I. general player group info
II. Multi-Player
III. Role-Playing
IV. the Fleet DataBase
V. currently-existing player groups
VI. other questions and/or comments by this FAQ's author
GENERAL PLAYER GROUP INFO
1. What are player groups? What do they do?
3000AD Inc. permitts players to unite into one of two types of player group, in order to play Multi-Player (MP), Role-Playing (RP) or both as a single team. Any two player groups may be allied, neutral or enemy to each other depending on what Alliance each one is in.
2. What are the two types of player group? How do they differ?
A Fleet is the first permitted type of player group.
As already implied, this FAQ uses the term player group to refer to Fleets, Indie Groups, or both.
3. What are Alliances? In what way do they determine how player groups interact?
An Alliance is the parent organization of one or more player groups of a particular Race/Caste combination. As is implied, all player groups in an Alliance are friendly to one another. No player group may exist outside of a parent Alliance. A single Alliance encompasses all personnel who operate under a given IFF (Identify Friend or Foe) code. Consequently, all player groups in a single Alliance are allied with each other. For example: All Terran/Military forces automatically belong to the Galactic Command Alliance (Galcom); all player groups in Galcom are friendly to each other. No player group in Galcom may have any non-Terran/Military personnel in its ranks. Because each Alliance is exclusive to its own Race/Caste combination, this means the game itself defines a set group of Alliances, which exist by default. As a further example: The Zelon Police Alliance is neutral to the Galcom Alliance. The Zelon Police Allinace exists even if it has no player groups. No other Alliances may be added without also adding a unique Race/Caste combination. 3000AD Inc. has never permitted such a drastic change to the game software. In short, the sanctioned Alliances are fixed.
Militaristic Alliances are also known as Fleet Alliances because only Fleets may reside within them. Non-militaristic Alliances, in which Indie Groups reside, can also be labeled as Indie Group Alliances.
4. How do I join a Fleet or Indie group?
Before you join, you must:
With the above conditions met, you are ready to join a Fleet or Indie Group.
To join a Fleet, post a request for membership in the appropriate topic of that Fleet's forum at Battlecruiser Online. Note that some Fleets share the same forum; if you are unsure where you should post, send a private message to the Leader of the Fleet that you want to join. Expect a member of that Fleet to contact you shortly with further instructions.
The best way to join a currently-existing Indie Group is to post your joining request in the Misc. Race/Caste Affiliations forum at Battlecruiser Online. Depending on how serious that player group's members are, and depending on real life time constraints facing those members, a designated leader of that Indie Group should respond to your post with further instructions.
You may NOT transfer your membership from one player group to another; period. Once you are registered for one Fleet or Indie Group, you stay there. So choose wisely the FIRST time. However, your player group leader MIGHT allow you to create a secondary profile with another player group.
5. How do I form my own Indie group?
To form an Indie Group, you must post your intention in the Misc. Race/Caste Affiliations forum at Battlecruiser Online. Further instructions will be provided in that forum on request.
6. Once I join a Fleet or Indie group, what are the rules?
Check with your player group to see what rules are currently established. Generally, you are expected to report in for all roll calls issued by your player group. The membership rules depend on the exact player group you have joined and on wether you want to Multi-Play or Role-Play.
MULTI-PLAYER
1. What is Multi-Player? How does it work?
We assume that you already have a basic understanding of how MP differs from Single-Player (SP). Everything else you need to know about Multi-Player is contained in the Fleet League MP Handbook. If that document does not answer a question you may have, perhaps the next few questions in this section of the FAQ will. If not, then post your query at Battlecruiser Online or at Galcom.net, in the appropriate forum (and in the appropriate thread if one already exists).
2. How do Fleets and Indie Groups structure their MP players?
As in Role-Playing (see the next section of this FAQ), each player group is responsible to develop and manage its own custom Multi-Play strategy (part of which is the player group structure) to yield the maximum competitive edge on Multi-Player servers. The MP handbook serves, in part, to harmonize different Fleet strategies to the point where they may play against each other on Fleet-only MP servers. The CURRENTLY-EXISTING PLAYER GROUPS section of this FAQ links to player-group-specific structure information.
ROLE-PLAYING
1. What is Role-Playing? How does it work? And why is it not as popular as Multi-Player?
Role-Playing is story-telling; another definition is writing fan-fiction narratives based on the game. While Multi-Player first became organized starting in June of 2004, Role-Playing has existed as far back as 1996. That was when the very first 3000AD game title (Battlecruiser 3000AD version 1.0) was released. Late that year, or early in 1997, Role-Playing began in earnest and most of the current Fleets formed at that time. Without MP capability, Fleet operations and development were totally dependant on, and thrived in, Role-Playing. In SP and MP, human participants are called players. In Role-Playing they are called authors.
Authors participate in RP by writing their characters into a fan-fiction-based narrative. Because the manual for all 3000AD game titles contains a history section, some authors decided to have some of their stories take place before the year 3000. Many people built personal histories for their characters to detail when they were born, how they went through the academy and attained command of a starship and so on. Fleets also had their own history before the year 3000 and after. This RP history did not replace or supersede the game history in the manual, it only supplemented it.
As time passed, more stories were written and RP history was added. But it was never all integrated into a single Role-Playing timeline. Furthermore, very few authors documented where and when their stories took place, making integrating their work into a single timeline document that much harder. In fact, the majority of narratives were never even finished! This lack of documentation, both in individual stories and in summarizing all RP history into a single timeline led to Role-Playing's virtual demise.
In about March of 2000, while RP was still going strong, Derek Smart, President of 3000AD Inc. revamped the structure and management of all Fleets in preparation for Multi-Player; the capability of which was expected to be attained in 3000AD's third game title: Battlecruiser Millennium. RP authors continued to write new stories; but interest started to decline in anticipation of MP.
Consequently, RP action began to taper off to almost nothing, until the long serious and fully immersed narratives had ceased all together by the end of 2003. But the advent of Multi-Player in Battlecruiser Millennium Gold Edition and Universal Combat was not the main distraction from RP.
The real deterant to the continued success of Battlecruiser fan-fiction-based narratives were, and continue to be, the many discrepancies and ambiguities in Role-Playing history. But worst of all, it was the lack of proper documentation in the form of a single, integrated set of Role-Playing Timeline documents. RP authors had posted stories about Wars the Terran nation waged against the Insurgents, the Gammulan Military and, at one point, even the Vesperon Military. In addition, numerous smaller events were posted without proper documentation, like date and time; which ended up overlapping in and even conflicting with eachother. Gareth DeSylva, one of the greatest RP authors the Battlecruiser community has ever known, observed this accumulating problem right from day one. In an attempt to salvage RP continuity, he produced his own RP timeline.
Over time, that document has provided a frame of reference from which a more comprehensive timeline can be developed. But there is still much work to be done before writers can once again Role-Play as in years past.
2. Wow! That's pretty complicated. In order to correct those problems, how do Fleets and Indie Groups structure their RP characters?
RP characters are of two types: Real Player Characters (RPCs) and Non-Player Characters (NPCs). Together they are called the RP personnel.
As in Multi-Player (see the previous section of this FAQ), each player group is responsible to develop and manage its own custom Role-Play strategy (part of which is the player group structure) to yield the maximum competitive edge in fan-fiction narratives. The CURRENTLY-EXISTING PLAYER GROUPS section of this FAQ links to player-group-specific structure information.
THE FLEET DATABASE
1. What is the Fleet DataBase?
The Fleet DataBase keeps an account of all members of all Fleets that are recognized by 3000AD Inc.
2. Are Indie Groups and their members permitted and/or required to register in the Fleet DataBase?
No. As its name implies, 3000AD Inc. facilitates the Fleet DataBase for Fleet members only. To document its structure and catalog its members, an Indie Groups must use other avenues, like its website.
CURRENTLY-EXISTING PLAYER GROUPS
What player groups are currently in the 3000AD universe?
Because Fleet members consistently fare better and remain interested in membership longer than those of Indie Groups, there are no established Indie Groups at this time. What follows is a detailed listing of all 3000AD Fleets.
--------------------------------------------------
Alliance Name: Galactic Command
Alliance IFF Code: Terran/Military
Website: http://www.galcom.net/
Bulletin Board: http://www.galcom.net/modules.php?name=Forums
Short Description: Galcom is a joint military and research Alliance between the Terrans, Empirians and Vesperons; the primary duty of the Galactic Command Alliance is to maintain law and order in the territories of its member nations. Galcom uses the word 'Terran' in its IFF code because the Terrans are the dominant force in Galcom's affairs.
Alliance Structure: Beyond its established Fleets, Galactic Command has no Alliance-wide Structure at this time.
Permanent Alliance Leader: Supreme Commander Derek Smart
There are four Fleets in this Alliance:
Name: Prime Fleet
Website: http://www.primefleet.com/
Bulletin Board: http://www.primefleet.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi
Description: Galcom's go anywhere do everything Fleet
Fleet Structure: No public documents are available at this time; you can request further information at Prime Fleet's bulletin board.
Current Fleet Leader: Strategic Commander Remo Williams
Name: Orion Fleet
Website: http://www.orionfleet.com/
Bulletin Board: http://s4.invisionfree.com/Orion_Fleet/
Description: Galcom's heavy combat Fleet
Fleet Structure: No public documents are available at this time; you can request further information at Orion Fleet's bulletin board.
Current Fleet Leader: Strategic Commander Greg Miller
Name: ISS (InSystem Support) Fleet
Website: http://iss.galcom.net/
Bulletin Board: http://iss.galcom.net/modules.php?name=Forums
Description: Galcom's defense, intelligence and counter-intelligence Fleet
Fleet Structure: No public documents are available at this time; you can request further information at ISS Fleet's bulletin board.
Current Fleet Leader: Strategic Commander Ben Zwycky
Name: Wraith Fleet
Website: http://www.trektospace.com/wraithfleet/
Bulletin Board: http://www.trektospace.com/wraithfleet/phpBB2/
Description: Galcom's covert operations Fleet
Fleet Structure: No public documents are available at this time; you can request further information at Wraith Fleet's bulletin board.
Current Fleet Leader: Strategic Commander Benjamin Somerset
--------------------------------------------------
Alliance Name: Earth Command
Alliance IFF Code: Terran/Earthcom
Website: http://www.earthcom.de/
Bulletin Board: http://forum.earthcom.de/ikonboard.cgi
Short Description: The Earth Command Alliance is the military branch of the United Free Nations; the UFN is the governing body of the Terran nation. Therefore, Earthcom is the true Military of the Terran nation, while Galcom uses the IFF code Terran/Military because the Terrans are its predominant member nation.
Alliance Structure: The Earthcom FAQ will point you to the relevant set of documents.
Founding Alliance Leader: EarthCOM-Commandant T. C. McQueen
There is one Fleet in this Alliance:
Name: Vanguard Fleet
Website: [same as parent Alliance]
Bulletin Board: [same as parent Alliance]
Description: Vanguard Fleet serves as Earthcom's go anywhere do everything Fleet. Unlike Galcom's Prime Fleet, Vanguard Fleet is dedicated to protecting ONLY the Terran people from threats abroad and at home. Because Earthcom has no other Fleets to support it, Vanguard Fleet has one of the most comprehensive Wing structures in the Quadranted galaxy.
Fleet Structure: The Earthcom FAQ will point you to the relevant set of documents.
Current Fleet Leader: Fleet Commandant Quazar
--------------------------------------------------
Alliance name: The Insurgents
Alliance IFF Code: Terran/Insurgent
Website: http://www.digitalequinox.com/icc/
Bulletin Board: http://s4.invisionfree.com/Insurgent_CenCom/
Short Description: The Insurgents are a rebel group, fighting for Terran freedom and the liberation of Earth from a corrupt national government. They first began to oppose the policies of Earth Command and the UFN in May of 2415, centuries before the formation of Galactic Command. Over time the UFN/Insurgent conflict escalated from political debate to open war. In March of 2965, the UFN declared the Insurgents to be an outlaw organization. Earth Command has waged (a mostly cold) war with the Insurgents from that point on.
Alliance Structure: Structure and other information is available at http://members.fortunecity.com/andergum/index.html
Founding Alliance Leader: Insurgent One Rattler
There are four Fleets in this Alliance:
Name: Spectre Fleet
Website: [same as parent Alliance]
Bulletin Board: [same as parent Alliance]
Description: [direct quote from the Insurgent Website] Spectre Fleet is the oldest of the Insurgent Fleets. Spectre Fleet is the torso of the Insurgent effort. It is the primary battle fleet and, as such, contains much of the same elements and capabilities of the specialized fleets.
Fleet Structure: No public documents are available at this time; you can request further information at the Insurgent bulletin board.
Current Fleet Leader: Fleet Admiral Eclipse
Name: Balor Fleet
Website: http://members.aol.com/chavik/balor/fleet8.html
Bulletin Board: [same as parent Alliance]
Description: [direct quote from the Insurgent Website] Balor Fleet is the Logistics Arm of the Insurgency. It?s primary tasking is to outfit the Insurgency. Among the assets of Balor Fleet one might find Armed Transports, Battlecruisers, and a large variety of other class ships, all with the capability of carrying payloads of supplies and resources.
Fleet Structure: No public documents are available at this time; you can request further information at the Insurgent bulletin board.
Current Fleet Leader: Fleet Admiral Geryg Chavik
Name: Bishamon Fleet
Website: http://shohashi.tripod.com/
Bulletin Board: [same as parent Alliance]
Description: [direct quote from the Insurgent Website] Bishamon Fleet is the ?Black Heart? of the Insurgency. Bishamon might be considered the expeditionary force within the Insurgency. Stealth, speed, and decisiveness play a key role in its success or failure.
Fleet Structure: No public documents are available at this time; you can request further information at the Insurgent bulletin board.
Current Fleet Leader: Fleet Admiral ShoHashi
Name: Eversor Fleet
Website: [same as parent Alliance]
Bulletin Board: [same as parent Alliance]
Description: [direct quote from the Insurgent Website] Eversor Fleet is the Research and Development Arm of the Insurgents. It?s primary mission is to equip the Insurgents with the latest technologies and weaponry. As such, Eversor is considered the most heavily armed and contains the widest of ship classes and variety.
Fleet Structure: No public documents are available at this time; you can request further information at the Insurgent bulletin board.
Current Fleet Leader: Commodore Mordax Blyrr
--------------------------------------------------
Alliance name: Gammulan Military
Alliance IFF Code: Gammulan/Military
Website: http://www.spinspection.com/Gammulan/
Bulletin Board: [currently off-line]
Short Description: As the official waring force of the largest, richest, most aggressive and most advanced alien nation in the galaxy, the Gammulan Military is bent on conquering the known universe at all costs.
Alliance Structure: Beyond its established Fleets, the Gammulan Military has no Alliance-wide Structure at this time.
Founding Alliance Leader: LordDavid, Head of Gammulan War Council (inactive)
Current Alliance Leader: Offensive Advisor Jaguar (inactive)
There are two Fleets in this Alliance:
Name: Diplomacy Fleet
Website: [same as parent Alliance]
Bulletin Board: [same as parent Alliance]
Description: [direct quote from the Gammulan Website] The Diplomacy fleet is the main offensive force.
Fleet Structure: To the knowledge of the author of this FAQ, no public documents are available at this time.
Current Fleet Leader: Offensive Advisor Jaguar (inactive!!)
Name: Patrol Fleet
Website: [same as parent Alliance]
Bulletin Board: [same as parent Alliance]
Description: [direct quote from the Gammulan Website] The Patrol fleet is the police of Gammulan space making sure that the people we have conquered behave themselves. This is also the first line of defence.
Fleet Structure: To the knowledge of the author of this FAQ, no public documents are available at this time.
Current Fleet Leader: [unknown]
--------------------------------------------------
OTHER QUESTIONS AND/OR COMMENTS BY THE FAQ'S AUTHOR
Thank you for reading this Fleets Frequently-Asked Questions document. I trust it will prove useful to you in your Fleet or non-Fleet activities.