A completely disembodied feeling. I was floating in the dark. Or rather my mind was. No arms, no legs, no torso. I couldn’t feel my heartbeat or my breath. Nothing. Battling down the immediate and acute panic of feeling totally stuck and disembodied I focused on my thoughts. Right, you are in the game Kade. I felt like taking a deep breath but being a free floating consciousness threw a wrench into that reflex and the panic I just suppressed threatened to come back with a vengeance.

Then some kind of fade effect happened and suddenly words hung in front of me. I am saying ‘some kind’ because it is really weird to try to describe what you are without eyes and ‘hung’ but there was no reference to anything. So they just were. To be honest, this was the most surreal experience I ever had.

Black Space Character Creation

Initially your character in game will be humanoid and carry a resemblance to your real world self. Over the course of the adventures you will make choices that can change your appearance as well as your species.

Please be advised that we suggest you stick to your normal behavioral parameters as this will increase the immersion experience.

The same digitized voice I heard from my previous neural link interface was accompanying the words in the dark. While cool, it was an overall eerie experience and I had a sense of foreboding. This game would not be all Unicorns and rainbows.

Please choose your first name:

Please choose your last name:

Please choose your callsign:

While first and last name have to be chosen at this point, a call sign can be chosen or earned through different actions and choices. If you do not want to assign a callsign at this time please skip this step.

Hm, I thought about this for a moment. Normally once you gave your character a name, you could not change it anymore. It was how the database identified you and everything you did in game. So unless you deleted your character you were stuck with your name. So it had to be a good choice.

I had different handles for different games although my overall Hub profile was under the name of Grant Fuller. The thing is that I identified with this persona quite a bit as it has become somewhat of a cover identity over the last 8 years. However…

I came here to test the game and get away from the competitive gaming. But also to find something more and fun. To explore something and maybe find a new gaming home. So why not go with something new. That is what my gut told me and so far in my life it had advised me well. So, why not. Yes, to new beginnings.

“First name: Malcolm, last name: Solo, callsign: … “ I hesitated.

I had never used a call sign other than my character name. Of course there were always some heroic names I could call myself. I could re-use callsigns of famous pilots or nicknames of military heroes. These were always popular choices.

Nope, I decided, Malcolm Solo is the name and he doesn’t have a call sign. Let’s earn one.

“No callsign selected.”

No callsign chosen. Please confirm.

“Confirmed.”

Thank you Malcolm Solo.

Please choose your allegiance:

Therium Federation

Circle of Lords

Free Worlds Alliance

You are able to access basic information on each faction.

If you skip this step the start of your career will increase in difficulty as you will be lacking any initial faction support.

Wow, I knew nothing of this game and the factions but was supposed to make a choice right now? Talk about buying the cat in a bag. If previous games were any indication, picking a faction would ally you with them. But that normally brought with it neutrality or even hostility with the other factions.

Normally these games were constructed around the idea of a conflict taking place and then they dumped the new player right in the middle of it. He had some initial orientation period and then he was supposed to fight for or otherwise support his faction’s efforts.

I didn’t have enough information to make a choice. Therium Federation sounded like some organized governmental structure while Circle Of Lords brought images of sword and magic wielding, armor clad medieval nobility. Not sure how that would look on a spaceship. Free Worlds was probably the suppressed underdog. Don’t get me wrong I love a good underdog story as much as the next guy but why would I make it hard on myself.

“Therium Federation, more information.”

Therium Federation:

Loved and hated similarly throughout the galaxy. While the Therium Federation’s members and proponents cheer to their progressiveness, pragmatism and desire for expansion, their detractors complain about the constant meddling, politicking and expansion.

While a lot can be said about the drive and the morals of the Therium Federation, the universal truth is: Profit comes first. The Federation is the driving factor behind any major business venture in the known universe.

Races affiliated with Therium Federation: Greys, Jei-Quate, Grelic, Fell

Major Corporations: NExT, Ars Megatech, UltraMall, Relen Medical, Torrell Exploration, Veshya Ardana

Below the text a table with more information about the races was displayed:

Greyed out races can not be selected by players at the initial character creation.

Name

Strengths

Weakness

Faction

Resembles

Greys

- Analytical

- Observant

- Helpful

- Reliable

- Precise

- Skeptical

- Fussy

- Inflexible

- Cold

- Interfering

Therium Federation

A classic alien from the 20th century, 3-5 feet tall

Jei-Quate

- Diplomatic

- Graceful

- Peaceful

- Idealistic

- Hospitable

- Superficial

- Vain

- Indecisive

- Unreliable

Therium Federation

Humanoid, 4-armed reptilians, 5-7 feet tall

Grelic

- Energetic

- Clever

- Imaginative

- Witty

- Adaptable

- Superficial

- Impulsive

- Restless

- Devious

- Indecisive

Therium Federation

Skin in shades of green and blue, pointed teeth, males with tusks, large ears, 3-4 feet tall

Fell

- Dependable

- Persistent

- Loyal

- Patient

- Generous

- Stubborn

- Laziness

- Possessive

- Materialistic

- Self-indulging

Therium Federation

Stout, heavy gravity built, thick arms and legs, rough fur over whole body, 3-5 feet tall

Okay, it seems like these were the capitalists of the Universe. Always pushing for more, making business their pleasure and trying to pull one over on everyone. I was sure associating with them would net me some credits in the long run but I wasn’t sure what it would do to how the rest of the Galaxy viewed me.

Also I had no clue about the races, who I am sure had their own motivations and allegiances. And then there were the corporations. I assumed these were run by non-player characters or NPCs in short. They would probably buy and sell all the initial goodies to players and made sure that the “universe” kept spinning so players could enjoy their play time.

“Circle of Lords, more information.”

Circle of Lords

If the Therium Federation is considered to be the economical power in the universe, the Circle of Lords is the military power. Initially founded to counter the expansion desires of the Therium Federation and to protect the interest of the member species, it has become a power on its own.

Tightly organized military, highly functioning bureaucracy and a drive for technological advancement are the strengths of the Circle of Lords. While life in the CoL sectors might not be the most fun, their citizens enjoy safety and protection.

Races affiliated with Circle of Lords: Drak, Ulseo, Korim, Draur'ihr

Major Corporations: Rex Armory, Admin, Interplanetary Aid Consortium, Koren Shipyards, Alpha Tech

Greyed out races can not be selected by players at the initial character creation.

Name

Strengths

Weakness

Faction

Resembles

Drak

- Loyal

- Passionate

- Resourceful

- Observant

- Dynamic

- Jealous

- Obsessive

- Suspicious

- Manipulative

- Unyielding

Circle of Lords

Insectoids, extremely durable exoskeleton, 4 legs, 2 arms, triangular head, 5-8 feet tall

Ulseo

- Witty

- Clever

- Humanitarian

- Inventive

- Original

- Stubborn

- Unemotional

- Sarcastic

- Rebellious

- Aloof

Circle of Lords

Humanoid, thin limbed spacers, always wearing a skin tight vac suit in various colors, around 7 feet tall

Korim

responsible

patient

ambitious

resourceful

loyal

dictatorial

inhibited

conceited

distrusting

vicious

Circle of Lords

Humanoid, human like appearance

Draur'ihr

- Confident

- Ambitious

- Generous

- Loyal

- Encouraging

- Pretentious

- Domineering

- Melodramatic

- Stubborn

- Vain

Circle of Lords

Humanoid, extremely thin limbed spacers, red eyes, pale skin, pointed teeth, hairless, around 6 feet tall

Ah, that would be the faction for all power players, PvPers and people that enjoyed a cannon measuring contest. While that spoke to my Grant alter ego, I wasn’t sure I wanted to continue the same way. Yes, delivering the biggest bang possible was always fun but I wanted something more. Besides, I was supposed to play who Malcolm Solo was and that faction didn’t particularly float my boat.

“Free Worlds Alliance, more Information.”

Free Worlds Alliance

While the other two conglomerates are united under a common goal, the Free Worlds only united to maintain their independence. The races that make up the Free Worlds Alliance are fiercely independent and only banded together when it became clear that it would be impossible to maintain that independence in the face of the economical power of the Therium Federation and the military might of the Circle of Lords.

The Alliance itself is best described as an uneasy compromise of an eclectic mix of members. As all want to maintain their independence they also resist following a common goal. However, once presented with a common enemy, infighting will stop for as long as it takes to put the adversary in its place.

Affiliated Species: Gaddehm, Uqh, Sorren

Allied Species: Quirt

The Quirt have a special place in the Free Worlds Alliance. While not formally a member they are conducting their business in the FWA territory. As they are delivering ~80% of all minerals and metals used in the known universe, they enjoy a specific protected status.

Major Corporations: Solarwind Trading, Beth Labs, Mankale Group

Major corporations of contested legal standing: Fallen Angels, Tsunami Syndicate, Black Dragon, Serpentis, Loki’s Spawn

Greyed out races can not be selected by players at the initial character creation.

Name

Strengths

Weakness

Faction

Resembles

Gaddehm

- Compassionate

- Adaptable

- Accepting

- Devoted

- Imaginative

- Oversensitive

- Indecisive

- Self-pitying

- Lazy

- Escapist

Free Worlds

Very short race, diaphanous wings on back, 2-3 feet tall

Uqh

- Loyalty

- Dependable

- Caring

- Adaptable

- Responsive

- Moody

- Clingy

- Self-pitying

- Oversensitive

- Self-absorbed

Free Worlds

Floating race, 8 appendages that are used as much for locomotion as for manipulation interchangeably, 8 feet tall

Sorren

- Independent

- Generous

- Optimistic

- Enthusiastic

- Courageous

- Moody

- Short tempered

- Self-involved

- Impulsive

- Impatient

Free Worlds

Humanoid, tall race of heavy worlders, covered in bark or stone like skin, 7-9 feet tall

Quirt

- Independent

- Results driven

- Loners

- Unemotional

- Uninvolved

- Can be too focused

- Unsocial

Independent Miners, Free Worlds Territory

Humanoid, nearly always in vac suits, miners for live, often living alone in ships and hollow asteroids, 3-5 feet tall

Finally. That’s more like it. This sounded just like the faction a certain Malcolm and a certain Solo would choose if they were to venture into deep space. Something between the Hippies that had founded their communes around the Cascade Volcanoes and the Wild West I had read about.

When I was younger I wanted to be just like this guy John Wayne and save the day with a pistol and then take my happy Indian princess and ride into the sunset. Well, maybe now was my chance. Although instead of riding, I would be flying into the dark unknown. Ha! Awesome.

“Unaffiliated, more Information.”

While unaffiliated players are your ultimate freelancers, they will receive no support at the beginning of their career.

With an unaffiliated start you can pick any race available to the players and will start in a city or town with a space port within the race’s sphere of influence.

However you will lack any starting resources given to players that choose a starting faction. You are a drifter. If you feel like starting with only the clothes on your back, no money and no friends in a universe that really doesn’t care about you, then you should choose this option.

Wow. It looked like the devs or AI really didn’t want players to pick this path. The amount of discouragement shining through just on the description alone. For a moment I was tempted. Often enough in my life people had told me something along the lines of: Either do this or… And nearly as often I went with ‘or’. Just because I hate when people throw out ultimatums. In my experience this was most of the time a scare tactic and when you actually went with that ‘or’ option people were seldom willing to follow through.

Being the ultimate freelancer sounded like a great thing too. Imagine the whole universe being your oyster. You can do whatever you want, go wherever you please.

At the same time if my experience from other games was any indication, to go where you want to and to do what you want to, you needed to actually be able to do that. Plus, this was a space game. Sitting in some town with a spaceport didn’t seem that exciting. The scene from the trailer popped into my mind… I want to fly space ships! I guess I could always hire on as crew on a ship. But I would probably be the lowest of the low then.

In the end I decided that I rather work for the underdogs of the universe than making myself the ultimate underdog. Yeah, to be fair, there was a whole lot of hesitation. Just because someone told me don’t do it made me want to do it plus the start sounded like a cool experience but I needed to make up my mind.

“Allegiance: Free Worlds Alliance!”

Free Worlds Alliance chosen. Please confirm.

“Confirmed.”

A player staring in the Free Worlds Alliance may further choose to either belong to the Sorren or to the Quirt.

Attention: Choosing Quirt Starting Scenario increases difficulty. Only advised for seasoned players.

Look at that. Again with the scare tactics. Nope, not this time friendly neighborhood AI. I already decided not to follow the unaffiliated path. Should take the easier way out here to?

At the same time there was a consideration to be made. Apparently I would enjoy special protection status. This alone would seem like that it couldn’t be that hard. And considering that 80% of the mineral and ore seemed to be mined by the Quirt, I could see that this would probably still be a monetarily sound decision. However, would I enjoy living with the mole people? Which begged the question: How did mining, and for that matter crafting work in this game?

Suck it AI! I am going to find out!

“Starting Scenario Quirt.”

Starting Scenario chosen: Free World Alliance - Quirt

Attention: Choosing Quirt Starting Scenario increases difficulty. Only advised for seasoned players.

Please confirm.

“Confirmed.”