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Neocron Manual
Congratulations for having purchased Neocron!
We, the developing team from Reakktor.com, have worked on this title for more than 3 years just to bring you the ultimate experience in massive multiplayer gaming. Neocron belongs to the quite young genre of massively multiplayer games, which combines many cutting edge technologies: almost anything that has to do with internet, real-time 3D technology and aspects of playability goes into this new kind of gaming. This explains the long development periods that are needed to bring thousands of players together in a virtual world something that cannot be done from one day to another.
Neocron is an everchanging online world in which you will experience a metropolis of the 28. century with thousands of other players. New elements are being added frequently and the world of Neocron will grow and become more and more complex. You can take an active part in the evolution of Neocron by telling us, what features you would like to see in the future. Go to our website (https://www.neocron.com) and click your way to the Brainport. This is the place to talk about ideas and discuss them with others.
Have fun now in playing and discovering a brand new world a world named Neocron.
REAKKTOR.COM
The developers of Neocron
The following writing conventions are used in this manual to aid legibility:
Websites are displayed as follows:
https://www.URL.xyz
User controls, such as buttons, are highlighted thus:
Start Neocron
If a game function can be activated by a specific key or key combination, this is displayed in parentheses behind the function:
Show skills window (F5)
Bear in mind that only the default options can be displayed. If you have already re-configured key functions, the key shortcuts displayed for various options may no longer be correct.
You must first open a user account at https://www.neocron.com. Click on Game Account and Sign up at that address and follow the further instructions.
After you have set up your user account, you are ready to install Neocron. Place the installation CD in your CD-ROM drive and follow the on-screen instructions.
Before you start Neocron, make sure that your PC is connected to the Internet. You must then first start the Neocron Launcher. To do this, click on Start Neocron in the Neocron group in your Windows start menu. A window with information and news on the actual status of the game will open. Please read all actual entries carefully, since some of them might touch changes that have been made to the game.
Start the game by clicking on Play Neocron. If necessary, the program will begin to download the latest patches from the internet, which can take several minutes, according to the speed of your internet connection.
In Neocron's main menu you have the possibility of tailoring the game options to your preferences. You can change display options, turn off or regulate the volume sound effects, turn the sound effects and music on or off, as well as adjusting the volume and changing keyboard shortcuts. To do this, click on Options.
Enter your account details in the main menu and click on the Enter button. Choose the server on which you would like to play and the character selection window will open. Here you can choose your character or create a new one by clicking on Create New. Note that a character only exists on a server, where you created it in the first place.
As a first step you can name your character, assign a sex the sex does not affect the character's skills and one of the character classes. As soon as you have completed your selections, click on Next in the lower right corner of the screen.
Depending upon the character class you have chosen, you can now choose a profession. The choice of profession determines the distribution of the available skill points.
Your character's skills are determined by five Stats: PSI Power, Intelligence, Constitution, Dexterity and Strength. Each of these Stats is assigned to a group of skills which already possess a number of points determined by the profession chosen. You can distribute these points at will by means of the plus and minus keys. When you have finished, click Next.
The final step in creating your character is defining his/her appearance. You can choose from a number of different faces, upper body clothing and trousers. A further click on the Next key ends the character creation and your game character appears in one of the selection windows.
You can now start the game by means of a double click on the character you have created.
Immediately upon starting the game you will find yourself in your apartment, which is equipped with a computer terminal, a GoGuardian (storage room for general use), as well as a GenRep (a resuscitation and transport station). You will find your basic equipment items which vary according to the character class you have chosen in your inventory. You can access your inventory by pressing the R.P.O.S button (by default this is the TAB key) and then clicking on Inventory at the top of the screen.
You can also access a more detailed description of every window's function by clicking on the question mark in the upper right corner of the window presently active.
You can find detailed descriptions of the R.P.O.S. and all other game functions in the following pages of the game manual. Further information regarding life in and around Neocron is offered in the more comprehensive Guide https://www.neocron.com.
Keith Conwells Assignment
Via Rosso. It was one of those days when everything goes wrong. Someone had broken into Keith's apartment and tossed it only yesterday, while he was strolling through the Plaza. Apparently somebody had been looking for something specific, had not found it, and decided to take his anger out on Keith 's furniture. In spite of the drugs he took every evening to stay on the ball, he wasn't stupid enough to keep his most important items at home. Keith was a private eye a general factotum, available for any job. His present one had nearly cost him his life on several occasions, but that didn't bother him; after all, it gave him an excuse to raise his fee considerably.
He glanced at his watch, an expensive wrist implant, and determined he had another ten minutes before having to arrive at the pre-determined meeting place. So, he strolled leisurely past the shops on Via Rosso, hands stuck deep in his coat pockets. His right fist closed around the chip which had brought him into this situation in the first place. He had no idea as to what sort of information was stored on this chip, nor did he care. Well, to be perfectly honest, it did, in fact, interest him quite a bit, but at the moment he had no way of finding out quickly enough. He would have welcomed the chance to sell the information entrusted to him to the highest bidder, while at the same time holding out his hand to be paid by his nave employer for the safe delivery of said information.
In spite of everything, his reputation with these concern tycoons was not all that bad. Of course, the fact that he had no scruples about silencing unpleasant individuals quickly and efficiently before they could carry imaginative stories about his changing loyalties to prospective employers did help his reputation quite a bit. Some people simply had no respect at all during these hard times we live in. And as far as showing a lack of respect for Keith Conwell went, these people usually showed a lack of some vitally important life function or other a short time thereafter.
As much as he enjoyed this life style, however, Zeke had a clear goal mapped out: just this one last job, and then he'd retire. He had saved enough credits in order to open his own bar. Never again would he have to be a messenger boy for these concern bosses, never again would he have to beat any more poor jerks unconscious who couldn't pay their debts to his employers. Now it would be over, once and for all. He remembered vaguely having had similar thoughts a number of times during the past several years
This city just wouldn't let go of him. Neocron, the Moloch, a man-eating monster of steel and concrete. Keith pushed his way past the pedestrians gathered in front of the local weapon shop window. A quick glance revealed to his professional eye that most of the items were junk: Knives, brass knuckles, and even a short, thin, dangerous looking sword suspended in the middle of the display.
He slowly made his way toward Chez Cipher, the restaurant in which he was to meet his contact and deliver the chip. The guy was probably already awaiting him impatiently, because Keith saw he would arrive about two minutes late as he glanced at his watch. No matter, the world was supposed to revolve around Zeke, not Zeke around the world.
A tremendous explosion not far away shook Keith out of his reverie as the shock wave blew him off his feet. He got up slowly, rubbing the dust from his eyes.
The restaurant had been blown up. The flames still roared and the acrid smoke hung thickly in the air. A unit of CopBots marched toward the scene immediately to cordon off the entire area. All passers by were forced back, in spite of their protests. Probably just another attack of the Twilight Guardian terrorists. That happened often in Neocron.
Well, his contact man had bought the farm, but Keith would manage to move the chip somehow Of course, not before bringing it around to a close acquaintance, a hacker by trade, who had quite a name in the Scene and who'd have no problem at all in deciphering the information on the chip for Zeke. It seemed as though fate had once again been kind to him.
A new day in Neocron had just begun
Welcome to the World of Neocron!
This manual will guide you through the installation and registration processes of the game. It will also accompany you during your initial journey into the world of the 28th century. You'll become acquainted with the game's character system and user interface. The second part of the manual covers the history and world of Neocron and so offers you a thorough insight into the game. Here you will discover knowledge about important items, weapons and creatures, among other things.
You can find further information about the game on the official website: https://www.neocron.com, where you will also find the Guide (documentation), a detailed reference work for Neocron.
Finally, you need to realize that you'll be playing on-line and will thus meet thousands of other players as soon as you enter Neocron. They'll be happy to assist you in your introduction to the game, but they also require a certain level of courtesy. Don't forget that somewhere in the world, other people are behind each game character in Neocron whom you see on your screen. Treat those individuals who handle you politely and with respect the same way, and don't allow yourself to be discouraged by rowdies. A calm and collected manner at least at the beginning of the game will help you feel at ease with this huge online society.
Have fun and don't forget: the future of Neocron lies in your hands.
Minimum system requirements:
Pentium II 400 or equivalent
64 MB RAM
Direct3D compatible video card with at least 8 MB (TNT1 or equivalent)
56.6k Internet connection
Windows 95/98/2000/ME/XP
DirectX 7 or higher
DirectSound compatible sound card
Additional recommendations:
Pentium III 550 or equivalent
128 MB RAM
Direct3D compatible video card with at least 32 MB (TNT2 or better)
Place the Neocron CD in your CD-ROM drive. If your computer's auto start function is active, the installation process should begin automatically. If not, double click on the my computer symbol on your desktop to open it. Then double click on your CD-ROM drive symbol and finally, double click on the file name, Setup to begin the installation.
First the Neocron user agreement will appear. Please read this carefully! The agreement contains legally binding conditions between us Reakktor Media, Ltd. and you, the end user, should you agree. By repeatedly breaking this agreement, we could be forced to close and lock your account. The conditions in this agreement are the legal basis for all dealings between us, as the owners, and you as the user of our game.
Specify a target folder for the installation. You can either install the game into the suggested folder, or determine your own path. Click on continue in order to complete the installation of the game in the designated folder.
After all files have been copied, the program will create a symbol in your Windows Start menu with which you can start the game after the installation is completed.
You can activate your account at the official website, https://www.neocron.com. Click on Game Account and then on Activate Account. The account activation takes place in three steps:
First enter the CD key number supplied with the package. Should you not have a CD key number, please click on no CD key. You then have the possibility of either ordering Neocron through the mail or downloading it directly (see instructions below). When you have entered the correct CD key number, the process continues automatically.
After the CD key has been confirmed, enter your billing details as well as your name and address. After this information is confirmed, you are moved on to the third step.
Here you can think of a name and password for your account. It the account name you have chosen is not already taken, you will receive confirmation that your account has been activated and you may now log on. Choose your account name with care, as you will not be able to change it later
(this applies only to the name. You may change the password as often as you desire).
In order to download Neocron completely, you must enter your billing details, as well as your name and address. As soon as your information has been confirmed you will receive a CD key via E-mail. If you already own a copy of Neocron, you can register it with this key. You will also receive a download link which you simply need to click on. Then enter your CD key number and the downloading process begins.
If you want to order your copy of Neocron, you must enter your billing details, as well as your name and address. As soon as your information has been confirmed , the game and your CD number will be sent to the address you determined. After you have received the game, you can register it at https://www.neocron.com as described above.
After having installed Neocron on your computer, make sure the game CD is inserted into your CD-ROM drive. Make sure that your PC is connected to the Internet. Run Neocron from the Windows start menu by clicking start Neocron in the Neocron group.
The Neocron Launcher window appears. Here you will see the actual news about new patches and any other information necessary to the enjoyment of the game without mistakes or glitches. Please read this information carefully particularly before contacting our support team about technical problems.
Start the game by clicking on Play Neocron. If necessary, the program will begin to download the latest patches from the internet, which can take several minutes, according to the speed of your internet connection. This is necessary in order to use the game.
After all patches have been downloaded and installed, you can click on the Launch Neocron button and the game will begin. At the initial start a window appears in which you can choose your preferred resolution. A minimum resolution of 800x600 pixels is recommended! If you wish to change the resolution later, simply click on the link, Configure Neocron in the Neocron group in the Windows start menu.
After the loading window, the Neocron main menu will appear.
After starting the game, you will be presented with Neocron's main menu. Here you can enter your User ID (the name of your user account) and your Password, then enter the world of Neocron (see also Chapter 5: Characters) or choose the options menu by clicking on the button Options. You now see a new menu with three main sections on the left side, which we will describe in more detail now.
Here you can choose a number of options which influence the way the game appears on your monitor. You are also given the possibility of choosing three levels of graphic detail, the type of lighting and the number of dynamic light sources. The higher you set the level the graphic quality, the more computer resources will be utilized by the game. If you should notice at any time during the game that the displayed movements are jerky and do not flow smoothly, the problem can probably be solved by reducing the level of graphic quality.
In this menu you can also change the gamma values, as well as brightness and contrast. The optimal settings for these values can vary greatly from computer to computer, as well as according to the individual player's preferences. We encourage you to experiment in order to find the settings which suit you best. However, it's best to find these settings during the game itself. You can adjust them in the options menu (F10).
Exit the window by clicking on the X box in the bottom right corner of the window or by using the Back button at the bottom of the screen.
In the upper right you will find a scale to aid you in adjusting the sensitivity of the mouse in the game. Beneath the scale there is a selection field in which you can invert the vertical movement of the mouse. When this field is activated, you must move your mouse upwards in order to enable your character to look down, or move it down for the character to look up. Also, you can turn the ability to move on and off if you are in the R.P.O.S. mode. (See Chapter 6: Interface) When this is turned off, your character cannot move when you switch to R.P.O.S. mode. (Chat mode) This can be useful if you usually move your character using the directional keys and would like to have these available in order to move the cursor during R.P.O.S. mode.
Here you find a list of all actions and choices available to the player during the course of the game as well as the keys activating them. Neocron allows you to change the entire keyboard configuration to accommodate your preferences. To assign a particular action to a key, you must merely press the Enter- key on your keyboard and then the key to which the action should be assigned. A short description of each function appears in the last line of the window.
Exit the window by clicking on the X box in the bottom right corner of the window or by using the Back button at the bottom of the screen.
Using the last function on the menu, you are able to influence the music and sound effects during the game. Through utilization of the two scales you are able to adjust the volume of both elements separately from one another. You can also turn the music or sound effects on or off with the symbol to the right of the scales.
By a simple click on the Back button at the bottom of the screen you will gain access to Neocron's main menu once again.
Exit the window by clicking on the X box in the bottom right corner of the window or by using the Back button at the bottom of the screen.
After you have entered your user account name as well as its password and clicked the Enter button, you can choose a game location with which you would like to be connected. All of the Neocron worlds are basically similar and only differ according to the players populating them.
By clicking on Enter once more you will be connected to the game location and arrive at the character selection menu. Here you can choose an existing character and begin the game, design a new character, or delete an existing character profile. The menu offers you enough space for up to four different profiles.
By double clicking on a vacant character profile space you can begin to design a new character. At the first window you can enter your character's name and choose his/her sex, whereas xy stands for male and xx for female. You can also choose one of four character classes: Private Eye, Spy, GenTank und PSI Monk.
By clicking on one of the four types you are given more detailed background information about the chosen class, including its strengths and weaknesses.
The Private Eye is not specialized in any particular area. All his skills are relatively weak at the beginning, yet equally developed. A player choosing this class for his character strives for equal skill levels in all areas, but must be aware or the fact that he can never be as good in any one skill as a class specializing in that particular area.
The private eye is an average Neocron citizen who possesses a small apartment in Plaza or Via Rosso and leads a normal life. He moves from job to job and doesn't consider performing courier services for the local concerns to be beneath him. However, he has latent talents to become a bounty hunter, PSI-fighter, playboy or even a criminal. But it's a long road to any of those positions for an average citizen.
Strengths:
No real weaknesses
Versatility
Weaknesses:
Equality in all skill levels, but limited in their development
No real specialties.
The spy is versatile and agile both physically and mentally. His physical strength has limits, but he can use his finely-honed mind in many areas as a hacker, for example, or drone operator which are not open to other players.
Although representatives of this class are particularly agile and skilled, the spy is inferior to the private eye due to his lesser developed physical strength. He can remove this deficit through training, because he has the potential for great development in many areas. Should he choose, however, to hone his physical fighting skills, he'll have a far rougher time of it than the private eye. PSI abilities and all skills involving agility, though, will be easier for him.
Strengths:
Keen intelligence
Excellent physical agility
Easily developed PSI skills
Weaknesses:
Disadvantages in all activities demanding physical strength
The GenTank is a product of the Ceres Wars (see 7.1 History). He is particularly robust and strong and was bred as a genetically engineered soldier. After the war was over, the human tanks were left to themselves for humanitarian reasons instead of being destroyed. Due to the fact that the original recipe did not call for any particular emotional or intellectual prowess, the tank cannot develop any PSI capabilities. This emotionally disturbed individual is extremely aggressive and talented in the use of all kinds of weapons.
Strengths:
Extremely strong and robust
Weaknesses:
Unable to develop PSI capabilities
Below average intelligence
The PSI Monk is at a great disadvantage in physical development due to his historical evolution. Even with the greatest effort it is nearly impossible for him to become a good fighter in the traditional sense. In the areas of PSI skills, however, all possibilities are open to him.
The PSI monks were the ruling class in Neocron up until the Ceres Wars. Among other things, they created the genetic blueprints for the GenTanks, who turned the tide of the war in favor of Neocron. After the war was over the morally strengthened populace revolted against the heartless regime of the PSI monks. The Monks were persecuted and driven into the underground. After the civil reforms, the monks were rehabilitated and could once again move freely about Neocron. Nonetheless, they are still despised or at least treated with mistrust among the general citizenry.
Strengths:
Well developed intelligence
Good physical agility
PSI-Skills easily developed
Weaknesses:
Disadvantages in all areas demanding physical strength or above average agility.
The next window allows you to select a
faction. You have twelve groups which differ greatly from one another to
choose from. For each faction there is a description divided into five
sub-categories:
Your faction is the equivalent of your first employer in Neocron. Youll probably want to perform your first assignments for the faction and it will be the first place in Neocron where youll find your orientation. Later, if and when you form a connection with a group of players (Clan), you can exercise a direct influence on the spheres of power between the various factions in Neocron. More on this point later.
By clicking on the Next button, which is found on the lower left of the screen, you will arrive at the next selection window.
Here you have the choice between various professions, which differ according to the character class you have selected. You also have the possibility of adding the profile values of a profession to your character or to distribute the experience points yourself. To do this, click on one of the Stats. Youll see a table listing the skills associated with this stat and their values. By clicking on the plus or minus symbols you can distribute the points as you see fit.
Clicking on the Next button will bring you to the final selection window.
Your final option allows you to influence your characters appearance. Your choices vary according to the character class youve chosen. By moving the scrollbar or clicking on the bodyparts you can choose and combine a head, torso and legs. Please notice that you can also change the color of your clothing during the game. You can also purchase clothing.
After youve jumped this final hurdle, finish your character design by clicking on Next and you will be presented with the character selection menu once more and find your new character there.
Select your character and begin the game by double-clicking on the characters portrait or on Next.
After creating your character you will find yourself in your brand new apartment. It will be either in a quarter of Neocron or outside the city, depending upon which faction you have chosen. This is the proper time to familiarize yourself with the controls and navigation within the game. Youll discover a terminal in your apartment (CityCom), which has interesting information for you. There are many terminals all over Neocron and outside the city. Later in this chapter youll learn more about them.
The greatest portion of the R.P.O.S. is constantly visible throughout the game. It consists of various display elements on the top and bottom of the screen. From left to right these are:
Top:
Location: your present position. Here you will see the name of the zone which you occupy.
Soullight: The Soul light is an indicator which reflects the actions of your character. A character with a negative soullight is evil, one with a highly positive soul light is good. If you kill someone, for example, who has a higher soullight than your character, then your characters soullight will sink greatly as a result.
The soullight has varied influences on the game. For example, evil characters will automatically be attacked by the Neocron police and CopBots. You can find more details on the soullight system in the documentation at https://www.neocron.com.
Cash: Your account status. Your character's money is managed in a central account, to which you have access at any time. In the world of Neocron there are no cash payments and money doesn't take up valuable space in your inventory. Cashcube: you can create a cashcube by left-clicking on the cash-status. Define the amount and click OK. A cashcube worth the amount you have defined will now be created in your inventory.
Time: At the top on the right you can see the present time of day. In Neocron time passes ten times faster than in the real world (In other words, six real minutes are one Neocron hour). If you keep the mouse on the time, your charakters name and the actual date will appear.
Help/ Close: You can access the Neocron help files by utilizing the question mark button, top right. The X-Button allows you to return to normal movement mode when you're in the chat mode. (see below.)
Bottom:
Com-Mode: The communication window, which displays all the important news, as well as the conversations of the players, is above this title. The present chat mode is beside the title. (see 6.2.1 Hypercom).
People: Here all the names of characters near you are displayed. Names in yellow depict characters without Law Enforcer implants (see: 6.2.3 Implants ), green names show characters equipped with Law Enforcer.
Status: on the far right you see the three most important attributes of your character Health (HLT), Stamina (STA) und PSI-energy (PSI). The bars symbolize your present energy reserve, while the digits above the bars show the exact amount of energy.
The above-mentioned elements are always visible, even in movement mode. You can recognize the movement mode in that moving the mouse causes your character to look around. By pressing the Tab Key you activate the R.P.O.S. mode and a menu appears at the top border of your screen.
The R.P.O.S. Menu contains ten sub-menus, which will be explained here and which you can access by clicking on one of them directly, or pressing one of the F- keys assigned to them (F1 through F10). Each of these sub menus opens a window, which you can close by either pressing the F- key which activated it, or clicking on the X symbol in its upper right hand corner. These windows can be moved about the screen freely by clicking on the window's title bar and dragging it while holding the mouse button down. By pressing the Esc button you can close all the windows at once. In the Controls-Options menu it is also possible to turn your character's ability to move during R.P.O.S. mode on or off. (see. Exit the window by clicking on the X box in the bottom right corner of the window or by using the Back button at the bottom of the screen.
Controls
Hint: If you memorize the configuration of the F- keys, you won't need to press Tab before using an F- key. If you press F1 while running, for example, the game automatically changes to the R.P.O.S. mode and opens the Hypercom menu.
Hypercom enables you to communicate with other players in Neocron and gives you quite a few possibilities for adjustments. You can converse with others when you're in R.P.O.S. mode by simply typing text and sending it by pressing the Enter key. The text will appear in the chat window on the lower right of your screen. You can enlarge this screen by clicking and dragging on the upper end of the scrollbar on the right side.
Your character can comment any chat-text with an animation that fits to the things you say. These animations are being triggered by certain keywords that are part of the typed text. If the game detects a hi or hello within the sentence, your character will automatically wave his arm at the other players. A no lets your character shake his head, a yes makes him nod. A list with all existing keywords is printed on the back of the worldmap poster and can be found online in the Guide at www.neocron.com
You can choose from six different chat modes: Zone, Local, Clan, Team, Direct and Custom. Beside the name of each mode you will see a button which resembles a loudspeaker. With this you can 'mute' all players prevent their text from appearing in your chat window now chatting in this particular mode. At the very bottom of the chat window there is also an Ignore People button, by means of which you can enter the names of specific characters whose text will then no longer be displayed in your chat window. This is one of the most effective methods of protecting yourself against verbal abuse by other players. Don't be afraid to use this button whenever you feel it is necessary.
By means of a single click you can choose one of the chat modes. Depending upon which mode you choose, certain players will not be able to read you, nor will you be able to read their texts. The Zone mode limits communication to those players who are in the same sector of Neocron in which you are present. If you switch to Local, only the players in your immediate vicinity will hear you. If you are a member of a clan, you can limit your communication to those in the same clan by switching to the Clan mode.
In the Direct and Custom modes you can chat with those players who are on your present list. To add a player to your list you can click on the player's name in the People window, which is located in the middle at the bottom of your screen, then on the plus button in the hypercom window. You can also type in a name manually and add it by clicking on the plus button. Then the player's name will appear in the list and you can chat with him/her, regardless of where in Neocron he or she may be. If you wish to remove a player from your list, simply highlight his or her name by clicking on it first, and then clicking on the minus button.
Hint: Use Alt + C to scroll quickly through the chat modes.
The inventory window consists of numerous squares. You can move about or access at will any of the items in the inventory area. Items of the same type can also be stacked by dragging one with the mouse over the same type of item and dropping it there, thus taking up less room in your inventory. Right-clicking on an item opens a small menu which displays more information about it, (Show info) as well as giving you the possibility to access it. (use/activate).
The upper portion of the window allows you to see how much lifting strength you possess (MaxLoad) and the amount of carrying capacity still available (Free Load). Both values are displayed in kilograms. The lifting strength will vary from character to character and is related to the value of your Transport skill.
If you wish to use weapons and other items in the first-person-perspective, you merely drag them into one of the windows at the bottom of the screen; the so-called Quickbelt, consisting of ten Quickslots; then access them by the 1 to 0 keys on your keyboard. You must be sure, however, that you are not in R.P.O.S mode.
This window shows you information about the implants in your character's body. Every new arrival in Neocron has, for example, a Law Enforcer implant. This prevents other players from attacking him or him from attacking other players.
In order to insert an implant or bone reinforcement you need an implant tool. Only if you have this can you insert an implant into yourself. You do this by selecting the implant in your inventory, holding down the mouse button and dragging the implant to the correct area of your character's body. Depending upon how great your implant skill is, this can take some time. You can follow your progress in the Processor window. The effects are noticeable after the implantation has been successfully completed and are shown under Effects in the Implants window. The same applies to the removal of implants.
In order for an implantation process to be successful, your implant skill must be at least as high as the implant's TechLevel. To find out if this is the case, right click on the implant and select Show info. Beneath the item's name in the second line in the newly opened window you will see the TechLevel of the implant. Now call up the Skills window (F5) and click on Details in the line headed Intelligence. Here you can see how high your Implant skill is. If it is as high or higher than the TechLevel of the item, you can install it according to the method described above.
Principally, the player's skill level must be at least on a par with the TechLevel of the item in question if the repair, implantation, construction, examination or re-use of the item is to be successful.
You can, however, remove the Law Enforcer implant without using a special tool. Simply drag it from the inventory window to begin the removal process. Warning: if you do remove your Law Enforcer chip, you can be attacked and even killed by other players who have removed their chips as well. Newcomers to Neocron should consider this fact carefully before taking that step! Aside from that, any items in your Quickbelt (the ten shelves on the right side of your screen) aren't secured any longer and can be taken by other players after they have killed your character. You can find more information about the Law Enforcer chip at https://www.neocron.com in the Guide.
This window shows you an overview of your character's body. It is divided into five separate windows: Head, Torso, Hips, Legs, and Feet. An item of armor can be assigned to each of these fields by dragging it from the inventory with the mouse and dropping it onto the preferred field. The item should now be affixed to the field you have chosen. In the right half of the window, the effectiveness of wearing this item of armor will be displayed under Effects. To remove the item of armor, simply reverse the process described above.
This window informs you of the development of your character's Stats and Skills. Here you find exact information about the five Stats: Intelligence, Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, and PSI Power. On the left you'll see the number of experience points, (PTS), which your character has collected, the amount of points necessary in order to reach the next experience level (MAX), the present level in this Stat (Level), as well as the number of points available for application to the displayed skill (SkillPoints).
The display to the right of Level shows separate Boni, or reductions of the skills belonging to this Stat. If, for example, you have died and have just been revived on a GenRep, the temporary reductions in skills which you must bear for a few minutes until your character's body has recovered completely are shown here.
By clicking on a Details button associated with a particular stat, you open a new window showing the skills belonging to that stat. In the upper right, the stat level (Level) is also displayed once more; as well as extra Boni/reductions (Factor), and to the left above the list of skills the number of unused SkillPoints. You can distribute these by clicking on the Plus button beside the pertinent skill. The Factor displayed beside each skill describes again the Boni/reduction, i. e., of implants, associated with a skill.
To return to the Stats window, simply click on the Back button.
This window gives you information about your relations with the various factions in Neocron. The higher the value displayed beside the faction, the better your relations with it. Lower values describe a poor reputation within the faction. If you are in good standing with a faction, its members will provide you with interesting and lucrative jobs and missions. To obtain them, simply visit the particular faction's headquarters.
Non-friendly factions will surely offer you very few interesting jobs if any at all. Members of such factions may even attack you on sight.
In Neocron you have the possibility of constructing, repairing, recycling, implanting and researching most items. To do this, you need the respective tool for the task you want to perform as well as the required materials. All processes can be done by using the Processor window.
Here is how to construct something: You need a Construction Tool and a Blueprint for the item to be constructed. When you right-click on this blueprint and select Show info, you will see all the necessary parts for building the object displayed under the heading, Parts.
As soon as you have all the parts, place them together with the blueprint and construction tool in the processor window and click on the Start button to begin the construction process. As soon as the item is complete, you can place it with your other items into the inventory or the Quickbelt and use it at your leisure.
Self constructed weapons or items are superior to those sold by the NPC salesmen. Due to this fact, they are quite useful aids in earning money through their sale to other players.
In a very similar manner you can repair, recycle, implant and research items. More detailed info on how to perform these actions can be found in the helpfiles in the game.
This window gives you important information concerning your present mission, such as mission objectives and how much time you have to complete them. You can discontinue the mission by clicking on the Cancel Mission button.
The NavRay is a satellite linked navigation system. Just select your desired destination and confirm your choice by hitting the START Button. If the area you are in is part of the detailed Navigation System, you will see a glowing green line that will guide you directly to your desired destination. If you are somewhere out of the registered area, a 3D arrow will point in the direction of your chosen target. On the bottom of the NavRay window are three buttons, which open a small map of the area you are in (small map), a map of the whole section (large map) or a view of the complete world of Neocron (worldmap). In each map a cursor marks the position of your character. The legend of the large map shows the shops, the borders between neighboring sectors, as well as other important places.
Here you can make a number of adjustments which influence the display options within the game. Since the performance is strongly dependent upon the hardware configuration of your computer, we can't make any general recommendations. A rule of thumb, however: the lower the quality of display settings, the faster the display speed during the game. This should help you find the best settings for your machine. After you have changed the settings, you must merely click on the Apply changes button. The monitor will flicker briefly and the new setting becomes active.
Neocron is usually played in the first person, as is Ego-Shooters. There are, however, other methods of interaction, which we will describe more thoroughly in this section.
In Neocron you have many different means of locomotion, but at the onset you'll walk most of the time.
The following directional movements are possible:
Forwards and backwards (Arrow keys up / down)
Walk sideways, left or right (Arrow keys left / right)
Jump (Ctrl)
Duck / Crawl (0 Number Block)
Run/Walk (Ctrl)
Turn and look up / down (Mouse left / right and up / down)
As with all other functions, you can also configure other key combinations for movement (see. Exit the window by clicking on the X box in the bottom right corner of the window or by using the Back button at the bottom of the screen.
Controls
Please note that jumping and running for extended periods affect your Stamina. As soon as your stamina value sinks to 1, you can only move very slowly and would do well to take a break until your stamina value increases to at least 20 points. Don't worry, your maximum stamina value will increase as you progress through the game. If you sit or kneel, your stamina will be augmented more quickly than if you stand or walk.
Unfortunately, the world of Neocron is not the Utopia mankind has dreamt of for millennia and in some parts of the city, particularly in the farther sectors, fights are a daily matter of course.
In order to access a weapon, drag it from your Inventory into the Quickbelt, which is located at the lower right of the screen. The Quickbelt's single slots are numbered from 0 9 ( 0 = x ).
To employ the weapon press the corresponding number key for the slot in which the weapon is stored. You now hold the weapon in your hands. If you move the crosshairs in the center of the screen over your opponent, a target box appears, which grows or shrinks according to how good your chances of hitting your target are. This depends on various factors. Your accuracy is decreased greatly by running and the target box slides apart. If you stand still and even sit or squat, your chances of scoring a hit are greater.
Unlike other MMORPGs, you can't simply stand before your opponent and batter him until he dies. Some of the elements from the well-known Ego-Shooters come into play here. In other words, it is important to duck under the enemy's blows and find a tactically good position from which to attack.
In order to utilize PSI modules you need a PSI Charger. If you are a PSI monk, you already possess one of these. As soon as you have one, open your inventory and implant windows. The PSI Charger is a hand implant which enables its user to utilize PSI modules. Drag the PSI Charger from the inventory and place it in the implant box next to the hand. You can read the results of the Charger in the implant window under the heading, Effects.
Bear in mind that you must satisfy the skill requirements necessary for the use of the PSI module. To find out the necessary requirements, right-click on the module and select show info. The requirements are listed under Object Stats in the form of Skill Abbreviations, Skill points. Skill points with Law Enforcer). You'll also find the skill abbreviations in the skills window (F5) or on the back of the printed worldmap. Under PSI Power, for example, you'll see Aggressive PSI Use APU. 'APU' is therefore the abbreviation for this skill.
As you can see, all items with specific requirements for their usage show two values for each necessary skill: one if your character no longer uses the Law Enforcer implant (see. 6.2.3 Implants ) and a second value (the one in parentheses) in case you still use it. Since characters using the Law Enforcer are safe from many dangers in Neocron (not the least of which is the danger of being killed by other players), we feel it is justified to require more experience and skill points from these 'safer' characters in order to enable them to use certain items.
If you don't fulfill the requirements for a particular item, it will appear in red in your inventory. This applies to all items, not only to the PSI module.
In order to open locked doors, electronically sealed boxes and other things of that nature you will need a Hack Tool. As with all other items, you can place this in your Quickbelt and use it from there. To use the tool to open doors or sealed supply boxes, apply it to the Door Access Interface. As soon as you utilize this tool, the following window appears:
Now you must try to defeat the computer operated protection mechanism. To do this, you can activate lines/mains on the left half of the monitor screen. If an activated line reaches the vertical row of junction points in the middle of the screen, it activates one of these points. Activate as many of these points as possible in order to shut down the protective mechanism. Sounds easy, doesn't it? But that only describes how the principle works. Here's a more detailed description:
In the upper left corner you will see a number of signal triggers. You can move one trigger after another on the left border of the screen with the directional keys (up/down arrow keys) up and down until it is positioned on a line you wish to activate. In order to turn on the trigger on the desired line, press the fire button (Left mouse button). When you have activated a trigger and with it the line it is expended and disappears from your inventory. You can use the next triggers immediately, one after another, until none are left.
Here you see an activated line. These are easily recognizable by the visible, bright flow of current moving through them.
These are the junction points in the middle of the screen. The illuminated ones have already been activated. Activate as many of them as possible to disable the protective mechanism.
This display shows how many junction points in all must be activated in order to disable the computer's protective mechanism. The large stars/asterisks symbolize the necessary number of junction points. Smaller asterisks appear when you have already activated more points than are necessary. That isn't bad, however, because the computer tries to deactivate as many points you have activated as it can. It is always a good measure of caution to have more junction points activated than you need, in case the computer has not used up all its triggers. Dark asterisks symbolize not yet activated, but necessary junction points.
In the top line of the window you can see how much time you have left to deactivate the protective mechanism. If you can't do it within the allotted time, your character will receive an electric shock, whose potency is dependent upon the difficulty level of the hack operation.
These elements are the actual problem in hacking. They join the lines with one another and affect the flow of current. They can prevent a junction from being activated when used incorrectly or they can activate several junction points with a single trigger if used properly. There are four different types:
OR-Element these elements are usually greatly advantageous. One need only activate any line at random leading into the left side in order to activate all lines coming from the element.
AND-Element These elements function in the opposite manner. Activating all lines going into the element activates all lines coming out of it.
Deadend-Element Activating this line is a waste of your trigger and your time, as its function is to block the flow of current through a line, which prevents a junction from being activated.
Inverter-Element These are the most dangerous elements. If they are activated, the resulting current will be added to the computer's protective mechanism, instead of to your advantage.
And that's the whole secret of hacking. With a little bit of practice it shouldn't present you with any problems. Remember, though, that in order to have a chance, you do need the appropriate number of hacking skill points for the difficulty level of the object you are attempting to hack. As with everything else, a hacker-guru is made, not born. Constant practice will pay off. After all, who said that doors and crates are the only objects which one can hack?
In order to obtain wares from an NPC-Trader (NPC stands for non-playing character, as opposed to a character operated by the computer of another game player), simply click on him with the Use-button (Right mouse button). The trade window will open and you see the name of the shop and the type of wares it sells on the left. Beneath the label and on the left, the objects themselves are lined up. To the right of each object you can read a short description of is function, as well as learn its purchase and sale prices. To obtain an object, click on its image with the Left mouse button and it will appear at the lower left border of the window. By using the Plus- und Minus buttons you can determine how many units of this item you would like to buy. The total price then appears beneath it. As soon as you are satisfied, click on the Buy button and the object will appear on the right in your inventory from where you can also sell objects by the same means. You must bear in mind, though, that NPC traders will only purchase wares which suit their assortment. For example, no munitions trader will buy a PSI module from you. Items you own and a trader has interest in will automatically appear on the right trading side.
Of course, it is also possible to trade with other players in Neocron. To begin business negotiations with another player, right-click on his character. A window which is divided into two areas will appear.
The left portion represents the character of the player with whom you wish to trade. The right is your area recognizable by the player name displayed on the upper border of the trade window. Drag the object you wish to sell from your inventory into the trade window. The other player can now either place into the window an object he would like to offer in exchange, or, using the Plus-and Minus signs at the bottom of the screen, offer an amount of credits he is willing to pay. When both parties are satisfied with the deal, each clicks on the OK button in his portion of the window to complete the transaction.
You can prevent others from initiating a trade operation with you, by hitting the buttons ALT and K.
You can explore the wastelands bare-footed or much safer, faster and
easier by using a vehicle. The Automotive Sales Group (ASG) is a store chain
which sells vehicles produced by Neocron Exploration Technology Inc. (NEXT).
You simply go in, buy a key for the vehicle you wish to possess and gain access
to it at any Vehicle-Service-Terminal at the outskirts of
You enter any vehicle by engaging the Use action (Right mouse button) and get out by hitting the jump key (Ctrl)
A subway system, which enables you to move
more quickly from one city area to another, exists beneath the city of
The vehicles of the Neocron Subway are steered automatically and have very short waiting times. As soon as a car stops, board it by pressing the Use button (Right mouse button). The vehicle Stops at every station. After the door opens, you disembark by pressing the jump button (Ctrl).
6.4 Terminals
One of the indispensable installations in Neocron are terminals, which give you a lot of information and make your life much easier.
CityCom
The CityCom terminals employ many functions serving communication, news reporting and e-mail service. Every citizen of Neocron has one of these terminals at home in order to stay informed. To activate a CityCom terminal, simply click on it with the Use button and the selection menu will appear. We'll explain the terminal now in more detail:
Here you download e-mail sent to you within the game. Just as in any normal e-mail organizer, you can read, write and send e-mails, as well as deleting old mails. After opening your e-mail folder with a click on Mail, you can read your mail messages from a list sorted according to date. By clicking on Clear you can delete each message selected.
To send an e-mail to another player, click on New. Enter the recipient's name in the top line, as well as a short message description in the 're' line.
Type the message in the large text field. When you complete the message satisfactorily, send it by clicking on Okay.
Choosing this menu point brings you to the Neocron open forum system.
Here you can take part in public discussions on various topics; i.e., the rumor forum, job forum, or the new-arrivals-in-Neocron forum. Quite often one can find goods offered at reasonable prices, as well. It is always advantageous to check the various forums.
The integrated news system keeps you up to date on events in and around Neocron. The reports are sorted according to the date, the newest on top. You can also send news reports yourself by clicking on the Submit News Button. Your submission is sent to a support operator who publishes it after he has reviewed it.
If you find yourself running out of money, you can look under this entry for gainful employment. After having chosen a faction and a degree of difficulty, a list of available jobs is displayed here showing their salaries and other details.
The list also shows whether you must fulfill any particular loyalty factors for your employer. You can find out if you fulfill any of these requirements by looking in R.P.O.S. under Factions (F6).
If you choose a mission from the list, you'll see a window containing a detailed assignment description. By clicking on Accept you agree to take on the job and it will be saved in your R.P.O.S. under Missions, from which point you can access the assignment status at any time. If you decide not to accept, a mouse click on Decline returns you to the list.
As a clan leader you can use this system to accept special missions in which your entire clan takes part. If a mission is already assigned to your clan at this point, you can cancel your present choice with a mouse click.
Here you obtain information pertaining to the various clans. You can choose a clan which you would like to examine more closely from an alphabetical list. If you are looking for a specific clan, enter the clan's name in the search field.
Among other information, you will learn here the following facts:
A short description of the clan
Faction affiliation (shows to which faction one must belong for membership in this clan)
Outposts belonging to the clan (there are many outposts in the Wastelands which can be conquered by clans for their factions)
The names of the clan leader and his officers
Clan members
Average wage of the clan
Fortune
Admission fee
Monthly membership fee
You can, of course, apply for membership in a clan here, as well as terminate a present membership. As a clan leader you can also make certain adjustments for your clan.
Here you see an alphabetical list of all twelve factions which control affairs in and around Neocron. When you click on a faction, a sub window will open, containing the following information:
A short description of the faction.
Name (or names) of the faction leader(s)
The number of affiliated clans (clicking on More info shows the clans in alphabetical order)
A list of the most powerful affiliated clans
Outposts belonging to the faction
Average monthly income, including the outposts
Average monthly rental income from the outposts
Average monthly expenses for missions
Total monthly expenses
Assets/fortune of the faction
Emblem of the faction
In this area you can collect information about other game characters, as well as editing information on your own character. Information available here includes:
Name
Experience level of the character
Clan membership
Profession
Short description of the player
Address
Rank
Faction membership
Soullight
Fortune
Player Kills (how many game characters this character has killed)
Non-Player Kills (i.e., how many monsters and other NPCs this character has killed)
Comments
Using the last point in the list, you can change your own character profile by changing your profession, or adding a short description of your game character, for example.
Here you learn facts about installations in the Wastelands which can be valuable in an effort to conquer them.
All 48 installations are in a list which you can view according to their types, names, clan ownership and monthly income. Click on an installation to receive the following information:
Name of the Installation
Installation type (research laboratory, mine, fort or communications center)
Clan ownership of the installation
Name and emblem of the faction owning the installation
Monthly income generated by the installation for the faction
Amount of rent which the clan receives from the faction for the installation
Price for usage of the NeoFrag
Price for resuscitation
Price for food
Price for medical aid
Purchase price for the installation
As the leader of a clan owning an installation, you also have various options pertaining to the administration of the installation.
The guide is a constantly available reference work for the players and is divided into the following sections:
Newbie Guide
The newbie guide facilitates the entrance into the game for new players. For example, the game interface and NavRay are explained here. An integrated FAQ answers the most important questions.
City Guide
In the city guide you can become familiar with the various sections of Neocron. A map shows you your area and how you can reach it by means of the subway.
Creature Guide
All the known types of creatures in Neocron are introduced here, although the particularly strange beings are not. You must find these yourself enjoy the surprises!
Technology Guide
Most of the technologies and weapons are described here, as well as how they function.
The Law
The laws of Neocron and the punishments for not observing them are described here.
General Help
If you couldn't find any help in the other sources, you'll see some useful internet links for support forums here, as well as e-mail support addresses.
By pressing this button you exit the terminal system.
6.4.2 GenRep (Genetic Replicator)
Each apartment in Neocron has its own GenRep station, and more of these terminals are spread all over the city and the surroundings. A copy of the users gene-structure is being saved in the central data storage of the GenRep system. Should anything happen to the user, he can be completely rebuild thanks to the GenRep technology. However, theres a slight blemish to this procedure: after this resuscitation the user suffers under certain synaptic impairments. For a certain amount of time he wont be able to move and use his skills as usual. This side effect will soon disappear and all functions will be back to normal. Another useful feature of GenReps is the possibility to recover lost inventory items for the cost of a small fee.
You can even use GenReps as teleporters: If you have activated a GenRep before, you can teleport to it from any other GenRep station in Neocron. I guess we dont have to mention that this service and the activation of a GenRep - costs a little extra.
6.4.3 GoGuardian
GoGuardians are something like the extended inventory in Neocron. You can find one station inside your apartment and others all over the city and in installations in the wastelands. You and only you - can gain access to the items you place inside a GoGuardian from any other terminal in Neocron.
6.4.4 Outfitter
Most apartments in the finer areas in Neocron are equipped with an Outfitter station. If you feel like changing the outer appearance of your character, you can simply do that by choosing some other clothing the Outfitter offers. There is a screen displaying your current appearance; by using the sliders on the Outfitter window you can change the clothing and its colors. Once you have found a better combination, simply press the buy button the price for the new set will be displayed.
6.4.5 Venture Warp
There are Venture Warp branches placed all over the city offering cheap teleporting services to the outskirts and the gates to the surrounding wastelands. Opposed to teleporting with a GenRep, venture warping does not require you to activate the destination terminal beforehand. And whats more important it costs less.
6.4.6 NeoFrag
NeoFrag offers all players secure deathmatches whereas secure means: your character wont loose on his skills, stats and inventory, once he exits NeoFrag and gets on with the real game. The terminal lets you choose a map and the number of players allowed. Within the NeoFrag map you will find further terminals, which will heal you, supply you with ammunition for your activated weapon and one to exit the game. On the top left corner is a statistic showing the names of the players and their frags.
Note, that you must have one or more weapons to be able to play there wont be any weapons available in NeoFrag.
Around the end of the 27th century Earth is a nearly dead planet.
Climate.
Nations.
Everything was in upheaval.
The Ceres Wars, excessive environmental pollution, global warming and the contaminating radiation entering through a perforated ozone layer have turned this once blue planet into a grayish-brownish sphere of sludge. Humanity has long overcome its collective feeling of guilt for the state Earth is in, and has begun to search for a new home. Finally they make a strike in a distant part of space.
Over the course of several decades gigantic treks transport the majority of humanity to the planet Irata III. The remnants of the world's population regrouped behind the protective walls of three teeming mega-metropolises. Safety shields, artificial atmosphere and magnetic fields protect these cities against contaminating radiation and other influences from the devastated outside world.
The following pages contain the most
important events from the year 2005 up to the year 2750, i.e. from our era to
the time when the game officially begins. Not all events are directly related
to the occurrences following them. The purpose of this timeline is rather to
explain the background and the history of the city of
Holographic mass storage media are introduced to the world market. The Holodisk is scanned with a laser and even the introductory model can contain amounts of data which are over 100 times greater than the maximum capacity of conventional mass media based on magnetic fields.
NASA succeeds in conducting the first manned mission to Mars.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT) launches the Ceres Project, which has been designated to take 20 years to
complete. The goal of this project is to store the entire Stock of human
knowledge clearly arranged on Holodisk. Publicly available science data of the
present is reviewed and collected by a group of 250 professors and students
from all over the world. The name Ceres is derived from the roman name of the
Greek goddess Demeter, who was worshipped in ancient
In the course of the fourth mission to Mars an accident killing the entire crew takes place at launch time.
Dr. Karmann, leader of the Ceres Project, explains at a press conference that if a primitive civilization were to gain access to all the information the Ceres Project contains, it would be able to build nuclear plants after a few decades. This remark provides the project with an enormous amount of public attention.
Dr. Karmann is found murdered. The Ceres Project is removed from the MIT and is classified as a top-secret state-affair.
The sixth mission to Mars ends with a huge success; a formerly unknown metal possessing amazing qualities is found on the red planet in considerable amounts. Thorough scientific investigation shows that this material will not become radioactive, even after the long and intensive influence of Neutrons resulting from the fusion of Triton and Deuteron. The suggestion of doubling the subsidizing of atomic fusion research is made, due to the unique qualities of the newly discovered metal. An atomic reactor based on nuclear fusion can only produce a viable source of energy if radioactive side effects can be eliminated. As the new material does this, it will provide the perfect shielding for the reactor.
According to certain rumors, the Ceres Project has been completed by the NSA, after secret military and scientific information was added. Several NSA agents are assigned to attend to the project in the future report updates continuously. The project was relocated, probably to an isolated, hermetically sealed laboratory complex, where it will be safe in case of an environmental catastrophe or war.
The
After the fossil fuels of
In an American research center a Deuterium-Tritium-plasma is held stable over a sufficient amount of time. The commercial utilization of nuclear fusion is close at hand.
While
Through this victory
The first d-t-fusion plants are put into
operation in the
Following the subjection of Asia,
The Arab Emirates sign an alliance with
the empire and provide it with oil.
Because of the Japanese arsenal of hi-tech
weaponry, the Chinese Empire fails to occupy
Representatives of the western world and
While the efforts to design plasma weapons are still not making any progress, the use of bundled energy / particle rays as weapons for air- and ground-based vehicles are promoted successfully by the western industry nations.
The last power plant based on nuclear
fission is shut down in
The Federation establishes a colony on Mars which provides it with minerals.
Even the oil resources of the Arab Emirates run low. The most important Arabian cities will be connected to the Chinese power supplies in the following decade.
The first cold nuclear fusion is accomplished in a German nuclear research center. The development of compact high-performance energy generators draws nearer. At the same time the development of new kinds of fusion plants will further improve the efficiency of this kind of energy.
At Xi An, a metropolis situated south of
Aroused by the disaster in Xi An the Japanese government decides to build radiation protection domes above the nation's major cities.
The Chinese Empire discovers a way to hide conventional missiles from radar sensors. The Kerolin Stealth missile is able to deliver any kind of warhead to its target unnoticed. The Federation claims to have been in possession of this type of stealth technology but to have kept it secret until now.
The conversion of the existing fusion plants within the Federation to utilize cold nuclear fusion for energy production begins.
Red Terra is established on Mars as the first civil colony. Red Terra consists of seven domes and is the new home for 3,000 people. This measure initiates the extraterrestrial colony program of the Federation of the Free World. The plan is to relocate 400,000 people to Mars by the end of the century.
Scientists discover that they can start a reaction by adding a complex gas mixture to the atmosphere of Mars, which will make the planet's atmosphere breathable within 300 years. In the same year the pioneers begin with the terraforming. The gas mixture is called Gabanium after its developer, Dr. Gloria Gaban.
The technologically backward
The Empire attacks
The extremist Chinese dictator Kong Jieshi
is found murdered in his private villa. An army of bodyguards was unable to
protect him.
The political situation has been stabilized. The new Chinese dictator Xu Derui knows of the technological inferiority of the Empire compared with the Federation and lessens the imperialistic drive of his people.
Japanese researchers develop the prototype
of a small fusion powered engine that can be used for vehicles (
Astronomers discover that the third planet of the solar system Irata, 80 light years away, is very similar to Mars. Even the chemical composition of the atmosphere is nearly identical.
Hoping to be able to colonize this planet sometime in the future a probe is sent to Irata III, featuring a new second-generation fusion drive. After its arrival the probe will inject a finely dosed amount of Gabanium into the atmosphere of Irata III.
The probe will need to travel for approximately 100 years to reach the planet. The atmosphere should be breathable after 300 years, if everything goes according to plan.
The Empire surprisingly presents the
prototype of a generation spaceship to cover distances of several hundred light
years. Project Starcruiser is based on the fusion drive of the probe, which was
sent to Irata III by the Federation three years ago, and has room for up to
3,000 passengers. Until now the Federation was assuming that
Near the end of the year the president of the Federation, Eva Goreman, accuses the Chinese Empire of industrial espionage by asking publicly how a nation that produces 80% of it's power by the antiquated means of nuclear fission could suddenly present a spaceship with a modified fusion drive. The governing Chinese dictator, Xu Derui, strictly rejects this innuendo.
The technical advances made in the field of nuclear fusion in the last years were also utilized in arms development, which has now resulted in the manufacturing of advanced hydrogen bombs in large numbers by the Federation. These offer an unimaginable concentration of radioactivity while showing a huge explosive effect and a high sphere of impact at the same time. The new warheads are used by the Federation mainly for Cold Fusion long-range missiles.
February, 11th 2143
In the morning hours of February 11th the Starcruiser embarks on its first and last voyage. 3,000 colonists from all population strata of the Chinese Empire are aboard. The destination of this voyage is kept secret. So is the technology which was installed in the last six months as an enhancement to the fusion drive.
February, 13th 2143
Two days following the launch of the Starcruiser the ship disappears from the instruments of imperial ground control. After a short search a Chinese flight squadron finds some debris which probably belongs to the Starcruiser.
February, 14th 2143
February, 15th 2143
President Eva Goreman announces that the
Federation has no interests in the Chinese plans for colonization and that they
never had planned to sabotage them. Furthermore she considers
February, 16th 2143
Xu Derui announces that further proof for the presence of Federation fighters shortly before the disappearance of the Starcruiser has been found at the last known position of the ship. Enraged, he once again threatens with vengeance.
Goreman announces that same day that the Federation will no longer stand for these repeated and unfounded threats.
February, 17th 2143, 06:40 am
The sensors of a German radar station pick
up three shadows above the
February, 17th 2143, 06:58 am
It's a rainy morning in
February, 17th 2143, 07:45 am
A briefing of the crisis committee in
Federation HQ,
February, 17th 2143, 08:02 am
Two Kerolin Stealth missiles hit
February, 17th 2143, 08:07 am
With the SALT-17 treaty of 2104, both the Federation and the Empire had agreed neither to produce, nor employ any Kerolin Stealth missiles. The deployment of this treacherous weapon by the Empire will now destroy all densely populated portions of the Federation within the next 20 minutes.
At 08:07 am, minutes prior to the total destruction of the Federation, President Eva Goreman gives the command to counter-strike with Cold Fusion long-distance missiles. 85 of these missiles are launched from Federation platforms, targeting imperial cities. President Goreman and more than 90% of the Federation's population will not live to see the moment of impact.
February, 17th 2143, 14:00
In the last six hours approximately 23 of 24 billion human lives have been eradicated.
End of February, 2143
Triggered by the enormous detonations, volcanoes erupt, earthquakes ripple through the ruins of the cities and the waters of giant floods mix with the blood of the fallen victims. Those still alive fear that this is the end of the world, and for most of them it indeed will be.
In the following centuries the face of
planet earth changes in a way for which it would have required millennia under
normal circumstances, due to the unnaturally provoked tectonic activity. The
North American continent appears to deviate to the east, while Europe drifts
away from
The few survivors of the war, the radiation and the ensuing natural disasters form a new kind of human race. Trained by the ongoing escape from death, grown strong by the fight against the forces of nature, small groups and tribes gather all over the planet, which is slowly calming down.
The earth and mankind itself are now in a state comparable to the early Iron Age. Although some wisdom could be passed on over the generations, there is a lack of any kind of infrastructure which might put this wisdom to good use. Technical devices surface sporadically from the debris, but people lack the knowledge to repair them. Only occasionally will a tribe gain possession of a functioning technical device, which then is enshrined and protected like some kind of god. Most humans feed on vermin and other small animals. Some plants prove to be nourishing, as well.
Some tribes begin to trade with one another. In the regions of lesser radiation tribes conduct farming and cattle-breeding. Metal processing trades are prospering in the heavily contaminated regions. People living in the latter territories have developed a higher resistance to radiation during the course of generations.
Some very few people gain electricity from water and wind power, using it to run primitive technical installations. But power supply systems are non-existent.
The total population of earth now amounts to approximately 800,000 human beings; 75% of them living in the Northern Hemisphere. The remembrance of WW3, which lasted only a few hours, found its way into the rites and customs of the tribes long ago. In some tribes people talk about the cleansing white light, in others about the fires of the apocalypse and in yet other tribes people believe in the breath of the devil, which haunted the earth and banished the human race from paradise.
Although the memories of the catastrophe which condemned humanity are kept alive by these rites and customs, there are certain tribes which haven't specialized in farming or cattle breeding, but in the art of war. On the one hand they raid rich tribes to acquire their goods and wealth, on the other hand they offer their fighting abilities to other tribes, giving them the opportunity to deal with unfriendly neighbors.
Two warlike tribes with strong leaders become remarkably known: the tribe of Crahn and the tribe of Thor. Both of these tribes roam the contaminated earth in search of wealth and power. While the people of Thor wander through the northwest of the nameless new continent, the tribe of Crahn has declared the east of the continent to be its territory. Both tribes gain in size and influence over the years.
While searching for minerals a patrol from the Crahn tribe discovers the entrance to a cave, which was buried by rocks. Since they suspect an ore mine to be within the cave, ten of the tribe's strongest men begin to excavate the entrance. After working for four days they discover a cathedral-sized passage, which leads deep into the mountain. Upon clearing the way of all obstacles and after another group has ventured deeper into the mountain, they are astounded by encountering other human beings.
They learn that these people have lived inside the mountain for countless generations, isolated from the outside world. Their ancestors had sought shelter from the forces of Naure in the caves centuries ago. After the entrance to the caves became buried, no other exit remained. A subterranean river supplied the people with water and food and thus they dwelled for centuries in the colossal underground caverns of a mountain range.
The skin of these people is hardly pigmented and they are extremely thin and lean of stature. They are bald and have big black eyes with virtually no irises left. It's discovered that they apparently don't communicate verbally and are virtually blind.
When one of the warriors hits one of the cave dwellers on the head just for fun, his companions witness the assailant being raised nine feet into the air by invisible hands, prior to exploding! Afterwards two witnesses confirm that the eyes of the cave dweller glowed red during the occurrence.
From then on the cave dwellers are treated with much respect. They are led to Crahn, who is fascinated by them from the start. Since he assumes that one day his tribe will profit from the powers of these people, he decides to admit the cave dwellers to his tribe.
Though they quickly learn to talk, they nonetheless remain among themselves. Since they obviously possess telekinetic psi powers the other tribe members call them Psi Monks.
The tribe of Thor and the tribe of Crahn
meet at the
Because of the psionic powers at his command, Crahn believes himself to be invincible and follows Thor's troops. They reach Jeriko, the hometown of Thor's people. In a bloody battle Thor's tribe is reduced to a few thousand men for whom Crahn sets up a prison camp, where they are forced to perform heavy labor. One night Thor and a group of about fifty fellow prisoners manage to escape from the ruins of the city he once ruled. They flee to the west, to the tribe of Ceres. Though Thor and Ceres have never been allies, they always tolerated each other peacefully. Ceres admits the exhausted men into his tribe. Since Ceres is aware of the threat Crahn poses, he proposes an alliance to Thor.
The area around Jeriko, the former home of Thor's people, is for the most part only irradiated to a minimal extent and lies strategically well protected, situated slightly above a river's mouth. The PSI Monks suggest that Crahn build a mighty fortress on the ruins of Jeriko, to consolidate his power. Crahn, being the vain person he is, agrees. He declares the construction of this fortress to be the beginning of a new era and therefore calls the fortress Neocron (Greek: neo = new, cronos = time).
Six years later Jeriko has disappeared. Where once the people of Thor lived, now the mighty fortress of the new age is situated: Neocron. It is ruled by Crahn and the PSI Monks.
The hermit Mecando has seen many parts of the new world. His skin has been tanned by the weather and his provisional radiation protection suit is tattered and torn by the time he reaches an outpost of the Ceres tribe, totally exhausted. Quickly Thor and Ceres hear about the traveler from afar and, being curious about him, visit the outpost to meet Mecando. The old man tells them about the small tribes and their accomplishments, about heroic deeds and tragedies and about Neocron, the huge fortress where nobody would offer him refuge.
When Mecando, Ceres and Thor meet together one evening, Mecando asks Ceres about the origin of his name. Ceres answers that his people once undertook an expedition into the north of the new continent. They advanced into a very cold and inhospitable area. The further they marched into the north, the more men froze to death or starved. When they finally reached the conclusion to abort the expedition, they discovered the tomb of a great warrior. A huge rock overhang covered the entrance to the tomb and enormous steel doors sealed the tomb itself. The only part of the tomb discernible from the outside was a black granite slab on which the word 'Ceres' could be read. When they looked at it more closely they also could make out the words 'Wisdom Power' and 'Knowledge'. The rest of the engraved words had been ground away by the elements through time. Ceres presumed that a mighty tribal leader had been buried here. Since the tomb was apparently several hundred years old, he decided to help Ceres rise again by adopting his name. He hoped that by assuming the name of this northern tribal leader, the gods would give him the strength to bring the expedition home in safety. And so, indeed, they did.
Mecando is confused and tells them that he encountered the name 'Ceres' before in another context in stories and myths, although he's unable to recall their exact content. But he is sure that there was no connection to any warrior or tribal leader, and he urges Ceres to lead him to the spot where the tomb lies. Ceres, aware of the dangerous terrain up north, is not too eager to give in to the old man. But Thor becomes curious and is prepared to lead an expedition to the tomb. The warnings of Ceres fall upon deaf ears and after he tells them the way to the reputed tomb, Thor, Mecando and twenty tribesmen journey into the stark landscapes of the north.
Thor's expedition has been underway for nearly eight months and has been reduced to fourteen men by the time they find the place of which Ceres told them. Mecando is confident that they must enter the tomb to disclose its secret. The men begin to breach the enormous steel doors, and when Thor and Mecando enter the depths of the 'tomb' they sense that nothing would ever again be as it was before their discovery.
And thus the people of Ceres come into possession of Mankind's entire knowledge from the 22nd century. For months the wise men of the tribe study the Ceres Project. There are specific instructions on how to erect workshops, factories and power plants. Ceres orders a valley plant in the west shut down and the scholars of his tribe begin to experiment with the newly discovered knowledge. Mecando becomes chief researcher and Thor is usually the first to test the new acquisitions. Since he never stopped dreaming about conquering Neocron and freeing his oppressed people, he urges Mecando to develop new weapons enabling him to accomplish this goal. Despite of Ceres' doubts, Mecando is convinced by Thor to work on the development of new weapons.
Of course, such an important event in the development of mankind as the discovery of the Ceres discs cannot be kept secret for long. The monks of Crahn by now have established an excellent intelligence service. Many of the most intelligent and agile citizens of Neocron have been recruited for the NSD (Neocron Security Department). The NSD succeeds in planting some of their members in the Ceres Project, who pass on information to the people of Crahn. Crahn is totally enraged when he learns about the Ceres Project. He knows that in the event of war, his people cannot come up with anything equivalent to this technological leap. Therefore, he orders the PSI Monks to initiate the elite of the NSD-Spies in psionic techniques, so they can read the minds of the researches of the Ceres Project.
In fact, the tribe of Crahn succeeds in acquiring large amounts of knowledge about the Ceres Project by utilizing these methods. Following their failed attempt to steal the Ceres discs, the NSD-Spies are discovered and executed. After this incident only citizens and friends of Ceres' tribe are allowed to participate in the project.
Ten years after the discovery of the project, Ceres decides to begin with the construction of an enormous city in the still sealed-off valley. He wants to realize all the theoretical knowledge gained from the Ceres discs in this city. Mecando advises him to place a protective dome of eloxated glass and steel over the city, to protect it from the deadly radiation. Ceres announces his plans publicly, and so the Dome of York becomes a legend long before the foundation stone is laid. But in Neocron things have changed, too: the people of Crahn have begun to put the newly acquired information to good use and expand the city. The buildings become bigger and grander from year to year.
By now Thor, Ceres and Crahn are all about 50 years old. On his deathbed Mecando tells Thor about the secret of a new weapon. He calls it 'energy weapon' and explains that it does not shoot projectiles of solid matter, as do conventional firearms, but bundled energy. Mecando also tells him that he already has developed a prototype of this weapon and where it can be found.
Thor gives out orders to push the development of this new weapon. He plans to distribute several hundred weapons to his men and to attack Neocron by the end of the year.
Ceres and Thor argue about this plan. Ceres advises Thor to forget Jeriko and Neocron, but Thor wants to free his people. Ceres threatens to abandon him if won't discard this plan. But Thor mocks Ceres by saying that his men are the only warriors, anyway and that the tribe of Ceres would be defenseless without him.
Throughout the spring Thor mobilizes his own men and some new followers from the ranks of Ceres to take Neocron with their help. Thor's men are equipped with a powerful hand weapon which shoots heavy plasma. This green glowing, concentrated energy wields an enormous amount of destructive power. When Thor's men leave the city, they know there's no turning back. Ceres has told them that anyone choosing choose war over peace would be forfeiting his place in this community.
The Battle of Neocron doesn't last long. After Crahn and his PSI Monk bodyguards manage to escape, the remaining PSI Monks surrender quickly, realizing that they stand no chance against the powerful energy weapons of Thor. Thor is displeased by the escape of Crahn, but the joy and jubilance of the liberated people comfort him sufficiently to help him forget his disappointment soon enough. Not only his own people receive him with cheers, but the people of Crahn, as well. They, too, had suffered badly under the cruel reign of Crahn and his monks. They now hope for the organization of a just government with Thor at its head as a just ruler: Thor, about whom they had heard so many encouraging tales.
Crahn flees together with his guards into the wastelands. Building over the base of an old ruin they begin with the construction of a secured abbey. In the course of the following years Crahn dies. His guards found the Sect of Crahn in the abbey. This sect will become a most influential religion in the following decades.
After seven years of growth, justice and progress under Thor's reign, he considers himself to be too old to continue with ruling over Neocron. He passes his power on to his son, Regant. Regant wants to develop Neocron into the most powerful, most modern and largest city of the new world.
The construction of the Dome of York is
nearly finished as well. Following the insight gained from the Ceres Discs,
Regant doesn't believe in the concept of the dome. Educated by Caalron, the successor of Mecando, he creates a plan for a magnetic shield, which can reflect more than 50 percent of the radiation without a physical structure. The benefits of Regant's plan are based on the fact that his concept won't limit the physical expansion of the city.
Despite the magnetic shield, the population of Neocron still suffers from disease which can be traced back to the influence of radiation. Regant plans to improve the shield and asks the now 65 year old Ceres to give him a copy of the Ceres Discs to supplement his knowledge about magnetic shields. Surprisingly, Ceres refuses his request. He tells Regant that he had warned Regant's father against bloodshed and that there will be neither partnership nor friendship between Neocron and York.
Bewildered, Regant insists on his right to gain access to the Ceres Discs. He points out that it had, after all, been his father who discovered them. But Ceres doesn't sway from his point of view. Regant is left no choice but to give up his plan.
A deadly virus infection kills thousands of Neocron's residents. The city's medics are helpless, and even the PSI Monks, who have wondrous healing methods at their disposal, are puzzled. Once again Regant turns to Ceres and pleads to gain access to the discs to find some medicine against the plague. But Ceres states that the plague is the vengeance of the God of the Blinding Light, who is punishing Neocron for the senseless bloodshed.
Beside himself with rage and not comprehending how Ceres is able to tolerate the demise of so many innocent people, young Regant declares that there will be more bloodshed and begins to assemble his troops for a war against the Dome of York.
Regant and Ceres are unable to come to a peaceful agreement. Regant orders the PSI Monks to use their knowledge about genetic engineering gained primarily while fighting the virus infection to breed a stronger and more robust warrior. The PSI Monks, who studied genetic engineering since Thor's capture of Neocron and the introduction of the new doctrine, pursue this task intensively and develop a prototype, which they call GenTank, after just a few months. The GenTank can be produced as a fully trained warrior in a short amount of time and has all the characteristics Regant requested. In addition, Regant's scientists develop new armored vehicles based on 22nd century military tanks. Piloted by the new warriors with their genetically enhanced reflexes and tactical abilities, these Hovertanks become extremely effective weapons.
Ceres, too, instructs his researchers to work on new military equipment. They develop a new kind of walking vehicle, a powered giant of metal, equipped with numerous weapons and piloted by an artificial brain. This new kind of field weapon is called WarBot by its developers. Furthermore, they work on a new mass destruction system on the basis of the former atomic bomb.
Once again Regant asks Ceres to grant him access to the discs. He explains that, regardless of whoever discovered the discs, Ceres is not entitled to use the knowledge of the discs exclusively for himself. In fact, the knowledge contained in the discs should be accessible by all of mankind.
He issues an ultimatum to Ceres to make the discs accessible by the end of the year. Should Ceres not react by then, Regant would use force to ensure that the knowledge of the discs be shared by everyone.
Ceres proclaims the discs to be his property and states that Neocron has already benefited more than it merits from the knowledge they hold. Regant deploys his army of GenTanks equipped with heavy weapons and attacks the Dome of York with full force. Regant's strategy is based on a short, powerful military strike against Ceres, but he fails to take the defensive mechanisms of the dome into account. The area surrounding the city is covered with mines and spring-guns, and the GenTanks that break through this protecting wall face an army of WarBots.
What had been planned as a short strike becomes the longest military conflict in the history of the new world. While Ceres dispatches his armored warriors to the battlefield, the PSI Monks raise one Tank after the other and the factories spew out thousands of Hovertanks.
The earth surrounding both of the cities is soaked in blood and covered with debris by the time Ceres' scientists discover a weapon based on the atomic bomb, which would kill unprotected organic material while leaving Ceres' own walking weapons unharmed, by means a special shielding for the WarBots. Ceres does not hesitate to detonate this bomb over the battlefields between the two cities. Thousands of genetically bred GenTanks fall victim to the radiation of the bomb. Ceres threatens to employ the bomb over Neocron, if his enemies don't surrender within one week. But he doesn't know that the PSI Monks have already copied the shielding of the WarBots and applied it to a new type of armor suit, which they developed by adapting some technologies they acquired from destroyed or captured Ceres-WarBots. This armor suit enhances the reflexes and capabilities of the GenTanks even further, and the next wave of GenTanks goes into battle adequately protected.
Because of the protection, increased power and efficiency provided by these suits, the GenTanks vanquish Ceres' warriors and WarBots and invade the Dome of York. The government is overthrown and Ceres publicly executed. Regant seizes all of the Ceres Discs and begins to reveal their knowledge to the public. Furthermore he appoints a new ruler from his own ranks, who is to control the reconstruction of the dome.
The radiation in the area between the Dome of York and Neocron is enormous. Even with the best possible radiation protection, the distance between the two cities can't be covered without the unfortunate traveler suffering permanent damage. This leads to a rather isolated development of both cities in the following years.
The irradiated area on the brink of and
outside the protective dome is called The Wastelands. The first district of
Neocron adjoining Wastelands is the Outzone. While the Outzone is protected
against radiation, the numerous and hard-to-survey installations and buildings
provide a certain incentive for criminal elements. To the inner districts of
the city belong
It is a peaceful time, which furthers research and financial growth to a great extent. The PSI Monks, to whom Neocron more or less owe the victory over Ceres, have taken command of the military.
There is no further genetic development of GenTanks. From the PSI Monks' point of view, a battle unit based on an organic being can't be the optimal solution. The existing GenTanks are left to themselves. Much like the PSI Monks, the GenTanks mostly remain among their own kind. Nevertheless, they more or less succeed in integrating themselves into the social system. They accept security and bodyguard jobs and thus create their own place in society. But the GenTanks are never drawn into the regular police force.
Regant, who suffers heavily from the effects of the radiation disease, apparently loses influence and the well organized PSI Monks become more and more a secret power within Neocron. The intelligence service, NSD, once founded under Crahn's rule, controls the activities of the police and increases its power steadily. The NSD sets up internment camps in the Wastelands, where political opponents are held and tortured.
Regant dies. His chosen successor is found murdered shortly thereafter. The PSI Monks immediately seize control over Neocron. The PSI Monks introduce rigorous laws, but also do much for the progress of the city. In the meantime the complete knowledge of the Ceres Discs has been put into practice, except for space travel. In some areas the progress has already surpassed the theoretical knowledge.
For the first time people succeed in establishing an uplink to the old satellites, which have reamined in orbit for centuries. Much to the amazement of the scientists, more than half of the satellites still function By use of these satellites they discover that on another continent, which emerged from East Asia, yet another city is being constructed. But since it's situated on the other side of the earth, it's impossible to reach this city by traveling in regular vehicles through the irradiated areas. From the Ceres Discs the PSI Monks also know about the colony on Mars. The council of the PSI Monks resolves to develop a spacecraft with which to penetrate the orbit and thereby escape the deadly radiation on earth. By this means, the East Asian metropolis can, indeed, be reached. In a second phase of the resolution, a spacecraft shall be developed which is able to fly to Mars.
After twelve years of work a flying vehicle which is able to break through Earth's atmosphere and travel outside its orbit is at the city's disposal for the first time in 480 years. A selected crew is sent to the newly discovered metropolis. They are amazed when they learn that the city boasts a high level of development; both technologically and culturally. Just like Neocron's, the protective dome of Tokyo II is based on a sophisticated magnetic shield. But the two shields also make radio communication between the cities impossible. The Asians react quite coolly to the foreigners and are not interested in any further contact with the western world. Thus the crew is unable to learn how the inhabitants obtained the knowledge of the old world. After a stay of just a few days in Tokyo II, the crew is awakened by soldiers in the morning and escorted to their spacecraft. Without having accomplished much, the crew travels back to Neocron. After they have reported to the PSI Monks, the latter decide to ignore Tokyo II and to concentrate on the space travel program.
A group of young scientists feels oppressed in their work by the PSI Monks, and they decide to leave the city. They erect a small base in the Wastelands, protected from radiation.
Named after the chief of the PSI Council, Shirkan, a spacecraft, embarks in September on a journey to the Mars colony, which will take nine months.
The astronauts discover the remains of the more than 500 year old Mars colony, Red Terra. The logs show that the colony fell victim to an unknown virus in 2212. Thanks to the logs, the crew of the Shirkan experiences in a gripping manner the despair of the colonists when they discovered that the Earth was nearly demolished by WW3 while at the same time unaware that they could have prevented the horrible war from happening, had they known the reason for the catastrophe.
On the 13th of February, 2134, Red Terra
receives a distress call from a spacecraft named Starcruiser. They are told
that the ship has been hit by meteor debris which damaged the sensors and their
long range communications equipment. The crew of the Starcruiser is therefore
unable to send a radio message to Earth, but has already begun to repair the
equipment. The ship's crew asks Red Terra to forward this message to mission
control in
But Red Terra knows nothing about the launch of the Starcruiser and there were two fighters in the area which couldn't confirm the existence of the ship. Red Terra command therefore thinks the message to be a joke from the patrol and ignores the call. And so the disaster takes its course.
The astronauts also learn about the attempt to make the atmosphere of the planet breathable by using Gabanium. But according to the logs, the Gabanium stimulates the development of the deadly virus on Mars, which is why the experiment was discontinued. A few days later the crew of the Shirkan discovers that Red Terra receives a continuous Hypercom message. It's from the crew of the Starcruiser. The content of the message arriving every three hours at the colony is that the generation cruiser has arrived on the planet Irata III, the Gabanium experiment has transformed the whole atmosphere of the planet according to plan, and that they've been ready to receive new instructions for generations.
Apart from these important insights into the history of mankind and the realization about the order of events of WW3, the crew also picks up all kinds of technical devices. The loot ranges from a Mini-Holodisk player to a VR-Videogame console when the Shirkan leaves after their two-week stay on Mars. The metal, which contains the elements needed for fusion drives, is also taken to Earth in large quantities.
The news about the colonized planet Irata III spreads quickly through Neocron. The government decides to develop spaceships which can cover the distance of 80 light years to this planet.
After nearly 20 years of work, the Avenger is at Neocron's disposal, a spaceship which is to bring 2000 people on a journey of 90 years to the planet Irata III. The crew also has the necessary equipment to construct a permanent communication installation on Irata III; to establish contact with Earth and Mars, respectively.
The colony Red Terra is once again put into operation. The construction of a vast communication facility begins.
After a powerful explosion in the Wastelands, rumors accumulate about hidden laboratories engaging in research on secret weapons and defensive measures. Supposedly the PSI Monks run these laboratories to protect their power by force in case of an insurrection.
The crime rate rises to new heights in Neocron. The citizens accuse the PSI Monks of being unable to control the situation, despite their tough leadership. Lioon Reza, an eloquent ex-member of the secret service, founds a group of terrorists, who set their sights on overthrowing the government and reforming the laws of the city.
After a failed attempt to take over the mighty government building in the Plaza district, Lioon's troops succeed in surprising the government of the PSI Monks and banning the members of the government from the city. The remaining PSI Monks are tolerated within the city, but are not allowed to congregate or to be active in the field of politics. Many of the PSI Monks of the former government retreat to the old Crahn Abbey in the Wastelands.
Lioon becomes the new dictator of Neocron. He introduces the CopBot system to the city. CopBots are policemen-cum-judges and therefore are able to take rigid action against violence and crime in the streets of the city. The laws become strongly simplified and the punishments are severely increased.
After an insurrection in the old districts of the city, Lioon decides to concentrate the presence of the CopBots on the inner areas of Neocron. Following this decision the outer districts, especially the Outzone of the city, degenerate dramatically. The laws are once again tightened. The only punishment for a criminal act is immediate execution. All aggressive actions are punishable. Carrying unconcealed weapons in the inner districts of the city is (after a caution is issued) punishable by death. Everywhere in the city monitoring systems are installed, which are to protect particularly the inner areas of the city - Plaza and Via Rosso.
The Avenger arrives at Irata III. Red Terra 2, the new colony on Mars, establishes contact with Irata III. Apparently the people traveling with the Avenger have found a paradise on the planet: Irata III is covered with forests and oceans. The Chinese have erected a city of stone and wood, which they call Typherra. The newcomers are warmly received, but the news of the destructive events on Earth shocks the inhabitants. Since the planet is so big, the Typherrans offer to accommodate more people.
The news of the paradisiacal situation on Irata III spreads quickly through Neocron. Lioon Reza decides to populate Irata III and subjugate the inhabitants of the planet. He promises a prosperous life to the citizens of Neocron, if they join his troops and his trek. Most people are sick and tired of malformed children, radioactive water and the general hopelessness on the contaminated Earth, thus joining Lioon's trek.
For unexplained reasons contact with Irata III suddenly breaks off. Red Terra 2 rules out the possibility of technical malfunction in the communication facility. The plan of the great trek continues to nonetheless, although Lioon himself decides to stay on Earth.
The great trek begins. Forty spaceships, which were constructed following the examples of the Avenger and the Starcruiser, embark on their journey to Irata III. The new design allows 8,000 passengers per ship, which means that 320,000 people are leaving the city. Six months later, another twenty spaceships launch. But those were only the beginning. Almost daily, more, much smaller ships, are leaving. The fact that the contact with Irata III has been interrupted for almost a year now only seems to strengthen the wishful thinking and the faith in this new paradise.
The void left in the population of Neocron by those who have embarked on their long journey to Irata III opens up new opportunities for criminal elements. Since the trekkers are forced to leave most of their personal belongings behind, the government decides to collect this property for their own use. But there are others who would also like to profit from the abandoned belongings, ranging from everyday utility items to whole buildings, and thus the governmental 'reacquiring' operations are disturbed more and more by criminals and gangs. One man in particular, a lowly criminal named Trevor Denton, succeeds in organizing the raids on abandoned property. By forging alliances between several criminal organizations; even between members of the Mafia and the Yakuza; he greatly impedes the government's progress and succeeds in accumulating a good share of personal wealth. But a large measure of his success is based on the fact that he is loyal to no one except himself, betraying every ally whenever it seems profitable. At the end of his short career, Trevor Denton is the most wanted man in Neocron and is finally killed by one of his many pursuers. To prevent any of Trevor's children from taking over the organization, the government arrests all of them. They are either executed or used them as guinea pigs for scientific experiments. Two of them, Xav and Zeke, are pardoned after they survive a series of experiments. Xav is disfigured for life, while Zeke Denton has lost a good deal of his memory.
The treks have left their marks on the
face of the city of
When the contact with Irata III is still not re-established four years after it broke off, Lioon's interest in Irata III drops noticeably. Of course he knows that the treks won't arrive at Irata III before 2840. He, as opposed to the frozen passengers of the generation ships, will be long dead by then. Realizing this once and for all, Lioon's interest turns once again toward the security aspects of the city and his governmental duties.
Even the most basic human society cannot exist without certain groups of people who, in one way or another, strive for power over other people. Neocron and its surrounding regions are no different in this regard. The city's history is shaped by the fights between varying political, industrial, religious and scientific organizations. This struggle for power did not first begin with the fights between historical figures like Thor and Crahn and it will certainly not end with the contemporary conflicts: those between Neocron's CityAdmin and the rebels of the Twilight Guardian, or the hidden war between the Tsunami Syndicate and the Black Dragon Clan.
No, the battlefields where various opponents fight for more power over the known world of Neocron are numerous and well populated. The opponents are as merciless as they are different. From the city's administration and government to the anarchists in the Outzone, from the warring criminal gangs to the massive corporations, from mercenaries in the wastelands to the religiously fanatic followers of Crahn all of them ultimately want to claim their place as the most powerful faction of Neocron.
And they need YOUR help to get there.
To learn more about the Factions in Neocron, please visit https://www.neocron.com and browse through the Guide.
For Reza, for Neocron, for the people.
Freedom an unknown concept until Reza's prospering rule began. The CityAdmin and NCPD were created by President Reza in order to protect and serve the people of Neocron. The NCPD protects the citizens from internal and external threats while the CityAdmin plays, as the name indicates, an administrative role in running the city.
Of course President Reza, contrary to what dissidents and political agitators try to propagate, is not a despotic, power-hungry autocrat who holds the city in an iron grip. In fact, the benevolent leader of Neocron is a wise and learned man, who merely is head of the city council, which holds the true power in the city. Suspicions that the only reason for this council not being formed in free elections is because its current members are supposedly Reza's puppets, are of course totally unfounded and do not contain even the slightest trace of truth.
Citizens are now allowed to live their lives in relative safety under the vigilant eyes and ready trigger fingers of their unwavering guardians: the Cop- and S.T.O.R.M.-Bots. These mysterious law enforcers stand guard around the clock, protecting Neocron against those who would do it harm. Crime is kept to a minimum through the efficient system the CopBots impose. Each CopBot is judge, jury and executioner in one, their word is law, their actions irreversible.
The headquarters of the CityAdmin is
located in the Plaza district, the heart of Neocron. A majestic and impressive
building of steel, concrete and glass acts as the hub of a wheel. From here the
NCPD and various branches of the CityAdmin have full control of the core parts
of Neocron and the security here is indisputable. Traditionally this building
as well as its predecessors has always been the seat of the Neocron
governement. Legend has it that even ancient Thor's headquarters were situated
here, when there was as yet no city of
Players who choose CityAdmin as their Runner's faction will start out in an apartment in the Plaza district.
Idealistic, uncompromising, enthusiastic. That is what the men and women of the Twilight Guardian movement are or at least strive to be. In their fight against the current despotic Neocron regime they are all determined to give their lives if need be, to create a better future for the people of Neocron. Or to put it in their own words: Freedom is our law!
But not all citizens think they need to be saved from the current government
The Twilight Guardian headquarters is one of the most impressive faction bases. It is built into a huge natural canyon landscape, found to the northeast of Neocron in the Wastelands. The only entrance is sealed off by a dam-like wall which is several feet in width and reaches to the top of the canyon walls. It really can give the impression of holding back the righteous flood of freedom fighters, which one day will break through and wash over the city. Provided that the ruler of Neocron does not take action first and order a massive strike against the well known hideout.
Players who choose the Twilight Guardian as their Runner's faction will start in an apartment in the Guardian's canyon fortress (Wastelands Sector E13).
BioTech is a curious corporation. Research into
biomechanical implements and nano-augmentations for disabled citizens is an
admirable function, however BioTech doesn't stop there. By their own admission,
BioTech's two-word goal is Custom Evolution. Some would say that the
potential abuse of such a goal is a reality through BioTech's existence. CEO
Seymour
BioTech's implants are sold to whomever has the money. BioTech's wetware is used by able-bodied citizens for reasons ranging from curiosity (e.g. I want to jump 10 meters into the air) to a perceived necessity (e.g. I need sub dermal armor to survive). The trade of BioTech's implants has created a new class of citizens specializing solely performing implantations and de-implantations on other citizens. Such surgeons can earn great deal of money.
Finally, it's worth noting that the CityAdmin Law Enforcer implant is the result of a partnership with BioTech. This is a tight bond that both parties have no interest in breaking.
For the time being, those who dislike the idea of Custom Evolution can do little more than shudder.
BioTech's main office is located in the Vauxhall Memorial in Via Rosso, Sector One. Here you will find most of the administration running BioTech. Their main labs are also located here. However, it is widely suspected that BioTech has other satellite labs located elsewhere in the city.
Players who choose BioTech as their Runner's faction will start out in an apartment in Via Rosso.
Neocron's largest real estate agency.
Diamond owns and leases out most of the residential and commercial spaces you
will see in the city of
Diamond Real Estate can be found
throughout the whole city of
Players who choose Diamond Real Estate as the faction of their Runner will start out in an apartment in the Plaza district.
Wherever you want to go - go NEXT. And most people do, because Neocron Exploration Technology Inc. (NEXT) is definitely the largest company producing almost any form of vehicles in Neocron. From conventional motorbikes to subways, from cabs to giant generation starships - there are few vehicles on the roads and in the skies of Neocron which have not seen the inside of a NEXT production hall.
The NEXT Systems Inc. corporate headquarters are located in the Plaza, 4th district. It is a large but compact building with functional and simple design and layout. The entrance proudly displays the company name, on both signs and on large glass windows.
Players choosing NEXT as the faction of their Runner will start out in an apartment in the Plaza district.
Your hope. Your strength. Your cure. One of the most lucrative businesses in society has always been medical care. This is what ProtoPharm base their entire financial concept on. They produce anything in the medical industry, ranging from the most basic of Medkits to miracle cures. Their biggest invention and most recognized achievement were the cryogenic chambers called CryoVaultsTM, which made the construction of the gigantic settler starships for the Great Trek possible. This is closely followed by the VitaeTM multipurpose medication. Not even the Spirula scandal has managed to overshadow this. Spirula was a medication against the effects of radioactivity which led to massive genetic damage among the bulk of the citizens, triggering a new wave of mutants in the years 2740-47.
The ProtoPharm Inc. headquarters are situated in Via Rosso, sector two, close to the Tangent Technologies headquarters. A long bridge-like structure with multiple shops on it stretches from the edges of the sector to the entrance of the HQ. The interior of the company is just as impressive and clearly illustrates ProtoPharm's wealth and power.
Players choosing ProtoPharm as their Runner's faction will start out in an apartment in Via Rosso.
The company's product line is mainly sold
by the Medicare and
Tangent Technologies Inc. (Tangent) is the main weapons developer / manufacturer in the city of Neocron. Originally an internal division of BioTech Industries (BioTech), Tangent broke from it's parent company in 2746. Its focus on the research and development of arms provided such quality that CityAdmin uses Tangent weapons to arm their CopBot squads.
The Tangent culture clearly revolves around personal safety and security. Their motto, In guns we trust, is really the perfect identifier.
Tangent's main offices are located in Via Rossa, Sector Two. You will find their headquarters directly across from the Nomstrom building. Though the entrance makes Tangent look like it was still a BioTech subsidiary, it should not deceive the unsuspecting observer. There is more to this company than meets the eye.
Players choosing Tangent Technologies as their Runner's faction will start out in an apartment in Via Rosso.
The Tangent Technologies product line is
mainly sold via the numerous Archer & Wesson stores throughout the City
of
Can you refuse our offer? Wherever man goes you will find those of ill repute, the people outside of the law. Men and women who create their own society within society. They follow their own rules, answer only to themselves. The Black Dragon Clan is just this, a society of its own within Neocron.
The Black Dragons control the illegal drug market in Neocron, dealing in anything from over-the- counter products to black market goods. They also control parts of the real estate market. Some consider them just as ruthless in both areas of business. They are dangerous businessmen who do not hesitate to eliminate any competition or tenant who gets out of line.
The Black Dragon headquarters can be found
in
Players choosing the Black Dragon Clan as
their Runners faction will start out in
Our business is your pleasure. The
Tsunami Syndicate deals in crime and they do not even try to hide it.
Prostitution, gambling and extortion are their main sources of income. They are
situated in
The Syndicate's headquarters is a large,
plain looking building in
Players choosing the Tsunami Syndicate as
their Runner's faction will start out with an apartment in
Sex, drugs and Rock'n'Roll. Basically that is what this conglomerate of punks, dealers, junkies, outlaws, loners, politically objectionable and full time philosophers called Anarchy Breed is all about. No one knows for sure when the Breed was founded, mainly because due to its nature something akin to official founding never happened. But the name Anarchy Breed has been around since the days when Crahn founded Neocron on the ruins of Jeriko. The Breed strive for total self-determination and individualism, so naturally they rarely act as a tight group.
Despite their not being a tightly organized group, the Anarchy Breed members tend to hang out in an abandoned jail complex in the Outzone. You can find them in Outzone Sector 8. But apart from that, Breed members can be found almost everywhere, as long as it is not in a government-controlled location.
Players choosing the Anarchy Breed as the faction of their Runner will start out in the Outzone.
Defending the truth against all heathens until Crahn the Savior returns! The Brotherhood of Crahn is the biggest and most influential religious organization in Neocron. Having played the games of power on both sides; rulers as well as persecuted underdogs; in recent times they seem to have reduced their activities to the field of PSI research and the production of PSI devices. Apart from their ever-present religious activities, of course.
The PSI Monks are perhaps the most exotic group in the world of Neocron. They are descendants of a tribe of people which lived underground for centuries after the nuclear apocalypse. Discovered by a tribe led by the infamous Crahn, their ancestors were incorporated into the society of the surface dwellers and thus their fate closely bound to that of this great leader and his descendants.
After Crahn's downfall in 2588 he flees Neocron and together with his most dedicated PSI Monks founds the Brotherhood of Crahn. Praising the lore of the god of the blinding light and the need for the normal humans to develop their bodies and minds further, as did the PSI Monks in their underground caves, the sect becomes the major religious force in Neocron by which Crahn tries to reclaim the power which he lost when Thor drove him out of the city. Crahn's successors accomplish this task when they establish the rule of the PSI Monks over Neocron in 2611. Their reign ends in 2724 when the Twilight Guardian, led by Hagen Yager and Lioon Reza, overthrows the PSI Monk government.
The Crahn Abbey in the Outzone Sector 9 is a large cathedral. Surrounded by collapsing buildings and crumbling streets, the Abbey is nonetheless an impressive building. The chants of the novices echo through the halls, while the already initiated brethren rely solely on their PSI powers to communicate with each other and their deity. Followers of the Crahn sect will find shelter and job opportunities within these walls.
Players choosing the Brotherhood of Crahn as their Runner's faction will start out with an apartment in the Outzone.
The products of the Brotherhood, mainly PSI modules and implants, are sold in the Yakarma shops which can be found throughout the city.
CityMercs are exactly what the name implies - mercenaries. Guns and muscles for hire, they do the jobs that you are too sophisticated (or wimpy) to perform on your own. Of course, these warriors for hire operate under a certain code of conduct and will not do just anything unless the price is right. A wise person once said Every man has a price.
The old run-down Military Base, deep in the Wastelands outside Neocron, serves as the base of operations for the Mercs. The area provides plenty of opportunities to hone your warrior skills and its remote location keeps the prying eyes of the law and former mission targets at a safe distance.
Players choosing the CityMercs as the faction for their character will start out in an apartment in the Bunker of the CityMercs.
The Fallen Angels, aka the Tech Freaks, are the founders and inhabitants of the vast underground complex in the Wastelands known as Tech Haven. When the PSI Monks ruled Neocron, a group of scientists who had to work virtually as slaves for the PSI Monk government escaped their laboratories and escaped to the wastelands. There Tech Haven was built, an ever-growing underground complex for the technocrats to research freely and independently new ways of making life under the harsh conditions of the post-apocalyptic world easier for everyone.
Entrances to Tech Haven can be found in sectors E7 and F7 of the Wastelands. If you are no friend of the Fallen Angels, beware! The entrances are well protected by automatic sentry guns, and throughout the underground complex security is tight, enforced by various robot guards. For those on good terms with the Tech Freaks though, entering Tech Haven is a bit like entering a whole new world. Endless tunnels, long antigrav lifts, shops, apartments, and even some less safe areas who need some cleaning up by more adventurous visitors - all of that illuminated by the typical Tech Haven blue light Not few visitors from the big city have decided to make this refuge their home away from home. Some even moved there completely.
While most citizens dismiss the idea, radical doomsayers believe that the mutant infestation is an organized invasion. Of course, one would be hard pressed to find any proof of such an organization. The mutant attacks are without pattern and without logic. Most citizens simply assume the mutants are more active, more daring with their attacks because Neocron's population has dwindled in the shadow of the Great Trek of 2746. The mutants are attempting to fill the vacuum.
Another rumored power isn't even made of flesh. Highly developed, autonomous artificial intelligences (AIs) are rumored to exist on the lower levels of the city's network. Supposedly uploaded to the network 100 years ago, they are said to have come directly off the Ceres Discs. The dozen or so AIs have been blamed for network anomalies such as massive, anonymous credit transfers and the exposure and dispersal of corporate information that has gone on to save lives. Referred to with names like Ghost, Spirit and The Eye, a subculture of worshippers has emerged who spend all their time jacked into the network, looking for their gods. Their existence has never been proven.
CityAdmin believes these other factions are simply fantasy. Official statements have likened the AIs to the polytheism of ancient times. As for the mutant organization, CityAdmin puts no faith in such an idea. Their incentive program has killed thousands upon thousands of mutants, and they've seen no evidence of an organization. Like most citizens, they believe that the powers of Neocron all have very public faces.
Each Character starts his new life in Neocron in his/her own apartment. The player can access the apartment by using a password which corresponds to the name of his character. In order to enter your apartment you must step inside the elevator which leads to it. Rightclick on the Apartment Elevator Access Unit in the middle of the elevator cabin, enter the password and click OK. After the synchronisation phase, exit the elevator and rightclick on the Door Access Interface to open the door to your apartment.
If you have gathered enough credits, you will be able to buy yourself a bigger and better apartment. First you need to buy an apartment key from a real estate agent. In order to change the password of that apartment key, rightclick on it in the inventory and choose Show info. There are different catagories of apartments:
Plaza:
Economy Class Apartment
The apartment is quite small but in good condition. It contains the basic essentials be found in any home but even if it's a nice dwelling, its cramped feeling almost makes it feel like a cell.
Standard Apartment
While not the finest apartment in Neocron, it is clearly above par. It has plenty of room and is in good condition. Several large windows look out over the rest of the city, only a glance away.
King Size Apartment
This is about as big as any apartment ever gets. It has several rooms with windows overlooking the city and plenty of space to offer. The many tables and chairs make it ideal for holding gatherings and meetings.
Via Rosso:
Standard Apartment
This is the best in modern living accommodations the city has to offer. The spacious and expensive design of the large apartment gives it a fresh, vibrant atmosphere. In the center of the apartment is a big atrium, adding to the open feeling.
Exclusive Apartment
This is one of the finer apartments in Neocron. Its spacious and expensive design rivals most others and the large balcony offers a splendid view of the city.
Small Apartment
Cheap Apartment
This
is the worst in sub-standard living that Neocron has to offer. Located in the
worst parts of
Big Apartment
Bigger isn't always better, as this apartment stands to prove. Located in the run-down district of Pepper Park this fairly large hovel offers lots of space, but little comfort.
Clan Keys
Clan keys function similarly to apartment keys. Visit the headquarters of the faction for which you want to found your clan. Look for an NPC with a high rank (Director of Operations or similar). That NPC sells clan keys for that faction if your loyalty for that faction is high enough, that is. You can check that value in the Factions window in the R.P.O.S. menu (F6). When you have bought a clan key it will appear in your Inventory (F2). Right-click on it and select Use/Activate to call your clan into existence. By right-clicking and selecting Use/Activate again you can change your clans name and tag.
Furthermore, you now own a clan apartment in the same area in which your starter apartment would be if you had created a Runner for that faction. (For instance, when buying a clan key from the Fallen Angels, you will receive a clan apartment in Tech Haven). All other clan functions are controlled via the terminal system.
Baseball Bat
In the multitude of high-tech weapons of the 28th century, the ordinary Bat still represents a not be sneezed at, cheap and low-maintenance weapon in close combat. The additionally mounted piezoelectric cells on the surface provide an added, electrical shock effect.
Junk Knife
The Junk Knife is the favorite weapon of the smaller mutants. Completely assembled out of trash and junk it is the cheap, but less efficient alternative to the other knives available.
Stiletto
The Stiletto is a pure stab weapon, with no cutting power. It is inconspicuous to carry and an elegant weapon of supreme quality.
Combat Knife
The combat knife is the improved version of the Special Alloy Knife which was developed by the military. Cold rolled carbon steel and high-quality workmanship give this melee combat weapon very good efficiency and durability.
Claw
Six tungsten carbon, extra-hardened, cold forged stainless blades make the Claw one of the most dangerous melee weapons.
Double-edged Sword
This double-edged sword is more than the ordinary swords our ancestors used in the early Dark Ages. This masterpiece from the Tangent high-tech weapon forges is a sub atomic forged, extra-hardened and nearly unbreakable long sword with absolute lethal impact if handled correctly.
Projectile[JB3]
Pistol
The pistol resembles archaic firearms in a lot of ways. A single bullet is loaded into the firing chamber where a hammer propels the projectile when the trigger is pulled.
Submachine Gun
Offering the ability of concealment and a delivery of superior firepower in close quarters combat, the Submachine Gun has become the most favored side arm of bodyguards and security personnel. The Submachine Gun has also been known to be the preferred back up weapon for many soldiers of the CityMercs. Firing a burst of bullets, the Submachine Gun causes piercing damage to the target. Bleeding, both external and internal are the most common effects. Other kinds of damage can be caused with it when the Submachine Gun is loaded with non-standard munitions.
Nail Gun
Although created as a tool, the Nail Gun has become a popular and extremely cheap weapon often used by mutants and muggers.
Assault Rifle
The Assault Rifle is a semi-automatic, short to medium range weapon originally developed by Tangent. It uses 5.56mm standard ammo and can also be converted to use various types of ammunition.
Street Rifle
The Street Rifle is the favorite weapon of the mutants. Although it is completely assembled out of junk, the Street Rifle has high firepower, long range and high reliability. The Street Rifle uses 7.62mm full metal jacket ammo by default.
Shotgun
The ultimate short ranged rifle. The Shotgun fires two shells simultaneously through its double barrels. Manual pump action reloads the weapon from a magazine of shells. The Shotgun, sometimes referred to as the Sewer Sweeper, is extremely reliable and can be loaded with a variety of high-powered munitions. Force damage is the most common effect of the Shotgun's standard load. When hit, the crushing force of several hundred pellets can knock an armored target off its feet. An unarmored target may find itself with a gaping wound of shredded flesh and shattered bone. Other types of ammunition fired from the Shotgun will cause damage ranging from severe burns to concussive blast damage.
Gatling Pistol
Gatling weapons are the favorite choice of the Aggressor Mutants. Some scientists even suggest that they are born with them. The very high firing rate and firepower make Gatling weapons a powerful argument in battle.
Grenade Launcher
Most plans for grenade launchers found in the Ceres project involved bullet type ammo, where the grenade was first shot like a slug and then a small payload of explosives was delivered. Calispicus, a former machinist in the Dome of York, decided it would be better to find a way to deliver a much larger payload without the risk of it exploding from the initial firing. After devising that hydraulics were much too heavy, he decided the best way to launch a grenade without any combustion was a pneumatic delivery system. He tore apart a small pneumatic forklift for parts and quickly went to work forging the chassis of the weapon. After producing a decidedly large, but functional prototype, he was given a team to help him refine and miniaturize it until they came up with a model similar to the current one. Since then the only real changes have been cosmetic.
Rocket Launcher
Developed by the CityMercs and distributed by Tangent, the Rocket Launcher represents the perfect weapon for long range combat against large targets. Six non-guided high explosive rocket projectiles with a maximum range of 3 km make this weapon absolutely lethal on impact.
Energy Weapons
Laser Pistol
The Laser Pistol causes damage by the extreme heat the beam emits. The heat of current laser guns is so high that it is able to melt through most kinds of armor and to burn the flesh underneath. The heat emitted by the beam of the laser pistol is rather weak compared to the beam the Laser Rifles fire. The main effects of wounds caused by lasers are second to third degree burns.
Flamethrower
The current flamethrower can be loaded with various high-toxic and flammable liquids. The high compression of the liquid used at firing ensures high efficiency and firepower.
[JB5]Fusion Pistol
As conflict grew within the city, weapons manufacturers soon realized the demand for more compact, lighter versions of the current energy weapons being used. Soon, top engineers at the Tangent Division of BioTech Industries Inc mastered the art of micro weapon design and production, leading to a steady flow of energy weapons into the city. The Fusion Pistol causes damage to the target by fusing the target's atoms upon impact. Points of impact from the Fusion Pistol have been known to resemble melted mixtures of colored wax. Even the toughest armor has been known to fail when under assault by a skilled opponent wielding a Fusion Pistol.
Fusion Rifle
BioTech Industries Inc manufactures the Fusion Rifle as a heavy duty version of the fusion pistol. The Fusion Rifle's greater power can be attributed to its larger (albeit less efficient) capacitors and power handling system. It also boasts increased accuracy due to its longer barrel and reactive magnetic containment technology. BioTech also improved its rate of fire by tweaking the FID maximum efficiency. The rifle's results are similar to those of the pistol. Any material caught within the initial blast radius comes out looking like melted plastic. The only effective defense against fusion blasts is energy resistant armor.
Laser Rifle
Compared to the laser pistol, the Laser Rifle has greater range and more firepower.
Raygun
The Gluon-Boson Suspension Ray gun bores through the target by disassembling it at the atomic level. Upon impact the ray disintegrates the targets molecular structure and causes instant death if any vital body parts are hit.
Plasma Cannon
The phase induced Plasma Cannon PIP Z85 uses a combination of plasma formation and ohmic plasma ignition methods to maximize efficiency. This technique uses particle charged magnetic field beams induced into existing plasma, thereby multiplying the energy level of the plasma by 3.3 units. The downside of this method is the relatively low density of the plasma charge giving it a reduced kinetic impact effect. This however, is more than compensated by the higher energy level of the plasma charge. The intense heat of the plasma (10^6 K) incinerates almost anything in its path, inflicting severe heat damage to its targets. This makes the Z85 one of the strongest weapons on the battlefield.
Plasma Rifle
Based on the phase induced Plasma Cannon, the Plasma Rifle is much easier to carry, but inflicts less damage than the cannon. This version is especially made for small skirmish situations and medium range fights.
[JB6]Combat Boots
Combat Boots are available in numerous versions with different protection effects.
Battle Armor protects the wearer against any kind of projectile weapons, but is especially designed for protection against heavy calibre projectiles.
Neck Protection
The Neck Protection protects the head of the bearer from harmful influences like blows, knocks or ricochets.
These trousers keep away harmful hits and shots from the wearers legs.
Deflector or Energyfield Belts
Belts protect the wearer by the use of an energy field.
PSI Charger
[JB7]To use PSI modules, the prospective PSI Monk first needs a PSI Charger. Like any other implant, the Charger can be dragged into the hand box of the implant window. It is available in different quality levels.
Crahn Energy Projectile Spells
These modules enable the user to shoot bolts, balls, blasts or beams of pure PSI energy at the opponent, which cause considerable burning damage.
Crahn Toxic Projectile Spells
These and other Toxic Projectile modules continuously damage their targets with their poisonous effects.
Crahn Fire Projectile Spells
These and other Fire Projectiles cause severe burn damage on their targets.
Crahn Parashock Spells
Using these PSI modules, the monk can immobilize opponents or groups of opponents.
Crahn Heal Spells
One of the reasons why it is of advantage to have a PSI Monk in the group is the fact that nearly all of them can use these types of PSI modules. By using heal modules injuries of all kinds can be healed in the shortest amount of time.
Crahn Holy Shelter Spells
These modules create specific shields of pure PSI energy around the monk or other targets.
Crahn Holy Resurrection
The Resurrection module enables the monk to revive any patient, but it requires a large amount of PSI energy.
[JB8]Implant Tool
The BioTech IT 1610 Personal Implant Tool uses Autonomous Multipurpose Nanites (AMN) to suppress the patients immune system, to build and set up the selected implant and to activate the implant. The IT 1610 in the basic version only allows self-implantation of implants. The efficiency of the AMNs depends on the Implant skill of the user.
In addition the IT 1610 Remote Implant Tool, based on the IT 1610 model, allows the user to implant parts into people other than the user.
Hacking Tool
The Cryton HT-351 Hack Tool is a wrist-worn computer geared for one thing only, hacking. The brute power of the HT-351 CPU and the usage of Autonomous IceBreak Nanites (AIBN) makes it the only tool capable of performing the complicated routines hacking requires. The efficiency of the AIBNs depends on the Hacking skill of the user.
Repair Tool
The Cryton RP-20 Repair Tool uses Autonomous Multipurpose Nanites (AMN) to repair damaged parts of any weapon. The RP 20 is mounted on the weapon and the AMNs perform the repair independently. The efficiency of the AMNs depends on the Repair skill of the user
Recycling Tool
The Cryton RD-300 recycling device uses AMNs to deconstruct and recombine various materials into basic chemicals or metals. The output is returned in pressurized security canisters, easily carried by the user. The efficiency of the AMNs depends on the Recycle skill of the user.
Research Tool
The Cryton RT-150 research tool uses Autonomous Multipurpose Nanites (AMN) to analyse items and create a high quality blueprint for reproduction purposes. The efficiency of the AMNs depends on the Research skill of the user.
Construction Tool
The Cryton CD-005 construction device uses Autonomous Construction Nanites (ACN), which combine the provided components and the blueprint in the Processor window to construct the desired item. The efficiency of the ACNs depends on the Construction skill of the user.
Mining Tool
Advances in miniaturization made it possible to combine the processes of mineral detection, separation and extraction into one tool. The first models were still very large, two or three men were needed to move the mining tool. The old high pressure cylinders were heavy and could only be carried by mining bots.
Chitin
This valuable raw material, mainly extracted from the various mutated insects, is an essential raw material in weapon production.
Computer Junk
Old and obsolete computer systems have been recycled for centuries. Many of the new high-tech weapons in production need recycled computer junk as a basic raw material.
Wood
Even in todays highly engineered world wood still is an essential raw material. Although most of the wood from the Wastelands is radioactively contaminated, it can be made available for production of various items by putting it through an expensive process.
Poison Glands
The poison glands of insects, especially arachnids, are a sought after raw material for many kinds of drugs and weapons. Some raw materials prospectors have completely specialized themselves on the extraction of these glands from mutated giant spiders, especially since trading the blue and brown glands is a very lucrative business opportunity.
Metal
Since the immense and, in terms of metal, very costly arms production during the last war, metal has become quite rare. Many of the war machines used during the conflict, like Warbots and other Mechs, are being dismantled and recycled. The materials gained by this process, like metal pipes and plates, are in high demand especially in the arms industry.
Wire Junk
Wire junk is extracted from scrapped computer models and obsolete Warbots. Recycled wire junk is especially used in the high-tech weapon production.
Meat
Though the flesh of the Wasteland monsters is highly radioactive, it can be turned into edible and healthy food by a complex recycling process.
First Aid Kit
The First-Aid Kit provides for a complete stabilizing treatment of the patient and keeps him or her stable and transportable even in the event of severely serious injuries.
Medkit
[JB9]In an increasingly difficult world, a hunter or even an average citizen could get in trouble very quickly. In such an instance, one could not afford to be injured in the Wastelands and have to limp back to Neocron for medical aid. In response to this new market opportunity, every neighborhood store dealing in pharmaceuticals began to sell Stimkits. These were usually filled with low quality steroids that did not do any actual healing. But after a few years of testing, some major medical companies began producing professional Medkits. These kits contained most of what an injured human would need to heal himself. These kits actually heal the wounds and keep them free of infection instead of simply deadening the nerves in that area.
Redflash
Redflash raises the users dexterity temporarily, while at the same time increasing the danger of injuries.
X-Strong
X-Strong temporarily increases the close combat skills of the user.
Epantenarol
Temporarily increases the athletic skills of the user.
Gemilirimol
Gemilirimol increases the stamina of the user for a short period of time. This is especially helpful when being pursued by someone (or something).
Terisamol
Increases the user's capacity for carrying weight for limited periods.
Paratemol
Paratemol increases the defensive skills for a short time, but also causes a lowered ability to operate vehicles.
Hemoserol
It increases the strength of a user for a limited time span.
Beast
Beast temporarily turns the user into a true close combat specialist. All ranged combat skills are lowered for the same amount of time. During the time of war, Beast was used excessively by certain GenTank squadrons.
A synthetic heart is a total replacement of the recipient's heart. Effects vary according to model model, from stronger cardiac performance to the filtering and removal of environmental influences.
Eye Implants
The various models of eye implants enhance the user's vision and interfaces with his or her central nervous system, increasing fine motor manipulation skills. Since these implants are embedded in highly sensitive areas of the nervous system, certain side-effects cannot be ruled out.
Brain Implants
Brain implants come in many types and models. All of them are implanted directly into a specific area of the brain. The type of implant used varies according to the target area. As the brain is a very delicate organ, many brain implants produce negative side effects.
Bone Reinforcements
Bone Reinforcements are available in various models. Developed by BioTech and distributed by Cryton Tools & Implants. From Head to Foot, Everything the Runners Body needs (Cryton Tools & Implants Sales Slogan).
Numerous kinds of creatures populate the world of
Neocron and many of them are well equipped to take out the occasional
incautious Runner without problems. Although no one can say for sure whether ancient
Dogs
These canine beasts come in countless different varieties. The most common is the everyday stray dog, which can be found in numerous locations, like the industrial ruins of the Outzone, the dark passages of the citys sewers and of course, in the Wastelands. A young Runner should not have too many problems in a fight against the basic stray dog, provided he carries enough first aid items. But beware of the more aggressive and harmful kinds, such as rabid dogs, mutated dogs (see 0 7.4.2 Mutants) and of course their bigger brothers, the wolves, which are encountered mainly in the Wastelands.
Spiders
Just as former mans best friend, arachnid critters can be found in many places in the world of Neocron and come in many different forms. The basic type is found throughout the dark and dank places of the city and virtually every other human settlement. Only Tech Haven seems to have been spared from spiders for some reason. Almost all spiders inflict poison damage. A young runner will have no problem surviving these opponents. He must, however, be careful of the Spider Queens and particularly poisonous or irradiated species.
Scorpions
Mainly found in the canyon landscape of the Wastelands and in the caves of the Twilight Guardian Canyon Fortress, these little critters pose a threat on a par with that of the basic spiders. They are poisonous as well but, a single scorpion will have a hard time killing a lone and even inexperienced Runner.
Cockroaches
They creep through the citys sewers and other dark places, they are easily overlooked, but at least a nuisance to every exploring Runner nonetheless. With a higher level of aggressiveness than their 21st century ancestors as well as a higher level of toughness due to mutation and evolution, these bugs will take every chance to attack whomever they encounter. The reason for their aggressive behavior is unclear; perhaps they are angry that, opposed to popular 21st century belief, they were not the sole survivors of the nuclear fallout. They should not pose too big a threat to the inexperienced fighter, though.
Bats and Flies
Just like the Cockroaches you will find these critters to be quite aggressive. They like to attack in swarms and can be found throughout the tunnels under the city and in generally almost any kind of cave. They are relatively harmless just do not take on too many of them at the same time if you lack experience.
Lizards
They may look cute, but their teeth are not. Having learned that almost everything can and should be eaten to survive in this harsh world, these little fellows, who mainly creep through the canyon caves and landscape, will not hesitate to gnaw on the careless Runners toes when given a chance. More dangerous than their teeth are the poisonous slimeballs they spit at their victims with great accuracy. Also watch out for their dragon-like bigger brothers roaming the scorching parts of the Wastelands.
Snakes
Well, not much change here. Snakes have stayed pretty much the same throughout the centuries. Slithering, poisonous and generally not very friendly. You can encounter many kinds throughout the world of Neocron in the hot desert, gliding through the swamplands, in canyon caves and even in the sewers of the city. You can pretty much judge the level of danger a snake poses a lone Runner by looking at its size. The bigger it is, the more experienced you need in order to avoid an untimely death. Even smaller species can pose a threat to the life of a young Runner.
Dragonflies
You will probably not notice the smaller versions of this airborne critter until you look in certain spots below the city. It shoots little spikes at the unwary traveler and is not to be underestimated, though not a threat to a healthy Runner. Its larger siblings, which can be found roaming the Wastelands, are another story, though. They like to attack in swarms can pose a serious threat to anyone foolish enough to walk into their territory alone.
Poisonous Plants
Imagine a Venus Flytrap which shoots highly poisonous gas clouds at you. Viol, that pretty much describes the poisonous plants found in numerous locations. From sewer tunnels to Wasteland regions, these stationary opponents are a serious threat to inexperienced Runners. Take them on if you want to test your combat strength, but be prepared to heal yourself and run away if necessary. They cannot follow you, after all.
Fact or Myth?
Many more species can be found among Neocrons fauna. Tales tell of mysterious floating creatures looking a bit like strange jellyfish in the swampy regions of the wastelands, funny looking quadrupeds resembling the camels of ancient times in the hotter areas, herds of slow and massive animals called Marsh Hippos by Wasteland explorers, and many more.
Some of them (in fact most of them) are not very friendly, though. Beware of the giant versions of spiders and scorpions which roam the Wastelands and, in the case of the spiders, the storage halls of deserted installations in the Outzone as well. Also not to be underestimated are the giant lizards called Dragons by terrified travelers. With their strange energy attack and deadly claws in close combat, they have ended the lives of many a Runner in the hot desert sands. Rumors also tell of big squid-like creatures in the swamp regions of the Wastelands, who strangle careless wanderers with their tentacles. They supposedly dig through the ground with these appendages, much like the roots of a tree. Of course this is hard to believe. Then again, many desert vultures have already feasted on the remains of the occasional skeptic.
Mutant Rats
Rats were never known to hang out in tidy places, so it is not surprising that they did not survive the last centuries without a good amount of mutating due to excessive exposure to radiation. With what seems to be a hunger for clean flesh they stalk the sewer tunnels of the city and the alleys of the Outzone. The smaller ones provide good training opportunities for young GenTanks, but do not start hunting their bigger cousins too early you might be in for a surprise.
Mutant Dogs
Just like the mutated rats, these hideous canines have definitely spent too much time in irradiated areas over the centuries. Nastier and stronger than their healthy brothers, these beasts are no match for the experienced Runner but be careful if you are in doubt about your amount of experience.
Mutant Scouts / Soldiers / Warriors / Aggressors
Rats and dogs are not the only living
creatures which were exposed to massive amounts of radiation throughout the
past centuries. Many humans never found shelter against the hostile environment
after the nuclear fallout, and whole tribes of Muties were formed. Never
having interacted well with the Softskins, as they call us normal people,
most of the mutants you will meet attack on sight. The threat they pose highly
depends on their equipment. Even a fairly inexperienced Runner is likely to
survive in a fight against a mutant whos armed with just a rusty combat knife.
But when you hear the fast-paced shots of a Mutant Aggressors Gatling Gun echo
through the tunnels of the
Hurlers
Imagine a really huge mutant with grenades which he enthusiastically throws at everything that doesn't look like himself. Sounds fun? Well it isn't, because you most certainly do not look like he does! So be sure to take cover and have the right weapons at hand to rid yourself of this opponent. A fight with this guy is not recommended for young or lone Runners.
Enlightened Acolyte
From time to time one can see shady,
hooded shapes roaming silently through the alleys of the Outzone or the valleys
of the Wastelands. They are expelled PSI Monks who call themselves the
Enlightened. Ask a member of the Brotherhood of Crahn and he will explain to
you that they are simply irradiated and therefore have been expelled from the
Creeper, Gnawer and Cruncher
All legs and muzzle, thats what the Creeper and his bigger siblings, the Gnawer and the Cruncher are. No one knows for sure from what kinds of animals these hideous mutations may have originated, but that will probably not be the question you will ask yourself, should you encounter them in the dungeons near the Twilight Guardian Canyon Fortress. The smaller Creepers are relatively fair game even for inexperienced fighters, but the bigger kinds should be handled with care if you still lack skills in the fighting area.
Fact or Myth?
Many more mutated creatures and species can be found throughout the Wastelands and in some other locations as well. Fairly well known is the Launcher Cyclops, a mutant who is lacking any legs and instead hovers on a platform while shooting rockets from his rocket launcher at his opponents. Many people think that the existence of this kind of mutant proves that in some corner of the Wastelands the mutated creatures have formed an organized society.
The Arachnid people surely have done exactly that. Rumored to be the result of some strange experiments gone awry in some hidden labs of the Crahn Sect Abbey, these unpleasant fellows roam the Wastelands and attack every human traveler, led by their cold, merciless spider instincts.
And then there are those rumors of giant mutants somewhere in the Wastelands, three to thirty times as big as the biggest Hurlers in the Outzone. Armored with a thick exoskeleton their steps are said to cause the earth to tremble when they approach. Sadly, no one has so far survived an encounter with the Maulers as they have been named by terrified travelers.
Most of the following creatures were originally designed for peaceful use in the Fallen Angels and Citymercs HQs. But as is the case with all machines, they can be manipulated, and over the course of decades this has been tried by forces outside of Tech Haven and the Bunker with the metallic sentinels guarding the mercenaries and the scientists. Either due to the 'online assailants' having hacked their way through the computer networks of Neocron, or by manually planting computer viruses in those cyberunits through spies in the end there were quite a number of incidents where manipulated robotic guard units had to be put out of service. Quite a large number were scrapped, but some were just released into the uninhabited areas of the Bunker or Tech Haven respectively.
So beware when leaving the inhabited zones there is more than just dust waiting for you in the old tunnels.
Cyberwatchdogs
Cyberwatchdogs were created in Tech Haven but can now exclusively be found in the corridors of the Citymercs Bunker. They are very fast and do extensive damage. Even a young Runner should be able to dispose of them if necessary, but if you are totally inexperienced you should approach a hostile Cyberwatchdog with caution.
Mechturtles
These curious devices can be found in the Bunker and in Tech Haven alike. They inflict damage by means of energy, but are not really a threat to any Runner. Normally they are used as maintenance droids.
Cyberguards
These humanoid robots are widely used in the Citymercs Bunker as never-sleeping sentinels. Often they are found together with Cyberdogs, as both units were designed to complement each other. They cause damage by means of energy and are quite a good match for an intermediate Runner.
Security Bots
The cyberguards and maintenance workers of Tech Haven. These spider-like four legged machines with center mounted machine guns are not to be underestimated. You should have gathered quite a bit of combat experience before engaging them in battle.
Fact or Myth?
During the Ceres Wars some quite powerful inventions in the field of mobile weaponry were made. The most fearsome of these were the gigantic WarBots. After the war, all of these house-sized killing machines were supposedly scrapped but reports of Wasteland explorers indicate otherwise. The same goes for the not much smaller CrabMechs. A hunting party would be well advised to have some able fighters and one or two medics among their ranks if venturing into territory where the above mentioned war machines have been sighted.
The best known faction units are of course those of Cityadmin/NCPD. The ever vigilant law enforcers who patrol Neocrons streets keep a watchful eye on almost every citizen. To this day it is still not clear if they are completely artificial robots or merely armor for human officers. Obviously, CityAdmin wants to keep citizens in the dark about this.
Other factions, too, employ security
personnel. You will often find bodyguards in organization HQs in
For an online game like Neocron it is literally impossible to supply a completely up-to-date manual in printed form. Accordingly, this document can only scratch the surface of what Neocron has to offer as far as the features and mechanics of the game are concerned. For further information about Neocron and how the game works, there is a site on the World Wide Web where you'll find answers to any questions you may have:
https://www.neocron.comHere you'll find constantly updated, comprehensive online documentation. You'll also find links to other Neocron websites, where fans and players like you have compiled information about the game.
[JB12] Before contacting the technical support, please make a list of all components of your computer system, an exact description of the error that occurred (when, how and where in the game did it happen, and what exactly were you doing?). This guarantees that we can help you in a fast and efficient way.
Please provide us with the following information:
Personal details:
E-mail address
If you contact us from outside
Computer details:
Computer make and model
Windows version
Speed and manufacturer of the processor
Speed and manufacturer of the CD ROM drive
Total System RAM
Video card make and model
Sound card make and model
Mouse and driver information as well as information on any further peripherals (e.g. joysticks)
type of internet connection and device
In order to get this information, please go to 'Run' in your Windows-start-menu and type 'dxdiag' in the command line, before confirming it by pressing the Enter-key. Now the DirectX diagnostic program will start. It mainly shows all the relevant driver files of your system components. In order to receive a text file of this information, simply click the button 'Save All Information'. You can then place a text file with all the relevant data on your hard drive in order to send it via e-mail or keep it for future reference.
|
Problem |
Contact |
|
Installation does not work or CD is not readable |
Support at CDV: Send an e-mail to support@cdv-neocron.de |
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Internet connection, account and the game itself |
Support at Reakktor: Send an e-mail to support@neocron.com (expect an answer within 24 h; if you dont get one within 24 h, please send the same description to supportwatch@neocron.com |
|
You get stuck in the game or have a specific question while you are in the game |
Neocron-direct-support: Activate an S.O.S.-call in the game (press the ?-button in the top right corner of the screen, describe the problem and wait for a direct-support staff to help you) |
Important note: some questions occur more often than others, so they might have been already answered someplace. Please check the FAQs, the guide or the message-boards on the official website www.neocron.com before contacting our support staff.
[JB1]BILDER
Zu jeder Fraktion kleines Bild des Hauptquartiers. Bilder sind faction_[name].bmp benannt.
[JB2]BILD
Weapons1.bmp
[JB3]BILD
Weapons2.bmp
[JB4]BILD
Weapons3.bmp
[JB5]BILD
Weapons4.bmp
[JB6]BILD
Armor.bmp
[JB7]BILD
Psicharger.bmp
[JB8]BILD
Tools.bmp
[JB9]BILD
Medkit.bmp
[JB10]BILD
Imps.bmp
[JB12]Kann erst spter verlsslich geschrieben werden. Wenn in game Hilfesystem luft und Emailkontakt organisiert ist.
Veranschlagt: halbe DIN A4 Seite.
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