Those Pesky Unbidden

[Oscot]

In case you have been living under a rock asteroid for the past few days, you will know about this:

The Unbidden are one of the 'late game crises': extradimensional invaders that gatecrash reality if you get a little bit too enthusiastic about a late game engine technology, Jump Yump Drives. As articulated here:

...Or, it might not happen at all. Instead, another avenue of research could create an equally dangerous threat, says Anward. “If you are experimenting in extremely fast ship technology - jump drives - then you might actually bore a hole into another dimension. Then the people there might decide that they like your dimension and they will come in and try and devour you.

“What that looks like is an empire called the Unbidden, energy beings, they spawn and they will start spreading and conquering and just devouring all life from your dimension until you stop them or perish.”

Now that's pretty much the sum of our knowledge about them at the moment. Still, as good denizens of the Internet, an almost total lack of relevant information should in no way impede our ability to launch wild speculation and get into arguments with each other about whether Hypothesis A represents better game design than Hypothesis B. I was just about to launch into it over here, but then I thought 'Why go off topic when I could go full thread'. So here we go.

* Will they spawn from one tear in reality, or several?
* Will THEY have jump drives, or a completely different tech tree that can be scavenged, or completely incomprehensible tech to mortal minds that can't be scavenged?
* Will they go after Fallen Empires? Will they be strong enough to?
* Will Fallen Empires go after them?
* Should there be any possibility of diplomatic peace?
* Will they actually conquer pops, or is it more of an auto-purge eat everyone buffet?
* Will their own pops then take up residence, or do they just wipe the galaxy clean?
* Is their strength proportional to anything? Maybe proportional to the fools that summoned them? Or proportional to the total galactic strength?
* Is the fight against them likely to be an event-driven narrative, or more of a CK2 Mongolian-style "Do your best, Russia!"
And, most importantly of all:
* Will the faithful be eaten first?

 

[MasterOfGrey]

* Will they spawn from one tear in reality, or several?
* Will THEY have jump drives, or a completely different tech tree that can be scavenged, or completely incomprehensible tech to mortal minds that can't be scavenged?
* Will they go after Fallen Empires? Will they be strong enough to?
* Will Fallen Empires go after them?
* Should there be any possibility of diplomatic peace?
* Will they actually conquer pops, or is it more of an auto-purge eat everyone buffet?
* Will their own pops then take up residence, or do they just wipe the galaxy clean?
* Is their strength proportional to anything? Maybe proportional to the fools that summoned them? Or proportional to the total galactic strength?
* Is the fight against them likely to be an event-driven narrative, or more of a CK2 Mongolian-style "Do your best, Russia!"
And, most importantly of all:
* Will the faithful be eaten first?

My preferences would be:
- 1 tear, with the possibility of researching a technology to close said tear. That way you could equip technology to a science ship and then escort it to the tear and cut them off from reinforcements, hopefully before it's too late.
- Something incomprehensible that can't be scavenged would be good, though getting a nifty alternative weapon might be fun.
- Is it really a galactic crisis if they don't/can't?
- I would suggest this might be more fun if it's dependent on the Fallen Empire's ethos. If materialists took an offensive approach but spiritualists trusted in the divine mandate of their strength and faith to maintain a purely defensive approach etc.
- No diplomatic peace while the tear is open.
- PURGE!!!!
- Need worlds to make more Unbidden.
- Proportional to the mighty fallen empire that has kept them at bay if applicable. (Otherwise just spiralling from a point.)
- "Do your best Russia!" (Though a strong incentive to bring more and more people into their own wars against them would be good.)

- Of course.

 

[Lambykins]

Can we jump into their dimension!

 

[Held der Arbeit]

Interesting questions. My guesses/wishes:

* Will they spawn from one tear in reality, or several?
-> The picture suggests one since they seem to spread out from one central point (near the top of their symbol) equally in all directions.
This would also fit what we know about ending those events so far (e.g. destroy the AI homeworld). In this case it would be all about reaching and closing the Rift.
* Will THEY have jump drives, or a completely different tech tree that can be scavenged, or completely incomprehensible tech to mortal minds that can't be scavenged?
-> I'm expecting a very advanced, non-salvageable kind of Jump Drive
* Will they go after Fallen Empires? Will they be strong enough to?
-> They will most likely be strong enough to do so, given that in order to have endgame events you need to have reached a point in Tech and Power where 1) the FE's tried to stop you from activating that forbidden tech and 2) you were strong enough to research it anyway. So given that this event seems to force an immsense threat even to people who can defeat or at least stall FE's, i think it is safe to say they are even stronger.
* Will Fallen Empires go after them?
-> I would think is is something that activates them (if comparatively minor things do, too)
* Should there be any possibility of diplomatic peace?
-> No
I always found it stupid when the Aztec Invaders adopted catholicism and became a perfectly happy spanish Theocracy.
It's us or them!
* Will they actually conquer pops, or is it more of an auto-purge eat everyone buffet?
-> I would prefer the latter to give it more of a dystopian, endgame "oh shiiiiiiiit" feel. Think Reapers. Even if you win, the destruction is massive. But I fear it'll be the former.
* Will their own pops then take up residence, or do they just wipe the galaxy clean?
-> I think I would prefer the wipe. Beating them back and then having extradimensional energy pops grow your food is bound to be weird.
* Is their strength proportional to anything? Maybe proportional to the fools that summoned them? Or proportional to the total galactic strength?
-> Proportional to galactic strength would be good. I don't know how they did it in ck2 but the invasions seemed fittingly massive in all my games that no one could just easily go and swat them.
* Is the fight against them likely to be an event-driven narrative, or more of a CK2 Mongolian-style "Do your best, Russia!"
-> I would prefer a mix. Mostly a war, but with certain keystone events for flavor (like a description how they ravage homeworlds ala Aztec Invasion) and events to build/research keystone projects to turn the tide.

And, most importantly of all:
* Will the faithful be eaten first?

 

[Kayttajatili]

 

[Vasious]

Will they talk like the Orz?

 

[Zier]

I'm really hoping this is something that will truly test us. Even after managing to salvage the techs from that unfortunate Fallen Empire you've recently decimated. So, assuming we can have them, hopefully I'll have Tachyon Lances for these guys and destabilize their energy matrix!

 

[Brownbeard]

And, most importantly of all:
* Will the faithful be eaten first?

Even more importantly, will the faction that worships the unbidden be called the unbitten?

 

[Oscot]

I think I'd like them to be totally incomprehensible and unstoppable by anyone once they've just emerged. Tachyon lances that can rip through Fallen Empire fleets like butter just have no effect on the Unbidden as they're all "Lol, wierd gemoetries". It's only after you research some "To The Brink Of Madness" Necronomicon-branch techs and scavenge some ships that you are able to make weapons that can even hit the dimension of subspace that they primarily exist in.
So those who succeed in the research can at least fight them, even if they still usually lose. But people without "Non-Euclidean Armour" etc. are just snackfood.

 

[Haldan]

I hope there's a peaceful solution to all of the end-game disasters.

 

[Brownbeard]

I hope there's a peaceful solution to all of the end-game disasters.

Indeed.

 

[beckermt]

* Will they spawn from one tear in reality, or several?

Just one. It's more energy-efficient to keep one larger interdimensional portal open than many smaller ones. E = X + r*T

* Will THEY have jump drives, or a completely different tech tree that can be scavenged, or completely incomprehensible tech to mortal minds that can't be scavenged?

Different tech, clearly. I'm thinking that the technology is scavengable if the Unbidden aren't pure biologicals (e.g. zerg or tyrannids). If they use tech, we can salvage it. But maybe if you're spiritualist and have some psionics, you can salvage their biotech too. It's only logical.

* Will they go after Fallen Empires? Will they be strong enough to?

They definitely will and they should be strong enough.

* Will Fallen Empires go after them?

It may be your only chance to defeat them, depending on how advanced you are.

* Should there be any possibility of diplomatic peace?

Negative. That would defeat the intention of the invasion from a gameplay perspective.

* Will they actually conquer pops, or is it more of an auto-purge eat everyone buffet?

Auto-purge buffet which generates some smaller number of Pops for themselves. Or Auto-purge turns into more spaceships.

* Will their own pops then take up residence, or do they just wipe the galaxy clean?

See above. Either residence or non, depending on how the eaten Pops are used.

* Is their strength proportional to anything? Maybe proportional to the fools that summoned them? Or proportional to the total galactic strength?

I think it's absolute. The idea being that if you dabble with such tech too early, you may be REALLY screwing yourself, but if you put it off, you're in a better position to overcome.

* Is the fight against them likely to be an event-driven narrative, or more of a CK2 Mongolian-style "Do your best, Russia!"

CK2 style. Although, I'd bet everyone gets a bit fat stack of threat against them, making banding together easier, but not guaranteed.

* Will the faithful be eaten first?

Implausible.

 

[corny.1234]

Can we jump into their dimension!

Of course, after defeating their forces and reconquered our galaxy it's time for vengeance.
We will make them suffer, we will enslave and purge their population and destroy every planet in their galaxy/dimension.

 

[ahhheygao]

Will they go after Fallen Empires? Will they be strong enough to?

They better damn well go after Fallen Empires, regardless of consequences.

Will Fallen Empires go after them?

They better damn well.

Should there be any possibility of diplomatic peace?

Only Eternal Servitude as Livestock

Will they actually conquer pops, or is it more of an auto-purge eat everyone buffet?

Conquer POPs for sustainable livestock

Is the fight against them likely to be an event-driven narrative, or more of a CK2 Mongolian-style "Do your best, Russia!"

Preferably mostly the latter with just a bit of the former.

IAnd, most importantly of all:
* Will the faithful be eaten first?

Of course the Faithful shall be eaten first!!

 

[Legion141]

Instead of energy beings, it'd be cool if you could also get Lovecraftian like creatures, just for the hell of it

 

[The_Meme_Man]

In case you have been living under a rock asteroid for the past few days, you will know about this:

This is a bit disconcerting. So, we have this, the AI apocalypse, God knows what other end game catastrophes there are (besides the intergalactic invasion).

 

[Tallfellow]

I'm so looking forward to screwing myself over big time! "Forbidden" techs are going to be fun to play with!

 

[Doskias]

Might be a dumb question, but can multiple "endgame-events" happen simultaneously? Like: the Unforbidden had arrived, so you trying to gear up yourself when suddenly your AI Robots decide it´s time for some rebellion....
(Sorry for bad english)

 

[Vasious]

Might be a dumb question, but can multiple "endgame-events" happen simultaneously? Like: the Unforbidden had arrived, so you trying to gear up yourself when suddenly your AI Robots decide it´s time for some rebellion....
(Sorry for bad english)

I hope so, especially considering the Unbidden might not eat AI

 

[Elfin]

Might be a dumb question, but can multiple "endgame-events" happen simultaneously? Like: the Unforbidden had arrived, so you trying to gear up yourself when suddenly your AI Robots decide it´s time for some rebellion....
(Sorry for bad english)

Yes, in some video it was mentionet that such thing may happen. Though the probability is not too high