Gorgonop's SSF/AEI/More thread: EPOCH PART 2 IS NOW OUT

duncanidaho11

Greetings,

The main SSF thread has become a big unwieldy beast and so has the collection of links and resources I've put out there to the community. To make things easier to handle, here's a new thread collecting all of that together and paving the way for new things. Brief series updates I'll past below, leaving this OP to host what I hope is a permanent resource. Look down the thread for new links, new missions, and miscellaneous info.

Mission listing:

• All of my dozen+ Foundry missions, nicely displayed on Foundrymissions.com (each item includes a description, necessary details, screenshots, and references to related missions.)
• The old SSF thread
• AEI challenge missions
• Apex [AEI] spotlight post

Resources:

• Foundry Roundtable videos and tutorials
• How to get space lighting while working with lighting 2.0
• Foundry creative writing hub
• AEI map, ships, and crew
• My main shared folder
• Starfleet Security roster and sliders
• Copy-paste tailor files for main game
• Work in progress: the crew of the Enterprise B
• My end of the 26c Anthology
• Starfarertheta's Intel screenshot thread

Epoch, Part 1 [AEI]

duncanidaho11

First update, the following missions are pressently in the works:

Epoch, Part 2 [AEI]
The conclusion to my part of the AEI series. You begin with a plan but the machinations of distant enemies hurl you back into the far future. The Blight must be brought to an end, but first you must survive (with the help of a slightly unhinged Ibi. )

Transcendence, Part [Redacted]
More details coming at some point in the future.

Inversion [SSF2-2] (Revamped)
A complete rewrite and structural overhaul of the second Starfleet Security mission in season 2. Gone is the distant future connection, here comes a new threat from beyond the frontier.
-This project is now complete, starts at the Nimbus System-

duncanidaho11

Just in case, here's a conventional list of all my missions to date in series order. Missions with marked with * are best played after completing preceding missions in their respective series. The rest you should be able to jump right into.
Mission start location can be found in the description, opening hail, and first objective of each mission.

Starfleet Security, Season 1

• Gemini [SSF-1]
• Polarity [SSF-2]
• Entropy [SSF-3]
• Continuity [SSF-4]*

Starfleet Security, Season 2

• Echoes [SSF2-1]
• Inversion [SSF2-2]
• Entanglement [SSF2-3]*
• Refraction [SSF2-4]*

Alliance Exploration Initiative

• Eons [AEI]
• Trident, Part 1 [AEI]
• Trident, Part 2 [AEI]*
• Apex [AEI]
• Epoch, Part 1 [AEI]*

Starfleet Security, Season 3

• Faded Horizon [SSF3-1]

This list does not include current works in progress.

duncanidaho11

Edit: Plans changed, post preserved for later reflection.

Recently (on twitter) I announced the shape of my future Foundry missions. I wanted to update this thread with more of the same and give a few words about it.

My next mission is Legacy Beta. Originally, I was planning on making that a stand alone mission. It still is, however I'll be continuing on with similarly themed missions in a single author anthology called Relic. Each part will feature an element of the distant past (or future) causing complications for (and shedding light on) the present. Right now, I'm considering...

---

Legacy Beta [Relic-1]
-My Enterprise B mission (formerly my 29c civil war episode, formerly my U.S.S. Sierra episode )

Faded Horizon [Relic-2 | SSF]
-A follow-up to SSF2-4, taking players to the Conclave homeworld.
-Functionally, this is SSF3-1 but built as a stand-alone episode.
-SSF seasons 1 and 2 will not be required to play this (at all.)
-The name is provisional, I'd like to use "Ashes on the Horizon" but I find it's length a bit too daunting ATM.

26c Anthology mission [Relic-3]
-New characters
-Will take shape as the Foundry Roundtable works on 26c.

Epoch [Relic-4 | AEI]
-Epoch part 1 with an updated name.

Eternity [Relic-5 | AEI]
-What I've been calling Epoch Part 2 but a bit more creative license and a better setup to end epically.
-This will continue the characters and story of Epoch

---

Before I was planning these as just miscellaneous projects. Now, I'll be building them with a shared theme of exploration, the unknown, and the nature of life and everything. Relic will also make use of developing secondary elements (ex. Preservers, Eternals, Galactic/Universal Outsiders) to suggest things about the grand shape of the Star Trek universe (as I'd like to write it). Apart from Epoch and Eternity though, the main plots will not be connected. What I'm hoping to achieve is an anthology that play out like a classic, originally serialized sci-fi series like Foundation (the first two books). I also want it to have a style which plays to what I perceive my strengths are as a Foundry author.

No timetable yet, I'll just be continuing to work on these when the Foundry comes back online. I also may jump around to work on and finish projects that interest me most. What you see is what I hope to build over the entire Relic anthology.

It's also my intention to host a few solo livestreams covering different aspects of work on this project. I'll be sure to post those here for anyone (especially new authors) to take a look at.

duncanidaho11

And here's what comes of plans...

After the spotlight of Apex [AEI] (which has been a rather incredible experience) I feel that I need to give that series it's conclusion sooner rather than later. I'm pushing forward with Epoch, Part 2 as Epoch, part 2 (not "Eternity" to avoid potential confusion) and the idea of a specifically labeled Relic anthology series is getting less and less tenable. I still intend on making Legacy Beta and Faded Horizon as has been outlined but now any connecting themes will simply be coincidental to this era of Gorgonops foundry builds.

More projects are in store (including more SSF short story pieces) including some fun community projects. Stay tuned on those. In the meantime, here's a look at what's coming for Epoch.

duncanidaho11

The next chapter in the Starfleet Security Files is now out!


Faded Horizon [SSF3-1] takes players to the edge of known space to investigate an incoming threat and find a missing officer. It has open exploration, abundant optional dialog, combat, and it starts at Wolf 359. You can presently find it in the Foundry review tab.

starfarertheta

duncanidaho11 wrote: »

The next chapter in the Starfleet Security Files is now out!...

And there's dancing too!

duncanidaho11

Series update time!

Projects on hiatus for IRL stuff. Here are the likely candidates for what's next:

• Transcendence
• Epoch, Part 2
• Emergence [26c]
• Something completely different, dunno

But we'll see how things play out (Transcendence is definitely coming this year and Epoch part 2's story is set). SSF is a little more in limbo. I have 2 more missions planned but...I really don't have a good sense of where people generally stand with the series now. I can keep going...but when stand alones like Gemini, Eons, and Apex are what people seem to be responding to, while Inversion, Entanglement, and Refraction are suffering a bit from being integrated parts of a series, it's becoming harder to justify.

So, what I'm looking for now is feedback on the SSF series. What you like, what you don't like, where you stand with the series now, and where you may have drifted out of it. I'd like to know how to balance my interests with where they fall in the Foundry community. Good stuff is coming and however this goes SSF season 3 will eventually have its finale, but I also want to do right by role as a Foundry author and tune future effort accordingly.


PS. For the hell of it, here's some Epoch, P2 character designs.

starfarertheta

duncanidaho11 wrote: »

...
So, what I'm looking for now is feedback on the SSF series. What you like, what you don't like, where you stand with the series now, and where you may have drifted out of it.

...

I've never considered myself great at giving feedback, but here goes...

In general, I like the focus on a small cast of well thought out characters and how they develop amid extraordinary circumstances. I especially enjoy how fun each adventure has been, barring a few serious and dramatic moments which largely feel appropriate.

What I'd like to see in future episodes is more yet restrained fun (humourus banter between characters, crazy npc extras, Pim, etc). The thing I probably wouldn't want to see is a going overboard on drama, but I'm not too sure your in any immediate danger of that.

As for where I stand with the series now? Just waiting for the next episode.

duncanidaho11 wrote: »

...
Projects on hiatus for IRL stuff. Here are the likely candidates for what's next:

[*] Transcendence
[*] Epoch, Part 2
[*] Emergence [26c]
[*] Something completely different, dunno

...

Let's hope that first item will transcend expectations.

duncanidaho11

Thanks Theta, I'll try to keep the fun very specifically in mind (it's drifted off in the past, had the option again with SSF3-2.)

A general note: I am reworking the mission naming scheme. In the past, series and episode were noted in the SSF tag. So you'd have something like [SSF3-1] denoting season 3, episode 1. People seemed to figure it out alright when they've been searching through the series (ie. in context) but I've heard some people (ex. Kael) question just what the hell it means at a random glance. So, we're cleaning things up a bit. The SSF tag is coming first and season/episode is getting a clear label. For examples:

SSF: Faded Horizon [s3-e1]
SSF: Gemini [s1-e1]
SSF: Refraction [s2-e4]
SSF: Shattered Relic [s3-e2]
SSF: Legacy Beta [s3-N]

Hopefully this will help make SSF a bit easier to approach and sort through.

spiritborn

What I liked about the SSF series was the Terrry Pratchet style comedy without going overboard with. I'll echo what Theta said, often less is more and good focused story with a limited cast and stakes (at least at first) can be much better then a galaxy wide but unfocused epic.

Thanks to Legion of Myth we've seen what happens when an author looses sight of his/her goal and it wasn't pretty at all (granted I dout that Duncan could do something that disjointed and messy even if he tried).

duncanidaho11

The Foundry is down, all is quiet...but I sketched an SSF character so time to post something! Woo.

PS. This does not count as Season 3, episode 2.

duckdaworld

ENLISTED.


#Quaaack #LLAP #STO #DSC #ORV #S31 =/\=

duncanidaho11

Update time! These are the projects I have in the works right now:

Transcendence, Part 4
Epoch, Part 2 [AEI]
Shattered Relic [SSF:3-2] (I went back to the old labeling scheme)

I'm at a bit of a cross roads right now, because I'd like to make The Anvil of Time for where that'd fit in the 26c Anthology but for story reasons Epoch, Part 2 is most compelling to me right now. With some stuff I'm dealing with IRL, I might have to work on Epoch anyway (most comfortable creative ground to have going) but we'll see over the next week or so what project gains traction.

Regardless, we're back. I hope to have a new mission out before the end of the year and I'll be working for the foreseeable future on finishing what's in front of me (Transcendence first, SSF second.) In the meantime, here's some WIP screenshots

Epoch, Part 2 [AEI]

Holiday PSA

duncanidaho11

More screenshots: Shattered Relic [SSF:3-2]

duncanidaho11

The next mission in the SSF series, Shattered Relic, is now out in review!

duncanidaho11

So today I had an unexpected encounter on Risa and I want to try to give the other player a massive shout out (somewhere they might see it.)



Ji'Goro clone on the left (grey) is my character, Ji'Goro clone on the right (teal) belongs to "Lomea" (going by their character name, I didn't want to broadcast their at-handle without their say-so.) They used the KDF tailor file linked off in the resource bucket above. I don't know what to say except that this really made my day. I hope it was a funny moment for you too (or at the very least just not creepy.)

duncanidaho11

It's been a while since I updated my mission listings, so here's a little something (while we're still waiting for the editor to be brought back up to workable shape) to say "yes, it's coming."

duncanidaho11

Update: I wasn't anticipating this but after completing Transcendence, Part 4 (now in review) I also completed Epoch Part 2 (also now in review.) Have a look if you can, both will be recorded for posterity. But, all my series now have finales. Epoch and Tp4 are shorter than originally planned but they are as complete as they need to be to be played before sunset.