this, and suggested we free them entirely. The Syreen were apathetic to the plight of the Ur-Quan, as were the Orz. In the end, the choice fell upon the Human Captain and Humanity. (Leave this particular historical option open, for the player to decide. Whether the Captain obliterates, enslaves, or offers friendship to the Ur-Quan. Will only directly effect if the Ur-Quan are in the game and in what capacity.)

The Spathi were freed from their Slave Shield by the CHMMR, though on their request they were immediately put right back underneath of it. Several Spathi however did not wish to be encased underneath of the shield like the others. These Spathi were known as the Black Spathi Squadron, they would colonize a small planet some light years away from their homeworld, to watch over their brethren.

The Thraddash and Ilwrath were not completely annihilated by their war that the Captain set them on. Remnants remained of both, and while the Ilwrath would not submit to the Alliance or join them, the Thraddash recognized the power of the Alliance. The Ilwrath in the end destroyed themselves by throwing their troops against the Alliance. The Thraddash become members of the Alliance, some remembering that the teachings of the Captain had kept them alive, while others just wanted the chance to rebuild and avenge their defeat.

The Yehat and Pkunk cultures meshed to one with the Pkunk Queen. The breed of the Pkunk slowly faded away, while the Yehat became the predominant culture, as many had expected. However, the honor of the Yehat, and the peace and forgiveness of the Pkunk had produced a reborn Yehat. The new highly spiritual, honor bound, and slightly psychic Yehat become fantastic ambassadors for the Alliance, embodying all that is good about it.

The Utwig stayed with the Alliance, but have had no significant socio-political or weaponry advances since the wars ended. They have no interest in Alliance politics, and only concern themselves with their influence of space.

The Suppox were more than willing to stay with the Alliance after the defeat of the Ur-Quan. Having made many new allies in the Humans, CHMMR, Yehat, Pkunk, Zog-Fot-Pik, and the various other cultures that made up the Alliance, the Suppox set out to learn as much as they could from every culture and eventually create their own.

The Umgah became funny blobbies for the Alliance. Though what that means isn't really known. Contact with the Umgah is scarce at best, though the Umgah produce many biological fixes for many races in the Quadrant. Humanity in particular is able to live a significantly longer time. On occasion, someone gets some sort of 'joke' in their blood and explode.

The Syreen and Human cultures eventually intermingled with the union of Talana and the Captain. The physiological similarities made the breeding of the two cultures possible, and beneficial for the Syreen, which lacked males, in particular. Humanity eventually breeds out the Syreen culture, though Humanity reaps the benefits in absorbing the Syreen features into it's culture. Humanity advances its own development nearly two hundred years with this process, and their technology, culture, and general physical well being are increased almost ten fold.

The Shofixti culture left Delta Gorno, and set out on their way to find a new homeworld. The CHMMR suggested a planet not too far off from the Yehat sphere of influence. It turned out to be a perfect place, as the Shofixti quickly populated the planet and rebuild their star faring capabilities. Their culture has not changed much since the Yehat uplifted them, and many do not think they will.


The Slylandro while still unable to leave their star system, are visited regularly by Alliance fleets at the request of the Captain.

The Arilou once more disappear from known space, though they appear on occasion to speak with the Humans in the Sol system.

The Druuge continued to do business the way they always had, until the Alliance attempted to place restrictions on their slave trade. The Druuge took offense to this, and left the Quadrant of space. They haven't been heard from since.

The Melnorme still inhabit various Supernova stars in the Quadrant, and on occasion do business with the Alliance.

The Mycon were unable to find peaceful relations with the Alliance, due to their necessary destruction of a certain class of world, in order to rebirth their race. Their lack of any perceived notions of morality, and the lack of any understanding of what an Alliance means, caused the Alliance to have to eradicate the Mycon from the galaxy.

The VUX were unwilling to submit to the Alliance even after the defeat of the Ur-Quan and continued to fight on. The Yehat took it as their personal project to make the VUX submit. Eventually the VUX were defeated, and regulated to a small sector of space where they do not have to make any contact with other star faring races, and are allowed to live out the rest of their wretched existence.

The Zog-Fot-Pik exported Frungy to the Quadrant. That's really all they did.

The mystery of the Androsynth went unsolved for some time, and eventually the Orz completely disappeared from Alliance radars. No one is really sure what has become of them. Even after multiple searches and scans of the area, the Alliance is still not completely sure what happened to the Orz and the Androsynth.

If the Ur-Quan are destroyed, they are destroyed. If the Ur-Quan are put under a slave shield, they are underneath a slave shield where the Sa-Matra was. If the Ur-Quan are allied to the Alliance, they are regulated to just one planet, and are not allowed to build any ships unless specifically commissioned by the Alliance. They live out their lives on a single planet where their greatest defeat occurred.

 In the years after the Ur-Quan Hierarchy was humbled by the New Alliance of the Free Stars, the famous Captain that rebuilt the Alliance retired to obscurity on his homeworld. Some years after his retirement, he was asked to serve on the Council of the New Alliance of the Free Stars as the Admiral of the fleet. Though he initially denied the request, he would take them up on their offer and take up the head of the Alliance.

Fifty years pass, and the Alliance sufficiently builds up. Under the guidance of the Admiral, the Council mediates many successful peaceful talks. The Humans, CHMMR, Yehat, and Suppox all have high ranking positions on the Council. The Zog-Fot-Pik, Shofixti, Thraddash, and Utwig also have positions, but do not seem too interested in the political goings on.

After the Quadrant is built up sufficiently, the Alliance decides that it is time to clean up the mess that the Ur-Quan left throughout the Quadrant, and so the second great mission of the New Alliance of Free Stars begins. The mission to free the races that the Ur-Quan left enslaved in their wake before the battle against the original Alliance of Free Stars.

The Alliance decided that a small scouting force would be best for such a long expedition, since sending a large force would cost too many Resource Units, and be highly ineffective. An exemplary young Captain is given control of a prototypical human class Claymore vessel, and sent to begin the process.



Things that will occur in the story:
Introduction of 10 new Alien Races and 10 new Ships. Which will all be freed from the Ur-Quan slave shields.
   
Encounters with remnants of the Kohr-Ah fleet. (And the discovery of the new Doctrine.)   

Encounters with Druuge slave masters. (As they try to capture what you free.)
   
Encounters with Melnorme. (As well as the main hints of the game.
   
The Orz return and reveal the 'main bad guy of the story'. (The idea behind this isn't totally fleshed out, but the Orz are just fingers of a darker race that even the Arilou seem to fear. So, the main villain of the story would turn out to be the creatures that control the Orz. The story will explore the darker side of the fish people we all love.)


Gameplay things:
Upgrades possible for the Claymore Class, and certain escort vessels (namely Human cruisers.)

The ability to establish Star Bases in the Quadrant.

Meeting the goals of the Council of the New Alliance of Free Stars (similar to Star Control 3, except you're doing what they ask you to do.

Ability to request reinforcements from the Council, or just the ability to buy ship designs from the Council for your Star Bases.

*Traditional Star Control combat is a MUST HAVE.*


The actual details of the gameplay and story elements are kind of vague, being that I wrote this up in about 30 minutes after idea after idea just sort of struck me. I think this works for a proposal, and leaves a lot of space open, no?