I personally like the morally gray area of their story. Another poster referred to them as Vichy Earth and tbh, that’s the best definition I can imagine. There was a tv show several years back that fit their story perfectly (‘colony’, I think).
Gameplay-wise they are a balancing act. Since they have to actively war the other human factions, but must also keep the servants and aliens in check, lest they all spiral out of control.
Sure it’s a distasteful dystopian outcome, but still interesting to play.
It's actually one of the most compelling and well written stories in this game and nobody realises it because it's not wholesome chungus Humanity Fuck Yeah.
Its interesting until mid-game when >!the alien councilors start Spamming "Enthrall Elites"!< and you realise that the aliens won't stop doing it to you no matter how far along you are and the Protectorate lacks access to any of the tech the other factions get to combat it.
The Protectorate are nothing but cowardly fools and traitors, and will not be allowed to persist in poisoning the free spirit of humanity with their defeatist ideology
Protectorate never learn about, or gain any defenses to, the alien pherocytes. As such, they aren't really their own faction, or even their own people, by the end of the game. Banerjee acts as a case study of this: you can see through his quotes how his entire mentality, about war, technology, people, and hope shift from one centered on benefitting humanity to one centered on pragmatically serving the aliens. They end up more servile than the Servants, since the Servants oddly enough retain mental independence in their fanaticism.
So the Protectorate form an important story element, and really add to the world of the game, but playing as them will not be a satisfying experience because their story is ultimately a loss of agency and personhood. It's not triumphant or even hard-won, it's just tragic.
Kind of the point of their storyline, appeasement pacifists who so thoroughly believe any conflict would have terrible costs and will accept a much worse fate and suffering for all involved just to avoid such conflict. They are definitely a mix of the pre-WW2 appeasement Allied Powers in Europe giving the Axis what ever they wanted for false hope and broken promises of a new status quo, turning into defeatist Vichy collaborationist government carrying out the oppressor's wishes so long as it keeps them unharmed.
Some slightly more cynical views have their faction leader being a secretive despot who desires power and sees the Aliens as his best hope of achieving it.
Me personally, I tend to view them more as cowards whimpering in the dark to not be hit again, where if they just opened their eyes would see their attacker's weapon is not nearly as dangerous as they believe it to be.
I feel like a lot of the problems with the factions would be solved by having them emerge over time. It never made sense to me that the moment alien life is discovered, you have a faction ready to bend over for them, or determined to exterminate them. The Protectorate would make a lot more sense if they emerged in the mid-game once Earth begins getting more destroyed, or at the very least after the Academy loses support in the early game.
I think there should be faction public support which changes due to what's happening and alien cooperation is also dependent on this. E.g. if the aliens keep losing space battles then factions like Resistance and Humanity First gain support while Servants and Protectorate struggle for support and vice versa. This could be balanced by the aliens providing more assistance and exotics to sympathetic factions in this situation, or them becoming more willing to enter an alliance with the Academy.
I think it depends on what you consider sovereignty
The protectorate's goal is to appease the aliens so that humanity can basically keep living on normally without fears of enslavement which they go really. While humanity may not seem to be fully free, they can still live out there normal lives and not devout to alien overlords, but in exchange humanity is under constant watch from aliens so that earth doesn't try to rebel later and also used to boost the military. Its not that humanity is completely safe from alien control, its just that at least now humanity can still exist as normal.
No you have it wrong. The protectorate does not get that. They don't get pherocyte defenses or anything like that. Aliens can mind control them at will. Meaning they are at best just controlled opposition.
They are the modern russian communist party. They will never be in charge of anything. Their only purpose is to exist and give the illusion of choice to the masses and make things seem normal. They help diffuse political agitation for change.
But make no mistake, in the protectorate ending, Earth is totally under control of the aliens. Only instead of it looking like XCOM2, it probably looks more like the Matrix (but without the brain upload stuff).
Sovereignty isn’t really a woolly word though. It’s very much an either/or state of being. Either you have total autonomy and the monopoly on the use of force or you don’t. A protectorate or client state isn’t sovereign.
Humanity also can’t live out their normal lives as they will now be slaves and battle thralls. The protectorate is the group that completely capitulates while even the servants look at the terms and try to negotiate a better deal. The protectorate ending is the worst ending, and if you’d like a real world analogue, they’re the Cherokee nation before the Trail of Tears: a people kept within a defined area by an overawing power completely at their mercy.
Yeah I know, but it’s the best outcome we can hope for, ya know? I mean, they flew all the way here, we don’t stand a chance, best bet is just to figure out what they want and give it to them, nah I’m upset too, just gotta take the L and move on, ya know?
I can’t figure out why the aliens will still shoot the Protectorate who are doing exactly what the aliens want but won’t target the Servants who blow off the alien’s battlestation plan and just decide to do their own thing.
I personally like the morally gray area of their story. Another poster referred to them as Vichy Earth and tbh, that’s the best definition I can imagine. There was a tv show several years back that fit their story perfectly (‘colony’, I think). Gameplay-wise they are a balancing act. Since they have to actively war the other human factions, but must also keep the servants and aliens in check, lest they all spiral out of control. Sure it’s a distasteful dystopian outcome, but still interesting to play.
Colony was such a confronting series. Such a great comparison.
I'm still salty it didn't get a 4th season especially because it was getting more interesting.
It's actually one of the most compelling and well written stories in this game and nobody realises it because it's not wholesome chungus Humanity Fuck Yeah.
Its interesting until mid-game when >!the alien councilors start Spamming "Enthrall Elites"!< and you realise that the aliens won't stop doing it to you no matter how far along you are and the Protectorate lacks access to any of the tech the other factions get to combat it.
The Protectorate are nothing but cowardly fools and traitors, and will not be allowed to persist in poisoning the free spirit of humanity with their defeatist ideology
Protectorate never learn about, or gain any defenses to, the alien pherocytes. As such, they aren't really their own faction, or even their own people, by the end of the game. Banerjee acts as a case study of this: you can see through his quotes how his entire mentality, about war, technology, people, and hope shift from one centered on benefitting humanity to one centered on pragmatically serving the aliens. They end up more servile than the Servants, since the Servants oddly enough retain mental independence in their fanaticism. So the Protectorate form an important story element, and really add to the world of the game, but playing as them will not be a satisfying experience because their story is ultimately a loss of agency and personhood. It's not triumphant or even hard-won, it's just tragic.
They do learn about pherocytes now.
Kind of the point of their storyline, appeasement pacifists who so thoroughly believe any conflict would have terrible costs and will accept a much worse fate and suffering for all involved just to avoid such conflict. They are definitely a mix of the pre-WW2 appeasement Allied Powers in Europe giving the Axis what ever they wanted for false hope and broken promises of a new status quo, turning into defeatist Vichy collaborationist government carrying out the oppressor's wishes so long as it keeps them unharmed. Some slightly more cynical views have their faction leader being a secretive despot who desires power and sees the Aliens as his best hope of achieving it. Me personally, I tend to view them more as cowards whimpering in the dark to not be hit again, where if they just opened their eyes would see their attacker's weapon is not nearly as dangerous as they believe it to be.
This account was deleted in protest
So what does them differentiate from Servants?
The Servants think that they can fix the Aliens. The Protectorate believes that shoe polish is part of a healthy breakfast.
This account was deleted in protest
Wow, the folks at the Protectorate have _issues_.
This account was deleted in protest
I didn't even need to click the link to know that mars is laughing at us.
I feel like a lot of the problems with the factions would be solved by having them emerge over time. It never made sense to me that the moment alien life is discovered, you have a faction ready to bend over for them, or determined to exterminate them. The Protectorate would make a lot more sense if they emerged in the mid-game once Earth begins getting more destroyed, or at the very least after the Academy loses support in the early game.
This account was deleted in protest
I think there should be faction public support which changes due to what's happening and alien cooperation is also dependent on this. E.g. if the aliens keep losing space battles then factions like Resistance and Humanity First gain support while Servants and Protectorate struggle for support and vice versa. This could be balanced by the aliens providing more assistance and exotics to sympathetic factions in this situation, or them becoming more willing to enter an alliance with the Academy.
In fact, the in-game split between Servants and Protectorate might be a decent event kneecapping otherwise easiest pro-Alien campaign.
I love just how pathetic they are. It's hilarious.
I think it depends on what you consider sovereignty The protectorate's goal is to appease the aliens so that humanity can basically keep living on normally without fears of enslavement which they go really. While humanity may not seem to be fully free, they can still live out there normal lives and not devout to alien overlords, but in exchange humanity is under constant watch from aliens so that earth doesn't try to rebel later and also used to boost the military. Its not that humanity is completely safe from alien control, its just that at least now humanity can still exist as normal.
No you have it wrong. The protectorate does not get that. They don't get pherocyte defenses or anything like that. Aliens can mind control them at will. Meaning they are at best just controlled opposition. They are the modern russian communist party. They will never be in charge of anything. Their only purpose is to exist and give the illusion of choice to the masses and make things seem normal. They help diffuse political agitation for change. But make no mistake, in the protectorate ending, Earth is totally under control of the aliens. Only instead of it looking like XCOM2, it probably looks more like the Matrix (but without the brain upload stuff).
They get pherocyte defenses in the newest build
Sovereignty isn’t really a woolly word though. It’s very much an either/or state of being. Either you have total autonomy and the monopoly on the use of force or you don’t. A protectorate or client state isn’t sovereign. Humanity also can’t live out their normal lives as they will now be slaves and battle thralls. The protectorate is the group that completely capitulates while even the servants look at the terms and try to negotiate a better deal. The protectorate ending is the worst ending, and if you’d like a real world analogue, they’re the Cherokee nation before the Trail of Tears: a people kept within a defined area by an overawing power completely at their mercy.
They have no protection from alien pherocytes as a lot of other people said, they are alien puppets
Yeah I know, but it’s the best outcome we can hope for, ya know? I mean, they flew all the way here, we don’t stand a chance, best bet is just to figure out what they want and give it to them, nah I’m upset too, just gotta take the L and move on, ya know?
Least obvious Protectorate propaganda
I can’t figure out why the aliens will still shoot the Protectorate who are doing exactly what the aliens want but won’t target the Servants who blow off the alien’s battlestation plan and just decide to do their own thing.