Flats were common on Earth compared to elsewhere, but there were plenty of current morphs around back then too. Ten years isn't very long for R&D, especially for a product that takes months or years to design, grow, test, and refine. Synthmorphs and pods would be around almost as-is, perhaps minus the Shaper for pods and any of the gatecrashing synthmorphs, the Steel and Galatea. And...thinking on it, you'd probably see proportionately more combat synthmorphs than you do today, especially compared to every-day synthmorphs. A lot of those would fall to the TITANs, so you probably saw plenty of very robust combat designs go extinct during that period. As for what non-flat and -splicer morphs were around? Sylphs, exalts, olympians, bouncers, hibernoids, mentons, furies especially, the uplift morphs, rusters, and so on would be running all over the place pre-Fall, at least long enough for one generation to be old enough to be able to give birth to the current generation of people who are born in those morphs (MRG for the Hibernoid for example, or all background tables in Transhuman for starting morph-by-origin). Obviously furies are probably the exception to that, more out of common sense than any impossibility, since that would be an x-risk come their first pre teen breakup, heh. The proportions are skewed, sure, and by strict number most of the world is still in either flats or "splicers" made so after the fact, which I'm counting as not-flats for sake of simplicity. Looking at the timeline, you've got 40-60 years that genefixing's been around, which is enough for 2-3 generations or so by the time the Fall hit. So the population of Earth at least in something other than baseline flats, whether through genefixing, resleeve, or being born that way...eh, depends on how optimistic/cynical you want to be, but probably closing in on two, two and a half billion, mostly in the developed countries. Maybe more, but I'm assuming access to better morphs indicates access to better assets in other ways, so those populations would be better equipped to survive/escape body-intact.

I disagree on hibernoids and bouncers being remotely common on earth. bouncers do not do well when approaching normal gravity and i do not see hibernoids getting much shore leave. Mentons are probly on existent in or near R&D facilities

For my own view of pre-Fall Earth, I'd say that flats made up about 90% of the population in the more wealthy countries, even more in poorer countries. Just because the technology exists doesn't mean it would be widespread. I think most wouldn't be able to afford it. Based on the description of pre-Fall Earth in the corebook, it doesn't strike me as the kind of place where the teeming masses had access to the latest in genetic engineering and other augments. That would be reserved for the elites and their henchmen, living in their gated communities and striving to keep the hordes of flats at bay.

I would say that Splicers would be the most common. By the time of the Fall, even if most people weren't resleeved even once yet, most people would have, a generation or possibly two ago, had gene-tweaks that raised them to Splicer standard, and their kids would have inherited those gene-tweaks, both naturally and from in-vivo and in-vitro prenatal care. Only in absolute third-world shitholes would Flats have outnumbered Splicers.

dizzyrosecal wrote:

There's a section in the Gatecrashing book where a woman who claims to have been born in 1987 says that she never resleeved. If she never resleeved, yet was so old then is she an extreme bioconservative? Her words don't seem to suggest that. Or could it be the case that she simply augmented her flat over time to turn it, mechanically, into a splicer?

You can't actually turn a Flat into a Splicer. Aptitude maximums will remain the same, and the Flat will have the lack of the aptitude bonus. You can go all the rest of the way, though, basic biomods, mesh inserts, etc, are all available a augs.

Actually, in this case I would consider morphs to be "upgrade packages" to flats instead of new morphs. The vast majority of people haven't resleeved, but "reasonable" augmentation would be common. This would be genefixes, yes, but there could also be invasive procedures using them there newfangled healing vats to convert a flat or splicer into one of the "upgraded" humans. It's a thorny can o' worms for later games, but honestly I think it comes down to "resleeving is more cost effective than morph conversion" and that's the big reason why people don't do it anymore. Not that it's impossible, but because it's simply more difficult than just growing a new body from the get-go. You'll also have the opportunity to work in some manufacturing defects in newer morphs as some implants are still in "trial runs". This is transhumanity without the benefit of 10 years (conventional) experience (I'd count it as 30+ years, subjective). Most non-nano gear would be available, but it's not cleared clinical trials.

Mac i did not mean riots over economic access but rather the morality or ethicality of it

I'd say in the year before the Fall the mix of Splicers and Falts was about 50:50 in industrial developed countries. And those that didn't have Splicers were genefixed (had basic biomods). It is a great way for a government to reduce health care costs to get bbms for most of your population. Also I'd say that about one generation before the Fall getting a spliced child was common even in middle calss families. So during the Fall most young adults were born Splicers. But in older generations (biomodded) Flats were still dominating. Other morphs were uncommon but existed. All Synths and Pods were almost exclusively inhabited by AIs. The upper class had access to more exotic morphs (Exalts, Olympians, Sylphs). Bouncers and Hibernoids were common among people living in space. Most military personal had access to Furies. Normal people living in synthetic or pod morphs only became a thing after the Fall since bodies were scarce. Splicers are now the standard biomorph since a) people from rich countries who had at least some money had a higher chance of escaping with their bodies intact and b) the Splicer is now the standard biomorph that is getting produced. Flats are only 'produced' by natural reproduction. And even when the parents are Flats, they likely try to get their child upgraded to a Splicer

I wouldn't mix up genetic anomalies and morphs. Someone with a mutation that makes the person perform better in one area probably has the Exceptional Aptitude trait. I think the years before the Fall were a bit like in the movie GATACA. Rich parents could get tailor-made children. "I want my child to win the olymic games!" -> Olympian "I want my child to win the Nobel Price!" -> Menton ... The only reason this didn't lead to uprisings was, the basic human 2.0 (the Splicer) was available to most people.

Keep in mind that the history we get is written in-character from a very angry autonomist. It's not exactly a researched primary source-based recounting,and is by someone who has a very vested interest in demonizing the old ways.

Sunward touched upon it of course but it didn't really cover prefall. And mac I disagree with your idea that things could be worse than early 1900's. people may tolerate their standard of living being stagnant but they sure as hell will not let it get any worse.

Though there was mention of how national governments sought to curtail the transhumanism parts (part of why the Hypercorps expanded to space, no laws against splicers, bouncers, hibernoids, etc. in space).