Advice Thread OOC Future Tech Only

[Kreanoltha]

hey, everybody. I was wondering if anyone could take a look at my factbook and give any solid feedback/advice, particularly about what the RP community would see as important information to have which I haven't currently written anything about

I take it the answer is "no"?

It's pretty good, but I would detail the section on your military, especially you navy, a bit more.

[Otagia]

A very nice job. I especially like True AI, as it's relatively rare to see someone write about a xenosapient (or apparently xenosapient, anyhow) AI. Would be rather interesting to see what QUETZAL (the local hypersapient, albeit not xenosapient, AI) thinks of it.

[Arthropoda Ingens]

It's virtually impossible to write a factbook 'Wrong', or for it to be missing crucial information.

What is a factbook? Well, it's an advertisement. 'This is how my nation works. Like it? Interact with me!' Essentially by definition, a factbook will contain the information the player in question cares about, and the more he or she cares about a certain facet, the more information concerning this facet will it contain.

A factbook is a mirror of what a player wants to play as, the kind of RP he or she is most interested in. As a result, players who find a given factbook dissatisfying will pass on the opportunity of interacting with the factbook writer, while players who totally dig a given factbook will be attracted towards interacting with the factbook's author.

A factbook that's primarily containing information about a nation's very phallic spaceboats and the very manly, muscular, and not particularly bright men running these space-going dildos will attract more people with their own space-going dildos and heroic FPS-style characters looking for a scrimmage. A factbook that's primarily containing information concerning a society's inner workings, its culture and politics, the politial process etc. while leaving the spaceboats under 'Also Ran' will likewise attract players looking for that style of thread, that kind of interaction - less spaceboats, more weird people and their machinations, more or less.

Factbooks help in attracting similar players to each other, and that's exactly what they should do. Sure, from a 'Neutral' PoV covering all possible types of interaction, the vast majority will be 'Lacking' information... But information that is unlikely to be required is information that can safely be cut in favour of the parts the factbook's author actually cares about.

[Fiduses and Diuses]

Quick Query: How accepted are bioships? Specifically a variation of Star Sharks?



I still have to figure out how my people domesticated them and/or created them, what they eat/breathe/live,etc but the rule of cool is strong particularly with frickin laser beams on their heads...

[Solar Communes]

Gigantic extremophile protozoans built of high density uranium based organic molecules with fusion rockets strapped behind them.

Just saying.

Organic stuff is a sort of new fad recently. Don't see why people would refuse them.

[Kreanoltha]

Quick Query: How accepted are bioships? Specifically a variation of Star Sharks?



I still have to figure out how my people domesticated them and/or created them, what they eat/breathe/live,etc but the rule of cool is strong particularly with frickin laser beams on their heads...

I like them, but I can't speak for the rest of the FT community. I prefer the Wraith hiveship kind though.

[Enzo Turga]

I never understood how they breathed though. I could see them living in nebulas, but not deep space.

[Solar Communes]

I never understood how they breathed though. I could see them living in nebulas, but not deep space.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_organism

Either that or lolhandwavium. No matter, you can have an organic ship built of unobtainium because organic ships are as soft scifi as it gets in the first place. Shouldn't really matter as long as the concept is well developed.

[Kreanoltha]

I never understood how they breathed though. I could see them living in nebulas, but not deep space.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_organism

Either that or lolhandwavium. No matter, you can have an organic ship built of unobtainium because organic ships are as soft scifi as it gets in the first place. Shouldn't really matter as long as the concept is well developed.

Yeah, I would imagine that the ship's power source "feeds" the cells with energy directly in a form of photosynthesis. It could use excess power for things like shields and weapons. One idea I have is that they would be genetically engineered.

[Thrashia]

Quick Query: How accepted are bioships? Specifically a variation of Star Sharks?



I still have to figure out how my people domesticated them and/or created them, what they eat/breathe/live,etc but the rule of cool is strong particularly with frickin laser beams on their heads...

We had a player a few years back that rp'd as the Yuuzhan Vong from Star Wars, a race which utilized nothing but biologically grown or harvested ships, weapons, fighters, etc.

[Auman]

Most of us are Babylon 5 fans... So, carry on with your gross meatships.

[Kreanoltha]

Most of us are Babylon 5 fans... So, carry on with your gross meatships.

I'm no Babylon 5 fan, but I do like meatships.

[Feazanthia]

I never understood how they breathed though. I could see them living in nebulas, but not deep space.

Also fun fact: Every nebula we have observed has a gas density (and correct me if I'm wrong here as I'm pulling this from memory) 1/10th or less than Earth's atmosphere.

/randomfactoftheday

Edit: Scratch that. The air we breathe is apparently 250-million-billion times denser. Carry on.

[Kreanoltha]

Can I get some feedback on my tech scale in my factbook?

[Fiduses and Diuses]

Can I get some feedback on my tech scale in my factbook?

Why VIIII instead of IX?
IV is used...
Seems rather top heavy, lumping hundred thousands years worth of (human) development into one category seems iffy.
I'd suggest "stone", "iron" and "reason" (at least) instead of preindustrial.

"Stone": Pop densities rise above one family group per 10 sq km(or whatever limit), development of basic (stone) tools, art, spoken languages develop, ends with agriculture and/or domestication of animals leading to city states.

"Iron": States have expanded to tens/hundred of kilometers, first "armies", written languages are spelled out, tools see first major production(ie one can't/doesn't always build their own tools), development of "leisure" castes(ie non hunters or gathers ie priests, politicians, starving artists, what have you)

"Reason": Kinetic weapon using explosives as propellant see wide scale usage.
Wide scale development of centered schools of learning, career scientists developed that utilize experiments to test hypothesis/observations.
Men increasingly fight over a piece of paper/"ideals" than a single central authority figure.
Cross Oceanic travel is common.

[Kreanoltha]

Can I get some feedback on my tech scale in my factbook?

Why VIIII instead of IX?
IV is used...
Seems rather top heavy, lumping hundred of thousand of (human) development into one category seems iffy.
I'd suggest "stone", "iron" and "reason" (at least) instead of preindustrial.

"Stone": Pop densities rise above one family group per 10 sq km(or whatever limit), development of basic (stone) tools, art, spoken languages develop, ends with agriculture and/or domestication of animals leading to city states.

"Iron": States have expanded to tens/hundred of kilometers, first "armies", written languages are spelled out, tools see first major production(ie one can't/doesn't always build their own tools), development of "leisure" castes(ie non hunters or gathers ie priests, politicians, starving artists, what have you)

"Reason": Kinetic weapon using explosives as propellant see wide scale usage.
Wide scale development of centered schools of learning, career scientists developed that utilize experiments to test hypothesis/observations.
Men increasingly fight over a piece of paper/"ideals" than a single central authority figure.
Cross Oceanic travel is common.

Thanks. I fixed the VIIII thing. Do you mind if I just copy those those?

[Fiduses and Diuses]

Thanks. I fixed the VIIII thing. Do you mind if I just copy those?

No.









Feel free to copy and restructure as you will.

[Kreanoltha]

Thanks. I fixed the VIIII thing. Do you mind if I just copy those?

No.









Feel free to copy and restructure as you will.

Awesome. Thanks.

[Lhazastan]

Can I get some feedback on my tech scale in my factbook?

heeey, these categories make my people's tech look schizophrenic. we're class VIII for at least two things, VII in a couple, VI in a few more and from the fact that they own one system

note, not V like Sidonius assumed =P

[L3 Communications]

Can I get some feedback on my tech scale in my factbook?

heeey, these categories make my people's tech look schizophrenic. we're class VIII for at least two things, VII in a couple, VI in a few more and from the fact that they own one system

note, not V like Sidonius assumed =P

T-S is Class X

we just choose to look like lesser classes to lure you in

"O hai look a planet with shitty diesel tanks shooting each other this'll be easy--OH GOD THE PLANET IS EATING ME OH GOD IT'S FUCKING CTHULHU OH GOD THE PLANET IS FUCKING CTHULHU OH GOD MY EYES MY EYES!"

[Kreanoltha]

Can I get some feedback on my tech scale in my factbook?

heeey, these categories make my people's tech look schizophrenic. we're class VIII for at least two things, VII in a couple, VI in a few more and from the fact that they own one system

note, not V like Sidonius assumed =P

He only has the shuttle and a few other bits and pieces to go by. The picture will clear up for him. Also that isn't uncommon. Generally we list all of the components of a civilization and then take the mode.

heeey, these categories make my people's tech look schizophrenic. we're class VIII for at least two things, VII in a couple, VI in a few more and from the fact that they own one system

note, not V like Sidonius assumed =P

T-S is Class X

we just choose to look like lesser classes to lure you in

"O hai look a planet with shitty diesel tanks shooting each other this'll be easy--OH GOD THE PLANET IS EATING ME OH GOD IT'S FUCKING CTHULHU OH GOD THE PLANET IS FUCKING CTHULHU OH GOD MY EYES MY EYES!"

ROLF! That was epic! You're getting sigged if I have the room!

[L3 Communications]

T-S is Class X

we just choose to look like lesser classes to lure you in

"O hai look a planet with shitty diesel tanks shooting each other this'll be easy--OH GOD THE PLANET IS EATING ME OH GOD IT'S FUCKING CTHULHU OH GOD THE PLANET IS FUCKING CTHULHU OH GOD MY EYES MY EYES!"

ROLF! That was epic! You're getting sigged if I have the room!

the real reason why tehre is a mount olympus on mars, or a mount everest

interstellar dick waving contest

literally

[Drakcon]

T-S is Class X

we just choose to look like lesser classes to lure you in

"O hai look a planet with shitty diesel tanks shooting each other this'll be easy--OH GOD THE PLANET IS EATING ME OH GOD IT'S FUCKING CTHULHU OH GOD THE PLANET IS FUCKING CTHULHU OH GOD MY EYES MY EYES!"

You are getting quoted in my sigg lol

[Hyperspatial Travel]

I've made this point before, but I think it bears repeating.

On the question of how big to make your nation, fleet, army, population - and so on and so forth.

There are three things to consider.

Thing One:

How big is everyone else?

No, seriously. Don't just ask your buddy who just made his nation. Ask everyone you see. Ask the people who seem to be respected. Ask the guy who's RP you just read, and now you're sitting at your computer wondering if you'll ever be able to write something half as good as that. Ask the guys who've been around for awhile. You don't have to follow them, by the by. But ask.

If you find the average is around 10-15 worlds, plant your nation somewhere around 5. If you find the average is around 10-15 galaxies - again, plant your nation somewhere around 5. If you find the average is 3, take 1 or 2.

Here's the thing. You're the new guy. And this isn't a particularly friendly society to people who don't follow the (largely unspoken) rules. If you walk into highschool on your first day with your pocket protector at the ready, your suspenders tightened, and your Batman underpants worn back-to-front for good luck, you might cop some shit.

If you do that, walk in, and loudly declare "I'M THE FUCKAN BEST GAIZ, YOU JOCKS SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME I CAN KICK YOUR ASS!", you're going to get your head flushed. And you're going to spend your entire time hiding in the library with the other unpopular kids, two of whom are unpopular only because they shit their pants on a daily basis. You're going to want to leave, but you won't be able to. After awhile, you'll convince people you want to be there. That you really love the way shit smells. Especially Jeremy's shit, because he has a balanced diet and doesn't consume many dairy products.

It won't be true. And you'll have a bit of fun. But every time you venture out of that library, you're going to find yourself hair-deep in the one shit Jeremy managed to take in the toilet today before it gets flushed all over your face.

So here's what you do.

You conform.

Wait, what? Isn't conformity bad? Doesn't conformity make you like all those dickheads who you hate?

Well, yeah. It kinda does. But once people respect and like you, you can more-or-less do what you want. Here's the rub, though. You need to be respected and liked first.

So you say "Well, I have less worlds than you. I have less ships, and less power. Not forever, but just now, while you guys know so much more than me."

So after a little humility, you end up being on the football team. Sure, you're not the quarterback, but you never get flushed. You may not be the most popular guy in town, but you're invited to all the parties, and you don't have to huddle up to Jeremy of a morning and hope that the jocks don't decide to wander into the library for a little sport.

And after a few months, people will just assume you're a fairly decent player and you deserve to be on the same level as them. You don't have to go around declaring that you're equal to the cool kids - nobody who's powerful ever needs to declare it. People just grant you equality by default.

Thing Two:

How much can I hold in my head?

No, realistically. Sit back and ask yourself how smart, how wise, how knowledgable you are. To do this, think about all the people you know. Think about the guy you're positively certain you're at least twice as smart as.

That's how smart you are. That guy.

I use a now-defunct player, The Cosmic Balance, to explain why some players can have multigalactic empires, and others really shouldn't. TCB was, to put it simply, hella smart. He knew more than most players on the boards. He was wrong on some things, of course. But when it came to imagining the social and psychological consequences of his hyper-advanced society, there was no-one better. He was the only player who was widely accepted as owning entire superclusters. Many players claim this sort of power, but the majority of people simply view them as hilariously bad wankers.

Why?

Because he could fit the consequences of his technology and power into his head. What he did made sense in that context.

If you want hypertechnology, be aware that you're going to have to be incredibly smart to deal with it. And let's face it, you're probably not. Statistically speaking, 99.5% of all people fall between 60 and 140 IQ by definition. By the same definition, only 0.25% of people are geniuses. Now let's assume (and this is a big assumption) that everyone here is in the top 20% of society by intelligence. So only 1.25% of players are geniuses.

There are only about 70-120 FT players, depending on what your criteria for things like activity are.

So there's probably only one genius in this entire thing, and that's based on really generous assumptions. So there's one genius, and he's probably the best writer. If you know anyone who writes better than you - you're not the genius. So when you think about claiming ten galaxies, superships, and immortal god-characters, think "Am I that smart? Am I that guy?".

If you think you are, ask someone else. They'll set you straight.

So yeah. Only have as many worlds as you can fit into your head. Once you can't see the consequences of having more worlds or technologies (billions of worlds will be just like five worlds, only I'll be more powerful, and I'll finally be respected - unlike those jerks on the 9th-grade football team who gave me a wedgie yesterday), stop adding more worlds, ships, and technologies. Trust me - this will work better for you. You'll write better for one, and people won't be laughing at you behind your back, for two.


Thing Three:

How big do I need to be?

No, seriously. What sort of stories do you want to write?

If the answer is 'the stories where my glorious King Jeremy always wins battles against losers!', there's LiveJournal for that. Or alternatively, change "King Jeremy" to "Princess Peach", "wins battles" to "falls in love with Luigi", and "against losers" to "because Mario's popular and popular people suck", and head over to fanfiction.net.

Because really, that's what dictates the character of your nation. The other two factors change the sorts of stories you can write. If people won't play with you, you can't really write many collaborative RPs. If you have two worlds, you can't write an intergalactic space opera. If you have a specific story in mind that needs specific factors (and I mean needs. If you're just going through and replacing 'one world' with 'ten galaxies', and 'a small fleet' with 'a galactic-sized battlegroup', don't. It'll make you look like the kid who tells everyone his house has 'a hundred bafrooms'. We all know you're full of shit.), go ahead and change your nation to suit.

If you want to write a story about the political implications of one segment of your society embracing mind-uploading technology, go ahead and invent mind-uploading technology. If people can see that you're going things for the story, they won't complain. They'll join in. If you're participating in an act of creation, as opposed to just trying to look better than everyone else with your 'hundred bafrooms', or 'fleet of two thousand Super Star Destroyers', people will join you for the sheer joy of creation.

That's what we're here for, really. Everything else, every other rule is a useful guideline to facilitate this. So learn the other rules, and follow them most of the time. But remember that you're here to write something, and if writing something good requires you to bend the rules, go ahead and do it. But learn the rules first. If you're a writer, you learn sentence structure and good grammar before you start writing like Virginia Woolf. If you want to break the rules, make sure you can follow them assiduously beforehand.

That's it. I know it's a mammoth post, but try and read it anyhow. It'll help you.

[Drakcon]

I've made this point before, but I think it bears repeating.

On the question of how big to make your nation, fleet, army, population - and so on and so forth.

There are three things to consider.

Thing One:

How big is everyone else?

No, seriously. Don't just ask your buddy who just made his nation. Ask everyone you see. Ask the people who seem to be respected. Ask the guy who's RP you just read, and now you're sitting at your computer wondering if you'll ever be able to write something half as good as that. Ask the guys who've been around for awhile. You don't have to follow them, by the by. But ask.

If you find the average is around 10-15 worlds, plant your nation somewhere around 5. If you find the average is around 10-15 galaxies - again, plant your nation somewhere around 5. If you find the average is 3, take 1 or 2.

Here's the thing. You're the new guy. And this isn't a particularly friendly society to people who don't follow the (largely unspoken) rules. If you walk into highschool on your first day with your pocket protector at the ready, your suspenders tightened, and your Batman underpants worn back-to-front for good luck, you might cop some shit.

If you do that, walk in, and loudly declare "I'M THE FUCKAN BEST GAIZ, YOU JOCKS SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME I CAN KICK YOUR ASS!", you're going to get your head flushed. And you're going to spend your entire time hiding in the library with the other unpopular kids, two of whom are unpopular only because they shit their pants on a daily basis. You're going to want to leave, but you won't be able to. After awhile, you'll convince people you want to be there. That you really love the way shit smells. Especially Jeremy's shit, because he has a balanced diet and doesn't consume many dairy products.

It won't be true. And you'll have a bit of fun. But every time you venture out of that library, you're going to find yourself hair-deep in the one shit Jeremy managed to take in the toilet today before it gets flushed all over your face.

So here's what you do.

You conform.

Wait, what? Isn't conformity bad? Doesn't conformity make you like all those dickheads who you hate?

Well, yeah. It kinda does. But once people respect and like you, you can more-or-less do what you want. Here's the rub, though. You need to be respected and liked first.

So you say "Well, I have less worlds than you. I have less ships, and less power. Not forever, but just now, while you guys know so much more than me."

So after a little humility, you end up being on the football team. Sure, you're not the quarterback, but you never get flushed. You may not be the most popular guy in town, but you're invited to all the parties, and you don't have to huddle up to Jeremy of a morning and hope that the jocks don't decide to wander into the library for a little sport.

And after a few months, people will just assume you're a fairly decent player and you deserve to be on the same level as them. You don't have to go around declaring that you're equal to the cool kids - nobody who's powerful ever needs to declare it. People just grant you equality by default.

Thing Two:

How much can I hold in my head?

No, realistically. Sit back and ask yourself how smart, how wise, how knowledgable you are. To do this, think about all the people you know. Think about the guy you're positively certain you're at least twice as smart as.

That's how smart you are. That guy.

I use a now-defunct player, The Cosmic Balance, to explain why some players can have multigalactic empires, and others really shouldn't. TCB was, to put it simply, hella smart. He knew more than most players on the boards. He was wrong on some things, of course. But when it came to imagining the social and psychological consequences of his hyper-advanced society, there was no-one better. He was the only player who was widely accepted as owning entire superclusters. Many players claim this sort of power, but the majority of people simply view them as hilariously bad wankers.

Why?

Because he could fit the consequences of his technology and power into his head. What he did made sense in that context.

If you want hypertechnology, be aware that you're going to have to be incredibly smart to deal with it. And let's face it, you're probably not. Statistically speaking, 99.5% of all people fall between 60 and 140 IQ by definition. By the same definition, only 0.25% of people are geniuses. Now let's assume (and this is a big assumption) that everyone here is in the top 20% of society by intelligence. So only 1.25% of players are geniuses.

There are only about 70-120 FT players, depending on what your criteria for things like activity are.

So there's probably only one genius in this entire thing, and that's based on really generous assumptions. So there's one genius, and he's probably the best writer. If you know anyone who writes better than you - you're not the genius. So when you think about claiming ten galaxies, superships, and immortal god-characters, think "Am I that smart? Am I that guy?".

If you think you are, ask someone else. They'll set you straight.

So yeah. Only have as many worlds as you can fit into your head. Once you can't see the consequences of having more worlds or technologies (billions of worlds will be just like five worlds, only I'll be more powerful, and I'll finally be respected - unlike those jerks on the 9th-grade football team who gave me a wedgie yesterday), stop adding more worlds, ships, and technologies. Trust me - this will work better for you. You'll write better for one, and people won't be laughing at you behind your back, for two.


Thing Three:

How big do I need to be?

No, seriously. What sort of stories do you want to write?

If the answer is 'the stories where my glorious King Jeremy always wins battles against losers!', there's LiveJournal for that. Or alternatively, change "King Jeremy" to "Princess Peach", "wins battles" to "falls in love with Luigi", and "against losers" to "because Mario's popular and popular people suck", and head over to fanfiction.net.

Because really, that's what dictates the character of your nation. The other two factors change the sorts of stories you can write. If people won't play with you, you can't really write many collaborative RPs. If you have two worlds, you can't write an intergalactic space opera. If you have a specific story in mind that needs specific factors (and I mean needs. If you're just going through and replacing 'one world' with 'ten galaxies', and 'a small fleet' with 'a galactic-sized battlegroup', don't. It'll make you look like the kid who tells everyone his house has 'a hundred bafrooms'. We all know you're full of shit.), go ahead and change your nation to suit.

If you want to write a story about the political implications of one segment of your society embracing mind-uploading technology, go ahead and invent mind-uploading technology. If people can see that you're going things for the story, they won't complain. They'll join in. If you're participating in an act of creation, as opposed to just trying to look better than everyone else with your 'hundred bafrooms', or 'fleet of two thousand Super Star Destroyers', people will join you for the sheer joy of creation.

That's what we're here for, really. Everything else, every other rule is a useful guideline to facilitate this. So learn the other rules, and follow them most of the time. But remember that you're here to write something, and if writing something good requires you to bend the rules, go ahead and do it. But learn the rules first. If you're a writer, you learn sentence structure and good grammar before you start writing like Virginia Woolf. If you want to break the rules, make sure you can follow them assiduously beforehand.

That's it. I know it's a mammoth post, but try and read it anyhow. It'll help you.

Thank you for writing this