Contents. History and development Nova began as a plug-in for in July 1998.
Two years later, ATMOS was brought in to convert the plug-in to a full game which was available for beta-testing on July 15, 2001. It was fully released on March 18, 2002.
Developers no longer work on the project nor does the website currently give out keys required to activate shareware copies. Direct contact with Ambrosia Software was not possible as of January, 2018 for billing and account services. Existing copies still function normally and re-installation is possible with automatic key renewal.
EV Nova alternative ' exists now on the Steam platform with an alternate story line but similar mechanics. Gameplay Nova takes place around star systems in the, many of which have planets or space stations that the player can land on.
Ev Nova Walkthrough
Each star system is either controlled by a faction and has an evaluation of the player's crimes or contributions to that star system and its faction, or is uninhabited and controlled by no one. The player's ship usually travels between star systems by 'hyperjumping' by fixed (and to the user, instantaneous) paths to surrounding systems.
The player can also use rare wormholes which transport the player's ship to a fairly random star system, or can use a 'hypergate' system to move between certain systems after the Sigma Shipyard mission string has been completed. In space, which in the game is limited to two dimensions, the player controls their spaceship to land on planets, jump into another star system, or engage in combat and board ships. The player can also communicate with other ships, obtaining information about supply and demand of commodities on different planets, and can also get missions in this way.
On inhabited planets, the player can refuel their ship, find and accept missions, trade commodities, buy ships or ship upgrades, and hire escorts. Each planet, 'spaceport bar,' and ship or ship upgrade has associated images and descriptions. Main goals The player starts as a freelance space pilot in a shuttlecraft, out to make a penny in the vast and unforgiving galaxy. There are many ways to play Nova; for example, a starting player seeking funds can become a trader or courier, delivering cargo between worlds; become a pirate or bounty hunter, attacking and disabling ships to steal their money, cargo, or the ships themselves; become involved in one of the main storylines; or even conquer the galaxy by subjugating worlds. Missions, storylines and plot The game has six major storylines that the player can participate in, one for each of the major factions: Federation, Rebellion, Auroran, Polaris, Vell-os, and Pirate. These storylines are the bulk of the game. Each storyline is a long and involved set of plot-filled missions which are like 'playing' a short story written in.
Each story-line forces pilots to align themselves with a particular faction, restricting a player's freedom but giving him access to more powerful ships and technology. A single story-line can take anywhere from an hour to several days to play to completion, depending on the player's level of experience and preferred pace. There also exist a few shorter minor stories and missions, which are difficult to find but have great rewards, such as the ability to use the old hypergate system. Some major and minor storylines branch into others so that, for example, a player in the midst of the Federation story-line can, along the way, choose to join the Rebellion instead. Nova has only a small fraction of the freelance missions that were common in the previous games in the Escape Velocity series. In the standard game, only a single major storyline can be played per pilot, as opposed to previous games in the Escape Velocity series where one could play most all missions as one pilot while gathering ever more powerful ships and weapons. There are two minor storylines however, both of which help the player into the major storylines.
These include the Bounty Hunter and Wild Geese storylines. The Bounty Hunter storyline can lead to either the Federation, Rebellion, or Auroran storylines. The Wild Geese storyline can lead to either the Auroran or Pirate storyline. Ships and technology Starting with a simple shuttlecraft, the player obtains new ships, weapons, and other technology, such as cloaking devices, beam weapons, and fighter bays, by purchase or as the result of completing certain missions.
Throughout the course of the game, the player can choose to pilot bigger and better ships — ultimately leading to powerful capital ships with alien technology — that can also carry more cargo, and can also obtain controllable escort ships. Extensibility (plug-ins) Like the other games in the Escape Velocity series, Nova allows registered users to create their own plug-ins which can be used to slightly or drastically change stories and technology, or even completely replace the universe. There is a large community at the where players can trade tips, get help, and swap favorite plugins and pilots.
Of particular note are two official plug-ins available to registered users which replace Nova 's scenario with those of the first two games, allowing the original and its sequel to be played natively on both Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows. Setting and plot The game takes place in the in 1177 NC and follows several human civilizations that have broken away from the Colonial Council and developed independently of each other. There are three main governments: Federation, Auroran, and Polaris, and several smaller factions. Back-story and other role-playing information can be gathered from several 'preambles' that come as documentation with the game. Federation At the start of the game, the Federation is the latest in a line of based governments, succeeding the Colonial Council. The first explorers from Earth to go faster than the used devices known as hypergates, developed by Omata Kane.
Free Serial Codes
Humans settled other habitable planets and quickly formed an organization known as the Colonial Council. The council made first contact with the Vell-os, a group of telepathic humans who had left Earth centuries before, and benefited from their advanced technology. Eventually a breakaway group of humans left the Colonial Council and settled planets beyond the star, taking that name for their people. When the council recontacted the Polaris, it became clear that they would not tolerate any interference from the council.
When the council sent a diplomatic delegation, the Polaris viewed it and its small military escort as a precursor to invasion and destroyed it, prompting the council to declare war on the Polaris. The Vell-os opposed this war, and destroyed the council's invasion fleet before it reached Polaris space. A fifty year long war then broke out between the council and the Vell-os. The Vell-os, being peaceful in nature, eventually surrendered to avoid further bloodshed and were enslaved by mainstream humanity.
It should be noted that until they decided to sue for peace the Vell-os were easily holding their own against the more numerous Council forces. After the war ended, many of the colonies to the south seceded from the council and formed a loose confederation known as the Auroran Empire. Once again the council was thrust into war, this time to regain the lost colonies. Although they did not defeat all of the groups which made up the Aurorans, one group known as Armetis eventually turned to. One former council member who was disenchanted with the Colonial Council gave Armetis the codes to the hypergate system.
Armetis destroyed Earth's hypergate, which sent shock waves throughout the entire hypergate system, crippling it and isolating many of the former Council worlds. It took two hundred years before Earth based ships were capable of exceeding the speed of light. They recontacted many of the former worlds, which formed an alliance with Earth due to their fear of the expanding Auroan Empire.
Earth forces attempted to invade the Aurorans, with little success. As a result, they decided to pool their resources and form the Federation.
The Federation created an investigative body known as the Bureau of Internal Investigation. The Bureau, as it is known, was created to investigate and remove subversive influence in the Federation, but also pursues the goal of reunifying humanity under the Federation. Based in the system, the Bureau is so pervasive that some Federation citizens charge that it runs the government. Many of the Federation's leading citizens have started a rebellion against the Bureau. Rebellion The Rebellion is in the middle of a war against the Federation, specifically the Bureau. The Rebellion claims that the Bureau has committed heinous crimes, and controls the Federation itself and that the Bureau should be removed from power. The Rebellion hates killing the puppets of the Bureau but knows that there is no way of fighting the Bureau without destroying Federation ships.
The Rebellion is vital in all of the major storylines, and the outcomes of all of them affect the Rebellion, and their war against the Bureau in one way or another. The Rebellion is more of an ideological faction than a political one; as such it only has control of two systems, Evlei and Koria, to the Galactic north of the Federation. Merrol in the system is the only Federal planet that is in open rebellion, but it is under permanent blockade by the Bureau.
By and large, the Rebellion is made up of older pilots and a great deal of their funding comes from the Association of Free Traders. Although they have managed to acquire some Polaron technology and steal a few of the less powerful Federation warships, their sparse numbers prevent them from fighting anything other than minor battles. As a result, the majority of the war between the Rebellion and the Bureau is fought as a 'spy-war'. Auroran The Auroran Empire is one of the main political blocs in the game.
They are the most populous of the blocs, but, since they remain largely uninterested in technology, one of the least technologically advanced. The Auroran population is approximately 100 trillion, according to ATMOS - most planets have at least one that can house tens of millions of people, and the 'homeworlds' of the six different Auroran factions each average a population of around 175 billion.
As a result, many Auroran worlds suffer from severe pollution and overcrowding problems, and the colonization of new systems to relieve the burden of overpopulation is a major factor in their political agenda. The Auroran Empire consists of five 'Families' or 'Houses' (Moash, Heraan, Tekel, Dani and Vella). Each of the five families fight with each other constantly.
Additionally, there are systems governed by the 'Auroran Empire'. These systems do not belong to any family, but are instead governed by the central Auroran government. Also, one system is formally governed by the 'Dechtakars', warriors who are loyal to the Auroran Empire as a whole rather than to a specific house, although their presence is spread throughout the Empire. Their warriors love to tattoo themselves and engage in 'honorable' combat, and their ships have very heavy armor. The Auroran weapons are very heavy but they deal a lot of damage. The player can help the Aurorans by either passing through the Bounty Hunter storyline, or having a high combat rating and going into any bar within Federation or non Heraan-family Auroran space.
As the player progresses along the Auroran and Polaris storylines, he encounters the Thurokiir, the Obsidian Heart or Spiritual Master of House Heraan, Techerakh the Bloody Hammer. If following the Auroran storyline, Techerakh renames your character KarHallarn, or the Wolf. Both titles, one as Thurokiir, and one as a fleet master (KarHallarn of the Pack) symbolize the Aurorans' deep respect for clan-warfare and battle honor. Similar to East Asian countries of earth from the Dark Ages to mid-1960s, the Aurorans build their society around 'face' and 'shame.' To flee from battle or surrender to the enemy is an atrocity against one's empire, house, and self. Thus the Aurorans provide one of the most complex factions in Nova, due to the intricacies of their warrior society.
Polaris The Polaris are a race of technologically, and in some cases telepathically, advanced humans who broke away from the Colonial Council in 480 NC. The first expedition that ventured in the direction of the North Star was arranged by Kerrell Polaris, who died three days before it was started.
Over the next century, the Polaris encountered the Wraith, a space dwelling race of creatures that can utilize hyperspace. Nearly all encounters the Polaris had with the Wraith ended in bloodshed, which is what initially fostered the Polaris'. The isolationism of the Polaris, in turn, caused problems when the Colonial Council attempted to re-establish contact with them by sending in a diplomatic fleet.
The Polaris misinterpreted this as an act of war, and destroyed the fleet. Outraged, the Colonial Council sent out an invasion fleet, which was stopped by the Vell-os — a cousin race of humanity with advanced telepathic abilities, who have always supported the Polaris. This sparked the Vell-os/Colonial Council war, which did not affect the Polaris. After the destruction of the council hypergate system, the Polaris hypergates were still operational, allowing the Polaris to advance technologically.
Just over 500 years later, the Federation (successor to the Colonial Council) sent a military task force into Polaris space, which the Polaris destroyed quickly. The Polaris have six separate castes, set up so that the skills of an individual can be best utilized by the caste he or she becomes a member of. Vell-os The Vell-os are a telepathic race.
They were led out to space, united by their telepathic powers by the Indian prince Vell-os in around A.D. The Vell-os do not pilot true ships; the objects they use are simply psychic projections made by the Vell-os inside. They classify humans and Vell-os who have telepathic abilities into seven ranks, or 'T's. The lowest rank possible is T6 (all normal humans are at this level with no actual telepathic ability), and starting with actual telepathic powers at T5, continues downward until T0, the highest rank a telepath can ever achieve.
No Vell-os in recorded history has reached the rank of T0. The Vell-os were originally part of the Colonial Council (which preceded the Federation) but seceded when they protested the Colonial fleet trying to invade the Polaris. Following a devastating war with the Colonial Council, they were enslaved and the Colonial Council and proceeded to raze every inhabited Vell-os world via intense orbital bombardment, leaving dead planets with dangerously high radiation that will endure for millennia. The leaders of the Vell-os ruling council, the Krypt-tokh, escaped enslavement by fusing their bodies with their nanite-producing organs, becoming immense, immortal, telepathic space-roaming beings which ply the ruins of Vell-os space. The Krypt await the liberation of the Vell-os race as foretold in the so-called 'Korell Prophecy.'
Serials
There are three classes of Vell-os 'ship'; Darts, Arrows and Javelins, in order of power. Vell-os 'ships' are not ships in the common sense. The psionic power of the Vell-os pilot forms the shell of the vessel. The ship is also powered by the pilot's mind, and all defenses come from the pilot. The ship is literally an extension of the pilot within.
While the ship does not have very powerful armor, the shields and weapons are some of the most powerful in the game. Pirates Pirates represent the criminal side of the universe. There are many different branches of the common Pirates that mercilessly plunder and kill ships. In the game, they can disable and steal the player's goods and money and leave the player stranded in open space. The Marauders are small raiders and pirates who plunder in a small scale, and are usually nothing to worry about to well armed merchants. Their ships are usually normal civilian ships, slightly upgraded, although sometimes a Starbridge or Valkyrie joins in the fleet. The Marauders are independent raiders who have no real leader or government, and therefore make very easy foes, though they should not be underestimated.
The Marauders are weaker than the 'normal' Pirates, though they attack within Federation space. They are also universally despised, even by other Pirate factions, so they will be attacked by any warship or interceptor of any faction in a system.
The Association of Free Traders is a proud but dwindling organization. They see themselves guardians of Federation space, and their main enemy is the Guild of Free Traders. They have created their own class of ships, which are civilian ships that have been thoroughly upgraded and tweaked, and fitted with a vast array of weaponry and Pirate technology. The once-proud association met its decline in power after a very strong Bureau fleet, with the help of the Guild of Free Traders, organized an attack on the association. The Bureau invited the association leader, Morgan, to a peace-treaty, which turned out to be an ambush, helped by the Guild of Free Traders. Morgan, his crew and his wife met their death there, and the leadership of the association has been replaced by Olaf Greyshoulders. The association has ever since been an enemy of the Bureau of Internal Investigation, though they are not in open war with the Federation.
Joining them reveals Morgan to have been the protagonist's father. The Guild of Free Traders are the most worrisome and dangerous group of Pirates. They have their own government, and their current leader is McGowan.
They are far more organized, and frequently smuggle illegal drugs and other goods. They have many secret bases scattered in Federation space, and commonly do strikes and raids among traders and merchants. They do not use civilian ships, and instead they use Association ships that are heavily upgraded. The Guild of Free Traders, though enemies of the Federation, have ties with the Bureau of Internal Investigation. The other Pirate branch consists of the Auroran Houseless warriors. They are equivalent to the common Pirates in the Federation, and have similar strength and methods. Their fleet consists of Auroran civilian ships, gun ships and fighters.
They normally attack in the center of Auroran space, and have their own base hidden inside an asteroid field. References.
(MP0werd) wrote in message news. I rather doubt that. For one thing, the registration process cannot actually require an active internet connection, for obvious reasons. Hence, there will be no 'checking the server' at the initial registration. Any pirate worth his salt will stow the prefs away safely - even if he needs to wipe his drive clean, he won't need to use Ambrosia's updating service later to get a new SN. He will, therefore, not risk having the server identify his number as a pirated one.
I wonder, have you merely misunderstood Matt's post, or are you intentionally misinforming people on Ambrosia's behalf as to what the reg app can or cannot do? John Collins 24/3/2002, 14:37 น. (Merenis) wrote: (MP0werd) wrote in message news. (John) wrote: Could you send me a SN too? Does it matter if Ambrosia is watching? I suppose they could rat out the origional person on the registration name.That seems unlikely though.
It's not. Furthermore they watch registration patterns. If the same number is registered by different people in a short span of time, it gets flagged and deactivated. The products registered before a serial's deactivation still work because it only checks the serial with the server once.
Registrations occuring afterwards would fail. I rather doubt that. For one thing, the registration process cannot actually require an active internet connection, for obvious reasons. Hence, there will be no 'checking the server' at the initial registration.
Any pirate worth his salt will stow the prefs away safely - even if he needs to wipe his drive clean, he won't need to use Ambrosia's updating service later to get a new SN. He will, therefore, not risk having the server identify his number as a pirated one.
I wonder, have you merely misunderstood Matt's post, or are you intentionally misinforming people on Ambrosia's behalf as to what the reg app can or cannot do? I'm sorry that you feel my information is misleading or erroneous. I acquired the information from the Ambrosia Times' Bitwise Operator column which says that new system does require some form of contact with Ambrosia. The serials time out after a 30 days and the means to get a working serial after that window is ambrosia themselves. Merenis 26/3/2002, 11:04 น.
(MP0werd) wrote in message news. (Merenis) wrote: I wonder, have you merely misunderstood Matt's post, or are you intentionally misinforming people on Ambrosia's behalf as to what the reg app can or cannot do? I'm sorry that you feel my information is misleading or erroneous. I acquired the information from the Ambrosia Times' Bitwise Operator column which says that new system does require some form of contact with Ambrosia.
Not unless you have lost the preferences file and the app AFTER you've registered it. The serials time out after a 30 days and the means to get a working serial after that window is ambrosia themselves. Take a look, if you will, at the following passages from the long, dreary, 'all-we-want-is-pizza-and-beer' tirade by Matt Slot, aka the Bitwise Operator: 'it forces the user to activate the product within 30 days, or the code expires and won't activate anything, Now, and this is important, the timestamp has absolutely no effect on the operation of the software after the code has been entered. Once personalized for the user's computer, it remains fully functional forever (unless someone wipes the system clean).' Vijay tv neeya naana.
The need to contact Ambrosia arose only when, '.Apple had upgraded the operating system and most people were paranoid enough to perform a clean install. This meant that the data file containing the software registration was lost as well, and most of them needed to reenter their license codes.' What pirate would be stupid enough, knowing about this expiration scheme, not to back up anything to do with EV Nova, including the aforementioned data file, before they wipe the system?
'You see, in order to renew their stolen codes they must contact a computer in our office. /Only/ if they're foolish enough to have lost the registered app and preferences file in the first place. I restate, the user does NOT have to contact Ambrosia the first time they register. Which is a good thing - it is likely that Surfer's Serials will keep up with the codes for a few months, once the system is cracked - that's why it's a monthly publication.:) Also, it would be most amusing if the new registration scheme were vulnerable to something as simple as resetting the date on your machine - and at present, I don't see why it wouldn't be. MP0werd 26/3/2002, 11:54 น. (Merenis) wrote: (MP0werd) wrote in message news.
(Merenis) wrote: I wonder, have you merely misunderstood Matt's post, or are you intentionally misinforming people on Ambrosia's behalf as to what the reg app can or cannot do? I'm sorry that you feel my information is misleading or erroneous. I acquired the information from the Ambrosia Times' Bitwise Operator column which says that new system does require some form of contact with Ambrosia. Not unless you have lost the preferences file and the app AFTER you've registered it. I see where the confusion comes from.
I am talking merely in terms of warez, which means people sharing their serials. After 30 days, the serials stop working and any pirate who uses them would have to contact ambrosia. At first the number may work but it would probably be blacklisted in short order. I was not speaking in terms of the original person who registered. Merenis 26/3/2002, 14:49 น. (MP0werd) wrote in message I see where the confusion comes from.
I am talking merely in terms of warezwhich means people sharing their serials. After 30 days, the serials stop working and any pirate who uses them would have to contact ambrosia. Only if the pirate were silly enough to trash his prefs. Sorry to waste bandwidth with this back-and-forth banter, but serialbuggers ought to know their options. Which, right now, I envision as the following: 1) Someone cracks the scheme, submits a buncha serials to Surfers' Serials. 2) Pirates register within a month and make sure to keep their prefs.
The app works forever. 3) After a month, serials expire. Serials in last month's SS don't work anymore.
The new edition of Surfer's Serials has new numbers. Rinse and repeat until interest in Nova wanes. Or, someone writes a patch circumventing the whole time-based scheme, and the whole mess ends there. This reminds me so much of the old Realmz/Fantasoft, when Tim Phillips would check C&N and keep a blacklist deep in the datafiles.:) He, too, seemed obsessed with fancy anti-piracy devices. MP0werd 26/3/2002, 16:06 น. (Merenis) wrote: (MP0werd) wrote in message I see where the confusion comes from. I am talking merely in terms of warezwhich means people sharing their serials.
After 30 days, the serials stop working and any pirate who uses them would have to contact ambrosia. Only if the pirate were silly enough to trash his prefs. That assumes the pirate registered within the 30 days, which is probably not the case. Pirates who register after the window will not be able to register without, as you say, solutions like cracks.
Sorry to waste bandwidth with this back-and-forth banter, but serialbuggers ought to know their options. Which, right now, I envision as the following: 1) Someone cracks the scheme, submits a buncha serials to Surfers' Serials. 2) Pirates register within a month and make sure to keep their prefs.
The app works forever. 3) After a month, serials expire. Serials in last month's SS don't work anymore.
The new edition of Surfer's Serials has new numbers. Rinse and repeat until interest in Nova wanes. or, someone writes a patch circumventing the whole time-based scheme, and the whole mess ends there.
I suppose so although ambrosia could release a new.1 revision that breaks the serial number algorythm which has been developed and the patch all while allowing correct serials to work. This reminds me so much of the old Realmz/Fantasoft, when Tim Phillips would check C&N and keep a blacklist deep in the datafiles.:) He, too, seemed obsessed with fancy anti-piracy devices. Well, we'll see how it plays out. OM 27/3/2002, 22:21 น.
EV Nova: name: Fredrik Gadnell copies: 1 code: HE43-TNK5-VAXA On Sun, 24 Mar 2002 17:37:41 -0500, John Collins wrote (in message ): (James) wrote in message news. please email me also or just post it in the damned news!
Me too please! My friend and I want to play this with the cool ships and plugins activated. Thanks!! Posted with Hogwasher. For a free Test Drive click on: [email protected] 2/2/2016, 16:32 น.
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