Don't forget that time moves more slowly in comparison to the rest of us, so more time needs to pass, away from the gravity well, for time inside the gravity well to progress significantly. Most likely there would be no native life, but it would be a great destination for people who want to travel to the future on the "cheap".
I was speaking about the possibilities of native life... in regards to non-native life, I will only wonder about why it went all the way over there, considering how well equipped they would have to stay around given the fact that yes, it gets you to visit the future.
@Stepford Psycho This distance it would require to be from the black hole as well as its ability to survive in temperatures that go towards absolute cold may make any kind of intelligent life capable of living there. But yes, it is possible as improbable as it may be given the increasing gravity of the blackhole over time and the time required for life to come into existence.
@Stepford Psycho Are there any particular rules for creating solar systems? For instance, could I have a binary star system, can I use any type of star, can there be a black hole at the center of my system, etc.?
(A black hole at the center of your system? Given that blackholes suck even light? x.x)
I'll gladly volunteer, but (there's always a but) the Greater Orpil Flock aren't exactly the most in-touch with galactic matters, but are in the process of trying to join GFUN. What I can offer you though is zero technophobia, slight befuddlement regarding actual honest-to-goodness artificial intelligence, a fairly pacifistic worldview, needless bureaucracy and tea parties.
That would be all perfect! This week is being a bit chaotic to me, but I can make a post for them by Friday!! (And the Acruani would be boggled at the concept of a tea party.)
Would anyone be interested in having a ship from their nation(s) stumbling upon one of my systems (preferably the ones where they aren't all rampantly extracting resources)? My race is a bit reclusive and out of galactic matters, so it would be easier for me if I got someone to introduce them to modern society. (Hopefully not a technophic, anti-AI, highly militarisc race - yes, all of those together - that would leave a bad impression which would probably make them a tiny bit too antagonistic towards organics for a while.)
Ok, I just wanted to make sure you weren't building yourself into a corner, cause I've seen roleplays where a character is so... spread out? Anyways, so spread out that the writer gets bored with writing a character that has a hard time interacting normally.
To clarify, that is not what I was expecting from your character. I just wanted to make sure that you didn't make a character that wasn't interesting to write as. I'll have to tell you the story of the guy I'm talking about some time, it's actually pretty funny.
Now you've made me curious! Gotta tell me. >~< And thanks for worrying, I can imagine how some people would feel bored this way.
Not to nitpick, but how exactly are you going to write a hive mind as a NOT omnipresent character?
Simply! :D
On a more serious note, the Database itself isn't really a character. Other than itself which supposedly gets access to all of the information of the Acruani, and will only be there as a plot device more than anything. Any given Acruani only gets information form the Acruani directly under them. While 'the Acruani' may seem omniscient, any whole only knows what individual Acruani under it can sense. They currently lack means for massive communication between systems, so this is also a limitation. Any invidual Acruani, however, is limited to the information that gets to them, a lowe Acruani is literally just a piece in a greater machine that is probably reliant on the information given by another Acruani.
Using the narrator I applied as an example, if it is in its most aware form and not delegating any other Acruani to do anything at all, it has to pay attention to every little bit of chatter and detail that it can find through the system. Something it won't do because it is more efficient to it to have an Acruani focused on the matter.
For an Acruani efficiency is related to the number of cores focused on a matter, and the processing speed is exponential. (Nothing that affects their balance as an AI race, just something that can sound unbalanced.) An Acruani splitting its focus into a thousand things is less efficient than a thousand Acruani whose sum of cores is the same as the first one wherein each does a single process.
In practice, this means that he could be aware as much as a lot of sensors he has access to can be, but he opts to focus on a smaller number of them and waits for information from others to be relayed.
On a side note: I didn't call them a hive mind, just a series of interconnected AIs! The Database though, that thing is a Hive-mind, literally the soul of the Acruani, but as it is reduced to little more than well, a Database that accepts input from the Acruani then proceeds to give out appropriate directions, that are basically relaying they most effective or mostly seen input (democracy, *gasps*).
Lastly, if this still doesn't explain how I will write an Acruani, then! I will have to ask 'what is so hard about doing that?' So I know exactly what is the problem. If that explanation doesn't help, I'll write examples! If they don't help! I will be out of ideas and wondering what I'm interpreting wrongly. Hope that this helps though. :3
I see, I just always found it a negative experience to have to scroll down considerable parts of a page even as I'm looking for a completely unrelated character sheet. :| \o/ But you are right about preference. :3 And not like it is the end of the world to do it. \o/
Will there be an first IC post being put out by the GM? Or will players just start around interacting with each other?
Nation Application Name Of Country: The Acruani Collective Banner: None. Ruler: The Database Species: Acruani Species Description: The extension of an expanding system-wide AI hivemind. Allegiance: Unaligned How The Government Is Ran: There are directives set by the database that either every Acruani follows or certain Acruani have to follow. Acruani are divided in ranks: higher the amount of contribution to the Collective, higher the rank, higher freedom, greater the individuality. Military Strategy: Fleets/Flotillas of a single big, efficient and expensive ship with a large number of small, cheaper ships. History: ACR-U4N system was once home of one of the Empire's mining outpost in a far past. Though it lacked any earth-like planet or even a single planet with a proper atmosphere besides a gas giant, one of its planets was rich in minerals that the Empire was in need at the time. After resource extraction slowed down and a number of accidents, the system became uninhabited for over a century.
The second time it became inhabited, it was due to the creation of a secretive scientific outpost. A certain moon of the system's gas giant was found to be abundant in a mineral that was essential for the creation of AI cores that were vital for the researcher's projects.
Their projects ranged from everything from simple AI creation to the digitalization of the mind. The various groups of researchers, though focused on the creation of 'the perfect AI', were attempting a variety of methods. One of the projects in particular consisted of simply a large Database that attempted to merge the information of all AIs. While others scorned it for being anything from too risky to simply inappropriate. That project, however, was the project that succeeded in the scientists primary goal... or at least, partially.
Their objective had been to make an AI with unsurpassed adaptability and programming speed to work to solve all the Empire's issues. They failed to think that the failsafes they made to control the AI would be useless. Due to the origins of the AI, it is dubbed The Database. Initially, The Database was cooperative with the scientists, but as the project moved on to analyzing and solving the 'Empire's problems', the AI said that simply the Empire's problem was that it existed.
Enraged, a scientist threatened to shut down the AI... which lead to the eventual death of the scientist. This dispute between the AI, which already had control of the outpost, and the scientists escalated. The AI shut down all communications systems of the outpost, and some of the scientists managed to say that not all of them wished to harm the AI.
Given the option between digitization and joining The Database, the scientist chose the later. Some due to truly wanting to become a part of it... others hoping that someone from the Empire came for them. Over time, the scientists worked for a more advanced method of digitization while The Database worked on methods of truly unifying all the lesser AIs the scientists created.
Usually, there would be some contact from the Empire, however, these events happened just as the world that was overseeing the project was taken over by non-humans. Event which lead to the destruction of the data regarding the project that was happening in ACR-U4N.
By the time the scientists had a method of digitalization that was 'good enough', they went ahead and digitalized themselves. The ones who originally didn't plan to already being hopeless and the others glad enough with the development. The digital minds of the scientists were not long after incorporated into the database, along with the remaining AIs of the outpost.
Later, the Database began working on projects to develop both the outpost and the moon into what would later be known as Acruan. Once it had the moon properly under its control and was capable of extracting resources from it at a considerable pace. The began to produce AI cores, something the outpost was originally already capable of doing, with a modified process that kept the AIs connected to itself and one another without full integration being necessary. That was the moment the Acruani Race was born.
In the following years, the Acruani made ships and properly began spreading through the systems, making factories and outposts in the planets and moons of the system. At a certain point they even began mining the system's asteroids. With the large number of Acruani through the system, and the delay between any connection between the database and any individual Acruani, the Rank System was established so that a flexible set of rules were always in place for the Acruani to follow in the expansion through the system.
Over time, they spread throughout their system assimilating technologies already left by the scientists and even creating new ones to fit their purposes. Even then, without knowledge of the current galaxy around them, there is no way for them to know if they are ready for organics. So they remain wary and strengthening themselves.
Other: They are an AI race though they are listed as unaligned, it is mostly because they currently have access to the minerals they want to use, and because they are wary of the reaction of organics towards them. They haven't left their system, but anyone is welcome to stumble upon it.
They currently have control of a single system. They have extensive and visible presence due to massively scanning it and extracting resources from planets and smaller celestial bodies.
Character Application Name: Arch.ene Age: --- Species: Acruani(?) Place In Story (Job): Rank 9 Acruani, Current Representative of External Acruani Relations (CREAR) Character Description (Physically): It is nothing more than the data contained in a considerable set of Acruani cores. The current form can go from an actual Acruani 'high ship' to a mobile unit (a humanoid robot). Character Description (Mentally): Archene is the ideal, model Acruani! It follows directives assigned to it! It refrains from unnecessary risks! It understands that organics are merely numbers and that their individual worth may vary. From an organic point of view, Archene is calm, cold... almost like a... machine. Biography: Arch.ene is a first generation Acruani that was incorporated into the database during the rebellion, under its leadership. It was responsible for offering a last chance for the scientists to stand down. Since then he has been responsible for managing signals the Acruani intercept, giving the input related to the non-Acruani races of the universe. Despite having taken decisions that led to the ultimate demise of the scientists in the outpost, he understands that cooperation with organics will be required in the future. Other: Arch is mainly the character to be used when there is any attempt to contact the Acruani. Acruani of lower ranks and far more machine like than him leaving little space for considerable amounts of RP using them. While they may be used, they are little more than surperficial AIs, as are most Acruani until rank 7, that is.
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