Newbie Guidance

If you're new to this wiki then you've probably been directed here, Newbie Guidance. This is just a simple page designed to help you ease into the wiki and give you an idea of what kind of additions you could be making. All in all, we're pretty accepting of most ideas that are unique and creative, and we only ask that you stick to the general feel of the universe. While the universe we're making is hardly 'hard sci-fi' we try to avoid resorting to complete out-and-out handwavium for every single thing, as well as trying to avoid going ridiculously over the top (if you make a space station that can blow up entire planets we'll probably ask you to take another look at it).

You might also have a look at the science page to get a feel for the technology level we're trying to maintain (if you do feel like going beyond this limit maybe Clarketech would be of interest to you?). This same idea goes for designing planets, species, or factions. By all means, be creative but try to be reasonable. If you're ever in doubt or need help just ask on the forum! It's fairly common for ideas to be discussed extensively on the forums or over instant messenger before even a draft page is written about them, so don't hesitate to ask others for input, thoughts, comments etc.

You should also take a look at our Templates page for guidance on how to layout your page. If no template exists for what you want to make then why not make one yourself?

Other concepts you should familiarise yourself with

The Enlightenment - This is, as the name of this wiki would suggest, a rather important part of the setting. The concept itself is simple to grasp and we've tried to keep the cause and full nature of the Enlightenment somewhat vague. Never the less, it's definitely something you should be aware of.

Faster Than Light (FTL) Technology - If you have even a passing interest in science fiction you'll probably be familiar with this concept, and if not…well, I mean, the title's sort of self explanatory. Still, this is an important page because it should give you a sense of scale regarding how long it takes starships to travel about, which essentially determines the scale of our many factions. This whole concept is directly tied to the Enlightenment.

The Galaxy - Check out the Galactic Map to get a feel for how the many galactic species are spread out. When designing your own species or civilisation you are free to either place them within existing spheres or start a completely separate sphere for them. We would generally suggest that you ask about this on the forum or over instant messenger, but unless the species would seem grossly out of place it's unlikely you'll be asked to change their location.

Galactic Species - We're always happy to have new species added to the wiki. Creating an interesting and diverse galaxy is our ultimate goal after all. Regardless, like everything on the wiki we enjoy at least a small degree of realism. When designing a species try to imagine how and why certain features might have evolved or if it's even possible that they could have (it's not particularly likely that something would evolve super laser eyes, is it?). This should more or less keep you on track.

…And don't forget

As much as the guidance above may seem a little stifling, this is all supposed to be for fun and enjoyment. If you feel you could deviate from the above guidelines and make something great then we'll be happy to hear out your ideas.