A question about developing a new species.

[Shadow Kuromaru]

Hello. Sorry to ask a question about altering the canon so soon after joining, but I just wanted to know about the prospect of designing and developing a new alien species? I read a similar post asked previously, but the reply didn't exactly tell me what I wanted to know.

 

[Wes]

You can start developing a new species right away, although please note the general guideline is that you should be around for about 3 months before you submit one. They usually need some time to develop anyway. What did you have in mind?

 

[Shadow Kuromaru]

The idea is a character species that I actually designed a while back, before I even knew about this place. I was reading a post about how there was a lack of species without a human base model, and I recalled my race, and thought that maybe it'd be the right thing, going on that. They are an intelligent species, though they do not in fact modify a human base model. They are primarily quadrupedal, and have an anatomy shape that takes cues from the anatomy of canines, and certain dinosaurs.

 

[Jimmy]

Hi there, I thought this might be a good point for me to introduce myself.

I'm Jimmy, I created and run one of the newer species to the SARPverse, so it's probably best if I give you some advice to start with. Keep in mind, what I'm telling you here depends immensely on the scope of your species project. Adding a semi-major and even a minor species is often a daunting task to set for yourself.

Looking down I now realize this is kinda long, so even if you don't feel like reading this, I highly recommend getting onto our IRC channel and just chatting about your ideas.


First; Creating a species in SARP is a lot of work.

A lot of work. Approval is an excruciating process for most Faction Manager (FM) hopefuls. The NTSE board will not be kind to you, you'll probably be sweating bullets for a few days even if you've gone through and thoroughly peer-reviewed everything you've submitted beforehand.

There are some here who are outright against adding new species altogether, expect tough questions from them that you should have answers ready for. Such as:

"What is their purpose in the setting?"
"What do they add to SARP?"
"Why do we need these?"

Sounds harsh, I know, but you should have meaningful answers in the chamber ready to go. Having a good number of supporters to beat the dissenters into submission is also another viable strategy (speaking figuratively). The road to being an FM is daunting for a reason.


Second; A plan.

Adding new species are years long, probably indefinitely long projects. While some folks can hit the ground running and work on the fly, the rest of us mortal FM's usually keep around loose outlines of where we want our species to be going over the course of the next year or two at least.

Plans are also what you'll be making as you start networking with other FM's to start showcasing each others projects into meaningful light and with roleplay to back them up. Getting approved is just the start, breaking into the game is tough. (First Contacts are usually magnets for shenanigans in SARP lore...)

In the FM business I find you're constantly trading against your name, your reputation on the site will naturally flow over to the species you manage, especially if it's created and run primarily by you. Backing up your promises and establishing a solid rep before you start your submission will go lightyears towards securing respect and cooperation from other FM's who would otherwise stand on the sidelines waiting to see the cut of your jib.


Third; Dedication.

Did I mention faction management was a long term prospect?

Yeah, if you start you'll be doing it for a long time. Keeping your enthusiasm up for your own creation is crucial, so you must occasionally pace yourself to prevent burning out. Taking two or three weeks off of the development to prevent a months long hiatus will see your productivity keep flowing.

Unlike the Big Three species, you'll probably find yourself having to create most of your species gear yourself. The NTSE being what it is this can go from a minor inconvenience, to a seemingly unending months long threadnaught nightmare and back again.

There are ways to help reduce the risk of this happening, and you will probably become a master of them in time as you endure.


Fourth; The ability to ask for help.

Sometimes you'll just end up over your head. Maybe it's been a bad week, or month, or whatever. You've temporarily lost that spark, you look at projects and don't know where to start.

Remember, it's okay to ask for help. FM's will always help a brother in need, and even asking on IRC will nearly always elicit a sympathetic response and an offer of aid to help you back on your feet. All serious tech submitters keep a cadre of friends whose opinions they trust to bounce ideas against, and these friends can sometimes carry a project to the finish should you falter.



So yeah, if you've read all that you should still get on IRC. We can link you to lots of useful articles and get you settled in nicely.

 

[Wes]

I'm pro-new-species, particularly the background kind (that have enough detail to show up in the RP but not necessarily the level needed to play) so long as they're not of the "Yet Another Human-Looking Species" since we have a lot of human-looking species already, ala Star Trek. So there's one thing you've already got covered. We have a species/faction creation guide here that goes pretty in-depth with advice from over the years.

So, for starters, here's what we need for the foundation of a new species:

1. Where are they from? If they have a planet, let's make an article for it and the star system it is in. The planet probably will influence their biology.

2. What are they? We'll need a article for their biology. A pencil sketch or a basic MSpaint drawing etc. would be a great starting point to help visualize them. If you want to go further than that but you're not great as high-end art, consider using a 3D modeler, like the super-easy-to-use DOGA. For the text, thing about where their organs are, how they see, eat, communicate, shit, etc.

3. What are they up to? Articles for culture and for their government will show what they want and how they think.

With the above, you're pretty much set for submitting for approval. With the addition of some core technologies, it should be about all you need to start with and from there you can just keep building, making new articles as inspiration and need hits...creating your own take on everything from medical kits to education systems.

I guess the next big question is: Are these supposed to be a player faction or are these a background faction? The difference is for player stuff we expect teamwork and background factions can be made solo.

 

[Sigma]

I would venture to add - Why should we pay attention to them, both In and Out of Character? Simply making it because you think it's cool isn't a sustaining motive for a new species in this setting. There's needs to be a reason to convince players that this new faction has potential to thrive in this setting.

The way to answer that question would be to first understand the setting, rather than dive head-long into species creation. Simply making new species from the get-go gives a sense that you want to foist your ideas upon us without taking note of what's already been created over the years.

 

[Ira]

Please keep it positive Sigma.

Like wise as a species maker person, I am pretty going to echo what Jimmy has said.