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Support for the Terrene Protectorate?

Discussion in 'Starbound Discussion' started by Combozone, Jun 29, 2017.

  1. Combozone

    Combozone Existential Complex

    As a long time Starbound player (over 411 hours!), I make a lot of new characters, be it to try things out, or to experience the feeling that the amazing tutorial evokes again and again and again. From your comfortable university life to being thrust into an unknown world, all by yourself, to discovering that you aren't so alone after all...it's just incredible.

    My only gripe with the game as of now is that it doesn't have any follow-up for the Protectorate. Sure, there's a few books out there that talk about it (in an ironic sort of way), and the game establishes you as the "last hope" for the Protectorate, but there's nothing else about it.

    Being the interplanetary organization that it is, you'd think you'd find Protectorate outposts out there somewhere, happy to see you. Or at least a way to get Protectorate furniture, and actually help establish the Protectorate again through colonies.

    But you can't. There's nothing more to get from the Protectorate (or Earth, for that matter) unless you turn into an admin and steal assets from the tutorial.

    TL:DR:
    Terrene Protectorate support when?
     
  2. Jonesy

    Jonesy Sarif's Attack Kangaroo Forum Moderator

    A lot of the human lore doesn't make much sense. Why aren't there other Protectors active in the galaxy? It's still possible for the player to be the 'last hope' to stop the Ruin, sure, if the others are too busy dealing with the humanitarian fallout of Earth's destruction. But they're not going to be the last Protectors alive.

    In fact, why aren't there human colonies elsewhere that could host regional Protectorate headquarters? It's established that Mars was colonized and in the process of being terraformed, Venus was planned for terraforming and Mercury was host to mining operations at some point, but that can't be it. With FTL travel and teleportation technology fairly commonplace (at least to the Protectorate), surely someone's built large colonies somewhere. The way things are in the universe at the moment almost feels post-apocalyptic at times, it's so void of population and infrastructure.
     
  3. Combozone

    Combozone Existential Complex

    There are now ships you can find that have former Protectorate members on them, but it still begs the question as to why they aren't trying to communicate and collaborate with other Protectorate people. In all honesty, you might be the last hope because everyone else is too lazy to do anything about it.
     
  4. Guest0241525

    Guest0241525 Guest

    I don't think that applies anymore. Especially since the current lore is actually pretty clear on the fact that humanity mostly remained on Earth. While there were millions of humans who went on to live an adventurous life among the stars, there weren't any major human colonies.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 12, 2017
  5. Cally94

    Cally94 Scruffy Nerf-Herder

    It makes sense to me that you'd be the only remaining protectorate sense you are called "the last hope". But, it definitely makes sense that there would be a lot more protectorates out among the stars simply because the organization's task calls for a lot more than one HQ on Earth. I think it would be cool to see more protectorate stuff in the game, especially colonies. It would even be pretty awesome if there was a way to rebuild the protectorate organization, even if it was similar to the colony constructions but with special "deeds" that were specifically for rebuilding the protectorate colonies.
     
  6. Guest0241525

    Guest0241525 Guest

    Well, there are some rumors of Protectorate storage facilities found in deep space...
     
    Cally94 likes this.
  7. steve257988

    steve257988 Void-Bound Voyager

    There is a protector but it's Esther Bright. An old grand protector with the original matter manipulator.
     
  8. whipping post

    whipping post Cosmic Narwhal

    esther left the protectorate long before earth is destroyed, actually.
     
  9. Brockster17

    Brockster17 Phantasmal Quasar

    There is a mod out there that makes all protectorate-themed items and tutorial items craftable.
     
  10. M_Sipher

    M_Sipher Oxygen Tank

    I'd wager "revive the Protectorate" is a back-burner idea for possible expansion.
     
  11. Guest0241525

    Guest0241525 Guest

    I mean, isn't it fairly easy to build a Protectorate-styled outpost?

    Just use the right blocks, paint stuff yellow, white, or orange whenever fitting, get the right furniture, spawn in a couple Protectorate banners, and you're set.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 12, 2017
  12. Namtazar

    Namtazar Subatomic Cosmonaut

    Well. I have a little theory about why the protagonist was called the last hope. First of all - there was a graduation ceremony when the Ruin attacks. With all this common teleports basically most of the protectors Could be on Earth for this ceremony. And with this fast attack they simply cant escape. We see some ships trying to leave Earth with us, but explodes... So protagonist not only escaped, but escaped with ship. Some other few protectors maybe able to teleport somewhere, but without ships they cant achieve unknown coordinates and planets.
    Second - fuel crisis. Our A.I say clearly that since Ruin attacks some strange horrors appears on moons. And this Erchius ghosts will hunt anybody who try to mine some fuel. With this unexpected threat most of ships may fond themselves much difficult to refuel . Of Course they can reach some storages with this teleports and obtain fuel with other methods but... there is not much time! Our protagonist may be not the last protector here, but it looks like he is only one with fresh matter manipulator, worked (well, damaged at start) ship and teleporter and he was lucky to find a Gate to Outpost! This is how he (or she or it) turned to be the last hope.
     
    Cally94 likes this.
  13. florinblain

    florinblain Subatomic Cosmonaut

    I really hope they do something about this, it's my biggest gripe with the game thusfar. Not the existence of the Protectorate, but their lack of integration with the universe in general. I wouldn't even mind seeing the USCM removed from the game entirely and replaced by a more properly integrated Protectorate, rather than leaving it the way it is now, with the USCM as half-revived zombie lore that doesn't really work alongside the Protectorate at all.

    Also I've read the codex entries about humans not colonising anywhere but Earth, and I don't like it because feels like handwaving the "extinction" of humans and really makes very little sense. Humans colonise like crazy, it's what we do. What would even be the impetus to develop FTL if not to colonise other planets? It's the largest driving motivation for space travel. And why do humans need to be facing an extinction event for the destruction of their homeworld to have narrative impact?
     
  14. M_Sipher

    M_Sipher Oxygen Tank

    I feel like worrying too much about the Protectorate would have been an unnecessary complication for 1.0.

    The "main" storyline of the game is pretty clearly meant to get you to investigate the non-human races that make up the overwhelming bulk of the game. The Protectorate was certainly a good way of tying a bunch of elements together for the setting, from the poor state of the ship to your uber-super-nigh-on-magic tool (as in, why EVERYONE ain't got one of those), Esther, and providing a tutorial area. For getting the game out the door, the Protectorate did what it needed to.

    And in a game that can be endlessly updated and was clearly planned to be, the Protectorate can come "back" later as a themed update or whatnot, once the heavy system additions get put in that are more important (like mechs/space).

    The current Lore is a cover for explaining why there aren't as many Human villages right now, a development issue. That can change. Other ships could have escaped Earth, but gotten lost in all the confusion. New Human colonies can pop up in an update with "yeah we got out in time" or even just a simple "there was a census? huh. They sure never found US. We been here years."
     
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  15. Namtazar

    Namtazar Subatomic Cosmonaut

    Well. Protectorate is the only organisation that have matter manipulator technology. I assume this is why they so strong as organisation and also - why they dont want to have many bases outside of Earth. If there was more bases on a different planet's - matter manipulator tech can be stolen or organisation can split to different. You know - there is not only humans in Protectorate but if you build protectorate base on apex planet - it will be consumed by miniknog or by rebellion with matter manipulators turns to weapon. And for other races this will be truth too. Protectorate want to be small'ish organisation to control itself better.
     
    Guest0241525 likes this.
  16. florinblain

    florinblain Subatomic Cosmonaut

    If the Miniknog or any other large faction wanted to steal Matter Manipulators, the Protectorate being small would make it easier for them to do so, not harder. But there's absolutely no indication that anyone would care to do so, anyway.

    You can certainly imagine reasons for why the Protectorate are so poorly represented throughout the Starbound universe, but from a literary perspective it's very difficult to see them as anything but an idea that's been implemented into the story very late and without much rigor.
     
    Last edited: Jul 12, 2017
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  17. Guest0241525

    Guest0241525 Guest

    Would it, I wonder.

    Having outposts all over the place would result in numerous outposts to raid for equipment. Contrastingly, raiding their headquarters on Earth would be much more difficult, and Protectorate ships would no doubt be constantly on the move.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 12, 2017
    Namtazar likes this.
  18. Namtazar

    Namtazar Subatomic Cosmonaut

    well manipulator technology is one of the artifacts that was given by Cultivator
    so it means you need this very first matter manipulator to really copy it. As we can see - only the chosen one (pathos mode on) can gather any of this artifacts from others homeworlds. And we did not know how protectors protect they manipulators. There may be self destruction devices, teleporter triggers or other things to prevent for others to use protectorate devices. With this ships and teleporters protectors really dont need much other bases outside earth. Teleports makes it easy to achieve well known places and ships are used as mobile bases and transport to unknown ones.
    Beside that - only a few candidates it seems are eligible to become a graduates. Protectorate maybe just cant find enough candidates worthy to train. Protectorate start as Earth organisation but looks like it was forced to make open its doors to other races candidates. It maybe a political decision of course but also it maybe a sign that Protectorate really need more manpower. We did not known conditions or how all this mans (avians. apexes ... even florans and at least one Novakid!) was chosen to be a protectors. With this lack of manpower it is really a bad idea to spread the entire organisation to different "command centers" and bases. All protectors works as individuals with a little help of hired crew and all this capsules, pods and chests that Protectorate just spread out of entire universe and all of them returns on Earth for regroup, rest and have new orders.
     
  19. Zeoinx

    Zeoinx Phantasmal Quasar

    I too think they need to add more Protectorate themed blocks. For me, the cloest thing is the blocks I get from the tutorial, the dried dirt and grass roof style blocks. Makes nice "park" looking areas, if you plop them down in the same pattern as the tutorial grassy areas with normal metal blocks around them.

    I wanted to make a Protectorate outpost, but there really isn't anything that truly fits in that niche design yet.
     
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  20. Namtazar

    Namtazar Subatomic Cosmonaut

    well yes. It is a good idea to have this blocks because after all we are Protectors! We can and we need to restore at least some of the old Protectorate....
     

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