RPing Questions? Ask Here!

[Valaran]

But I can't seem to find it. I'll greatly appreciate if someone could answer what year does PMT era generally starts. Is it 2030 or 2050 or what year?

I'm sure someone will give a more detailed answer shortly, but in essence: its variable, because it depends on when your definition of when MT ends. The most common shorthand (though not mine) for MT is 20 years into the future, so roughly around 2035 would be when PMT could start. But at the end of the day, its up to you and whoever you RP with to set a definition for your tech. Hope that helps as a brief answer

[Malay Raya]

But I can't seem to find it. I'll greatly appreciate if someone could answer what year does PMT era generally starts. Is it 2030 or 2050 or what year?

I'm sure someone will give a more detailed answer shortly, but in essence: its variable, because it depends on when your definition of when MT ends. The most common shorthand (though not mine) for MT is 20 years into the future, so roughly around 2035 would be when PMT could start. But at the end of the day, its up to you and whoever you RP with to set a definition for your tech. Hope that helps as a brief answer

Thank you very much, that's good enough.

[Valaran]

I'm sure someone will give a more detailed answer shortly, but in essence: its variable, because it depends on when your definition of when MT ends. The most common shorthand (though not mine) for MT is 20 years into the future, so roughly around 2035 would be when PMT could start. But at the end of the day, its up to you and whoever you RP with to set a definition for your tech. Hope that helps as a brief answer

Thank you very much, that's good enough.

No worries!
Even so, I'd still recommend getting a better answer from a mentor or someone (I'm almost certain there is another angle I haven't considered).

[New Aeyariss]

But I can't seem to find it. I'll greatly appreciate if someone could answer what year does PMT era generally starts. Is it 2030 or 2050 or what year?

I'm sure someone will give a more detailed answer shortly, but in essence: its variable, because it depends on when your definition of when MT ends. The most common shorthand (though not mine) for MT is 20 years into the future, so roughly around 2035 would be when PMT could start. But at the end of the day, its up to you and whoever you RP with to set a definition for your tech. Hope that helps as a brief answer

Generally what I always learned and been taught is that MT is 5 years into future. No more, no less, considering that going more than 5 years heavily influences mechanics, especially in MT war RPs.

[Aeyariss]

NS hasn't reached a clear consensus on that I believe.

But as a rule of thumb, generally:

MT = "anything and everything already in existence today". (Eg. All the weapons arsenal available in 2015.)

PMT = "hypothetical, currently in development stage, research level tech to be use widely only in the coming decades. (Eg. rail guns; powered exoskeleton armor suit, weaponized nanotech).

[Valaran]

Generally what I always learned and been taught is that MT is 5 years into future. No more, no less, considering that going more than 5 years heavily influences mechanics, especially in MT war RPs.

I have heard so many different variants on the exact number of years; I simply went with the most common.

I use the actual RL year for determining MT tech in my RPs, since I prefer quite strict (and easily catalogued) limits.

[Delmonte]

Hello. I'm pretty sure I saw a thread a year ago saying what year is in the different technological era in NS like PT, MT, PMT and so on. But I can't seem to find it. I'll greatly appreciate if someone could answer what year does PMT era generally starts. Is it 2030 or 2050 or what year?

MT: Current technology.
PMT: Technology that is demonstrably possible today but not existent.
FT: Technology that is not demonstrably possible today. I genuinely think that FT is a misnomer or should be split into two categories. Because MOST of what is classified as FT is made up entirely (which is fine). There are going to be people who insist "Oh, no, my gravitron ray is actually PMT because it's totally possible." Even though there's nothing on the subject from physicists, engineers, etc. Being a good writer makes you an excellent bullshitter, so take whatever people say "is totally PMT" with a grain of salt.

[The Macabees]

The reason people say "MT is everything until [random year]" is because it's hard to keep tabs on what is demonstrably possible today. I could say that ETC is demonstrably practical today, but it would take a lot of research and I'd have to present that to you, or you'd have to take my word for it. Either way, when that happens, it's easy for someone with a lot of knowledge to take advantage of people without so much knowledge.

[Kyrusia]

To give another perspective, from an old discussion in the advice thread:

• Past Technology — PT/Past Tech
  
  • Strictly speaking, any roleplay which takes place in a setting which is considered historical can be defined as "Past Tech." There has been a traditional overlap between PT and Modern Tech (see below) over the years, especially amongst players with entities which incorporate actual technology which may be considerably old or otherwise anachronistic relative to the contemporary era; this is exceptionally common in players whose entities are considered "under-developed," "developing," or otherwise "Third World," whilst still being considered Modern Tech. In summary, Past Tech is, essentially, any roleplay or entity which exists before the contemporary age; what defines the "contemporary" age varies considerably from player to player, but is often quite self-evident when actually being exhibited or demonstrated. As a distinct community, PT has a (in my experience) considerably small presence on the NS roleplaying boards.
• Modern Technology — MT/Modern Tech
  
  • Compared to Past Tech, Modern Tech describes any roleplay or entity which exists during the contemporary age; same principles of variance apply based upon player interpretation, meaning that in actuality, Modern Tech can include a range of advancement varying ±10 years from the present, either to the past or the future - often including things "currently under theoretical testing, but otherwise not fielded" to the exclusion (in many cases) of "purely theoretical or speculative items/objects/concepts which have no basis of empirical proof of function." MT, in my experience, is the largest (or one of the largest) communities on the NS roleplaying boards.
• Future Technology — FT/Future Tech
  
  • There are two broad interpretations of the definition of Future Tech, one of which has been used historically as the simplest definition, and the other definition being the one adopted by the FT community itself. The historical definition is, simply, any roleplay or concept which exists in the future; due to overlap between this definition and Post-Modern Tech (see below), the community has largely come to define itself (and be defined externally) as: any roleplay or concept which exists beyond the moment of the advent of superluminal (FTL) transportation technology. (This variance is most evidently found in the differing definitions with the more pertinent and present sticky and Euroslavia's sticky from 2010.) In practicality, there is wiggle-room downward from the advent of FTL, especially for FT'ers whom intend to be uplifted soon after (or during) their concept's introduction, or otherwise obtain said technology during the same.
    
    However, there is no broadly-accepted sub-division system within the NSFT community at-large for "more advanced forms of Future Tech." In FT, players with "clunker states" that might lean more toward the harder end of the hard-to-soft science-fiction spectrum play just as well, and are just as "advanced" insofar as the tech-level system is concerned, as individuals whom, effectively, utilized magic or "extremely advanced forms of technology bordering on interpretations of physics which dive into the preternatural or supernatural." This is, largely, because due to the nature of collaboration, compromise, et al. in the FT community, Clarke's Third Law applies: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
    
    The concepts of "Far Future Tech" or "Post Future Tech" are seemingly native not to the broader NSFT community (FT-Prime), but to closed roleplaying groups, for which the group's own canon and continuity apply to the exclusion of the community's broader canon and continuity.
    
    In my personal experience, FT is the second largest community on the NS roleplaying boards.
• Post-Modern Technology — PMT/Post-Modern Tech
  
  • A slightly special case for the tech-level system that, once, saw far greater popularity and interaction than it now, in my experience, has. In effect, Post-Modern Tech is a "middle-ground" which defines a roleplay or concept which exists beyond the standard degree of variance found in Modern Tech, but beneath the moment of the advent of FTL, and thus not Future Tech. Due to some interpretations in the past regarding the definition of FT, there exists a debate as to whether or not, as a matter of practicality, PMT should be folded into FT based upon the simple fact that PMT must, by definition, occur in the future. Combine this with, in many cases, literary conventions and tropes found in PMT are often also found in FT, to include things such as: cybernetic augmentation, pervasive Internet regimes, cloning, nanotechnology, etc. In my experience, PMT as a distinct community on the NS roleplaying boards is a rarity anymore; over the past 3-5 years, its most common presence has been in the form of "MT/PMT," or roleplays/concepts which have technology or tropes which extend beyond the contemporary era in advancement, but not in temporal continuity.
• Fantasy Technology — FanT/Fantasy Tech
  
  • A small, niche community on the NS roleplaying boards, but still likely of greater presence than PMT. This tech-level can include, more or less, anything, ranging from magic and anthropomorphic creatures, to steampunk and dieselpunk (and similar x-punk) states, to the occult mixing with the modern and contemporary. As a distinct community, there are several closed roleplaying groups and/or regions which cater specifically to FanT players; even so, there are many roleplayers whom utilize elements of fantasy whom do not consider themselves "FanT'ers." Just as well, there has been a bit of a debate in the NS roleplaying community as to whether "fantasy" itself (such as high and low fantasy, in the classical, literary sense) is included as a part of FanT, or exists as its own sub-unit within FanT (or its own tech-level) - a debate similar to that found regarding PMT and FT.

There is a big variance in some cases (especially in PT and PMT) about whether "tech" applies to "what time (year) it currently is" or "what the level of advancement is." By benefit of MT's size, some of these readily overlap into one another, so the line can get muddied. A state that is "Past Tech" in advancement (such as an underdeveloped, backward, kleptocracy), for example, could easily fit within the "Modern Tech" continuity despite being, by community convention, at a different level of technological advancement. Because of this, many people apply a bit of both.

What is important is to find people whom agree with you on certain things regarding tech (be it a broader community, a region, a CRG, etc.) and that you get along with so you can collaborate together and each enjoy yourselves.

[The Fedral Union]

Hello. I'm pretty sure I saw a thread a year ago saying what year is in the different technological era in NS like PT, MT, PMT and so on. But I can't seem to find it. I'll greatly appreciate if someone could answer what year does PMT era generally starts. Is it 2030 or 2050 or what year?

MT: Current technology.
PMT: Technology that is demonstrably possible today but not existent.
FT: Technology that is not demonstrably possible today. I genuinely think that FT is a misnomer or should be split into two categories. Because MOST of what is classified as FT is made up entirely (which is fine). There are going to be people who insist "Oh, no, my gravitron ray is actually PMT because it's totally possible." Even though there's nothing on the subject from physicists, engineers, etc. Being a good writer makes you an excellent bullshitter, so take whatever people say "is totally PMT" with a grain of salt.

<---- Unless you rp Hard-Scifi tech... I would advise against throwing around too many buzzwords; I use theory to inspire my tech but inrl I study engineering; I know damn well that its proboly impossible for most of FT's stuff to exist as /WE/ know it today.... That aside if you write good prose and as pointed out in blunt terms not a.. Diffcult.. Chap.. you'd get people interested in reading your stuff..

PMT and FT in some respects can start becoming closer as genres if you go by real life developments and possible implications of new theories and techs... But people in FT gain a certain respect and acceptance of their tech if certain norms and writing consistencies are followed... There are almost no hard limits in FT... but bear in mind there are limits the community is willing to put up with to a point. Unless you pull something off really good its easy to earn some folks dislike and dismissal. However not everyone in FT plays the same style; FT prime... conforms to as stated many times before some loose social/cultural (forum culture) norms.

That doesn't mean uniform conformity; in fact people can disagree on the interpretations of FT and tech within the genre but so long as a middle ground is reached and so long as people know player X is not forced to play with player Y as in most of NS.. There's not much of an issue.. In-fact differing viewpoints on things is healthy for an rp community; especially Sci-fi. I believe FT has so many dynamic ideas and differing imaginations that need to mesh and in prime do mesh directly or indirectly that if you consider something like language its always living and evolving.

[/my two cents]

[The Macabees]

As an early-PMTer, my interpretation is more like MT + rule of cool. So I have battlesuits, some theoretical tech, LEO & HEO trade/transport, etc. Some players in GD have "primitive" (MT + rule of cool) space fleets. It's just stuff to make the world building and RPs more interesting, by allowing more variance and opportunities to be unique, by taking the "rule of cool" in different directions.

[New Axiom]

Okay, I gotta question:

I made an RP topic not too long ago about a nuclear accident in one of my IC colonies, but it got no replies. During the zombie event, I made a zombie event RP, and that had around dour or five pages of replies. What gives? Do people not like to RP disaster relief?

[Aquitayne]

Okay, I gotta question:

I made an RP topic not too long ago about a nuclear accident in one of my IC colonies, but it got no replies. During the zombie event, I made a zombie event RP, and that had around dour or five pages of replies. What gives? Do people not like to RP disaster relief?

The zombie event gets a LOT of traction for the short duration that it runs every year. People like zombies, they like the event, and it gets a lot of hits. Some people do like to RP disaster relief, others have different interests. I think the response differences have more to do with the general situation being RP'd than it does anything to do on your part. Keep trying, you'll get it!

[This is my house]

So, haven't really done much with this account in the past 12 years...what did I miss?

[Wallenburg]

So, haven't really done much with this account in the past 12 years...what did I miss?

I'm not sure that is possible for anyone to answer.

[Shazbotdom]

So, haven't really done much with this account in the past 12 years...what did I miss?

Way too much?

[Ardoki]

I'm sure someone will give a more detailed answer shortly, but in essence: its variable, because it depends on when your definition of when MT ends. The most common shorthand (though not mine) for MT is 20 years into the future, so roughly around 2035 would be when PMT could start. But at the end of the day, its up to you and whoever you RP with to set a definition for your tech. Hope that helps as a brief answer

Generally what I always learned and been taught is that MT is 5 years into future. No more, no less, considering that going more than 5 years heavily influences mechanics, especially in MT war RPs.

I've seen +10 years, a lot.

But a common definition I have happens across is: Anything which could be realistically created at around this point in time, if sufficient resources and funds were thrown at it.

[Santheres]

Generally what I always learned and been taught is that MT is 5 years into future. No more, no less, considering that going more than 5 years heavily influences mechanics, especially in MT war RPs.

I've seen +10 years, a lot.

But a common definition I have happens across is: Anything which could be realistically created at around this point in time, if sufficient resources and funds were thrown at it.

The only way to actually be Modern tech is to do what is available right now, not looking at alpha prototypes or design concepts. Engineering problems are not solely overcome by throwing more money at them, so "what can be realistically created" is a hell of a slippery slope that leads anywhere from common rail guns to having slower-than-light space fleets and Mars colonization. No one knows what will be available in five or ten years, and that just opens the door for people to pull whatever they want out of thin air. And then you're in PMT.

[The Fedral Union]

Barring this. There will always be a bottle neck in time , resources and technology to build things. Especially in MT and even in PMT... There wont be an ability to build infinite number of tanks or what not or depending on sophistication to build a lot of them at the same time... (Though in FT people have fabricators... those tend to be... uhh.. If they're not balanced right game brake.. but if they are economics wouldn't just disappear it will just be more proportional between large companies that produce stuff and the individual)

Getting in to it with fission fragment rockets, fusion toarch powered ships for interplanetary travel will still need some home supplies with you.

[Murovanka]

Would it be okay to run a closed RP in a different language? I'd do it in another forum, but having thoroughly searched the internet it becomes obvious that there are few such forums for such activity in other languages, particularly with this simple layout and useful built-in mechanisms for nation-RPs.

[The Fedral Union]

I've seen it done before; if you and who ever you writing with are having fun I don't think IIRC its against the rules [/not a mod]

[Cruxa]

so I messed up once in an Rp, because I went offline to go do something and missed a few posts. The people of that RP have now excommunicated me... How do I deal with that.

[Western Pacific Territories]

so I messed up once in an Rp, because I went offline to go do something and missed a few posts. The people of that RP have now excommunicated me... How do I deal with that.

Try reasoning with them, ask why. If they kicked you for missing posts you honestly didn't need them.

[Lubyak]

so I messed up once in an Rp, because I went offline to go do something and missed a few posts. The people of that RP have now excommunicated me... How do I deal with that.

As stated above, try to talk with them. We are all people with lives outside of writing things on NationStates, and most reasonable players understand that. Honestly, many of my RPs can go for weeks or months between a post. Good RP partners will try to work with you to come to something. Of course, sometimes things don't work out and you find that you can't come to an understanding with another player over something or another. At that point, never be afraid to accept it and move on to newer and better things.

[Ardoki]

I've seen +10 years, a lot.

But a common definition I have happens across is: Anything which could be realistically created at around this point in time, if sufficient resources and funds were thrown at it.

The only way to actually be Modern tech is to do what is available right now, not looking at alpha prototypes or design concepts. Engineering problems are not solely overcome by throwing more money at them, so "what can be realistically created" is a hell of a slippery slope that leads anywhere from common rail guns to having slower-than-light space fleets and Mars colonization. No one knows what will be available in five or ten years, and that just opens the door for people to pull whatever they want out of thin air. And then you're in PMT.

I never stated I actually agree with or use it. I personally only use things which currently exist. But it is a thing several people I've come into contact with have said, so I thought I should just add it.