26: Technical Difficulties
Barely a week after the kraken’s attack, and Praxia was just as neck deep in work as she had been an hour after the fact. The changeling was sitting on Twilight’s throne in the command center. A plate of now cold food sat on a fold out table while she intently read a collection of chat forums. She was disturbed by what she read, making her barely focus on levitating a bite of food.
“How are we going to survive another attack like that?” One asked with only a scant few trying to be the voices of reason.
Praxia added a few words to try and calm ponies down before moving on to another thread. “I’m not saying the Princess or our general are incompetent; if anything, they’re the real MVPs. What did our so-called boys in blue do? Squat, that’s what! Who’s to say when the next kraken hits? Without Commander Spike, the Princess can’t save us alone! The military’s practically useless without them!”
“That’s a bit too harsh,” Praxia muttered. While slowly chewing a bit of sandwich, she glanced out at the operation staff while making it look like she was still distracted by her display, easy feat with a touch of disguise magic. On the outside, the ten officers around her appeared slightly tense, but more or less confident in their jobs. Yet to her empathic senses, all but one of them were in various stages of smoldering anger and mild depression. The last one was barely holding her righteous hostility in check if Praxia was any judge. Feather Soft should really stay away from the forums until things cool down.
Being around this many ponies didn’t gnaw on her senses like the atmosphere inside the cafeteria earlier. The roiling negative emotions saturating the dining area felt to Praxia like having an annoying sound playing nonstop in one ear.
Praxia read several more threads since she was technically still on break, and found little positive. If anything, the general mood of the commenters threatened to envelope her in a malaise. Someday I’m going to have to find out how ponies put such emotions into text that I can sense it.
An alert went off on her personal display, drawing her attention to a request sent in by Twilight. Praxia dropped her sandwich and read the message. A slow grin threatened to break her outwardly stony mask. Oh, this is rich. I can hear the chessmaster accusations already. Not one to ignore a direct request, Praxia spoke up to the nearest operator. “Warrant Officer Shim Biscuit, I’m going to dive for a while on crown business.”
The unicorn nodded curtly. “Yes, Regent, I’ll screen any requests for you.”
Pushing away all distractions, Praxia called Prism up. After a few rings she found the new alicorn was wearing a horn circlet now instead of the display goggles, but had her face twisted in frustration. Praxia caught sight of a few toppled pieces of furniture and a plastic plant that was smoking. “Practicing magic, I take it?” The snarky yet tactful changeling gave Prism her trademark friendly-yet-strangely-detached smile.
Prism groaned from the dull hornache she had worked up and started rubbing her forehead. “I was actually trying to just learn how to work this stupid circlet like all the other hornies do it.” She gave Praxia a quizzical eyebrow. “What’s up?”
“Do I want to know what you mean by hornies?” Prism started to open her mouth but Praxia made a quick slicing gesture. “Scratch that, I’d rather not.”
“It’s not dirty if that’s what you think.”
“I’ll take your word for it. To get to the point of this call however, against all sound reasoning, your presence has been requested at court. You have roughly ten minutes to arrive, so I suggest a bathroom break if you need it.”
Prism angrily puffed a lock of yellow hair out of her eyes. “Well, that just baffles my apples. I thought mom wasn’t going to give me any Princess duties unless I asked for them.”
“For once, I am as bewildered as you are,” Praxia said in that carefully crafted tone that gave the barest hint of teasing mockery without it being obvious to anyone who didn’t know her like family. “Sensei isn’t the one summoning you, it was the petitioners’ idea.”
“Well, tell ‘em ta buzz off. I got a horn to practice with.” Prism tried to swipe at the end call icon, but all she managed to do was flail a foreleg at thin, unresponsive air. “See?!”
Wholly unimpressed with the display, Praxia gave Prism a slightly condescending look, complete with half-lidded eyes. “Given that you would be hanging up on me, I’m not feeling any sympathy at the moment. But alas, your reputation precedes you. The supplicants expected this reaction and wanted to add that this is a job only a Pathfinder could pull off, and they needed the very best.”
The grumbling new alicorn twisted her muzzle into a contemplative scowl. Plagued by a certain curse of self-awareness, Prism knew her ego was being played. But at the same time, she didn’t care enough to remain stubborn. “Damn it all. If I don’t at least hear them out, then somepony else can brag about being the top Pathfinder, and it sure as Tartarus ain’t going to be Firefly again. No way, no how.” She cast Praxia a begrudgingly amused grin. “Alright, you win, royal bug. I’ll listen to them.”
Praxia’s professional mask danced on the edge of a snarking smirk. “Excellent. You know how to dive with a circlet right?”
“I can figure it out,” Prism pouted as she powered her horn, yet kept swiping at the air.
“Oh, I have little doubt you can, and if we had a year to wait, then I’d leave you to it.” Praxia made a show of tapping an imaginary watch on her fetlock.
“I’m not listening to you.”
“Why don’t you give Voyager consent to do it for you? It would be a public disaster for the newest Princess to be late to her first court date.”
“I hate it when you do that.” Prism’s logic told her to calm down, but her ego rebuffed it. “I said I can do it myself!” Prism focused all of her ire on the series of buttons that would lead into cyberspace. She made a point to ignore Praxia’s mounting amusement and impatience at watching Prism’s hoof gestures. She made wide and exaggerated swiping motions and tapped her way to the proper command, but progress was made all the same. Once she tapped the command at last, Prism’s vision went spinning. The world around her was wholly replaced by what she knew was the entry plaza of the colony’s cyberspace.
Within the confines of virtual reality, modern pony culture was as vibrant and alive as it had been in the old world prior to the Great Freeze. The entry plaza was translucent concrete with sky-pointed searchlights illuminating a grand city of marble, glass, and wondrous art that was unbound by the expense or physics of the material world. The sky beheld a gentle mid-sunset where Twilight’s cutie mark stood tall and proud above it all. The government sector to the subjective north was a spiraling castle of amethyst marble and geodes. Since nopony was ground bound here, roads were only cosmetic. Monolithic statues of the princesses, minus Twilight, and old historical figures were on display. Each of the legendary ponies were on a ten second loop performing one of the heroic deeds they were known for.
Prism had to take a moment to reorient herself, casting confused eyes back and forth before settling on Praxia who was floating over. “So you’ve graduated to a foal’s level in circlet use. Most impressive,” she added with just enough snark for Prism to catch, but none of the three dozen ponies around them.
“Considering this spike on my head’s only been useful for a week, I’m going to take that as a compliment, and there’s nothing you can do about it.” Prism blew a raspberry at the goading changeling. “Besides, you can’t blame me. I’m too used to having to go into a VR booth to come here. Doing it at will is weird.”
“Granted,” Praxia admitted, dropping her mockery. “Just remember that unlike the booths, there is no treadmill, and you are still present in the real world. So try not to smack into the wall or furniture as you navigate.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know that,” Prism grumbled, as she wasn’t exactly sure how to accomplish that. There’s got to be a setting to let me move without doing so in reality.
Prism stood there swiping her hoof around, and did everything she could to ignore the odd looks she was getting from the ponies around her. The annoyingly professional sass Praxia was exuding through her presence alone was of no help either. It was a generally unwritten rule that anyone with a horn did not use VR booths to fully enter cyberspace, so hoof movements for commands was relegated to the non-horned tribes or unicorn foals.
Eventually, Praxia didn’t like how close to the deadline they were and lost her patience. “Prism, enough, just give me consent to transfer us to court.”
“Hold on, I can do it.”
“We don’t have time for this.” Praxia looked to Twilight’s cutie mark in the sky. “Voyager, regent authority override, force transfer User Crown Princess Prism Flash to the Dusk Court.”
The plaza morphed into a large throne room with no walls or ceiling, revealing a sky of perpetual twilight. Wispy clouds of welcoming light red and orange backed by an inviting sun were spaced all around. Marble tiled floors and columns framed the solitary throne on a raised dais. Twilight was currently resting upon said throne, although Prism wondered where her mother’s real body was.
Probably on some bar stool or her bed with lil’ Snack Roll.
The elder alicorn was lounging upon the symbol of power and authority with such grace and comfort it looked like she was made for it. The two young mares materialized roughly a meter in front of the throne.
Twilight Sparkle clapped happily upon seeing Prism, but her joy was sluggish and tired. “You came! I’m so glad to see you take this seriously.”
“I had to drag her here,” Praxia cut in before Prism could take advantage of the showering praise.
Prism shook a fist at the smug changeling. “One of these days, Praxia, bam, zoom, straight to the moon!”
“Which one? We have two up there now,” Praxia shot back with a cocked eyebrow.
Twilight stood up and pressed her wings on the mares’ backs. “Alright you two, now’s not the time. The petition is going to start in less than a minute, and I want you to make a good first impression, Prism.” The young alicorn cast a begrudgingly apologetic look at her mother. “Thank you, Praxia. That’ll be all for now.”
Praxia bowed deeply and vanished, leaving mother and daughter alone.
Prism swept her gaze across the throne room. “At least you’re not being pushy by making a second throne for me.”
“I would hope by now you know I’d respect your wishes,” Twilight replied with disappointment. “If you must tease your poor mother about something at least get some new material.”
“Don’t think I’m not onto your tricks,” Prism warned with a hoof wave and a sharp eye “But I’m already here, so I might as well go through with it today.”
Twilight gave a sad frown, but opted to remain silent and reclaimed her throne. Prism stood tall and proud near the throne as a trio of ponies materialized a few meters away.
“Announcing citizens Cherry Dye, Sweet Tart, and Nanoweave,” Voyager called from no definitive source.
Two pegasi and a bat stallion respectively bowed before the alicorns. Twilight felt her mood take a bit of an upturn that all of her petitioners today were in person. So many non-unicorns went to court on the old world with just avatars. I picked my colonists well if they all go the extra mile to go to a VR booth. She knew she was grasping at straws to make the day better, but grasp she would.
Sweet Tart was the first to speak. “Thank you for seeing us, princesses. We represent the Float Stone Initiative, and we’d like to offer a… modest easing of the current housing crisis.”
Twilight’s ears perked up at the offer. “Taking a dent out of the five hundred homeless would certainly be welcome. What do you have in mind?”
Why would I be needed for a housing project? Prism grumbled to herself, not quite so adept at hiding disdain as her mother was.
Nanoweave stepped up to stand beside Sweet Tart. “The three of us, along with fifty seven others, want to take an M-pattern outpost crawler to here.” Nanoweave swiped a hoof and had a satellite map of the lands claimed for ponykind materialize with a gentle green highlight. A mountain range almost five hundred miles to the northeast and much further inland was highlighted. “This site hosts a massive quantity of float stone, and we’ve been monitoring it for the past five months. None of the larger hostile monster fauna reside there. Not to mention the peculiar local weather there would allow us to better study it for future control.”
Cherry Dye was about to add her piece, but hesitated when Twilight had not offered any sort of commentary. When her companions gave her stressed looks, she cleared her throat while practically jumping to the front. “We know the risks involved, your highnesses, but all sixty members of the FSI have agreed to go. Admittedly, some of the holdouts’ homes getting destroyed finally incentivized them enough to go.”
Twilight’s neutral expression hardened a touch, making Cherry Dye break into a cold sweat. How very opportunistic of you.
“Aaanyway,” Cherry Dye continued as she tried to fan herself, “the satellites can only tell us so much, which is why we requested assistance from the Pathfinders to scout the area more closely for any dangers we can’t see from orbit.” The red pegasus swiped the air, granting Twilight the entire document of the proposal with the bullet points at the front. “We hope you will approve.”
“Interesting.” Twilight nodded slowly, deep in thought as she accepted the literature. “Voyager, give Prism and me a privacy screen.” A few moments later, the three petitioners went fuzzy and were muted. Twilight looked to her daughter with a carefully crafted unreadable expression. “Convenient. You ran a mineral survey over that region, correct? What do you make of this?”
Prism’s gut reaction was to tease Twilight about being a chess master, but something about the sudden weary fatigue in her mother’s voice made her show restraint. Instead Prism decided to focus on the actual question. “It’s risky as Tartarus that’s for sure.” Prism was granted a copy of the files and perused the maps and logistics for the route. “But I’ll give them this much, these guys have done their homework at least. An M-pattern could make the trip easy enough, as long as you’re willing to spare a military escort.”
Twilight’s jaw tightened into a scowl that lost any semblance of regality, and revealed to Prism the mask of a tired mare. “Let me worry about the protection if this ends up being good enough of an idea to back.”
One of Prism’s ears went limp at seeing her mother in such a miserable state. Really glad I didn’t start teasing her. “Are you okay?”
“Just tired, that’s all,” Twilight sighed dismissively. “Do you know anything else about the region?”
Prism didn’t want to drop her concern, but also didn’t want to press the matter. “Well… one of the planet’s jet streams runs right through the float stone field, which already rings the mountain like a comically dense asteroid belt. Airlifting anything through that is suicide, so the crawler would be the only way in, since we can’t space-drop anything yet.”
“That would certainly make it difficult to resupply... but highly defensible, should the need ever arise.” Twilight lapsed into silent brooding, her brow furrowed with troubled thoughts.
Prism hummed aloud disapprovingly. “We’re not going to take control of the land by hiding in a mountain fortress.”
“Perhaps not, but it is a step in the right direction.” Renewed energy seeped into Twilight’s voice as she became a bit more animated. “Yessss, this might be exactly what the colony needs right now. Not some speech of solidarity in the face of the natives’ attack, but an actual show of determination to claim the land as our own.”
Prism was caught between concern for the tone of Twilight’s ramblings and for the colony as a whole. “I wasn’t aware morale was bad enough to take a risk like this.”
Twilight snorted derisively. “That’s what you get for staying largely ignorant of the colony’s mood and chatter. The kraken’s assault ended up being a perfect storm for bad morale. Between you, me, and Spike getting removed from the board, and the damage both the swarm and kraken inflicted…” Twilight trailed off as dark and old memories skirted the surface of her mind. “Let’s just say this was too much too quick for most ponies to handle. And to top it all off, the fact that the storm exposed a glaring flaw in our military’s ability to defend us made everything go from bad to worse in the eyes of the common pony. We need a win, the military most of all.
“Do you consent to spearheading this as the designated Pathfinder? This mission might take a while.”
It took Prism all of two seconds to blurt out the one response she didn’t want to be first. “Only if I can bring Silver Belle with me.” Prism sweated a bit and quickly added, “I-I’ll need somepony who can maintain my rover since I’ll be gone for who knows how long.”
Twilight instantly went into embarrassing mom mode complete with the cooing. “Oh, now you know I wouldn’t dream of splitting up two little lovebirds.” She squashed Prism’s cheeks with her hooves, or at least tried to. “My little wing is a grown up mare looking for love, what’s a mother to do?”
Prism’s face boiled beet red. “Mooooom! They can still roughly see what we’re doing behind the privacy screen!”
“I think they can let me have this,” Twilight snickered as she planted a kiss on both of Prism’s cheeks. As her daughter pouted in her own indignation, Twilight called out to Voyager. “Lower the screen please.”
The ponies beyond the veil were making a painfully obvious effort to look everywhere except the two alicorns. “On behalf of the lavender crown,” Twilight paused a moment to give them time to focus on her, “I fully back your initiative. The crawler and all relevant supplies you need will be generated with as much haste as the housing project can permit.”
Smiles and cheers rang out from the trio, who quickly remembered to bow before the crown. “Thank you, princesses,” Cherry gushed. “Will we get the honor of having you as our Pathfinder, your highness?”
Quickly acting as if the mother induced embarrassment had never happened, Prism puffed out her chest and struck a heroic pose complete with a toothy winning smile. “On a quest this important? Look no further than moi.”
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Wow that was a really fast update. A little bit bite sized but it seems this chapter got a lot of stuff done. It feels like things are happening. I kinda am looking forward to see the military get revamped; get that win Twi says they need.
An update! Now, what's happening with Alf the transxeno pony?
So when are the Griffins going to come knocking or minotaurs show up?
8605208
Suddenly Changlings! Ooooooooooooo...
8605208
U just fucking jinxed it
Infantry, drones, gunships, transports (air/ground), scout rovers, gun trucks, artillery and light tanks. Honestly, that's an already well rounded force for anti-gurella tactics. I can't help but feel quadreped alpha strike doctine battle mechs with chain gun secondaries would make for an optimal mountain escort though. Get the biggest rail gun you can on that thing with the right camoflage measures and it could become a devastating giant hunter in small packs.
8605208
Though i suppose they would have decent anti-tank capabilities as well. Rail guns would likely overpenitrate but the vaccum behind other high velocity weapons in the real world tend to have a nasty effect on the insides of a vehicle. Having the suction of the round pull you through a pin point hole and the shockwave disperse what was left all over is a hell of a way to go.
8766567
Hah. Seeing such underestimation of future tech always amuses me.
Also, it's not 30 years for reaching immortality. It's likely thirty years for reaching the Longevity escape velocity.
8767118
It's not underestimation. It's fact. With actual scientific, and sociology backing it up. And Longevity escape velocity isn't a thing.
I know way more about this stuff than you do apparently. But you're an optimist, I'm a realist. If Optimist were right than we'd have Star Trek Deep Space Nine level holograms and artificial intelligence. Would have space colonies on the moon and mars (something man has predicted since the 17th century) (actually wouldn't be that hard if we had spent the last 60 years working with other nations space and tech programs, and furthering manned space exploration. Rather than the crap space programs we've had over the last 60 yrs culminating to NASA Stopping it's Shuttle Program / Manned Space Exploration.).
We'd have terraforming (possible, but noone's funding it), we'd have robot servants, hell we'd have immortality.
As for Longevity, wow are you completely and utterly wrong on every level. Actual science shows that in 30 yrs with how things are going life expectancy is only raising only ten years. Heck go to that link. Look up demographic list to see actual life expactancy and death projections by actual government scientist using actual data. Rather than happy thinking. A little hint, you seem to have some faith in humanity. Drop it, you'll be happier if you do. Or you know actually read science texts and research to see just how much humanity loves screwing itself. Or this article, or even this one.
8767682
I love how you're trying to tell me to be depressed. Fucking priceless! I'm fully aware of the shit happening all around the globe.
On longevity escape velocity. You do realize it's not going to show in the life expectancy, right? The whole point is medical breakthroughs that allow us to repair or replace most of the major organs and thus prevent death to critical injuries and deliberating diseases. The next major thing you need to get out of the way is cancer, and we're getting there slowly but surely. That alone should allow most of the folks alive hit the escape velocity once we get some rudimentary AI to help with the research.
8768230
I'm not telling you to be depressed. Which is telling in how ignorant you are. And again you're wrong in your assessment.
Rather than trying to use falacies as you're doing. Let me show some facts.
2009 there was a breakthrough in using stem cells to treat paralysis. Yet it wasn't intil 2017 when experiements were being used for human testing.
Yet even with that out there. Paralysis and it's cost on our nation has risen.
Let's go to Artificial Organs. Most notably the brain, we've had artificial brain implants since the 1970's. With a prosthetic to cure paraplegia since 1988. Yet as the paralysis link shows, we've only gotten worse on that front. Despite actual cures. With no real progress since 1988. What about hearts? Heart disease being the biggest killer in the world.
They exist, but with how many people suffer heart disease or heart failure (note, that number is going to rise by 2030), you'd think that it would be a thing of the past. With how easy it'd be to replace said heart. But that isn't a thing, much like paralysis is a massive problem for millions.
_______________
Life expectancy models that I linked were taking into account medical breakthroughs. But what you fail to realise is all those amazing breakthroughs you talk about? They already exist. Some of them even after being stonewalled for almost a decade, or with no progress after the 1980's. Yet for one reason or another those problems are being solved with the solution that exists. Not only that, but are expected to grow as a problem as time marches on. Even though all of them can be removed here and now.
Think on that. The solution to all of man's problems exist. But they are almost never used for 99.999% of the populace. As for cancer. Want to hear something really funny? I mean you'll laugh. Or at least I do.
A cure for cancer already exists, a cure that has existed for almost 2 years., well if you want to be honest almost 3 years ago.
And the only reason it took so long was the huge scare on use of nano-tech till the late 00's. And now has regulatory boards breathing down their neck since early 2010. And think on this for extra chuckles. Artificial Organs can cure all organ faliure that exists now, paralysis could've been a thing of the past since the 80's, and now cancer can be truly cured. So ... why hasn't it? Think on that. And you'll see you're "projections" are doomed for failure. Rather than the actual facts.
That being life expectancy, using scientific models, projections, and facts. Not wishful thinking shows:
Average of 80 years of age by 2050. Link 1.
Same as above. Especially if you weren't being ignorant and looked up Demographic Profiles.
esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Graphs/1_Demographic%20Profiles/High-income%20countries/Line%20Charts/Life%20Expectancy%20at%20Birth%20(both%20sexes%20combined).png
There's a hint. 2050, mid 80's. It won't go at / over 100 till 2100.
Now all this is taking into account all those advances you are gushing over have already been a thing since the 80's or earlier. Yet they are rarely if ever used. Even with their availability. Not even us US Veterans get access to this amazing tech a majority of the time. So yeah, you were wrong. Just admit it already. And I wasn't telling you to be depressed, just be realisitc. You were the one who said you were depressed once reality started chipping away at your thoughts on the future.
I can't wait for the next chapter. And will the changes to Prism's brain ever come up in the fic?
Still, this is a rather good story, thank you for taking the time to make it.
8768391
You're bloody hilarious! You come here, answer to 7 months old comment, and when I elaborate further what I was saying you start insulting me and calling me ignorant! All while linking to random wikipedia articles, old cancer studies and news articles I've seen ages ago.
Been in the internet long enough to recognize a crude bait. It's obvious enough as your posts are riddled with insults and belittling. You want me to admitting to you that I was wrong about something.
I'll keep looking to future with careful optimism. Just because you're depressed about it doesn't mean I have to be.
8768862
Again putting words in my mouth. And it's not belittling if I'm in the right. You say a lot, but unlike myself. You never show actual proof. Which I have to disprove your comments. So yeah ... either you're a troll, a teenager who thinks they know more than they do, or simply arrogant (can't say ignorant. Since I did educate you).
So we're done. Since you can't counter facts with falacies. You are indeed wrong, and in 30 years, I'll still be in the right. Because science.
8768982
Besides your superiority complex, your post mostly consisted of throwing old articles and mentioning experimental tech and asking why it's not available everywhere. Also the graphs which are to supposedly show accurate readings +100 years in the future even if MAJOR breakthroughs such as 3D printed organs happen in the next 50 years. That certainly won't have an effect on life expectancy graph, hmm?
If you're actually interested in this stuff instead of just insulting me, look up Aubrey De Gray. He has done tons of conferences around the world. If not, take your ego and shove it where the sun doesn't shine.
8769148
1) It's not a superiority complex. You're just sensitive when facts break your opinion.
2) THAT WAS THE FREAKING POINT OF THE ARTICLES! The fact that those articles are so old. But show existing science and technology that:
- cures cancer
- replaces organs with less chance of rejection than biological organs. For things like heart faliure / disease, paralysis, lungs, gall bladder, hearing and sight.
Yet you never really hear about them. Most never do. Those problems caused by such problems are not utilizing those solutions that exist. Rather than be eradicated like you'd expect.
So ... If those articles are so old. Why do you think they are almost never used?
3) Follow up. Bio Printing is being studied for organs to fill the gap between organ transplant needs, and shortage of organs.
Yet a lot of research is into organs that can be successfully replaced with artificial organs. So why is it a majority of people don't know about that, and most people who could be saved with artificial organs are waiting for organ transplants?
4) Additional follow up. All those old articles show my point. So if the solutions are so old. Yet are rarely if ever used.
What makes you think in 50 years the same problem won't still persist? After all we already have the tech to stop death by heart faliure. We've had that for decades. We have had tech to cure paralysis for 40 yrs. Even better tech for almost a decade.
We have the cure for cancer without Chemo for 3 yrs. Yet unless you really dig deep you never hear it on the TV news, never read about it in the newspaper, and people talk about chemo therapy irl. Never about nanotech curing them.
So all those advancements you harp on about. They already exist. Have for awhile. Yet the problem exists and is worsening when it can be eradicated years ago.
4) Yes it takes those into account. The life expectancy guide that I linked takes into account all medical advancements, current access to medical procedures for the populace, use of said procedures, life styles, dietary trends, Medicare, and quality of life.
Said research done by actual scientist for over a decade took all that into account. And you know what? Facts never lie. They know all the things you do. Probably a lot more, having access to peers in said circles, the facts that I've been showing you. As well as access / use of said cures.
Then compiled the facts. After all those projections are used by the government and health insurance companies for a wide variety of reasons. Should probably note that if all those problems were cured...
Big pharma (billions of dollars in revenue), health care ( also billions in revenue the government needs for funding), and hospitals (paid by big pharma and health care) need you to be sick to make money.
Research it yourself. It like all that I've shown you is old news and verifiable. After all if they cured all the problems that can be fixed immediately, they would loose money, and they need profit to stay in business.
8769738
8769148
Hey law abiding pony, I'm guessing from this amazing crossover you've got here that you've played Beyond Earth, the game you based it on. You make it sound like a great game and I've been on the fence about picking it up, it's on sale right now for like $10, would you recommend it or is your story just making it sound way better that it is.
8784424
If you liked civilization 5 then you’d probably like BE. Think of it as a fancy mod or total rework of the base game. I liked it enough to make a crossover, so that’s something. But the AI personalities will be rather lackluster, barring a recent patch I guess. The problem was with the 3 different ideologies being centered around 3 primary strategic resources. So the AI would generally pick the ideology that used the resources it started with. All good for a gameplay standpoint. But that also limited the personalities to next to nothing. The devs didn’t try very hard to inject that typical Civilization personality into it all.
If you don’t really care about all that and just want decent gameplay, then BE will keep you busy for sure. Just don’t pull a Spike and keep antagonizing the natives. Unless you want to go full “purge the xeno!”
8784639
Thanks for the explanation. I saw the mixed reviews a long time back and read the negative ones to figure out why. Mostly complaints that it's a Civ V reskin (like you said plays like a mod), Civ V is better, Alpha Centauri is better, AI doesn't know how to use the new system well (like you said lackluster AI), etc. I left it on my wish list on the chance it'd go on sale, you'd really sold me on the theme of a new world and new beginnings with the story.
It's $15 for the base game and the Dlc together so I'll probably get it. The only other game on my immediate radar is Surviving Mars and that comes out next week anyway.
8784417
Okay ... What'd that have to do with anything? This whole stupid thing started over me making a clarification backed with science that his assumption of how long human lives were going to average was off.
Then him going all asshole retentive over it, and basing his argument on fallacies and being a c***. Rather than use any data, or facts. Really annoys the fuck out of me when people do that.
8789523
We're here to read and discuss the story. You should probably keep nearly multi comment page arguments on real life technology and lifespans in your message box.
If the authors fine with it then okay, but your discussion of the possibilities in regards to the story devolved into a yes it is, no it isn't argument that's less about the story more about your ego's.
8789680
Upvote on that, but less about my ego and much more a negative quirk in my personality. But I will apologize to you and other readers for our ... Can't really call that train wreck a debate. And any derailing it may have caused.
8790139
Debates and discussions can get heated. I have definitely got into some back and forth's myself where I couldn't stop because the other side couldn't or wouldn't listen. It happens.
Oh, please tell me this isn't going the way of chaotic touch of harmony. 4 month pauses between updates make me nervous.