Voices in the Dark: PreIOT Thread

[CivOasis]

There is only one faction...

 

[Ailedhoo]

How about subfactions?

In truth; the colony could have have akin to political parties to certain groups within... but that will be talked when we get on about the colony, I guess?

Back to technology; what be the status of hover technology? Just wondering for the vehicles we will be applying on the planet we are going to.

Lunar mining is kind of a terrible idea because tides. We should mine asteroids. Maybe move them out of the belt first to reduce impact chance?

Asteroid mining would be nice...

That said: we should have some kind of lunar colony, for research and light mining purposes.

 

[CivOasis]

Hover tech is pretty cool, if you can get an explanation. The nature and idea of subfactions is something I'd rather let arise organically.

Mining, take it up with the others. As has been noted, its actually more expensive than going without given current possibilities

 

[Double A]

you know we're not scientists right

 

[Ailedhoo]

Current day hovercraft would themselves be useful for transporting rivers in the possible wild places we are going... presuming of course there is rivers and good air levels.

Columbia used British made hovercraft in its most troubled provinces to fight rebels and drug traffickers. The potential is great. Beaches can be well navigated. This is going to be fun!

Anti-gravity tests could be a area indeed to consideration but the status has to be considered.

 

[Kinich-Ahau]

Since CivO wants more Tech input, clean energy rules, fusion is cheap & easy, and everyone has a pet robot bear.

 

[Omega124]

antimatter>fusion. End of discussion.

 

[Sonereal]

Vote: Fusion

 

[Double A]

por que no los dos

 

[SamSniped]

Both would make sense, actually, as they could both have different uses.

 

[CivOasis]

I would actually think it a matter of practicality (both in the sense of expense and actual movement) that your interstellar and intra-system travel mechanisms were different.

 

[Omega124]

Completely random thought, but a tech I would love to see (and think it would be realistic for it to be developed) is more advanced robotic technology. Specifically, humans should have made strides towards (but not even close to reaching) true AI, making robots that are more stable and nimble in movement, and while not necessarily looking like humans, look less.... creepy. Whatever that entails.

If we do go with robots, it would definitely help with establishing colonies since you can give the dangerous jobs, like deep underground mining, or undesirable jobs like street cleaning, to robots. That frees up the work force to allow humans to have a more luxurious lifestyle, but, in the case if a recession or overpopulation were to occur, make unemployment even worse.

 

[Ailedhoo]

Robots would be useful for worker aid. I would suggest we go for a robotic look for our robots.

Spoiler a example we could consider :

On the downside waiters are going to face a new competitor.

Any rate I would love to see more machines; players could even have robotic aids or "buddies" to provide them aid in their operations; a explorer for instance could use a special probe to help in classifying the land around while medics get a extra hand.

Speaking of robots sooner or later we area going to have talk about war technology, especially for the colony's defence against the unknown and... "alternative forms of diplomacy" that might occur by the players' plots. Drones are to be a notable area hence; how will have drone technology advanced in this age? It is a norm, at least among the major powers? How robotised have the military become? We will also need to talk about what the standard rifle is in this era; bullets are the main usage still? How is laser technology going? We will also need to talk about space militarisation.

 

[Sonereal]

Posting because CivO Requested

 

[CivOasis]

A Report on Modern Technology, Part 1​

As time has progressed, so has technology. Quantum computers have long since replaced binary systems as our main form of technology, though the transition has created a digital dark age, resulting in the loss of many historically – and often scientifically – important records. DNA computers also exist, though the training required to use them and public opposition to many forms of biotechnology has restricted them to use in more technical settings, and they have not advanced as much as their mechanical counterparts. With the rise in computing has also come a rise in automation – as many of the industrial and service positions on Earth have been cut, leaving vast portions of the population unemployed and in poverty. The unemployment issue is less noticeable on Mars, given that the colonies are often smaller and are largely populated by vital or wealthy individuals, though some of the older cities have found this issue arising within the younger generations.

Though humanity has adjusted surprisingly well to a post-fossil fuel world, both the previous era and continued pollutants have left their toll ecologically. With the extinction of many pollinator species, terrestrial agriculture has taken a major toll, and many historically important crops have either gone extinct or been reduced dramatically. In the wake of this disaster, aquaculture has become a major industry, with the growth of marine plants and animals supporting the bulk of the world’s population, though concerns remain about how these policies affect the already-damaged oceans, and inland populations often suffer from greater food shortages. Water pollution and scarcity, too, has affected humanity, and the vast majority of the populations of both planets are left at risk of devastating water shortages from pollution, droughts, or malfunctions in processing stations.

Travel within the Solar System is largely based upon improvements in existing technology, rather than the development of completely novel ideas. Shuttles between Earth and Mars can take between 1 and 3 months, depending upon exact propulsion and route, and transition between interplanetary space and the Martian surface is done via smaller settlements on Phobos and Deimos to save fuel and ease travel. On the surface of the Martian worlds, colonies typically consist of vast networks of interconnected buildings with series of failsafe airlocks and water and air recycling, as well as gardens, located inside. Some larger domed cities, where one can walk “outside” without a suit, do exist, though these are rarer and older, given safety concerns – on two separate occasions, a domed colony’s roof was breached by a meteorite, events which eventually led to the end of such designs. Given the difficulties of managing animals both in transit and on the planet, very few exist on Mars, and the typical Martian diet is very rare in meats, often considered a delicacy now by the local inhabitants.

The military has yielded many improvements with potential civilian applications, as well. Drones are already well within the private sector, and now make up the bulk of air forces and reconnaissance around the globe. Improvements in metamaterial research have improved stealth technology dramatically, with many such vehicles now being coated in the light-bending technologies. Traditional ballistic weapons remain the norm, though some teams of soldiers often operate with mechanical exoskeletons designed to support major weight and operate for extended periods of time without fatigue; the bulk and slower speeds of these units, however, mean that we don’t see mech battles, so much as these suits operating as support units, clearing rubble or allowing manned operations over vast distances; something that has been adapted by many particularly wealthy civilian groups where possible. A variety of robotic technologies – perhaps most famously those inspired by snakes or species of (often now-extinct) insects – have also entered the area, being used to access areas deemed too difficult or dangerous for humans to enter. Off-road vehicles have also adapted, with hovercraft and similar technologies becoming prominent in level terrains, and many (admittedly slow, but sturdy) legged robots taking over some of the more difficult ones, though many regions are still too difficult for any machines to traverse.

Biotech research has advanced, though unfortunately, much slower than many would have desired. Public outcry – often fueled by political feuds or ignorance of the technologies in question – has stagnated much research, and although the agricultural crisis and demands of medicine have forced through advancements in GMOs and some medicine, many of the fields with true potential have found themselves in a struggle for funding. Coupled with the changing climate, this has led to such problems as formerly-tropical diseases making inroads into regions such as Europe, North America, and Australia, with the failure to develop a Malaria vaccine, and subsequent loss of support for finding one, alternately hailed as an example of the failures of biotechnology or the cost of its abandonment, depending upon your stance. Though a great deal of progress has been made privately – stem cell technologies, genetic engineering, breakthroughs in disease research and biological batteries – the sheer public and political opposition has left these incredibly powerful technologies largely ignored in their infancy, leaving a substantial cost barrier to effective implementation.


Alright, so things under technology that haven't been addressed:
-You guys should probably propose some more stuff about energy, since we've now got a post-fossil fuel world established.

-I didn't comment on interstellar flight, because I realize that some of you want FTL, and some of you don't, but nobody commented on either.

-If you guys aren't terribly pleased with the state of biotech, some of it might be flexible - I tried to leave it as an open door for progress, given that there was both opposition and support, as well as practical necessities for some advancement.

-Commenting at least somewhat on space research, in particular that of exoplanets, might be a good idea.

-Anything else you guys want to see, please go ahead and comment now.

Going to do a part two after some of that stuff has been addressed/people don't care enough to do so, and then I'll open the floor for ideological/social movements, as well as starting to get into who's expedition this is, and why - but finishing technology first, because this is actually an important part that affects a good deal of the mechanics and structure of the game (not that any section doesn't, but especially this one), on top of being relevant to later stuff.

 

[Omega124]

With the extinction of many pollinator species, terrestrial agriculture has taken a major toll, and many historically important crops have either gone extinct or been reduced dramatically. In

I think this is an unrealistic overreaction to make aquaculture economically viable. Even with the disappearance of European bees, Earth is nowhere near this kind of agriculture collapse due to lack of pollinators, not to mention that most (developed world) farmers use self-pollinating clones /anyways/.

EDIT:

with the failure to develop a Malaria vaccine

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-28541939

Even if this goes nowhere, just kill the mosquitoes. This proven technique allowed the panama canal to be built, and I don't see ow it wouldn't work now.

 

[CivOasis]

It actually wasnt there to make aquaculture viable; ecological collapse came first, and just so happened to support the aquaculture.

That being said, there are a couple reasons for it - the anti-gmo backlash, the fact that there would be a good chunk of the ecosystem devastated and impacting crops anyways, etc. Mind you, I'm not saying the pollinators are the only things that went extinct - quite a few species went out thedoor with ecosystem collapse, and you'd see some pest species thrive as their predators died off, too

 

[Double A]

I think this is an unrealistic overreaction to make aquaculture economically viable. Even with the disappearance of European bees, Earth is nowhere near this kind of agriculture collapse due to lack of pollinators, not to mention that most (developed world) farmers use self-pollinating clones /anyways/.

1) wind
2) artificial pollinators

THERE WE GO

A better way to make aquaculture viable is to just spam cities all over the goddamn surface.

 

[Omega124]

A better way to make aquaculture viable is to just spam cities all over the goddamn surface.

This. Urban sprawl reducing the amount of (viable) land available for farming>hypothetical agricultural collapse which seems very farfetched at best

 

[CivOasis]

Right. Well, 1) I would have assumed that with rising populations and a water crisis, urban sprawl around water-rich areas was a given, and 2) the agricultural collapse idea was actually taken from real-world concerns and commentary. And not from random political commentary or sensationalist documentary, either, but from scientific journals.

Also, re: malaria (which I discussed on chat, but want to bring out here), I am well aware that we're close to a cure; that being, said, real-life data on tropical diseases combined with malaria's name-brand level of recognition made it seem like a good choice RP wise. Plus, it's not like this would be the first time the world's dropped the ball on a seemingly certain breakthrough, and nothing quite says "oh crap" like an emergency you were supposed to be able to handle.