Distant Worlds: Introduction of the alien races.

[Sarissofoi]

Yeah paranoidal bears from the east with their own GRU. But passive? Hm.
Thit is getting better.

[Gertjan]

Cool race, thx!

[ASHBERY76]

The Space dogs are win.Does the artist work for codeforce or is he freelance?

[shinobu]

A Ketarov walks into a bar. The bartender says, "So, why the long face?"

[Wade1000]

The Ketarovs have been consolidated to the top of this thread.

Characteristics
Race Family: Ursidian
Default Reproduction Rate: 12%
Quite Intelligent (+15)
Extremely Passive (-40)
Very Cautious (+17)
Quite Unfriendly (-10)
Extremely Unreliable (-30)
Cunning Schemers: better spies +50%

I like how the artist made them appear has somewhat both dog-like and bear-like. I see in it also some seal, walrus, and racoon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursidae

Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives.

The Ursidae family belongs to the order Carnivora and is one of nine families in the suborder Caniformia, or "doglike" carnivorans. Bears' closest living relatives are the pinnipeds, a clade of three families: Odobenidae (the walrus), Otariidae (fur seals and sea lions), and Phocidae (true or earless seals). Bears comprise eight species in three subfamilies: Ailuropodinae (monotypic with the giant panda), Tremarctinae (monotypic with the Spectacled Bear), and Ursinae (containing six species divided into one to three genera, depending upon authority).

The origins of Ursidae can be traced back to the very small and graceful Parictis that had a skull only 7 cm (3 in) long. Parictis first occur in North America in the Late Eocene (ca. 38 million years ago), but this genus did not appear in Eurasia and Africa until the Miocene.[2] The raccoon-sized, dog-like Cephalogale, however, is widely regarded as the most primitive ursid and is ideally suited as a representative basal taxon for the family. Cephalogale first appeared during the middle Oligocene and early Miocene (approximately 20–30 million years ago) in Europe. Cephalogale gave rise to a lineage of early bears of the genus Ursavus. This genus radiated in Asia and ultimately gave rise to the first true bears (genus Ursus) in Europe, 5 million years ago. Even among its primitive species, such as C. minor, it exhibits typical ursid synapomorphic dentition such as posteriorly oriented M2 postprotocrista molars, elongated m2 molars, and a reduction of the premolars. Living members of the ursids are morphologically well defined by their hypocarnivorous (non-strictly meat-eating) dentitions, but fossil ursids include hypercarnivorous (strictly meat-eating) taxa, although they never achieved the extreme hypercarnivory seen in mustelids. Cephalogale was a mesocarnivore (intermediate meat-eater).[3] Other extinct bear genera include Arctodus, Agriarctos, Plionarctos and Indarctos.

[Wade1000]

(Deleted double post.)

[cdbeck]

Well Mad Russian, you've got Dog-Bears and bugs - you getting excited yet? [;)]

[Mad Russian]

ORIGINAL: Son_of_Montfort

Well Mad Russian, you've got Dog-Bears and bugs - you getting excited yet? [;)]

Yeah because I have some old artwork that has to do with cats if I need it for my own purposes....that will allow me to port my card game over here into DW and let the Grandkids play in a neighborhood they kind of recognize.

I would imagine we will see some form of cats in the race pool before we are done.

So far, DW is exactly what I've been looking for.

From what I"ve showed them of the game so far they are all excited that we can get their game into it and have it on the computer. They like the artwork so far too but none of them have seen the dog/bears yet. So far their favorite has been the Killer Seals From Space...[:)]

The only thing I'm afraid of is that DW may be so good it ruins them for decades on any other space 4X games they may try...[X(]

All games wish they had that problem.

Good Hunting.

MR

[Erik Rutins]

Next up, the Haakonish:

A bipedal arthropod race. Haakonish have broad, flat heads with prominent protrusions on each side. The protrusions are nasal cavities that provide the Haakonish with an unrivalled sense of smell. Haakonish have very poor eyesight, but compensate for this with their excellent sense of smell and taste.

They are intelligent and quite aggressive. Haakonish are highly pretentious. They also have a strong sense of their own racial superiority. Thus they do not enjoy the company of other races and have a tendency to be xenophobic.

Haakonish are naturally drawn towards intricate technology. They take great pride in designing and building equipment with many advanced features, even if some of these features are unnecessary or superfluous.

The natural miserliness of the Haakonish has led them to develop the High Density Fuel Cell, a high-capacity fuel tank. This gives Haakonish star ships longer range and endurance.

Haakonish typically live in fully-enclosed biospheres in coastal areas of Continental and Marshy Swamp planets.


Characteristics
Race Family: Reptilian
Default Reproduction Rate: 12%
Quite Intelligent (+10)
Quite Aggressive (+13)
Very Cautious (+25)
Very Unfriendly (-25)
Very Unreliable (-20)
Cunning Schemers: better spies +10%
Master Engineers: ship maintenance -20%
Special Government: Mercantile Guild
Special Technology: Mega-Density Fuel Cell (Fuel Storage Cell)

[Gertjan]

Cool again!

[shinobu]

All the races look great! When do we get to preview the hot female warrior humanoid Amazonian race? (Sorry, just wishful thinking... [;)] )

[Mad Russian]

ORIGINAL: shinobu

All the races look great! When do we get to preview the hot female warrior humanoid Amazonian race? (Sorry, just wishful thinking... [;)] )

My wife has been following along about the game and she said to tell you that all the art has been of female warriors so far...can't you tell by looking....[&:]

[:D] [:D] [:D]

Good Hunting.

MR

[shinobu]

ORIGINAL: Mad Russian

ORIGINAL: shinobu

All the races look great! When do we get to preview the hot female warrior humanoid Amazonian race? (Sorry, just wishful thinking... [;)] )

My wife has been following along about the game and she said to tell you that all the art has been of female warriors so far...can't you tell by looking....[&:]

Russian: It's very obvious that your wife is a formidable warrior in her own right. Touché, milady. [&o]

[Okim]

I have some questions about special techs. Are these available from start? Are these upgradable over time?

[Wade1000]

If the following assumptions are correct then I really love the way you are organizing the races. I already really like the way the race orginizations seem to be. They might need fine tuning/polish though.
(In this post, {"family"} refers to your terming in the race characteristic statistics. {Family} refers to real life biological science grouping Family.)

(*Referencing www.wikipedia.org for the taxonomy classification by typing in animal names and such.)
(Life-Domain-Kingdom-Phylum-Class-Order-Family-Genus-Species)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_(biology)
For simplicity of organizing this post I am assuming that you want to "family" group the races according to one of the most appropriate narrowed down, real life, biological science, groupings like: Phylum, Class, Order, or Family.
I recommend doing that. It might be better to change your "family" word to maybe "grouping".

For our Human perspective, this could just mean that lore wise, it is a way for the in game Humans(or aliens using their translated words and similiar planetary flora and fauna) to relate to and understand the foreign biologies of alien races. (I hope that made sense.)
Also, I will assume that the descriptive terms you use in the introduction of some of the races(not the "family" terms in the statistics) are just popular descriptive nicknames(like "insectoid" and "amphibian").

You might be using popular, (non-scientific/non-biological), nicknames(like "insectoid" and "amphibian") to describe the in game "family" for the race characteristic statistics. Also, maybe your in game "family" is just to group races for planetay environment habitation and diplomatic relations.
If these two are correct then that can get odd or confusing though when we see a picture of a race yet it doesn't seem to fit your "family" name.

If you are using biological Family as the "family" race characteristic then it might be good to stay on that .
The Keterovs of "family" Ursidian does match as "bear" Family of Ursidae. (Thus, they are more bear than dog but bear-dog sounds good as a description.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursidae
Dogs, as we know them, are of Family Canidae.

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins
Next up, the Haakonish:

A bipedal arthropod race...

Characteristics
Race Family: Reptilian

That doesn't seem right, heh. Arthropod and reptilian should be two different types of creature. The Haakonish look and seem octopus-like. If they are then they maybe should be called "a bipedal cephalopod"(Class).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopus
Their "family"(group) maybe should be Cephalopoda(Class) or Octopoda(Order)...if they are not reptile.
An arthropod is a crustaceans, spider, or insect. They have exo-skelotons and segmented bodies.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Arthropod
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthropod
Reptiles are of Class Reptilia. If the Haakonish are like reptiles(reptilian) then they maybe should be described as "a bipedal reptilian" with a "family"(Grouping) of Reptilia(Class).
-----

(*Referencing www.wikipedia.org for the taxonomy classification by typing in animal names and such.)
We have:

descriptive nickname ----- Grouping(maybe change your "family" title to "grouping")

01. Keterov: mammalian ----- ursidian(maybe should be Ursidae(Family))

05. Quameno: amphibian ----- amphibian(maybe should be Amphibia(Class); like frogs, toads, and salamanders)

07. Ackdariun: none(if lthey are like seals then maybe should be mammilian) ----- none(if they are like seals then maybe should be Pinnipedia(Superfamily))
(They look like a mixture of mammal and reptile with insect or reptile like-eyes: maybe something like Monotremata(Platypus and Echidna)
-Platypus has: genetic makeup/ties of/to mammals, birds, and reptiles; has fur, milk through skin, feathers, duck-like bill, webbed feet, venom-filled spurs
http://richarddawkins.net/articles/2545
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/ge ... -map_N.htm
http://www.itsnature.org/news/secrets-o ... -revealed/

08. Haakonish: arthropod(means crustaceans, spiders, insects thus wrong; maybe should be Cephalopoda(Class) or amphibian) ----- Reptilian(maybe should be Cephalopoda(Class) or Octopoda(Order) or if reptiles: Reptilia(Class)

.12 Weekarus: none(maybe should be amphibias crustacean)(crab/lobster people, heh, cool) ----- Amphibian(maybe should be Crustacea(Subphylum))

.15 Ugnari: none(maybe should be rodent) ----- rodent(maybe should be Rodentia(Order))

17. Sulken: insectoid ----- insectoid(maybe should be Insecta(Class))

[Wade1000]

The Haakonish have been consolidated to the top of this thread. Beautiful art again, as the pattern of each portrait release is proving with popularity by comments.
-----
My list so far:

I always like the aliens to have a variety of body shapes other than just humanoid and at least one of each of:
-a robotic/android race
-a cyborg race(part machine, part biological)
-a parasitic assimilating(absorbs and incorporates), bio-mass using race similiar to 'Zerg' of Starcraft, 'The Flood' of Halo, 'Tyranids' of Warhammer 40,000, or others similiar. (Sulken most likely for now)
-(one or more) insectoid race similiar to ants, wasps, mantis, and roaches (Sulken can be one)
-a spider like race
-a crab like race (Done)
-an under water habitat race (Done)
-an ice habitat race (Done)
-a floater, gas giant planet dwelling race
-a scaled reptilian race
-a feathered avian race
-a furred mammalian race (Done)
-an amphibious race (Done)
-a tentacled race (Hakonish maybe)

[Wade1000]

17. Sulken
I assume that Erik Rutins spelling "Sluken" is a typographical error. If it is, let's hope that someone reviews it to prevent the typo from appearing in game!

ORIGINAL:  Erik Rutins
Getting back on topic, here's the race I've most recently been at war with and they are tough!
Short insectoid race with thick black exoskeleton covering. Sluken have many small forearms enabling them to perform multiple actions simultaneously.
Sluken are very aggressive and intelligent. A central theme in their customs involves a macabre reverence of death.
Sluken have the bizarre and gruesome ability to incorporate into their own bodies the biological appendages and organs from other alien races. Thus some Sluken have additional limbs, eyes or other body parts.
Some other alien races allege that Sluken are in fact genetically modified creatures, designed as an ultimate warrior race. But the Sluken themselves denounce such claims as outrageous slander.
Sluken technology includes the StarBurner XX-12, a very fast and powerful engine. With these engines, Sluken star ships are able to outrun nearly any opponent.
Sluken are found in dry temperate regions of Continental and Marshy Swamp planets
Characteristics
Race Family: Insectoid
Default Reproduction Rate: 16%
Quite Intelligent (+8)
Very Aggressive (+19)
Slightly Cautious (+3)
Very Unfriendly (-18)
Very Unreliable (-20)
Warrior Class: troop maintenance -20%
Fierce Rivalry: lower war weariness -40%
Special Government: Hive Mind

[Wade1000]

ORIGINAL: shinobu

ORIGINAL: Mad Russian

ORIGINAL: shinobu

All the races look great! When do we get to preview the hot female warrior humanoid Amazonian race? (Sorry, just wishful thinking... [;)] )

My wife has been following along about the game and she said to tell you that all the art has been of female warriors so far...can't you tell by looking....[&:]

Russian: It's very obvious that your wife is a formidable warrior in her own right. Touché, milady. [&o]

Heh, funny and intersting point.
I guess we'll find out when we see the Human portrait of Distant Worlds. I kind of hope that they represent male to be standardized and appeal to our tradition of gender common referencing in words and picture comparisons.

With aliens though, there could be one gender or more than two genders...or no gender if they are like a robotic race or a parasitic assimilating(absorbs and incorporates), bio-mass using race.

Also, I assume that race names can be interchanged as either plural or singular, applying an "s" or not; whichever the speaker prefers. Look over the names and descriptions and try it. My opinion is that it doesn't matter either way.

[eltharion]

I would like to see this type of alien:

1) Non corporeal being (like ghost or pure force emanations) they can use mental ability to manipulate or interact with solid things

2) Shape shifter (master of disguise) chameleon being like (Odo : DS9)

3) Blog like life form ( multi cellular entity that grow in mass and intellect) they can interact with solid form and structure (covering with tiny slime or from a central mass of control cell).

[Baleur]

ORIGINAL: Wade1000

If the following assumptions are correct then I really love the way you are organizing the races. I already really like the way the race orginizations seem to be. They might need fine tuning/polish though.
(In this post, {"family"} refers to your terming in the race characteristic statistics. {Family} refers to real life biological science grouping Family.)

(*Referencing www.wikipedia.org for the taxonomy classification by typing in animal names and such.)
(Life-Domain-Kingdom-Phylum-Class-Order-Family-Genus-Species)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_(biology)
For simplicity of organizing this post I am assuming that you want to "family" group the races according to one of the most appropriate narrowed down, real life, biological science, groupings like: Phylum, Class, Order, or Family.
I recommend doing that. It might be better to change your "family" word to maybe "grouping".

For our Human perspective, this could just mean that lore wise, it is a way for the in game Humans(or aliens using their translated words and similiar planetary flora and fauna) to relate to and understand the foreign biologies of alien races. (I hope that made sense.)
Also, I will assume that the descriptive terms you use in the introduction of some of the races(not the "family" terms in the statistics) are just popular descriptive nicknames(like "insectoid" and "amphibian").

You might be using popular, (non-scientific/non-biological), nicknames(like "insectoid" and "amphibian") to describe the in game "family" for the race characteristic statistics. Also, maybe your in game "family" is just to group races for planetay environment habitation and diplomatic relations.
If these two are correct then that can get odd or confusing though when we see a picture of a race yet it doesn't seem to fit your "family" name.

If you are using biological Family as the "family" race characteristic then it might be good to stay on that .
The Keterovs of "family" Ursidian does match as "bear" Family of Ursidae. (Thus, they are more bear than dog but bear-dog sounds good as a description.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursidae
Dogs, as we know them, are of Family Canidae.

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins
Next up, the Haakonish:

A bipedal arthropod race...

Characteristics
Race Family: Reptilian

That doesn't seem right, heh. Arthropod and reptilian should be two different types of creature. The Haakonish look and seem octopus-like. If they are then they maybe should be called "a bipedal cephalopod"(Class).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopus
Their "family"(group) maybe should be Cephalopoda(Class) or Octopoda(Order)...if they are not reptile.
An arthropod is a crustaceans, spider, or insect. They have exo-skelotons and segmented bodies.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Arthropod
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthropod
Reptiles are of Class Reptilia. If the Haakonish are reptiles(reptilian) then they maybe should be described as "a bipedal reptilian" with a "family"(Grouping) of Reptilia(Class).
-----

(*Referencing www.wikipedia.org for the taxonomy classification by typing in animal names and such.)
We have:

descriptive nickname ----- Grouping(maybe change your "family" title to "grouping")

01. Keterov: mammalian ----- ursidian(maybe should be Ursidae(Family))

05. Quameno: amphibian ----- amphibian(maybe should be Amphibia(Class); like frogs, toads, and salamanders)

07. Ackdariun: none(if lthey are like seals then maybe should be mammilian) ----- none(if they are like seals then maybe should be Pinnipedia(Superfamily))
(They look like a mixture of mammal and reptile with insect or reptile like-eyes: maybe something like Monotremata(Platypus and Echidna)
-Platypus has: genetic makeup/ties of/to mammals, birds, and reptiles; has fur, milk through skin, feathers, duck-like bill, webbed feet, venom-filled spurs
http://richarddawkins.net/articles/2545
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/ge ... -map_N.htm
http://www.itsnature.org/news/secrets-o ... -revealed/

08. Haakonish: arthropod(means crustaceans, spiders, insects thus wrong; maybe should be Cephalopoda(Class) or amphibian) ----- Reptilian(maybe should be Cephalopoda(Class) or Octopoda(Order) or if reptiles: Reptilia(Class)

.12 Weekarus: none(maybe should be amphibias crustacean)(crab/lobster people, heh, cool) ----- Amphibian(maybe should be Crustacea(Subphylum))

.15 Ugnari: none(maybe should be rodent) ----- rodent(maybe should be Rodentia(Order))

17. Sulken: insectoid ----- insectoid(maybe should be Insecta(Class))

..... [X(] is.... is this a joke? [>:]

You do realize that if (as this is in the game) imaginary random alien civilizations are discussed, you cant quote darwinian evolution on earth, or reference any earthborn family / race / species what so ever.
If they look like bipedal fish, then they will be called fish. Regardless of how inaccurate that is on earth, because these arent earth creatures nor do they belong to any biological classification or word.
Writing an essay on it wont change that fact. How can you call an alien a mammal when it most likely doesnt even have earthlike dna, regardless of how much fur it has or how similarly it carries babies within itself? lol