Welcome to Loremakers: Community Questions, a series focused on answering your lore quandaries and conundrums. We’ve done a deep dive through the lore Ask A Dev section and selected ten questions to answer about the Star Citizen universe. 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. Please drop any questions you might have about the universe in our Ask A Dev forum.
Was the UEE Advocacy Retconned?
Question: The CitizenCon presentation showed a list of guilds for 1.0 but there was no mention about the UEE Advocacy. Was it retconned or was it just not a complete list because of the screen space limitation?
Answer: In the past, there had definitely been discussions around whether you could work for the Advocacy, but I'm not sure if it involved making them a Guild. Anyway, as the teams really started to flesh out the dynamic between Guilds and the Factions that fall under them, there was a decision to avoid having players work directly for the law enforcement entities that control the landing zones. You'd still be able to pick up jobs indirectly for the Advocacy via factions under the Mercenary Guild, but as an entity, they would remain objective. Even on the flipside as an outlaw, they could know you're a criminal (due to your affiliation with the Council) but if you haven't committed any crimes, they'll leave you alone.
How Does the Terra Faction Justify the System Being so Exposed to Vanduul Attack?
Question: The Vanduul can reach Terra with three jumps and pass through undefended systems. From Virgil they can go to Nyx, from Nyx to Pyro, and from Pyro strike Terra. How does the faction pushing for Terra to become the capital of the UEE justify their system of choice being so exposed to Vanduul attack?
It's obvious that having your capital so easily available for a deadly enemy to strike, even from smaller raiding parties, would be incredibly unpopular, and an obvious objection to the faction arguing Earth should remain the UEE capital. That's basically begging for a decapitating attack. While yes, it is also possible to reach Sol in three jumps from Caliban, an incursion would have to pass through Croshaw, a heavily fortified system, which should make an enormous difference in terms of defensibility and force projection.
Answer: Terra being three jumps from Vanduul space would be a lesser concern to those in the pro-Terra camp. For them, the greatest threats to the UEE come from within, like entrenched powers on Earth styming progress for their own self-interest/preservation. This isn't surprising considering that the pro-Terra movement actually predates Humanity's first encounter with the Vanduul in 2681. Prior to that in 2638, Terran governor Assan Kieren brought the pro-Terra movement into the mainstream by proposing that the system secede from the UEE. Following the fall of the Messers, the position evolved into moving the UEE capital to Terra. This policy became a cornerstone of the Transitionalist Party thanks to the influence of Clement Redfield, who believed former Messer loyalists were a more pressing threat than the Vanduul.
If the concern is raised to a supporter of Terra, they could argue, as you already pointed out, that Sol is also three systems away from Vanduul space. And, if such an attack comes, wouldn't it be better to fight the Vanduul in an unclaimed system that's lightly populated and developed? Better to fight in Pyro or Nyx where there will be less collateral damage and civilian deaths than Croshaw.
How Did the Valakkar Migrate to Monox?
Question: Valakkar have been stated as being native to Leir III. The Leir system was discovered in 2677. Yet Valakkar are on Monox in Pyro, which was discovered in 2493. I was wondering just how the Valakkar got to and adapted to Monox (Pyro II) in Pyro.
Presumably they would have to have been brought there by someone after 2677, since the chances of co-evolution of the exact same creature named the exact same thing on worlds separated by both space and their human discovery timeline would seem remote and implausible.
Answer: Valakkar are an invasive species on Monox. They are much smaller when they are young, and are thus fairly easy to transport from planet to planet. No one knows exactly how they got there (some blame the smuggling trade), but at some point enough got loose on Monox that they established a breeding population, and the rest was history.
Externer Inhalt robertsspaceindustries.comInhalte von externen Seiten werden ohne Ihre Zustimmung nicht automatisch geladen und angezeigt.Lore Before the 2070s?
Question: The last Galacatapedia update mentioned that Humans visited Luna in SEY 1969, which aligns with real life (duh). Are all other events before the start of Star Citizen and SQ42 the same as real life or are there past events that happened differently? Is it safe to assume there was a Roman empire? The fall of the USSR? How does the existence of other privatized space companies work in the lore, are they simply renamed or did their existence get deleted before 2070?
Answer: There had been some discussions in the very early days of whether we wanted to establish a divergence in the historical timeline (previous to present day) in order to distance ourselves from seeming like we're making projections of how the future will be (as in, what if we had gone to BetaMax instead of VHS, would we have jetpacks by now?). But ultimately the decision was made to just stick with the current historical events for ease's sake, splinter our timeline in the future, and then chronicle our fictional progression as we did with the Time Capsules. To your final question, sticking with that approach (and the modern world), I would assume that there were probably a handful of privatized space companies around, but the one that catapulted Humanity's expansion into space is well-established.
Forgotten Kruger Intergalactic?
Question: I feel like Kruger is one of the forgotten brands. With their headquarters located in Castra, which was announced as one of the first five systems, I'm wondering about the future intentions of the brand and what they'll be offering us. Will it be new ships? Component improvement diagrams? Weapons?
Answer: Kruger Intergalactic being a lesser known brand feels fitting because their primary business is manufacturing custom parts for other companies. They've held lucrative outsourcing contracts with Behring, RSI, and others for centuries. Only recently did Kruger begin to make their own products, and they remain extremely selective about what products make it to market bearing the Kruger name. Currently, players would be familiar with their ships (P-52 Merlin and P-72 Archimedes) and ship weapons (Tigerstrike and Quarreler). Yet, Kruger, like all other in-game companies, have more products on the market that just haven't made it into the game yet and exist within the fiction.
Regarding what might make it into the game next from Kruger, Narrative can't say. That decision primarily falls to the Dev team creating the assets, with the intended function and look guiding them to the right manufacturer. That said, we're excited to see what's next for Kruger ourselves.
How Does IP Law Work In-Universe?
Question: With the coming ability to acquire blueprints and create our own ripoff or improved versions of popular manufacturers' weapons, ships and other goods, how does IP law work in the UEE?
If I was Crusader and spent a billion credits designing the Hercules, I think I would be pretty unhappy to see an unaffiliated group with a base on Hurston had assembled one out of low quality materials, and even slapped our logo on it as though we stand behind their construction quality. Will constructing items with established manufacturers require some sort of license fee? Does Crusader have the ability to declare you a counterfeiter and put a bounty on your head? Or does the UEE not have any formal laws for protecting such things, and it's more "if you can successfully steal the plans, that's a them problem, they should have secured their facility/data better"?
Answer: The commerce laws of the UEE have evolved by the 30th century to be relatively open and have severely limited copyright enforcement. Part of this is that as fabrication technology got more advanced, companies were dealing with a flood of knock-off products that were watering down their own brand recognition. While illegal, it was extremely difficult to police. In an effort to combat this, it became more common for large manufacturers to offer official blueprints to help ensure that products met their own base specifications. In this way, fabricated products are no longer seen as counterfeit but as equivalent with the versions made by the manufacturers.
Though, it should be understood that fabrication is not a complete free-for-all. These blueprints have heavy data-protection on them to prevent widespread sharing. This means for most people they acquire blueprints by purchasing them, though some are fortunate enough to receive them as a gift (or even luckier, find an unbound copy). Additionally, some blueprints may be limited use or have locked production capabilities, limiting how frequently they can be used.
Overall though, most of the general population (i.e. the 90% of people who are not players) are content to purchase items rather than attempt printing them for themselves. Sure, you could make a Whamburger at home, but rather than having to source all the ingredients, it's much easier to head down to the local chain and just buy it. This is even more so the case with items as complex as a ship. Obtaining all the resources is quite involved. Worth it for anyone who really wants fine control over the final product, but for most civilians in the 'verse, buying direct from the manufacturer is the obvious choice.
Argo ATLS Acronym Meaning?
Question: The names of Argo vessel models correspond to acronyms:
MOLE = Multi-Operator Laser Extractor
MPUV = Multi-Purpose Utility Vehicle
RAFT = Reinforced Advanced Freight Transport
So what does ATLS mean?
Answer: ATLS = Assisted Transport and Loading System
Figuring out these Argo acronyms are always a fun exercise. Credit for this one goes to John Crewe.
Externer Inhalt robertsspaceindustries.comInhalte von externen Seiten werden ohne Ihre Zustimmung nicht automatisch geladen und angezeigt.What's the Difference between Nyx I and Monox?
Question: From the descriptions, Nyx I seems to be a very similar planet to Monox/Pyro II. Both are coreless planets that were heavily mined shortly after their respective systems' discoveries & subsequently abandoned, which led to many of the former mining bases being taken over by outlaw gangs. But in what ways is Nyx I planned to be different from Monox, apart from having more of a greenish color of rock (as shown in the concept art image from CitizenCon 2954's outline of the road to 1.0)?
Answer: There is definitely going to be more info coming on what players can expect in Nyx as development continues on the system. Even though both Pyro and Nyx are independent systems beyond the UEE's borders, the hope is that each will have its own unique feel, with Pyro showcasing life under outlaw rule and Nyx a more brutal life on the frontier. While we won't go into specifics beyond that right now, I did want to confirm that there will be incoming adjustments made to the existing available lore (like the Galactic Guides). This will be the case for all future systems too as they enter active development. Much of the lore as it exists now was crafted before the gameplay had a chance to be refined. As Richard Tyrer described in The Stars My Destination presentation at CitizenCon, many of the planets in our system had been described as desolate and depleted to align with development expectations at the time, however our ability to populate worlds has progressed significantly since then. While we will still have barren worlds to trek across, many of the planets will become richer and more memorable experiences for players to explore. A good example of this is the evolution of the planets in Pyro.
Presence of Imperator Addison?
Question: Will we get an updated model of her? Since the Character Creator has greatly improved since the campaign photos I was wondering if the UEE would be addressed sometime in the future by her with the updated model and using the improved FOIP system.
Answer: Definitely. We were actually discussing plans earlier in the month to give Addison more of a presence in the fiction as her administration has been a little quiet of late.
Where Did the Name for The Ponos Boots Come From?
Question: While playing with a friend, we quite by chance found boots named Ponos/Понос, which translates from Russian as diarrhea. So I want to know if the appearance of boots with the same name was originally planned or is this some kind of joke by a Russian-speaking developer?
Answer: To provide a peek behind the curtain, when items get a Narrative pass two or three potential names are pitched. Then Narrative leads review and pick their favorite based on what sounds/feels right for the brand. In the case with the Ponos boots, the name was pitched because it's also Ancient Greek for 'Toil, Labor, Hardship'. Felt like a fitting name considering that they are rugged work boots meant to withstand whatever labors you put them through. The Russian meaning was not intended but very funny.
