Noble Row Posted January 22 Share Posted January 22 Ckey/BYOND Username: Noble Row Position Being Applied For: Synthetic Lore Deputy Have you read the Lore Team Rules and Regulations wiki page: Yes Past Experiences/Knowledge: I’ve taken two artistic writing courses and two technical writing courses, I am also an engineer by trade. Examples of Past Work: Nothing I can find that’s both written and recent unless you want to read my college technical reports. What aspect of synthetic lore are you most interested in and would like to work on: I’m going to be honest, my favorite part of synthetic lore is the various methods of integration of IPCs and synthetics in society. Across the spur IPCs are treated differently from culture to culture, planet to planet. Watching society grapple with the idea of synthetic sentience and how much it should be taken seriously I can’t help but enjoy. To tier an entire species on whether they are people or not is one topic in and of itself, but then keeping them around anyway to serve as equipment or second class citizens depending on the planet calls up a conundrum that is just interesting to think about. Humanity has created sentience. The Skrell have seen what rampant artificial intelligence can do. The Unathi, Diona, and Tajarans are wary, but spectators in this circus. The birth of a new type of person and its consequences. I also enjoy Purpose and their societal development, no matter how mysterious, but who doesn’t? I am most interested in focusing on the physical nature of synthetics and how it ties to how society treats them. Currently they are barely considered people by most factions that tolerate them, and machines to the rest. I would like to highlight the capability of the mechanical chassis, the advanced nature of the synthetic processor, and both positives and negatives of their freedom. I do enjoy a good bit of R&D, and I do enjoy the endless bounds that a futuristic setting has to offer. The great deal of creativity that is possible is just a fun thing to think about. What do you think needs improvement in synthetic lore: Current lore focuses on the mentality of synthetics and what sentience means. I think we're lacking in the physical portion. Why are synthetics so useful? How can they be so useful? Why are they terrifying? Are they assets, or are they a threat? We talk about Glorsh and the dangers of a widespread all powerful artificial intelligence. But what about the individual? What asset are they and what dangers do they pose? Why is it so important that they aren't free? Is it mere discrimination? Profit Factor? Or is it a true fear of what they can become? This is what I'd like to explore. The synthetic individual. Synthetics can be unparalleled pilots limited only by their aircraft, masterful negotiators and tacticians, able to hold vast amounts of strategic acumen, or the deadliest soldiers organics have ever faced. I want to bring about the question not of should synthetics be free because of their sentience, but should we keep synthetics under control for what they can become with sentience. Right now in game people belittle and mock synthetics for being machines, and to be fair, if my toaster told me it was a person I probably wouldn’t take it seriously either. But if my toaster claimed it was a person, and I knew out there, somewhere, was a good chunk of toasters claiming they were people who could burn down my house and kill my dog, I’d probably treat my toaster differently. How do you think IPC players should interact with factions unfriendly or hostile to them: A calculated professionalism. They don’t like you, you probably don’t like them. Keep them at arm’s length but close enough to do your job, if required. Present a written work about anything related to synthetic lore so we can see your writing style, around 500 words minimum. It can be anything, from your own headcanon to a news article. Spoiler The Long Range Positronic Support Unit **RECORDING TITLE:** **NANOTRASEN TECHNOLOGY EXPO, 2465** **DISTRO C** **Recording, Timestamp 2:36:17 / 6:58:03** **Pause _>> Play** **Playing Recording** The tape begins to thunderous applause, the camera high above a crowd of hundreds inside a pristine auditorium. Grey-silver walls shine through the dimly lit room, the signature NanoTrasen NT emblazoned on banners along the periphery of the setting, with a subtext of ‘2465’ printed below each symbol, all lights pointed to a central stage. A wiry young man in a white suit gives the crowd a grateful smile and a similar bow before sheepishly making his way off towards the anterior curtains, nearly running into the expo’s hostess, an older woman in a smart NanoTrasen skirt suit. “Dr. Torliborn everyone! Who knew talks about girders can be so interesting?” The hostess exclaims to a few laughs in the crowd. A smile bright and fake as ever, with a tenseness that eludes to the length of the previous presentation. Once the white-suited bore had finished venturing backstage, the hostess decompresses with a sense of relief washing over her. The applause coming down to a quiet silence, some members of the crowd readjusting themselves in their seats. “And that concludes our section on ship and vessel development. We’ll begin our segway now into synthetics!” With her announcement, the camera moves down, closer to the crowd, just over the heads of some members in Minutemen officer dress. A notable even division in interest. Some who adjusted themselves forward after the change in topic revert back to their relaxed, near-napping state. Some lean forward, interest piqued. “Leading our exhibition into motherboards and positronics today, spokesperson: Dr. Lancaster everyone!” And without further adieu the hostess steps to the aft of the stage as a rugged man in a Navy Blue suit approaches, greeted with a polite crescendoed applause from half the crowd. He doesn’t seem bothered, a suave smirk appearing across his seven o’ clock shadow, analytical eyes scanning the crowd before settling on the camera for but a quarter of a second. Throwing out his arms in presentation as he takes in the audience, before turning his palms over and bringing his hands down to signal for peace, the sounds of hands descending as he does. “Ladies and gentlemen. The Positronic Warfighter.” Holoscreens light up behind Lancaster and around the auditorium, featuring different models of I-P-Cs in various combat dress, showcasing one individual at a time. He begins to pace from one side of the stage to the other. “A major vertebra in the modern military’s backbone. Logistical and Tactical computational power, unmatched. Capable of astonishing feats. Incredible will. And exceptionally deadly combat prowess…” Lancaster stops, turning his head and looking dead into the lens of the camera. “In short doses.” He continues his pacing, turning around as he encounters the edge of the platform. “Like any soldier, I-P-C units need to rest. Eat. Sleep. Maybe not the same as you and I, but the same regardless. And while they excel in backline roles and short missions, the support needed to keep them at a combat ready charge is strenuous.” Stopping mid stage Dr. Lancaster faces the crowd, putting his thumbs in his pants pockets, the rest of his hand remaining on the exterior against his leg. “The solution? The Long Range Positronic Support Unit, or L-R-P-S-U.” Behind him, replacing the holoviews of positronic soldiers appears to be a sleek backpack-esq box, a thin exoskeleton extending down to form a pair of legs, with actuators at the knees and plates at the feet. “Here at NanoTrasen we don’t believe in quick punches. We don’t believe in short jobs. We believe in seeing it through, to the end, and the L-R-P-S-U will keep our positronic compatriots combat effective for hours, if not days, longer to see their missions through. Imagine, if you will, a soldier who does not sleep. A soldier who can run marathons and still engage at full form. A soldier with the tactical prowess of Frost. A soldier who does not feel pain. A soldier with an accuracy rate far superior than any combat trained organic in play. A soldier who wins wars. That is what we are striving for.” He points defiantly at the floor in one swift gesture, his look less cordial as a sternness takes over. He then turns, taking a few steps back as he gestures up to the hologram of the mechanism above. “And this… this is the answer. This is a hardened external battery pack complete with a cooling package, to ensure the synthetic warfighter never tires. Missions where they do not have to get dropped a charging station. Missions where they can go beyond the bounds of the FOB and operate at peak efficiency without the threat of overheating. Combat takes a special toll on the average synthetic’s microbattery, and this supplemental power supply will keep them walking for more than just a handful of engagements. But the L-R-P-S-U is more than just a power supply. It is defense. And it is utility.” The flanking holograms merge together to form one massive presentation, the assembly of the LRPSU exploding out to see each individual part. An inner casing, now evident, highlights itself green. “We all know the positronic in synthetic units is hardened. It will not fry itself from electromagnetic pulses. But the chassis has no such luxury. The shell and material needed would add too much bulk. But an external power supply could be hardened. And could be used as a form of… defibrillator. Utilizing an E-M-P against our units turns into a fool-hardy effort. You might drain their core, but the L-R-P-S-U will keep them operational by feeding a steady source of electricity through their charging port, acting as an emergency battery. Similar to Ion munitions. Each pulse that runs through our synthetics will need to go through the L-R-P-S-U’s life first, and, well..” Lancaster spins on his heel to turn himself in a different direction, giving a sleazy smile to the crowd. “I believe in my man’s marksmanship before that turns into an issue.” Straightening himself, the camera pans out. Some members of the crowd can be seen writing notes, others whispering to the individual next to them, with most of the audience enthralled with either a sense of indifference, awe, or anger. A different section towards the sides of the device highlights itself in orange. “As for utility. The L-R-P-S-U does not have to benefit only the wearer. After all, what good is a soldier without their rifle? The modern laser rifle eats just as much as its user. By using added external ports, the user can charge up to two laser-based rifles at the cost of some of the L-R-P-S-U’s lifespan. Capability is being made to expand this to hand tools, power cells, and other devices for a more commercial use outside the warzone. And the only cost besides the credits is carrying capacity. But.. think about it. Half of your soldier’s pack is tents, food, and chemical protection. What good is that to your synthetic warfighter?” Returning his thumbs to his pants pockets Dr. Lancaster’s suave smile from the beginning of the presentation returns, scanning over the crowd with analytical eyes. “These soldiers can be stronger, faster, think it too, they do not eat, they do not sleep. Why not make them better?” As his presentation comes to a close the crowd erupts in a cacophony of emotions. Thunderous applause, concerned grumbles, and more than a few direct protests. But all the presenter does is chuckle, taking it in as he stands there for a few moments. The camera moves back out with his eyes trailing it before he is met with the hostess in the NanoTrasen skirt suit. He shakes her hand and departs the stage. **Play _>> Pause** **Recording Paused** **DISTRO C** Additional Comments: Thank you for your time and for you all reading this. For making it to the end, take something I’ve carried with me as a joke through my academic and professional career that’s somewhat relevant to the topic at hand. 4 Link to comment
Comet Blaze Posted January 22 Share Posted January 22 Finally a worthy opponent. Our battle will be legendary! I got a couple of questions regarding your application which I hope you don't mind me asking. 1. You say you wish to focus on the more physical aspects of IPCs and your article, which was a really nice read I must say, seems to provide a glimpse as to what that might entail. I would like to know if you had any other ideas about similar augments that could be implemented in-game for our players to use. 2. To echo a similar question asked in my own application. You have answered how you believed IPCs should act against those who are opposed to them, but how about in general? What actions make you go "Yes, that's what an IPC should do" or "No, a synthetic shouldn't be acting like this"? That's it for the first round, thank you in advance for taking the time to read and, hopefully, answer my questions. Best of luck and may the worst man win. Link to comment
Noble Row Posted January 22 Author Share Posted January 22 4 hours ago, Comet Blaze said: Finally a worthy opponent. Our battle will be legendary! I stand alone against an army of Cheesed and Havocs. But I'd love to answer your questions! 4 hours ago, Comet Blaze said: 1. You say you wish to focus on the more physical aspects of IPCs and your article, which was a really nice read I must say, seems to provide a glimpse as to what that might entail. I would like to know if you had any other ideas about similar augments that could be implemented in-game for our players to use. Augments in the terms of stuff you find in the loadout menu are unfortunately a bit contentious on the balance side. I remember seeing an argument in the discord a while back stating that some developers didn't want them there to begin with. However, additional items that may bleed through from the lore in to the game I think would be excellent additions to making people feel connected to articles and wiki pages they read. An overlap between what goes down on paper, and what gets featured in the game the paper is for. The LRPSU is meant to be somewhat of like an advanced Suit Cooler with the intent of military application, and similar to the real world, might get dumbed down and cheapened for commercial use to something that can be featured in game outside of antag uplinks and events. Other ideas I've wanted to explore is detailing the downloadable knowledge packages an IPC would be given when owned by an individual, or purchase themselves (if they have the money). For instance, Idris would more than likely have standardized training packages to get their IRU's and ISU's out in service as soon as possible, but what is in those packages? What can they do? Are there more advanced models with more advanced packages? Does the PMCG on the military side have some expensive combat packages for special units? So on and so forth. I've also been very fond of equipment specialized to certain chassis'. Industrial frames can carry more weight for instance. I've wanted to toy around with the idea of synthetic adventurers that explore the more perilous areas of the spur since they can be more mentally fortified and are deemed as more expendable than their organic counterparts. So in this line of thinking I wanted to design an 'all purpose environment suit', but the idea kept sticking in my head that it's going to have to be bulky, so to compensate for the weight, design a suit for industrials. They hardly get suits due to their size, so specialize a suit for them, one that can withstand the crushing depths of Europa, the dangerous Xenofauna of remote locations, and can cut open lost ships with integrated industrial tools. I'm a big fan of playing to one's strengths, and while that meaning is more ambiguous to us as humans, IPC's are often designed for a task. While their willingness to do that task can be represented in their sentience, the chassis they occupy is still a specialization in and of itself. Additionally I talked a while back about helping design new bodies and such for IPCs. A system of customization that is more than just changing the colors of the panels and the lights. Stuff like swapping out heads for new sprites/models, changing arms, torsos, etc, so the IPC player can truly embrace the variety the spur has to offer. I can sprite, but I personally have no dev knowledge on how it would work. I think Baystation has a system like this, but they also do not have individual chassis' with unique stats, they're all just one single "IPC". 4 hours ago, Comet Blaze said: 2. To echo a similar question asked in my own application. You have answered how you believed IPCs should act against those who are opposed to them, but how about in general? What actions make you go "Yes, that's what an IPC should do" or "No, a synthetic shouldn't be acting like this"? Personally, when I play an IPC I try my best to link everything together with a very defined string of logic. Sometimes this leads to funny socially awkward situations that are logical by nature but societally are strange. When people play an IPC I would like to see them be able to trace their reasoning in a series of logical steps. Hormones and mood swings are for organics, you are smart, calculating, able to obtain and hold an incredible amount of information, you rarely get the luxury of just 'feeling' a certain way. Yes you can have feelings, I want you to have feelings as an IPC, it's part of what separates IPCs from Cyborgs and the like. But I want you to know why you have those feelings unless it is a feeling truly alien. What logical string of events and reasonings have lead you to this moment to cause your character to feel and act this way? And in the rare moment when your character can't identify it, identify the symptoms. Identify why those symptoms are happening. Eliza Trin is my favorite character I have on Aurora because she's a psychologist, and one of Eliza's go to treatments is to tell her patient to break down their issue. Why are you Angry? Anxious? Depressed? Step by step she would keep dumbing it down, asking their patient "Why?" over and over until the patient has narrowed down their issue to something small and handle-able. Her treatment is just telling organics to think like she thinks as an IPC. In a similar vein I want players who play IPCs to break down their decisions, step by step, why did your character do this? What is the logic? Make sure you have that knowledge in your back pocket as being able to trace this logic helps you think like a synthetic would. Looking at code you see arrays, if-ands, if-else's, so on so forth, it's all very defined and straight forward. IPCs are like that, but with a database so very complex that they can be sentient, make their own conclusions and decisions, develop themselves and learn, they just have to know to a good degree why. Humans do the same thing, your brain is a very very powerful computer. You have a string of logic running in there somewhere where you can sit down and identify what caused you to think certain ways, and you can trace it back with a bit of self reflection and meditation. With IPC's you just make that logic string a little bit more obvious all depending on how advanced you want your IPC to be. To some it might be near invisible, because your character is grappling sentience much better than other IPCs, or their positronic is more advanced. Other IPCs you might see those cogs flowing more obviously, where it is clear what caused them to behave in a certain way. It's all up to your character and how you want to design them. Just know IPCs know themselves, they can read their part numbers, they can look through manuals and know each and every bit about themselves down to the micron. Organics can't do that, we have an understanding of the human body but a lot of that body are only assumptions, and the rest remain mystery. 2 Link to comment
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