@Rubricmarine Well, I am Swedish! Now, I don’t know everything about my country, but if you have any questions, please don’t be afraid to ask! But since we’re talking about it, you could add one more year to when he won a shooting tournament and bought a pistol; you need to be a minimum of 18 to get a firearms license and own guns for any purpose and if my maths were correct, Erick was 17 in 1985, correct? In any case, is your name here on the forums a reference to the Rubric Marines of the Thousand Sons Traitor Legion?
@AliasDJA Oooh, sounds cool! I look forward to finding out what the Vanguard is!
Yes it is! Thousand sons best boys!
Will edit again, accordingly. I didn’t do any research at all on this and I just kinda came up with backstory on the fly (it’s a talent)
@AliasDJA Those are some very nice machine kills! Do you play aggressively, or more stealth like during gameplay? I try to approach things like my character would; with stealth first, being careful, tactically clearing indoor locations by for example preemptively aiming down sights as soon as I round any corner, and so on. And if I have to get into a fight, I scope out the place, count number of enemies, and always try to be the one who initiates the battle. Basically I just try to be as realistic as possible and true to Alicia.
Since GZ as a game, has drawn inspiration from the Terminator series: e.g the super awesome main menu theme is very similar to the Terminator movie theme; machines appearance in GZ is similar to early terminator’s appearance and superintelligence is present in both; i also draw inspiration from terminator series when creating my char profiles. Though, my belief of player chars being actually machines and not humans at all, spans back to the time when i finished vanilla main missions more than 1 year ago.
In-depth explanation of char profile creation (click here to read)
Model name
F-X
Here, i draw inspiration from terminator series. Especially from T-X Terminatrix (female terminator) who is also capable of engaging and destroying other, older terminators.
Since all 4 of my chars are females as well and rather than using the T-X name, F-X is much better fit, especially since it very similar to another known phrase in game: FNIX.
Mark 2
In the game, we already have first iteration of machines, which can be classified by their class as:
Mark 1 Revision 1 - Prototype class
Mark 1 Revision 2 - Military class
Mark 1 Revision 3 - FNIX class
Mark 1 Revision 4 - Apocalypse class
Mark 1 Revision 5 - unknown class (dubbed “Reaper” by community)
And to add to that, second iteration of machines would be Mark 2.
Revision
I added revision numbers by the creation of my chars, where Revision 1 is my 1st (and oldest) char, Revision 2 is the next char i created and so forth.
Serial number
While serial number looks like random garble of letters and numbers, it isn’t so at all. Instead, serial number is written in machine code, in hexadecimal to be exact. And it can be converted into plain text which humans can read. You can check it out.
Date of manufacture
Not a random date. Instead carefully thought out and fitting to the timeline of GZ events. Also, the date being at Halloween isn’t coincidence either. With Halloween being an event dedicated to remembering the dead, it’s up to the other player’s imagination who’s dead they are representing.
Place of manufacture
Mysterious place somewhere in the Sweden, fitting to the GZ lore.
Army designation
Like all current types of machines having army designation, so do have they;
The 101, 102, 103 and 104 have meaning as well. (Did draw inspiration from terminator series again, namely T-800 Model 101.) E.g 101 means: Series 100, Model 1. Series number represents first iteration of human looking machine and Model number represents the order of char creation.
Prickskytt, Läkare, Artillerist and Mekaniker state the main specialization they have and their role in outside world (among human population).
Blueprint description
With my girls being machines and not actual humans, the additional info is written similarly to the other machine blueprints by giving out some, but not all information about them.
Armament
List of weapons which was issued to them before deployment to best fit for their role. E.g Pricksytt has weapons that are equipped with scopes or Artillerist has heavy weaponry (KVM, Granatgevär m/49). Also, issued weapons are experimental ones for best effectiveness.
Of course, according to the blueprint, they can have other weapons as well.
(In game, i do have the exact weapons in use with each of them as well, true to their role and this is not fiction.)
Augmentations
Fancier word for specializations. (Here, i did draw inspiration from Deus Ex series of games.) Also to help out non-Swedish speaking people who doesn’t understand what Prickskytt, Läkare, Artillerist and Mekaniker means.
Appearance
I dressed each of them according to the best fit for their role.
E.g F-X 101 looks like a mercenary sniper with the camo pants, big boots, experimental eyepiece, experimental earpiece but without going full military look by keeping comfy jacket, pink t-shirt, necklace and pink cap to get a good balance.
F-X 104 outfit doesn’t resemble her role of Mekaniker, despite there being matching outfit in the game. Instead, the adventurer outfit is good balance between her two specializations (Survivor and Engineer).
The info about my chars are essentially a blueprint that players can pick up from the world, just like it is with other machines. However, what the blueprint doesn’t state is their purpose and mission.
This form of info actually spawns a lot more questions than it answers and gives a lot to the imagination.
For example:
They do fight with other machines as well but the question is: Do they fight with other machines to keep their cover or is there some other purpose?
Do they know that they are machines or do they believe that they are humans?
What is their mission?
Etc.
Edit:
Forgot to add my play style.
Depending on which char of mine i’m playing, my play style also varies to certain degree but mainly, i still like sneaking and sniping the most. And i do scout the area and machines beforehand. Regardless with whom i play.
For example:
Playing with F-X 101, i like to use a lot of cover and often parkour my way to the roofs of buildings for best view to the surrounding area and for the good line of sight for sniping. One of my most favorite sniping positions is on top of the church’es roof.
F-X 102 was created solely for MP gameplay (i’m mainly solo player though). And in MP games, she is very good support char for other players.
When playing with F-X 103, i don’t have PVG90 in the arsenal to snipe machines from afar. Instead, i have several weapons to deal with groups of machines at once. Though, that doesn’t mean that i’ll run head first into machines. But with her, i’m more likely to engage groups of machines than with e.g F-X 101.
F-X 104 is many ways similar to F-X 101 but her skills are a lot different, focusing more on sneaking around.
Wow. You’re really putting some extra “effort” into playing a game. Here I am, desperately searching for a few hours every week to even play. I admire/envy those who find both the time to play a lot, and create community content on top of that. IMO, this kind of content is necessary for a forum like this to stay interesting over time, so keep it up.
Speaking of which, I did try my hand at writing a story back in december, and I’m getting close to finishing chapter 2.
@Aesyle Wow, that’s amazing! You’ve put quite a bit more details into your characters than I have for Alicia! It’s very interesting to think about them - how intelligent are they; as intelligent as humans? Do they have feelings and emotions? Are they all completely dedicated to overthrowing the resistance and then humanity itself, or are they capable of evolving and changing their allegiance? - a lot of questions pop into my head, and it’s all very interesting to think about. I like the mystery and open-ended possibilites; I agree that it lets my imagination flourish, and that’s more enjoyable than recieving a definitive answer.
As for Alicia, I’ve put a lot of thought into her creation, especially with her name and the names of her family members. There are some similarities, such as Alicia’s name having meaning and her birthdate having meaning as well. Alicia’s last name, for example, is Storm; it used to be fairly common as a soldier’s name in Sweden, and is also supposed to represent the fact that she’s descended from the Norse gods. Her middle names are too; Eira is derived from the word “eir” which means “help, mercy” and Vigdis is a nordic women’s name even today, and is derived from the Old Norse name “Vígdís”, which itself is a combination of the words “víg” (“battle, fight”) and “dís” (“goddess, woman”). Vigdis essentially means “war goddess” Her middle names are supposed to symbolize that Alicia’s destiny is to help people and humanity in general through violence and fighting battles. As for her birthdate, I picked March 1, 1973 for two reasons. First reason is that March 1 was a Thursday in 1973, and Thursday is Thor’s Day; it is literally named after Thor. Secondly, the month of March is named after Mars, the Roman god of war. Alicia’s brother was born on January 26, 1965 because January 26 was a Tuesday that year, and Tuesday is supposedly named after Týr, another Norse god.
Alicia currently has no idea of her ancestry, and believes she is a normal person. And she’s still entirely mortal and can definitely die; she’s just got a bit more strength, speed, endurance and perhaps wound healing than she otherwise would to explain how she can pull through and not die. In-game, I’ve only been downed 7 times, and I’ve never had to respawn at a safehouse as I’ve always had more than enough adrenaline shots. I roleplay that on those occasions, Alicia is severely wounded and not killed; she’s used an adrenaline shot to get through the fight by either destroying the machines or by just running away, and then retreated to heal.
Now, I realize that the whole Norse god ancestry thing is probably not at all consistent with GZ lore, but I haven’t found anything that says it’s impossible either. In fact, I think there’s a place in-game where you can find a destroyed machine with a viking sword stuck in it. That’s probably some form of easter egg, but at least it’s something in my opinion.
@NJR87 Thanks a lot! And yes, I have a lot of time to spend on this. Too much time, probably!
I’ll read the story you wrote! As for short stories, I’ve been thinking of writing some from Alicia’s perspective, perhaps as a diary. It’d begin by detailing her experiences during the machine invasion and non-DLC parts of the game, such as trying to survive during the first few days, watching the machines to learn their behavioural patterns and weaknesses, starting to fight the machines, and also having to kill other human survivors who had essentially become ruthless bandits out of desperation or simple opportunity and, unprovoked, had attacked her and other innocent people. I’m not sure if that last part would fit into the lore, but it’s something I imagine would be quite possible in the situation the game takes place in.
The main reason why i play GZ is the lore and the lore is one that has kept me with GZ for such a long time. I want to see where the story in GZ goes and how it ends, if it ever ends.
When i 1st started with GZ, week after GZ’s launch (back in late March '19), i also thought that my char was human teen, as the small narrative lets us to believe. However, throughout of my journey, collecting more info about machines and the world of GZ piece by piece, i found hints and tips that my char may not be human at all. Of course, it’s a great leap from bulky machines roaming the world to the human looking machine but everything is possible. Also, i can’t just dismiss all those clues about my theory of player char being a machine.
For example, here’s close-up shot of F-X 103 and can you spot the clue in it?
Before your topic came along, my theory about my girls was general one but your topic gave me inspiration to create individual profiles for each of them. And all that in the style of GZ as well; giving out some detailed info about them but also having a good dose of mystery, true to the GZ’s lore.
That’s what i like the most about GZ, it gives you small pieces of the story as you go along, like a treasure hunt. Of course, that also leaves a lot for your imagination of what is actually going on and who you are.
Playing GZ is in many ways like reading a book: there is main story line but also a lot of room for imaginnation.
@Aesyle Yes, the eyes! I’ve seen that in-game too, but personally I think it’s just a graphical thing; the 3D light reflecting off the surface of our characters eyes in a certain way to give off that glow. Like how cats eyes glow in photographs and how human eyes turn red in photographs in certain lighting conditions. But it can definitely be taken as a clue to your theory as well, it’s certainly possible! I’ve also noticed strange technological sounds and beeps from time to time in locations where there shouldn’t be any, such as in the middle of the forest without any machines nearby.
And I agree that the lore is good! I really like it, especially the mystery of it; it doesn’t reveal too much about the world out of the box, and the game gives you a feeling of being in the shoes of your character and discovering what happened with them.
Personally though, I am actually opposed to our characters being machines. I want and honestly need the human element, not just in mind but also in body. It would feel weird to me if our characters are just made of cold metal with some synthetic covering. What I am not opposed to, however, is if our characters are human but with advanced technological implants and augmentations; what matters most to me is that they are primarily human.
May I ask what you think of Alicia? Is she a good character/what do you think of all her different aspects (name, age, background, ancestry and so on)?
Edit: I’m really glad my topic inspired you to create individual profiles for each of them! That was part of my hopes with my initial post; that people would like it and be inspired to do the same.
Rest assured, the question of player char being human or something else is still left open in-game. That’s why i can have my girls as i vision them to be and you can have your girl as you vision her to be.
Did read about her and her description is also in-depth.
It’s nice to read about other player’s ideas of their char profile creation and what basis was taken during the creation.
Though, i know very little of Norse mythology and customs of Sweden (i’m not a Swede myself) and i’m indifferent about the meanings of the names and dates.
One thing, that i, personally, doesn’t agree with, is one instance of the Early Life section. Namely:
- 1987: Is suspended from school for beating up two students she claimed were bullying a third; parents ramp up the annual training for the rest of the year in response to her lack of discipline.
I get that military parents are strict. However, the teachings of military parents are all about: “Doing the right thing.”. In school, she helped out whomever was bullied and quite likely did put an end to any further bullying. But instead getting praised for her actions, she instead got punished by doing the right thing.
This kind of conduct doesn’t sit well with me at all. No sane parent would punish their child for doing the right thing. Also, i don’t understand how doing the right thing is considered as lack of discipline. Unless her parents are complete nutcases and demand her complete submission to their (parents) will.
The military secretary searched through the files he had been given on the Ostertorn region searching for anything of use, He started to read the next file on his list…
Full Name: Erik Dahl Olsson
Date of Birth: 27/1/1971
Occupation: Hunter and Farmer
Relatives: Louisa Olsson ( Mother Deceased ) Isak Olsson ( Father Deceased )
Bella Olsson ( Sister Unknown )
Relationships: Sofia Sköld ( Girlfriend Alive) Edvin Englund ( Friend Unknown)
Place of residence: Alambo farm ( Destroyed )
History:
1971: Birth
1979: kidnapped and nearly snuck out the country
1982: Goes to military school for a year
1983: Hunts his first deer
1986: Snuck into Sathoholmen Naval base undetected and managed to steal an SMG, gave it back a year later.
1987: Upgrades the engine on the family car
1987: Mother and Father died in a car accident, Erik took over the farm and is taking care of his sister
1989: Erik and Bella go on a trip away from the farm with their friends to relax and enjoy life. MISSING AND PRESUMED DEAD
The secretary then looked into the second file attached to the first
Full Name: Bella Sandra Olsson
Date of Birth: 13/8/1975
Occupation: Popular School girl/ Farmer
Relatives: Louisa Olsson ( Mother Deceased ) Isak Olsson ( Father Deceased )
Erik Olsson ( Brother Unknown )
Place of residence: Alambo farm ( Destroyed )
Relationships: Stella rehn ( friend unknown ) Julia Dahlgren ( friend deceased )
History:
1975: Birth
1987: Attends military school for a year
1989: Erik and Bella go on a trip away from the farm with their friends to relax and enjoy life. MISSING AND PRESUMED DEAD
Notes if i add stuff: PICTURES ARE HERE! (Don’t play with bella much and Erik is my second character)
That’s good to hear! I hope they will leave it open in the future as well! Or at least make it open to interpretation, such as if an NPC just tells you that you’re a robot without having any evidence. I could just go “I don’t believe you.”
And yeah, it is nice to read about other player’s ideas! I am genuinely and very pleasantly surprised to find that there are more players of GZ that put thought into their characters and who they are just like I do.
And about that part in the early life section; I understand and agree. Alicia’s parents punishing her for doing the right thing was something I didn’t ponder over a lot before adding. Being suspended from school came first, and then I considered writing that she beat the bullies up so bad that at least one of them was hospitalized with at least one broken bone. But it didn’t sit right with me that Alicia was that violent when she was 14, so I didn’t add it in. Now, her parents are supposed to be stern to the point of almost being nutcases; which is why they put Alicia (and her brother when he was at the same age) through that training regimen and disregarded the law to instruct their children how to handle military firearms in secret. But they also have a very logical way of thinking, and also have a sense of honor and a strong sense of duty towards their family, and genuinely love both their children. They never pushed Alicia or her brother too far. So, yes. You’re right that the conduct of punishing Alicia for doing the right thing doesn’t make a whole lot of sense considering who they are and that such a thing would be damaging to Alicia’s sense of morality! So I’m going to change that line into something better. I feel like she would still get suspended from school though, because the school’s principal was an idiot who didn’t consider everyone’s side. And now I have an idea for what to change it to!
@Admiralgamer That’s a very nice character profile, I like it! It’s a neat intro you wrote, too! Thanks for posting! Are Erik and Bella surviving together?
I should write a profile for Alicia’s brother. He’s alive, but I haven’t decided exactly where he is; though he’s probably searching for his sister just like Alicia’s been searching for him. I think they will find each other after I’ve played the DLCs. Their parents are probably alive too, but since they have a relatively high rank in the military they’re probably helping to organize the military elsewhere.
As for Alambo Farm, is that a location in the game? I myself have been searching for houses in-game where Alicia lived before the machine invasion. I have two requirements for this:
There needs be a logical layout to the rooms; everything you’d find in a normal house. Meaning no houses with, for example, three bathrooms, one bedroom and no freaking kitchen.
It can’t have any quests or any in-game story such as notes written by NPCs already associated with it.
It needs to be nicely decorated.
So far I’ve identified at least two places in-game that can fit those requirements; one is an unmarked but rather nice house in the town of Klinte, and the other is the Vinterbacken homestead. Currently I’ve decided on the house in Klinte as her home, but if I find a better house in another region I’ll change her address to that.
Yes they are, Bella isn’t really a fighter and is only 14, she helps Erik in any way she can and is good at causing distractions for Erik. Erik is the fighter charging in against all odds defending his country.
It is not (At least i think), I came up with it myself, its location would be in the island above himfall but unfortunately it was nearby a military battle with machines and is a pile of rubble due to a tank smashing the farmhouse and barns. Erik and Bella want to find a way to see if their home is ok but in the freezing cold months of winter and machines very good hearing they don’t want to risk taking a boat.
I think you should wait until we get a DLC with remains of the military and that is where she should find him.
The fight against the aliens does not allow for emotion, though I fear for Diesel in her search for answers…
It’d been nearly 3 weeks, and nothing has changed. There are concerns NW, but cannot venture there at this time. The mystery still remains, something…was there on Himfjall. Something they kept in plain sight, hidden, underground.
There was no point in reasoning, I told her not to go. The radio I gave is hopefully enough.
Makes a lot of sense, yeah! I like the synergy/cooperation between Erik and Bella. Alicia’s a great fighter and survivor that has so far managed everything alone despite being only 16, but that’s mostly because of her military parents and the training they put her through. If she didn’t have any training there’s no way she’d survive by herself, no matter her ancestry.
I admit that Erik and Bella and the way they survive is much more realistic than Alicia! I could have done something similar for Alicia and her brother, but when I’m playing in-game I want to feel immersed in my character, the environment and what’s happening around my character and I can’t play two characters at the same time, so it felt more fitting that Alicia and her family were separated.
As for character home, that’s a pretty good idea! Personally I want an actual location in-game, a place Alicia calls home. Though she would have prepared a few camps with supplies in various locations around Östertörn so she has places to go if she needs to rest and resupply.
And yes, you’re right! I have yet to finish the base game and Alicia is still before the events of Alpine Unrest in the timeline of the game. So waiting until I finish the DLCs and until a military DLC would be better!
IMO, this kind of content is necessary for a forum like this to stay interesting over time, so keep it up. 
