List of X Universe races

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

To meet Wikipedia's content policies and video game article guidelines, this article or section may require cleanup. This article may contain strategy guide material, such as lists of minutiae or a detailed description of how to play the game. Such topics may be copied to a gaming wiki, but afterwards should be removed or rewritten in an encyclopedic style. To copy to a gaming wiki, replace this template with {{copy to gaming wiki}}. (May 2008).

This article is about the fictional species found within Egosoft's X Universe.

Contents 1 Relevance of fictional species in the X series 1.1 Plot Presentation 1.2 Diversity 1.3 The Living Universe 2 Species 2.1 Argon 2.2 Boron 2.3 Kha’ak 2.4 Paranid 2.5 Split 2.6 Teladi 2.7 Terran 2.8 Xenon 2.9 Sohnen 3 Factions 3.1 Pirates 3.2 Yaki 3.3 Goner 3.4 Terracorp 3.5 Foundation Guild 3.6 Profit Guild 3.7 Community of Planets 4 References

[edit] Relevance of fictional species in the X series

Since X: Beyond the Frontier, the first of the X series, the fictional X Universe has been home to a number of alien residents. Most have been present since the first game, however, several races and factions were introduced later, through the series' story-lines. Throughout the series, the games' races have had notable impacts on the plot, gameplay, and immersiveness of the X game series.

[edit] Plot Presentation

The first X game was variously criticised and praised for its "skimpy manual", intentionally designed to give the player minimal information on the game's alien universe.^[1] "[The] manual gives nothing away. There are no histories of the six discordant races, no maps of the systems".^[2] Consequently, the plot presentation, explanation of the universe, its economics and inhabitants, and even some basic game concepts is presented through interaction with the X-Universe's indigenous races. The player must learn autonomously from the alien universe.

This design decision led to one reviewer complaining "This means ... skip the dialogue, and have no idea what's going on, or ... sit through twenty minutes of inane conversation with a lizard creature who sounds vaguely like a snake speaking English from the bottom of a toilet."^[3] Another reviewer was more ambivalent, claiming "From the outset, the game is a voyage of discovery, thanks to the fact that the manual gives nothing away", while acknowledging an "unhealthy dose of frustration" along the way.^[2] IGN note that by presenting the game primarily through in-universe agents, "the game actually uses your complete ignorance of what's going on around you to add a sense of adventure and mystery to the tale"^[4] a presentation style PC Zone describes as "unique".^[2]

Since X²: The Threat, Egosoft has frequently presented official instruction manual information through in-universe fictional frames, such as 'TerraCorp Pilot's Manual'.^[5][6]

[edit] Diversity

Unlike earlier games, such as Elite, where diverse locations across the universe traded identical goods, in the X series, goods are race specific. "[Each] race produces a number of specific products, many of which are unobtainable (and sometimes illegal) in other systems". ^[2] This diversity makes it profitable for the player to explore new trade routes. In addition, each race has their own ships, add-ons and specialised weapons, that can only be bought in their stations. In X³: Reunion, reputation becomes a factor. To purchase certain goods, the player will need to earn a race's trust. "If your rank is high enough, you should be able to buy some of the better gear they reserve only for their exclusive buddies. Use it or just continue buying it and selling it to others. It's up to you."^[7]

"Increasing your reputation will earn you access to additional missions, and it will also increase the likelihood that you'll become a target of fortune hunters or vengeance seekers. There are also dozens of ship upgrades to acquire, ranging from more powerful weapons and engine upgrades to equipment that will give you the ability to mine or collect organic samples ... since you're consistently getting accolades or tangible benefits for achievements, gameplay is addictive."^[8]

[edit] The Living Universe

As the X series developed, reviews tended to praise the games' open-ended sandbox mode over their linear story-lines. X games were compared favourably with games such as Morrowind^[9] and Grand Theft Auto^[10]

"[The] X series has never really been about the story. It’s been about empire building, combat, and trading, ... Egosoft is so aware of this fact that [in X³: Reunion] they give the player an option to forgo the plot experience altogether and simply be thrown into the universe to do as they please ... This is a welcome addition"^[11]

Reviews cite the "dynamic, living, breathing universe"^[9] where "[every] sector feels distinct, and each alien race has its own unique look, a special set of ships, and a few unique goods to trade"^[12] as factors that generate an "immersive environment that feels huge and real."^[9] Different sectors belong to different X Universe species and factions. This results not only in different stations, ships and trade goods, but even a different look and atmosphere.

"Some sectors, like Boron space, are well-patrolled and good places to start out as a novice, but they lack the kind of bargains and action that a more advanced trader or combat jockey will enjoy. Others, like the Paranid sectors, provide more opportunities for traders in search of a great deal, but also numerous pirates looking to feast on those same traders ... There are also other traders, various policing forces, taxis, independent travelers, pirates (as already noted), and the Khaak and Xenon, two mysterious races who prefer reducing the rest of existence to interstellar rubble."^[7]

[edit] Species

[edit] Argon

The Argon are a human faction residing in the X Universe. They are the descendants of the Terrans and have been living disconnected from Earth for over 800 years. Over time they have colonised many worlds and formed a Federation, enjoying peaceful, profitable relations with many of the other races.

Many of Earth's first colonists were killed when their creations, the Terraformers, turned on them due to a software malfunction. Some daring pilots led by Nathan R. Gunne led the Terraformers away from Earth through a jumpgate which was then destroyed, trapping the Terraformer fleet and Gunne’s group in the X Universe. They escaped the Terraformers and later crash-landed on the planet now known as Argon Prime.

Over the centuries many Argon forgot about Earth. Earth studies was not taught and historical references were lost or restricted. It may have become regarded as a purely-fictional legend if not for the Gonor sect.

By the time of X: Beyond the Frontier (X:BTF) the Argon have become a powerful race within the X-Universe. In the events of X:BTF, with the help of Kyle William Brennan from Earth, they counter-attack the Terraformers, now known as the Xenon.

The Argon Federation is democratic, with every city and space station/factory having its own senator. The leader of the Federation is known as the President, the holder of this position changes between games. The Argon worlds range from desert planets to Earth-like worlds.

The Argon are long-term allies with the Boron and the two form the Foundation Guild. Although recently at peace with the Paranid, Split and Teladi, political disputes can occasionally flare up into small skirmishes.

[edit] Boron

The Boron are race of aquatic creatures which have become one of the most technically advanced races in the X Universe. The Boron are allied with the Argon and the two form the Foundation Guild.

The Boron Kingdom have an elected government and a Royal Family, headed by Queen Atreus. Her daughter Princess Menelaus is the heir. The Boron are peaceful by nature but will defend themselves or fight in wars for the well being of themselves and their allies. They constantly have to repel minor attacks by Split pilots but they have developed many technologies to repel them.

The Boron were found by Argon Federation ships searching for Xenon sectors about 450 years before the events of X: Beyond the Frontier. The Split had destroyed most of the Boron colonies, forcing them back to Kingdom End. The Argon helped repel an attack on the Boron home-world and officially entered the war themselves.

The Boron ships are designed to function in space and water although these scenes are only shown in X²: The Threat. Due to their peaceful nature, they specialise in defence technologies such as shields and non destructive weapons. Their Ion Disruptor laser weapon can strip the shields off a ship without damaging the hull; systems and equipment are not destroyed in the process. Their lack of bloodlust should not suggest they are incapable of holding their own in combat, their Capital ships are among the most powerful in the X Universe.

[edit] Kha’ak

The Kha'ak are an insectoid alien race. They first appeared in X²: The Threat where they started jumping into sectors by using a gateless jumpdrive and attacking ships and installations belonging to the inhabiting races. In their largest victory, the Argon sector of Presidents End was decimated, leaving wrecks of stations behind. In their next attack, the Kha’ak attempted to use a large weapon ship to destroy the central planet in the Argon sector, Omicron Lyrae. This plan was thwarted by Julian Brennan, Saya Kho, Bret Sera and Allied forces. There has been no communication from the Kha'ak.

During the plot of X³: Reunion the reason for their unprovoked attacks is revealed. They are a highly advanced race dwelling outside the closed jumpgate system (better known as the X-Universe), in asteroids rich in the rare, superconductive mineral known as "Nividium". At some point in the past, a ship belonging to the Paranid Empire arrived with one of their asteroid-colonies within the gate system. Subsequent mining activity of the Nividium rich asteroids prompted the Kha'ak to attack the races of the Commonwealth indiscriminately, since they saw no difference between any of the races.

This information was revealed by Kyle Brennan. During a Kha'ak attack on Omicron Lyrae, Kyle was put in a coma after being the only being ever to have a close encounter with the actual race. During yet another assault, on Argon Prime, the Kha'ak jumpsystems somehow resonated with Kyle's brain waves, waking him up from the coma. Without explanation, he escaped from the medical facility holding him, stole a ship, and left for the distant star system of Nyana's Hideout. His son, Julian, was prompted by Argon intelligence commander Ban Danna to follow him. In Nyana's Hideout, Julian followed Kyle to a Nividium asteroid where the Kha'ak apparently had a base. The 'base' proceeds to jump out of the sector, but the mere sight of it confirmed Kyle's theory that Nividium was linked with the Kha'ak. He later disclosed the information to Ban Danna.

The Kha'ak appear to be highly advanced as they have created jumpdrives which do not require a gate at the exit. This allows them to attack practically anywhere in a sector. The Terrans have created a similar advanced jumpdrive except their version was far from reliable. The Kha’ak version appears to be capable of moving vast fleets into a single chosen sector at the same time with no damage to their systems.

The Kha'ak have developed a beam weapon. The Kyon Emitter generates and emits so called 'Kyon particles' that line up in a straight line. How these particles are generated is not currently known by any of the other races. Externally, the weapon emits beam that dissipates after a certain distance.

The general compact shape of Kha'ak ships also serves a function in their attack maneuvers. Kha'ak ships are joined together in a cluster during the jump procedure, and they only break up when they are close to an enemy station. They attack by using their superior speed and maneuvrability to 'swarm' an enemy ship, flying around it and constantly attacking. Using wide area weapons against the swarm of ships is the easiest way to deal with the Kha'ak.

[edit] Paranid

The Paranid are a secretive species. A race of heat-adapted insectoids, the Paranid have a very closed society based worship of a supreme being called "Xaar" (a title often adopted by heads of state). They have three eyes and an obsession with the number three, which is a cause of tensions between them and the "lesser" two-eyed life forms.

They are physically strong, with a natural aptitude for science. They tolerate trade, but are often considered abrupt in their dealing with other races. For historical reasons, they have a particular distrust for the Argon Federation.

[edit] Split

The Split are a race of humanoid aliens. They are a warrior race ruled over by a dominant family. In X³: Reunion, the dominant family was Rhonkar. They share many contested borders with the Boron.

About 450 years before the events of X: Beyond the Frontier, the Split Dynasty had destroyed most of the Boron colonies, forcing them back to their homeworld of Kingdom End. The Argon Federation helped the Boron repel an attack on their home world and officially entered the war themselves. The Paranid Empire sent ships to supplement Split warships in an attack on Argon Prime. This war is now known as the Boron Conflict.

The Split are the only race to have had communication with the Xenon, something which has caused distrust with many, especially the Argon. The Split Dynasty, Teladi Company and Paranid Empire form the Profit Guild.

The Split are a very aggressive race. Their ships are noticeably focused on weapons rather than shields. Their ships supposedly use the Markus Space Fly for power although this is against the law in all other governments of the Community of Planets. The Split use Boron made Ion Disruptors to stun the Space Flies before capture.

[edit] Teladi

The Teladi are a humanoid reptilian species. Their thirst for profit is renowned as most of their decisions as a species is based on the cost and possible return. They enjoy good relations with most races due to trade. They were the last species in the Community of Planets to develop space travel technology and start exploring the X Universe.

They are led by Chairman Ceo. The Teladi company is not a member of the Universe Transport Regulations group, so it is legal to buy, sell, and consume Space Weed and Space Fuel in Teladi sectors without police intervention. SQUASH mines are also tradable in their sectors. The Teladi are generally a peaceful race as provoking an attack may result in lost profit. The Teladi have long been linked to Pirate activity.^[13]

The Teladi are driven by profit. As such, they need to protect their ships and cargo the best way possible while keeping a sizable cargo bay. Teladi transport ships usually have good shields and good turret defences, but are slow.^[14] The Phased Shockwave Generator (PSG) is a joint development between Teladi and Paranid scientists. This weapon creates a wave of phased energy with a wide area. It’s is particularly good as a missile defence and against small ships, making it a suitable defence weapon. On a negative note, it is prone to hit friendly ships too.^[15]

[edit] Terran

The Terrans are a race of humans from the Sol System. They have joined the gate network several times in their history. The first instance connected them with a collection of sectors with no intelligent life present. Their creations, the Terraformers, destroyed several colonies and the resulting conflict climaxed with the destruction of the Earth gate, removing them from the network. Development of an experimental jumpdrive transported test pilots Kyle Brennan and Elena Kho into an inhabited collection of sectors. During the events of X³: Reunion, a new gate arrived at Earth, reconnecting them.

[edit] Xenon

Also known as Terraformers, The Xenon are a race of self-replicating spacecraft. They were constructed by the Terrans to terraform uninhabitable planets into suitable colonies. During a software update the Terraformers malfunctioned and initiated a war with the Terrans. They were trapped in the X Universe where they are now known as the Xenon. They are considered a plague by most other species and several conflicts have developed. Their main directive appears to be to destroy living organisms and returning to the Sol system.

The Xenon are a plague on the X Universe, gaining a foothold where they can and attacking any ship which gets too close. They have no contact with any of the other races in the X Universe, although the Split have had contact in the past. The Terrans are to blame for the existence of the Xenon. During the early stages of exploration of the gate system by Earth, Terraformer AI ships were sent to transform uninhabitable planets into planets like Earth, capable of supporting humans. Due to a software error, the Terraformer fleet turned against its creators, destroying most colonies and ships in the X Universe. When the fight got to Earth, a few daring ships lead by Nathan R Gunn managed to draw the remaining Terraformer fleet through the Earth jumpgate to the X Universe. The gate was then destroyed, trapping the Terraformers and Nathan R Gunn’s fleet in the X Universe, with no return to Earth possible. After establishment of the Argon - Nathan R Gunn’s fleet's descedants - the Terraformers started an attack on several sectors in the X Universe. These attackers were named Xenon as they were unknown. Earth had been striped from history, along with the stories of the Terraformers.

[edit] Sohnen

Little information is available about this race.

[edit] Factions

Several factons have formed between the many races of the X Universe. In the games some of these are seen as a single race which consists of several species.

[edit] Pirates

The pirates are a coalition of individuals from the Argon, Boron, Paranid, Split and Teladi, who take part in illegal activities such as smuggling and attacking freighters. They are considered enemies by all governments except the Teladi who freely trade with them. There are several sectors under pirate control and Pirate Bases hidden in sectors across the universe.

[edit] Yaki

The Yaki are a criminal organisation consisting of several species. They were introduced during the X3: Reunion plot as a gangster organisation. Outside of the plot they are a collection of ships that launch raids on ships.

[edit] Goner

The Goner are a sect which originated on Argon Prime. Their purpose was to spread the good word from the book of truth, speaking of the holy Planet Earth which they believed was the first homeworld of the Argon Civilisation. The majority of the Argon people and the Argon Government did not support the teachings. Several individuals from several species are supposed members of the sect. The reconnection of Earth to the gate network will no doubt give them much more leverage in the Argon Government

[edit] Terracorp

Terracorp is a corporation specialising is hightech goods. It was set up by Elena Kho and Kyle Brennan after they were stranded in the X Universe. They are based in the Argon sector, Home of Light. The jumpdrive is the only known piece of equipment for sale which is of Terracorp origin.

[edit] Foundation Guild

The Foundation Guild consists of the Argon Federation and Boron Kingdom. It was formed during the Boron Campaign where the Argon supported the Boron against the Split and Paranid.

[edit] Profit Guild

The Profit Guild was formed by the Paranid Empire and Split Dynasty to counter the rising Foundation Guild. The Teladi later joined.

[edit] Community of Planets

The Community of Planets is the collective term for the 5 dominant biological species, the Argon, Boron, Paranid, Split and Teladi. The Xenon are exempt as they do not abide to any government structure.

[edit] References