The Doc's Bio Lab for Scav Experiments - & other oddities.

[Goth Zagog-Thou]

Love it, Rman. Always good to see your progress in this endeavor.

I enjoy the symbolism that is present in these two renderings. Kinda sums up Mr. Hammond's life, does it not? Two trains of thought .. two directions one can go. The first leads to a grim end .. the other to a world of work, literally.

[Rman Virgil]

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As I with your CAM 4. A natural synergy without which this would not exist, truth be told. After all, it started with the CAM 4 question: "Who is John Hammond and how is The Project run ?"

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Yes. It is part of the core mix that captivates my attention and spurs me onward even when inspiration, on occasion, flags. What events precipitate a fork in the road and the consequences of both the path chosen and the one left behind. With Reed as with Hammond, throughout, individually and where their lives intersect.

I've been thinking of a short story to tell here that is about such a crossroad for Hammond, Post Collapse. It is also the origin tale of Project Commander Mallory, who I've written several yarns about as an adult. Mallory beginning life as a scavenger who is brought into the Project barely a teen.... with Hammond making pivotal decisions that would shape more than just the youth's fate.
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[Goth Zagog-Thou]

As I with your CAM 4. A natural synergy without which this would not exist, truth be told. After all, it started with the CAM 4 question: "Who is John Hammond and how is The Project run ?"

I appreciate that, more than you know. And we're going to find out in Campaign 5 ... after all, we can't just let the idea of a schism within NEXUS remain unexplored ... nor the treatment of those who were once "One With the System" by the Project Echelon ...

It is also the origin tale of Project Commander Mallory, who I've written several yarns about as an adult. Mallory beginning life as a scavenger who is brought into the Project barely a teen.... with Hammond making pivotal decisions that would shape more than just the youth's fate.

Perhaps she had a really personal and psyche-altering experience from the simplest of things .. like watching a Peregrine Falcon in the wild that had survived all of the nastiness of the preceding years (nuclear winter, the post-apocalyptic disease wave, etc) and was still beautiful and strong and at its' core still free. Perhaps that meant something more to her than anything else, and it embodied everything she is and wanted to be. I've been using her as the basis persona for the individual who uses the call-sign 'Falcon'. She'd be a great fir for that persona.

[Rman Virgil]

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Perhaps she had a really personal and psyche-altering experience from the simplest of things .. like watching a Peregrine Falcon in the wild that had survived all of the nastiness of the preceding years (nuclear winter, the post-apocalyptic disease wave, etc) and was still beautiful and strong and at its' core still free. Perhaps that meant something more to her than anything else, and it embodied everything she is and wanted to be. I've been using her as the basis persona for the individual who uses the call-sign 'Falcon'. She'd be a great fir for that persona.

That's memorable imagery. I like.

Something analogous in RL too. In Chernobyl, where there was radioactive fallout the equivalent of 20 Hiroshima bombs mostly in the area within 25 miles of the reactor. 300,000 people were evacuated, leaving behind nature to contend with the rad fallout. Plant life exhibited obvious mutation, malformations, dwarfism, gigantism, strange growths, and even some glowing. But with the lone exception of the barn swallow, all other animal life did not. Quite the opposite. It's become a wildlife refuge, all on its own, where once most native animal species had long been driven away by human takeover of wild habitat. Mammals and birds thriving in spite of crazy high radiation levels measured in their bodies. Imagine if only peeps vacated without leaving behind that layer of rad fallout.
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[Rman Virgil]

.......we're going to find out in Campaign 5 ... after all, we can't just let the idea of a schism within NEXUS remain unexplored ... nor the treatment of those who were once "One With the System" by the Project Echelon ...

Was thinking on that. Maybe far enough down the road to mull over organizing a WZ Story Anthology e-book. Fan fiction but also connective back story, entertaining essays about story choices, short bios of major characters, eye-popping renders and screens, some global map illustrations and timelines....the whole laid-out sequentially from earliest days to most recent within the game world's time frame. An e-book that fans could look to browse if they wanted to place their play experiences in an all inclusive narrative context.
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[Goth Zagog-Thou]

I've been thinking about Campaign 5 more and more lately. Nice break from trying to fix bugged code.

My opinion is that while it IS the year 2102 or roundabouts, human nature is still human nature. The Scavenger factions are something akin to the 'Mad Max' series with good reason -- they'll fight ya for everything you have, simply because they don't have it.

And this isn't limited to Scavengers. Ever talked with a high-ranking military General (3-star)? I have -- and they're a special breed. They expect things their way or no way at all. That mindset is interesting for a number of reasons -- but it can also bring out the absolute, hateful prejudice in them. And that's not something that one wants to find themselves facing off with or having to counter-argue against.

I intend to explore that psychology in Campaign 5 -- obviously part the Project Leadership will consist of former high-ranking Military types. They'll have gotten themselves into key positions of influence because that's simply their need. They NEED to be in those positions, because only THEY are qualified to be in those positions of power. Whether it's 2013 or 2103, that drive and desire never changes.

Just my thoughts.

[Rman Virgil]

I've been thinking about Campaign 5 more and more lately. Nice break from trying to fix bugged code.

My opinion is that while it IS the year 2102 or roundabouts, human nature is still human nature. The Scavenger factions are something akin to the 'Mad Max' series with good reason -- they'll fight ya for everything you have, simply because they don't have it.

And this isn't limited to Scavengers. Ever talked with a high-ranking military General (3-star)? I have -- and they're a special breed. They expect things their way or no way at all. That mindset is interesting for a number of reasons -- but it can also bring out the absolute, hateful prejudice in them. And that's not something that one wants to find themselves facing off with or having to counter-argue against.

I intend to explore that psychology in Campaign 5 -- obviously part the Project Leadership will consist of former high-ranking Military types. They'll have gotten themselves into key positions of influence because that's simply their need. They NEED to be in those positions, because only THEY are qualified to be in those positions of power. Whether it's 2013 or 2103, that drive and desire never changes.

Just my thoughts.

I'm in alignment with your understanding of the power dynamics here from the vantage of the former generals (top down, autocratic) and some of the Scavs (I say some because 'The Scav Seven Nations' power dynamics are essentially different and are driven by a deep consideration of the consequences of present action on the unborn, human and non-human, seven generations out.... as for other Scav contingents, I abide your characterization).

Let me state upfront, a concise and non-judgmental definition:

Power is the ability to cause or prevent change.

Reed's power dynamic is ultimately psychopathic based. As is the NWO. Might is right.

When it becomes clear to Hammond he cannot influence Reed's course, they part ways. But what specifically are the differences between these opposing mind-sets on the exercise of power, the ends as well the means to them ? Up to now we have not really answered that question. In a minute, that will change.

Even if we base The Project governance structure on the present day 'Pirate Party', you can rest assured that behind the scenes there will be struggles between the Generals and Hammond (& his contingent).

Now, what of John Hammond's power base dynamic ? How shall we define it ?

Last couple months I've been studying the work of Linda Kohanov with horses and the insights she's derived from her many years engagement with the species which she articulates most recently, & in great detail, in "The Power of the Herd: A Nonpredatory Approach to Social Intelligence, Leadership and Innovation" and in an earlier tome, "The Tao of Equus". It is from this vantage that I would shape John Hammond's power base psychology.

Here's just one quick ref link to whet your whistle:

http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/review/ ... innovation

And a good companion work, the now classic "Leadership Without Easy Answers" by Ronald Heifetz.

Review: http://www.scottlondon.com/reviews/heifetz.html

Detailed .pdf: http://www6.miami.edu/pld/article_on_ad ... change.pdf

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[Rman Virgil]

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This brief is about a RL movement that entirely escaped my attention and is not reflected on the expanded timeline. I believe it should be.

It is an intriguing grassroots counter to the NWO machinations and it also fills a hole in the psych profile of one of the lead characters that has been eluding me. Something was missing but I couldn't put my finger on it until I accidentally stumbled on BioPunk / BioHacking. Shazam !, it felt like a natural fit for her. **

So ..... next revision of the expanded timeline (this weekend) will include the results of this recent epiphany, plus Lord Appoc's modular robotics suggestion for the Seattle Mechs.

Here are some key links on BioPunk / BioHacking:

* Overview - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biopunk

* Manifesto - http://maradydd.livejournal.com/496085.html

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** Edit: Snap ! I am referring to this character:

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I feel I have a better grasp of the Hammond and Reed characters and their unfolding relationship. I also feel likewise about the female character, the lone radical activist known to the world as "Godiva". I've just come to giving her the name she was born with - Taryn Carvelle.

Who also happens to be the unnamed, shadowy, protagonist coursing through the 5 short fiction sequence (called "mini sagas") that I posted on page 28 of this thread - here, if you missed them amidst the other oddities :

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10480&start=405
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[Goth Zagog-Thou]

Rman, a bit of good reference material I came across might interest you -- it's a future where machines have gained sentience. Tears of Steel if you're interested.

[Rman Virgil]

Rman, a bit of good reference material I came across might interest you -- it's a future where machines have gained sentience. Tears of Steel if you're interested.

Wow. Very much interested. Everything about it. Not just the story line. Wasn't on my radar at all. Love checking into these type projects: original Sci Fi Indie, live action, dig movie, as both entertainment and a technical learning opportunity.Thanks for the heads-up, Goth.
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[Goth Zagog-Thou]

Anytime, brother.

[Rman Virgil]

Anytime, brother.

The tech production values of "Tears of Steel" were impressive.

I could tell they wanted to make a "Dramedy" (melding Drama and Comedy). They had effective moments of each.... but most of the intended comedy fell flat for me.

To pull off Dramedy you need to be character driven and in their short time frame that's a challenge better met with not so many character PoVs. I think they would have been better off going dark drama with a moment or two comedic wit... like say the cult classic "Pitch Black". Still quite a technical and visual crafting achievement.

But like I said in the other thread about a WZ movie - it goes back to a compelling story / script.

You can spend 100s of millions on production values, like Hollywood often does, with a weak story going in and it will bomb just like Johnny Dep's "Lone Ranger" did or Brad Pit's Zombie epic. Or you can have a very modest budget and production values but great character-driven storytelling, like "Walking Dead" or "Firefly" or the BSG reboot, and you have something that will endure long after its creation.
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[Rman Virgil]

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Latest iteration of the Expanded Timeline.
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[Rman Virgil]

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A FlaMe map editor oddity I recently uncovered that put a bit of a kabosh on my WZ Zen map making-designing mojo.

~ Rubble = Gravel

No it doesn't. Not to my language understanding. Not to the Oxford Unabridged when I double checked. And not in RL utilitarian experience.

So then, after getting through the mystery of what was selectively breaking Path Finding, it actually became interesting in the realm of WZ's inner workings and some derived design exploits which I'll never use 'cause they could be construed as cheating, which is also why I'm disinclined to detail them..

However, let me first backtrack for a hot minute to lay the groundwork for how I got to this nettlesome place.

I had an itch to get back to what a I was doing the first year FlaMe was released (and also familiarize myself with the significant changes in the editor's last iteration).

Added to my interest in sweeping, 250 x 250 organic asymmetry, using at least 30% water surface, multi-tiered, total curvature on the macro and micro levels, I wanted to perfect what I call my various Scavenger Earthworks using a different tile set and taking full account of FlaMe NOT being wysiwyg as well as the idiosyncracies of how the new Terrain Renderer blended textures and decals. I also wanted it all to come together in an aesthetic of landscape beauty whose appeal is deeply linked to our species evolution.

Now back to FlaMe making Rubble = Gravel.....

In order to do what you see in the screens below, I had to make a tradeoff and NOT use the gravel brushes anywhere.

Those of you with deep FlaMe (and GPM) experience will likely be able to ferret out an understanding of the very selective PF breakage and its exploitive implications. Like I said at the top, not sure about spelling it out.

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Some early visuals of what I'm after are displayed in the attached screens.

In keeping with this thread's title and mantra, they exhibit a certain "oddity".

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[Rman Virgil]

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Another Scav Earthworks map section. The 1st was circular and at sea level. This one is rectilinear and above sea level.

Strictly a SP map and a very odd one to boot.
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