526 Reply by Kryigerof

(16 replies, posted in Games Discussion)

To up the chances for this project to survive, I suggest you/we/whatever start small. Pick a simple yet complete concept and find the most important mechanics to implement that. When that core works you can add more stuff.

tdb wrote:

Kryigerofe suggested a settler concept where the players would set out to inhabit a new continent.  This would be good to explain the appearance of new players (new settlers arrive on ships) and it would be easy to keep the number of NPCs relatively low.  On the other hand, it pretty much disallows any sort of pre-existing countries and nations.

Check out Saga of Vinland for a more detailed description of one possible fantasy settler concept. That was meant to be a NWN2 world, though - your project doesn't have the downside that it has to look medieval. We could even make it the settlement of Americas (read Orson Scott Card if you think that rules out magic and fantasy).

It's true this concept would rule out big and finished nations in which PCs can belong. It doesn't rule out:
a) NPC nations such as Native Americans
b) different settler nations such as the English, the French, the Dutch, the Spanish...

tdb wrote:

If you have your own world concept, do tell.  I don't necessarily use any single world concept verbatim, but possibly use elements from multiple ones.  The settler concept could be combined with an "old world" for example, with a distance too huge for even the most powerful magic, so it would take players a week of realtime to travel between the two...

I suffer from the all-or-nothing disease. I believe the game's core concept should be compact and complete, and everything else should either support it or be moved to a different game.

Here are a few comments on your rules:

tdb wrote:

No numeric values visible for players, unless they can be measured in-game
(1 kg chunk of metal etc).

Would you be using adjectives instead or completely hiding the numerical mechanics from the players, letting them estimate their skills based on their prior performance? The latter might actually be interesting and even bring some sort of realism.

tdb wrote:

Weather that actually affects the game mechanics.

This would be relevant if the game is focused on, say, farming, very tactical combat or... maybe sailing. If it's there only to add a -1 to the arrow rolls in the regular D&D style combat, then it's not worth implementing IMO.

tdb wrote:

Cycle of day and night, compressed to 2 hours.

Pretty standard, I suppose, though as far as I know people (even roleplayers) hardly ever care about the time of day when they decide what they do. It also results in conversations lasting for several days in a row.

tdb wrote:

Sense of distance, no instant traveling between remote cities via conventional
means.

I'd like this. Though there should be some ways to make travelling interesting so people won't just log off (or multitask if that's not possible) while doing it. Maybe some random encounters (other than random attacking monsters) and definately the ability to talk with your group.

tdb wrote:

Possible to buy a private apartment or house.  Others can't get in without
invitation.

Ruling out thievery? A good call if that's not the focus, since I understand thievery can cause a lot of OOC trouble.

tdb wrote:

Need to camp / get a room at an inn / go to your apartment to log out.  Camp is possible to spot with high enough skill, but is untouchable.

Automatic camping on client disconnect? Are there uncampable places?

tdb wrote:

Base physical abilities: strength, stamina, agility, dexterity

Base mental abilities: intelligence, memory, wisdom, perception

Vast amount of skills, grouped in a tree.  Possible to get a quick glance at
a group of skills as whole, or a detailed view of the individual skills.

Skills benefit from each other.

Vast amount of skills suggest a vast amount of game-mechanics to make those skills useful. I'd rather have the exact amount of skills needed for the game mechanics in place. (And the exact amount of game mechanics to implement the core concept.)

tdb wrote:

Improve skills by training.  Possible to teach skills to others up to 80% of
own skill.

Would training be time-based (Seed/EVE) or would you have to stand around beating some dummy? The same about teaching: would you have to stand around doing some repeated teaching actions or would you just set some sort of a teacher/student relationship and have it take effect over time?

What would be the most efficient way to train skills? I hope it's not killing huge amounts of animals/bandits/monsters. Personally I like time-based systems, because they don't cause such huge caps between the skills of the more regular and less regular players.

tdb wrote:

Degradation when not used for a long time: down to 1/2 of highest value.
Relearn at triple speed.

Please use this only if skill training is also time-based. Grind-based skill learning combined to time-based skill degradation is like two punches in the face of the less regular player.

tdb wrote:

Appraising: weapon, armor, jewelry

Relevant if trading varieties of different items is central to the game concept.

tdb wrote:

Different types of magic: runic, spiritual, elemental

Here, I believe, you're designing the world from the wrong end again. First decide what the world is all about, and only then think about what magics (if any) fit in there.

That said, some sort of a ritualistic magic system might be great for RP...

tdb wrote:

*** Items

Work quality, material quality.

Item durability

*** Crafting

Crafting items takes time.

Quality of tools affects work quality to some extent.

May be rushed for up to 1/3 time reduction, with a proportional penalty to
resulting item work quality.

Items are assembled from components (axe = handle + head + some string).  Some
can be disassembled, with possible loss of some components (string has to be
cut). 

Some materials can be recycled.  Metals can be molten down to bigger chunks.
Wood can only be reused for smaller items.  Material quality decreases slightly
when recycled.

Possible to increase material quality by refining.  This also decreases the
amount of the material.

Metals can be combined to form alloys.

Possible to make a poor item out of excellent material through shoddy
workmanship but not the other way around.

Great ideas for a game with a strong crafting focus.

tdb wrote:

*** Injuries

Six body parts (for humans): torso, head, hands, legs

Types of damage: cut, pierce, bruise, burn, freeze, poison

Severity from scratch to fatal.  Existing injuries may make new ones worse.

Pain from serious injuries will cause temporary penalties or even fainting.

Poison afects whole body, others local.

*** Armor

Reduces the severity of inflicted wounds.

Possible to wear multiple sets of armor or clothing at once.

Great ideas for a game with strong combat focus (or other ways to get injuries fairly regularly).

tdb wrote:

*** Food and rest

Not sleeping or eating results in weakness, grogginess and general reduction in
performance.

May fall asleep after 3 days of not sleeping.

Sleeping takes time, no "I'm well rested after sitting here for 10 seconds"
crap.

Lasting effects from malnourishment after 3 days (will go away after eating
properly for a few days), death after 3 weeks.

Physical fitness affects endurance.  Different activities affect needs.

Great ideas for a game focusing on everyday life or the fight for survival in harsh conditions.

tdb wrote:

Unaware of surroundings while sleeping, but may wake up to noise.

And what would the player get to do while sleeping? Stare at the empty screen, in case of the random wolf attack?

What about letting people roleplay their going to sleep/waking up during this mandatory resting time, but skipping the actual sleeping part?

tdb wrote:

*** Diseases

Can catch epidemic diseases through various means: food & water, prolonged
proximity to an ill person, inflammation of wounds, poisons

Probability to get same disease again is low after getting well (depends on
disease), increases slowly over time.

Great ideas for a game focusing on everyday fight for survival/life in a hospital.

tdb wrote:

*** Death

Death is permanent by default, the dead character can't just resurrect himself.

Resurrection is possibly, but sufficiently rare that players need to think
thrice bfore doing anything foolhardy.

Reduction of physical abilities on resurrection, amount depends on time spent
dead.

Permadeath needs to be handled very carefully, due to the great possibility of frustration -> players quitting. Some possible ways to handle it:
a) The game/world is all about death, for example a realistic war story. The players will know this when they enter and thus accept death more readily (at least in my theory).
b) You can always avoid death 100%. Risking your life might get you greater rewards but is never required to get ahead in the game.
c) You can never die of lag/disconnect/bugs. This applies even when using a, b or both.
d) Let the player keep all/some of the advancement of the character, giving bonuses to the next character. The next character can be a heir or something but that's not necessary.

tdb wrote:

*** Communication

Only "vicinity" channel (including whisper and shout) available without spells.

Magically enhanced items allow communication over long distance.

I'd add an OOC channels (public and private) where people can arrange "chance" meeting and such. Otherwise people will just move such communications to IRC.

Go to forum: Games Discussion

527 Reply by Kryigerof

(371 replies, posted in Seed: The Second Chance)

I'd like to remind you that there is no STSC session this week.

Go to forum: Seed: The Second Chance

528 Reply by Kryigerof

(2 replies, posted in Lore)

In Search for Order

The first years in the Tower were a time of chaos. TAU was minding its business, only barely comprehensible to anyone but Lely, while the human colonists all worked on their own projects and wild ideas that all were going to save the Tower. Resources were squandered by those first to pick them up, and people were constantly fighting over the TAU controlled machinery. This greatly disturbed Sebastian, who time after time failed in creating a coordinated effort. It was Feldman, however, who came up with the solution.

"The key to controlling the colony", they tell about him saying, "is to control TAU." And he explained: "Every crazy project there is, needs TAU in one way or another. For mining, for production, for CPU. And everyone needs the floatbeds." So they went together and explained their plan to Lely who agreed to help. So in the course of decades she hacked her way all the way into the TAU Master Processes, realigning the right pointers, recompiling certain matrices, carefully reconfiguring TAU to accept binding directives from a human administrator.

She shared the access codes with Sebastian and Feldman, and in the year 42 AA they created a new system, a democratic one: Systems under TAU's control were divided into "bits" that required access codes for usage. To gain access one needed to win an election held twice a year. Every colonist had seven votes to distribute between the candidates in any way they saw fit. The bits included The Garden, Canyon C, The Mall, The Inventory, The Speedgrowth Chamber and many others, some of which have already been forgotten while others were destroyed by the Great Rock. The idea was to introduce order to the Tower while preserving the air of freedom and ingenuity.

((Maybe something about the thrice cursed AP system too...))

These systems are in place even today, and whatever we might think of Feldman today, we have to thank him for bringing a hint of order to our lives.

During the years, Feldman spent a lot of time learning to use the systems created by Lely while Sebastian used his time coordinating major efforts. This is why he managed to wrestle control from Sebastian when their friendship went sour. Story tells the bad blood was related to Lely's death under unknown circumstances - they say both blamed the other for her death. This happened in 66 AA.

These events separated Feldman from the rest of The First Patch. He secluded himself in a secret hiding place somewhere in the Middle Cluster, with a group of likeminded people. He erased his image from the database and hasn't shown himself publically ever since. We only know him as the founder and leader of TAU Surveillance Ring.

Go to forum: Lore

529 Reply by Kryigerof

(371 replies, posted in Seed: The Second Chance)

Don't forget that tomorrow (June 24th) is a STSC day. (Mike and Paavali, however, won't be attending.)

Go to forum: Seed: The Second Chance

530 Topic by Kryigerof

(2 replies, posted in Lore)

February 20th, year ??? After/Before??? Awakening, TAU listed together all the plans it had for the colonization, simulated their outcomes and looked at the results. Failure loomed at all fronts. It needed wilder ideas than it could think of, plans more daring than it could comprehend, insight that borders on lunacy. Its creativity matrix could not meet those parameters, and thus, for the better or worse, humans were created.

Colonnas of Chimbots abandoned their duties, converging at the bottom half of the tower. They built six floatbeds, into which six embryos were planted. Connected to the central database, the beds became their speedgrowth sequence, educating the growing ones about their situation and task to come. In two years, they were ready.

At first, floatbed dreams were all they had. TAU didn't need their bodies, it had plenty of its own. It was their brains, ideas, insights. Sensor feeds from everywhere in and outside the tower were at their disposal at will - they were one with the tower in ways we can barely imagine, let alone describe.


February 20th, year 0 After Awakening, six people emerged from a floatbed chamber down in the Lower Cluster. They faced an empty Tower, in a world inhospitable for any human being to live in. As they began their lives and work, they had no idea they would leave a legacy unmatched by the greatest names in human history.

Fisher, they say, was the fist one to step out of his floatbed. His bald head shone as brightly as the quiet vigor within him. He never ceased to see the world in a positive light, as a place of wonder instead of horror.

Sebastian, the tenacious one, was of a more pragmatic mind. While Fisher sat for hours by The Window, contemplating on the world and the reason of their existence, Sebastian put his mind on the problems in the Tower. It wasn't in as bad a shape as it is today, but it was clearly not serving its purpose. Soon, Sebastian had taken it upon himself to bring the world back to the course it had strayed from, and nothing would stop him from achieving that goal.

Lely was a prodigy, who had learned more during her speedgrowth than anyone that came after her. She knew all the tidbits of history, the most difficult proofs of mathematics, the rarest genetic anomalies. But her specialization was TAU. She knew all about it, every subprocess, every fragment of information the speed-training could offer her. Some say her mind worked just like TAU, that she was more of a forked process than a human. Such things, however, are only hearsay.

Tisha and Ragini shared a special connection. They called it sisterhood, but some say it was more. They were never seen apart. ((Likely to be edited for more info.))

Feldman, the eager one, always had an idea to offer. His creativity was a match to the greatest of mankind. Some say he lacked patience, though, but his achievements are, nevertheless, undisputable.

The First Patch was soon to be followed by others, but even though they did many great things, their legacy will always be shadowed by The Legendary Six.

Go to forum: Lore

531 Reply by Kryigerof

(31 replies, posted in TAU Space Message Board)

Ringleader Meeting XXXII

List of Topics

The following list of topic has been submitted for discussion:

1) Reforming the Lurker Investigation Project / Contacting the Kingdom of Orph
- Sebastian of The Horizon
- Hansila of Society of Free Colonists (The Liberal Alliance)

This is a topic combined from two suggestions, both concerning actions to take about the criminal organisation called "The Lurkers", or "The Kingdom of Orph".

The first suggestion comes from Sebastian of The Horizon:

The Lurker Investigation Project has faced serious reversals so far. I believe it is due to the way the previous project leader was chosen - not based on skill but based on political convenience. As a consequence, not only did the leader himself get killed by The Lurkers, but also three other members of the expedition. We need to honor the memory of the deceased by bringing the Lurker threat to an end. For that, we need to put aside our qualms and find someone truly qualified to continue Aleksei's work.

The second comes from Sinuhe of Society of Free Colonists (approved by Hansila):

Too long have we let hatred and sorrow control our action when it comes to dealing with the organization calling themselves "The Kingdom of Orph". The events so far have shown where the path of violence will lead us - death. What did we gain through the deaths of Aleksei, Mei, Hans and Shao? We didn't manage to find their hideout. We didn't manage to capture any of them. We only managed to get four people killed.

It's time to change the way we look at this problem. As we've all been taught in our speedgrowth, solutions come from understanding. What effort has there been to understand the Kingdom? None, and that has to change. Thus, we're going to open up a dialogue with any members of the Kingdom who wish to talk. Our first message is on the TAU Message Boards right now. Please sign it.

2) The Securing Life Support Project
- Laura of The Watch

There is a very important project going on in the Tower: The Securing Life Support Project, aimed at countering risks involving life support in both Recspace and Labspace. However, at the moment the project is in a poor state, due to leadership problems. Right now it's being led by Andrea, who's only three months old. We in The Watch believe this project needs a more experienced leader.

3) Public Votes with Decicion Power
- Gwandoya of The Technocrats

There is a severe lack of democracy in the Tower, clearly visible in the Ringleader Meetings. The members of the general public aren't even allowed to speak, let alone participate in the decicion making. This goes against all the ideals of The Technocracy, and thus we must protest. To correct the system, we need to device a system that not only lets everyone vote on every political decicion made but also enforces the results of those votes. Only this way can we truly call ourselves decendants of Earth.

4) The Customizations of Bit 5 in The Mall.
- Ting of Patch 178

The factories in the Bit 5 of The Mall have been customized to produce the Condensed Nitrogen Cell Mark 5. However, considering the growing need of high-voltage batteries in the Tower, we suggest the lines to be reconfigured to produce the Condensed Nitrogen Cell Mark 7, whose power output is far greater than the one of Mark 5. The ring in control of those factories - Da Vincians - refuses to make this change, despite our repeated requests.

5) Merry Smile
- Laura of The Watch

There was a bad accident in Recspace July 28th. Five people of The Watch were injured, one of whom needed a spinal prostetic to be able to walk again. The accident was caused by Merry Smile, a woman who believes she's an eight-year-old child, by throwing a circular object at a group working on the ceiling structures outside The Garden. The object hit Sara, making the ceiling fall onto the workers.

We believe this woman can't be allowed to walk around the Tower unchecked. We suggest that she's quarantined in her floatbed, on the basis of being dangerous to the colony.

Go to forum: TAU Space Message Board

532 Reply by Kryigerof

(31 replies, posted in TAU Space Message Board)

Ringleader Meeting XXXI

Go to forum: TAU Space Message Board

533 Reply by Kryigerof

(1 replies, posted in Seed: The Second Chance)

This is just a chat roleplaying campaign played by seven people. It's as legit as playing a homemade Star Wars or Buffy campaign would be. The developers of Seed are in no way involved.

Go to forum: Seed: The Second Chance

534 Topic by Kryigerof

(2 replies, posted in TAU Space Message Board)

Greetings, respected inhabitants of the space underneath the canyon.

This is an offer for negotiations from the inhabitants of the Middle Cluster. We've had some serious conflicts in the past, and even blood has been spilled, but we hope this offer will be the first step in a process of peace. We wish to prove to you that we're willing to listen to you, to discuss our past mistakes, and hopefully come to a mutual understanding on how to proceed without further bloodshed.

((Details for a secure communications channel follows.))

Sinuhe
Jaana
Hansila
Pekelo
Eeb
Astran
Homeros
Alexandra
Mohale
Ping
Matt
Hama
Matya
Sinhu
Mirk
Nemi
Anders
Simeoni
Tam
Reneb
Bahar
Tianyi
Ding
Katie
Mohambo
Solomon
Atis
Bero
Andrea
McGregor
Lhi
Oliver
Aini
((103 names altogether))

Sinuhe - Society of Free Colonists

Go to forum: TAU Space Message Board

535 Reply by Kryigerof

(9 replies, posted in Sava's Garden)

I've been thinking of making a trip to Europe this year, and France seems like as good a place as any.

Go to forum: Sava's Garden

536 Reply by Kryigerof

(6 replies, posted in Games Discussion)

I think he meant the ponies and kitties are in a different game than the super-agents.

Go to forum: Games Discussion

537 Topic by Kryigerof

(0 replies, posted in Ring Information)

Name: The Technocrats
Formed: 26.10.101
Organization: Democratic
Leadership: None
Status: Active

We are The Technocrats, one of the oldest rings in the Tower. We uphold the values of our ancestors on Earth: Whatever path we take in our new colony, it must be guided by the wisdom of the learned, and deliberated in patience. Yet we must always keep an open mind, question our learned truths vigorously. And most importantly: the choices we make must be the choices of the entire colony, not a select few.

Honestly speaking, the political system in our Tower is a patchwork, just like everything else around us - a mockery of true democracy. We have a system of voting, yes, built into the underlying systems that control access to machines and materials. But a myriad of other choices, not related to machine access or materials, are being made constantly by ringleaders in closed cabinets and grandeous Ringleader Meetings, where the common citizens have even been denied the right to speak.

What we have been proposing from the forming of our ring, is the reinstation of the direct democratical system of the Technocracy. TAU has the processing power required - with a colony as small as ours it's not going to take much power to run the necessary functions. The only thing needed is for our people to realize they have the right not to be dictated by their so called leaders. Those leaders aren't going to make this change - we have to do it as a unified people!

Members:
Gwandoya (f) - leader
((15 members altogether))

Go to forum: Ring Information

538 Reply by Kryigerof

(2 replies, posted in Lore)

The Mall

The Mall, located in the center of The Canyon, is the central of gossips, bargains, and arguments. Tens of differently sized platforms have been built between the Canyon walls, connected by narrow bridges and shaky elevators.

Large Sharepoints

The largest water, mineral, and biomatter pipes deliver their goods in the huge chambers behind the southern wall of The Mall, making it the perfect place for several sharepoints of different sizes, controlled by different parties. The largest of the sharepoints is 15 meters in radius.

The Mall would be a perfect place for manufacturing, if it could provide the necessary power. Unfortunately, the power line here can barely support the material delivery lines and the auxilliary machinery.

The Fire Station

At the top of The Mall is the Fire Station, where Da Vinci Fire Brigade resides, always prepared to jump into their helicopter, or speed down on their scooters, in case of fire or other emergency.

The Appartment Complex

Some of the colonists have felt it necessary to build small, private spaces for themselves. Those are located at the bottom of The Mall, and they're dug into the southern wall. There are three floors of appartments - the upper ones are reachable by stairs.

Go to forum: Lore

539 Reply by Kryigerof

(2 replies, posted in Lore)

Canyon C

The eastern end of the Canyon is known for huge production facilities, as well as The Horizon who are practically controlling it.

The Horizon Headquarters

The bottom of Canyon C is almost ideal for production. Large pipes deliver iron and other commonly needed minerals right underneath, and large water condensers provide a fair supply of water for organic products and cooling. Thus it's no wonder that The Horizon, who has control of the area, is known for its many products. To accommodate the production needs, the entire area is filled with factory lines, from man-sized workbenches for manual assembly to giant, spiral machines in several floors with hundreds of meters of production lines put together.

The Window

The one view to the outside in the entire Middle Cluster is located here, right above The Horizon Headquarters. It's made of five separate layers of reinforced glassteel, to prevent the ever-raging blizzards outside from damaging it.

The Window is a popular place for the sentimental, especially on the rare occasion the blizzards give way to a crystal clear sky and the glittering, icy cliffs surrounding the Tower. The Window is also the place for the monthly Ringleader Meetings. The Ringleaders then sit on a platform by The Window while the audience watches from another platform above them.

Go to forum: Lore

540 Topic by Kryigerof

(2 replies, posted in Lore)

Recspace

Recspace is the place of refreshment for the colonists. It was built by the First Colonists, into the vicinity of the two floatbed chambers of the Middle Cluster.

Recspace is mainly run by The Watch, who patrol the corridors and service tunnels in a regular pattern, fixing problems as they arise.

The Floatbed Chambers

The two floatbed chambers (designated Alpha and Beta) are undeniably the two most important rooms in the entire Tower. Every day, every colonist has to step into a floatbed here, in order to rejuvenate and cleanse their body. When the colonist has stepped into the floatbed, it's filled with a special, thick fluid, and moved downwards into a larger cavern in which the sleeping takes place. In addition, Floatbed Chamber Alpha is connected to the Speedgrowth Chambers in the Lower Cluster. Every 3.7 days, 6 new colonists are delivered to it.

The Garden

Planted by the first colonists and cared for by the ones after them, the Garden is the favourite place for many to take that five minute break they can afford to have every few hours. It has a TAU terminal, as well as a few small factories used by The Watch, and even a small sharepoint conveniently loaded, among other things, with intoxicating chewsticks for those on their way to the Steambaths.

The Steambaths

The Steambaths are part of the coolant systems used by the big boilers below. They consist of steaming hot water, flowing through tunnels and sitting in pools, releasing its heat to the large cavern above. Many colonists have made it a habit to come here after a hard day of work, to chat with their friends. Most of those who visit the Steambaths regularly, also like to chew some Substance X while in there.

Go to forum: Lore

541 Reply by Kryigerof

(31 replies, posted in Lore)

Chewsticks

Even though the digestive systems of the colonists have been suppressed, they can still take in small amounts of chemicals in the form of chewsticks. Many chewsticks simply provide a little extra energy or simply a pleasant taste, but some have intoxicating qualities. An especially popular chewstick, called "Substance X", causes approximately ten minutes of intoxication in the form of relaxation and excessive hilarity. It has no long-term effects.

Go to forum: Lore

542 Reply by Kryigerof

(10 replies, posted in Games Discussion)

I'd say AIs would be more interesting in single player games - in MMOs they'd be nice too, but since they'd have to compete with real human brains (no matter how moronic), they'd be less of a return to the (sizable) investment of developing them.

Personally, I'd like to see more complete world simulations, where quests would also be designed in a way that connects them to the simulation. "Deliver item X", for example, would be way more interesting if you'd have to find said item X in the ever-living market. This is, of course, a simple example, and I think EVE uses something like this in its "offers".

Go to forum: Games Discussion

543 Reply by Kryigerof

(10 replies, posted in Games Discussion)

As we've all witnessed, roleplaying isn't the only social interaction in MMOs. People like being with friends while playing, even if the interaction is on the level of "Woohoo! Look at my new badass sword!". That's why MMOs get away with less content/h than single-player games.

Edit: And how exactly are MMOs worse than single-player games, game-mechanics-wise? Aren't they pretty much the same, as far as single-player CRPGs are concerned: Combat-levels-items-spells?

Another edit: Ah, you said "gameplay", not "game mechanics".

Go to forum: Games Discussion

544 Topic by Kryigerof

(0 replies, posted in TAU Space Message Board)

The Horizon is spying on us!

Just today we found two of their members, Mizuki and Mike, hiding in closets in one of our laboratories! I just wanted to warn the tower of this habit of theirs. That's all, folks.

Ubunga - The Servants of Evolution

Go to forum: TAU Space Message Board

545 Reply by Kryigerof

(31 replies, posted in Lore)

AI Networking Node

Each TAU controlled piece of equipment, a Chimbot for instance, is controlled by one or several AI Networking Nodes. Each node is capable of functioning on its own, but together they form the swarm intelligence known as TAU. This architecture allows TAU to function relatively well even when fragmented into several separate parts.

The AI Networking Nodes are also used to transport data throughout the Tower, and they're the things the necklinks are connected to. Human-built items, such as tools, don't have AI Networking Nodes in them, though they may still communicate with the nodes in a primitive way.

The algorithms of the swarm intelligence are not well understood, and the nodes themselves can't be produced.

Go to forum: Lore

546 Reply by Kryigerof

(31 replies, posted in Lore)

Chimbot

Automatic TAU-controlled robots that perform maintenance on the Tower and repair broken machinery. The Chimbots are as broken as TAU, however, so they can't do all the needed work without the help of humans.

Go to forum: Lore

547 Reply by Kryigerof

(31 replies, posted in Lore)

Nanofarm

A 10x10x10 cm box used to produce nanobots. You put the needed materials into the box, enter the nanobots' blueprint and let the nanofarm churn out the bots.

Go to forum: Lore

548 Reply by Kryigerof

(31 replies, posted in Lore)

Stimulants and Inhibitors

Nanobot-based injections used to counter the ill-effects of extended periods without a floatbed.

Stimulants nourish the system and makes it ignore the effects of contamination. They let you function at full strength for up to five days.

Inhibitors greatly slow down the metabolism, allowing them to live in a nigh-comatose state for several weeks.

Go to forum: Lore

549 Reply by Kryigerof

(31 replies, posted in Lore)

Simulators

The only systems capable of virtual-reality simulations are the simulators in Labspace. They connect to the necklinks of the users to create a virtual reality experience. The huge computing power needed is provided by the huge computing cores in the Silo area of Labspace.

Go to forum: Lore

550 Reply by Kryigerof

(31 replies, posted in Lore)

Plasma Conduit

The main energy lines in the Tower (such as those in the hubs) use electromagnetically contained plasma to transfer the energy.

Go to forum: Lore