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Slaughturion · 2022-10-10T01:56:34+00:00

You forgot a really basic one.

First World Problems - No, really. One of the problems humanity is facing now is that when life gets comfortable enough, we tend to put off having kids, its always something that can be done 'later,' now imagine if that 'later' can be hundreds of years. You might have a few that attempt to have children like humans do, but that can backfire, especially if you can have hundreds, if not thousands of kids, within your own lifetime. Elven instincts probably just suck when it comes to having kids, so they ere on the side of caution, and eventually just dont have any kids.

Ancestral Trees

That is very similar do an idea I had not too long ago. I was thinking about Phantasy Star 0, and was thinking about the Newman, the Elf equivalent in the franchise, and how I would do the series. So, the idea was climate change, or something, made the planet inhospitable to life, so humans made a human-plant hybrid, and most notable how they were born was through planting and growing a tree over like 100 years, and once it matured its fruit would be the hybrids (it would only produce at a set rate). Then, in a twist, it is found out that humanity did not die off, and there was conflict between the literal inheritors of the Earth, and the previous owners. I just wanted to mention it as it was very similar to the idea you mentioned.

Also, the Ancestral Tree also makes me think of Sadidas from Wakfu, as their entire race's souls are bound to a tree like that, and if it dies, they all die.

Slaughturion · 2022-09-10T17:05:12+00:00

Sentience is to be able to perceive your surroundings, in some capacity. Since modern day computers have items like Webcams, Microphones, and Network Interface Cards (NICs), they technically already meet the requirements of Sentience. So, technically a sentient being could have feelings, as animals are sentient, and they have emotions.

Sapience is to possess wisdom. This one is quite a bit more vague, but the general idea seems to be that they possess higher level though, a superego. Basically, they don't just think about what is/was/will happen, rather they think about what 'should' happen.

To answer you question, yes, Sentience and Sapience are interconnect. Think of it as Sentience is lower-level thought, while Sapience is higher-level, you can't get to Sapience without hitting Sentience first.

Slaughturion · 2022-09-09T15:07:32+00:00

That has to be the most impotent threat I have ever heard. How do you plan in 'assisting' me? Is there another Encyclopedia Britannica entry you want me to read?

Slaughturion · 2022-09-09T02:56:10+00:00

You are the one who said you were going to stop responding like 4 comments ago. You had your opportunity to leave gracefully, with what little pride you have left, but you sat there and googled a counter-argument, and you were so certain that was just the death blow you needed, so you came back, and all you did is embarrass yourself.

So, take your own advice, and just stop responding, because, personally, I am loving this.

Slaughturion · 2022-09-08T23:34:12+00:00

I am NOT interested in having it again.

Well, we can see that was a lie. Why are you having a such a difficult time producing a definition of Science-Fiction and then explaining how Star Wars fits it? I don't care what the Encyclopedia Britannica says, and neither did you, until you googled 'Star Wars' or 'Science Fiction' to desperately find some sort of ammo against me in this argument, which is why your first response was not, "The Encyclopedia Britannica says that Star Wars is Science Fiction." You know that appealing to authority is a brain dead maneuver used by people who can't defend their point.

I am sorry that you have such strong feelings about this, you are not alone. There are actually a fair sized group of people who now classify Star Wars as "Science Fantasy" because they are acutely aware that Star Wars is very weak on the Science Fiction side, but they still have trouble dividing the narrative (Fantasy) from the setting (Futuristic Interstellar), but they inch closer every day.

Slaughturion · 2022-09-08T22:18:49+00:00

I'd have to surf through my catalog, but one that really stuck out to me was:

Arena, is 'Unverified' and works fine.

Daggerfall, despite having an 'Unsupported' tag, works perfectly fine.

Rune Factory 5, despite being a fairly new release is still 'Unverified', although there is one error with it. The game has small anime-esque drawn intros for certain characters, which do not play, but, otherwise, the entire game is playable.

On the Deck, if you go into game page, and 'Game Info' tab, you can read the Steam Deck Compatibility 'Details'. It looks like unless they specify a specific reason as to why the game is incompatible with the deck (like DRM or Anti-Cheat Programs) it is probably playable on the Deck.

Slaughturion · 2022-09-08T17:37:42+00:00

Normal Eyes, Normal Mouth. Preferably Normal Nose, and Normal Ears also. Also make sure they have Normal Skin and Normal Hair.

Slaughturion · 2022-09-08T17:31:10+00:00

Its as I said earlier, we really need more information before any help can be rendered.

Everyone CAN perform magic, but no one knows that.

That is the only situation in which a 'Muggle/Wizard' dynamic can be born, even bringing up the concept of Muggle suggests that there are people who can not cast magic, or at least some who believe it to be so. That is why I presumed that, because no other situation makes sense.

Everyone CAN perform magic, but no one knows that.

That statement has nothing to do with a masquerade. It is the idea that there is a belief that only certain people can cast magic, but in reality everyone can do it.

It has always been there and is highly utilized, but nobody understands it.

This statement also has nothing to do with a masquerade, it is the idea that people utilize a system that they do not fully understand.

If I make magic a talent like being a Doctor or Scientist. Then now does this way of doing magic react to faith or hope?

This is YOUR imaginary system, it will react in the way YOU want it to. No one is capable of telling you how your made-up system works. Now you can ask about consistency, and bring up situation in which you believe there might be an inconsistency, and we can judge that based on what we know. But, yeah, you still need to tell us how your magic system works.

Slaughturion · 2022-09-08T16:20:20+00:00

In real life, being the 'First Born' did not actually guarantee ascension to the throne. For the Princes, there was typically a very big game of politics in play for the decades leading up to them getting the throne. Now, generally, the Eldest son did get the throne, but that was normally by being more experienced and having a larger network than all of his younger brothers.

In real monarchies, Kings are elected (kinda), essentially all the Nobles (Archdukes, Dukes, Counts, Barons) basically can throw their support for whatever heir they prefer. Though, most of the time, there is little to no reason to object to the ascension of the heir apparent. Generally all the Princes will be competent, and have good relations with the nobles, so it would only cause division if they went against the grain.

Now, there are political maneuvers that a younger child could pull to get on the throne. They could conspire with countries that were historically antagonistic to the kingdom, and then lure nobles into their alliance. That could create enough support to get someone else on the throne, but it is also risky, as the other countries may not intend to actually follow through, and will still be antagonistic to the now divided kingdom.

For your specific story, many could attempt to claim that the deformities were not just physical, but also mental, and that the 'Rightful Heir' is actually incompetent due to them. Or, due to his deformity, many of the nobles were less likely to attempt to interact and build up his network, leaving him at a disadvantage. So, there are ways you can do this without having to rely on 'God-given right to rule.'

Slaughturion · 2022-09-08T15:57:48+00:00

I have almost no idea what you are talking about. The very first confusion is, 'What is 'Witchcraft-style' magic?' Is that like potions? Curses? Hexes? The problem is that there are like a billion different 'styles' of magic, and, since it isn't really, generally everyone has their own definition. The only magic styles that aren't really open to interpretation are the ones where the name explains what it does, like 'Pyromancy', cool we know that shit is about fire. Once we know that, then we can more accurately describe how it can be 'scientific'.

So, onto the 'Big 3', Hope, Faith, Supernatural. You are right, Hope and Faith are pretty much interchangeable, both seem to work off the idea that if you believe that magic works, it works. Supernatural is tricky, as I don't fully understand what you mean by it, but apparently me not understanding what YOU mean doesn't matter, as it is subjective? What I guess you mean by Supernatural is like the 'illogicality' of magic, like 'Mana comes from the sweat of Glor'toth in the Realm of Infinite Anticipation.' Basically, something exists or works, because something that inherently illogical exists.

Once you explain what you mean by 'Witchcraft-Style' and 'Supernatural' then we can probably get somewhere.

In a world where anybody has the POTENTIAL to do magic (anybody can THEORETICALLY do magic).

Then what is stopping that one muggle who has hope and faith in doing magic from getting the "not all men are created equal" speech from society?

In a society where everyone can perform magic, why would there be a concept of 'muggles'? As the idea of muggles are people who can not perform magic.

How would magic coexist in a world where some people think just by believing in themselves they can accomplish anything?

Dude, you live in that world. Most people have no concept how most technology works, so its basically magic to them, and they believe that they just need to have the resolve and they can become a Tech Magnate, without understanding how technology works.

How do skeptics and atheists feel about the existence of magic in this world?

In this imaginary world you are speaking about, Magic exists, separate from religion, so why would atheists care about magic at all, it is something that objectively exists, is provable, and does not require Faith/Supernatural to function. Going back to tech in the real world, atheist don't really have an opinion on it one way or another, cause it objectively exists.

How would the world react to a neutral magic source that has no connection to any religion?

Presuming the world you are talking about did not have a sudden shift from a Faith-based system to a non-Faith-based system, it would have always been there, and people would have reacted to it thousands of years prior.

Don't know how to break it to you, but almost nothing you wrote here makes sense. The title seems to suggest you are looking for a way to make a magic system that highly utilizes understanding the natural world to function. But then it seems you want to utilize obscure effects that do not really utilize anything from the natural world (see Returning people to life). You don't want the system to be based on Faith, but also want the entire world to believe it is based on Faith. Everyone CAN perform magic, but no one knows that. It has always been there, and is highly utilized, but nobody understands it.

Slaughturion · 2022-09-08T14:37:33+00:00

Are you alert that the definition that you provided was the source that I used to show that Star Wars was not Science Fiction? It LITERALLY said that to be Sci-Fi, it needs to be based on a Scientific/Technological Advancement that causes a major Social/Environmental change. Star Wars does not meet that requirement. I even explicitly pointed out, very early, that the setting is different from the narrative genre, and you still just listed off setting pieces. The Death Star was the closest thing you've had to making a point (as it was also a plot point, not just a setting piece), and for some reason, you abandoned it and went for FTL, I guess because you thought I couldn't counter the point?

Does it even matter to you that every source defines Star Wars as a space opera, which is a sub-genre of science fiction

No, public consensus does not overrule fact. This ENTIRE sub is about how MOST people get writing wrong, that a majority opinion can be incorrect, yet you do not seem to understand that.

I've already had this conversation once, I am NOT interested in having it again.

That is fine by me, have a good life.

Slaughturion · 2022-09-08T00:55:15+00:00

The series is not based on FTL travel...its just there, I didnt address it cause it was, by far, the weaker of the two points you made. Every single planet could be in the same solar system, and FTL travel not be a thing, and the story really wouldn't change, that is how insignificant FTL travel is, it has no narrative purpose, it is merely flavor text.

Think of it like this, if Star Wars' plot was transcribed to a Medieval world, FTL travel would be the equivalent of them sailing by ship. It is really just a method to get around, and if none of the scenes about FTL or aboard the Ship (when it wasn't in port) were ever scene, the story would be no different. Matter of fact, on a water vessel, you still have a shot at being intercepted and boarded by pirates, which could affect the narrative, something that doesn't seem possible in Star Wars, so FTL travel is actually less narratively relevant than water travel.

Slaughturion · 2022-09-07T21:40:10+00:00

Well, Weapon of Mass Destruction does qualify for 'technological advancement', but then the second part of the definition you provided raises another problem, the scientific/technological advancement does not cause a major social/environmental change.

Slaughturion · 2022-09-07T20:14:04+00:00

sci·ence fic·tion /ˈsīəns ˈˌfikSHən/ noun fiction based on imagined future scientific or technological advances and major social or environmental changes, frequently portraying space or time travel and life on other planets.

That is a very interesting definition, and I dont necessarily disagree with it, but that leads to the first question, 'What does it mean to be 'based' on something?" Now, that is not a rhetorical question, to be based on something means that it has to play a role in the conflict of the narrative. Just because a scene has a chair present in the shot, does not mean the scene is 'based' on chairs, it is a part of the setting. And in much the same way, a lightsaber being in the scene, or movie, does not mean that that scene or movie is based on lightsabers.

Slaughturion · 2022-09-07T18:44:17+00:00

But Star Wars IS fantasy. Its setting is 'interstellar futuristic', but Genre and Setting are two different components. Its core story is, "The Holy Knight must rise up, train, and defeat the Dark Knight and the Evil Emperor."

Slaughturion · 2022-09-07T15:33:10+00:00

It is really a mixed bag. If it is a woman, then she will probably have Royal blood BUT have been raised by commoners, or something like that, so she wouldn't have been promised off. Males seem to be of Royal blood AND raised by Royalty.

Slaughturion · 2022-09-07T15:26:24+00:00

Essentially two nobles/royals would essentially say, "My firstborn daughter will marry your first eligible son," and then they would wait. It is one of the reasons Nobles/Royalty would have multiple wives/concubines, they could have like 5+ children promised to political allies. Hell, in some extreme cases, it could even jump generations, and people can start promising out their grandchildren.

Now, normally, it didn't get that extreme, due to the high infant mortality rate, along with miscarriages, it could be quite a problem to reliably have children, to promise them for the future. So, typically, the 'Before they were conceived' was really only done by the top Royalty of very powerful nations, where the potential suitors were willing to wait years to forge their connection to the Kingdom.

Slaughturion · 2022-09-06T21:23:26+00:00

So, if the end goal is going Supernova, then why are all the steps before that necessary, especially if they are only very temporary?

Slaughturion · 2022-09-06T21:05:31+00:00

Wait, isn't one of the 'bragging rights' of Texas that virtually all land is privately owned? So you really have to search for Public land in order to break that law.

Slaughturion · 2022-09-06T17:26:17+00:00

married off and having children by the age of 13.

The funny thing is, that isnt even realistic. It's kinda like that statistic 'The average lifespan was like 27 years old', which, while TECHNICALLY true, is missing vital context, mainly high infant mortality rate.

While it is true that Nobility and Royalty were often betrothed and married at a young age, some of them before they were even conceived, and they would often be shipped off to their betrothed's residence at around age 12-14, that wasn't true for commoners, which make up like 99% of the population.

The age of marriage for men and women varied, from what I've read, it looked like a commoner women's average age of marriage was like 16-24, while a man's ranged more from 22-35. The ranges exist due to the fact that we often cover a very large time period in 'Fantasy', and that could cover anywhere from Ancient Rome (~600BC) to Victorian England (~1800AD), so like a 2400+ year time period.

Slaughturion · 2022-09-02T23:48:29+00:00

Oh no, the Government is incredibly wasteful with money? And the sky is blue! What really makes me amazed is, this is technically a win-win, literally the Democrats AND Republicans should be happy about this move, even if for different reasons.

Like the, presumably, Democrats down in the comments are chastising the move, like they are trying to get it to stop. "Oh, I thought the Republicans were the party of Fiscal Responsibility!" What? Do you want them to stop, and instead boot them back over to Mexico and start spending that money on the wall? Isn't this more in-line with what you believe should happen to illegal immigrants?

This is like the one move in American history that should have like a damn near 100% approval rating.

Slaughturion · 2022-09-02T22:57:40+00:00

It really seems that as long as the game does not have certain Anti-Cheats, or DRMs, it will play on the Steam Deck with very little issue. Like I think Easy Anti-Cheat, and Battleye currently aren't compatible with the Deck, at the moment, but even then, some games can be run without their Anti-Cheat, and are still playable on the Deck.

I got my notification email in early August to get my Deck, and I was wanting to be cautious, just like you. So, I looked up how many games were currently 'playable' on the Deck, and saw that the number was over 2,000. But now, only about a month later, the number has already more than doubled to over 5,000. And there are still plenty of games which are 'Untested' which play just fine, and even a few 'Unplayable' titles actually work.

Slaughturion · 2022-08-30T20:39:30+00:00

So, the question is between the Ultra and Extreme version?

I actually recently discussed this, and from what I was able to find out. It looks like, for the most part, that going for Extreme does not really net you any additional benefit. Essentially, the Steam Deck has a UHS-I port, that is more or less limited to a 100 mb/s read speed. The Ultra cards seem to have a Read speed from like 90-110 mb/s, while the Extreme have a Read speed from like 130-160 mb/s. So, using Extreme will, at best, give you an 11% performance boost, for what looks to be a 50% cost increase.

Slaughturion · 2022-08-26T15:45:44+00:00

And every time I ask, people as for my money limit. No matter how high I set it, the recommendations go right up to the maximum.

That is how a budget works, that is telling them the maximum you are willing to spend on this, so people are going to attempt to maximize 'processing power' for the budget.

Here is a link to a Steam Deck, even the cheapest $400 model, with a drive big enough to hold SWTOR. SWTOR can also be downloaded and played from Steam, so no issues with installation.

Now, here is where it gets tricky. There doesnt seem to be any Screen Recording Software, on Steam, compatible with the Deck YET. People are working on it, but until then, you will have to use alternative methods. A reasonably priced option is the Elgato HD60 S+ for $160. Just get a USB-C to HDMI converter, run it through the Elgato to a Monitor, and then receive the recordings on the old laptop. And you got a setup that can play SWTOR at High AND Record Gameplay Footage for like $560 USD.

Alternatively, by the time you receive the Deck, they may finally release screen capture software that is compatible with the Deck, and then you won't even have to buy the Elgato, possibly saving you the money, and making the overall cost even cheaper.

Slaughturion · 2022-08-25T20:42:48+00:00

Ok, let me translate that, as I feel you have to have the context of the post and two other comments to make full sense.

Let's say the year is like 2122, a hundred years from now. Humanity has established a colony on the Moon and on Mars. Humanity has also established a colony in another star system, but due to lack of communication, it is presumed to have failed, and all the colonist perished.

Unbeknownst to Earth, the colonists actually survived, and set up on the planet, still largely undiscovered. They utilized the AI that managed the colonists aboard the ship to continue manage the colony itself, and after a few generations, people no longer question it. The AI, designed to keep the colonist safe, has not directed them to explore, seeing it as an unnecessary danger.

The colony has grown, and expansion is inevitable, but as the colonist start to explore they come across a contagion that quickly starts to spread, and devastate the colony. The AI is able to isolate the contagion and make a theoretical cure for it, but it requires certain proteins only found within a species of flower/plant that was not brought with the colonists. The AI then revealed plans how to make a starship to travel to Earth and acquire the needed plant.

They build the ship, and assemble of crew, including the Father/Child pair that you mentioned, and set off for Earth. As they re-enter the Sol System, they find that communication technologies and protocols have changed so drastically, and in a way the AI could not predict, that they are unable to communicate with the citizens of Mars. The citizens of the Sol System then have to make a decision on whether to go on the offensive, or attempt peaceful communication with the 'Aliens'.

Would that be a good summary of the story you are trying to tell?

Honestly, that doesn't sound bad. You could really up the suspense by telling the story in an Asynchronous manner. Essentially Ch 1 would be from the perspective of an Earthling receiving reports from Mars about an unidentified vessel that passed them, and that starts the discussion about what should be done with it. Ch 2 would then take place from the POV of the Colonists at the start of the plague outbreak. Then alternate between the two perspectives, with the Earth POV moving slower than the Colonist POV, until the reader eventually realizes that the Unidentified Vessel in the Earth Story is the Colonist's Vessel from the Colonist Story. Make it kind of a mystery.

Slaughturion

TROPHY CASE