The Precursors were the first sentient species. They didn't call themselves Precursors naturally. They called themselves Arnor. They didn't evolve. They were made. Religion and myth have clouded the specifics of the very beginning. What we have learned (i.e. according to Precursor artifacts that have been found and translated) is that there were once 5 "guardians of the universe" who were sent to ensure that life would come to exist in the universe when the proper time came. Where they came is unknown. But what is known to the Precursors is that the object the Guardians were to take care of was known as the Telenanth. It was a crystal of some kind (as best we can tell) that when unleashed into the universe would allow inorganic matter to become organic. The line between the two is apparently a lot thinner than previously believed (or more exactly, what the Mithrilar consider living is probably a lot looser than what we today would consider living). The Mithrilar would probably even consider proteins to be life as apparently they did not exist prior to the unleashing of the Telenanth.

According to what we have learned of the Precursors, the Mithrilar used the Telenanth to actually change the laws of physics as we know them in the universe in such a way to allow for certain types of molecular bonds to be able to form. We cannot see how this is possible as the laws of physics are absolute and any change to them would make the universe as we know it impossible.  But the Precursors certainly believe that the laws of physics are fluid.

Meanwhile, one of the Mithrilar was different from the others. Known as the "Dark Mithrilar" he/it became known as Draginol. Where he originated is unknown even to the Precursors. What is known is that Draginol created the Precursors in his own image. The Arnor, in their natural form, resemble Altarians (and humans) -- this was the Altarian prophecy that came to be seen to be true once actual contact with the Dread Lords occurred.   We do not know why Draginol's natural form resembles an Altarian/human. We do know that the other Mithrilar had no specific natural form at all.

The Arnor quickly built a great civilization that eventually spanned the stars across the known universe.  The universe was empty with no life on it other than the Arnor and other specific forms of life created by Draginol for their planet. In time, the Telenanth was unleashed and nearly all of the guardians of the universe were no more. With the Mithrilar gone, the Precursors began to observe the rise of new sentient beings evolving across the galaxies.

In our galaxy, the first civilization to become sentient was known as the Iconians. The Arnor became concerned of what the future might hold in a universe teeming with these younger sentient races.  One faction wanted to exterminate alien sentient life upon discovery. The other wanted to guide them. In time, this difference in philosophy grew into a civil war. The losing side became villainized and known as the "Dread Lords". The war was long and devastated the galaxies in which it was fought. The Arnor were on the brink of defeat but had constructed a trap to remove the Dread Lords from our dimension and place them in a pocket dimension. With that accomplished, the Precursors disappeared until the Drengin unwittingly released the Dread Lords from the pocket universe.  The location of the Arnor home world is still unknown and the Arnor disappeared from the known universe soon after the Dread Lords were banished.

Some other notes about the universe according to the Precursors:

According to what we have learned, as big as the universe is, nearly all of the galaxies are lifeless and that in time, even our galaxy will become lifeless until the end when everything breaks back down to sub-atomic particles again, the price of having a universe capable of the molecular bonds provided by the Telenanth.  The Mithrilar also considered all matter other than what we call hydrogen and helium to be miraculous and that all elements other than those two were created due to the Telenanth's initial effect on the singularity force of the universe.

The humans call is magic. But it's not magic. There are energies and forces in the universe that simply can't be explained.

But the Drath  know it. They have lived it.  On the planet Altaria they have seen it.  Long ago, the Drath were the supreme sentient species on the planet Altaria. They were self-aware on a world with no rivals.  Then, the skies became lit with a fire that lasted for years. It was just light but they knew it foretold of a doom. 

The world shook when the dark Mithrilar, one of the guardians of the universe, collided with the world and slept for long eons.  It was during this time that a new creature seemed to have evolved out of nowhere. An alien species evolved alongside the Drath. At first, the Drath paid little attention. These newcomers were tiny (an adult Drath stands 20 feet tall and can weigh nearly a ton) and they were weak.  But in time, the newcomers, who we now know as the Altarians, became numerous and seemed to be able to inherently manipulate invisible energies. 

Some Altarians could move objects, others could actually cast destructive energies. In time, the Drath themselves came to be able to manipulate this invisible energy but only at a much lesser level. The main capability they gained was to morph, over a period of many hours, into other forms (a non trivial effort for a being that is so massive).  This power inevitably attracted the attention of the Precursors who were already at war with one another. The Altarians chose sides and the world was laid waste.  The Drath never forgave the Altarians for the cataclysm. The Drath stayed largely out of the Precursor wars. But at the end, with their world ruined, most took the Arnorian (the victorious faction of the Precursors) to relocate to another world. A few stayed and became the subject of myth until at last, the few Drath that remain on Altaria remain safely disguised.

Even on their new world, the Drath remain interested in the ways of the ancient past. Unlike the humans and other races that consider these energies as being magic and superstition, the Drath recognize it as simply another form of energy and that all energy and matter is ultimately the result of sub-atomic vibrations, not all of which can be measured and not all of which are naturally present. The unknown quantity on the planet Altaria was the long presence of the Mithrilar whose being was fused with this powerful energy that eventually permeated the world of Altaria and forever changed it and those that lived on it. The Drath also recognize that the two Precursor factions -- the Dread Lords and the Arnor are powerful only because they are able to directly manipulate this energy. Their ability to do so is apparently inherent in their existence. If the Drath can learn to master this energy as well, they will never again be at the mercy of others and their relatively low population will not be such a hindrance.

The Korx home world was united long ago by a single corporate conglomerate. What humans might call libertarianism was the way of the Korx in its purest form. Its unregulated capitalistic system eventually allowed a single mega corporation to emerge that effectively owned all of the resources of the Korx world including the military.  As a result, technological and cultural progress stagnated for generations. Without competition, Korx society moved forward on inertia from its past achievements.

Everything is for sale in Korx society. Every resource, every service, everything one could possibly imagine -- and then some -- can be bought and sold. If there is a demand, the Korx will find a way to provide for it.  For this reason, the Korx tend to be found involved in every galactic war in some form as arms dealers and even mercenary soldiers on both sides.

Tragedy of the commons is a game theory that helps spell out why socialism always ultimately fails. It can be summed up with "nobody ever washes a rental car". Private ownership is the key to prosperity in a society. John Stossel has an excellent article that discusses this. For anyone who believes that the government should raise taxes so that it can "help people" more, this article will help show the error in such thinking.

I know it's not nice to say that some people are losers. But that doesn't mean it isn't true. Awhile back I wrote an article on this topic. Now, I'd like to put together this simple test that if someone I know or work with blatantly shows these signs I can just print it out, highlight and hand it to them.

Are you a loser?

1. Do you leave a given situation worse than you found it? For instance, if you borrow something do you bring it back damaged? Loan a loser a car and it'll come back with a stain on it. Loan them a took and it'll come back damaged or broken. Let them stay at your place and they'll leave it a mess.
   
   
2. Do you exploit the good will of others? Do you find yourself betraying the trust others put in you? Do people describe you as inconsiderate? Are you the guy at the office who eats the majority of "community" food? Are you the guy who leaves dirty dishes for your roommates or coworkers to clean up after you?
    
3. Do you make pathetic excuses for routine failings? Nothing says loser than the guy who acts like they are the only person in the world that has a life to deal with. Are you the guy who is late for work regularly and uses excuses ranging from "train" to "traffic" to other lame things? What makes you a loser in this case is the obliviousness that everyone faces issues in life but still manages to get things done.
    
4. Do you have no sense of delayed gratification? A loser not only doesn't have any money, but will rationalize spending money they don't have because they gotta have stuff "now". Sure you're going to be a bonus or a raise at work? Then hey why not buy that new gadget right this second even though you haven't gotten the job, bonus or raise yet right? That's what losers do. Losers almost never save or invest because they need all kinds of shiny crap now.
    
5. Do you see yourself as just having bad luck or a victim of circumstance? A loser always sees themselves as a victim. All the bad things that happen to them are someone else's fault. Losers think their boss "has it out for them" or they couldn't have known their interest rate might go up on their adjustable rate mortgage or still can't believe that they got evicted for not paying their rent – didn't the landlord realize that they've been having a tough time?
    
6. Do you think people who are doing better than you are just lucky? Losers seem to assume that rich people just inherited it or stole their money. Losers are just "too damn principled" to "play dirty" to be successful or "just weren't born with silver spoons in their mouths". When a loser sees someone who is doing better they think those people are doing better either because of luck or because they were dishonest.
    
7. Do you worry about "Fairness"? Losers think there should be some sort of objective "fairness" in life. You can spot a loser because they will whine about something not being "fair". Life ain't fair.
    
8. Do you have a loser work ethic? A loser's work ethic functions as follows: If they think they are underpaid, they will simply work fewer hours and screw off more. They will rationalize that they should really be making X (where X is almost always 25% more than they already make – they've done studies on this). Therefore, they'll figure they really only should put in 30 hours of work and will mess around the other 10. Losers don't realize that they are simply sabotaging their futures with such a stupid, unproductive strategy.

There's something wrong with me. I know it. I can pretend otherwise but I just don't get excited about Christmas anymore. And the reason? I'm selfish. I like getting stuff.

I am not really big on personal consumption. I'm notoriously cheap. And thanks to my wife, we (as in she and I) tend to be quite generous on gift giving. And why not? We're blessed to be able to afford to give to our family and friends.

But I like getting presents. Not just any old presents, but presents that have thought put into them. I don't care if they cost nothing or cost a lot, I like presents that show that the person gave some thought to it.

For instance, a friend of mine at work gave me a gourmet hot chocolate kit. I love hot chocolate and that was really thoughtful. But that's the exception rather than the rule.

Do you know what I usually get? Gift cards to Best Buy, Amazon, or other places. I get lots of gift cards. Not to be ungrateful but gift cards are the worst present of all for me. I'd rather just get a card with a hand written note than a gift card.

When I say that I don't want gift cards since they're essentially just money transfers – except more restrictive – the response I get is "Well I don't know what to get you, you could just buy anything you want anyway." Which makes me wonder why they got me a gift card then. I guess what I'm looking for is thought. I guess I have it easy when it comes to presents, I can buy people nice things because I can afford it. It's easy to just buy something expensive because you know they'll probably like it. But a book that I didn't think of or some little gadget that I didn't know about or some little item that just shows that some thought was put into the gift is what I'm looking for.

But I suppose it doesn't matter, Christmas is really mostly for the kids anyway. Bah humbug. J

The sad narrative of our galaxy is that races seem inclined to commit genocide against other races on their home worlds. The Altarians and Drath once shared a home world. The Yor and Iconians once shared a home world. The Drengin and Korath once shared a home world. The Arnor and Dread Lords used to share a home world when they were known as the Precursors. Even the diplomatic humans shared a home world with the Neanderthals who were exterminated prior to the rise of modern human civilization.

But the Krynn are different. The Krynn home world started out with multiple sentient races. The Krynn, you see, are not a race but rather a people made up of many different sentient species. Tied together with a unifying culture, the Krynn (which loosely translates into "the way") believe they have unlocked the secrets to the universe and are on a holy mission to share these secrets with the universe.

The Jihad of Krynn is split between two technological branches. The first branch outlines the laws and order of the Krynn. These allow the construction of powerful centers for indoctrination which uniquely increase morale while spreading influence. The second branch spreads the way into the galaxy in extremely powerful influence modules for starbases. 

What the Krynn may lack in technological sophistication they make up for in their ability to convert other species to their way. They can, after all, make the case that the Krynn have learned to share their world successfully for eons. With the galaxy full of evidence that other species, even the peaceful Altarians, ultimately fall into genocidal tendencies, the Krynn way of life has a growing appeal in a hostile galaxy.

The power of the Krynn lies in their ability to work together. This is best shown in their technological advantages in fleet combat where the whole is really greater than the sum of its parts.  As the recent intelligence analysis from the Terran Alliance indicates, one could easily imagine a future where The Krynn dominate the galaxy without a shot fired.

The religion explained

The Way represents the ultimate direction for people to live their lives. The Krynn believe in a supreme being (what humans would call "God") who created the universe and then sent 4 guardians to safeguard the universe.

These guardians looked over the a massive crystal that the creator has put into the universe for the time when life would be added to the universe. The crystal would be used at a time when the universe was ready for life to exist. However, a 5th entity, a demon, came into the universe and attempted to corrupt the crystal. In doing so, the crystal was shattered and every tiny fragment of the crystal that came into contact with the right conditions began life across the universe.

The Krynn have put this belief to the test and have proven to their satisfaction the existence of what others call "dark energy". It is the invisible energy that the Precursors use. Their belief also predicted the existence of a "big bang" long before the science existed to provide rationale for that theory.

The Krynn believe that only through intensifying their sentience can they achieve salvation. Salvation, to the Krynn, means being able to exist as a sentient being of energy after the body has perished. The only way to intensify ones sentience is through converting others to The Way. The Krynn believe that all Krynn are connected and thus the more Krynn there are, the more intense the connections between them.

The existence of machinery that can harness the sentient energy of creatures (such as what the Drengin and Korath have) helps prove (according to the Krynn) that The Way ultimately requires no faith once one has full understanding.

Therefore, the Krynn must convert all sentient beings into being the Krynn even if it means bloodshed. The very afterlife of the Krynn is dependent on bringing the universe over to The Way. Even those who have long perished in body gain in sentience when new converts are added. Thus, the Krynn do not convert merely to save their own souls but to save the souls of all the Krynn who have ever lived.

Galactic Civilizations: Twilight of the Arnor is our most ambitious expansion pack ever. While gamers expect expansion packs to add a special unit or technology to different factions in their strategy games, Twilight of the Arnor gives each side its very own technology tree complete with many new ship components, planetary improvements, abilities, and more.

In addition, Twilight of the Arnor delivers a complete graphical make-over to the game while at the same time dramatically reducing memory use.  This, in turn, allows us to provide new features like Immense-sized galaxies, Terror Stars, new victory conditions, and more.

This past week, we released BETA 3 of the expansion pack.  Below are some of the highlights:

Return of the Iconians

The Iconian civilization were the very first sentient beings in the known galaxy. They were once the servants of the ancient Precursor civilization. When that civilization split into two factions -- the Arnor and the Dread Lords, the Iconians, who had served the Precursors for eons, became pawns in their struggle. During the course of the Precursor struggle, the Dread Lords, fearing the Iconians would side with the Arnor, modified the robotic servants of the Iconians to achieve sentience -- thus was born the Yor.

The Iconians start out with Precursor legacy technology

The Precursors are largely gone now, other than the Dread Lords who remain a shadow of their former majesty. But the Iconians, more than any other civilization, are the inheritors of Precursor technology. The strength of the Iconians is that they start out with some incredibly powerful technologies. Their weakness, however, is that they do not fully understand it. As a result, they have some obstacles to overcome in order to maintain their early advantage.

Iconians have access to powerful Precursor technologies

It's so pretty

Beta 3 begins to upgrade the planetary graphics. If you're running at high resolution, you will quickly notice that the planetary improvements now look a lot better than previously. They are much higher resolution than before.  Moreover, planets continue to improve in how they look even as they use less memory.

More flags and player pictures have been added.

The Iconian hulls have been re-textured to use less memory and look vastly better.

ANIMATED HULLS AND PARTS!!!

Beta 3 also has a big surprise - animated ship designs. Players can now select any ship component and tell it to be animated. The effect can be pretty stunning on screen.  We didn't mention this feature in the "marketing" material because we wanted to make sure we could do it without slowing the game down first.  Unless you go nuts with the animations, you shouldn't see any slow down at all (and if you have a high end system, you can go nuts with the animations too). The animated ships are extremely cool to see in action in the game.

Beta 3 also has a ton of new weapon effects in them courtesy of i-Mod productions. There's a lot of new weapons in Twilight of the Arnor and you'll get to see some really cool battles with these.

More accessible information

One request we've received by players is the ability to see more readily what goodies a technology gives. This is particularly important in Twilight of the Arnor on the diplomacy screen when players will want to know what a traded tech does for them.

Players can now access information on technologies by right-clicking on a technology on virtually any screen (diplomacy, tech screen , etc.).

In addition, the ship design screen now lets players set various ship pieces as "favorites". In this way, players who design a lot of ships can easily work with just their favorite ship components.

Terror Stars

Terror Stars are the ultimate weapon -- they destroy entire star systems.  To build one, one must first research the proper technology for them. Then, one must construct the actual Terror Star which requires a large number of constructors.

Once the Terror Star has been completed, it takes 10 weeks (turns) to mobilize.

Terror Stars can destroy entire star systems

All that remains are asteroid fields where the planets once were.  The terror star must be closely guarded. It moves very slowly (which means you have to build it close to where you want to use it) and has hardly any hit points. Thus, a powerful fleet should be assigned to guard it.

The Road Map

All of the above was just for a single beta release.  Wait till you see what we have coming up.  There's still 4 or 5 editors to be released, a new invasion screen, several more civilizations, lots of ships and planet improvements, and we haven't even really started the new computer AI enhancements.  Plus, there's a bunch of new tournaments in the pipeline. And of course, the campaign itself. And that's just a highlight of what's coming up. 

If you want to get Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor, you can purchase it here.  You have to have Dark Avatar (or Gold Edition) already to play it.

Tonight's late late game is a test of the Iconians.  In theory, the Iconians should be quite impressive to play as. They have access to Precursor technology which no one else in the game does. However, they can't trade that tech so that hurts them diplomatically.  They also are relatively weak on weapons technology.

On the other hand, Iconian ships can be a lot tougher than other ships and they have access to self-healing armor.  This game is a brief game I played this evening/morning to see how well they worked out and what tweaks need to be played.

It begins...

To start with I choose Precursor studies. This is the key branch for the Iconians as it houses their industrial and research technologies. It instantly gives me access to the Precursor library -- the Iconians can build their own Precursor libraries.

Within a couple of turns, I've constructed the Precursor archive (which provides this Iconian world with a copy of the Precursor database) and a Precursor library which enables me to research technology even faster.

Where the Iconians are quite weak, however, is their initial manufacturing capacity. The basic replicator is the weakest manufacturing building in the game. However, they do get quick access to the Interstellar refinery which produces 16 IUs (but you can only build 1 per planet and it has 8 maint).

Another area the Iconians are relatively weak early on is economically. They don't start with a decent economic building. On the other hand, they do start out with the Dream Conclave, which is the best morale improvement any player starts out with (25%).

The main challenge for the Iconian player early on is going to be money. Players will likely make good use of the cheap food and cheap morale improvements to make more money via population as opposed to using readily available economic buildings.

My first weaponized ships start coming out. That's when I find a show-stopper:

My organic hull modules aren't showing up which is absolutely crucial to my strategy. D'oh!  Back to the drawing board...

But first let's see how we compare:

Thanks to my population, my economy is keeping up. Research is okay. Manufacturing is okay. Approval is the best despite high tax rate thanks to cheap, powerful morale buildings.

Home Planets

My home planet

AI: Terran Alliance

AI: Yor

 More soon...