Aurora 4X: Discussion

Aurora is a freeware 4X space game designed by Steve Walmsley and released in 2004. It is constantly being updated and the latest version is V6.40.

Originally just a simple program to augment pen and paper space battles and role-playing, it has since evolved to something more, with the game being playable with the addition of AI, and many other features.

Aurora allows the player to create a procedurally generated galaxy, consisting of detailed, accurately scaled star systems connected to each other via warp points. A player starts off as a space faring nation, discovering the secrets of Trans-Newtonian technology and uses it to expand and create an interstellar empire.

Aurora is a sandbox game, with no goals, but nearly every setting can be edited in a designer mode for creating custom scenarios. The game is played in increments, where time is advanced from between 5 seconds to 30 days as chosen by the player. So it is a mix between real-time and turn based gameplay.

The game takes great attention to detail, with vast star systems many billions of kilometers wide across along with orbiting planets, moons, asteroids and secondary stars. The game also has a complex combat system, with minor stats such as radar resolution, missile tracking speed, turret rotation speed and custom, programmable missiles all playing vital roles in battle. The game also comes with a fully functioning private economy with private freighters and colony ships carrying goods and colonists between your planets.

This game is complex. Very complex. Like, NetHack complex. Not quite Dwarf Fortress complex yet, but getting there.







In short it an amazing bit of fun. Whilst not strictly multiplayer, it allows for multiple races, that can be passworded and are distinct from each other when it comes to intel etc. As such, I was thinking of hosting a multiplayer game of this utilising bit torrent sync to share the database, an evolution of the old play by email kind of games you used to see.

The game world is already created, and ive tested it with both Zwei and Riv and it seems to work fine. I would GM the game and be responsible for implementing each new turn.

The game will begin on Earth, with each faction being a conventional, non space faring empire at the start. Meaning it will be an excellent space race to the stars. Each side will start with roughly 130 conventional ICBM sites and standard low tech conventional military.

For factions we currently have:

Confederated States of America - Yalks envisioned future utopia - HEADED BY YALK (obv)

New Millenium - Soon to be Space Nazis that represent Europe - HEADED BY RIV

The Peoples Red Star Pepublic - A nation made up of russia, china, japan etc - HEADED BY ZWEI

Templo Huitz Alliance - Space africa and latin america. - HEADED BY ERK

Abydos Heirarchy - HEADED BY ENSALUS

The starts are all similar, but adjusted by the game based on starting political affinity.

I would need 4 players for this at minimum to head each state. Additional players could take over 'departments' for a faction.

It would require only minimal GM involvement, and would be pretty fun. If people arn't up for this, still check the game out - its quite a gem and one you can sneak a spare 30mins on in your lunchbreak

***GAME LINK***

[aurora.iosphe.re]

***SYNC LINK***

[www.getsync.com]

***WIKI***

[aurorawiki.pentarch.org]



Edited 12 time(s). Last edit at 04/02/2015 10:29AM by Deathbane.

[www.youtube.com]

Need I say more?

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Human + CJW = Spit drooling retard

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[oi60.tinypic.com]



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/27/2015 01:12PM by Zweistein000.

Welcome Onboard!

Will lead the great nation of CSA


Ensalus should lead the national empire of Alaska


Edit: if we could split a nation into parts (states) and we could each run that and take turns being presidenta

Just and idea, Bio could join in with CSA as well lol

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"SORRY, I couldn't hear you over the sound of my tits! what were you saying?"



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/27/2015 04:52PM by Yalk.

More than possible! Pretty much all the nations are kinda obvious clan jade wolf choices .

Glad to have you onboard. Ill sort the thread out when the other two nations are chosen by some people.

EDIT: Just saw your edit. It is possible, there is enough to do in aurora that more than one person could help plan a turn or take a ingame year in 'office' as it were. You cant technically via the game though split up a country into states, aurora treats a faction as a unified entity.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 03/27/2015 04:59PM by Deathbane.

No love for huehueland? I could take 'er up, though I'll need to learn to play the game first.

If I join, do I also get control of middle east?

Quote
eRkkituo
No love for huehueland? I could take 'er up, though I'll need to learn to play the game first.

If I join, do I also get control of middle east?

Awesome, Sounds legit. Its not as hard as it appears but it is quite complex.

Middle east population ive split number wise between the three on Eurasian land mass. Everyone is going to start with roughly 3 billion citizens.

Updated the quick list, hope its right if not let me know.

Other people can chime in as advisors or as turn taking presidents, im down for that. But cant have more than 4 factions, 5 at utter maximum, or turns will begin to take far too long.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/27/2015 08:04PM by Deathbane.

THE PROCESS IS INCOMPLETE, YET WE HAVE EMERGED.

Does that mean you could create a glorious empire that monopolises all world trade and whose King would lead their great empire into a golden future of blind faith and unreasonable hatred?

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Remember shoot or die!

Yup

Quote
Ensalus
THE PROCESS IS INCOMPLETE, YET WE HAVE EMERGED.

Ensalus: never stop being awesome.

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Human + CJW = Spit drooling retard

[giant.gfycat.com]
[oi60.tinypic.com]

The game crashes as soon as I complete my first research project... Off to a strong start here.

Aurora isnt necessarily the most stable game, but if its crashing that early, its probably something to do with how its installed. It likes to live in specific places.

Not to say you didnt, as i have no idea if you did or not, but people should download the version linked, and install it. Dont use the fully portable version, and if you have any errors, let me know the crash reason and I can probably point you as to why.

When i get home tonight ill be sorting the save out for distribution, and we can see how it goes for the first few turns. Nick has confirmed hes ok playing New Millenium side.

Specific places as in where? I installed it to D:/Aurora, then set the main executable to run as administrator.

The specific error is attached.

Ah, THAT error code.

Quote
Random Internet Jew

Did you change your regional settings as indicated in the installation thread?

Quote from: [aurora2.pentarch.org]

NB: If you live in a country where the decimal separator is a comma, please change your regional settings to either UK or US (where the decimal separator is a period) when playing Aurora. If you don't change this, you will get a LOT of errors.

You should also be able to run the wrapper that will change this for you when you play, and reset it afterwards. Aurora is kinda retarded, being written in VB.

It shouldnt matter much for the joint game, as ill be the one thats actually processing the turns.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/30/2015 03:09PM by Deathbane.

So, Ens? Do you want to co run CSA? or run your own thing?

I'll be honest here, I haven't downloaded this yet, I'll assume I'll have no issues. Lol

Between Rome2 w bro in law, city skylines, and baby, oh and fucking work, I've been slightly fucked...

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"SORRY, I couldn't hear you over the sound of my tits! what were you saying?"

If you are US/UK there is very little you need to do, and there is two readily available fixes for the one issue you could encounter.

I will be updating the main thread later today, was meant to do it yesterday but life happened.

We will be sharing the save file uisng : [www.getsync.com]

Please ensure you have this downloaded. As a matter of course, it will also be useful outside of Aurora if we want to transfer files to each other, say the mechwarrior 4 free release for example.

BUMP: Ensalus has joined as a nation set in Antartica,incorporating the remains of new zealand and australia.

Ive diversified the starts a bit to make it more 'immersive' and give each faction more of a feel. Will tweak that today.

Im going tobe away the next 4 days, but ideally i want the game to start tonight so people can have a look over their empires and set their faction password.

On the first turn it is VITAL you set a password for your race - it should be obvious as to why!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/02/2015 10:28AM by Deathbane.

I can't tonight, going home for Easter, Sunday I can though, I can always take my turn last if everyone else is ready to go

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"SORRY, I couldn't hear you over the sound of my tits! what were you saying?"

Sure, fair enough.I can jiggle the order around for the first turn.

If everyone could read the current fuc koff huge thread and give feedback thatd be great.

Got a few things more to do to the save then we are good.

Read it last night, was good


Did you make all the nations and backstory? Cause those are really good, the whole thing was good, couldn't decide whether it's game lore or your fluff




I still think we need to....wrap up the BT campaign (extended pause where our chars ride off in the desert) and we start a Elemental campaign (xenomorphs meet man pack PPC, Man pack PPC - pzzzzzzcccchuuumphzzzzzzzz sizzle)


CSA - peaceful utopian society that has citizenship as a valued commodity and not a given, I think my first act will be citizenship through military service and a false front democracy

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"SORRY, I couldn't hear you over the sound of my tits! what were you saying?"

Yeah I did it all myself - the actual game doesnt have any lore whatsoever. Im going to tidy it up etc today and get everything properly set up for distribution.

Glad you liked what i wrote for the CSA - i actually found it quite difficult to write in a way. Until im fully finished it is probably a good idea to keep an eye on the thread

As for the BT campaign, as I said to Tom, we will finish off the current arc sometime in June, and ill put effort into the writing the next 'leg' for it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/03/2015 03:27PM by Deathbane.

A second succession war would be a brutal campaign, though maybe 3rd would be better as its less of a utter gloves off shit filled cluster fuck.

"We are planet side in 5.. 4.. 3.. 2.. *multiple mushroom clouds sprout planet wide*

I will think about getting into this as. on a side note I got a new kick ass headset its not wireless but meh, though it does has pimp neons all over it and built in sub-woofers and 5.1 surround, I may well end up death by the end of the month.

But I have TS ability again WOOOOOO!

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Remember shoot or die!

Awesome, your good at fluff, they all are really good, as good or better than most games I've played

Awesome Tom! The neons I mean

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"SORRY, I couldn't hear you over the sound of my tits! what were you saying?"

Thanks dude, it's a little generic but its jsut the base from us to work off.

As for Turn one as a set up turn, the order ill be contacting people in is the same as the player list on the main thread.

Aka Zwei first etc - there is going to be no rush getting this set up turn complete, so that people can get al their shit in order.

Ive asked haarp to also make us a dedicated RP section for both aurora and battletech as well, so we can keep organised.

*EDIT* Zwei has finished his turn, so have sent sync link for Erk next.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/04/2015 08:20PM by Deathbane.

BUMP: Riv has had to drop out due to sync not working for him, so there is a new slot open for play.

Quote
Deathbane
BUMP: Riv has had to drop out due to sync not working for him, so there is a new slot open for play.

Welp, Tom your up, aim for the fence

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"SORRY, I couldn't hear you over the sound of my tits! what were you saying?"

Haha. Yes thats the reason why there has been a delay - not nicks fault, for some reason, it hates the sync driver and kills his internet when he runs it and we have been unable to fix it.

Come on Tom! The fourth Reich awaits you!

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Human + CJW = Spit drooling retard

[giant.gfycat.com]
[oi60.tinypic.com]

I dont know if I could adequately fill the role of our Fuhrer and saviour Jimleheim Savilmillion.

I will have to get shit sorted and down load the game ans such like I said I would do, I have just been lazy and drained of enthusiasm from knobcetre. (job seeking)

The game is also WAY too neckbeardy for my comprehension.

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Remember shoot or die!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/09/2015 11:35PM by Trunham.

Its pretty neckbeardy, not going to lie. I might for this turn only change turnorder, so ens and yalk can get their initial setup done

DO THESE LOOK LIKE THE FACES OF MERCY TO YOU?

I remember someone talking about this. Are you playing it? Is it fun? I.. I like space nazis..

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-I would if I could, but I can't so I won't.

I'll do my turn eventually

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"SORRY, I couldn't hear you over the sound of my tits! what were you saying?"

*ahem*

Really would like to pick this back up.

Then I'm out, I take full responsibility for this ventures early death...child raising is...time consuming...I realistically don't have the time to devote to something like this

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"SORRY, I couldn't hear you over the sound of my tits! what were you saying?"

Fair enough dude, can imagine. Hope shes doing well!

Oh she's fine, good little girl...but....being a toddler she is a hand full by default

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"SORRY, I couldn't hear you over the sound of my tits! what were you saying?"