Ferion
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ferion is a persistent browser-based game, set in the far future. It is a sci-fi strategy game. What sets Ferion apart is its use of arenas, where each game is run in its own server. Up to 15 different arenas can be running at the same time. It also uses a key system, where a player gets a small amount of technology, but to unlock the entire arena requires buying and using a key, which costs 5 euros.
Contents |
[edit] Story
Many years ago, a race known as the Ferion created a settler ship, and took off for a planet in their own solar system. When they landed, they immediately colonized it.
200 years pass. The Ferion continue to expand outward from their home star system, and encounter many races, all of whom wanting to kill the Ferion. No race survived an annihalation by the Ferion. During this time, scientists discovered how to create ringworlds.
In a nearby galaxy, a rival empire, the Karians, also expanded outward from their home system. When these two empires met, it became all-out war, stalled only briefly by an arms race. Many years later, the best space weaponry of both empire finally came to outser space. The Karians had developed anti-Ferion biological weapons, and the Ferions had developed N/S weapons: weapons capable of destroying a star system all at once. When the Ferions combined 4 of these massive weapons, they launched it into the center of the Karian galaxy, which obliterated the entire galaxy at once. The fight was over...at least for now.
The Ferion empire started fracturing, as the Ferions had developed a bloodlust during their long war with the Karians. It was then the Emperor decided to fill their bloodlust with the use of the arenas, built out of the remnants of the Karian galaxy and populated with artificial stars. Every race the Ferion encountered would have a choice. Either be thrown into an arena, or be destroyed. The player is the head of one such race thrown into the arenas.
[edit] Gameplay
[edit] Objectives and Arena Types
The objective is to win an arena. There are three ways to win an area:
- Have one empire control 50% or more of an arena.
- Have one alliance (team) control 70% or more of an arena.
- Have one empire deploy 50 Ferion Arena Controllers, then buy the FAC from the Ferions themselves.
- The only way to have an arena be a total loss is for none of the three conditions to be fulfilled by turn 1000 (day 41).
The most common way of winning is an alliance victory. Solo victories are more common on the intermediate and novice arenas, and the FAC victory is quite rare. Only 1 arena has ever been lost (Arena 116.)
Every player starts in the Newbie Arena, where you learn the ropes in a much calmer, controlled setting. This is the only arena that everyone must participate in.
- To win the Newbie Arena, a player must control 10 planets.
The game is divided into 4 arena types:
- Novice: Best for the new players of Ferion. Eventually, a player is locked out due to skill.
- Intermediate: A step up from Novice. Again, a player will eventually be locked out.
- Free For All (FFA): Any player can play. Not recommended for newer players.
- Veteran: This game runs on a 3-hour turn (tick), instead of a 1-hour turn as do the rest of the arenas.
When Ferion changed hands at the beginning of 2007, the new owners began creating "Free" arenas. These are usually Novice arenas where the techlimit is already removed.
[edit] Settling
Each player starts with a free Settler ship, which can be used to start a colony on a planet. A player can always build more, however, the more ships built, the more expensive they become.
[edit] Planets
Each planet has a size and a class. Each person's homeworld is size 30 (in FFA and in Novice/Intermediate). Size determines how many people live on a planet (Sizex10=Population). Class refers to how hospitable the planet is, and can be anywhere from class 5 to class 1. Planets cost money to run (Classx250=Maintenance Cost.)
A planet's class can be improved by terraforming it (a ship's terraformer will reduce the class by 1, saving a player 250 credits per tick). A planet's size can be increased through planet enhancers. There are three kinds:
- Berzoid Planet Enhancer: Increases planet size to size 20, 1 size per completed enhancer. Must be purchased from the Ferions.
- Planet Enhancer: Increases size to 45, again 1 size/completed enhancer. Must be researched.
- Orbital Planet Enhancer: Increases to 75, acts like other enhancers. Must be researched.
[edit] Ringworlds
Ringworlds are a special case. They must be created manually through the purchase of a ringworld creation (the technology itself cannot be bought.) The size of a ringworld is the average of all five planets in a system times 10. It is a class 0 planet (no maintenance.)