Guide & FAQ - Guide for Zone of the Enders

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ZONE OF THE ENDERS GUIDE & FAQ                                      
By: www.zoneofenders.com                                           
(Aaron Pepper - [email protected])                                  
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Version 0.1                                                         |
Jan. 17, 2001                                                       |
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TABLE OF CONTENTS:                                                  |
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I.  ABOUT THIS GUIDE

II. ABOUT THE GAME
 -A. Stuff You Need to Know!
     · 2 Player
     · MGS2 Demo
     · Anime
     · Premium Package

III. THE STORY
 -A. Story
 -B. Worlds
 -C. Time Line

IV. THE CAST
 -A. Characters
 -B. Orbital Frames

V. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, ETC.
 -A. Version History
 -B. Links
 -C. Special Thanks
  
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PART I: ABOUT THIS GUIDE                                            |
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This Guide will try to answer all of the questions you may
have about ZOE. In the future there will be a walkthrough 
of the game (there isnt one right now because it isnt out 
yet).  You can always find the latest version of this Guide
at http://www.zoneofenders.com/. 

Enjoy!

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PART II: ABOUT THE GAME                                             |
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Zone of the Enders (ZOE) is a action/adventure title that 
is being released for the Playstation 2 near the end of March.
It has the greatest graphics for a game to date and features
some of the coolest looking giant robots for any game.  The game 
is strongly based on robot anime such as Evangelion and Gundam Wing,
and it shows. The battles are fast and furious, but still manages to 
be simple for the player to controll.

Made by Hideo Kojima the creator of Metal Gear Solid this game
promises to have a strong storyline and great gameplay. ZOE should be
on everyones most wanted list and is a valid reason to buy a PS2.

A. Stuff You Need to Know -------------->

-2 Player--------------
 Yes Konami had enough time to add a 2 player game in ZOE. It wont be split
 screen but both players on screen at once like a fighting game.  You can be
 all of the normal frames in the game, but no large bulky bosses. This
 should add some needed replay to the game. 

-MGS 2 Demo------------
There will be a 1 hour+ playable demo of Metal Gear Solid 2 for everyone who
pre-orders the game.  This has been confirmed in Japan but there are some 
rumors that North American gamers wont get the playble demo but the DVD
trailer insead. Keep in mind that this is a rumor and may not be true.

-Z.O.E. Anime----------
Sunrise, the people who braught you Gundam Wing and Eskaflowne are making 
a Zone of the Enders Anime series called Z.O.E 2167 Idolo. Story details
are scarce.  

-Premium Package-------
(This has not been announced for North America yet)
Konami will be releasing the Z.O.E Premium Package in Japan, which will 
include an 150-page coffee table artbook, a CD single of the game's opening 
theme, and a special DVD edition of the Zone of Enders anime. (Strangely The 
Metal Gear Solid 2 demo found in the "normal" version of the game is not 
included in the Premium Package.) The Premiuim Package will retail for 13,800 
yen (about $122 US).  Keep in touch with your local game store to see if they
are getting the premium package.

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PART III: THE STORY                                                 |
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A. The Story --------------------------->

It is the 22nd century, and giant leaps orward in orbital 
transport and the discovery of the potent fuel-like substance
Metatron have resulted in the humn race's rapid colonization 
of Mars.  A United Nations SPACE Force (UNSF) has been created 
and there are now 16 countries on Mard, each governed by its 
respective Earth country.  However, on mars there is little 
sign of prejudice and racial conflict.  In fact, the counries
of Mars have worked together to build a strong sense of national 
space in between the two planets.  Many inhabitants begin 
to push for Martian Independence.  One group in particular,
located in Vascilia County, holds the most vehement anti-Earth 
ideologies and mainrains its own independent miliatary.  Vscilia 
County has also conducted research into developing a weapon to 
use against Earth called an Orbital Frame.

A colony called Antilia has been constructed on the Jupiter moon 
Europa L5 as a support base for the excavation of Jupiter's 
resources, which include Metatron.  It is the most remote of all
civilian outposts and is home to over 100,000 laborers.  It is 
also where the Orbital Frame research and development was contined
after conflits on Mars.  However, the UNSF has forcibly occupied
the area over concerns arising from the Orbital Frame--and in 
order to secure the Metatron resources.  Unfortunately, the 
Vascilia army knows of this.  And shortly after, it begins an attack
on the colony.  Within hours Antilia is set ablaze with warfare. 

During thi same time, Leo Stenbuck is walking with his friends.  He 
calls them friends, although he doesn't always feel as though they're
exactly that friendly to him.  Thanks to his shy nature, Leo often 
accepted muh ridicule from the bunch.  Suddenly, in a flash of 
explosions all around him, Leo's friends are killed by the Vascilia 
army.  He runs and is haunted by what just happened.  But not only 
because his friends just died and he couldn't help them.  Rather, 
because right before they were killed, some part of him happened to 
be thinking about what things might be like if they weren't around 
anymore.  As he runs, he suddenly stumbles upon the conflict of the 
war, the Orbital Frame, called Jehuty.  The key to civilization's 
existence, Jehuty is a war machine that can be controlled by a human 
inside it. Leo enters. 

B. Worlds ------------------------------>

-Earth 
 Earth remains the center of humanity and the seat of most of 
 the power in the solar system, although elements further out
 into space are doing their level best to shift that balance. 
 The United Nations has assumed titular control of the world, 
 and controls the United Nations Space Force, the most significant 
 collection of military might in space.  However, individual
 nations still hold sway over their own territories and 
 corresponding holdings out in space and on Mars.  The planet 
 is circled by satellites, including bases at its Lagrange points
 and the massive orbital elevator that is the primary jumping-off 
 point into the rest of the solar system.

-Mars 
 The county system sees to it that Earth still controls the 
 colonies established on Mars.  Martian settlements are divided 
 into counties, each overseen by an Earth nation.  However, the 
 shared difficulties and dangers of life in the colonies have created
 a strong bond between the settlers, and racial and national 
 divisions from the home planet are mostly forgotten in the face of 
 the common need to survive.  As a result of this increasing shift 
 in identity, 16 counties have organized the United Colonies of Mars,
 or UCM, a group that is lobbying for increased Martian independence. 
 There's also a more violent side to the independence movement: groups 
 like the Bahran terrorists, who are secretly researching orbital frame 
 technology and mustering an army to take their independence by force.

-Jupiter 
 The edge of the world, as it were, is the orbit of Jupiter, where 
 the L5 Antilia colony (a microwave-powered torus, in case you're 
 interested) is the center of vital mining efforts.  Helium-3 and 
 Metatron are gathered from the Jovian satellites, processed at the 
 colony, and transported back to Mars and Earth via massdrivers and 
 a space-distortion catapult system.  Antilia is a place of considerable 
 tension, however.  Aside from the constant dangers of life in space,
 the terrorist threat that arose after the Deimos Incident led to
 the military occupation of the colony - at the time of the game's
 events, it is under the control of the UNSF.  They are there to 
 maintain order, and also to keep a close watch on the NUT corporation's 
 orbital frame research.


C. Time Line --------------------------->

This is a series of events that precede the game. 

-2014  
 The Earth's overpopulation and corresponding shortage of resources 
 are recognized as a problem requiring drastic measures. The 
 international orbital elevator plan is announced. The elevator will 
 create a permanent link between an orbiting space station and the 
 surface of the earth, making the transportation of people and material 
 into space far more efficient.  

-2020 
 The reinvigoration of space exploration results in the construction of 
 the first permanent base on the moon.  

-2027 
 The anchor satellite for the orbital elevator is completed, and 
 construction of the elevator itself continues apace.  

-2040 
 An unmanned explorer probe discovers a mysterious plain on the Jovian 
 satellite Callisto. This is later found to be the source of the material 
 known as "Metatron."  

-2045 
 The orbital elevator is completed. Colonization and mining on the lunar 
 surface rapidly increase - this is considered the beginning of the real 
 space age. The first-generation LEV, or Laborious Extra-Orbital Vehicle, 
 is completed, a manned robot that prefigures the later orbital frame.  

-2048 
 Construction of space colonies at Earth's L4 and L5 points begins.  

-2052 
 Nuclear fusion generators become a viable source of power, leading to 
 rapid advances in all areas of human endeavor. The first manned bases and 
 terraforming stations on Mars are constructed.  

-2063 
 Fossil fuels become a thing of the past, eclipsed by fusion power. The 
 United Nations turns its attention towards development in the Jovian 
 sphere.  

-2068 
 LEV technology develops rapidly, playing a key role in development of 
 the L4/L5 space colonies.  

-2073 
 The construction of permanent bases on the Martian satellites Phobos 
 and Deimos begins.  

-2081 
 The discovery of the powerful substance known as "Metatron" in ore veins 
 on Callisto leads to rapid advancement in electronics. In particular, LEV 
 technology moves forward by leaps and bounds.  

-2093 
 Metatron's ability to compress space, allowing for high-speed space travel,
 is discovered.  

-2104 
 The space catapult system, employing Metatron's space compression capability 
 to launch craft across the solar system, is perfected and put into practical
 use.  

-2111 
 Construction of the Antilia space colony at Europa's L5 point begins 
 (Europa is one of the moons of Jupiter).  

-2130 
 Development on the moon's surface declines, while the completion of major
 milestones in terraforming results in the rapid acceleration of emigration 
 to Mars.  

-2135 
 One of the Martian colonies is struck by a dangerous bacterial infection. A 
 quarantine line is enforced between Mars and Earth.  

-2145 
 A space catapult is installed on the base at Deimos, creating a revolution 
 in travel around the solar system. Another rush of emigrants to Mars occurs. 
 The "county" system is implemented, wherein each member of the UN administers 
 its own corresponding colony on Mars.  

-2157 
 Tensions between the Earth and the Mars colonists deepen after incidents of 
 territorial violation by national forces on Mars. There is an increasing 
separation
 of identity between the "Enders," or colonists, and their antecedents on the 
home 
 planet.  

-2158 
 The Bahran militia group is secretly founded on Mars. Back home, the NUT 
corporation 
 develops the first orbital frame technology, employing new Metatron-derived 
substances 
 and the basic LEV design.  

-2167 
 The Deimos Incident. Bahran terrorists use a stolen orbital frame to attack 
officers of 
 the United Nations Space Force at the Deimos installation. Tensions between 
Earth and Mars 
 rise to a boiling point, and the existence of the orbital frame technology is 
about to become
 public.  

-2172 
 In response to continuing revolutionary action by Bahran and other Ender 
organizations, 
 the United Nations army occupies the Antilia colony. And the events of Z.O.E. 
begin...

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PART IV: THE CAST                                                   |
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A. Characters ---------------------->

-Leo Stenbuck-----------------
 Age:  14
 Height:  5'4"
 Weight:  120lbs
 Nationality:  Antilian
 Blood Type:  O+

 Leo is the main character of the game and a 14-year old boy living on the 
 Jupiter-orbiting space colony Antilia. He's an introvert who hates conflict and 
 ends up riding the orbital frame "Jehuty" that he uses to fight the Z.O.E.
 military. 

-Celvice Klein----------------
 Age:  14
 Height:  5'0"
 Weight:  90lbs
 Nationality:  Antilian
 Blood Type:  AB

 Celvice is the game's heroine. She works as a volunteer helping orphans on 
Antilia
 and gets dragged into the battle along with Leo. 

-Viola------------------------
 Age:  22
 Height:  5'9"
 Weight:  140lbs
 Nationality:  Antilian
 Blood Type:  B

 Viola is Leo's rival. A pilot of the Z.O.E. military, she rides the orbital 
frame 
 "Neith" and always fights at the front line -- she's a sad woman who seeks for a 
 place to die in the battlefield. 

-ADA
-Rock Thunderheart
-Elena Weinberg


B. Orbital Frames ------------------>


-Jehuty
 The new model orbital frame that Leo rides. It's the direct reason of the colony 
 hijack and origin of all of the mess. The Jehuty is a very mysterious machine. 

-Neith
 The orbital frame that Viola rides. It's one of the most powerful of the 
existing 
 orbital frames. Both beautiful and deadly.

-Tempest
 An enemy orbital frame. It's a huge machine for the destruction of cities. 

-Raptor
 An enemy orbital frame. It's a mass production model. It is the main unit in the
 enemy attack force. 


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PART V:  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, ETC.                                     |
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A. Version History ----------------->

 -Version. 0.1: Jan. 17, 2001
  Story, Characters, Frames, Time Line and World information 
  complete.


B. Links --------------------------->

ALL RPG
   http://www.allrpg.com/
   The best place on the internet for RPG related news, 
   reviews, previews and other stuff.

Zone of Enders.com
   http://www.zoneofenders.com/
   The only knows Z.O.E. website on the internet. You can 
   find Z.O.E. stuff here that you cant get in this guide 
   like movies, images, wallpaper and so on. You can also 
   find an HTML version on this guide here with screenshots.

The Official Z.O.E. Page
   http://www.konami.co.jp/kcej/products/west/zoe/index.html
   You'll find soem info here...I guess. Takes a while to load
   though.

Konami
   http://www.konami.com/
   THe official site of the publisher of Z.O.E.


C. Special Thanks ------------------> 
  
None yet ^_^