Rantz was kind enough to answer some of my questions about the races in MOO3 via e-mail (two e-mails, actually). The questions haven't been arranged in any specific order, but I tried to make similar questions follow each other. Anyway, this interview should be interesting for anyone who wants to know a little more about the MOO3 races, so read on! BTW, I'm sure a lot of you have more questions, so mail them to me, and I'll include them if I ever interview Rantz again (which I probably will, assuming he'll answer).
How did you become the "race-meister" on MOO3? It must be more or less the most exciting job on a project like this, and I'd expect there to be a lot of competition to get it?
I became 'race-meister' because I'm a bit of a control-freak, and when the
decision was made to overhaul the visual appearance of the races in the Master
of Orion universe, I thought it shouldn't be just a cosmetic change without
explanation. So, one weekend, I did the earliest concept drawings of the Saurians
and the Ichthytosian species and showed them around, and explained how the
Saurian species came from Ichthys species, and how this has affected their
relations in the past, and how it continues to color it today. From then on
out, I kind of ended up being 'keeper of races'. David, Alan, and Joan have
contributed a LOT of material to flesh out the backstories and make it all work
within the context of the MOO universe, and making sure that my art-rambles
actually make sense. They've also been great at filling in some really critical
point in the species backstories, so it's really become a more collaborative
effort at this stage.
Do you alone decide "who lives and dies" of the races, or do others on the project also have a say there?
Ummmm... Well, members of the team have their own favorite races and express
their thoughts on it, but ultimately I have to schedule the art assets for the
game, which decided what visually does get in the game, and what doesn't. Cory
Nelson, the producer for the game backs that up, so... Do I decide who lives or
dies as far as species go? Well, it isn't Alan or Cory or Greg getting rid of
the Mrrshans, et al...
How do you go about deciding which races are credible and which are not?
A dartboard. (laughs) No, no, really it's a couple of things. The first is
looking at possible alternate evolutionary paths. Books like The Science of
Aliens by Clifford Pickover play a big part of that. The idea of life evolving
in space is incredibly exciting, but it's amazingly egocentric to think that all
species that develop will be upright bipeds. So, uniqueness is part of it. The
second is, the cheese factor. More accurately, the elimnation or mitigation of
the cheese factor. It's obviously subjective, and some folks don't agree with
it, but I feel we've made the right choices, and that the end result will make
the majority happy.
Personally, I think it's a good idea to make realistic races, but I know you're aware that many fans of the previous two games are very upset about your decision to get rid of the Mrrshan, etc. As Jack Cohen says, it's easier to identify with humanoid aliens. Are you sure the end result will make the majority happy?
I think if I do my job right, yes. And by majority, I mean not only the MOO
fans, but drawing large numbers of non-moo fans into the addiction that is
Master of Orion...
And whether your answer is yes or no, is it more important to you to please the majority than to make what you consider the best possible game?
I don't think it's a binary situation, I don't think it's one or the other... A
lot of times, the *motivation* is to please the masses, which invariably
produces shlock, or the motivation is to do something really 'out there' just
for the sake of doing so. What we're looking at is doing what is best for the
game. Making the game universe rich and fleshed out. Will that appeal to a
massive audience? That's the plan. Is it what is best for the game?
Absolutely, it's the number one focus. I'd go even farther to say that this
level of character development and depth of environment, etc. is what the TBS
genre needs to remain a viable option...
Have you already decided on all the races, and if so; when will you reveal the rest?
Most of the races are decided on and sketched out, we're in the process of
getting the 3D models of the species done right now, so it's moving right
along. Some may not be named yet, but what they look like, their 'personality'
is already determined.
Are the Evons humanoid?
Yep. Expect to see more details on the Evon and their culture very soon. One
thing that isn't apparent in the concept art, is that the Evon have this
irridescent black skin. I mean *Black* with this shimmery irridescence that is
kind of like oil... Their 'hair' are neural sensor implants, that are installed
into their brains as part of their maturity ritual. They should be a fun race
to play...
What exactly are the requirements to be considered humanoid in MOO3?
Hmmm, in general terms, they stand on two legs over 50% of the time. That the
skeletal structure is similar in set-up to a humans. It's a pretty long and
detailed list... binocular vision, opposable thumb... all that stuff.
Now that you mention standing; will the Psilons use those 'chairs' all the time, or are they only used to perform certain tasks?
The Psilons, from the time they reach maturity (around 2 cycles) are in those
chairs for life. It is the only form of real mobility they have, having lost
muscles strength and bone density. The Chairs allow them to move, manipulate
objects, in general, they allow them to function.
And did you make them look the way they do right after reading a post in the forum where someone whined about you getting rid of the old races?
(Laughs) well, no... I made jokes about that, but we had gameplay needs and
story needs that determined which species/races made it into the game... in
going over things again, and again, and again...trying to get *the* best result
for the game, we figured out a way that the Psilons could be in, but it wouldn't
work if they were the same as in MOO2, so adjustments and such were made. A lot
of this will become clear as you play MOO3, we really want that sense of
discovery to permeate all the aspects of the game, not just exploring planets or
building ships, so making these discoveries about the histories and natures of a
race during the game is a big part of that...
How will the races within a species be "related" to each other? Will they all share a common ancestry?
Some species are related to each other and share a genetic tree. Others do
not. The Saurians and Ichthytosians share the same genetic past. Within a
given species all races in that species are descended from a common genetic
thread. The stories of how this happened are drawn out by us internally, and
the player may discover these elements of information in the course of the game,
or they may never be known. We have to know it, so that we can maintain
consistency, but some secrets are meant to be kept as such...
Are all the races in MOO3 races that have been "uplifted" by the Elder Races, or are there naturally evolved races as well?
There are naturally evolved races as well as races that have been tampered with.
Could you say anything about which species/races will fit into which category?
Not at this time, soon...
Are you planning on releasing some kind of chart to show the evolutionary lines of the different races, or if you hadn't planned on doing so, can you be persuaded to do it anyway? :o)
Nope, there is one that exists, but it's for internal use only. Like I said...
some secrets are meant to be kept...
Why did you accept the Saurians, when they're also "animorphs"?
They're not. When you see the redesign, you'll see what I mean. The Saurian
drawing that is up is very early preliminary concept work, bearing little
relation to what they look like.
But the name "Saurians" does indicate that they are just that; a bit dinosaur/lizard-ish, doesn't it? Or will you be changing the name, as well?
Yes, but a lizard is not a humanoid. A snake is not humanoid, a T-Rex is not
humanoid. In the same way, the Saurian species is not humanoid. They are the
'reptile' branch of development, but not through natural means... again, that's
part of the story that unfolds...
How did the Saurians and the Ichthys "grow apart", and how did two so different species develop from the same common ancestry?
That's in the species bible, and will be eventually released. The reason for
their common anscestry is the tale of the greatest continuing feud the galaxy
knows..
Was there more Antaran meddling involved?
Not directly. Not in the separation from Ichthys to saurian.
Will the Ichthytosian species contain amphibians as well, or only "fish"-races like the Trilarians?
Only purely aquatic races.
Can you say something about the limitations and benefits that are linked to each species? All Geodes must be lithovores, etc., or is that someone else's responsibility?
That's a question for Alan.
Could you explain how crystalline beings could've evolved? They seem almost like an impossibility, at least for someone like me, with only limited sci-fi knowledge :o)
There were a couple of books that gave us a real toe-hold on this concept...
The species bible explains their development. Other than that, I can't go into
now.
Were all cybernetik races made by the same race, or do they have different creators? How did they gain independence from their former "masters"?
Your assumptions are incorrect about the Cyb. The Cyb evolved to a point where
they decided to leave the 'failure of flesh' behind, and moved to an entirely
artificial form of life. They weren't slaves or android for another race.
When you say "moved to", does that mean that they placed their brains within machines and controlled them directly, somehow transferred their minds into computers, or that they decided robots were superior lifeforms and handed their homeworld over to them? Or something completely different, that I haven't thought of?
The original Cyb transferred their 'soul'/mind/consciousness into a purely
artificial body. Making the 'crossing' from part-organic/part-machine is seen
as a pivotal moment of cyb history.
How will they feel about android "slaves" among other races? How will they feel about organic creatures in general? Are they "traditional" androids, or more like the replicants of "Blade Runner" with emotions, individual personalities, limited lifespan etc.?
More material than I can even begin to cover. All these questions will be
answered, but I will say, you won't have biped robot humanoids running
around....
Do any of the original Orions still remain in the galaxy, or did *all* of them die/disappear? If they do, can you encounter any of them? It seems a bit too incredible that every single one of them (except the one on the Orion homeworld) disappeared, doesn't it?
It *does* seem a bit unlikely, doesn't it? That this massive group of powerful beings should just dissapear? Wholesale, with not one left? Seems unlikely...
Are/were there any races older than the Antarans and Orions in the Galaxy?
Something always preceeds the next. That's one of the major ideas of the game.
That the 'food chain', the circle of life (forgive me, I'm an ex-disney
employee) involves *every* creature, every society... everything rises,
everything falls...
Since we're talking about the Orion -galaxy-, not the entire universe, and considering one of the last sentences in the MOO2 ending; "In this galaxy, that is.", (or something along those lines, at least), will there be intelligent lifeforms outside the galaxy that can appear in the game?
Hmmm, I can't really comment on that one right now.
Thanks for your time, Rantz!