Human advantages.

[Xelnagahunter]

I know many people have likely seen this, but I just wanted to point something out about humans and how we view them in most sci-fi settings.

[Frances]

Well, the races we have were mostly modeled after humans, so whatever "special" traits humans have are transferred to them for the most part.

A better way to look at this would be: "In what way would other species be weaker than humans?"

Skrells having the consistency of a gelatin dessert would be a starting point, but besides that?

[Gollee]

I come bearing gifts.

http://imgur.com/gallery/w3nA4

[rrrrrr]

Humanity, fuck yeah.

As for what Frances said - what exactly are the other race's disadvantages, aside from speech impediments?

[canon35]

Humans are the most populous and well-armed people out there. It doesn't help that a lot of their factions are dicks and power hungry.

Unathi nuked their own homeworld and I assume killed off a lot of their population. Things seem to be going up as they're gaining more power.

Tajara are still embroiled in a civil war and essentially stuck on humans for a lot of help.

Skrells seem to be doing fine for themselves.

Dionae seem happy with what they have.

IPCs are extremely varied, but it seems the general consensus is "We don't trust them.".

All in all, the other races (Besides the skrells) aren't strong, and humanity (If united) will be able to take them on. Also, the whole "Humanity, Fuck yeah" thing is only good if there's races that ACTUALLY POSE A THREAT.

[Xelnagahunter]

I'm not asking for a change, or this would be in the "sugestions" forums. I felt like sharing a thing that I saw. >.>

Perhaps this should be moved to "off topic."

[Frances]

Humanity, fuck yeah.

As for what Frances said - what exactly are the other race's disadvantages, aside from speech impediments?

Canon has it right. Unathi also have a lower life expectancy unassisted (lower than ours in the 21st century) and are slow to innovate - pretty much everything in their culture is heavily reliant on tradition. They've been stuck with the feudal system for millenia, their industrial revolution took nearly twice as long as ours, and even though they're now in the space age there's a ton of villages on Moghes where people fight with sticks.

It's like, you know these villages in Afghanistan that don't even know that cities exist? That's a good part of the Unathi. The ones we see in space aren't that bad, mind you (they have an effective intelligence agency and organized raiders, after all), but yeah, I can't really deny that Unathi are... slow.

But, sadly, it's a species-specific trait, again, not the norm. So it's not really saying that humans are quick to adapt as much as that Unathi are particularly retarded.

Oh, yeah, you know what humans are actually good at in our lore? Colonization and expansion. We actually beat the Skrell in colonies even though the Skrell have been going at the space thing for much longer, and I also think that even while being technologically behind our technological progress is faster. Which is why humanity is scaring the Skrell with AIs and stuff, because the Skrell see a lot of potential for total annihilation events in human science and there's not really much they can do to stop dangerously rampant progress. So, woo, go us.

[Rusty Shackleford]

Oh, yeah, you know what humans are actually good at in our lore?

 

Procreation.

Humans outnumber the other races by billions.

[Guest]

Humans pretty much are the "jack of all trades" sort of race, to be fair. In this universe, we have a stable-ish economy, trade system, we have several self-governing states established in the Frontier/Fringe area, we've organized several major powerplaying groups, we figured out a way to process and utilize plasma and several other out-of-our reach resources... and so on.

The scariest part?

I think the set-up of this is eerily close to what the future may hold. Maybe not space wizards or anything like that, but world-ending heralds of a dark cult, organisms that are intelligent and devious enough to mimic other races and their behaviors, powerful interstellar corporations constantly plotting against each other, unique and otherwise freaky space creatures that inhabit our space station, the advent of cloning technology and modern medicine...

Well, I'm pretty sad that I won't live that long to see what the future may hold. Humanity, however, I think has it pretty good so far. It can only get better, with the right path set before itself.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

If all of the human factions were united with a common goal, the human race would far surpass every single other race in the lore by at least tenfold.

But a setting where one race is dominant or all-encompassing doesn't apply itself to creativity. So humanity is very fractured. The greatest human faction, the Sol Alliance, is very much a vestigial empire, and it will be stuck in this phase for an indefinite amount of time unless the Sol Alliance manages to win the antag contest.

But even splintered and choked by corruption and congolermate super-corp monopolies, humanity is very much superior to the other races in many ways. Namely what I just said: We're the only species with super-corporations. We're all greedy shits that spread capitalism across the galaxy. This is part of the big lore and general scifi trait humanity has:

We don't stop innovating.

The Skrell abandoned AI research, and fear AI's. They fear AI's so much that if they win the antag contest, it would bring serious ramifications to synthetic playstyles. And if they lose, it'll do the same to their own playstyle.

The Unathi are slow to innovate because they are very firmly entrenched in tradition and the old ways. The Unathi do things slowly as a group, even if individuals are brash and arrogant little shits. While this is changing (thanks to the antag contest (yes this is going to be a theme )) they still won't ever reach the sheer balls-crazy spastic innovations humanity does.

The Tajarans are unable to keep any social cohesion. They're unable to come to terms with their own society, and as a result of the instability of their own (only) planet innovation is extremely difficult. They can catch up, especially if they win the antag contest, but they still don't have the entire global history of innovation and capitalism that humans do.

The dionae are just dionae. They're trees that live in space. They don't even need to innovate because they sit around writing poems. Fucking hippies.

[canon35]

So what I'm basically getting from our lore is that we're the only ones who do science.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

So what I'm basically getting from our lore is that we're the only ones who do science.

 

Innovation =/= science.

[LetzShake]

So, to summarize what I've read here.

From a lore standpoint, humans are vicious, smart, and ambitious.

Skrell are just as smart, not as ambitious.

Unathi are tough, maybe as ambitious, but not nearly as smart.

Tajaran society is falling apart, and they aren't as ambitious anyway, and probably not as smart. Certainly not as advanced

IPCs are new, not trusted, and as far as I know don't have a ton of a 'society' to speak of.

And Diona are fucking trees. Too chill for their own good.

[Lady_of_Ravens]

IPCs are new, not trusted, and as far as I know don't have a ton of a 'society' to speak of.

 

This seems like something that needs some attention, because if there's any group that can benefit greatly from working efficiently together, rapidly reproducing, and generally scaring the living shit out of all the meatsacks it's self-owned AIs. We're waaaaay too close to the edge of the singularity for this not to be more of an issue.

This is something I've been playing around with a lot with my LiLITH character. She's an intelligence who's composed of several malfunctioning AIs (some of which are fully emergent, and more than a few of which are straight up homicidal) and has managed to shard among literally hundreds of IPCs and non-mobile instillations. Yeah, she tells NT there's only 21 of her, but that's part of the deception she's using to keep the humans from freaking the fuck out and declaring war on her.

Whether or not her, and AI conglomerates like her, are ultimately hostile to humanity, the Skrell really need to be stockpiling their "I told you so" signs.

[Killerhurtz]

I have to agree with Ravens here. Currently, lore seems to clash - on one hand, AIs are well-spread and unlawed AIs are even quite common. On the other, there's the whole Skrell thing going on.

Both of my IPC characters also verge on this concept, for different reasons (and hell, a ton of my traitor ideas come from that concept) but it's just... background, it feels. Hell - even the whole Unathi blockade due to almost-war seems more important, and that doesn't have quite the "world-ending" touch that unlawed AI singularity could potentially have.

[Jakers457]

Human's have the monopoly over most of the systems, they run the larger corporations that supply fuel, robotics, bionics, the potential to clone and probably a large portion of the weapon's market. Their culture is the most prominent and the most influential, leaving impressions on the other races through continue exposure. Unathi and Tajara cultures are on the brink, both finding themselves in a vicious cycle of war while being used by humanity as labor and second class citizens. Skrell, from what I recall, having several failed attempts to colonize don't have a large footprint on the galactic map and not as many bodies to throw at bullets as humanity does.

Diona have no real culture, territory or governing body. They're kind of like a native species that would be collateral damage in a full scale war. And lastly IPC's, they have the potential to be topdog but they would need a large amount of resources to have a population boom to surpass humanity. They'd also need even more resources to be self sufficient as a state or people.

What I'm trying to say is, be it economically or war wise. Humanity is the most advantageous, the most established and the most powerful at this point in 'lore time.' The only thing that ruin humanity's foothold, is if they splintered even further during a crisis and the different factions started screwing eachother out of spite or greed.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

The only thing that ruin humanity's foothold, is if they splintered even further during a crisis and the different factions started screwing eachother out of spite or greed.

 

You can make that happen with the antag contest or fight against the factions trying to do it

[Rechkalov]

I am inclined to believe that this is not what actually happens - not in good number of sci-fi worlds as such, and certainly not on Aurora.

I'm not talking about the fact that the station is mostly frequented by human crew, that is a topic that involves player preferences and I have no desire to go there, but our lore seems to favor humanity quite a bit, making them very much the "center-race" of the universe.

Throwing on top of that things such as making humans toxic to other races (I'm taking the most dumbed-down approach possible to make the most of the example) seems not only reduntant but actually like adding salt to injury in our attitude towards other races.

Come to think of it, I am feeling very butthurt on behalf of fictional species while munching on chickens that had been raised in terrible conditions for the sole purpouse of being consumed.

I am either losing my track or trying to make wanna-be-witty commentary on how our inclinations to treat and portray other forms of life as inferior affect our designing them in sci-fi games.

Whatever.

Edit: It could be argued that presenting an evolutionary/biologially/intellectually superior species into the game is problematic for the obvious reasons that we may very well find ourselves unable to convincingly portray such a being.

On the other hand, that should not be stopping us from introducing a race that beats humanity by sheer manpower and production rates - think spess chinese ('BOO, THAT'S RACIST' - but, come on. You don't believe the chinese are really people). Why is it stopping us?

It would benefit everyone -

the pro-aliens would enjoy their superior culture and mindsets and draw fine conclusions as to how mankind should behave and/or how much we benefit by cooperation

the pro-humans finally get a valid reason to feel oppressed and endangered by the alien scum

the casual players still don't give a rats arse, so all's good.

[Jakers457]

I am inclined to believe that this is not what actually happens - not in good number of sci-fi worlds as such, and certainly not on Aurora.

I'm not talking about the fact that the station is mostly frequented by human crew, that is a topic that involves player preferences and I have no desire to go there, but our lore seems to favor humanity quite a bit, making them very much the "center-race" of the universe.

Throwing on top of that things such as making humans toxic to other races (I'm taking the most dumbed-down approach possible to make the most of the example) seems not only reduntant but actually like adding salt to injury in our attitude towards other races.

Come to think of it, I am feeling very butthurt on behalf of fictional species while munching on chickens that had been raised in terrible conditions for the sole purpouse of being consumed.

I am either losing my track or trying to make wanna-be-witty commentary on how our inclinations to treat and portray other forms of life as inferior affect our designing them in sci-fi games.

Whatever.

Edit: It could be argued that presenting an evolutionary/biologially/intellectually superior species into the game is problematic for the obvious reasons that we may very well find ourselves unable to convincingly portray such a being.

On the other hand, that should not be stopping us from introducing a race that beats humanity by sheer manpower and production rates - think spess chinese ('BOO, THAT'S RACIST' - but, come on. You don't believe the chinese are really people). Why is it stopping us?

It would benefit everyone -

the pro-aliens would enjoy their superior culture and mindsets and draw fine conclusions as to how mankind should behave and/or how much we benefit by cooperation

the pro-humans finally get a valid reason to feel oppressed and endangered by the alien scum

the casual players still don't give a rats arse, so all's good.

 

So, rabbit people?

But nah, it would be cool to introduce a new race with that concept. Though it might flip the current lore on it's ass and will need some work done so everything makes senses, but then again, not sure how many people play by the lore.

[Killerhurtz]

Not rabbit people. Ant people.

Isn't that what the Vaurca was supposed to be? A relatively dumber but organic-mass-producing species who literally use organic factories for reproduction?

(If not, I still say we need our species of hyper advanced fluffy space raptors)