|
inflatablefish posted:Probably not, to be honest. We'll go into space for the same reason humans have ever gone anywhere - competition for resources. The aliens we'll meet will be just as expansionist as we are. OK serious talk: For humans, colonising planets is extremely unlikely. For us to be able to live on another world we would either have to change that world entire, which is unfeasible, or change ourselves so much the inhabitants would probably not see themselves as the same race any more. Even if we are willing to make that change, it seems unlikely that we would, since it is far more universal to change ourselves so that we can more easily live in space; we don't have to deal with pesky gravity wells there. It seems far more likely that we will be building space habitats and living there. Once you are in space and have the logistics and infrastructure in place to exploit resources that are floating around in space, those resources are super-abundant. There is more metal in one metal-rich near-Earth asteroid than the sum total of metal that humanity has extracted from the Earth. There are literally millions of asteroids in our current solar system. That's going to last humanity a really long time. With the astronomical scales involved and the sheer number of star systems, competition for resources is highly unlikely.
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2014 11:12
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 5, 2024 19:01 |
|
|
Poor Fermi. A vastly important scientific genius who helped shape the modern era and literally gave his life for science -- he died at 53, from cancer caused by his exposure to radiation in experiments -- and all we remember him for is a light-hearted lunch conversation.  Fermi never intended his 'paradox' to be any sort of scientific statement. More than anything else, it's a statement about how much we assume. Broadly speaking, the idea that "Where are they?" implies "They're not out there" hinges on seven assumptions: 1. We recognize alien life and its activity when seen. 2. Access to our region of space is unrestricted. 3. They are not, in fact, already here, and we're just not being told. 4. That our region of space is interesting enough to attract attention/colonization. 5. That faster-than-light travel is possible. 6. That we've been looking when they've been doing something we could detect. 7. That they want to do visible things, and wouldn't just stay at home. Given the ludicrous immensity of the universe, it is overwhelmingly likely that they're out there. As to why we're not already part of some vast galactic polity, all we can do is shrug. We know so little... We can't even begin to make a guess as to whether they ever will (or already have) drop by. After all, just about anything could be going on out there. The solar system is moving through space at around 1.8 million miles an hour, a reasonable fraction (~1/400th) of light-speed. Who the gently caress could possibly know what happens next?
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2014 12:59
|
|
|
Ghostwoods posted:5. That faster-than-light travel is possible. That assumption is not made. The argument is that an alien culture that achieves space travel and gets off their home world has protection from extinction events by redundancy; even destroying their home world, or half their space-based stuff, is not going to kill them as a species. So, if they procreate and spread like life on Earth does, they will eventually go to other systems - not faster-than-light, but at sub-light speeds - and given the age of the galaxy (and the age of many of the stars in it), if such cultures existed they would have spread to everywhere in the galaxy by now, even at sub-light speeds.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2014 13:06
|
|
|
pun pundit posted:That assumption is not made. The argument is that an alien culture that achieves space travel and gets off their home world has protection from extinction events by redundancy; even destroying their home world, or half their space-based stuff, is not going to kill them as a species. So, if they procreate and spread like life on Earth does, they will eventually go to other systems - not faster-than-light, but at sub-light speeds - and given the age of the galaxy (and the age of many of the stars in it), if such cultures existed they would have spread to everywhere in the galaxy by now, even at sub-light speeds. That only holds true for this galaxy, and perhaps the rest of the Virgo supercluster -- greatly decreasing the pool of potential colonist life-forms we're talking about. Also, note the "if they procreate and spread like life on Earth does", which is of course a massive assumption. The Milky Way is 120,000 light-years across, more or less. A colonist species could easily cross it in the time the galaxy has been around. But that's very different to actually hitting the solar system (and deciding Earth is the best bet for a take-over). There are up to 400 billion stars to pick from. It wouldn't be possible to route between them all in serial in galactic life-time so far. So you'd need a radiating species, and to have a chance, it would have to be one that replicated quickly enough to send fractional populations in all directions, but still have each fraction strong enough to build up quickly enough to be able to split again every new star. Once again, we very rapidly get bogged down in whole rafts of massive assumption. FTL would make the process of colonizing an entire galaxy far more plausible. Besides, saying that there are certain situations where we wouldn't need to assume FTL for "local" colonist species hardly invalidates any of the other assumptions. (Total aside: at 50mph, it would take 160 trillion years to drive from one edge of the galaxy to the other. Without toilet breaks. That's some serious trucking.)
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2014 14:02
|
|
|
Speedball posted:
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2014 15:48
|
|
Oh my GOD did he tell you the baroness story? It’s not true! Don’t listen to him!
Is it just a story, or is she so embarrassed she’ll never admit it’s true? You’ll never know! Mua-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
|
I like the various people driving the SHIV piping in on the mission. It's a neat device for bringing anyone into the story, and I hope you keep using it.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2014 16:03
|
|
|
Ghostwoods posted:That only holds true for this galaxy, and perhaps the rest of the Virgo supercluster -- greatly decreasing the pool of potential colonist life-forms we're talking about. Also, note the "if they procreate and spread like life on Earth does", which is of course a massive assumption. You're underestimating exponential growth. Say you have a species that grows in population to "fill" its available area, and when the area is filled, it radiates outwards to find new planets. Say the species' population grows at a rate of .1% per year, and they can fit 100 billion sophonts on a world. They start from a population of 100. So the population after year t is given as p = 100 * e^.001t. After 10,000 years, they'd have a population of about 2 billion; after 13,000 years it's 44 billion; after 14,000 years it's 120 billion and we assume they've started colonizing another planet. Now...after 15,000 years it's over 300 billion (3 planets' worth), after 16,000 years it's over 800 billion, and at 17,000 years it's 2.4 trillion. At 20,000 years it's 48 trillion, and each new planet is only lasting 3 years before it's full. Of course this is a grossly simplistic growth model. But the fact is that if you have a species that's expanding to fill available planets, then the rate of expansion is going to increase as the population increases. It's not going to exceed lightspeed, but it won't take long (on galactic timescales) until the species' propagation rate is a not-entirely-trivial fraction of lightspeed. But of course this doesn't rule out having a species that e.g. prefers gas giants (or the moons thereof) over something like Earth, or only goes to binary star systems, or converts the entire mass of solar systems into massive habitat structures.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2014 16:16
|
|
|
Alexey posted:Of course it isn't true, daughter of a baroness isn't a princess! Her mother is actually a queen. He's kind of a queen, too, but that's none of my business. =3
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2014 18:02
|
|
|
The only aliens mankind will ever meet will be the ones mankind itself makes. Whether they are friendly or not is on our heads.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2014 18:21
|
|
|
Ratoslov posted:The only aliens mankind will ever meet will be the ones mankind itself makes. Whether they are friendly or not is on our heads. We must become the Flying Spaghetti Monster the universe never needed.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2014 19:21
|
|
|
SpookyLizard posted:I'm picturing Van Doorn trying to control six shivs with all of his limbs. Or using his mind. They're powered by his speech and, bragging, and blowhardiness. They're powered by the stories of men he's killed. And they can Gattai to form something akin to Liberty Prime.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2014 19:48
|
|
|
BattleCattle posted:And they can Gattai to form something akin to Liberty Prime. The Ethereals better hope they aren't Communists. Based on the Ethereals' MO, though, they're much closer to Fascists, but it wouldn't be in-character for Van Doorn and/or a Liberty-Prime-SHIVoltron to be able to make any sort of distinction between the two.
|
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2014 06:17
|
|
|
I mentioned back in the Civ V/Metal Gear thread I'm a Yu-gi-oh fanatic. Well in addition to all the other crap going on in my life right now I managed to sample the latest Yu-Gi-Oh Game for the 3DS, "Duel Carnival." Christ. Konami put some actual effort into the previous one a few years ago. It was actually pretty drat great, good story mode, good sense of progression for how you unlocked new cards and card packs, you were encouraged to try a bit of everything on your path because you wouldn't get access to all the shiny new new stuff right out of the gate; so even for newbies you were eased into the process, while longtime YGO veterans were similarly challenged to try to win without using their preferred decks. Hell, even the story made a semblence of sense, at least for a Yu-Gi-Oh story. There was the Card Games On Motorcycles mode which was actually a lot more fleshed-out than you'd think as it came with a lot more interesting challenges for managing spell resources, and even a racing minigame where you raced your card-game-playing motorcycle without actually playing card games. There was even a sophisticated deck analyzer program that would examine the structure and theme of your deck and give you tips on potential weaknesses it would have. In short it was something that gave you a lot of incentive to keep coming back to, I musta sunk hundreds of hours into the thing on lonely nights out in the middle of nowhere. There is no effort put into Duel Carnival. At all. Oh, sure it has all the new cards --and I've never quite been a fan of Xyz cards, they're just plain ghetto compared to Synchros -- but in Free Mode every single goddamn card in existence is already unlocked. The story mode is also practically nonexistant too. There are no more points after a duel, no incentive to try out new things or to pull off a difficult rare summon just for the challenge of it to get that tick marked off on your box (and more points in the future for having completed more challenges total). Ugh. UGGGH. They didn't bother to advertise this one and I see why.
|
|
#
?
Oct 7, 2014 05:10
|
|
|
Yeah, I fell for it too. I keep chasing the dragon of CCG video games hoping to find another gem like the GB Pokemon, and nothing really matches up.
|
|
#
?
Oct 7, 2014 05:28
|
|
|
The only Yu-Gi-Oh video games I really liked besides the Gamecube and PS2 ones that weren't actually card games were the Tag Force games, which had the downside of having to deal with stupid partners, but otherwise were all solid.
|
|
#
?
Oct 7, 2014 06:37
|
|
|
Senerio posted:The only Yu-Gi-Oh video games I really liked besides the Gamecube and PS2 ones that weren't actually card games were the Tag Force games, which had the downside of having to deal with stupid partners, but otherwise were all solid. Oh, yeah, those were pretty good too!
|
|
#
?
Oct 7, 2014 07:42
|
|
|
Speedball posted:Oh, yeah, those were pretty good too! Nowadays, there's no real point in doing the video games anyway, as all your yugioh needs can be dealt with using Dueling Network/DevPro/YGOPro. It's how I test my decks.
|
|
#
?
Oct 7, 2014 08:12
|
|
|
Speedball posted:They didn't bother to release a cart for this one and I see why. Fixed for apparent truth. I saw it being hawked in eShop as "Nintendo 3DS Download Only" when I went to buy Smash, and my first reaction was "is this how much Konami has cheaped out on the US market?" Also, we need a new goddamn Dungeon Dice Monsters. I'm puzzled as to how rolling dice would be logistically balanced against playing cards on motorcycles/in space/whatever the new show does as its "battlefield" gimmick, but the original GBA cart had a good balance of available monsters and trinkets (if a dated roster even at release time), and building your battlefield from your unfolded dice put a fun spin on the "move pieces next to each other, make them numberfight" gameplay.
|
|
#
?
Oct 7, 2014 14:09
|
|
|
Man, it's been over a week since the last update, that is OOC for Speedball. You okay buddy?
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2014 21:42
|
|
|
Siegkrow posted:Man, it's been over a week since the last update, that is OOC for Speedball. You okay buddy? Combination of a bunch of tests and Real Life paperwork intruding on making funny LPs, then I spent the weekend collaborating with a friend on a "Lethal Weapon but with Magic" fiction project. But just so you know I'm booting up XCOM right now so we can soon see Watkins, Princess, Eva, Hugo, Zhang and maybe even No-Scope Zinchenko take down an alien battlecruiser, WITHOUT cyborgs.
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2014 22:16
|
|
|
Oh, good, this LP isn't dead. I was afraid for a while there. I went and booted up the game for the first time in a while and I still suck rear end. I'm just not patient enough to put everyone on overwatch every single turn.
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2014 22:51
|
|
|
ViggyNash posted:Oh, good, this LP isn't dead. I was afraid for a while there. It's not so much that, it's just a matter of advancing carefully in a way that ensures a minimum of living aliens at the end of your turn. Also always remember you're not playing on ironman and should feel free to drop a save at the start of missions and try different things if everything goes to poo poo (which it will).
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2014 22:57
|
|
|
Speedball posted:Combination of a bunch of tests and Real Life paperwork intruding on making funny LPs, then I spent the weekend collaborating with a friend on a "Lethal Weapon but with Magic" fiction project. How old does an Elf have to be, to be too old for this poo poo?
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2014 22:59
|
|
|
Section Z posted:How old does an Elf have to be, to be too old for this poo poo? Quoth Yahtzee: "elves and dwarves, elves and dwarves, elves and MOTHERFUCKING dwarves." Nope, they're not in it. Well, maybe, but everyone's just a transhuman if they don't already look human. People in this setting only retire once they are completely DONE with their job, since foutain-of-youth-water is one of the controlled resources of the setting. People don't really save up for retirement, they save up for rejuvenation followed by a lengthy vacation. They have cars and modern clothing and stuff, but access to what we would certainly call magic. (People still die a lot from all sorts of reasons, including disease and violence, though, especially magical disease and magical violence, so folks over a hundred are rare). I suppose the closest analogue to what I'm going for is Final Fantasy 7 with less cyberpunk; it's science fiction with wizardry instead of cyborgs and hackers. Clarke's Third Law and all that. Especially since, like my other main project, it's really 2000 years in the future. ANYWAY: Still taking screenshots of aliens being lasered while a mile over Beijing. Speedball fucked around with this message at 00:46 on Oct 13, 2014 |
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2014 00:27
|
|
|
Speedball posted:Quoth Yahtzee: "elves and dwarves, elves and dwarves, elves and MOTHERFUCKING dwarves." Nope, they're not in it. Well, maybe, but everyone's just a transhuman if they don't already look human. That sounds pretty cool I have to say, certainly an original twist if anything. Closest I can think of that's similar is the Quantum Gravity series by Justina Robson which deals with magic and technology in the same world, good series of books by the way.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2014 00:49
|
|
|
Speedball posted:ANYWAY: Still taking screenshots of aliens being lasered while a mile over Beijing. gently caress THAT ONE CYBERDISK IN THE rear end!
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2014 01:55
|
|
|
SwissArmyDruid posted:gently caress THAT ONE CYBERDISK IN THE rear end! Considering what researching it unlocks, I'm very happy it's there!
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2014 03:00
|
|
|
Feinne posted:It's not so much that, it's just a matter of advancing carefully in a way that ensures a minimum of living aliens at the end of your turn. I messed up in a mission and moved my sniper too far ahead too fast, so she got flanked and killed in one hit. So I reload, jump in the mission again, and take care to put all of my guys behind good cover, facing the right way. I end my turn Sectoid walks into view, shoots through 2 cars, and kill a guy.  This happened on the second mission of the game btw. I really, really hate this game sometimes.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2014 03:24
|
|
|
This game got a lot easier for me when I started an LP of it. Somehow having to take screenshots every turn means that I think everything through. EDIT: Need to take another break from XCOM, but it's going well. Next update will probably be tomorrow. So: Who do you think should become IMMORTAL!? Speedball fucked around with this message at 03:42 on Oct 13, 2014 |
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2014 03:28
|
|
|
Speedball posted:Considering what researching it unlocks, I'm very happy it's there! I wasn't. So, I've been playing along with the LP, and I happened to get that mission a little earlier, right? I had everyone stacked up along the left and right sides of the door, overwatch, ready to breach the left door. When I opened the door, the Cyberdisk immediately died, the two front-most people died from the explosion, and then I had to walk ALL the way around to the other door.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2014 03:56
|
|
|
Speedball posted:This game got a lot easier for me when I started an LP of it. Somehow having to take screenshots every turn means that I think everything through. I've tried being more patient, but the RNG really likes to gently caress me over a lot. As for the question: Bar-Lev, by turning her into a Gundam. She's halfway there anyway.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2014 04:03
|
|
|
ViggyNash posted:I've tried being more patient, but the RNG really likes to gently caress me over a lot. I'll take this as a vote to research UFO Power Sources! (that's how you upgrade the suit)
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2014 05:34
|
|
|
SwissArmyDruid posted:gently caress THAT ONE CYBERDISK IN THE rear end! Again there is a technical term for that enemy, it is the Douchedisk and for the purposes of exactness when referring to that specific enemy on that specific map you should use that term.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2014 06:20
|
|
|
Incidentally, I do love the final Slingshot mission, just because while fighting aliens is cool, fighting aliens on their own ship while it's still flying over Beijing, with the wind whipping by and the city lights visible through the superstructure, is one of the coolest missions in the entire game.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2014 08:15
|
|
|
Cooked Auto posted:That sounds pretty cool I have to say, certainly an original twist if anything. One of the few series of books I reread regularly.
|
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2014 12:32
|
|
|
Feinne posted:Again there is a technical term for that enemy, it is the Douchedisk and for the purposes of exactness when referring to that specific enemy on that specific map you should use that term. Yeah when I first saw it, I was like "oh what's that? It has a lotta hitpoints" and it just kinda floated next to some dudes. I was preoccupied with other enemies so I ignored it, mostly letting a few dudes take potshots at it. "Oh so is it like a support enemy? Why does it open up? Will it serve as their shield or recover their HP or something?" and then the next turn it floated close enough to switch into murder mode and then put my heavy from full health to 1 HP. That prompted me to scream "OH IT MURDERS MY poo poo IS WHAT IT DOES" at my monitor while making an assault shoot it death. Then I discovered that it explodes when it dies. It took out three of my guys with it. >ESCAPE >LOAD GAME I didn't realize that Slingshot was the DLC mission so I did it with a mostly fresh squad. It was rough.
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2014 04:37
|
|
|
Speedball posted:IMMORTALITY!? Van Doorn, as he clearly is blessed by multiple gods and lp'ers.
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2014 08:29
|
|
|
I'm starting to think the mission went worse than expected.
|
|
#
?
Oct 15, 2014 05:16
|
|
|
MightyPretenders posted:I'm starting to think the mission went worse than expected. Mission suspended as Watkins, Hilda, Hugo and Bar-Lev are busy playing as Athena the Gladiator, Nisha the Lawbringer, Claptrap the Fragtrap and Wilhem the Enforcer. Respectively. ...Van Doorn is attempting to get Gearbox to make Torgue a playable character. I have most of tomorrow off though, so I can totally update the LP. In my pajamas.
|
|
#
?
Oct 15, 2014 05:20
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 5, 2024 19:01 |
|
|
Torgue, if playable, would be the best character ever. Hell, you could probably make a game of 'important' NPC's. Zed, Torgue, Moxie and Marcus. Looking forward to the next update, I totally support Gundaming someone.
|
|
#
?
Oct 15, 2014 06:56
|
|