Hi, my name is Axeface and I'm a Boronophile.
The news that they arnt to be included (again) in X4 at release was a hard one to swallow for me. Since the first time I played X3 their concept, personalities and backstory really appealed to me - so much so that I went onto spend an exorbitant amount of time creating many 3d models of their ships for the XTC mod, many of which ended up in Albion Prelude. One of which, with the exception of my Son, is the crowning achievement of my life.
The purpose of this thread is to discuss the Boron in general, the issues that have lead to them not being included in X4 at release (and any possible solutions) and to also show my fanart/3d/mod progress - I plan to make a mod for X4, if it is indeed possible, that adds both a Boron npc (deceased if necessary) and a Boron ship for the player to own, with a little backstory.
Lets discuss, argue and generally just bring the Boron out of obscurity, at least a little?
So, to begin.
The 'Boron Problem'
They are aquatic
This is often thrown around as the reason that they cant be added to X4, and I disagree entirely with that conclusion. The Boron are a very advanced race, and this means that its entirely possible to come up with ways for them to overcome their physical limitations in the lore, and in doing so overcome the 'problems' of getting them into the game technically. Some seem to think the whole concept of the Boron is silly or a joke... I've said it before, but humans in spaceships is just as strange a concept as a Boron in one if you actually think about it.
One thing that is important to note firstly is that what their technology is and was is not clearly defined in the lore, AFAIK. So lets finally fix it and find a way to incorporate them into the game that doesnt include ships full of water and ridiculous bubble suits?
It's entirely fine for egosoft to write into the lore that the Boron have advanced their technology, in fact it makes sense that they would - for example, its very possible that due to the Borons kind nature that they could be accomodating, even to their own detriment - it isnt beyond the realm of possibility that the Boron could actually design their new ships to accomodate their savior allies first (the Argon) and themselves second, and then create new technologies to allow them to be much more comfortable in many different environments.
Their ships could be designed to accomodate all races first, with the implication through hints in the design and modeling that if Boron inhabitants wanted they could make the environment their own. Their suits could be advanced enough to allow them to traverse in any environment. It's my opinion and apparently Egosofts too, if the latest concept image is anything to go by, that they have an anti-gravity type of technology - this isn't a crazy concept in the X universe, considering we walk around ships and stations in X Rebirth. The Boron could use this to overcome their physical boundries to great success... anti-gravity suits that also enclose their respiratory systems. Problem solved. And if for some reason you are opposed to the idea of them having anti-gravity suits, then you could simply make them tiny silent thrusters instead.
In conclusion, how do we solve the Boron problem? How do we make them and their ships 'easier' to impliment into the game?
- They use advanced suits that allow them to breath, and essentially, float/fly.
- Their ships are not full of water.
Once these lore issues are sorted out then the last hurdle to overcome is bespoke animations. Yes, the Boron cannot use existing animations (maybe) - but this I really believe is not an insurmountable issue. And i'de like to add, animating a Boron floating around or floating above a seat is far easier than animating a creature doing the same tasks with legs. Yes, it could require new rigging and a new skeleton (although perhaps through clever trickery it wouldnt), but again, this isnt a mammoth task...
It just requires that the Boron recieve the attention they DESERVE.
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Onto my mod plans.
I plan to record some simple voice lines for a distress signal, make a model of a Boron character and a unique Boron fighter ship for the player to find and own. I will need help with this, I am a complete idiot when it comes to anything outside of visual or audio, I cant code, and literally instantly have brain aneurysms if I look at an XML file. I do 3d models, and often dabble in sound/music.
As far as the character model is concerned I am making progress when I can, the new concept image someone snapped at Xcon last year is amazing, and it meant that I had to readjust a model that i've been poking at for many years in my spare time. Although I dont want to give everything away, his name is Mojo Mo, Knight of Atreus.
One caveat, I'm an accomplished procrastinator and its entirely possible that only some or none of any of this will ever happen.
Turntable video of model progress <<
CLICK FOR HIGHER RES IMAGES
Obviously, he isnt finished. I still need to finish his textures and make his suit.
One thing i'de like to get opinions on here is the colour of the Boron in that Egosoft concept image. While I've tried to emulate the final look in the picture (which I think looks like a Lobster? Black and orange), I dont actually think the Boron IS that colour. I think its possible that the concept artist imagined an orange light BEHIND the Boron, and due to the Boron being semi-translucent, makes him look orange. Same goes for the green fingers and other details, I doubt they are glowing green, it is subsurface scattering of he green lights around him. Thoughts? Is it bio-luminescent? My original hope before I saw the new concept art was to base their textures on Cuttlefish, this model was blue and white originally.
Also, the bottom half of him... it is suit or shell? It looks a bit like a lobsters shell, covering his tentacles, but it could also be a suit that covers the whole bottom half of his body.
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Oh, If Egosoft want to make the Boron ships and stations full of water, if they want to take on the responsibility of doing that well, then I would LOVE that. The player has a space suit, it is air tight, therefore it is watertight. Long ago when I was obsessing over my ship models for XTC I had a dream about entering a Boron section of a station and swimming through floorless corridors, with the Boron whizzing past at inhuman speeds - the Boron in their native habitat would be quite impressive.
Oh.. one last last thing. If anyone at Egosoft is reading this, would it be at all possible to get a high res image of this concept image? It would REALLY help.
Even better, is the artist still working for you? I'de love to know about his intended skin colour and the bottom half of his body/suit. Thanks
Cheers! Yes I'm obsessed
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