Dionaea, a possible global chat option that doesn't involve hive-mind or psychic powers.

[EmperorVoyd]

So I've heard a few back-and-forth chats in OOC about giving Dionaea  a "Hive net"-like ability but there has been resistance due to the similarities of existing species abilities, so my solution to this would be to make a simple lore change with Dionea that they are very sensitive to vibrations and different frequencies of vibrations, so much so that they are able to use a tiny hidden claw to tap on the floors or whatever surface is under them with a very specialized appendage, this tapping wouldn't be apparent to the unaided eye or even detectable by most species but each Dionaea and Nymph would be able to do this allowing them to communicate over longer distances mimicking that "hive net" communication mechanic but achieving it using an alternative method to technology or a hive-net/mind

Picture the tapping not like someone doing Morse code, imagine the tapping happening at a frequency like the vibration of a quartz crystal, so maybe Skrell might be able to hear them doing it based on proximity, but not necessarily whats' being said between individuals, Skrell might perceive it as a buzzing, with other species being completely deaf to its usage or varying degrees of detection based on proximity and given species sensitivity to high frequency sounds/vibrations perceived as a buzzing.

They are specially tuned to listen for certain frequencies and thus the ability doesn't allow them to hear people talking through walls or anything like that, the specialized parts are tuned for very narrow frequency that the tapping appendage produces, there is no theoretical range limit from which two individuals can detect each other so long as they  can transmit physically through the ground, so in theory A nymph tapping on the ground using its appendage on the Great Wall in China could be heard in New York city by a nymph sitting at the top of the Empire State building. but a Nymph on plane wouldn't hear anything from the other two until it landed, requiring a connection to the ground or a proxy connection to the ground/surface the others are transmitting on.

 

And that's how I think you could adjust the species and allow them to have the coveted "Hive net"-like chat ability without going into the realm of psychic power or technological driven network.

[Zundy]

What about scent communication?

[Skull132]

This was proposed to me by the Diona dev some time last year. Or was it right around January. Anyways, I basically said no. Hive chats of any kind are relatively powerful items, and giving them to more and more species would end up posing a relatively difficult problem. I suppose the current balancing factor is that they exist for races that are relatively docile or otherwise difficult to play. This limits their usefulness. But still, it's one of the major issues that exists and giving them out to more and more species is a bit of a butt.

Another issue that exists is the originality of the mechanics at play. If you just want to give them a recoloured hive chat, then I would question it from a creative stand point as well. Skrell technically have a global hive chat: they can just enter the tdream realm and talk to each other there. But that's a relatively immersive experience, IMO. One which also compliments their lore and more accurately describes their ability of shared communion. What would you propose as an alternative to the Diona, if we were to rule out the lazy implementation of just, "Here, have a chat that you can talk into and everyone else can listen"?

(And don't think about how feasible it is at the moment, a lot of non-coders think themselves into a box by trying to intuitively grasp what is and is not realistically implementable. Leave that determination up to us.)

[EmperorVoyd]

I didn't know the issue was completely put to bed and I apologize for bringing up again if that's the case,

I just originally thought the issue was finding an alternative lore method as to how they are achieving remote communication that isn't similar to the other species being psychic or technology driven and so I decided to propose my alternative to how they may achieve a desired lore outcome explained above that would complement such a mechanic of communication.

essentially I didn't realize the issue was about coming up with a unique game-play experience to complement the mechanic of a remote chat feature accessible by only members of the same species, I figured it was a lore issue of not wanting to use psychic powers or technology to explain how they are achieving the game mechanic feature of remote communication with other members of their species. 

However if I was going to consider a few things off the top of my head would be if they are floating or picked up by someone they would be unable to "transmit" since it involves essentially what is tapping on the ground or surface that they are sitting on, explained above that the tapping is more like a supersonic buzzing with the frequencies not unlike quartz crystals vibrating.

However in the end I feel like I've misinterpreted the whole issue in this whole mess can be disregarded if that's the case.

[VTCobaltblood]

Vaurcae are a very rigid society that borders on being considered a hivemind. The concept of hivenet reinforces this theme.

Skrell, likewise, are a very rigid society that has a strong psionic bond between all individuals. The concept of the Srom reinforces this theme.

Dionaea are not a collective. They have no society. They are independent observers of the universe that do not form any significant groups or possess culture. Giving them a hivenet-like ability goes against these themes.

[EmperorVoyd]

I guess if I was going to quantify why they would have such an ability described above, it would serve to function as a sort of locator beacon for individuals, where in the past this ability to tap and  listen was mainly  to aid in one of their primary behaviours of finding  individuals and coming together to form larger individuals and share information , but now individuals have started to use the ability differently based on ideas and exposure to the various species on the station,

Are they not a sort of primitive biological driven collective? Mainly driven on the foundation to come together to form larger individuals and share information? I guess it would be akin to more of a biological drive versus an artificial construct of ideas and rules that could change.

Also try to move away from thinking I'm calling this thing a hive net ability, because it isn't, I was using that as a reference to the game mechanic that is achieved in game, and not necessarily its lore reasons, I've explained how the tap and listen thing functions above, what would be used for, why they have it,  but  all the feedback so far is related to me calling it a hive-net  ability, I feel like everything else was skipped,  ITS NOT A HIVE NET ABILITY! It's a different process altogether and has different reasons for existing, I apologize for making a reference to the game mechanic using its lore name. If I mention anything about hive net, I am referring to the in game mechanic that it achieves.

[Fortelian]

As a Dionae I think this would be cool, but like they said they didn't want more communications linked only to ome species, like Vaurca as a hive, which I can understand.  Although, I was thinking maybe instead of taps we could use their lore and make it rootsong. Basically their normal language with more range. Just a suggestion if this gets implemented. 

P.S I didn't mean to refer to this as a hive net ability when I mentioned the Vaurca. 

[VTCobaltblood]

I understand what you mean in this thread (a Diona-only language that shows up globally), but I'm still not convinced that they need it.

Yes, they are walking hiveminds. However, as individuals, gestalts are not united. A singular Diona may be a collective, but it's not like all nymphs in the world are united into a single Diona. In fact, on the contrary, individual Diona gestalts are demonstrated as fairly aloof and independent. This, again, goes in contrast to why Vaurca/Skrell have Hivenet/Srom. 

[Xelnagahunter]

As a note, the idea of using rootsong and leeting it be more long-distance is nifty. There exists a concept that has them using rootsong over vast distances to communicate and coordinate. The cool part about the rootsong is we could have it so that any being that knows the language can hear it as well. Your AI and station bounds, alond with any pAI with a translator would pick it up. Those who cannot understand it would only "hear" the sounds in sight range as normal, representing a frequency change over long distances or something. I dunno. I'm not really for or against it, just throwing out a few ideas and saying that it's nifty.

Edited July 25, 2019 by Xelnagahunter

[EmperorVoyd]

The reason I don't explore pheromones or expand upon their existing visual/vocal communication is because both of these methods assume a medium of travel and or visual, wherein I was considering the very real fact that these creatures can exist in atmospheric conditions unlike any of the other species in varying extremes where oxygen or another trace gas wouldn't be available to deliver sound or pheromones, BUT! An ultrasonic tapping that can be picked up by other individuals with a specialized listener probe, could be used in very different conditions all in the pursuit of the very useful act of communication between individuals that can't see each other, can't smell each other, that you would think these space bearing green goo critters could possess, and logically so.

 

I just thought of a small game play mechanic with it, you would have two modes, listener and broadcaster, if you're broadcasting you're not listening, if you're listening your not broadcasting. it could be a toggle state in their abilities

Edited July 26, 2019 by EmperorVoyd

[Neinbox]

Yeah, hi. I've already attempted to talk to the code team but it was shut down. Original idea was that they could use it in game to talk to one another across vast distances due to their nomadic and slow nature. They can't respond to things as quickly or flee an area as fast were something to happen, and lorewise it helps keep them in touch with one another across vast distances. They normally don't use tech and altogether their mode of transportation is slow. It basically uses the electromagnetic spectrum that they feed off of, siphoning off what they gather to convert it into radio waves and sending it back out. It can easily be picked up on radios but would sound like eerie music to organics and might need to be deciphered by technology due to organic origins and thus organic "encoding".

Ironically, Vaurcae and Synthetics are more powerful than a Dionae. They're faster, stronger, and can last without light. They also have plenty of advantages over them too. Dionae however have a multitude of ways to be killed in addition to the norm. Weed killer, anti-radiation medications, simply turning off a light in a room... But apparently, they're overpowered as is according to the team. Ah, well. Lorewise which also explains why they're so slow on the station as it uses the same source of energy is that the lighting on the station is too weak to be able to use that ability, but exists off-station, primarily in space or on very hot, sunny days.

[JamOfBoy]

What if you could partially hear some words spoken by rootsong from across the station? Being in sight of whoever speaking it means you hear it fully, but from further away, you might "hear" a few words, as long as you're diona.

For example:
Urist Of The Sovereign Sky rustles, "God I love anime women."
and they're in engineering. But you, Urist Blesses The Rains, are in medical, naturally you can't hear eachother, but you do hear...
Urist Of The Soverign Sky rustles, "God... ...anime..."
or something to this effect.

 

Edited July 26, 2019 by JamOfBoy
E ffect

[Neinbox]

Deep rootsong, as in the stuff that can be transmitted from across space, cannot be picked up on by organic ears as it uses radio waves. They cannot communicate verbally in space and so they have developed an alternate method that isn't bound by an atmosphere.

[EmperorVoyd]

I feel like radio waves may not be the greatest choice, I mean for a number of reasons, radio waves are slow, they eventually disperse within interstellar space, depending on how they are transmitting, be it omnidirectional or highly focused directional transmitting or may be a combination of both usually requires a very high energy transmitter, I would assume this ability would be limited to much larger forms, the kind you might find floating in free space.

Now... Organically... What is the "Technobabble" or.."Organobabble" behind how they are achieving the ability to broadcast with radio-waves, depending on your type of broadcasting and receiving strengths, radio waves can be disrupted by a tree in the way, a rock, a mountain, a thin sheet of metal, they are notoriously unreliable and slow.

my solution? or.. "Organobabble"... Would be something as follows... 
Way back in the beginning when there was just one nymph creating the first seed, I'm not going to get into the argument of which came first, in my head the first nymph literally popped into existence through quantum uncertainty and random chance just for the sake of sanity and avoiding a chicken versus egg argument that isn't the focus here... I digress...

Every time a seed is made a quantum link is established using entangled particles between Seed and parent nymph, this essentially over time from your original individual to what we have today is connected to one another through this quantum entangled biological network, when the network is utilized an individual is sending the message through other individuals and over the entire network almost instantaneously as the quantum entangled particles flip-flop their state, with each nymph having a specialized internal bit that maintains it all.

It's strange to consider because one Diona talking to another Diona over this network are bouncing a quantum signal over the entirety of their species instantaneously.