Current events/Olds

Old news archived from Current_events/News

Strange Happenings!

9.18.06.0150UMT - A very strange flaw was recentally discovered in the rare and powerful Death Striker light fighter class ships! Unfortunately, all the known Death Strikers in existance suffered from a rather extreme overloader failure that resulted in decreased functionality! The cause of this is not quite known yet, although it is rumoured that Dark Curse specially modified her overloader technology so it would self-destruct if it fell into enemy hands. Regardless, many pilots of this rare and costly ship are extremely worried.

Also in the news today, a detailed press release from Lyceum indicates they have received their newest shipment of speciality goods for the intellectually enlightened! I interviewed Hypocrates 3000 from the shipping department, and he had the following to say.

TLA- "So are you finally taking care of the pirates that plague your convoys? And anything new to offer us from the researchers at Lyceum?"

H 3000- "Yes, we have finally dealt with our shipping problems, after a few trader upgrades, pirates no longer dare fly close to our convoys! Well... at least most of our convoys, we still have a minor pirate problem which resulted in the loss of a new blueprint shipment for our latest items, Finely Tuned Radar and Engines! Luckily, the pirates can do much with just the blueprints, they require key materials that can only be made via items and blueprints shipped in with another Convoy."

TLA- "And what about the other Superlaser blueprints that were supposed to arrive?"

H 3000- "Ah yes, those have arrived just on schedule! Adonis through Andaman Superlaser blueprints are available here in Lyceum. Unfortunately though, we could not secure another shipment of Achilles or Annihilator Superlaser blueprints. I hear that you can still reclaim them from pirates though."

TLA- "Thanks very much!"

In closing news, the team Imperium has officially disbanded. After repeated attacks from JAWSS and getting caught in an aggression quagmire, this seemed to be their final option.

From the Front

There was a proposed Augmenter Tweaking change in the development forum, the details can be found here.

Also Caelestis revealed a bit more about his Halloween drop plans including a new galaxy, the Graveyard, and what he deems a 'frightening surprise'. Details can be found here.

Finally, Jeff_L's latest weekly update was released, and included information about subscriptions, the new client, and various bug fixes, details can be found here.

Signing off from Sol, good night and good luck - Nocturnalypso 19:25, 18 September 2006 (PDT)

New Universe!

9.04.06.0042UMT - Reporting from Paxius in the new universe, and an extremely turbulent crossing it was. After the extremely rapid decay of the previous universe, and the unique temporal disturbances, the computer programming of all spacebases experienced a rather odd glitch which allowed for pilots to purchase ships without paying the credit cost! A rather large amount of credits were essentially stolen due to this programming error, leaving some station managers nearly creditless. Luckily for the exploited station managers, there was another freak temporal occourance like that on 8.28.06.1518. Due to this 'space-time rollback' as researchers are calling it, the credit swindling experienced in the previous timeline was narrowly avoided in the proper timeline! A universal spacebase AI patch has been released by a software engineering firm in Sol to alleviate any other problems in the spacebase AI.

Now that we've managed to make it to the new universe, one might think that the unique temporal problems of the previous would be behind us. Unfortunately this is not so. The Paxians here are Paxius are buzzing with their newest discovery, a very odd spacial anomoly located in one of the deeper areas in space! Said to be of a temporal nature, it is wondered if this anomoly might also found to be the cause of newly discovered ruins determined to be of Paxian origin. The following is a statement from the Paxian Grand Navigator Hailesh.

"I have dispatched a contingent of our finest research vessels to investigate this strange occurrence, perhaps it holds the secrets to some of the universe's mysteries! The chief researcher of the Paxian children, Alamech has also been dispatched to head the research team. We hope that he will report a full analysis to the cause and effects of this strange anomaly soon!"

Finally, there are reports of very strange ruins found scattered across the universe! Earthforce, the Paxian and even Lyceum have sent archaeology teams to investigate. No one has yet to know what these teams may find! Between these odd ruins, the bizarre happenings of the previous universe's decay, and the enigmatic anomaly discovered by the Paxians, this is proving to be a very mysterious new universe indeed!

From the Front

The various bugs and oddities pertaining to the new universe can be found in Jeff_L's weekly update, which can be found [here].

Also, the new ruins and Enigmatic Sector custom DG can be summed up and details found in a post by Caelestis [here].

Signing off from Paxius: Nocturnalypso 17:35, 3 September 2006 (PDT)

Catastrophe!

8.27.06.2059UMT - All over the universe very random and extremely dangerous fluctuations in space time are occurring! Although the cause is not formally known, various scientists across the universe are attributing it directly to the temporal displacement recently discovered on the Quantum level! Inane techno-babble from Lyceum released in the following statement has this to say:

"Apparently, the universe has reached an age where it is highly unstable, resulting in ruptures in space-time starting on the Quantum level directly involving the quantum particle of time, and eventually altering the trajectories of the other quantum particles. All this, tied together with strings, and the dark energy of antimatter decompiling leads to a very dire situation. Everything eventually falls out of temporal synch, alignment and my brakes need to be checked."

Although we have no idea what was just said, or if it's even true, it came from a top researcher so the message is clear! The universe is beginning to rapidly decay, and we're all going to die!

Situation Update!

8.28.06.1518UMT - A freak temporal occurrence has lead to what may be the beginnings of a Temporal Causality loop! Many pilots are reporting a sense of deja-vu after this 'space-time rollback'. Although the temporal sync problem reported yesterday no longer exists, who knows if we'll be trapped in a time loop forever, doomed to repeat an entire day until the end of time!

From the Front

The odd occurrences can be summed up in a very unexpected bug! Details can be found [here].

Signing off, Nocturnalypso 07:22, 28 August 2006 (PDT)

Update from Lyceum

8.24.06.1037UMT - Researchers in Lyceum have released some very dire news today! They universe is going to end! The official theorem filed today, compiled from months of exhaustive research finally details the exact growth and decay cycle of the universe, and with this extremely valuable information, the current date of the universe's death has been extrapolated! This Theorem finally recognizes the link between temporal displacement on the Quantum level and overall universe age, in relation to the time until [the universe's] death. Based on the temporal flux, which destabilizes as the universe ages, top scientists at Lyceum have observed that the universe will begin its descent to death at [9.02.06.2000UMT]. This theorem also explains the larger displacements from temporal synch that have been reported by pilots across the universe! It seems as the universe ages, these instances of being 'thrown out of space time' increase, leading to much harder piloting, combat and other various functions. With the universe ending, all pilots are warned and asked to make proper preparations.

In other news, Crazy Jimbo's sale of paper bags has sky-rocketed. Although some believe this is due to the announcement from Lyceum concerning the end of the universe, no correlation has offically been made.

From the Front

Apart from the new universe announcement, Jeff_L has begun posting weekly updates, the first of which can be found [here]. In these the playerbase can expect to find out the inner workings of the development team.

Signing off from Lyceum, Good Luck with the crossing over!
Nocturnalypso 15:14, 24 August 2006 (PDT)

Earthforce Update

8.17.06.2303UMT - There has been a rise in pirate activity recently, so all pilots be warned, the Earthforce Security level has been raised. The previous state of Orange Salmon is now Cadmium Orange and all pilots are advised to take appropriate measures. An offical galactic security council released the following statement from Sol:

"With pirating on the rise, it is extremely important to safeguard the security of all your possessions. This may be a hassle, but it is paramount that it is done! Always make sure you use Gear Glue on all active ships. Doing this will ensure a wily pirate walks away empty handed. When the risk is greater than the reward, many will seek a better target. Never forget to use Statis Generators or Self-Destruction devices on all slave ships you may own! Slave ships are usually poorly defended, and sadly their attack programming is below par. By ensuring a pirate gets nothing from a kill, you can be assured they will not return to try again! Black Boxes are another item that will provide you with additional security. When a pirate realizes there is proof of his piracy, often times he will flee and hideout until things calm down. Be sure to use these on all property! Finally, and this is the most important of all, NEVER, and we here at Earthforce HQ are extremely serious about this, NEVER give out your access codes to anyone. Your access codes allow anyone to gain access to any and all of your property. This is the worst form of piracy out there, so be sure to protect yourself against it! Keep your passwords safe!"

Password security is a very important issue. Never give your password out. If someone is claiming to be an administrator, remember that they will never ask for your account information. Any account security issues can be directed to [support@starsonata.com]. Also the development teams stance on passwords can be found [here].

In other news, the infamous pirates Grim and Minch are continuing to wreck havoc across the universe. Despite vigilante attempts to bring them in, many of which have ended in what seemed success, they continute to roam unchecked, destroying property everywhere regardless of team. If you have poorly defended bases or slaves, it is advised that you take measures to secure them, as Earthforce has yet to catch them. Although yet unconfirmed, there is a rumoured bounty for any pilot that can bring back the scorched remains of their hulls.

From the Front

Caelestis of the development team has asked for player ideas for a new Halloween drop list. If you have a good idea, you can post it to the thread [here]. Apart from that, there is nothing new from the front.
Signing off from Earthforce HQ --Nocturnalypso 15:03, 17 August 2006 (PDT)

Earthforce Update

8.11.06.0207UMT - A few days ago, Earthforce HQ in Sol received a transmission from the researchers at Lyceum about a missing shipment of Blueprints. As any good police organization would, Earthforce began looking into the matter between donuts and red-tape. After a full investigation, it was found that an unknown band of pirates hijacked the blueprint freighter and have distributed the stolen plans throughout their network. Earthforce speculates that these pirates may be holed up in various DG galaxy in the deepest parts of the universe. Aristotle 3000 of Lyceum had the following to say on the missing schematics.

"The blueprints contain the specs for the latest in high tech station defence, a new class of laser weaponry we here at Lyceum dubbed the 'Superlaser'. The plans for the two most powerful of these lasers were stolen en route to us here at Lyceum, so unfortunately we are unable to offer them to the intellectually enlightened public directly. If anyone would like to go and reclaim these blueprints from the pirates that have taken them, they are free to use them at their leisure, this technology was to be shared with the more intelligent members of society anyway. Finally, due to this most unfortunate incident, we are posting guards to further blueprint shipments, and should be able to offer the schematics for other superlasers here at Lyceum soon. Again we apologize for the inconvenience."

The Lyceum incident wasn't the only odd happening in the universe recently. All across known space, pilots have been reporting unexpected and bizarre changes to their hull expansions. Various expanders that used to be universally used are now being rejected by some hull classes, and others have severely altered capabilities. Researchers, Scientists and even Gearheads all over the universe are looking into this strange phenomenon, but no explanation can be offered.

Finally in recent news, Calypso of Olympus incited what he called 'A holy Jihad of adum' against Bizman of Pantalones. Pilots active during that time were treated to the endless radio cry of 'Let my people go' and witnesses a crazed man intent on martyrdom, endlessly suicide on Pantalones stations. Actual damage to Pantalones outposts is unknown, but presumed to be little to none. Calypso's whereabouts and mental condition are yet unknown, Earthforce is looking for him as a prime candidate for the Lunacy Asylum.

From the Front

In forum related news, Caelestis finally revealed the entire line of new ruin items, which include four new races, the Kikale Mzungu, the Unt Faranji, the Golagoay Vazaha and the Bule Abadi. He has also stated that the new universe will bring with it a set of Paxian ruins. Details can be found [here].

There is also a post by Atlum detailing the recent change to Hull Expansions and a nerf to the Pocket Universe skill. Details can be found [here].

In another post by Caelestis, he revealed the content plans of the Development team. These include some extremely exciting additions such as; A new Earthforce campaign, a galaxy with undersized items (the opposite of Gargan), Halloween Drops, and an entirely new high level player zone. Details can be found [here].

Signing off from Earthforce HQ --Nocturnalypso 18:07, 10 August 2006 (PDT)

Requests and Promotions

Over the last week or so, a lot has been happening on the Forums. Firstly was the huge request of Ruin Graphics for the game, which is resulted in a massive response from the players. Many designs have been submitted but none have been officially chosen. The Ruin Graphics which are needed include new Vahaza graphics and new Bule graphics. With responses so high, hopefully this new content will be added for the new universe.

During the last few days, the Forum has also suffered a slight increase in Spam , which could link directly to Voom’s self demotion. Luckily Jzoe picked up on this fact and promoted DeathWarmedOver to Forum Moderator status. The full report can be found here.

Other news includes certain server problems , such as rollbacks and lag spikes, but we have not received an official update regarding the server status. We have however , had a report from JeffL regarding some new code which will be put into the game. Most of it regards slaves and a new command called "Attack My Target" . Hopefully it will solve a few bugs with slaves and make them more viable in-game.

That’s all for now, expect weekly updates at the The Lyceum Register

--Takuhi 03:56, 21 July 2006 (PDT)

News from the Admins

On July the 13th, the forum received an update from Jzoe regarding the status of the game. He touched on a few facts regarding the game’s efficiency and how the Development Team is working flat out to provide more content and a longer universe. He also suggested a slight change in PvP and PvB , which should hopefully balance the game out.

However the most striking things are the confirmation of no rewards for an Emperor Run this universe. This can mean no teams will actually bother to try a run this universe. Which in turn means the universe will last a lot longer than before. Jzoe did however; promise us that rewards will be introduced again.

Something which was more subtle in the post was the lack of news on Code Herder. Many of us remember him well but no confirmed news has been posted. Rumours state that Code left the game to join EA. The lack of news regarding code certainly suggests this.

Other news included a massive content addition for next universe. Caelestis finally told us about his plans, which he named “Enigmatic Sector, Ancient Ruins and Paxians.” This promises to give level 350 – 500 a brand new area to explore. The details can be found here

The new universe promises to be better than the current, which was a record breaker for new added content. We’ll just have to see what surprises are in store for us.

--Takuhi 04:33, 14 July 2006 (PDT)

A Struggle for Power (07/10/06)

As this current Universe passes over the two month period, a struggle for power is emerging. It has been reported that Pantalones holds around 34% of the Population Score, with the Capitalists at second with 16%. However neither teams are even close to the 50% needed to make a run for Emperor and a Team Merge is not considered a viable way of finally attempting and Emperor Run.

Other struggles have also come to light in the past few days. One which stands out the most and has the most controversy surrounding it is the loss of a Forgotten Colony galaxy to JAWSS. This very recent attack was successful even if the attack itself was unorthodox.

What most people are asking is "Is it worth running for emp?", the answer us uncertain as rumours say Emp Run Rewards depend on what kind of Emperor Run it was. A peaceful run may result in no rewards, yet a aggressive run will.

Who knows when an Emperor Run will be completed again?

--Takuhi 03:00, 10 July 2006 (PDT)