TFTD Fanfic Discussion

[The Veteran]

Ok so seeing as Dumb Commander has bullied us into a TFTD fic and I've felt free to kick it off, I guess we need a discussion topic for it! I'm not making a character profiles just yet as we need to see if there's enough participation to maintain this fic first (and the other two would be nice!)

 

So you know the drill, if you've never posted in one of our co-operative fanfics before please read the fanfiction rules first, if you're familiar with the UFO or Apocalypse fanfics already then feel free to crack on.

 

Remember the early posts of the fic will follow the opening cinematics for the game but just beef it out a little more. The post I just wrote is basically two scenes of the introduction and its filled a good page or so!

 

If in doubt, read the other fics, read the TFTD and interval timelines here's on strategycore, and watch the intro movie to your game a few times. If you're still in doubt, ask me, coz I am totally back and ready to kick some fanfic so lets get going!

[Dumb_Commander]

I posted something, but i cant post much because i have lot on my mind and hands, like school and trying not to fail the exam.

[Accounting Troll]

The game physics is pretty bad, so are you planning on using real life physics? If so, the story will have to follow the following rules:

 

No grenades unless they are propelled. It's impossible to throw things very far under water. Maybe the aliens have power-assisted hand grenades, but humans probably don't in the early stages.

 

Soldiers will only be able to fight missions on the sea bed if they are on the continental shelf, at least until they go over to using late-game armour.

 

X-Com craft based on human technology probably cannot reach the ocean floor away from the continental shelf, never mind enter the ocean trenches. Alien craft presumably can because they have to be able to travel to and from T'Leth.

 

Human and alien craft should be slower when submerged than when they are airborne because of the water friction. Even the fastest modern naval submarines cannot acheive speeds faster than 33-35 knots.

 

Sonar bounces off the thermocline layer, where the warm surface water meets the cold deep water of an ocean. The two water currents do not mix and can even be travelling in different directions.

 

There is a big difference between passive sonar arays and active sonar arrays. Passive sonar just listens out for sound waves, but active sonar generates sound waves and detects their echo. Submarine commanders prefer to use passive sonar because it means they don't reveal their position.

[Dumb_Commander]

Okay... well then, who's gonna post next?

[Accounting Troll]

I'll try to add something this evening. I'm not promising anything though.

 

Edit: first contribution added. The crew of Triton-1 are investigating the wreck of the Hyperion, and they've run into difficulties with a few Aquatoids. Perhaps bringing back an aquatoid corpse and a few alien artefacts will show the world who is behind the sinkings...

 

No killing off my central character: I named him Mark Reynolds after myself. You can butcher the rest of the crew of Triton-1 though

 

 

Mini chatracter profile:

 

Name: Mark Reynolds

Age: 30

Nationality: Principality of Wales, European Syndicate.

Controlled by: Accounting Troll

 

With a scientific background, Mark was transferred to X-Com to assist in the investigation of the causes of the so-called Mary Celeste sinkings. He has no military experience on the eve of the war, unless one counts a few hours of weapons training with the dart gun. However he is prepared to do his bit.

 

Mark's paternal grandmother was abducted, and presumably killed, by the aliens in the First Alien War, so he looks forward to settling one or two old scores.

[The Veteran]

Firstly the physics and sciency related questions... We'll use grenades, unpropelled ones, just because they do in the game, we'll say the alien ones are maybe propelled, I like that idea. Human ones, well we just throw really well!

 

You're right on point 2 as well, we can't fight in deep water just like in the game. Some USOs will be too deep to engage, others will crashland too deep to explore and so on... Later in the game with improved craft and armour we'll be able to do these missions but not just yet...

 

The Triton and other craft are flying subs, they only travel underwater when they're in combat as they aren't fitted with atmospheric weapons (this was so USOs didn't crash over land forcing Microprose to include UFO type ground missions) It would be nice to have atmospheric weapons in the game but the pressures and constant immersion would probably make it practically impossible anyway!

 

Sonar bounces off the thermocline layer, where the warm surface water meets the cold deep water of an ocean. The two water currents do not mix and can even be travelling in different directions.

 

The sonar thing is all news to me but I think passive sounds good for a base sonar as like you say the position would remain secure. When the Triton and Barracudas are in search of an enemy base though for example, maybe active sonar would be a better bet, chances are the aliens will detect our crafts with their own sonars anyway!

 

On a fic related note, AT very good bit of fiction, like it a lot and it ties in with the last part of the intro video.

 

I made a few small edits so it fitted a bit better, hope you don't mind but its relatively intact. All I changed was the mention of Alpha Base which isn't the name of this base, we are still Operation Underwater Facility 1. It's dull but once we become an operational and government funded organisation we can change that... Also I emphasised the fact that your character wasn't the first person out and that there were other people alredy dispersed about the wreck. Lastly I renamed the doomed seaman James Burton as he is known in the official timeline. Unfortunately the official timeline also knows him as the Triton's pilot but that would never work in the fic so we changed that! I added the famous end line from the TFTD introduction movie as a nice finishing touch to old Jimbo's death cry so now we really are free to do as we will!

 

All we need is a good post like that every few days and things'll go swimmingly! Any large decisions however, base name etc, should be done in here cooperatively however so please remember that. While there's only three people writing though, that shouldn't be hard!

 

I'll give everyone else a day or so to admire AT's good work then if there's no movement I'll post again.

 

Keep it up guys!

[Accounting Troll]

I think your edits improved my first contribution to the fanfic. I doubt that I will be able to do 1-2 contributions per week.

 

According to the official timeline, the hybrid craft investigating the wreck of the Hyperion is destroyed by the aliens, so all the evidence the world governments receive is going to be a couple of seconds of (easily faked) footage. I doubt that would be enough for the politicians to take over SORESO and reactivate X-Com. Triton-1 has to make it back with at least some of its crew and a few alien artefacts. Maybe the investigators could hypnotise the surviving crew to prove they are telling the truth.

 

Regarding craft weapons, some modern American and British naval submarines are equipped with Cruise land attack missiles, and most in-game craft weapons are just souped up versions of soldiers' weapons. There is therefore no scientific reason why X-Com cannot develop craft weapons that can intercept USOs over land, however I feel that this would go against the spirit of TFTD.

 

I've done a spot of research (ie ten minutes browsing through Wikipedia) for a UFO: Aftermath story I'm writing in which the central characters are the crew of a Royal Navy nuclear submarine, so the TFTD cooperative fanfic is something of a busman's holiday for me

[The Veteran]

I didn't realise the craft was meant to be destroyed... I have just remembered the rest of the intro vid though... "This is Barracuda 01 approaching what's left of the Hyperion" It was meant to be the Barracuda that got there first, hence only the pilot got out, there were no other passengers. The Triton was slower and would have taken longer to arrive so by the time they got there the Barracuda and pilot James Burton would be long gone, like you said... We goofed up But we don't care, its only a game after all! So yeah forget it and lets crack on huh?!

[Dumb_Commander]

Damnit, i cant post, to much homework, so someone else post!

[Accounting Troll]

Over to you, Veteran. I'd rather not do two consecutive posts in a cooperative fan fiction.

 

If SORESO is still under the control of F. Denman Williams, I'd have fun writing in the dialogue of him twisting the arms of the world's political leaders to get them to resurrect X-Com. He would probably manage it by threatening to tell the world that SORESO obtained concrete evidence that aliens are behind the sinkings, and the politicians did nothing.

 

We know that the Russian government was very reluctant to accept freely offered international help in the aftermath of the Kursk disaster, and when they called in British help after the next submarine disaster, the decision was made by a regional governor in defiance of the Kremlin. Such politicians would not want X-Com running around all over the place blowing up USOs unless the people were getting angry about all those high profile ships going down.

 

Also, I suspect that X-Com would only be allowed to use Ajax torpedoes in the early days. Depleted uranium shells have caused environmental problems in Kosovo and Iraq, so the politicians would not be too keen on X-Com littering the sea bed with depleted uranium torpedoes.

[FullAuto]

Depends upon what type of DU it is. 'Clean' DU has a minimal radioactive impact, though it is highly toxic. The dirty stuff is very radioactive and very toxic.

 

Not sure if it'll still be legal in 2040, but what the Hell.

[Accounting Troll]

I imagine the politicians woill be more aware of environmental issues in 2040, so they would try to prevent its use at first. It will be a different story after a couple of terror attacks though...

[The Veteran]

Pretty much everything is illegal in 2040 I touched on a few in my first post. Personal motor vehicles have been banned for example... Daft but thats the way the world's going. Big countries are cannibalising the smaller ones so I imagine Russia will be enormous by the time of this fic. The US will be gigantic too. And if I remember rightly the EU has become another superpower bloc hasn't it? Along with many of the Asian countries.

 

Next time someone has access to their copy of TFTD could they take down the names of the funding nations and post oin here so we know what governments actually still exist??

 

I'll post soon, but not tonight... I'm doing taxi in a minute for two rather nice young ladies

[Zombie]

Next time someone has access to their copy of TFTD could they take down the names of the funding nations and post oin here so we know what governments actually still exist??

Sure, here they are:

• USA
  
• Alaska
  
• Euro-Syndicate
  
• Arabian Bloc
  
• Egyptian Cartel
  
• Africa Corp
  
• Brazilian Union
  
• New Mexico
  
• Asian Coalition
  
• Scandinavia
  
• Neo-Japan
  
• Free China
  
• Australasia
  
• Fed Korea
  
• Eurasia
  
• Icelandic Union
  

Hope that helps.

 

- Zombie

[FullAuto]

It's difficult to work out what is what, since no borders are shown, but these are my best guesses. IF anyone knowsany better, feel free to chip in.

 

USA - USA and Canada

Alaska - The state of Alaska and the Kamchatka peninsula(?). I think that's what it's called.

Euro-Syndicate - All of Europe.

Arabian Bloc - The entire Middle East. Goodbye Israel.

Egyptian Cartel - Egypt and everything west of it, probably the entire northern two-thirds of the African continent.

Africa Corp - South Africa, Madagascar, the bottom third of the african continent.

Brazilian Union - All of South America.

New Mexico - Mexico, possibly incorporating the state?

Asian Coalition - India, Paki/Uzbeki/Kazakh and all the other stans, China, Thailand etc.

Scandinavia - Er, Scandinavia.

Neo-Japan - Japan

Free China - Taiwan

Australasia - Australia, New Zealand, possibly Indonesia, Malaysia too (but these would racially align with Asia).

Fed Korea - A united Korea?

Eurasia - Russia and Mongolia.

Icelandic Union - Iceland, part of Canada, the Arctic?

 

These are really just guesses because the game doesn't show any borders...

[Accounting Troll]

I'm guessing that the European syndicate is like the European Union, only with more power over its member states, and with most of Eastern Europe as members.

 

It's not too surprising that Scandanavia and Iceland are not in the syndicate as support for EU membership is not very strong in those countries, although they would probably remain friendly with the syndicate.

 

Israel in the Arabian Bloc? Maybe there was a major war in the region or some nuclear terrorism. There could be an interesting future sub-plot there. Maybe the Palestinians are having a go at being the oppressors...

 

I would imagine the Egyptian Cartel would consist of the countries along the coast of North Africa and the Sahara desert; the predominantly Muslim parts of Africa. The Sahara is not well mapped, but it is thought to be mineral rich.

 

The Africa Corporation would consist of those lands to the south of the Sahara, which are predominatly a mixture of Christianity and traditional African beliefs. The current hatred between Christians and Muslims in Africa means that they would not wish to coexist in the same political union.

 

A lot of people in the current US state of New Mexico don't like the Mexicans very much, so I suspect the future nation of New Mexico would consist of Mexico and the small countries going down to Panama. It would probably share the Caribbean islands with the USA.

 

I suspect the Asian coalition would effectively be a union between India and China. Most of the other countries in the coalition are currently satellites of India or China anyway. It would be an even bigger economic and political rival to America and Europe than modern China.

 

Neo-Japan and Free China would still be American satellites, although they probably have respectable military forces and nuclear weapons. There is no other way they can hold off the economic might of the Asian Coalition. Korea whould have to be an American protectorate as well; China has traditionally regarded Korea as being part of its territory.

 

Australasia would certainaly cobnsist of Australia, New Zealand and most of the islands of the South Pacific. Indonesia is currently within the Chinese sphere of influence, and is likely to remain that way. China made a grab for Malaysia in the 1950s, so the chances are they have succeeded by 2040. Singapore would probably align itself with Australasia, despite a large Chinese population, as would East Timor. These could be potential flashpoints during the war. Australasia is almost certainaly going to be allied with America and Europe.

 

I suspect that Eurasia would take in Belarus and the eastern provinces of Ukraine, because the people there favour closer ties with Moscow over closer ties with the EU.

 

The Icelandic Union probably takes in the Faroe Islands and Greenland. I think that Canada would have merged with the United States. The Americans attempted this in the War of Independance and the War of 1812, so they aren't going to let half of Canada trot off and join Iceland.

 

Alaska is the one that really interests me. The USA would probably put massive economic pressure on a state that tries to cede, so Alaska almost certainaly has a nuclear defence treaty with either the Asian Coalition or Eurasia in return for certain mineral and fishing rights in its territory.

[The Veteran]

Here's one I made earlier

 

https://www.strategycore.co.uk/files/gallery/TFTD_world_map.JPG

[Accounting Troll]

I suggest we make that the official TFTD geopolitical map. There's plenty of potential flashpoints between nations on that map, which will be useful if we end up going down that road.

[The Veteran]

Sounds good to me, but that's because I made it We'll see if anyone disagrees and go from there... I like the idea of some shady ops at funding time though. I imagine XCom will be having words with China and Japan if Korea decide they can beat the aliens without their help!

 

And then their were 15!

[FullAuto]

Probably need more Asian countries in the Asian coalition (the ones that are currently included in Free China), and I doubt all of China would be in Free China, because then there would be no need to call it Free China. Presumably if there's a Free China there's a bit of China that ISN'T free (probably in the Asian Coalition or Eurasia).

[Accounting Troll]

Unless it's like all those communist dictatorships calling themselves People's Democratic Republics. China could have renamed itself "FREE China" so we Western Devils are fooled into thinking that it isn't an imperialistic power with an appalling human rights record

[FullAuto]

Possibly. But to me, Free = capitalist, and PDR = Pinko.

 

I don't really mind either way.

 

But Thailand etc almost certainly wouldn't be in China, Free or not.

[Accounting Troll]

Maybe Thailand didn't get much of a choice in the matter? China is trying to build a military that can rival that of the USA, and it is particularly determined to match the US Navy. If China launches an economic blocade of Thailand during the global recessions after the first Alien War and none of the major powers are willing to risk a confrontration (which would be expensive), Thailand's chances of remaining independant would be bleak.

 

This might also explain why India and Pakistan have unified - fear of being absorbed by China.

[FullAuto]

But in that case you'd have a Asian USSR-type state, The United People's Democratic Asian Republics, or something, to cut down on internal dissent from separatists.

[Accounting Troll]

I see it as a larger and more powerful version than the modern China, complete with the curious hybrid of free market enterprise and totalitarian rule.

 

Such hybrid societies are not that unusual; after the Napoleonic wars, the British army was frequently called out by the owners of the factories and mines when the workers had the temerity to go on strike for more (or indeed any) pay. Back then, a factory owner would pay his workers with metal tokens that could only be exchanged for goods at shops owned by the factory owner.