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The World, Renewed        Over the first half of the 2350s, the economic development of the Republic of Pholus continued unabated, further developing what was already the wealthiest portion of Chiron. As the Republic of Pholus developed, it continued to stretch investment into other colonies within the global commercial network covering Pholus, New Lacedaimonia, and Hercules, making Pholan firms, brands, ideas, and trends an inextricable part of local cultures.   Development of science and technology continued with the same vigor as it had displayed in earlier history. The use of magnetic monopoles to develop small but powerful magnetic bearings and drivers and the use of silksteel to endure severe forces even with minimal mass allowed the development of powerful precision machinery requiring far less material and volume than once had been required. Although these developments did nothing to reduce the space needed by energy sources, requiring the same mass in superconductive energy cells or reactors, it nonetheless allowed for vehicle engine blocks that once filled the entire front of a vehicle to be reduced in size to something similar to a laptop computer. Almost any device with mechanical components in Pholus could be designed to be smaller and lighter, or be redesigned as the same size but with greater power due to multiple motors and greater space available for power sources. The applicability of these developments to industrial processes was obvious. A simple components factory designed by Morgan Industries, putting out sections of ducting for facility airflow systems, was the first testbed for miniaturised factories. The entire factory was about the size of a desk, and required a single human operator. Later, more complex factories building larger products could become as large as a garage, with three human staff. Super-miniaturised factories helped drive an ever more efficient and productive manufacturing sector which employed steadily less of the human workforce, which continued to shift into services, design, engineering, and research tasks. There are reasons related to energy density, radiation vulnerability, intelligence and communications, and more to be dubious of conventional 'nanobot' depictions. That said, massive minaturisation of conventional machinery is well within plausibility.   Meanwhile, Alice Rhine and other physicists had been steadily working on the implications of Rhine's unified field theory, which proved to be an incredibly productive source of insights for future research in other fields. Rhine's research institutes in the settlement of Morgan made it even more of a center for scientific research than it already was. With the Theory of Everything, Morgan's research exceeded 600 per annum. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAGSeSTvwlc is the video for the Theory of Everything. Given that 'Unified Field Theory' and 'Theory of Everything' seem to be almost interchangeable in physics, I'm assuming the Theory of Everything Project is working out many of the implications of the Unified Field Theory in order to help generate new predictions.     In 2355, Prokhor Zakharov officially announced his abdication from the leadership of the Planetary University, handing the reigns of power over temporarily to his aide Vasiliy Fedorov until a team from the United Nations Commission on Foreign Affairs and Human Rights could help organise a new constitution and new elections for the Free State. Zakharov, who had founded his colony in the hopes of being able to pursue science without limits, was weary of the struggles to retain power, and, in a memorable speech, declared 'the era of the Planetary University is over. We have clung to this experiment in technocracy because we preferred it to be true, but in the end we must face the evidence unflinchingly- this is an experiment that has failed.' With the dissolution of the Planetary University and the reorganisation of the Free State along a model to mimic the UNCC, every remaining government outside of Chiron Minor was, in broad outline, a democratic market society on friendly terms with every other government outside Chiron Minor. The only remaining threats to peace were the squabbling, fragmented states of Chiron Minor, and none of those retained the capacity to project power beyond their own continent. There was hope that even Chiron Minor would eventually stabilise, and join with the burgeoning prosperity of the outside world. Forty-five years later...  By 2400, the United Nations Colony on Chiron remains the second-rank superpower of Chiron, dominating the majority of the continent of Hercules while steadily working to stabilise the situation in Chiron Minor. It retains the largest military force, and has helped develop southern and eastern Hercules into extremely densely-settled territories. UNCC troops have been stationed in the Free Republic of the North and the Western Lord's Coalition by invitation of those governments, helping guarantee their territories against outside threats. Pravin Lal, the original Acting Captain of Unity Cryopod 8, remains extraordinarily popular, and retains his position as United Nations Commissioner for Foreign Affairs and Human Rights. Although the positions of Commissioners are subject to appointment by the Colonial Governor of the UNCC, no Colonial Governor has ever dared to risk the popular backlash of removing a man widely revered amongst the populace of the UNCC.  The Republic of the Sea of Nessus has undergone a major cultural shift over the past decades, and is now, in many ways, much like the Republic of Pholus itself culturally. The Nautilan movement still holds a reasonable amount of influence here, and work on the open sea is something that catches the imagination of the people of the Sea of Nessus. With the shift towards Pholan cultural norms, the Republic of the Sea of Nessus has seen a dramatic development of its economy, and a vigorous effort to terraform and develop the Sea of Nessus and the Howling Straits is under way. Already the xenofungus has essentially been driven from the Sea of Nessus, and aquaculture, mining platforms, thorium sifters, and geothermal plants have grown increasingly common. Ulrik Svensgaard, once President of the Republic of the Sea of Nessus and a prominent figure in the Nautilan movement, has returned to naval service, captaining the Indomitable, flagship of the Nessan fleet.  Deidre Skye, original Acting Captain of Unity Cryopod 1, and later founder of the Stepdaughters of Gaia religious movement and ruler of the New Gaian Dominion, died of old age in 2359, unable to afford further rejuvenation. The Stepdaughters of Gaia had been reduced to a tiny, irrelevant sect, and Skye never stopped thinking of the government installed by the North Pholan government in place of the Gaian Dominion as traitors.  The Planetary University Free State has been replaced by the Democratic Colony of New Russia, organised in imitation of the UNCC. Russian remains a popular language in the DCNR, in large part due to its prominent place in the former Planetary University. Living standards have begun to climb significantly for ordinary colonists in the DCNR, although the dire state of its economy when it was founded has meant that a majority of its employment and income is provided by foreign-owned firms from the UNCC or the Republic of Pholus. Uranium exports from the Uranium Flats have helped finance the development of the DCNR, which has slowly begun to cast off the deep-rooted cynicism which once characterised its population. The settlement of Greenhouse Gate was allowed to separate from the DCNR as it was being organised, and promptly rejoined the Spartan Federation. Prokhor Zakharov, original Acting Captain of Unity Cryopod 4, designer of the UNSS Unity, and head of the Planetary University for almost its entire existence, has emigrated from the DCNR to the settlement of Morgan, where he has begun a partnership with Alice Rhine to delve into deeper secrets of the universe. Once again, Prokhor Zakharov sits at the cutting edge of science.  The Spartan Federation remains a proud and formidable colony that restricts the vote to those who have completed periods of state service and thereby earned full citizenship. Although it has lower per-capita incomes than the UNCC or the Republic of Pholus, and its military remains smaller than the UNCC military, it has an impressively advanced and modern military, built about a core of hovertanks made possible by highly miniaturised ducted fans providing lift, armed with seeking tactical fusion missiles. Spartan forces intervening in Chiron Minor conquered their way up the southern peninsula of that continent, taking Sanctity Base, The Lord's Gift, New Jerusalem, and The Lord's Mercy from local militias and warlords before forming a peaceful frontier with the Western Lord's Coalition to the north. Maintaining order in those settlements remains a challenge, but, with every decade that passes, they grow a little more acclimated to Spartan rule. Corazon Santiago, original Acting Captain of Unity Cryopod 6, has long since been barred from holding any position of political authority, but she continues to serve with distinction in the Spartan military, personally commanding the invasion force that took the new territory for the Federation.  The Human Hive, Sheng-Ji Yang's experiment in the obliteration of individuality, has long since fallen, and its name remains a synonym for evil and suffering across Chiron. Yang himself, once Acting Captain of Unity Cryopod 2, was executed by the Holy States for his atrocities.  The former territory of the Holy States has fragmented into multiple different competing colonies, but, by 2400, the situation has stabilised at least marginally, with four larger colonies controlling much of the Holy States' territory, while the southeastern reaches of the continent remain a squabbling mess of warlords. The southern peninsula is under the rule of the Spartan Federation, while the Monsoon Jungle and the region immediately surrounding it has come under the control of the Western Lord's Coalition, a loose confederation of city-states ruled individually either by moderate theocracies or by democratic governments with a strongly religious culture, and economically reliant on the rich agricultural territory of the Monsoon Jungle. The brutality of the short-lived Emergency Military Government of the Holy States has led to its fall and the destruction of its capital in the Leader's Horde, but the aftermath of the fighting against the Emergency Military Government led to the rise of the Mesan Empire, ruled by Harold I, self-styled Emperor Anointed of God to Protect the Faithful, ruling from the settlement of Labor Network on the Sunny Mesa, and carefully balancing tensions with the Western Lord's Coalition and the Free Republic of the North to avoid a war he knows he cannot win. Miriam Godwinson, original Acting Captain of Cryopod 7 and head of the Conclave of Pastors up until its destruction, died by a terrorist's bomb that destroyed the Great Cathedral in New Jerusalem. Although she saw the Holy States teetering on the edge of destruction, she did not live to see their total collapse.  The Free Republic of the North, despite having been situated in a generally less-developed and terraformed portion of Chiron Minor when it was originally formed, is now nonetheless the richest colony that has arisen from the collapse of the Holy States, with only the Western Lord's Coalition even approaching it. A major program of terraforming and industrial development has helped cement both its internal economy and revenues from foreign trade- the Free Republic of the North is an important source for the bulk manufacture of basic refined metals, lumber, and other basic industrial materials for use in later-stage industries, and some FRN vehicles have begun to make inroads as export goods for lower-cost consumer markets. The FRN remains on good terms with the colonies outside of Chiron Minor, and has a reasonably good relationship with the Western Lord's Coalition, while the Mesan Empire remains a source of anxiety to many in the FRN, offset by the presence of UNCC troops promised to support the FRN should the colony be invaded. After three ten-year terms as the first Foreman of the FRN, its chief executive position in its government, Domai, noted revolutionary and human-rights activist, retired from politics and took on a position as a crew chief and part owner of a logging firm near Socialism Tunnels. He has continued in that position for the past twenty years.  The Republic of Pholus is the economic center of the world, the source of new technologies, and the heart of its culture. The Morgan Mercantile Exchange energy credit is the basis of the world financial system, Pholan firms and brands are familiar in every colony across the world, save in the economically-isolated warlord regions of southeastern Chiron Minor, and Pholan ideas and entertainment can be found in datalinks worldwide. A massive variety of companies compete for sectors of the Pholan markets, and those that cannot adapt to changes inevitably shrink and disappear. The recent development of truly sentient digital intelligences has forced a cultural shift in Pholus, which has accepted digital sentiences as citizens frequently used as advisors for major corporate concerns and security planners. Construction has begun in Torrson of the Interstellar Survey Combine ship Endeavor, intended for a sixty-year round-trip mission to Earth to discover what has become of the birth world of humanity. The lack of any recent attempts to signal Chiron lead many to fear that the chaos on Earth eventually led to civilisational collapse, but only investigation of the world will show the truth. Nwabudike Morgan, original Acting Captain of Cryopod 5, remains CEO and majority owner of Morgan Industries and the richest man in the world. Although Morgan Industries has had to retreat from one industry after another as competition grew too fierce, while refocusing on its areas of advantage, the ceaseless attention of Morgan has never permitted Morgan Industries to grow too complacent in its position. The company remains the leading manufacturer of fusion generation equipment, industrial robotics, and superconductive fiber, while having positions in many consumer and entertainment industries and maintaining the single largest corporate R&D budget in the world. He has no intention to retire. nweismuller fucked around with this message at 17:50 on Jul 23, 2016 |
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Jan 26, 2016 00:11
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It's been a long and enjoyable project for me, and I would like to thank all my readers for following my SMAC LP. There may be some open questions about what happens in the future, how I would depict certain technologies in the game, and so on; please feel free to ask me whatever you wish. I've been very happy to present this to all of you. I may do another LP in the future, but, at the moment, the games I'm considering LPing have yet to be released. Feel free, also, if you have an existing character in the thread's fiction, to provide your own epilogue for them.
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Jan 26, 2016 00:50
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Nice work, nweismuller. I am glad this eventually came to a conclusion. It's unsurprising that the endgame was something we saw for so long - "our biggest enemies are the gods believers, and their cities are in disarray and their money is on fire."
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Jan 26, 2016 00:57
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drat, Deidre's epilogue was grim.  This was a cool LP because it flipped upside down the way I understood one of my favorite games. It got pretty contentious at times but I'm glad you stuck with it! Have you considered doing an epilogue for "the Planet mind?" It's a big player in the game, and even though it was treated as an essentially passive adversary in this LP it seemed like Morgan was always mulling over a "final solution" to the mindworm question.
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Jan 26, 2016 01:07
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The 'Planetmind' By 2436, the last major remaining concentrations of xenofungal forests on Chiron were the major xenofungal nexus in the New Sargasso and stretching up across the Isle of Deianira, while a smaller fungal nexus remained south of the Mesan Empire. All other major fungal concentrations, including the massive forest surrounding the so-called 'Ruins'- which had proven to be a site with evidence of an actual ancient alien city buried beneath the ground- in northern Pholus, had eventually been cleared by terraforming activity, leaving only tiny scattered portions of xenofungal forest still to be cleared. In that year, Dr. Kimberley of Morgan Biosciences completed a device intended to broadcast the contents of the human datalinks into the fungal concentration in the Sargasso, while taking steps to engineer sections of the fungus according to his understanding of the intended architecture of its psionic neural net. The end result was that the fungal concentration in the Sargasso, previously left running essentially autonomously under subconscious ecological maintenance protocols, was awakened to full sentience, although the massive loss of xenofungal coverage across the planet limited its potential power. With Dr. Kimberley as its spokesman, it negotiated a recognition of its borders and was granted legal status as an independent colony on the Planetary Council, finally able to control its actions consciously and to understand human needs. The xenofungal role as regulator of the world ecology had long since been broken, replaced by a hybrid ecology of Earth and Chironic organisms designed to serve human needs, but, in the far north, something closer to the original state of Chiron held sway. The xenofungal intelligence, understanding its original role must have been to serve as a planet-spanning super-intelligence, mourned its far-reduced state, and speculated on why its original creators never completed its transition to the AI it was originally meant to be. What use this AI would have served in alien society also remained an open question, although study of remaining records still recoverable from the Ruins began to suggest that the original alien empire had been held together by 'matter transit gates' allowing light-speed travel between different star systems. The xenofungal forest on Chiron Minor, on the other hand, remained inaccessible and isolated from the New Sargasso intelligence, and far too risky for Dr. Kimberley to operate in. It remained a continued threat to the Mesan Empire and the warlords to the south, operating on blind instinct and struggling to prune elements not in the original planned ecology supporting the xenofungal forests. Perhaps, if the secret of these gates could be unearthed before the return of the Endeavor, it might be possible to create a permanent connection between Chiron and Earth, and once again bind humanity into a single civilisation spanning two star systems. nweismuller fucked around with this message at 01:32 on Jan 26, 2016 |
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Jan 26, 2016 01:30
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How's that, GunnerJ?
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Jan 26, 2016 01:31
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Pretty damned awesome! Not something I would have thought of for sure. Thanks!
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Jan 26, 2016 01:38
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Pretty elegant solution.
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Jan 26, 2016 02:47
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Congratulations! Thanks for all the hard work and staying with us, nweismuller. Can we get any further detail on what's left of the Holy State? Or what your idea of a Eudaimonic future society would look like?
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Jan 26, 2016 03:13
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Epilogue: Bushnell Center Bushnell Center, once Chiron's leading center of computer research, gradually took a less dominant role over the decades as other settlements established dedicated hard science facilities and Bushnell itself devoted more of its resources to exploiting the technology developed by others. Nonetheless, its influence is felt throughout Chiron, thanks in no small part to its two great innovations: the Virtual World and the Hunter-Seeker Algorithm. In response to rival corporations attempting to develop competing server models and fragment the userbase for virtual reality, Dreamland Games took the surprising step of making all hardware and software involved in the Virtual World open-source, incentivizing those companies to instead compete in the realm of apps and games to run on a single backbone. Dreamland Games itself has gradually shifted focus away from virtual reality games and into mobile gaming, though they still maintain MMO sims like 'Staribbean' and 'Monster Factory Online'. A subsidiary company, Starshine Development, is working on developing a similar network system for offworld settlements, with the goal of integrating them into the Virtual World once issues of latency and infrastructure have been addressed. The HSA is less public, but even more pervasive than the Virtual World. Any piece of information transferred through Republic networks can be analyzed for hints of illegal access, and while system hacks continue to be possible, doing so without being discovered sooner rather than later is a virtual impossibility. While an undercurrent of concern over its far-reaching power exists in the Republic, especially as the external threats it was developed to prevent become more and more irrelevant, its track record of integrity and accountability continues to keep this concern to a low murmur. Fred Sloniker, CEO of Dreamland Games, has faded from the public eye over the decades, and officially resigned as CEO last year (though he retains majority control of the company's stock). He lives in an undisclosed location in Bushnell Center and is seen in person only rarely, though his online activity is somewhat more common.
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Jan 26, 2016 03:21
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Congratulations, and thank you for sticking it out to the end. The last few years, with all those settlements and all that development, must have been more work than play. But I do like that Morgan managed to get things rolling without really compromising his principles or pissing off the xenomind too much, and won it in a very Morgan way.
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Jan 26, 2016 04:39
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I realised I forgot to mention the fate of Greenhouse Gate. This has been added to the end of the Zakharov/Free State/DCNR epilogue. I'll see about answering at least one of your questions tomorrow, Tabris. I have a question of my own for you, Tabris- you good with my epilogue for Domai? I can adjust it a bit if you'd like, pretty easily.
nweismuller fucked around with this message at 04:59 on Jan 26, 2016 |
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Jan 26, 2016 04:56
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Epilogue: Harvey Davidson With the rise of true digital sentience, and the full integration of synthetic intelligences as citizens of Chiron, Mr. Davidson vanished almost completely from the public eye, retiring from politics and writing and resigning his position at Planetfall University. He returned to Lovelace - the first company he worked for after Planetfall - to head their "Wakener" teams. His job is to ensure that synthetic intelligences will have the best potential Pholus can give them, and to ensure that Pholus will also be happy to have them amongst itself. He brings them a hundred years of work on human psychology, and the experience of experimental sociological and psychological research. He remembers when humans were alien, and hopes to help close the gap in society's understanding of itself once again. Davidson has had four careers since Planetfall: programmer, teacher, psych chaplain, and philosopher. This fifth career recapitulates all of his earlier four.
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Jan 26, 2016 07:14
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And now, a post as myself: Thanks for sticking with it through the year. I really enjoyed the narrative you set down over the game, as well as the narrative you were able to extract from it.
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Jan 26, 2016 07:18
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Thank you so much for this LP, nweismuller. It has been fascinating to see your interpretation of AC, particularly where you have based that interpretation on the actual in-game mechanics rather than the sometimes-minimal flavor text. That you've encouraged a host of posters to come up with their own stories and interpetations certainly doesn't hurt either. Do you think you might have something to say about the role of AIs on Chiron? I find it interesting how in AC, AI's generally tend to be constructive members of society. Granted, in a more oppressive state that could include Friend Alpha Sector suppressing Fundie Luddite Traitors, but AI's seem not to be socially disruptive in-and-of themselves.
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Jan 26, 2016 10:09
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Epilogue: Adhama Kusisitiza Kusisitiza Future stretched from below the seabed to the sky, the shining jewel of a gateway from Pholus to Hercules. Still it remains in the grip of the ancient immortal, the eponymous man from Earth. Much like Morgan in his city, Adhama Kusisitiza passed into the phase state of wealth, power and experience from which his mastery of his realm was indisputable. A wise and benevolent ruler, there remains debate and dissent over the role of the off-Chiron ancients in Pholan society, but short of revolution, no real way to displace them. Society had grown sufficiently prosperous that the impetus for change was lessened each passing decade, each passing century. It was just the way things were, and everything was perfect, so why change it? So there he remains, as, to most Pholans and all Futurists, he always has: the Coordinator of Kusisitiza Datametrics, and the true power of one of the finest cities on Chiron.
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Jan 26, 2016 11:23
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Yet another stellar LP, Nweismuller. Thanks for going to the effort.
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Jan 26, 2016 13:33
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As always, I'm impressed by the sheer amount of writing you do for your LPs. congratulations on finishing, and on the same month the LP started on, no less! Any plans on doing another LP anytime soon?
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Jan 26, 2016 18:11
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Do XCOM 2 next!
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Jan 26, 2016 18:52
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Thank you so much for this LP, OP, and for its refreshing take on the story of AC. It was a great ride.
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Jan 26, 2016 19:08
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Afterward So here I am, 100 books and what feels like a million years later and I'm still kicking around, still doing my best to further the twin causes of biological sciences and of xenofungal rights. A lot of people suspected that I would end my rejuve treatments after Sargasso made the big leap to sapience--after all, everything I did up until then seemed to be centered around xenofungus, whether it was conserving it, conversing with it, or else adapting its biology to refine our own. But here I am. Here I remain. Chiron's newest and strangest citizen is protected by convention (and by hordes of vicious and intelligently directed mind worms), Chiron's biology lies fully exposed to scientific understanding, and intelligent algorithms are doing half of what I used to do when I directed Morgan's Bioscience Division. So why keep on living? Why do I stick around when so many other Earth-born fossils have given up? The answer is simple: I want to know what happens tomorrow. I want to see what Chiron comes up with next, and I don't believe in any Heaven that can give me bleacher seats nor any "Oneness of Being" that will allow my consciousness to remain a part of unfolding events. I want to know what happens next, and I demand front row seats for the entire show. So fill up my popcorn tub, garçon, because as far as I'm concerned this show is still only just beginning. Dr. Hal Kimberley
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Jan 26, 2016 19:23
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Bobbin Threadbare posted:
drat, I always loved Kimberley's little pop-ups. Thanks nweismuller for the fun ride through an old classic. I'd love to see you do pretty much any other faction, as I think you could capture and make their play style something that fits a good narrative. Till then though, thanks for the wonderful fun times.
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Jan 26, 2016 20:31
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nweismuller posted:You good with my epilogue for Domai? I can adjust it a bit if you'd like, pretty easily. I'm very happy with it (as I am with your work on the LP in general), though I'd like to add one last thing. Farewell Address, MY 2385, Freedman's Park, Extracts Who would have expected anything like this? Three hundred years ago, when our ancestors (and some of us) landed on this cold ball of dirt, wracked with poisonous fungus, what hope could we have had for the future? Most of us were huddled in rickety pre-fab shacks, hoping that the water filters worked, that the electricity stayed on, that e algae cakes weren't spoiled -- or some of us shuttled down to work in crude mines on our hands and knees- which among them had ever dared to dream of a world like this? The average life expectancy of a drone in the Human Hive then was about thirty, thirty five years, before he was thrown into the Recycling Tanks and made into gruel for the rest of them. Clearly things have turned out a bit differently. Where are we now, after three centuries of toil? I have seen many things - on Chiron, and Pholus. Religious strife, militarism, paranoia - all of these things threatened to lead astray this long and perilous journey towards freedom. It has been difficult work to escape the chaos of old earth, to then tear apart an old tyranny, and even harder work to build a new peaceful world. Who, looking at the tragedies of human history up until then, and how arduous our journey first was, could have imagined anything like this? It is easy enough to speak of revolution and the acts of killing, but harder enough to speak of the patience and hard work which every person here and our friends abroad have given, to contribute their share to building a newer and better world. Every tree farm planted, every solar cell shining along the rooftops, every road and shelter built, every garden grown, is in itself a victory against the chaos against the poverty and war of our shared past. Such a happy world is no birthright - it must be maintained and cared for with every effort, to avoid any backslide into those hatreds which we have so feared. Our peace was a hard-won thing, and we must avoid those tendencies which would tear it away from us - do not live in fear of one another; do not fear free association and the free exchange of ideas; do not form petty groups to tear down one another over petty bickerings; do not be seduced by the tempting lies of some tempting ideology. And be strong against those who would dare do us harm. On a closing note, I would like to give some words of encouragement to my successor, Ms. Simon - this job is a bit less chaotic than when I started, but it will be no less interesting. It will be a comforting sight to see how we are now part of a free and prosperous world. Finally, I would also like to thank my spouse for his patience and endurance - through everything. But perhaps our time in this place, in this role, will pass to another after this day. Generations come and generations go, but Planet lives forever. Good night. Thank you all. Good bye.
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Jan 26, 2016 22:11
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This has been a glorious LP. Thanks to nweismuller, and the rest of the contributors.
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Jan 26, 2016 22:25
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Eudaimonia The development of homo superior augmented humans, the growing role of sentient AIs on Chiron, and the capabilities of highly miniaturised manufacturing would lay the groundwork for what would, eventually, be known as the 'eudaimonic' society. The spread of homo superior through the population was a gradual process, but, eventually, as more and more of a colony's population re-engineered themselves into beings with 'superhuman' capabilities, a tipping point was eventually reached. The productivity of homo superior workers led to sufficient compensation for these workers to acquire their own personal portion of the manufacturing base, the formidable personal capabilities of these newly-minted capitalists gave them the capability to provide value added with design, engineering, and assembly, and the prevalence of free AIs capable of analysing current market conditions gave them the capability to adapt smoothly and seamlessly to shifting market trends. Optimal firm size plummeted, while incidence of violence and strife withered under the formidable capabilities of a society of superhumans who accepted a commitment to human flourishing and ethical behavior. It was not quite accurate to say that every man was his own employer, as in some cases the scale of necessary endeavors necessitated several persons coordinated as a single firm, but nonetheless essentially every man who wished to be self-employed was so. Certain individuals retained very formidable personal fortunes relative to the average level of wealth, but the net effect of the eudaimonic society was a massive increase in the personal wealth of the average member of society relative to the wealth of the wealthiest. Eudaimonia was a stark contrast to a societal model that it was earlier argued that homo superior made possible, although this discussion remained on the level of hypotheticals with no support for its implementation. One of the critical competitive weaknesses of earlier efforts at totalitarian governance was the immense loss of information involved in depriving the bulk of the population from effective decision-making power- non-totalitarian systems far more effectively mobilised the total cognitive resources of their populations to address the requirements of the population. It was argued that the presence of a sufficiently large overclass of homo superior, by concentrating cognitive resources previously only available from a full society, would be able to effectively manage an entire system under their control. To ensure the tractability and predictability of those classes under the homo superior overclass, ensuring that policy promulgated by the overclass would be effectively implemented and reducing noise in the system, a program of chemical treatment for suggestibility, psionic reinforcement of desired brain states, and a carefully-designed program of mutually-reinforcing propaganda ideas shaping the minds of the underclasses could be implemented to support the rule of homo superior. This program of 'thought control' was never implemented. nweismuller fucked around with this message at 17:24 on Jan 27, 2016 |
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Jan 26, 2016 22:40
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Tabris, could you clarify your question about the Holy States? What exactly are you looking for about them?
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Jan 26, 2016 22:42
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nweismuller posted:Tabris, could you clarify your question about the Holy States? What exactly are you looking for about them? Just what happened to the other successor states. Although I just now noticed what you already put in the final writeup.
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Jan 26, 2016 22:51
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tabris posted:Just what happened to the other successor states. Although I just now noticed what you already put in the final writeup. Fair enough. I can go into a little more detail if you have questions about the other regions, now that you've noticed what I already wrote. 
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Jan 26, 2016 22:53
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nweismuller posted:Eudaimonia Well now, that's one way to increase equality without even having that as a goal. I like it .
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Jan 26, 2016 23:23
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nweismuller posted:Fair enough. I can go into a little more detail if you have questions about the other regions, now that you've noticed what I already wrote. Well, I'd like to hear more about the so-called 'Mesan Empire' of Harold I. What's its political structure, military situation, etc.
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Jan 27, 2016 05:41
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An excellent LP. I've been lurking thoughout this and I thank all of you for the work that went into this.
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Jan 27, 2016 06:19
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The Mesan Empire, 2400 The Mesan Empire is one of the three largest colonies native to Chiron Minor following the collapse of the Holy States, forged by Harold Henderson, a former rover platoon captain in the Holy States military. Henderson's military acumen and personal charisma enabled him to rally religious, political, and military figures in eastern Chiron Minor behind his leadership soon after the collapse, driven in large part by the perceived threat of the Holy States Emergency Military Government to the west. The Emergency Military Government was finally destroyed in 2361 after sabotage blew a hole in the defensive bunkers about The Leader's Horde. Continued combat between eastern forces and the Emergency Military Government's forces eventually resulted in the levelling of the settlement. Although Harold hoped to capture the High Command facility originally constructed by the Human Hive and later repurposed by the Holy States, the continued fighting ultimately caused a collapse of the chamber of the High Command facility beyond hope of recovery. Following his victory over the Emergency Military Government, Henderson requested that the fragment of the Church of the Lord's Believers supporting his leadership crown him as Harold the First, Emperor of the Mesan Empire. Given his popularity following his victories and the widespread perception that God had blessed his efforts, this request was granted to great popular support. The bulk of the Mesan population lives in Labor Network and the other settlements immediately surrounding the Sunny Mesa, although to the west the settlements of the Hive and Hole of Aspiration are likewise held by the Mesan Empire. Each settlement in the Empire save Labor Network itself has had a Lord Temporal appointed owing fealty to the Emperor, with the right to rule the settlement with the advice and consent of the Church and with duties of tribute to the Emperor. Local Lords Temporal have focused on mustering powerful defensive forces of infantry, but the Emperor has consolidated the Empire's primary mobile attack forces under his own command. Harold I rules with close guidance from the pastors of the Church, who follow what would be considered a nearly-orthodox variant of the Church of the Lord's Believers pre-collapse. The Mesan economy is decentralised, with no attempt at central economic policy set from Labor Network and with local settlements practising what are functionally simple mixed economies with small-scale private resource extraction and manufacturing, and some limited larger public works sponsored by the Lords Temporal and the Emperor. There has been little new terraforming in the Empire, whose economy remains precarious at best. In the larger settlements, the development of churches, modest commercial districts, parks, and public aid has helped provide some small amount of opportunity, leisure, and comfort for people otherwise struggling with a life of difficult and exhausting labor. Military resources have been tasked with beating off raids from the south by the even more precarious and chaotic warlord settlements surrounding the Great Dunes of southeastern Chiron Minor, piracy from the independent sea settlements further south (although the bulk of their piracy targets other warlords and the Spartan Federation Occupied Zone), or mindworm attacks from the major xenofungal forest directly south of Sunny Mesa. Culturally, the Mesans tend to view themselves as a renewal of a previously corrupt Church, chastised by God through hardship to strengthen their faith. Social cohesion and stability is stronger than in the pre-collapse Holy States, and economic stability, despite the marginal state of the economy, has actually improved. The Mesan Empire's neighbors to the west and north, the Western Lord's Coalition and the Free Republic of the North, both regard the Empire with suspicion and mistrust- although many things have changed, in many ways, it is far too much like the Holy States of old. The Empire is suspicious of outside influences, but Harold I is a canny ruler who has helped promote the independence of the city-state of Blessed Redeemer between Mesan territory, the Spartan Federation Occupied Zone, and the Western Lord's Coalition as a channel for limited trade with the outside world, and short-lived trade agreements are occasionally concluded between the Mesan Empire and some warlord state or another to the south. These help supply revenues and resources that support the expenses of the Mesan military. Harold I recognises that the independence of the Western Lord's Coalition and the Free Republic of the North is guaranteed by the UNCC, and he has worked to avoid overtly hostile actions towards either colony. He is aware that the UNCC would have no qualms about deposing him, given the excuse, and so he has taken steps to publicly present himself as a bulwark against the dangerous warlords of the southeast, performing an obvious service for the good of civilisation. nweismuller fucked around with this message at 17:43 on Jan 28, 2016 |
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Jan 27, 2016 06:32
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I hope that suffices, tabris?
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Jan 27, 2016 06:33
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Man I love how you just whip this poo poo out dude
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Jan 27, 2016 07:13
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Awesome LP. Thanks for all the hard work. I feel like I understand this game so much better now.
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Jan 27, 2016 07:30
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Epilogue: Marcus Li THE SENTINEL CEO LI STEP DOWN! In a shocking development, CEO Marcus Li, founder and chief operator of Talon Security Services has elected to step down from his position. Citing the dawning of what he called a "New Pholan Century" he remarked that "Even with the situation in Chiron Minor, the reality is peace, a real permanent peace, is coming to Planet. When I founded this company, it was in the dark days of our Republic's history, when our very survival was uncertain and annihilation was around almost every corner. I've lived for more than three centuries, I've fought for, bled for, and lead this Republic for the entirety of my time here. I've dedicated my life to protecting the Republic and now the day has come, the day when old soldiers like me aren't needed here anymore. We've all seen the changes, for several decades now, Talon's main contracts have come from policing, while we still provide many of the forces for the Republic's army, the reality is Talon needs to become something else and despite my experiences, they are all biased towards the mentality of large conflict, war, leading people through troubled times. All skills once needed, but now no longer. I no longer have the skills needed to lead Talon or the Republic in this new time, nor would i trust my self to do so, three centuries of habits and mind sets are hard to break. no, better someone new lead and guide Talon to a bright new future..." Monica Carson, former Operations Officer for Policing Units has been named interim CEO, though many inside sources believe her position will likely be permanent for the foreseeable future. Mr. Li has announced that he plans on working with various grps on plans for an expedition to Earth, more on that as... 40 Years Later From the Diary of Marcus Li, Audio and Visual, Entry 100 posted:
Please proceed from Embarkation Chamber 3 to Pod Bay 6 the computerized voice calmly asked the group of twenty uniformed men and women who floated from the station docking hatch to the Endeavor. Behind them, the large ring shape of Torrson International spun lazily, a slender cable descending kilometers below to Pholus. If one squinted, they could see several boxy carriages sliding back down to the planet below. had taken ten years to build the space elevator, and another twenty five to create the Endeavor. Marcus had appreciated the irony of its design, It seemed to almost be a recreation of the Unity, only three times the length of the old UN ship and painted a sleek matte grey color. Marcus it knew had centuries of technological advancement underneath its exterior, and AI simulations had created redundancies for nearly all eventualities, not to mention it wasn't a rushed project to save what could very well be the last of humanity. Walking down the hall, he felt a slight shift as he and the others entered the rotating section of the ship. Around them technicians and drones hovered around thousands of cryogenic pods. Each carried a doctor, a scientists, a botanist, a linguist, or some other skilled individual who'd be needed on Earth for study or work. Following a guard, Marcus entered a small private room, it held only one pod and a large viewscreen which projected the view of space outside. Nodding the guard, the man left, leaving Marcus alone. For the next hour, he heard the sound of last minute preparations, the loading of final supplies, last good byes, and Morgan's speech wishing the ship safe travel. He felt the rumble of the engines as the ship began to depart. He heard the chime on his terminal and saw a message from his family. He opened it and saw more than thirty smiling faces staring back at him. "Good Luck Marcus, we love you" was all it said, but it was enough to make him crack a single tear. Departing Cis-Chiron Space. All personnel prepare for cryogenic sleep the computer said softly. Swollowing, and with a small sigh, he climbed into the empty pod behind him. It was sleeker than the one he'd first slept in all those years ago. A memory gel bed cushioned his back and haptic biomonitors bliunking blue lights aroudn his eyes filled his view before he dismissed them. A single oxygen mask snaked over his mouth. He smiled we he remembered that the drugs would be administered in gaseous form. No I.V this time. The pod door closed with a soft pneumatic, the shells transparent cover opened to the viewscreen of the stars beyond. Marcus blinked and felt time slow as drowsiness set in. A fog had begun to full the tube, pale white it curled around the edges of the screen, icing it slowly. As the hab section rotated, Chiron appeared. It was greener than Marcus had remembered, the strange red fungal tendrils which had once crosshatched the world had long vanished, replaced with long fields of green trees. Dotted between the forests were several bright patches of light, even from orbit, Pholus hummed with activity. He glanced at the monitor and saw the picture, his family smiling at him. "Treat it well." Marcus though as his breathing slowed. His blinks became longer and Chiron began to vanish from view, clipping out of the way as his eyes became heavier. "So much was given... As Planet vanished from his view, Marcus though back. He remembered the journey, he remembered the Planetfall, the Worms, the early years, the wars, the losses...Centuries flashed by and a weight of experiences washed over him like a tide receding from the shore. He opened his eyes one last time, Planet was gone, in its place was a vast empty field of stars. Nestled in was the faint yellow light of Sol. He stared at the pale yellow dot and the cryonic sleep overcame him, Marcus Li whispered into his oxygen mask: "I'm coming home..." nweismuller, than you for running an awesome game, this was a wonderful ride and I'm glad I could contribute in some small way! I look forward to any future projects you do!
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Jan 27, 2016 09:25
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nweismuller posted:I hope that suffices, tabris? Much more than that. Excellent work as usual.
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Jan 27, 2016 14:13
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so, Nweis, do you think you could build up a Post-Epilogue based on what Jimmy just posted? Basically, I wanted to know: What do you think they find?
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Jan 27, 2016 23:47
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thetruegentleman posted:As always, I'm impressed by the sheer amount of writing you do for your LPs. congratulations on finishing, and on the same month the LP started on, no less! Any plans on doing another LP anytime soon? I have a number of games I'm thinking about LPing, none of which have been released yet. I'm not sure it's a wonderful idea to retread either MoO2 or SMAC, and, good idea or not (and I'd say 'not'), I don't think I'm ready to revisit MoM. I don't want to bother with video capture, which means I should stick with games that would work well as SSLPs, and I want to stick with games where I think I can make a valuable addition to the game itself with what I write. What's further, I want to stick with a game I actually have love for- some people have done very well pointing out the strangeness and amusement of games that aren't necessarily very good, but where I've been able to find my creativity is in something I love. All that be as it may, I will eventually produce a fourth LP, although it may have to wait for new game releases and my finding my feet with a new game. I am still considering the requests that have been made of me for extra material for this LP- I'll see what more I can produce.
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Jan 28, 2016 02:08
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 16:14 |
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So if I could get a followup on the... ex-Planetmind? (Is there a good way to refer to someone who was going to become something, but then it didn't happen?) How does it interact with the human colonies? For that matter, does it interact with them? Does it hermit it up and mourn a future lost, or does it have imports and exports? Is there tourism? A tacky hotel where the walls are made of fungiform? Casinos? Well, I guess those wouldn't be outlawed in the Republic... Basically, an overview of the political relations of this nation of one. I may or may not have thought, as I was driving, about whether or not the Planetmass was connected to the network. And whether IC Fred could sell stuff at it.
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Jan 28, 2016 02:21
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