Lets give IPC's robot tails

[CourierBravo]

I want my robot to have a tail. Why? Because they're cool and cute and I like tails on my OC's. There's little grand justification beyond that but I will proceed to make some watsonian justifications since my doyalist one is both simple and probably unconvincing.

Reasons for tails In Universe:

1. IPC's are often made with the aesthetic appeal to them in mind, this is most obvious with Shells, Bishops, and arguably Baselines. Giving these groups tails as an aesthetic option much like antenna would be in line with existing lore
2. Zeng-Hu could reasonably add them to their Zeng-Hu mobility frame to enhance their abilities. These frames are designed with speed and agility in mind. Creatures with tails such as the cheetah utilize their tails for weight shifting in motion. Other creatures like monkeys and binturongs also utilize prehensile tails for advanced agility through arboreal environments. And of course, creatures like the common house cat utilize tails for balance among other things
3. With the Synthetic Rework in da works, we could stylize some tails as a duel use item, being used to both charge an IPC, having some kind of connector on the end, and to serve aesthetically as just. a tail. A charging cord tail. However I don't want Matt to go Aw Fuck Another Thing To Add To This Project so mechanically these plug tails would do fuck all, at most disappearing when the charging cord is used since its being plugged in. 

 

I'm sure there's more good in universe reasons to give IPC's tails, however I don't think all IPC's should have tails. In fact, Industrials should explicitly be disallowed from having tails, since they're made for industrial environments and basic industrial safety is to not have any lose accessories that can get caught in machinery. 

For anyone who doubts how cool robot tails are, please look up robots with tails or otherwise contact me privately so I can send you cool images of robots with tails. 

Addendum: This suggestion is for an optional cosmetic item/prosthetic/however its implemented that is a tail. Not for all IPC's to get tails.

Edited 14 hours ago by CourierBravo
grammar that i missed on my first proof read, also an addendum

[CampinKiller]

No idea if I can, but if I can, voting for dismissal.

This is a headscratcher

[CourierBravo]

I think you should engage with the topic before asking for dismissal. Or let anyone else engage with it, really. Do you have an issue with it or a reason why we shouldn't implement it, @CampinKiller?

 

Edited 16 hours ago by CourierBravo

[dessysalta]

I don't really know how to engage this because I don't want it to come off as "I dislike it so I don't want it", but what I can say off the top of my head is that I think it would clash with the direction of Aurora since it's somewhat gimmicky and impractical; I feel like the response you'll get is a similar one to what's been said about animal ear cosmetics and clothing items. A retractable cord is whatever and IPCs already have that, but positioning it behind them just makes it inconvenient, I would think.

Tails were evolved because there weren't very good ways to keep animals balanced otherwise without making a huge sweeping change, at least off the top of my head. Insofar as that, it raises the question of why a design company would choose a very obviously animalistic and biological design for something that could be easily done otherwise. Like mobility frames. They have the same motors/possibly even stronger ones, just a much lighter casing. They don't really need a tail to function, unlike Unathi which are incredibly dense just as a result of being an organic.

I think it encroaches on species lore to some degree, but I don't think I could articulate why past clashing with the aforementioned themes and direction.

I don't think this is a bad suggestion, I just would struggle to see it in game and furthermore struggle to take it seriously if it was ever implemented. I do think something similar you might be looking for/might accomplish the same thing is nonhuman and bizarre legs and arms, of which I know Noble was working on some concepts for the former since awhile ago (though it hasn't been pitched yet, since they'd like to pitch it with all of the sprites and proof of concepts rather than just the idea).

[CourierBravo]

Thank you for the well written reply. You're absolutely not coming off as just "i dislike it and don't want it." To counter some of the points:

"It would clash with the direction of aurora since its somewhat gimmicky and impractical"
IPC's already have completely gimmicky and impractical aspects to them, namely the entirety of the golden deep and its aesthetic. The Eccentric Coat, for example, is a hilariously over the top piece of clothing that makes them look deeply unserious. And its cool as fuck, so it works. IPC's in general also have the antenna, which are functionally useless and only serve as an aesthetic choice that arguably hinders them.

 "it raises the question of why a design company would choose a very obviously animalistic and biological design for something that could be easily done otherwise." 
As I stated in the original, it can be an in universe fluff of adding extra dexterity and mobility on top of the dexterity and mobility inherent to the ZHMB design. Animalistic and biological features already see use in robots due to their utility in real life. An example off the top of my head: Harvard recently put a ton of research into a tentacle-gripper robot that emulates a more biological grip because it allows for both better grip and control over an object and its far more gentle. I don't think its a stretch for robotics in aurora to emulate biological life as well. 

"I think it encroaches on species lore to some degree"
I think I understand where you're coming from, but I don't think its particularly fair to use this as a reason. No one species should have a monopoly on an idea or a feature, or at least one as generic as tails. It would have been kindof lame if Skrell or Vaurca didn't get their tails because Tajara and Unathi already have them, right? 

"I do think something similar you might be looking for/might accomplish the same thing is nonhuman and bizarre legs and arms"
On a less serious note/reply: jokes on you, I want both of these things. More robotic features for my IPC's limbs would be insanely cool. Give me the zeng hu blade legs on my shell and a tail. it would go so hard.

Edited 16 hours ago by CourierBravo

[evandorf]

1 hour ago, CourierBravo said:

"It would clash with the direction of aurora since its somewhat gimmicky and impractical"
IPC's already have completely gimmicky and impractical aspects to them, namely the entirety of the golden deep and its aesthetic. The Eccentric Coat, for example, is a hilariously over the top piece of clothing that makes them look deeply unserious. And its cool as fuck, so it works. IPC's in general also have the antenna, which are functionally useless and only serve as an aesthetic choice that arguably hinders them.

I think it would be better to say, when considering what is available to each race, that we try to keep things grounded. Straight up tails would be a bit too wacky for me, but things like extra appendages would be fine. But the issue you run into there is balance concerns.

1 hour ago, CourierBravo said:

"I think it encroaches on species lore to some degree"
I think I understand where you're coming from, but I don't think its particularly fair to use this as a reason. No one species should have a monopoly on an idea or a feature, or at least one as generic as tails. It would have been kindof lame if Skrell or Vaurca didn't get their tails because Tajara and Unathi already have them, right? 

I wouldn't call it a monopoly over a feature, but it's important to keep the various species distinct with their own, clear cultural and physiological profiles. IPCs have potential to justify a lot of additional attributes due to their technological nature but they have to remain balanced against the other existing species both mechanically and from a features perspective.

[CourierBravo]

I feel like i should also tack on a clarification that only occurred to me now. This is a suggestion for an optional tail for IPC's. I am not suggesting that all IPC's get tails, but rather for them to be made available as a cosmetic item. I will be making an addendum to the OP.

[dessysalta]

1 hour ago, CourierBravo said:

IPC's already have completely gimmicky and impractical aspects to them

1 hour ago, CourierBravo said:

I don't think its a stretch for robotics in aurora to emulate biological life as well. 

I still think this would be a bridge too far and would raise concerns consistent with elf ear stuff. It's just...bizarre. There are better ways to accomplish a charging port than putting it in the most inconvenient place and making it a long, dangling thing that could have some weight behind it. It's not just inconvenient in industrial settings, I could easily see someone causing damage to a robot by stepping on it, or having it get caught under a shopping cart, stuff like that.

In terms of emulating biological stuff, it would need to be emulated in a strictly practical manner. The reason we have tentacle grips is (if I remember correctly) they're really good at gripping but really not much else, and IPCs aren't meant to be used for strictly gripping and carrying stuff. We're also talking about it being 4 centuries in the future with extremely advanced tech that's meant to be impossibly compact and highly efficient. Analog plug tail doesn't really give off those vibes, in the midst of other potential problems.

1 hour ago, CourierBravo said:

It would have been kindof lame if Skrell or Vaurca didn't get their tails because Tajara and Unathi already have them, right? 

Sure, but these are IPCs we're talking about. They're meant to be mechanical and have strong themes of humanity's inverse. Tails lump them in with other species categorically, and as Evan said aren't as grounded as some other additions for different species.

[CourierBravo]

I think you're getting too caught up in the analog tail idea when I'm just suggesting tails in general, and using a plug tail as an example of one that could exist. As for the inconvenience and potential danger of them, Humans already do plenty of things that are inconvenient for their aesthetic benefit. See also, a Tajara, Unathi, or Skrell all face difficulties with their strictly impractical tails, being impractical for a human society. For an IPC, its an aesthetic choice on the part of either the owner or the unit itself that incurs difficulties.

Also, I've never really understood the general dislike for things like elf ears, cat ears, tails, etc. and them being bizarre. Body modification isn't that crazy, you already have people in the 21st century doing things like giving themselves elf ears or split tongues. 

[FlamingLily]

Honestly, I think there's a bigger conversation here about the place of character aesthetics in the setting beyond simply clothing. Personally, like, it's the 2400s. I feel like the setting would have a lot more mild transhumanism and aesthetic body modification than we give it credit for- frankly this should only go even further for the inherently-mechanical species.

I can acknowledge and even agree with the idea that giving IPC *specifically the tails of other species* would be a bit of encroachment, but the concept of tails *generally* isn't that wild imho.