Dates and Geneforge 5 (Added Pre-Geneforge to Genforge 2) Timeline)[G5]

[Milla]

Yesterday my on and off curiosity about the Geneforge timeline was peaked again so I decided to take another look at the loading screen pictures for G3+4. These pictures appear to be reports on various creation types but they are unique as in the explicitly state the year they were written. I've complied what dates I've found so far (I'm unsure if there are any actual dates like this within the games) below plus conclusions.

 

Timeline

 

Pre Geneforge

 

>~2000 years before G1:

-A Sucia Island tribe discovers how to alter and create living things using magic.

-Declares war on other tribes to build empire.

-During this war Heustess is accidentally effectively made immortal. Becomes self-proclaimed guardian of his home.

-Due to to reckless shaping that created many diseases and monsters. Most of the tribe perished. The rest fled the island to the mainland to eventually become the Shapers.

2000-500 years before G1:

The other inhabitants of the island eventually die out.

~210-200 years before G1:

-Group of Shapers claim Sucia Island as a research center. Headed by Dannette, Defniel and Corata.

-Make new discoveries eventually come across (rediscover?) the genes.

-Shade creations are developed

-Drayks Akkat, Rakkus and Syros were created

-Sealed Lab was sealed about a year before the Island was barred.

-Develop the Geneforge but the project is halted when the isle is barred. The entire island is abandoned.

200-100 years before G1:

-Corata and small group return to the island to retrieve the power of the Geneforge. Most are killed by the poisons in the Southern Workshop.

-Danette and Defniel, reaching the end of their lives return to Sucia to die and be buried.

-Other shapers return too and are entombed in Diarazad.

-Serviles in mines rebel and flee to Kazg eventually becoming the Takers.

-Sage Clois born sometime in this period.

-Use of creations in the arena is outlawed.

-Serviles of Pentil begin logging of Pentil Forest.

20 years before G1:

Rydell become leader of Pentil and The Obeyers.

10-15+ years before G1: Drypeak Mining Colony is founded.

1.5-1 years before start of G1:

-Sholai expedition loses boat in storm.

-Discovers Sucia and lands loses another boat in landing.

-Trajkov explores island and discovers research facility. Translates shaper research and discovers canisters and begins using.

-Breaks into inner chamber and discovers Geneforge.

-Abducts Shaper Goettsch

-Goettsch betrays Trajkov and steals shaping gloves.

-Trajkov and assistants explore more of island. Form alliance with the Takers and begins production of spawners.

-New rogues are noted to be around Pentil Forest.

<1 year before G1:

-Trajkov plans to capture a younger and weaker Shaper.

-Anfisa and other Sholai dissenters attempt to escape. They failed.

-Rumors of Shaper on island are heard by serviles. (Goettsch)

-Sholai place mines on Northbridge.

-In abandoned school north of Vakkiri shaping is attempted.

-Last Sholai ship is destroyed with the attempted capture of PC.

 

Geneforge 1 Events Begin

-A Shaper escapes the island and reports all to the Council.

-Goettsch is killed.

 

5-10 years before G2

-Initial forces sent to deal with the problem. Some taken away from island others killed. Genocide of Drayks and all Servile factions.

-May have killed Trajkov (Unsure text says Shapers killed him. But could be just generalized meaning it was the PC that did the deed.)

-Shapers Zakary and Barzahl are sent to clean up the problem.

-Discover and translate notes on the gene shaping as well as the canisters and the Geneforge.

-Steal secrets and smuggle surviving Drayks and Serviles to mainland.

5 years before G2

-Zakary and Barzahl gather group of willing Shaper followers and with the Serviles and Drayks search for place to start new kingdom.

-Find the Drypeak Colony and set up shop. With Zakary maintaining the illusion that nothing was going on, Barzahl and others build cities and experiment.

2 years before G2: Ellhrah dies.

-~2 years before G2: The Bound One is summoned and imprisoned in a golem around this time.

1 year before G2: Zakary and Barzahl have disagreement and Barzahl (Heavily Modified) leaves.

6 months before G2:Spawners and Rogues start appearing around Drypeak.

3 months before G2:Last caravan to come to Drypeak.

 

Geneforge 2 events begin

 

Geneforge 3

 

Year 4007-Clawbug 51st Generation 2nd Design

Year 4053-Drayk General Survey (Are already Barred by this date)

Year 4055-Geological Survey Ashen Isles. (Appears to be settled already)

Year 4108-Artila 91st Generation, 17th design

Year 4119-Vlish 45th Generation 12th Design

 

Geneforge 4

 

Year 4128-Battle Alpha 92nd Generation, 22nd Design

Year 4128-Wingbolt 3rd Generation, 9th Design

Year 4128-Rotghroth 18th Generation, 2nd Design (Places date after Geneforge 2)

 

Geneforge 5 (from Slarty)

 

Year 4133-Fyora 103rd Generation, 17th Design

Year 4133-War Trall 5th Generation, 2nd Design

Year 4133-Kyshakk 23rd Generation, 5th Design (Started appearing 2 years before G4 events)

 

• Since the wingbolt was created about a year (?Need Vertification) before the start of Geneforge 4 it can be assumed that the the fourth game takes place within a year or two either side of the year 4128.
• Could possibly be used as a base line for working out the dates for other events in the Geneforge universe.
• I don't know if generation times of creations are uniform across the entire range of creations or if it differs between types. But I'm hypothesizing that due to outright war in the later games that large numbers of creations are being made (especially the new types) which means they are developing them faster.

 

Misc Stuff

 

• Chronologically the Fyora, Vlish and Artilla creations are probably the earliest variety of true creations. In G1 there are Fyora and Artilla pictographs in the temple
  Click to reveal..

  Where we learn shaping developed there.
  I'm unsure about the fyora but both the Artilla and Vlish have unknown base sources. (Additionally the Vlish has 'Legacy' marked next to their base source.

 

What does this have to do with Geneforge 5? Since I cannot play G5 due to the windows version being unreleased I wondering if G5 had similar loading screens or anything at explicitly has the year within the game. So I can play around with those dates too.

 

EDITED

[Drayk Armitage]

Awesome work Milla!

 

Year 4133-Fyora 103rd Generation, 17th Design

Year 4133-War Trall 5th Generation, 2nd Design

Year 4133-Kyshakk 23rd Generation, 5th Design

[Paladin95]

Originally Posted By: Slarty

Awesome work Milla!

Q4E

If Drayks were barred by 4053, then that's about the latest date Sucia Island could have been barred. The time difference between G1 and G2 can't be too great, because Zakary and Barzahl hadn't been in Drypeak for more than a few years (see: "trapped" reference in conversation with herbalist in the city of Drypeak). Since the ending of G2 is the around birth of Gahldring, we can safely assume that at least two decades passed between the end of G2 and the start of G3. And we know that G3 is between 4119 and 4128.

Given the "2nd Design" of the Rot, and assuming that the 1st design was the G2 version and the 2nd was the G3 version, I would date G3 to the year 4128, putting G4 at 4229-4231. Working backwards, that gives us something like:

G1: 4053-4080
G2: 4073-4108
G3: 4128
G4: 4130
G5: Shortly thereafter?

EDIT: Slarty's edit pushes G4 back at least another 3 years.

[Milla]

Ah thanks so much Slarty.

 

Wow, they finally have a fyora report? I've been waiting two games for that.

 

So about 5-6 years between reports. What is the time period period between G4 and G5. I remember that there is a 7-10 year break between G3 and G4.

 

Update: Start of G4 Greta mentions that 2 years ago the Kyshakks appeared on the battlefields.

 

Note to self: I wonder on average how long creation generations are.

[Alorael at Large]

I always assumed that the generations and designs had nothing to do with normal birth. My guess was something along the lines of radical redesigns of a creation happening infrequently, with subsequent minor tune-ups labeled as "generations." Programs have versions along the lines of 1.2.3, and creations are type.design.generation. That would argue for faster design turnover for newer creations, but generations would presumably only be counted within a design. Then again, that should still be true even for naturally born generations.

 

—Alorael, who can't recall specific dates for G5's timeline. If anyone says it it's likely to be Alwan.

[Milla]

Originally Posted By: Vinegar and Engine Oil

I always assumed that the generations and designs had nothing to do with normal birth. My guess was something along the lines of radical redesigns of a creation happening infrequently, with subsequent minor tune-ups labeled as "generations." Programs have versions along the lines of 1.2.3, and creations are type.design.generation.

Actually that works. And when you work in the loading screen reports it fits even more. Example, Battle Alpha on the loading screen would be 901.22.92. Before I saw this post I had edited in my thoughts on generations and due to the war they going through them quicker.

[Milla]

Well I have started working on a timeline of sorts. Currently I've gone through Pre Geneforge times to the end of Geneforge 2.

[Luca]

Quote:

Serviles in mines rebel and flee to Kazg eventually becoming the Takers.

To be clear, they did not start out as rebels
Gnorrel tells 'the young shaper' something to the effect that they used to be loyal.
She says that after the Shapers left, the takers used to be like the Obeyers and uphold the Shaper belief and say that they would be back. Until one day, when one servile (Who's name was forgotten) ran out into the town square shouting among other things, "We need to take our free." He was killed, but the idea stuck.
Oh, and well done.
That is all.

[Milla]

But when you talk to the mine's Servant Mind it talks about how Serviles there became dissatisfied with the conditions (lack of food etc.) and left (Rebelling against the Mind's control).

 

That's what I meant by the quoted comment perhaps it could have been written more clearly.

[Drayk Armitage]

IMHO it was quite clear. The verb "to rebel" does not imply exactly the same thing that the noun "rebels" does.

[Drayk Armitage]

I can't find *any* suggestion that Wingbolts were created a year before G4, sadly.

 

Since the war had been going poorly for the Rebels for about two years, and Kyshakks were created two years earlier, I think it's reasonable to guess that Wingbolts were created 1-3 years before G4.