Hey, I'm going to introduce the title and stats of my upcoming plugin (not preview this time, plugin) so I may as well give it it's own topic. This is Star's End's intro, also in Earth Quest.
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For centuries, mankind had dreamed of reaching the stars.
At the end of the 20th century, that dream seemed closer to reality. New advances proceeded quickly, and before long, the first man had reached the moon. 100 years later, Mars was colonised. Very soon the entire Solar System appeared within our grasp. And it was.
But the laws of the universe did not permit us to go further. The faster-than-light travel dream seemed unattainable. The overpopulated citizens of Earth and the surrounding colonies starved for expansion which science could not supply, and the pent up urge for more was released.
After a war that starved the imagination of past conflicts, humankind was almost completely wiped out. 2 centuries passed before the citizens of Earth rediscovered space travel. Remembering the Great Holocaust, people lived in fear and isolation, until the theory of dimensional warp travel altered the rules of our perception, and the new age scientists cautiously left our solar system.
Soon, people spread outwards, seeding the universe with life. A great flourish in prosperity enabled the Earth-Sol Federation to reach the Edge of our arm of the galaxy, while inwards colonists coped with denser and hotter stars.
But it was not to last. The Earth-Sol Federation could not extend itself further, and a sudden economic depression deprived all the Outlying Worlds sustenance from Earth. Every year 10 colonies died out, and the ESF was a long time recovering.
The starving humans closer to the core revolted against this hydraulic despotism, at the discovery of an almost Earth-like planet to call home - Beurasaj. Human space expected another Great Holocaust, but instead received peace. So it was until the Border War.
Earth's colonies had been sinking into a state of greater and greater depression. Without the means to pay and update it's military forces, the ESFJC was overwhelmed by the Union. Many believed the end of the ESF dominion was inevitable.
But they fought back, with the revitalisation of Earth's economy and by employing the skills of the independant traders whose daring captains could fly in supplies when it was most needed. Eventually, the score was evened, and what were war-torn planets are now the Frontline Colonies. Peace has persisted for 70 years.
It was soon to end.
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First of all, Star's End is not a single plugin, but several stretched out into campaigns of 15 levels apiece. I will also try to get each version to be from a different race's perspective telling the story (much like in Starcraft). The first version, The Raiders is from the ESF's perspective.
Because the Raiders deals only with humanity, it won't have altogether that many new things in it, to be exact:
21 new ships (pirates, Union, ESF)
New asteroid graphics
Missiles etc...
New sounds
Other graphics
15 levels (projected) I could exceed this easily.
The real purpose of this post is so you can volunteer for plugin testing duty. I'll only accept it from the first 10 or so... on the basis of secrecy and the fact that you're going to supply me with feedback.
This is totally irrelevant, but has anyone discovered the secret in Earth Quest, or played a multiplayer with it's net level?
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Down with signatures!
(This message has been edited by Count Altair El Alemein (edited 03-06-2001).)