Emperor of the Fading Suns
Encyclopedia
Emperor of the Fading Suns is a science fiction
"grand-scale" space strategy
computer game made by Holistic Design
in 1996
. This game was based on Holistic's in-house role playing game Fading Suns
. The game had a wide array of units and a complex back-story but was rushed to market and released with numerous severe flaws and several features underdeveloped. In patched form, it survives as a popular abandonware
title with numerous unofficial mods.
In the game, you play as a feudal lord of a noble house amongst the ruins of a galactic empire
. You must battle other noble houses and rally enough support to be crowned Emperor of the galaxy
. You can start as one of five houses; each has its own advantages and disadvantages. During game setup, the player can customize their house, taking some negative traits such as insanity
in exchange for more positive traits, like having all your units start out better trained. Each house starts on its respective home planet, and houses starting on temperate planets have an early-game advantage over houses that start on frozen or jungle
planets. There are several non-player groups in the game, including the Symbiots, Vau, the Guild, and the Church. In total there are forty-three planets that can be explored, colonized, and fought over.
The ultimate goal of the game is to become Emperor of the galaxy. Achieving the state of Emperor
is difficult. First, one must gain enough votes through diplomacy or by outright theft
of "sceptors" (sic
) which are worth 1 vote each, to become Regent
. Upon becoming Regent, you can assign three branches of the government forces to houses; these branches are the Stigmata Garrison (a huge fortress and warship fleet on and above Planet Stigmata, dedicated solely to halting the Symbiots from spreading throughout the galaxy by blockading the only jumpgate from the Symbiot worlds to human space), the Imperial Fleet
(the remnants of the Imperial Navy, in theory the fleet should be used to maintain galactic peace, defend against Symbiots etc., in reality the Minister can use it for his own devious House purposes), and the Imperial Eye (espionage
, a fortress on every noble house's home planet with some special detection equipment that allows you to see a large portion of the planet surface. This, however, tends to be a less powerful a position than it might seem, since it is very much possible to overrun the Imperial Eye installations with a decent sized force, even before a House is appointed to this position). At any time when you are Regent you can declare yourself Emperor; however, once you do, you have to survive 10 turns while all the other houses try to eliminate you. Holding the position of Emperor for 10 turns secures a win.
. Research is a major part of the game, earning new units and buildings; however, there are "forbidden" technologies in the game, as declared by the Church. Researching these will result in the Church sending Inquisitors to your planet, who will subsequently burn your research facilities. Owning forbidden technology usually results in very powerful units. You can get nearly any technology declared "forbidden" by the Church, for a price, or even threaten to unleash the Plague on your enemies if they don't comply with your demands.
. The Vau are an alien race with highly developed technology and large interstellar empire. Lucky for humanity, they are non-expansionist. The Symbiots are at best aggressive rebels and the Vau (who do not even get a turn) are easily conquered planets.
it needs, such as units, technologies, and other game assets. These files are all in plain-text format, meaning they can be easily edited in any text editor. Editing files in this way can allow the player to build units they normally would not be able to (such as the Vau units, sceptors (sic
) or even Inquisitors), build units for no resources, or even allow themselves to have no negative traits. This is considered cheating by many players, although it does make an interesting experience. On the same note, these files can be edited to make player-made "patches" of the game, and there are some very well-crafted mods in existence. These try to fix bugs and enhance the game (for example the Hyperion patch makes it possible for the Symbiots to build additional organic spaceships, so they are not stranded on their home planet if their initial fleet is destroyed), while adding lots of new units and balancing out old ones. Hyperion patch: http://www.twarriors.com/~hyperion/ Nova patch: http://website.lineone.net/~rwein/nova/home.htm
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
"grand-scale" space strategy
Strategy game
A strategy game or strategic game is a game in which the players' uncoerced, and often autonomous decision-making skills have a high significance in determining the outcome...
computer game made by Holistic Design
Holistic Design, Inc.
Holistic Design, Inc. is an American game company that was founded in the early 1990s. Only one of the original partners is still with the company, Ken Lightner, though the other current partners bring a broad array of game design skills to the firm, most notably Bill Bridges, Andrew Greenberg and...
in 1996
1996 in video gaming
-Notable releases:*January 29 — Duke Nukem 3D, successor to the simple side-scrolling originals, and a genre-redefining title for first person shooters....
. This game was based on Holistic's in-house role playing game Fading Suns
Fading Suns
Fading Suns is a science fiction space opera role-playing game published by Holistic Design. The setting was also used for a PC game , a live action role-playing game , and for a space combat miniature game .- Game setting :The action is set in a future medieval-analogue empire built on the remains...
. The game had a wide array of units and a complex back-story but was rushed to market and released with numerous severe flaws and several features underdeveloped. In patched form, it survives as a popular abandonware
Abandonware
Abandonware are discontinued products for which no product support is available, or whose copyright ownership may be unclear for various reasons...
title with numerous unofficial mods.
Gameplay
The game is played on a galactic map and specific planet maps. Planet maps utilize a hexa-grid system for movement. Individual units and buildings take up a single grid space. Several menus handle diplomacy, chat, and documentation.In the game, you play as a feudal lord of a noble house amongst the ruins of a galactic empire
Empire
The term empire derives from the Latin imperium . Politically, an empire is a geographically extensive group of states and peoples united and ruled either by a monarch or an oligarchy....
. You must battle other noble houses and rally enough support to be crowned Emperor of the galaxy
Galaxy
A galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system that consists of stars and stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an important but poorly understood component tentatively dubbed dark matter. The word galaxy is derived from the Greek galaxias , literally "milky", a...
. You can start as one of five houses; each has its own advantages and disadvantages. During game setup, the player can customize their house, taking some negative traits such as insanity
Insanity
Insanity, craziness or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity may manifest as violations of societal norms, including becoming a danger to themselves and others, though not all such acts are considered insanity...
in exchange for more positive traits, like having all your units start out better trained. Each house starts on its respective home planet, and houses starting on temperate planets have an early-game advantage over houses that start on frozen or jungle
Jungle
A Jungle is an area of land in the tropics overgrown with dense vegetation.The word jungle originates from the Sanskrit word jangala which referred to uncultivated land. Although the Sanskrit word refers to "dry land", it has been suggested that an Anglo-Indian interpretation led to its...
planets. There are several non-player groups in the game, including the Symbiots, Vau, the Guild, and the Church. In total there are forty-three planets that can be explored, colonized, and fought over.
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is handled by a simple trade interface. The player is free to ask for (up to) three things and can then either offer three things or threaten the player three different ways. Besides the other four noble houses, you may also negotiate with the church for votes, ask them to excommunicate another player, or sign the "Holy writ" and admit the supreme authority of the Church. The Merchant League will also negotiate if it is to the benefit of their monetary interests.The ultimate goal of the game is to become Emperor of the galaxy. Achieving the state of Emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
is difficult. First, one must gain enough votes through diplomacy or by outright theft
Theft
In common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...
of "sceptors" (sic
Sic
Sic—generally inside square brackets, [sic], and occasionally parentheses, —when added just after a quote or reprinted text, indicates the passage appears exactly as in the original source...
) which are worth 1 vote each, to become Regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
. Upon becoming Regent, you can assign three branches of the government forces to houses; these branches are the Stigmata Garrison (a huge fortress and warship fleet on and above Planet Stigmata, dedicated solely to halting the Symbiots from spreading throughout the galaxy by blockading the only jumpgate from the Symbiot worlds to human space), the Imperial Fleet
Naval fleet
A fleet, or naval fleet, is a large formation of warships, and the largest formation in any navy. A fleet at sea is the direct equivalent of an army on land....
(the remnants of the Imperial Navy, in theory the fleet should be used to maintain galactic peace, defend against Symbiots etc., in reality the Minister can use it for his own devious House purposes), and the Imperial Eye (espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
, a fortress on every noble house's home planet with some special detection equipment that allows you to see a large portion of the planet surface. This, however, tends to be a less powerful a position than it might seem, since it is very much possible to overrun the Imperial Eye installations with a decent sized force, even before a House is appointed to this position). At any time when you are Regent you can declare yourself Emperor; however, once you do, you have to survive 10 turns while all the other houses try to eliminate you. Holding the position of Emperor for 10 turns secures a win.
Inquisition
During the course of the game you can explore planets to find ancient relics (which give you bonuses), wage war on any other group in the game, or research forbidden technologyTechnology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
. Research is a major part of the game, earning new units and buildings; however, there are "forbidden" technologies in the game, as declared by the Church. Researching these will result in the Church sending Inquisitors to your planet, who will subsequently burn your research facilities. Owning forbidden technology usually results in very powerful units. You can get nearly any technology declared "forbidden" by the Church, for a price, or even threaten to unleash the Plague on your enemies if they don't comply with your demands.
Noble Houses
Five noble houses are vying to claim the emperor's throne. These are House Hawkwood, Hazat, Decados, Li-Halan, and al-Malik. House Hawkwood is just and honorable, and of the five houses is most loved by its vassals. The Hazat are hyper-militaristic, but have the smallest holdings of all the houses; vassals are strongly loyal, for they know that faithful service for the Hazat is richly rewarded. House Decados possesses a vast intelligence network and has risen to power through deceit and ignoble means; vassals of this House are kept in line through fear or the promise of power. House Li-Halan was once the most immoral and hedonistic house, but have since converted to the Church and become zealots; vassals are as loyal to the house as they are to the faith. House al-Malik is focused on economic enterprises, but have acquired some territory and have often succeeded at manipulating enemies to their advantage; some claim that House al-Malik desires a return to the republican government of old, but the house turns a blind eye to the slave trade that has helped them thrive.Aliens
The alien Symbiots and Vau are the only alien species that can be interacted with in the game. Neither has a deep diplomatic interface (the Symbiots have none and you may only sell maps to the Vau). The Symbiots are a parasitic organism capable of taking over practically any organic matter. Once infested, the subject is added to a Hive MindGroup mind (science fiction)
A group mind, hive mind or group ego in science fiction is a single consciousness occupying many bodies. Its use in literature goes back at least as far as Olaf Stapledon's science fiction novel Last and First Men ....
. The Vau are an alien race with highly developed technology and large interstellar empire. Lucky for humanity, they are non-expansionist. The Symbiots are at best aggressive rebels and the Vau (who do not even get a turn) are easily conquered planets.
Hacking and mods
The game uses a series of .dat files to store all the dataData
The term data refers to qualitative or quantitative attributes of a variable or set of variables. Data are typically the results of measurements and can be the basis of graphs, images, or observations of a set of variables. Data are often viewed as the lowest level of abstraction from which...
it needs, such as units, technologies, and other game assets. These files are all in plain-text format, meaning they can be easily edited in any text editor. Editing files in this way can allow the player to build units they normally would not be able to (such as the Vau units, sceptors (sic
Sic
Sic—generally inside square brackets, [sic], and occasionally parentheses, —when added just after a quote or reprinted text, indicates the passage appears exactly as in the original source...
) or even Inquisitors), build units for no resources, or even allow themselves to have no negative traits. This is considered cheating by many players, although it does make an interesting experience. On the same note, these files can be edited to make player-made "patches" of the game, and there are some very well-crafted mods in existence. These try to fix bugs and enhance the game (for example the Hyperion patch makes it possible for the Symbiots to build additional organic spaceships, so they are not stranded on their home planet if their initial fleet is destroyed), while adding lots of new units and balancing out old ones. Hyperion patch: http://www.twarriors.com/~hyperion/ Nova patch: http://website.lineone.net/~rwein/nova/home.htm
External links
- Step-by-step Tutorial
- A very detailed FAQ of how the game works
- Installing Emperor of the Fading Suns On Windows NTWindows NTWindows NT is a family of operating systems produced by Microsoft, the first version of which was released in July 1993. It was a powerful high-level-language-based, processor-independent, multiprocessing, multiuser operating system with features comparable to Unix. It was intended to complement...
and Windows XPWindows XPWindows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...
systems - Emperor of the Fading Suns Forum A forum for 3rd party mods and game information
- Emperor of the Fading Suns at GameFAQsGameFAQsGameFAQs is a website that hosts FAQs and walkthroughs for video games. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff "CJayC" Veasey and was bought by CNET Networks in May 2003. It is currently owned by CBS Interactive. The site has a database of video game information, cheat codes, reviews, game saves,...