History VideoGame / EscapeVelocity

* SpaceFlecks: In all three games.

* FinalDeath: An optional mode of play is "Strict Play", which deletes your character file if you die in the game, rather than allowing you to just reload it as you would if you were playing normally. Fortunately, escape pods can be used to escape from your ship if you have this enabled, but you start over in a shuttlecraft and lose any legal status you've gained in systems. This can be annoying, as often, you need a certain legal status to take a mission.

* MegaCorp: Sigma Shipyards in ''Nova'' is an engineering corporation based on the Kane Band around Earth whose main business is constructing and upgrading starships. The company also controls its own shipping line and supply chain, and has control of what's left of the hypergate system. Interestingly for this trope, Sigma is portrayed fairly positively: Donald Chick, formerly a member of the board of directors, now works for the Rebels, and Sigma provides them surreptitious backing.

** ''Nova'' has the [[StarfishAliens Wraith]] north of Polaris space. They only have any role in the Polaris storyline, and a small one at that. The Krypt are derived from the former Vell-os ruling council, making them a human offshoot instead of true aliens.

* AwesomeButImpractical: The Thunderhead Lance comes stock with the Thunderhead Heavy fighter, can be bought at Rebel II in the Koria system for 100,000 credits, does considerable damage, but its short [[FrickinLaserBeams Beam]] range forces you to get very close to your target, and by then you would get shredded.

* FrickinLaserBeams: The Polaris' and Vell-os' hat in terms of weapons.

* FanNickname: "Mass-modding" involves converting a freighter into a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q-ship Q-ship]]. Start with freighter with decent stats like an Enterprise or Leviathan, the bigger the cargo bay the better. Buy mass expansions until you can't fit any more. You now have a smaller cargo bay and a lot more room for weapons.

* ''VideoGame/{{Naev}}'', an open source clone [[http://blog.naev.org/ available here,]] subtitled ''Sea of Darkness'', exists on all three major platforms. The plot is based around an ill-defined [[AfterTheEnd "Incident"]] in which [[ApocalypseHow the Sun is destroyed]], leaving the remains of a VestigialEmpire and several Houses bickering over territory.

''EV Nova'' has [[http://evn.wikia.com its own wiki.]]

* RealSongThemeTune: ''Nova'' uses "Mars, the Bringer of War" from Music/GustavHolst's ''The Planets Suite''.

** The UE in ''Override'' starts with a fighter, a destroyer and a carrier, and later adds a cruiser. The Voinians have a supply ship (the UE uses civilian contractors/ships), a 'heavy fighter' (more-or-less analogous to a fighter-bomber), an interceptor, a frigate, a cruiser and builds a dreadnought in the course of the story (which is promptly destroyed before it is even properly deployed). The Cosmic Frontier version will add a few more ships, such as the UE Monitor (a smaller class of UE ships filling the armed patrol niche between the UE Fighter and the UE Destroyer, roughly analogous to a cutter/corvette in the standard fleet).

** The UE in ''Override'' starts with a fighter, a destroyer and a carrier, and later adds a cruiser. The Voinians have a supply ship (the UE uses civilian contractors/ships), a 'heavy fighter' (more-or-less analogous to a fighter-bomber), an interceptor, a frigate, a cruiser and builds a dreadnought in the course of the story (which is promptly destroyed before it is even properly deployed).

* Shareware: The games all operate as shareware timed trials.

*** In ''Override'', Cap'n Hector periodically steals your credits and shows up more often and steals more after the first month.

* SingleBiomePlanet: Several planets are described in a manner that seems to give them a single biome.
** Though this might be application of the LawOfConservationOfDetail: the planetary description box has a limit on the amount of text it can display, and has no scrollbar.

* CurbStompBattle: Cap'n Hector would come at you with one of these if you didn't register the game within a month. It may not be ''impossible'' to survive him, but it's highly unlikely.
** As someone who back in high school took over most of the known galaxy with Hector on my tail the entire time, I can attest that the challenge is more tedious than entertaining. Register the game.

** The "Monty Python Maneuver" makes use of the series' lack of SpaceFriction and Newtonian projectile mechanics[[note]Projectile speed and range are fixed and entirely independent of the ship firing them, so projectiles fired backwards travel the same distance as projectiles fired forwards, meaning a ship being chased may be able to hit a pursuer that cannot hit it, even if both ships have the exact same weapons[[/note]] to fly away from multiple targets while shooting backwards. The name refers to the instances in ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'' where the knights yell "Run away!"

** The "Monty Python Maneuver" makes use of the series' lack of SpaceFriction to fly away from multiple targets while shooting backwards. The name refers to the instances in ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'' where the knights yell "Run away!"

* DisabilityImmunity: In ''Nova'', neither the game nor the manual explains what the Vell-os nanite organ actually ''does'' beyond being necessary for a Vell-os's life (presumably it has something to do with their long lives), but the fact that you aren't actually a Vell-os and so lack it ends up being ''very'' important in the Vell-os storyline: [[spoiler: a powerful enough telepath could sidestep the control mechanism in the slave implant for a few seconds and simply remove it, but as the device is hooked into the nanite organ, doing so would be lethal to a Vell-os. The Bureau, not realizing that you aren't actually a Vell-os, never bothered to add additional safeguards in case you got that powerful. Which, surprisingly, you don't: instead you're defeated and captured by Polaris telepaths who disable it for you, and only later do you become that powerful.]]

** In all of the games, [[TheUsualAdversaries Pirates, Renegades, and Marauders]] can be [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential shot down, blown up, and robbed of their credits, cargo, or even entire ships,]] and the only faction that takes issue with that are the pirates themselves; all other factions either don't care or consider it public service.

* PayEvilUntoEvil: The Auroran preamble discusses a disgraced Heraani warrior named Turo'mar, also known as "The Claimer" or the ''[[YouAreTheTranslatedForeignWord Tharakoodesh]]'', who kills those who attack the innocent. He leaves the headless corpse behind with the message,
--> Thus die those who attack the innocent. Death's harvest is rich with the blood of cowards, and the virtuous have the strength to reap it. The claimer is here. Take heed...

** In ''Nova'', several Wraith systems have names like [[LordOfTheRings "One'E'Ringa" and "Too'E'Bindem."]]

** The United Earth of ''Override'' is a union of [[CaptainObvious the countries of Earth]], is generally good, and has a Parliament. It began as an [[TheAlliance Alliance]], but has grown tighter since then, with plans to introduce a common currency mentioned in-game and WordOfGod mentioning it doesn't fall apart after the Voinans are effectively defeated.

** You can only get the full story of ''Nova'' if you play every faction to the end. It's not too important, but several interesting details can be discovered. [[spoiler: For instance, you are in fact the universe in human form, [[ThePlan the Rebellion was started by the Federation as a way of finding all the would-be traitors]], the Vell-os were from tenth century Earth (although that is also AllThereInTheManual), your father was the king of all the Pirates in the galaxy before being betrayed by [=McGowan=], [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and that the Wild Geese are Irish]] ([[CaptainObvious of course, their world is called New Ireland]])]].

** Although not a direct shout out, the Old Earth [[http://evn.wikia.com/wiki/IDA_Frigate IDA Frigate]] bears a striking similarity to [[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/EF76_Nebulon-B_escort_frigate this]].

** In ''Nova'', several Wraith systems have names like [[LordOfTheRings "One'E'Ringa" and "Too'E'Bindem"]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Naev}}'', an open source clone available [[http://blog.naev.org/ here]], subtitled ''Sea of Darkness'', exists on all three major platforms. The plot is based around an ill-defined [[AfterTheEnd "Incident"]] in which [[ApocalypseHow the Sun is destroyed]], leaving the remains of a VestigialEmpire and several Houses bickering over territory.

''EV Nova'' has its own wiki [[http://evn.wikia.com here]].

** Subverted in ''Classic''. The game had them in the backstory, but humanity [[GuiltFreeExterminationWar wiped them out]] after they tried to do the same to us. [[spoiler:There's still one last alien cruiser floating around out there, though.]]
** Averted entirely in ''Override''.
** Played with in ''Nova'', which has the [[StarfishAliens Wraith]] north of Polaris space. They only have any role in the Polaris storyline, and a small one at that. DoubleSubverted with the Krypt, which are derived from the former Vell-os ruling council, making them a human offshoot instead of true aliens.

** The "Monty Python Maneuver" makes use of the series' partial aversion of SpaceFriction to fly away from multiple targets while shooting backwards. The name refers to the instances in ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'' where the knights yell "Run away!"

* EscortMission: Somewhat inverted, as the engine is only built to support other ships following the player, not the other way around. You still have to see your charge safely to their destination.

* GoodRepublicEvilEmpire: Played straight in ''Override'' between the United Earth and the Voinian Empire. {{Inverted|Trope}} in ''Nova'', where the Federation is TheEmpire, and the Auroran Empire is really a [[TheAlliance loose confederation]] of [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy warrior houses]].

* RegeneratingShieldStaticHealth: Averted in the first two games, which used the same stat bar for both armor and shields (your hull had to fully regenerate before your shields would come back online). ''Nova'' broke them into separate stat bars and played the trope straight with ships built from Federation and Auroran technology, but averted with Polaran {{living ship}}s which can gradually heal hull damage.

** Partial aversion. Ships don't magically stop when they shut off their thrusters, and you can turn your ship in any direction without affecting your direction of movement, but a disabled ship will slowly drift to a halt.
** Played straight, in a way, with the few inertialess vessels in Nova -- a player getting his first Vell-os vessel would often yell WHEEEEEEEEE at finding out how nimble the bugger was. Also the ridiculously large Polaris Raven. These ships are usually ''less'' popular with players, since you can't pull the [[HitAndRunTactics Monty Python]] maneuver without inertia.
*** Inertialess flight can also be frustrating since some of the most powerful weapons in the game are fixed weapons, meaning you have to be pointing your ship at what you want to shoot. With inertia, you can strafe around the target to maximize the damage you deal while minimizing the damage you receive (if you do it correctly). However, with inertia, attacking with a fixed weapons means you are forced to fly your ship directly ''at'' what you are attempting to shoot, which minimizes the amount of time you can keep your weapon trained on the target before you fly over it and have to turn around. This is especially frustrating if you want to shred an enemy with the Vell-os Winter Storm or a Polaris Raven's Capacitor Pulse Laser.

** Part of the mission statement of the Mu'hari is to ensure the survival of the Polaran people, whatever the cost. This means that they take on the StateSec / SecretPolice role at times by necessity, but since they're treated as benevolent caretakers, this counts as a subversion.

* KangarooCourt: In ''Nova'', judges presiding over major [[{{TheFederation}} Federation]] trials are typically Vell-Os, a race of evolved humans endowed with {{Telepathy}}. Defendants do not mount a defense or get to testify, do not get a defense attorney, and do not stand before a jury; rather, a list of charges against them is read and they enter their plea. The Vell-Os judge then reads their mind and history, and is able to determine the truth and issue a ruling in seconds. This would in itself be questionable enough, but it doesn't stop there! Unbeknownst to the general civilian population, as well as most prominent political and military leaders, the Vell-Os are enslaved via mind control chip implants by the Federation, which is in turn puppeteered by the [[{{SecretPolice}} Bureau of Internal Investigation]], a shady organization that officially serves as military intelligence but in fact control the Federation entirely. Enemies of the state, particularly those who speak out against or get in the way of the Bureau, tend to end up in court with extensive lists of unlikely charges leveled against them and are invariably found guilty.

** Thankfully, the attacks can stop completely if you go far enough in the Auroran storyline (obviously they wouldn't attack their own warriors), the Vell-Os storyline, (obviously able to detect their hostility and probably fry them with your abilities), or the Polaris storyline (You would be able to detect their weaves and subvert them).