Beyond Earth Factions

[Haphaz]

I'm going to be as interested in the future history fiction behind this game as the gameplay, so I want to speculate about the factions involved.

Two of the 8 (or possibly 7) factions seem to have been confirmed in previews:

American Reclamation Corporation
Panasian Cooperative

So it seems the factions are likely to be continental / major power sized sponsored. Judging by the launch trailer, Brazil(ia), France (possibly EU-alike) and Egypt (Arab?) will probably feature. So a first stab at a list of 8, covering the world:

American Reclamation Corporation
Panasian Cooperative
Brazilia (Latin American-esque)
France/EU (European Space Agency-esque)
Egypt/Arab (from trailer)
Russia
Japan (different enough from a Pan-Asian faction that may include India and China)
African (Nigerian based? Namibia, from Morgan Industries?)

Let speculation commence!

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

They are probably all along the lines of the first two, fictional conglomerates based on economic nation-group alliances.

 

[KrikkitTwo]

Well it seems to basically be a post apocalyptic concept.. so the major powers would be based in low population centers today reclaiming devastated areas

Actually mentioned:
American Reclamation Corporation (Canada+Rocky mountains->coasts)
Panasian Cooperative (Central Asia->India, China)
Brazilia

Others:
United Socialist Republic (European remnants..France screenshot)
Coptic Caliphate (Egypt screenshot)
Oceania (Australia->Japan..UK)
Transhuman Alliance (non territorial organization)
African Industrial Syndicate (somewhere sub saharan based)

 

[HanNorwood]

Maybe if they do Africa they'll do out of Zambia. After all, they were major players in the space race. http://knowledgenuts.com/2014/03/28/zambias-often-overlooked-space-program/

 

[Securion]

Africans and arabs in space... they better have some good backstory to that.
EDIT; That is based on current development, therefore the need for a backstory. No offense...

 

[Verified_Confection_Being]

Africans and arabs in space... they better have some good backstory to that.
EDIT; That is based on current development, therefore the need for a backstory. No offense...

Tell me that isn't a giant spaceship in disguise.

 

[Securion]

Tell me that isn't a giant spaceship in disguise.

Designed by Samsung, built by asian workers, supervised by german engineers...

 

[Lord Tirian]

Designed by Samsung, built by asian workers, supervised by german engineers...

With a lot of money. Meaning, once spaceflight comes more commercial, they're going to be one of the first ones to say "build me a spaceship to bug out" when Earth is getting full. Seeing how spaceflight is doing exactly that (e.g. SpaceX, Virgin Galactic), I don't see that as unrealistic.

 

[Verified_Confection_Being]

Designed by Samsung, built by asian workers, supervised by german engineers...

And funded by Arabs, faction differences forming?

But seriously, oil wealth has meant arab nations are doing some crazy futuristic things now. There's an entirely green and i believe energy self sufficient city being built in the UAE, and an underwater hotel. They are manufacturing islands as well. If they fancied a trip to space, they'd do it on a featherbed of organic dodo quills.

As for Africa, Nigeria is a leading country there in a growing specialism. Super afforable low end tech. Mobiles for the masses, computers for the masses, this is the entrepreneurial work that is taking off in west and southern africa, and it's fueling super rapid economic growth. On the other end of the scale however, Ethiopia is over 95% fuelled by hydro-electric power and it's looking to expand on that to become a regional energy powerhouse. Then there's Africa's ridonculous mineral wealth. Just a bit of stability and Africa is flying high in the sky.

 

[Securion]

With a lot of money. Meaning, once spaceflight comes more commercial, they're going to be one of the first ones to say "build me a spaceship to bug out" when Earth is getting full. Seeing how spaceflight is doing exactly that (e.g. SpaceX, Virgin Galactic), I don't see that as unrealistic.

Touche.

 

[KrikkitTwo]

And as for backstory... this is probably NOT set in the 22nd century..or even necessarily in the third millenium (there is an America Reclamation Corporation strongly suggesting postapocalyptic)

The post apocaplyptic Also gives reasons why your Earth faction is not continually supporting you. (doing research for you, etc.)

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

It is post-apocalyptic. The articles mention that the game starts at an event called The Seeding, which followed The Great Mistake.

 

[Traejun]

And as for backstory... this is probably NOT set in the 22nd century..or even necessarily in the third millenium (there is an America Reclamation Corporation strongly suggesting postapocalyptic)

The post apocaplyptic Also gives reasons why your Earth faction is not continually supporting you. (doing research for you, etc.)

I don't think "apocalyptic" is the right word. Big Mistake, sure... that's even mentioned. But the trailer shows many historical sites and cities still in tact, just overpopulated. It wasn't an apocalypse, it was a long slow death that's still going when you bounce off to the stars.

As for why your Earth faction isn't supporting you, I'd say it's simple "distance." There's no indication that your colony ship(s) is/are going FTL. Even if they are going at the speed of light, that's till 4+ years to the next closest star system, being Alpha Centauri - which is a trinary system devoid of planets that could even host human life temporarily.

The backstory here is simple and has nothing to do with some kind of overnight catastrophe. It's about fast forwarding what we're doing now. Killing and over-crowding our planet. The game is about the various factions' plans/hopes/dreams of saving their way of life by moving some fraction of its population elsewhere.

 

[Krajzen]

I wouldn't be afraid of Arabian unability to go to space - I would be afraid about the entire future of Africa

 

[KrikkitTwo]

I don't think "apocalyptic" is the right word. Big Mistake, sure... that's even mentioned. But the trailer shows many historical sites and cities still in tact, just overpopulated. It wasn't an apocalypse, it was a long slow death that's still going when you bounce off to the stars.

As for why your Earth faction isn't supporting you, I'd say it's simple "distance." There's no indication that your colony ship(s) is/are going FTL. Even if they are going at the speed of light, that's till 4+ years to the next closest star system, being Alpha Centauri - which is a trinary system devoid of planets that could even host human life temporarily.

The backstory here is simple and has nothing to do with some kind of overnight catastrophe. It's about fast forwarding what we're doing now. Killing and over-crowding our planet. The game is about the various factions' plans/hopes/dreams of saving their way of life by moving some fraction of its population elsewhere.

Your earth faction would support you through information (you send data, they crunch it and send the answer back)

 

[Evie94]

Well it seems to basically be a post apocalyptic concept.. so the major powers would be based in low population centers today reclaiming devastated areas

Actually mentioned:
American Reclamation Corporation (Canada+Rocky mountains->coasts)
Panasian Cooperative (Central Asia->India, China)
Brazilia

Others:
United Socialist Republic (European remnants..France screenshot)
Coptic Caliphate (Egypt screenshot)
Oceania (Australia->Japan..UK)
Transhuman Alliance (non territorial organization)
African Industrial Syndicate (somewhere sub saharan based)

so despite being separated by literally the entire globe and every other faction in the game, Japan and Australia will team up with the UK? Why? Because they're all islands? Because Australia is part of the Commonwealth? If its the former, why not Greenland? Or Madagascar? If the latter, why Japan? They betrayed the British at the Battle of Malay/Singapore, and relations have not recovered

Nice to see Europe is socialist too. Obviously.

 

[KrikkitTwo]

so despite being separated by literally the entire globe and every other faction in the game, Japan and Australia will team up with the UK? Why? Because they're all islands? Because Australia is part of the Commonwealth? If its the former, why not Greenland? Or Madagascar? If the latter, why Japan? They betrayed the British at the Battle of Malay/Singapore, and relations have not recovered

Nice to see Europe is socialist too. Obviously.

No it would be Australia gaining control of the the remnants of Japan (and maybe the UK)

The idea is to have them only Loosely connected to the current nation-state cultures of the world.

 

[Evie94]

No it would be Australia gaining control of the the remnants of Japan (and maybe the UK)

The idea is to have them only Loosely connected to the current nation-state cultures of the world.

......how? Surely China or South Korea is better placed to do that? And how would it then gain control of the UK? Ask France and Germany to not interfere if they don't mind?

 

[Traejun]

Your earth faction would support you through information (you send data, they crunch it and send the answer back)

With what? Traveling FTL is 1 problem. Communicating FTL is another problem altogether.

What you're suggesting works like this:

1. Send question to Earth - best case scenario, it takes 4 years to get there.
2. Earth receives and analyzes question, then formulates answer - variable time here.
3. Earth sends answer back to you - best case scenario, it takes 4 years to get back to you.

In other words, in almost a decade's time, you probably answer it yourself anyway.

 

[Krajzen]

Coptic Caliphate (Egypt screenshot)

COPTIC CALIPHATE? This makes as big sense as saying 'Muslim Papal State' Copts are ex definitione CHRISTIANS

Oceania (Australia->Japan..UK)

Makes so much sense. Next faction - Arctic (Canada, Finland and Botswana)

Transhuman Alliance (non territorial organization)

The transhumanist era hasn't started yet in the universe of game.

No it would be Australia gaining control of the the remnants of Japan (and maybe the UK)

'Far - fetched' is way too light word for this scenario

The idea is to have them only Loosely connected to the current nation-state cultures of the world.

Don't mistake 'loosely' with 'completely randomly'