Who wants a new member?

[Menchise]

I have a new ship under construction, and I'm curious about the large number of fleets in the Battlecruiser universe. Although I registered in this forum two and a half years ago, I hadn't visited the forum in over a year till last month.

I remember when there were no separate fleets in GALCOM, way back when the site was using Java applets for its buttons. I was here when Orion, ISS and Spectre were formed (I can't remember which one was first). Wasn't there another fleet around at the same time that isn't around anymore? I have SO much to catch up on.

Could someone reply with a timeline of when the fleets were formed?

Also, since I resigned my positions on my old ships (the GCV Grim Reaper and GCV TerraGuardian), I am now Undesignated. I have been looking into some of the fleets, but the information I have gathered is limited. This is what I know (if I made any mistakes, tell me):

EarthCom is the military arm of the UFN, which aims to maintain law and order on the Terran homeworld, particularly in its campaign against the Insurgents. Home base is unknown.

Prime Fleet is self-explanatory since I used to serve there. It's the heart of GalCom.

Home base is GalCom HQ.

ISS is a GalCom fleet that stands for In System Support, and focuses on the defense of Sol. Based in orbit around one of Saturn's moons.

Spectre Fleet is the Insurgents' prime fleet. The Insurgents fight against EarthCom and GalCom over a variety of issues, namely the generous funding of the military, the restriction of information released to the public, and rumours of unethical practices in military research projects, especially the use of human test subjects in biological experiments. Home base is Sygan (I think).

I would like some information about Orion and Wraith fleets, namely what makes them different from Prime Fleet. I would also like some information about how the other Insurgent fleets (Balor, Bishumen) are different from Spectre.

I just want descriptions, no boasting! If any of the fleet members start writing about how their fleets are better, I'm going to avoid them entirely.

[ 05-22-2001: Message edited by: Menchise ]

[Tyrn]

Wraith Fleet has four primary directives

1. Uphold Galcom's Directives

2. Provide early warning on Gammulan and Valkyrie military movements

3. Assist the Falkyrie resistance

4. Provide Special Forces to Galcom, Earthcom & Terran allies

It also consists of six wings and two support units. Check here for further details.

[ 05-22-2001: Message edited by: Tyrn ]

[Outlaw]

Well since you are designated a UCV vessel, why don't u try becoming an indie instead? U Have more freedom to do what u want, roaming the galaxy, not taking orders from the fleets, and knowing the fact that u are truly in command. The possibilities r endless and u will enjoy being your own boss. This is what BCM is all about. Think about it.

[Eclipse]

quote:

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GALCOM FLEETS

1. PRIME FLEET.

Prime Fleet is based in the Sol, Earth system at GALCOM HQ. This Fleet is the main GALCOM Fleet, and its role includes much of what the other specialized Fleets do. It is currently led by Commander Siemens

2. ORION FLEET.

Orion Fleet is based in Alpha Centauri, Centris and is primarily focused on heavy combat missions. It is currently commanded by Commander Blades

3. ISS FLEET.

ISS Fleet is based in Sol, Saturn(Titan) and is devoted to the security of Sol, intelligence, and the support of other Fleets hence it's name: In System Security. ISS Fleet is currently commanded by Commander Ristar.

A. CIOPS.

CIOPS is a branch of ISS Fleet. This division, whose name is an acronym for Central Intelligence OperationS, is the intelligence section of GALCOM. Members of other fleets may be assigned to this division for special assignements. This division is under the command of Commander Ristar.

4. WRAITH FLEET.

Wraith Fleet is based in Syrius, Lyrius. It is the Special Operations arm of GALCOM and is currently commanded by Commander Tac

EARTHCOM FLEETS

5. EARTHCOM FLEET.

EarthCom Fleet is based in Sol, Earth. It is Earth's separate military forces. Though it is a mainly planetary force, it still has quite a few space bound assets. Earthstar is this fleet's primary asset for space operations. EarthCom Fleet is currently led by Commander T. C. McQueen

A. SCID.

SCID Fleet is a branch of EarthCOM and stands for Special Counter- Insurgency Division. They are responsible for repressing the Insurgency. Being a specialized fleet, any member of a GALCOM or EarthCom fleet, can be assigned to SCID on special assignment, as is necessary to facilitate a specific mission objective. This division is under the command of T. C. McQueen.

INSURGENT FLEETS

6. SPECTRE FLEET.

is the oldest of the Insurgent Fleets. It is based in Trenis, Antis. Spectre Fleet is the torso of the Insurgent effort. It is the primary battle fleet and, as such, contains much of the same elements and capabilities of the specialized fleets. Vice Admiral Michael Kristophers currently commands Spectre Fleet.

7. EVERSOR FLEET.

is the Research and Development Arm of the Insurgency. It’s primary tasking is to equip the Insurgency with the latest in technologies and weaponry. As such, Eversor is considered the most heavily armed and contains the widest of Ship Classes and Variety. Eversor Fleet is located in Omicron Eridani, Midae. Vice Admiral Andergum currently commands Eversor Fleet.

8. BALOR FLEET.

is the Logistics Arm of the Insurgency. It’s primary tasking is to outfit the Insurgency. Among the assets of Balor Fleet one might find Armed Transports, Battlecruisers, and a large variety of other class ships, all with the capability of carrying payloads of supplies and resources. Balor Fleet is located in Barnard’s Star, Sygan. Vice Admiral Chavik currently commands Balor Fleet.

9. BISHAMON FLEET.

is the “Black Heart” of the Insurgency. Bishamon might be considered the expeditionary force within the Insurgency. Stealth, speed, and decisiveness play a key role in its success or failure. Not much is known of Bishamon Fleet with the exception of its location. Bishamon Fleet is located in Cyrian, Rinaal. Vice Admiral Akira currently commands Bishamon Fleet.

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hope this helps it was taken from the fleet FAQ. more infor on insurgents can be gound on Andergum site.

[Guest]

And be sure to visit the fleet websites, there is a wealth of information about the individual fleets at the different sites.

Each fleet has something different to offer, depends all on your gaming/roleplaying style. But if you want my unbiased opinion EarthCOM is the way to go.

[Epsilon 5]

Well, that says it all.

If you are the straithforward type that live to fight, and fight real hard, Orion is for you!

[ 05-22-2001: Message edited by: Epsilon 5 ]

[Lockjaw]

Orion Fleet: We are the strike fleet of Galcom.

If you have anymore questions about Orion Fleet, post them or e-mail me at

[email protected]

[ 05-22-2001: Message edited by: Lockjaw ]

[Menchise]

quote:

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Well since you are designated a UCV vessel, why don't u try becoming an indie instead? U Have more freedom to do what u want, roaming the galaxy, not taking orders from the fleets, and knowing the fact that u are truly in command. The possibilities r endless and u will enjoy being your own boss. This is what BCM is all about. Think about it.

---

Hmmmm...I'm curious about the Paramedic caste. What are its capabilities in multiplayer? What ships are available in the caste? Before you start telling me to read the manual and appendixes, I have already done that and I barely understood what it said:

"Having this caste in a class makes the life factor of personnel within the class increase at a high rate and their fatigue factor drops rapidly."

What does that mean? What class?

[Tyrn]

quote:

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Originally posted by Menchise:

Hmmmm...I'm curious about the Paramedic caste

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In a nutshell: You like to tow ships issueing an SOS and you have a tendency to make people feel better. You get shiny unarmed ships and stiff penalties are leavied by very organization/caste against their members if they shoot you.

[Menchise]

I have a question that doesn't seem to be covered in the Fleet FAQ. Can I change to a different caste or fleet if I'm unhappy with the current one?

[ 05-23-2001: Message edited by: Menchise ]

[Epsilon 5]

Hmmm... I must say no... but there are exceptions, generally when a guy get kicked off an army, or quits, or change from military to insurgents.

I don't know if you could change from scientist to explorer, trader to commercial.

[Tyrn]

quote:

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Originally posted by Menchise:

I have a question that doesn't seem to be covered in the Fleet FAQ. Can I change to a different caste or fleet if I'm unhappy with the current one?

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That all depends within which context you're asking the questions.

With regards to RP and the current fleet DB, it's do-able and been done but is frowned upon.

With regards to BCM MP, once you start a game you are stuck until the game is over but there's no reason you can't be something different in the next game.

With regards to GCO, now that's where things get very ticklish because of the persistent nature of the thing. There is a beginning of the game but there is no end (sans major catastrophic failure that is and even then who knows?). Given that it would not be unheard of for a person to change career paths midstream (GALCOM to Isolationist...I mean Insurgent comes to mind), it is conceivable that some method for doing so in GCO might evolve. In the past Derek has basically said we have to choose a career and stick to it, period, no if's and's or but's. OTOH, I have known him to be willing to comprimise or even come 180 on such no comprimise issues, all that is required is very clear, concise and very real proof that such a change is good (the SC terms this as whining ). If career path changes really are a good thing for GCO, it'll happen. If they aren't a really good thing for what the SC has in mind, it definitely won't happen.

A quick note lest I set off a torrent of whining: Whining on the public forum tends to do more harm than good and is generally not a good idea.

[ 05-23-2001: Message edited by: Tyrn ]

[Menchise]

Here is some constructive whining.

I think the option to defect or change careers would be great for the Battlecruiser universe, because it provides a whole new dimension for our player characters to evolve in. Here are some examples:

1. GALCOM commander is ordered to appear before a court-martial for various offences.

a) If the commander does not show up after a long period of time, his or her caste designation changes from Military to Raider, because now that commander is commandeering GALCOM property without the permission of GALCOM. In effect, that ship is now stolen.

If the commander shows up, is found guilty and dishonourably discharged, he or she probably would not want to be part of GALCOM or Earthcom anymore.

In either case, that commander may want to become an Insurgent later on.

2. An Undesignated player, such as a Trader, Explorer, or Paramedic, is attacked by a Raider player. The Raider boards the other player's ship, steals supplies and kills the crew. It is logical that the victim may want to join the Police or the Military on a quest for vengeance.

Without these changes, the dynamic universe would be less dynamic.

Anyway, I have a few other things to mention.

I would like to hear more from the Insurgent commanders about why you joined Spectre or one of the other fleets. I tried accessing mission statements and objectives at the Insurgent websites, but the specific pages I wanted to read had broken links (lucky me), and the History section of the manual only has a brief description of the Insurgents' motives.

Finally, I have one more question about the Paramedic caste. Wouldn't Raiders still have something to gain from boarding these vessels despite the tough penalties?

[aramike]

Well, I joined the Insurgency because of the people involved - no major RP motivation.

For one thing, the Insurgency is outnumbered. However, our balancing factor is the overall experience between Insurgent commanders. Practically all the big names around here are Insurgents. Also, take a look at the four guys that are listed as moderators in most of the forums here - 3 out of the 4 are Insurgents. Every Insurgent fleet is lead by an internal beta tester, forum moderator/administrator.

I just like it here. In the end, though, it is up to you as to how to decide.

[Guest Commander Hamblin]

Join Orion Fleet. We're always looking for new cannon fodder to throw at that damned Bunnie hatch right next door to HQ.

[Delgard]

quote:

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Wouldn't Raiders still have something to gain from boarding these [paramedic] vessels despite the tough penalties?

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Uh... lots of medipaks, vacpaks, and maybe... a nutripak? I can't imagine wanting to try and find something useful on something smaller than a transport...

PS Join the Orion Fleet!

[Blades]

Nice and diplomatic James.

Point of interest to newbies/lurkers considering joining Orion. We're a working fleet, which means each and every member is expected to do his bit when it is required of him. We're not a register and take it easy kinda fleet. If you dont make an effort (Including forum participation here and at HQ) or contribute to the fleet in other (required) ways, you'll be booted from the fleet DB and returned to the murky depths from wence you came.

In short - casual gamers need not apply.

[Guest Commander Hamblin]

Thorn in our collective sides, that thing is. Whoever the Commander of that station is...he's gonna have hell to pay when BCM comes out, I tell you what.

[Guest]

Well Nick, here's the skinny on the ISS...

Our motto is:

quote:

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Know the enemy;

Know Yourself;

Defend your Homeworld!

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This basically represents the purposes of the ISS. We coordinate a major intelligence and espionage service, which is aimed at preserving and maintaining security within all GalCOM territories, and preventing possible Insurgent uprising or insurrection.

We coordinate a support ship assignment service, where specialised combat support vessels, such as minesweepers, evac craft, medical ships, ISS Special Forces teams, demolition squads, and ships that fulfil a variety of other support roles, are vectored on an as needed basis to theatres within and outside GalCOM territories.

We also coordinate an insystem defence network within all GalCOM territories, providing a first-line defence presence that can maintain security in a threatened area until Prime Fleet resources are able to reinforce our position.

As you can see, claims that the ISS is nor a "combat" fleet are unfounded. Not only does our defensive role mean that we must excel in combat, it also means that we must excel at first-line combat, with Defence Wing commanders acting autonomously if necessary to preserve the security of a region until Prime Force backup arrives.

The Fleet is divided up into three wings. The Intelligence and Espionage Wing is where all intelligence and espionage activity takes place. It has positions for insertion/extraction teams, debrief teams, as well as single operatives themselves.

The Defence Wing coordinates insystem defence.

The Tactical Support Wing coordinates specialised support vessels to theatres where their unique services are required.

In real-life terms, any player is welcome to join any wing. The Defence Wing, however, is probably ideal for people who would primarily be multiplaying when BC:M comes out, whereas Intel and Espionage and TacSup cater to both MPers and role-players / fiction writers.

the ISS was designed from the outset to be a low-committment fleet; you don't need hours of time for multiplaying or online chats and meetings. The only obligation which must be met to remain a member of the ISS is the posting of a "Log File" each month; examples of this can be seen in the ISS FLEET LOG FILES thread in the ISS FLEET forum.

Fleet Commander Ristar retains his Fleet Commander status but will soon be joined by me as a joint commander of the ISS Fleet (I am the fleet founder, and have returned after an extended leave of absence). I'm just waiting for my Fleet Commander status to be restored. *ahem* *cough* Aramike *cough* *ahem* *grin*.

We'd be glad to have you aboard, Nick - I remember Mr. Menchise and the Grim Reaper from the old board, and of course the few times we met up in Active Worlds. *grin*.

PS: CIOPS is also part of the ISS and is a specialised and autonomous intelligence section - so autonomous they've kinda left me behind. If you want to get into the really dark stuff, the "dark horses" of GalCOM intelligence tend to be drawn to CIOPs. They tend to operate a little bit further "behind the lines" than orthodox GalCOM forces, if you get what I mean. They specialise in counter insurgency operations.

AFA Paramedics are concerned, they're really only a "fun" caste, as with quite a few of the independent, non-military castes. The "class" referred to in the manual is a reference to the mechanics of the game, I believe; if a group of ships is autogenerated in the game and incliudes a paramedic ship, the crew of the ships in that group generate LF better. I don't know whether that would apply to your own crew if you were flying as a paramedic - maybe it would.

[Guest Commander Hamblin]

You're still not next door to an Insurgent Starstation. Can't get any more front line than that!

[ 05-23-2001: Message edited by: Commander Hamblin ]

[Epsilon 5]

I love to go [rp]bunny[/rp] hunting! Especially is they are only a couple of million kilometers away!

[Eclipse]

rp

Well with the lemming mortality rate, I might be relocating my HQ... to Centris.

/rp

[Guest Blackwell]

Gentlemen,

If the "dark side" appeals to you look no further than EarthCom's Omega Battle group.

We are the last thing our target sees...ever Contact me for details.

[Epsilon 5]

quote:

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rp

Well with the lemming mortality rate, I might be relocating my HQ... to Centris.

/rp

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[rp]

You might have to try to do so... or you'll have nowhere to go.

[/rp]

[Supreme Cmdr]

quote:

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good (the SC terms this as whining

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hehe, constructive whining perhaps?

Anyway, BCM and GCO handle switching differently. BCM won't have persistent stats saving (though the server will be persistent as long as someone doesn't flip the power switch ) at all. So, once you log off, when you log back in, you'll be starting from scratch.

GCO is a whole different ball game. It works just like other MMOG. You can have several different character profiles (I'm capping it at two, max). So, you can have a Terran/Military and a Terran/Insurgent, though you can only log on with one at any one time. Of course, if you change the character, you lose it completely, and have to create a new one from scratch. So, if you are playing as a Terran/Military and decide to switch sides, just delete your character and create a Terran/Insurgent one. Thats it. You've switched.