sinanju

Re: Repercussions of mass-producing comic book technology Let's not forget, also, that "we" may not always have unfettered access to any given alternate Earth. Once there are enough people there (immigrants or new native-born citizens), odds are that they'll decide that they'd rather exploit said world for their own benefit, not ours. At which point, they cut off contact entirely, or severely limit it, and enact immigration controls. Which means, in the end, that colonizing alternate earths, while useful and profitable, isn't going to be any sort of panacea for population pressure in the long run. It's simply going to mean a LOT of worlds with growing populations instead of just one.

Re: Blasters: why? The Ewoks also crushed those two-legged walkers with logs suspended from vines. CRUSHED them! Yes, they were big logs, and all that--but c'mon! Do you think a modern tank would collapse like cardboard if subjected to that kind of force? No. The Battle of Endor proved conclusively that Imperial armor (of the personal or vehicular sort) is crap. It doesn't stop energy weapons. It doesn't stop rocks, pointed sticks or logs. No wonder the stormtroopers can't hit anything. They're forced to go into battle in bulky, heavy, vision-obscuring armor...that doesn't even work as armor.

Re: I made the GM cry....

Re: Blasters: why? MY personal theory (prior to the Battle of Endor) was that Stormtrooper armor was proof against any kinetic weapon you cared to name, but didn't defend well against blasters. And that blasters were prohibited weapons to the masses. Our heroes, of course, being terrorists freedom fighters and supposedly-extinct Jedi (with those annoying, omnipotent lightsabres of theirs), nonetheless used energy weapons. The stormtroopers, therefore, were so rattled by facing weapons that could actually KILL them that they couldn't shoot for beans. Then...*sigh*...the Battle of Endor demonstrated conclusively that pint-sized teddy bears could kill stormtroopers in job lots with rocks and pointy sticks. Oh well.

Re: AIs and Uplifts Yup. Simulating intelligence is going to be vastly easier than creating true intelligence, I think. And, for most purposes, "simulated" AI will be good enough. If you can talk to a computer which can understand your words, grasp sincerity and sarcasm at least as well as an average human can, and reply appropriately, and can follow instructions and make reasonable choices (again, as well your average human)...well, it may "only" be a simulation of AI, but it can probably serve for the vast majority of purposes.

Re: AIs and Uplifts I suspect that we'll eventually have "pretend" AI, and that it will be good enough for most purposes even if real AI never emerges. "Pretend" AI would involve computers which can communicate in natural speech (speech recognition and speech generation) either vocally or via keyboard/monitor interface, and which have sophisticated enough language parsing ability to be able to respond to user requests or questions with appropriate answers. Combine that with the necessary databases and problem-solving algorithms, and you'll have good-enough AI for most purposes. It won't be REAL AI, of course. It's just a fantastically complex piece of software with no true sentience. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It means the AI won't turn on us, or ignore us because it now has an agenda of its own. On the downside, this means it also won't be capable of truly creative thought, so it isn't likely to launch the singularity as it invents ultra-tech in fraction of the time it would take humans (if we could do it at all). But "No Skynet" + "No Singularity" is probably a win overall anyhow.

Re: Long tours-of-duty on industrial/mining ships

Re: AIs and Uplifts The more I read and learn about human intelligence, the less I believe that AI will "just happen" as computers get more complex. The human brain isn't just an undifferentiated mass of neurons. It has distinct "parts" that do very specific things, for very specific reasons. Emotions, and the behaviors they produce, exist for specific reasons too--to help our ancestors survive in a primitive environment of small tribal groups. Love, hate, jealousy, ambition, altruism--all of it exists because those behaviors were selected for over millennia. An AI isn't going to suddenly display such traits unless it's designed to do so. Plus, we know--or believe--that other humans are self-aware because WE are self-aware and they're like us. (Humans who can't or won't make that leap, who view the whole world like a video game and other humans as simply pieces to be avoided or used are called "sociopaths".) A computer is going to be a black box that may be able to speak and respond like a human, but how can you KNOW that it's truly self-aware and not just a cunningly programmed simulation? I suspect that long after a true AI is invented, many people simply won't believe it. Or will profess not to believe it because they stand to lose status (I'm not a unique snowflake anymore), or wealth, or power.

Re: Speed for Limited Purposes - wrapping my head around it My immediate response is that it's way too complicated. There's going to be a lot of time lost keeping track of which action is which. If I were running a game, I'd either disallow SPD for limited purposes or put a stricter limit on it--not more than one, MAYBE two extra points of speed. More probably I'd just disallow it.

Re: Jonny Quest Dude, I beat you to it a couple of days ago: http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php/86897-Johnny-Quest-titles-as-stop-motion

Re: Long tours-of-duty on industrial/mining ships So, we have Suki Tawdry, who works her regular shifts and then earns a little extra money by "dating" other workers in return for valuable consideration. It provides her with companionship, attention, entertainment, sex, and a steady source of cash and gifts (food, drink, videos--or whatever, clothing, perfume, chocolate, whatever valuables the other miners have or can get, and will barter for her favors). Then we have Rizzo, who "knows people". They might be his family, friends, or pure business acquaintances. He receives regular "care packages" of entertainment media, booze, drugs, snacks, exotic or hard-to-get condiments, foods, etc. which he will gladly part with...for a price. Cash is good, of course. But just as often, he'll trade up to something bigger or better, or just something he doesn't have/can't get but can get big money for from someone else (knowing who wants what and who else has it can be valuable information). There are probably a number of people getting care packages--but only Rizzo has built a network of suppliers who can trade with him so they all profit. He may have to pay a cut to one or more people to assure his supplies get to him, but that's just the cost of doing business. Then there's Scotty, who has no doubt built a vacuum still somewhere and is producing moonshine. There may or may not be alcohol rations available on the ship, but he can supplement that with plenty of high-octane booze of his own making.

Re: Long tours-of-duty on industrial/mining ships I grew up in a small town of 1,100 people. 1,332 people does not a "city" make. Plus, you're going to have a "city" composed almost entirely of the sort of personalities which are a) attracted to and capable of working long-term, isolated jobs. Not exactly the typical city dweller...or store keeper or entertainer, for that matter.

Re: A galaxy rising from the ashes Or the PCs could postal inspectors. "The mail sent to System X never arrived. Your mission is to find out why. Was the ship attacked? Did the ship/crew assigned to deliver the mail simply dump it somewhere? Did they go through the mail, and take any valuables for themselves? Find out. Rescue and/or punish as appropriate."

Re: "Holy Silver Age, Batman!" Iron Maiden takes them in stride. Her rogues' gallery includes characters like Doctor Otaku (a shut-in technical genius who builds anime-themed robots to commit his crimes, and has an unhealthy fixation on Iron Maiden herself), the Radiation Ravager (a scrawny college-aged kid with only a single superpower: radiation eyeblasts--the classic eggshell with a sledgehammer character design), and...Iron Maiden (a powered-armor wearing gal who hates our heroine for taking that name before SHE did, and never misses an opportunity to attack or trashtalk her). Weird and quirky opponents are nothing new for Iron Maiden. The Black Knight would laugh at them...while doing his best to pound them into submission. Given that he named himself after the Monty Python character, he would find their "themed" personas amusing, but would still take their abilities seriously. Raven would pay them little attention. She's more interested in dealing with the much more serious (and more violent) crimes of the local organized crime families and street gangs. She'll let the colorfully costumed heroes deal with these clown.

Re: The Last Action (Super) Hero

Re: Blasters: why? Ditto that. A friend of mine who is much more knowledgeable about this stuff than me, often mentions documented cases of seemingly superhuman endurance. Crooks and cops both have taken "instantly" fatal wounds--bullets through the heart or brain, sometimes multiple wounds--and kept fighting without even slowing down. Oh, they'll die, sure. But not before they try their damnedest to take you with them. On the other hand, sometimes the slightest injury can take someone out. Humans, like every other animal, are very complex organisms designed to survive a heck of a lot of punishment in the interest of survival. There's just no telling how it will play out in any given instance. The problem with vastly more effective futuristic weapons--in games, at least--is that they take a lot of the fun out of it. GURPS, for instance, works pretty well until you get to about TL 9. At that point, either you have enough armor to make you invulnerable to most weapons...OR everyone is an eggshell with a sledgehammer and the first guy to hit will annihilate his opponent.

Re: A galaxy of humans

Re: WWYCD: I've been relaunched/Rebooted! Iron Maiden is in her mid-twenties. This change probably puts her back to her late teens. If it puts her back in school, she grits her teeth and finishes it. (She liked school--it was her refuge from her very dysfunctional family life, but she's BEEN THERE already. Nonetheless, she'll stick it out to get her diploma again.) She WON'T go on to college again, though. Since she'd been writing novels for a living, she'll still have the practice/experience, so she'll just resume that career in this new world. She will cut off all contact with her birth family (again), and make a new "family" for herself consisting of a few close friends. Mostly the same friends as before, albeit some of them are of different genders/ethnicities/etc. Her costume is probably a lot more revealing than the original, which consisted of tights, leather mini-skirt, tank top and knee-length coachman's cloak. Probably the cloak's been replaced by a conventional cape so as not to hide her figure. She'll probably go back to the cloak and to hell with the "makeover" she got. She wasn't married. She was already living the swinging single lifestyle--and I use that term advisedly. She just keeps on with it. She actually kinda likes being one of the first superheroines, rather than just another in a long line of them. As a classic flying brick, she has little chance of undoing the change. The Black Knight is ninety years old, though he looks like he's in his mid-twenties. (He "died" and rejuvenated when he had his origin "radiation accident".) So now he looks like he's in his late teens. Which sucks when he wants to drink--but only so much, since he has a public identity so his real age isn't hard to document (just hard to believe). But he gets carded a lot. His only family consists of grandchildren and great-grandchildren (all much older than he appears now) he doesn't interact with, and who may or may not know that they are related to the infamous Black Knight, but who mostly don't care either. That won't change. His old costume--fatigue pants, combat boots, chainmail shirt and pot helm--gets a thorough makeover. Probably into something skintight and more color coordinated. He doesn't care, really. It's just a costume. The Black Knight, like Iron Maiden, isn't married (his wife died two decades ago). Unlike her, he has no desire to find a steady relationship again (been there, done that). He's happy to continue living the carefree swinging single lifestyle indefinitely. (In fact, he and Iron Maiden have an ongoing "friends with benefits" relationship that won't be affected at all by the reboot). If he knows the universe was rebooted, he'll be curious--has it happened before and he DIDN'T remember it?--but not terribly moved to change things. His whole life changed far more dramatically when he became the Black Knight, and he's happy with the status qho.

Re: Repercussions of mass-producing comic book technology Since my self-appointed role in this thread seems to be pointing of SF that addresses the issues in question...let me recommend Larry Niven. His "Known Space" universe included an Earth with a population of 18 billion people. Boosterspice (to keep you young), organ banks (to replace damaged or failing organs) and ultra-tech in general meant lots and lots and lots of people. The UN (world government, more or less) tried several approaches to limiting population growth. They instituted licensing for parenthood--and lots of genetic conditions meant "No license for you!" Contrarily, if you were a proven genius (or had other desirable characteristics), you could get more--or even unlimited--birthrights. They could also be purchased outright for $1,000,000 a pop, on the theory that a) being able to make money was a desirable trait and it cut down on corruption and bribery attempts if you could just openly buy them. They also allowed people to fight for birthrights in the arena. The fights were to the death, with the loser's death balancing the new birthright being handed out. Later on, scandals involving the birthright system led to a revision of the system in which everyone got ONE birthright automatically, but only one--and when deaths outnumbered births in any given year, the difference led to birthrights being given away in a lottery system. Buying Time by Joe Haldeman postulated a world where you could buy eternal youth and health (for ten years at a time) for $1,000,000 or your total net worth, whichever was HIGHER. The $1M was the minimum buy-in for treatment by the Stileman Foundation (which had the secret of immortality), but it always cost everything you owned. You got ten years of renewed youth and health in which to scrape together another million dollars for your next rejuvenation treatment (if you couldn't get it, you died). An important plot point, however, was that

Re: Repercussions of mass-producing comic book technology Sight of Proteus by Charles Sheffield was about a world in which genetic engineering was commonplace. It was called "bioform" technology, and it involved spending time in a tank, using drugs and biofeedback to modify your shape. The company that led the world in this technology was fabulously wealthy, of course--but so were individuals who could write code (for the formchange tanks/biofeedback systems. If your code became popular (because it was useful and/or entertaining), you got royalties from every user and you could get incredibly rich. Badly written, malicious or outlawed forms were policed by the Office of Form Control, for which our protagonist worked. Formchange was used for cosmetic purposes, of course, but also to adapt humans for work in all sorts of environments, from deep under the sea to outer space. This seems to me like a good example of what such a world would look like.

Re: Repercussions of mass-producing comic book technology

Re: The Last Action (Super) Hero Black Knight lives for adventure. As he has no real loved ones in his life (lots of playmates, but no serious relationships, and no family), he'll throw himself into his new adventure with his usual gusto. Fame and adulation from the population doesn't hurt, and it means that many more groupies, so what's not to like? This world or his own, makes little difference. He can satisfy his taste for adventure, do good, and get the girl(s). If he never gets home, he won't mind so much. Iron Maiden would be angry and frustrated by being torn away from her loved ones and friends. Nonetheless, she has a very serious case of Red Hen Syndrome (i.e., it has to be done; if nobody else is willing, she'll do it), so she'll step up to fight the influx of supervillains. She'd be both pleased (she does like being admired) and annoyed to find her life--her very real, very personal life reduced to fodder for comics, novels and movies, and wouldn't take kindly to people to who bring it up. But when it comes down it, she'll do the right thing. Raven, as a reality-manipulator herself, wouldn't be terribly surprised to find herself dragged into someone else's story, or to find her life chronicled in comics and movies. She'd take it all in stride, and do her best to deal with the influx of supervillains and to try to heal the kid (she does have healing powers, after all). Her alter ego, Kate Sutherland, crusading ADA for Hudson City, would be much less sanguine about it all. She'd be infuriated, in fact. But helpless to do anything about it. If she ends up trapped in that world, she'd have to decide how best to make herself a place (and make herself useful) in her new home.

Re: Repercussions of mass-producing comic book technology This is where "Shipstones" (as I mentioned upthread) come into play. If you can produce "superbatteries" or micro-fusion plants scalable to run a single household, you don't need the power companies' help. You won't need power lines. Every customers can cut free of the power grid and depend on his own basement power plant. (And Reed Richards--or whoever--would make his money by selling or renting these devices directly to home-and business-owners, and providing regular recharges or replacement units, depending on exactly how they work and how long they last.)

Re: Repercussions of mass-producing comic book technology I suspect that androids with "a highly realistic illusion of sentience" would cause almost as many problems for the creator as truly self-aware AIs. While most people may understand on an intellectual level that "it's not really self-aware, it's just a really good program"...on an emotional level, there's very little difference. We know that our fellow humans are self-aware because we can experience that self-awareness from the inside. How do you prove that a robot that seems to be self-aware to most tests really isn't? I suspect that androids would cause less political strife if their robotic origin were more obvious in their behavior. Either a more "robotic" presentation (a limited range of responses with little depth) OR a very human-like set of responses in a very limited sphere. So an android would be quite flexible within its designed area of operations (as a servant, firefighter, caretaker, whatever), but give the equivalent of "that does not compute" or "Error 404" File Not Found" when you stray outside that realm. Doctor Roboto might be calm, kindly, and knowledgeable as a physician, but if you ask him about politics or finance or out on a date, his response will make it clear that he's just an android. You'll avoid a lot of grief in the long run if you do it that way.

Re: Repercussions of mass-producing comic book technology Not to mention that understanding how to make something work doesn't necessarily mean you know how to build it. Or that knowing how to build it means you CAN. For instance, microchips require multi-billion-dollar fab facilities to manufacture. Even if Reed Richards can sketch out a plan for a revolutionary new microchip, he's going to need fantastic amounts of cash (and probably the labor of hundreds if not thousands of people) to produce it.