The Genesis of Aliens (part 5)

The seventh race in the Solar Echoes universe is, of course, human. We felt the same way you probably do about this—humans aren't all that exciting. Yet when asking ourselves which creature on earth is most likely to venture forth and explore the cosmos, it is undoubtedly the human. Already, we have landed on the moon, built a space station, and we may someday soon put a man on Mars. It is in our nature to explore and reach out to the stars. In Solar Echoes, the humans are the ancestors of pioneers that set out in a convoy of large colony ships seeking new planets for humans to settle. In designing the human race, we focused on their flexibility and adaptability, making them the race that can take on any role and perform that role well. While some races are not entirely suited for some roles (such as an Erwani trying to be a melee fighter—they can do it, but their strength will never reach that of an Archaeloid), humans can compete at anything because of a little more flexibility with their attribute scores. Due to the long journey through space of their ancestors, the humans of Solar Echoes are survivors, pioneers, and natural space pilots. The other races all agree—humans are a long list of contradictions, but they are not to be underestimated!

The Genesis of Aliens (part 4)

Another factor that we considered when developing the Solar Echoes alien races is competitiveness and the ability to spread one's kind. I wanted a plant-like race in Solar Echoes, and though we make no attempt to explain how a plant can develop intelligence, the Erwani became our sentient race of plants. Plants are quite capable of spreading their kind across vast distances through spores, seed pods, and other means, so the idea of plants in space didn't seem too far-fetched. Plants thrive on CO2, so an alien race that could live in an environment toxic to other races was very appealing. Plus, there was a cool opportunity for an almost symbiotic relationship with Erwani and other, oxygen-breathing aliens on starships and space stations. Another race that was decided upon because of its competitive nature, resilience, and ability to spread is the reptilian Krissethi. The dinosaurs once dominated almost all ecosystems on Earth, and if not for the cataclysmic event that resulted in their extinction, these reptiles may still rule the Earth, and might have developed greater intelligence than the reptiles on Earth today. Maybe the reptiles managed to flourish somewhere else out there, on another planet? Reptiles reproduce in large numbers, they are resilient, and they often compete to the top of the food chain. It's not a stretch to imagine reptiles doing well somewhere else in the universe!

The Genesis of Aliens (part 3)

Intelligence was another parameter we used to help us decide which creatures on earth might have a space-born counterpart. The Archaeloid was designed not only because I wanted a marine-based alien, but because of the octopus, one of the most intelligent animals in the ocean. An octopus can learn, process complex information, make use of tools to solve problems, exhibit emotions, and even possess a distinct personality. The Archaeloids aren't the smartest of the Solar Echoes races, but they managed to develop their own technology and culture, and are able to focus and compete at intellectual tasks as well as most of the other races. The Omul, which is basically a giant amoeba, is the most bizarre of our races, but it was an easy choice for me because I had already written a sci-fi story in high school about man-sized alien amoebas invading our planet and taking over. Amoebas are unusually intelligent, capable of gathering and processing information, in addition to having a sense of self-awareness. They are also great survivors, and are the third simplest organism on Earth. It seemed an obvious choice that this hardy, intelligent creature might have an inter-stellar cousin somewhere!

The Genesis of Aliens (part 2)

Insects are some of the most resilient creatures on this planet. Spiders and roaches can be found in almost any climate, and have even been able to adapt to unusual environments such as the arctic regions. Insects manage to expand their population to just about any corner of the earth, so it made sense that insects would somehow manage to do the same in space. The structured “society” of ants really inspired the idea behind the Chiraktis—a race of mantis-like insects that, in some ways, resemble an insect centaur, like the man-horse combination in Greek mythology. We figured that if insects are going to advance, they need to be able to manipulate and design tools, so we gave them hands. Another Solar Echoes alien based on survivability and adaptation is the Reln, which is somewhat modeled after a bat. Bats are found in most corners of the world and are considered one of the most successful mammals on Earth. The mysterious, humanoid Reln live on the harshest planet of all the Solar Echoes races, and they have a tendency to live underground to avoid the radiation of their resonance-locked sun. This, their appearance, and their natural echolocation ability all reflect the bat-like inspiration in their design.

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The Genesis of Aliens (part 1)

One of the most exciting aspects of developing Solar Echoes was designing the alien races that players would be able to play as their characters. A lot of decisions weighed into the design of each alien race, but the key to each one was hinged upon the question, “What are some of the most resilient creatures on earth that could adapt to life in space?” We're not saying that the Solar Echoes aliens came from earth, but we looked at the universe and thought about what types of creatures would be able to flourish throughout the cosmos. Another question we tried to keep in mind was intelligence—what creatures on earth display something that might be considered as beyond animal intelligence? We also considered creatures based on other unique qualities, such as their ability to spread their kind. If life exists somewhere else in the universe, it might not look entirely “alien” to us, after all. This week, we'll take a closer look at the inspiration for each of the Solar Echoes aliens.

Alien Rumors (part 5)

Despite all the excitement that the mystery at KIC 8462852 has spawned, we need only look at our tendency over the years to let our imaginations run wild. How many images of Mars have excited people hoping to find aliens? The Mars rat/iguana, rocks that look like a monk or cloaked figure, and even the alien “toltec” face in the rock formations. We're almost as good at imagining images in Mars rocks as we are at seeing them in our own planet's clouds. Considering that the presence of water on Mars and Europa makes it slightly more possible that some kind of organism might exist beyond earth, we still have found no evidence beyond the water itself and our own biased assumptions that water is necessary for life. As long as scientists and astronomers keep their findings based on actual data and not on their imagination, the cause for excitement is genuine. Just what is it out there, on KIC 8462852, that is randomly blocking the light of that sun?