Welcome to Noval Heavy Industries' Onboarding Guide!

Whether you're a new employee that wants to have a big impact or a prospective client wanting to know more about our products, this guide is for you.

“Excellence through Innovation; Expertise through Iteration”

Noval was once “Noval Works”, a bespoke spacecraft business with an eye for quality. Our founder, Lorian Noval, strongly believed in making the very best products for his customers. This was his passion and we carry on his legacy by making it our passion, as well.

After he passed, his wife Nevarra Noval began to expand the business. First into a luxury goods manufacturer, focused around larger runs of Lorian's original creations, and now as a sector-wide corporation with interests in the civilian and military space.

People like to think of Noval as fancy, but the true Noval brand is an opulent sort of class and prestige. If we make something, we want it to be the best possible version of that thing that we can make. We are not concerned with “making something for everyone”. It's why our tugboat has leather seats.

When other manufacturers would say “I think this is enough to get people to buy this”, we instead say, “I think this is enough that people will never want to buy anything but this”.

Noval products draw inspiration from the natural world. The movement of the stars, the crash of waves, the complex interactions between living things - these are the influences that drive us.

With a heavy emphasis on technologies that change and adapt to fit our customers' needs, our primary research and development efforts are into adaptive materials and advanced field manipulation. Much like nature changes and adapts to fit the seasons, so, too, should the products we create.

A Noval product feels well thought out. What does someone's day-to-day life look like when using our products? How do our products make them feel? How do others feel about our customers? Even our most utilitarian designs take these factors into consideration.

Noval quality isn't simply about choosing the most expensive materials. It is about choosing the best materials and the best designers for the best result.

And, just like nature, our mindset and our products are always changing and evolving.

Our customers' needs change daily. Shouldn't their technology?

At Noval, our researchers and engineers try to find ways to apply new and old technology to meet this need without compromising on our high quality bar.

One way that we accomplish this is by making everything we create up to the standards of the Noval brand. Whether we're creating a utility civilian craft, like the NH-Y2 Remora-class Utility Craft or a cutting edge device like the NH-M-M2 "Orchestra", every aspect of the product is made to be top quality. Where possible, we even do work by hand if it helps us get that signature look and feel.

Another way we do this is by positioning ourselves at the forefront of weapons, craft, and fashion that change with our customer's wants and needs. This can be as elegant as a shape changing metal or as advanced as a technology that can replicate most major power armor components. This goal can only be accomplished by creating technology that is simple to use, without being simple in function. Our focus on advanced materials and field manipulation techniques reflects this.

Where possible, we even provide free updates to our products' software to add new functionality and correct issues. This has been standard in some markets for a long time - but when was the last time your rifle updated its firmware?

We don't intend for our products to become obsolete, discarded, or irrelevant. That means that Noval products come at a premium, but they're worth every script.

An excellent Noval product evokes something - an emotion, a memory, a comparison to something real. It communicates status, not through ostentation, but through excellence.

Our color palette is primarily white, with hints of burnished gold and a deep blue-gray. Lighting and other accents can be a blue-teal shade, but should be used sparingly.

Red can be used as an alternate accent color for civilian designs or when a pop of color is needed.

• White - 100,100,98 (Smooth)
• Blue-Gray - 15,20,25
• Gold - 82,71,23 (Metallic)
• Red - 90,10,15
• Teal - 55,82,73 (High Emission)

Visual design should focus around a creating a lasting image. Smooth curves and aggressive lines are an excellent start. Novel layouts are also a plus. Not everyone will use Noval products, but everyone should remember who does use them.

The following are links to image galleries that fit the desired feel for various Noval products.

Noval fashion is a mixture of futuristic, clean lines and old-style military uniforms. Drama is important, so fabric that flows to exaggerate movement is good for accents.

https://imgur.com/a/7ufMi1C

Noval power suits are form-fitting and emphasize mobility and user skill. Power sources and other devices should be kept near the center of mass and allow the user's arms to move freely. Outer-thigh and and lower-back mounted equipment are preferred. Raised collar areas and small shoulder guards are also good.

https://imgur.com/a/zGEvc6f

Noval power armor is about purpose. Built on the same technology platform as Noval's power suits, the corporation's power armor offerings are essentially purpose-focused expansions of the smaller power suits.

https://imgur.com/a/dtmIC5X

A fighting craft like a mecha is as much a statement piece as an instrument of war. With that in mind, Noval has selected “Regal” as the key image behind Noval's mecha designs.

As a higher cost alternative to many options on the market, Noval knows that its mecha products are purchased primarily for elite units, command units, and as protection detail for high-profile clients. Whether standing guard for hours or deep in the thick of battle, a Noval mech must leave a lasting impression.

https://imgur.com/a/avKmHNl

Noval fighters are innovative test beds for some of the corporation's most cutting edge technology. Performance is a key element for Noval, hearkening back to Lorian Noval's original creations, and the corporation's fighters are no exception.

After form, sleek and/or aggressive lines are the most important part of look development for a fighter. Innovative designs that don't match the classic fighter shapes are best.

https://imgur.com/a/eF1GgHq

Noval is a luxury brand first and a corporation second when it comes to naming. When choosing a name, class and impact should be considered. A degree of whimsy is also acceptable.

Themes should be primarily Western, with a focus on European royalty and military, nature, or music. Think of the Age of Discovery, with its focus on understanding the natural world, expanding their musical horizons, and generally being classy masters of their domain.

Materials

• Materials should be whatever makes the most sense. Noval cares about branding, so flashy is good. In cases where a less flashy name is used, it may be appropriate to 'rebrand' the material for consumer use via a primary product. (IE, Rebinder → Liquinetics)

Components

• Components should generally feel classy, like an accessory.
• Musical-related terms and words are preferred, so long as they have parallels with the component's function. (Scale, Orchestra, etc)
  • Avoid modern music terms and genres. 'Rock','Jazz', etc, would not be a good choice

Civilian Craft

• Utility oriented
• Preferably related to an aquatic creature with a similar purpose. (Mola, Remora, Cauratus).
  • A portmanteau of the scientific name is also acceptable. Avoid names that are overly common (ie, 'goldfish' → 'c. auratus' → cauratus)

Civilian Products

• Designer-like names themed around what the object does or how it affects the consumer
• Words that are unique, either created whole cloth or as a combination of other descriptor words are good. (Liquinetics)

Military Craft and Armors

• Power Suits/Power Armors
  • Aspirational nouns related to qualities shown by the people use them. Best in acronym form! (VALOR, NOBLE, GALLANT, HEROISM, COURAGE, REIGN, MONARCH, etc)
• Mecha/Fighters
  • Royalty-related objects to convey that the people using them are 'royal' in character or prestige (CROWN, THRONE, SCEPTER)
• Words that evoke royalty without using a person's name
• Words that are punchy and have a strong emotional component are great

Whisper created this article on 2020/03/31 10:30.

🚧 This article is a work-in-progress. Is it not currently approved.