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Participants: Master_Data, Agent G, Little John Begin Log: We stumbled upon some ruins from Jurin II's earliest civilizations. Little John and Agent G volunteered to help excavate the rest of the ruins and look for more awesomnium. Seems like there are some weird crab-like creatures amongst the ruins. We'd better save one for Big Sal. Little John readies his camera for shots of the area before we start drilling. There's something hiding behind that rock. Better not disturb it. It's almost like the creature is guarding that helmet... Activated my new M.A.N.T.I.S. Awesomnium Locator. Ready to commence drilling! Great! I'll remove the debris with the M.A.N.T.I.S. Gator Class Submersible. Let's get working! End Log Comments: Sorry for the lack of story! I've been very busy. Maybe I'll come back and edit it once I have time!
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I can't say I wanted to see more water. At least this time there are fish. The Kawashita cyber exo diving suit is remarkably comfortable, and fast too. No problem with these riptides and currents. I just hope they can plug my head back in to my body after I collected all the data!
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Another week, another weekly build for the Andromeda's Gates RPG. And this week, I`m back to trying to build a decent spaceship... using Brick Separators! *** Start Log *** Junali 23rd, AD 3825 Thesseus B. Von Geekington reporting The Pale Lady has informed us that High Command wants us to go and travel to sector E-11, an asteroid belt known as The Fascini Cluster. Scans have revealed this belt to be rich in Awesomnium ore, and we are going that way in order to set up excavations. Using our deep space mining vessel, the Separator, we are arriving at the first rocks at this moment, and preparing to set up the mining gear. *** End Log *** So yes, we all are starting to collect a lot of those orange brick separators by now, as they come in about every Lego set of 50 EUR and above. So why I was collecting the latest `heap` of them last week from the workspace, I started thinking about how to use them for something more practical, like, as the core of a spaceship ;-) Hope you like it!
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[Log Entry V - Marden] The cold wind whips at my face. It is a universe of extremes, I have discovered quite quickly. Off of the volcanic planets I yearn once more for their warm embrace. O fickle fate. The snow plains of Marden are misleading. It seems flat for miles... but the ground underneath is anything but. Everything is buried in a foot or more of snow, and it is impossible to tell what has only a small layer and where it is suddenly deep as the ocean. You can be walking along on what feels like flat terrain, and then, one more step, and you're up to your neck in snow, having accidentally walked over a small cliff. The ice is so tightly packed it is impossible to get yourself out. You must radio a partner. I have encountered this issue a total of four times since arriving on Marden. Gnarls has been my partner for that entire time, and finds each of my falls more hilarious than the last. He spends a good fifteen minutes laughing his behind off before digging me out each time. He calls me "boy" even more often than he previously did. I don't know how he has yet to fall. "Years of practice, boy!" he always proclaims to me. Whereas for me... this time I fell upon stepping of my "Snow Skimmer". Disgraceful. I am greatly ashamed, and if I were not so busy freezing I'm sure my face would be flushed deep red. Even now he laughs at me as snow seeps down my helmet and freezes my neck. I am supposed to be checking our radar devices - they are able to find life below the snow in a huge radius - but I am certain now I will be lucky if he digs me out before I turn blue. "Oh the weather outside is frightful." [End Log Entry] OoC: Didn't have time for a big build this week, but wanted to build something fun and small! Pretty happy with how it came out. The trees are... well, they are. I tried many techniques, but none worked. Would have liked to just have the gold flags hanging, but I didn't know how. Any suggestions for the future would be greatly appreciated!
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Location: E02 - Jurin II Tags: Exploration, Spaceship, AG, Octan ++Start data transmission++ Octan apprentice explorer Eshey Reeshia Kolai reporting in on behalf of my mentor, explorer Pombe. I am executing an exploration mission on behalf of my mentor because he is, according to his own words, "out of town this week". I don't even know what that means. Being here in Andromeda, we are already out of town, so I don't know how much further out of town he can be. In fact, he can be frustratingly obtuse, and I'm not certain it's intentional. He just doesn't make much sense most of the time. I mean...I am happy to have a job at all, of course. Given my lack of industry experience, I was surprised to be hired at all, even as a temp. Though, to be honest, I had hoped to apprentice for Lu Caslaug-Hing, my personal hero and an inspiration to women everywhere. Or Wick Nole or Jacques LaRose, both of whom are famous explorers. But nope, I got Pombe. In my short time here, I've learned two things from him: be armed and shoot first. I did get written up by Dr. Long for destroying several plant samples during our last mission (http://www.eurobrick...howtopic=110932), but I wasn't taking any chances. I have no idea why Pombe doesn't see the danger in our missions. Those alien cactus monsters almost killed the legendary Wick Nole (http://www.eurobrick...howtopic=111084)!!! Right now, he is still recovering (http://www.eurobrick...howtopic=111327). I hope he makes it. Octan can't afford to lose an explorer like him. That cutie, Big Z, is nice enough to equip me with some military grade hardware, which I'm certain I will depend on from now on. Too bad I hear he is dating Pombe's former apprentice, Isabel. Ah wells.... Anyways, I've just arrived at planet E02 and established orbit. Also known as Jurin II, this planet is mostly ocean with many island chains where jungles grow. Current reports indicate that it is a tropical paradise, but I am here to confirm reports of awesomnium deposits on the planet. I'm not much of a pilot, so I'm glad John Hannibal was able to give me some pointers. Pombe had left me this little cramped spaceship to use. I asked him why I didn't get to pilot a better spaceship and his reply was that he "had less than an hour to build and photograph a spaceship before leaving to catch his flight" and he further remarked that I should be happy that the engines were attached by more than one stud. Huh? I told you he doesn't make sense. He also warned me about the alien I would encounter in orbit, which made no sense, unless it was also in a spaceship, since nothing could survive in space. He said something about an "exploration bonus" but I wasn't able to ask him more about it before he left. Again, he makes no... [LOUD THUD] WHAT WAS THAT?!?!?! $%@%^$#^^*%&%$$^^*%^@$!@#%%&*&*&^#!!! Holy avocados!!! There's an alien on my port side engine!!! Is it...is it eating the ship?!?!?! Aaaaaaaah!!! It's staring right at me!!!!!! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?!?!?!?!?! sssshhshshhhs...ksshshshshhssshhhhhhhhhhh...kkkkkkkkkssshhhhhhhhhhhh... ++End data transmission++ Next:
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Mission Log: Entry 7 ~ Not a very long journey, but definitely a harrowing one! Although I never once saw them, M.A.N.T.I.S. apparently put up quite a fight on Guinevere - in fact, we were forced into an uneasy stalemate of sorts. Our CEO decided to split our forces. Some of us stayed on Guinevere to continue mining the valuable gold veins on its surface; some of us were sent across the galaxy to a faraway cluster of asteroids, but I was tasked with scouting out Guinevere's neighbour, the planet Sorn. Easier said than done. I was given a light shuttle (a Kawashita Y-Class Mk.II), small and agile enough to outmanoeuvre any hostile craft, but unequipped with any weapons or turrets - speed and agility were its assets. Luckily, I didn't encounter any M.A.N.T.I.S. craft as I left Guinevere. As I approached Sorn, I began to feel slightly worried. I had never landed a shuttle in my life (my android assistant had piloted it before). I made out the rectangular shape of a tarmac landing platform put there by Aera Lure upon her previous mission to Sorn, and I headed straight there. It was then that the left brake began to malfunction.... One nerve-racking hour later, and I had landed. Safely, except for the fact that one of the brakes was defunct. I had had to circle frantically around the area to check my descent, having lost control of the brakes. Honestly, I couldn't believe that I was still alive. But I was. The planet was mainly water, but I had landed on a sandy area, with trees and a small rivulet of a stream. Peaceful, and serene - my kind of place. [ Sans sigfig, ship and border ] [ The ship on its own ] [ And yes, it can fit a minifig inside. ]
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Activity - Exploration. Location - Jurin II - E02 Previously, Mark of Orion had survived a deadly ambush on Guinevere. Now, he and his team were on the other side of the galaxy, exploring the heavily vegetatious planet of Jurin II. "Look at all the flora and fauna! Too bad Malcolm couldn't see all this!" Bert strolled around, happily gazing at all the new species before his eyes. "Malcolm didn't seem to be the type who was interested in plants - he was easily bored with his surroundings, if I recall." Mark scoffed and pushed a branch out of his face. Bert tromped through some thick ground cover. "Yeah, whatever happened to him, anyway? He sure was a jerk." "He got vaporized by a nano-beam of a Kawashita special forces agent." "Oh, that's... too bad. I assume you just ran for it?" "No, I turned to fight all three of 'em." "WOW, what happened?!" "It was all a bit of a blur. I don't remember." Mark said coldly, turning away. Bert decided he'd better stop asking questions, and looked back at his scanner. "Captain Brutus, I'm getting some strange readings - some kind of insectoid life form in this tree!" "There's lots of beetles and bugs around here. Nothing to worry about." The captain gruffly growled. Just then, a Massive Malicious Munchmoid leaped on the terrified captain, disproving his statement. THIS bug was something to worry about! The entire crew immediately panicked at the sight of the grotesque creature dropping from the trees. The Munchmoid landed squarely on the captain, who screamed loudly, muffled underneath the bug's weight. Lew, who was standing next to Mark of Orion, attempted to disarm the bug with his phaser, but was too frightened to aim properly and the shot went wide. Mark of Orion, however, knew he must act quickly, and in one step, set his MANTIS™ death ray blaster© against the creature's forehead. Mark's death ray blaster sang its song, and the Munchmoid went flying backwards from the sheer force of the glowing blast. Captain Brutus leapt back from the scene of his near demise. "GAAAHH! It almost got me! I can't feel my arm!" "That would be my blaster, sir. The ray must have clipped your arm." Mark jumped in between him and the still form of the Munchmoid. "Then why isn't it GONE?! And the beastly bug too?!" "I took the liberty of adding a stun setting to my MANTIS™ death ray blaster©. I assume you will approve, considering you still have your arm?" "Ah, yes, yes, that's fine, Orion, thank you." The captain pointed at the Munchmoid. "Now VAPORIZE this thing!" "Wait, sir. It's completely stunned and won't move for days. Why don't we drag it back to the dropship and use it for research?" Mark suggested with a grin. "Are you KIDDING me?!" Mark's grin continued. Apparently, he wasn't. "Ugh. All right. YOU get to drag it back, then." The captain rolled his one eye. And with that, the slightly shaken and jittery crew headed back to their ship. ...To Be Continued! (Begin Commentary) Well, I was completely swamped with school this weekend, but I still wanted to get a little build in for AG. Hopefully I'll have more time in the next few weeks to do something even bigger and better. Here's a final overview shot:
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Open channel message #006 to Octan Corporation.. Location: E02 Tags: Science, Exploration,Mech,Engineering Terrian: Nice Sandy Beaches. I have heard about this planet from the chatter on the Axis and wanted to check it out for myself, well my wife and myself. Dr. Long had granted us access to the plant for some reasearch on the crystals forming along the water's edge and report back. “Mr. Smith report.” “Mrs Smith here, Dr. Long. My Husband has taken a shift with our new sentinel and I am running over the diagnosis of these crystals, they seem to be coming from the sand but are attached to these flowers...I am getting a few samples…” “where is Mr. Smith now?” “um...taking a break..I am mot sure really but I am not amused let me tell you, He seems to think this place is a resort or something… E02_1 by Meyerj, on Flickr He thinks he want to retire here.. E02._3 by Meyerj, on Flickr E02_4 by Meyerj, on Flickr I have to pack a load of Fabric softener over to KAI from H06, so I think we are heading home after this, as soon as he sober’s up... Over and Out Mrs. JS Smith.
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After his work on Lorstan II, Alexander was sent on Lesser Direstan to do some geological prospecting...
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[Long Entry IV - Guinevere] After a brief stay on Lesser Direstan Commander Commander once more sends me orders. I am to depart for Guinevere. Apparently Kawashita is launching a full expedition. "All hands on deck," he tells me. I arrive to a disaster. Our early probes were apparently turned to dust by M.A.N.T.I.S. forces. We have suffered heavy casualties across the board. Half of Kawashita is still arriving fresh off the boat, and those who have been planet side are already packing their bags. The plan is unclear. I have grown to expect this of Kawashita. It becomes more impeccably clear by the day that strong leadership is both needed, and lacking. My paycheck, for example, has gone missing, a great grievance - all to some man named Koro! "Grumps" tells me not to rock the boat, and I feel I must heed the advice of this veteran - this elder - though I am uncertain of his own life style. He drinks eight cups of coffee within an hour of arriving! I stick to my tea. We are paired with a man named Gnarls. He is in charge of a small military expedition which I am to accompany. No Kawashita employee is allowed into the wilderness without armed guards. I am told to investigate if we can turn the lava into gold. I feel it would be pertinent to point out that this is considered the art of an alchemist, or, rather: "magic". But I do not. "Grumps" wisely advises me to not "look the gift horse in the mouth". He accompanies us so as to avoid his other duties. There is little honor in that, I find, but he defends himself. "Pragmatism," he says gruffly. The craters of lava are impossibly hot. "Grumps" warms his coffee over them, I warm my tea. Two Kawashita builder drones build a small transmission post to monitor M.A.N.T.I.S. operations. Gnarls complains about the heat. I tell him I'm just happy no longer searching for water, as I was on Lesser Direstan. "I recommended one of my old pals for that there!" he exclaims with a sinister laugh. "I think its really getting to him. I keep recommending him for the most boring missions we receive. Just to f*ck with him." This is all too common to me. At University I often found that peers would attempt to rile up those they held closest, as they also often viewed them as rivals. I never partook in such activities. "Time to head out!" calls Gnarls. "Grumps" places his coffee mug on a stone, and I do the same. We follow Gnarls' colleague, Benny Burns, out of the craters. Thank the heavens. Fear no more the heat o’ the sun, fear the craters of lava. "Pointless mission," growls Gnarls. "Those M.A.N.T.I.S. bastards will find it in minutes." He pronounces it M- A- N- T- I- S- instead of Mantis. A strange man. I am happy to have seen the heat, happy to have enjoyed my tea, and happy to leave once more. [End Log Entry] 15 minutes later... "Found another Kawashita thing-ma-gig. Want me to take care of it?" "Clear the area," says the voice on the other end of the line... "I'll take care of it same way I took care of their drones." The Build: OoC: I'll edit in lighter photos eventually, hopefully! The week sort of got away from me - was hoping to use this as a "first draft" of this build, because I wasn't totally happy with it, but I never got a chance to really improve on it. Next time around!
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EDIT: Builder's Notes: Please see the Challenge 1 entry before reading this one: http://www.eurobrick...howtopic=110926. The story is related. Also note that the flora/fauna found in this entry was built and first shown in the Challenge 1 entry and should not be scored here. Location: G03 - New California Tags: Exploration, Vehicle, AG, Octan ++Pombe, personal log, start recording++ Eshey and I had another meeting with the gosh darn hero explorer Lu Caslaug-Hing to go over them details regarding our mission to planet gee-oh-three, known around these parts as New California. Lu had reckoned in our prior meeting that Eshey and I should be looking for water, Lucky for us, one of our probes on New California had spied a cactus, which is proof enough that there's water in them thar' hills. (http://www.eurobrick...howtopic=110926). Now, that tenderfoot Eshey had a yellow stripe as wide as the Axle down her back. She kept kicking up a row about dangerous cacti monsters. Horse feathers. I told her not to get her dander up, but Lu, to her credit, took it in stride, and preached that safety was always a priority and that Eshey should do what she likes. Well, I was fixin' to head out and I needed a new ride, and there ain't no finer friend, engineer, or drinking buddy as ol' Big Z to fix me up. He was someone you could ride to the river with. A fine steed! I named her Snowflake, for she was as white as the new snow. Big Z also fixed me up some tack to go with Snowflake. I was ready to ride. Eshey went on yammerin' to Big Z about needing some big guns to fight the cactus monsters. Now, I reckon you've heard about them Kawashitas and how they've got a reputation for riding big robots into battle. But seeing as how we Octans is the largest and most flush corporation in these parts, and how we do all the supplying of military hardware to them Galaxy Squad soldier types, we've got big robots of our own; and that's just what ol' Big Z fixed Eshey up with. Well Eshey was grinnin' like a possum about that. We just needed a wagon to get us to New California, and DarkDruid was our ticket to ride. Here was another feller you could ride to the river with. When we got to New California, that lily livered apprentice 'o mine starts shooting up near every single gosh darn plant in sight! I tell her that if she keeps this up, ol' Dr. Long is gonna deliver her a whupping something awful. Ol' Dr. Long was an ornery cuss, and dumb Eshey had no idea. Eshey yammers something about "safety first" and "making sure". I'll admit Eshey was the most rootin' tootin' shootinest gal this side of Andromeda. Never missed a shot, that she didn't. We did find water, and like I said, ol' Dr. Long was all horns and rattles about those shot up plants. Poor Eshey was in the calaboose on that one. ++Pombe, personal log, stop recording++ Next:
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Well, 4 hours in and only 6 hours flight time to the next landmass on the radar. Time to sit back, light up a fat one, and peruse some fine gentlemen's literature. I thought exploring was meant to be exciting...haven't even seen a fish yet....yawn
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Log of Agent G - Dave Daring and were sent to Guinevere to help with the "treaty" between Mantis and Kawashita. After "negotiations" between the two companies, we're now proceeding to head back to Torresta for a well-earned rest.- "Er, do you hear something G? "Yeah... Sounds like Yallorn nomlas fish blowing bubbles... But we aren't on Yallorn, so what is it?" "Call this a wild guess, but it seems to be the lava wyrm coming up out of the conveniently close lava, but, you know, I could be wrong" "AHHHHHH! Shit! Computer! Tell me these things earlier! Computer: Hiya sir! It seems to be that you've encountered a Guineverian Lava Wyrm. Nasty little situation you got there, seeing how it's against galactic regulations to kill it, endangered species and what-not. "G! Could really use some help over here! Stop blabbing and help me kill it! This things hide is tough! "Gah! What hit me?! I think it took it took at my cam!" Computer: Seems to be another one, sir! "Fine, you want to play, let's play..." "You've got to admit, these thing put up a good fight." "It also didn't make it any easier that you barely helped..." "Barely helped! It knocked out my cam, I could barely see! ... We should be heading back though, however endangered these things might be, there's still sure to be more... C&C very welcome.
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"Are you sure this was the right vehicle for the job?" "Are you kidding me? This is a '69 Hellby Cobra! It's got more horsepower than there are horses!" "Yes, but we are searching for the missing scientist, Dr. Fabian Killjoy. We don't want to be fast, we want to be thorough." *vroom* "Who knew rescue missions were so much fun!" "By the way, I hope you realise that the Cobra has only one seat!" ~~ "Oh my goodness, it's a long way down! How did this even happen? I mean, I understand why the reactor exploded, but how did I land in such an absurdly precipitous point while completely unscathed. Wait, what's that sound?" "The cavalry has arrived! Jump on!" "DO YOU THINK YOU COULD SLOW DOWN?!" "NO!" ~~~ Enjoyed this one. I used to build a lot of cars so this was trying to make a flying vehicle using the same styling cues. My first foray into some forced perspective. Stuck it on a ball joint so I could have fun with the shots Flickr
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Location: Guinevere – A06 Tags: Kawashita, Science, Exploration Ship Log – 16 Junali 3815 Sensors picked up some strange readings so we decided to stay even though we’ve acquired enough samples to study the ore. Ship Log – 18 Junali 3815 Finally figured out the readings – it would seem that there is a GATE, right here on the planet. Ship Log – 20 Junali 3815 The computer finished it’s calculations. The GATE leads to Guinevere. It seems to be unstable, but if a GATE exists from Traig IV to Guinevere the gain far exists the risk. Tomorrow we go through. Ship Log – 21 Junali 3815 Calculations were indeed correct, we arrived at Guinevere, but the GATE collapsed just as we went through it. We need to figure out how to get back to Traig IV and the Madam. At least there are some more samples here to collect. Lazlowe's LOG 09:34:22 INFO c.a.lazlowe.service.EyesightService Samples detected. 09:34:22 WARN c.a.lazlowe.service.DistanceToCoordinatesTransformator Calculating coordinates for target! 09:34:23 INFO c.a.lazlowe.controller.ActuatorController Begin extraction.
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Aboard the exploration vessel MANTIS explorer Spacer Steve prepares his team for action. - -Before we go planet side we should all eat our Grubby-O's! - -Chogg love Grubby-O's! -Take it easy Chogg! After breakfast the team headed for the map room. - - Using the data from the system map Spacer Steve found on Exploration of asteroid G986-6 we have found the location of several artifacts in the Andromeda system. One just happens to be on A06. We aren't sure what they do but we have to find them before the other factions do. -As you all know Tensions between MANTIS and Kawashita are high right now as we try to work out a truce. We will need to be on high alert for any Kawashita spies. The team heads down to the surface of Guinevere - - Do you notice anything strange about this place. - Yeah.. no lava anywhere in sight. -Ugghhhh...bluuurk Chogg stomach hurt. -You shouldn't have eaten everybody's Grubby O's. Lets move out team. - -This spring is surprisingly cold. - -The Ruins. There is the artifact. Private Lil scout ahead and clear out any unwanted visitors. Chogg your with me. -Yes sir -Gluuurp. OK - -The ruins are are clear sir. -Excellent work. Look at the contruction. It is made out of an exotic form of matter. Chogg what do these symbols say. - -This belongs to the Duu-ploo. They leave Andromeda long before MANTIS arrive. -This must be some kind of Terra forming device. It must be responsible for cold temperatures in the area. We must get this beack to the ship for study. Chogg can you get this into the crate. -Urrrrp... Yes sir. - -Sir Kawashita movement in the are. - -Good job team lets go home.. Remind me to talk to Big Sal about the Grubby-o's when we get back.
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Mission Log: Entry 6~ Whew! What a week! After my harrowing escape from the predatory alien on Lesser Direstan, I was rescued by the timely intervention of Aera Lure and her team, who picked me up with a dropship while firing flares at the alien to drive it away. I will forever be indebted to her. However, I had no time to rest or return to Orinshi, for HQ had a new mission: every available person was to make for the planet Guinevere immediately, in a last-ditch attempt to stop M.A.N.T.I.S. from claiming it for their own. Of course, I answered the call and set off at once. I spent about one week on Guinevere, trekking across its bare surface and exploring the various landforms and structures which I saw. I never once encountered any trace of M.A.N.T.I.S. or, for that matter, any alien life at all. It was a rather lonely, bleak planet, with no oxygen content in the air; vast deserts dominated the terrain, with the occasional volcano jutting out from the surface. I set up camp near an unusually small volcano, in order to observe its movements. Here are the photographs I took: [ C&C welcome! ]
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[O-E01] Through the Looking Glass: A Lesson in Chirality
Dannylonglegs posted a topic in AG1 Archive
Note: I like Science in my Science Fiction. "How would you like to live in Looking-glass House, Kitty? I wonder if they'd give you milk in there? Perhaps Looking-glass milk isn't good to drink..." ~Lewis Carroll . //"this is Dr. Danielle Long, Requesting files related to the incident involving Captain Roan Oak's failed attempt to create an outpost on Donwarr."// **Access granted** **initializing summary of report** --Captain's Log: the date is Marzn 5, 3812. My crew and I experienced a rough landing on Donwarr. The crew is still alive, but a lot of our equipment has been damaged, including the Octan Hydroponic Vegitable Growth System. We tried fixing it with instructions from our CLAPPIE, but the damn thing keeps insisting we are trying to report an Unknown Artifact. Perhaps it was damaged in the landing as well. Fortunately, the radio still works, and we've called for help. Octan says they'll get here to extract us or at least fix the Hydroponics module in 8 to 10 business weeks. We have enough food stores to last 3 people a week. Thankfully initial probe readings detected this planet provides Biomass suitable for human consumption.-- --Captain's Log : the date is Marzn 6, 3812. We have discovered a clearing in the forest where we will place our communications module. The site is located in close proximity to a fruit bearing tree. Ensign Christi Huygans, always the adventurer, scanned it with our molecule analyzer and found that it contained glucose and amino acids, and lacked any obvious toxins. She ate it, and found it to be delicious. The fruits from this tree are so sweet and wonderful! They really fill the stomach! I have no doubt that this planet will be one of Octan's bread basket worlds.-- --Captain's Log: the date is Marzn 7, 3812. We all had the runs last night. Maybe eating Alien plants isn't the smartest idea. Ha. Well, we're sticking to the ship's food for now. Com Module has been moved into position. Hopefully Octan gets here with help soon. If worst comes to worst, we'll just have to put up with a little diarrhea for a few weeks before they get here with earth food. Shame, though, really. Those fruits were delicious. Perhaps we can catch some of the local game to eat.-- ** skipping ahead ** --Captain's Log: the date is Marzn 20. Supplimenting our diets with the local plant and animal life, we managed to stretch our food stores longer than anticipated... but now we're out. Good thing this planet is bountiful in both plants and animals to eat. The other day we caught a tripedal goat-like thing, and you know what? It tasted exactly like goat! And not that synthetic crap they serve in the Octan Cafeteria, I'm talking honest to goodness lamb meat. Mmmm. As far as places to get marooned on go, I'm glad we landed in this paradise. **skipping ahead** --Captain's Log: the date is Marzn 30. We've all lost a lot of weight and feel groggy. I can't tell why. We've all been eating plenty. The fruits hang low and are filled with sugar and nutrients. The animals are unaccustomed to us and do not run away, making them as easy to capture as the fruits and leafy greens (or reds as they so often are on this planet.) Ensign Huygans could not walk this morning. A bruise she suffered a week ago has yet to heal, and it looks infected. Ensign Burkhold has gotten paranoid. He won't stop talking about food, and he doesn't look too hot. Could we have caught an alien disease? I certainly hope our immune system can take care of it...-- **Skipping ahead** --Burkhold is missing. He was mumbling like "Food no good. Must survive." It was very worrying. And now he's gone. Christi is still asleep. She hasn't woken up very much. We're all very weak. Still losing weight. It's like we eat and eat and waste away...-- **skipping ahead** --Burkhold showed up at the Com Module, where I've been tending to Christi early in the morning, and ran away when I saw him. I couldn't chase him down, as I can barely stand, myself. What the hell is happening...-- **Skipping ahead** --He ate her... oh God! Why!? Why?-- --I... I feel so weak... I look like a skeleton now... I'm sure... Burkhold is out there still.... I have no doubts I will be next.... a it seems obvious to me now that for whatever reason.... we derive no sustenance from the food on this planet. We have been eating ash that tastes of sweet fruit. We will starve to death on this planet even while gorging our mouths with food. Oh... what I would not give... for food. I can stave off the hunger with these fruits... but I will not survive.-- **End of recovered logs** **reading report** --Octan Hydroponic Vegitable Growth System Maintenance crew has landed on E01. Found Communications module. There are two Graves on the hill, and no sign of the third crew member. Hydroponic Vegitable Growth System has been fixed.... but... uh... there's no one to tend to it.-- **End report** //"Ok, good. Computer, record the following: Log date 349, this is Dr. Danielle Long, recording from the O.C.S. Axle. Specimens of biomass from E01 gathered by pilot Guy k. Wynd have been analyzed in reference to stereoisomerism, and it has been discovered that what we previously reported as biomass consumable by humans infact contains L-glucose and R-Amino Acids. Biomass on E01 is not suitable for sustained Human consumption. Potential marketability as diet products. E01 should be used solely for its potable water supplies. This is Dr. Long, signing off. End recording." "Now to examine the "Cactus creature" from G03. It would help if everyone stopped shooting up my specimens! Particularly that darned 'Pombe' and his new assistant. How frustrating."// Ok this build is mostly for the story, but I should have better pics up later along with edits to improve story and such. Enjoy! ~Insectoid Aristocrat -
EDIT #2~ Here is my updated Challenge 1 entry! A Desert Butte on Guinevere. 20x20 studs, unedited and no figs. Not exactly superior to my larger scene/story below, but it's the best I could do in 30 minutes! Below is a freebuild based on my previous build, which would not qualify for the challenge (And I do not want to delete it!). Please do not consider it in judging. Begin A06 Freebuild- AG Challenge 1 by Mark E., on Flickr The pristine desert landscape of Guinevere. Only erosion and wind has disturbed these majestic canyons. Until now that is...... When we last left Mark of Orion, he had just jumped from a MANTIS™ dropship onto the surface of Guinevere. Upon contact, the MANTIS™ associates had divided into two teams, one led by Captain Brutus, and the other by Mark. Malcolm strode along with an air of pompous self-importance. "I don't understand why you went back to the ship once you heard we had to split up! What's the deal? Are you afraid of going off on your own?" Mark rolled his eyes. "I don't want to take the risk of walking blind. I had a near-death experience with a 20 foot alien on my last mission and I'm only alive now because a friend of mine was paying attention to the scanner. I'm not so stupid that I can't learn a lesson..." Malcolm grinned like a baked possum. "You were a space pirate or something weren't you?" Mark nodded and continued to scan the rock formations. "Yeah, something like that." Malcolm plodded along after Mark, now oblivious to his surroundings. "You must have not been a very good one if they caught you..." Mark's brow wrinkled. And it was only his solemn duty to MANTIS™ that prevented his teaching insolent Malcolm firsthand the hazardous effects of a certain MANTIS™ Death Ray Blaster© he had strapped to his back. "Avoiding the law is like a marathon, the run is long, but there is a definite end." Malcolm laughed. "Brain over brawn, dude! It's smarts that count in the corporate world." Mark sighed. This was going to be a tiresome mission. "A little physical competence never hurts. Speaking of which, are you covering those cliffs? My scanner reads no lifeforms but something or someone could be cloaked." Malcolm waved his hand as if shooing a fly away. "Relax, man, there's nothing out here! Brutus just likes some drama. There's absolutely nothing to worry abou...(GASP) LOOK OUT!!!!" Malcolm had glanced up at the cliff in question and was horrified by the sight of three armored Kawashita special forces agents! He quickly raised his hand phaser to fire at the enemy! But alas, he was too late! With a bright flash, a nano beam from the Kawashita special forces agent vaporized poor Malcolm on the spot! BRRZAAKKK!!! *Pooof* As soon as Mark heard the shot, he dropped his scanner, drew his MANTIS™ Death Ray Blaster©, and dove towards the canyon wall in one quick motion. He was none too soon! Another nano beam hit the spot Mark was standing milliseconds before! Mark snapped up against the rock wall, blaster ready, and listened for the enemy. He didn't get a chance to see where they were. It wasn't a minute before a taunting voice echoed across the valley. "Come out, come out, wherever you are! Mwahaha!" Another Kawashitan voice chimed in. "Don't worry, Zeloot. He won't get away. This is like shooting a fish in a barrel!" Mark began to analyze his situation as he noticed the small pile of ash where Malcolm stood a minute ago... With the help of a soaring pulse and a rush of adrenaline, a clever plan for survival sprung to mind. The ex-space pirate carefully drew out a small capsule that he had been keeping in his spacesuit. Mark mused to himself, they probably haven't seen this in Kawashita before... Without further thought, Mark threw the small cylinder up towards the jeering voices. The Kawashian special forces anticipated a conventional method of attack. "HAND GRENADE! QUICK, FIRE!" Before they could fire, however, the "hand grenade" let out a powerful electron pulse which promptly zapped the nano beam rifles of Mark's foes! ...Immediately rendering their weapon battery cells useless! Mark didn't wish to let his enemies recover from their shock, and so fired up his Awesomnium Powered Jetpack! Mark now glared eye to eye with the helpless Kawashita employees as he cocked his MANTIS™ Death Ray Blaster© four feet from their faces! "You were SAYING?!?!?!" To Be Continued! (Begin commentary) No hard feelings to my dark red friends! Clearly a truce is in your best interests since you are technologically inept in combat. Here are a few shots on a plain background for those who prefer them! Enjoy! The Dire Deserts of Death. by Mark E., on Flickr EDIT* I now realize I didn't read the rules. Shucks! Unless I can find time to fix this consider this a freebuild.
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Activity - Exploration. Location - Guinevere - A06 The overall strategy of MANTIS™ HQ was being revealed with each planet its associates occupied. They had dashed a straight line to Guinevere, a humble volcanic desert planet with one huge attraction to explorers and conquerors alike, GOLD. Yes, mighty MANTIS™ needed gold. And it seemed that a rival corporation, Kawashita, needed gold too, as they had also made a beeline to planet A06! Previously, Mark of Orion had successfully survived a harrowing mission on Yallorn II. As a reward for his brave service in shooting a dangerous pest, he was transferred to the First Branch Division Exploration Team. Captain Brutus checked the sight on his MANTIS™ Death Ray Blaster© "So, Spikes, what do you think of the new transfers?" Spikes took a long sip from his glowing flask. "Hard to say Brutus, If they survive this mission they should be able to handle anything!" "You got THAT right. Lew is from Special Forces, he should be ok. Malcolm is a newbie and he probably won't be ok... What about this Mark guy? His resume said "extensive interstellar piracy experience"! I think he'll fit right in!" Spikes spat out his second sip. PHHIFF! "Cough-cough"... "Wait, Mark? As in, Orion?" "Yeah, you heard of 'im?" "Yes! I had the misfortune to run into him and his ship on a trader just off of Rallawok III a few years back!" Brutus raised his only eyebrow. A bionic implant rested in the socket of the other eye. "What happened?!" Spikes grinned as he wiped the green liquid from his stubbled mouth. "Don't ask. Just know if he's with us, we should do well." Brutus inspected his new crew with his single critical eye. "Looking right, rough, and ready, men!... Wait a second! Lew, that flame-job decal on your helmet is NOT up to regulation..." Lew looked furious. "SO?!?" Brutus grinned. "Haha! Right answer! I like a brave trooper! You can keep it, Lew! All right troops, grab what gear you want! Don't carry more than you need!" The MANTIS™ operatives quickly picked out their favorite weapons and scanners. Lew and Malcolm snatched some Phasers. Mark grabbed his favorite MANTIS™ Death Ray Blaster© and Bert picked up a long-range handheld scanner. Bert looked around nervously. "Uh, hey. You didn't taste anything weird in the cafeteria lunch yesterday, did you?" Mark didn't look surprised. "Nope, I don't usually eat at the cafeteria..." "Well I haven't felt right since! I think it was those maggots." "That's why I don't usually eat at the cafeteria..." Brutus bellowed in his deep scratchy voice. "Ok, guys gather 'round! We're gonna have a little "pep-talk"!" "Ok, As you know, Kawashita is just as interested in this planet as we are. They could potentially have drones, ground troops, and their famous battle mechs on the surface already..." If you see ANYTHING with different corporate colors than ours, shoot first and ask questions later. I'm sure they will be doing the same. Unless you are totally outgunned, in which case, retreat as fast as possible. Get in, find gold, and get out! Understood?!" Brutus nodded to Spikes. "Open the door!" The armored visor on Brutus' helmet snapped shut. "And remember, DON'T GET KILLED! The entire previous crew DID! Let's go!" With that stirring speech, Brutus leapt out the open doorway! The entire crew (aside from Spikes) followed suit. Mark of Orion was beginning to wonder what he had gotten into... To Be Continued! (Begin commentary) Man! This AG stuff is addicting! Really enjoying this purposeful and exciting foray into the sci-fi genre! Here are some normal lighting/background shots of the Moc and figs- From left to right, Malcolm, Mark, Brutus, Lew, Bert, and Spikes. MANTIS Dropship Interior. by Mark E., on Flickr
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Location: A06-Guinevere Tags: Exploration Job: Explorer My next mission for M.A.N.T.I.S. was to scout out Guinevere. I was told I would love it there, that it would be like a vacation... Suffice it to say, it's not my definition of a good spot to vacation, unless you like boiling lava and rock. Needless to say, I wasn't impressed, besides, the smell of sulfur did nothing to help my feelings of nausea. I grabbed a few samples of rock, (I'm sure the scientists back at HQ would have liked some of the black stuff, but I was going anywhere near that lava) and set off to try and find a part of Guinevere that wasn't 1000 degrees... More pics can be seen here: Link As always, C&C very welcome
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BEGIN TRANSMISSION 06: SPECIAL FORCES JEBEDIAH O'REILLY TO OCTAN HQ SECURE CHANNEL 768954 18 JUNALI AD 3815 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hey HQ, I've got a Code 3819: Undead Artichoke on G03. I'm transmitting you my coordinates. Requesting immediate backup. I want Dr. Long here in half an hour, max. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- END TRANSMISSION 06 OCTAN DISPATCHER: Dr. Long and her team are airborne. ETA 20 minutes. DANIELLE LONG: Hi Jeb, what's up? JEBADIAH O'REILLY: I've got an unidentified alien artifact. Looked like it fell from the sky, tore up the sand and clay pretty good. I want you and your team to get a look at it. The artifact has a identification number and some sort of eagle symbol, but Octan databases have nothing on either of them. DANIELLE LONG: Good thing I brought the mobile lab. We'll find out where it came from and what it's doing on G03. We'll be there in a few minutes. Long over. [O-GO3] A Mysterious Commodity [O-GO3] A Mysterious Commodity [O-GO3] A Mysterious Commodity [O-GO3] A Mysterious Commodity [O-GO3] A Mysterious Commodity [O-GO3] A Mysterious Commodity Poor employee getting chased by scorpions! [O-GO3] A Mysterious Commodity Though Dr. Long seems more interested in her new plant specimen than the alien wreckage Thanks for looking! I think this is my best Andromeda's Gates build so far and definitely the one I worked the longest on. Comments and criticism are welcome!
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BEGIN TRANSMISSION 05: SPECIAL FORCES JEBEDIAH O'REILLY TO OCTAN HQ SECURE CHANNEL 768954 18 JUNALI AD 3815 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'm getting the livefeed from the probe we sent out to E01. I'm patching it over to HQ. O'Reilly out. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- END TRANSMISSION 05 [Competition 1] E01 Livefeed More photos in spoiler Comments and criticism welcome!
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*** Start Log *** Junali 18th, AD 3815 Thesseus B. Von Geekington reporting First scans of the planet Guinevere have been coming in. This planet, which seems to hold the precious metal Gold in it`s crust, registers are barely live sustainable. Arid deserts and fierce, hot lava streams cover it`s entire surface, and scanners are currently investigating if their are native lifeforms present, as we pick up Biomass readings as we... *BIP BIP BIP* Scans completed, and an image is coming through... well I`ll be damned. So that is where those readings originate from.... For the record, I can now report that there is indeed indiginous life present, as we found traces of small settlements littering the desert floors. Further investigation might be advised before starting mining operations. *** End Log *** For the first Challenge in the Andromeda's Gates game, the goal is to recreate just the landscape of a planet. My selected goal, the planet Guinevere, consists of nothing more then arid deserts and lava streams, so I decided to try my hand at microbuilding and make a settlement located somewhere in the large oceans of sand...
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Mission Log: Entry 4 ~ As I was leaving Greater Direstan, I received an urgent transmission asking me to locate and explore the planet Traig IV, in sector E10. As I could not both visit Lesser Direstan and Traig IV at once, I decided to send a small probe equipped with a high-definition photography device and an AI setting. It arrived in E10 one day before we landed on Lesser Direstan. I quickly transmitted the photos to HQ on Orinshi. It seems that there is an unclassified species of alien inhabiting the planet, which nests in the islands' mountain peaks. It closely resembles a mythological dragon, but unfortunately the probe was not able to get a close-up photograph due to the risk of being attacked. The alien appears to be guarding the mountain - maybe protecting her offspring? Minus the alien: The alien by itself: [ I tried kabel's SNOT rocks technique for this build. C&C welcome! ]
