I'm working on a scenario for Eclipse Phase to run for my gaming group -- it's the first time I've run EP, or any transhuman SF game, or really any hard-SF game at all. It's been a challenge getting all the details right, and I have a few questions about how certain parts of the setting are "supposed" to work.
1) How durable is a typical nanoswarm supposed to be, w/r/t environmental pressure and temperature? Could I deploy a nanoswarm on the surface of Venus, for example?
2) Do synthmorphs have cortical stacks, or do they just store a backup in their cyberbrain? The rules for removing a cortical stack assume that you're removing it from a biomorph -- is popping the stack from a synthmorph harder? Easier? Do you just hit an "eject" button?
3) On pages 314-315 of the Core Rulebook, it says, "Because it is exceptionally safe and secure, quantum farcasting via neutrino communications is the primary means of both long-distance communication between habitats and egocasting." However, on page 75 of Panopticon, it says, "Neutrino farcasters are too easy to intercept, even with encryption, so most egocasting services use line-of-sight laser for moving egos within local clusters of habs and millimeter-wave radio for long distances." Which of these statements should be considered correct? Since quantum encryption is unbreakable and instantly alerts both parties if it is even tampered with, it seems like it shouldn't matter that much if your neutrino beam is intercepted.
4) Finally, quantum farcasting requires that both farcasters "must first be entangled together (on a quantum level) in the same physical location," and a quantum farcaster "may not be used to securely communicate with any farcasters other than the ones it is entangled with." (CR, p. 314) The setting also implies that egocasting via quantum farcast is by far the most common means of travel, especially for long distances. This seems to suggest that every (or nearly every) habitat has at some point physically sent its quantum farcaster around to every other habitat in the solar system, in order to get them all entangled. Is this correct? Otherwise, if habs only entangle with their nearest neighbors, a long-distance egocast would require several connecting "hops," re-transmitting from hab to hab until the signal reaches its destination.
Thanks for any input. I can make up answers to any of these, of course, but I'm quite interested to know what others think.
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new GM with a few setting questions
Tue, 2013-05-14 10:13
#1
mikegentry
new GM with a few setting questions
Tue, 2013-05-14 15:51
#2
puke
Some shots in the dark
Smarter people than me will chime in here, but I'll take some shots anyway:
Not very durable. A little breeze or overpressure should keep them at bay, air curtains should strip off a personal swarm. Explosions (especially things like FAE) and EMPs are designed to wipe them out entirely.
The surface of venus is pretty extreme -- I think there was an example somewhere of a TITAN swarm (must stronger than any human made swarm) having to be contained in some sort of storage unit while on the surface of venus, so that it could be (un)safely released once it was moved into a hab. If vented in the atmosphere, it would have been lost.
Cyberbrains serve the same function as stacks. Synths may also have stacks as a secondary backup method. Tertiary backup, actually -- as there is little reason for Cyberbrains and Stacks not to be constantly streaming to some off-site (or off-body) backup location.
Oops. Somebody made a mistake. I think the Panopticon assumption must be that Neutrinos cant be generated directionally, and are easy to read from any location. This may have changed from the core book assumptions, so pick your own. Also, pick your interpretation on wither quantum encryption is just quantum key exchange, or if the entire message is being transmitted via quantum entangled condensates.
Consequences either way. Breaking encryption (these days) usually has more to do with insecurity in the protocols and algorithms involved, and less with brute force. Pick whatever excuses make your game fun to play, and dont get too wrapped up in the speculative techno-babble.
well, you dont have to move the whole far-caster around. but you do have to traffic in quantum entangled pairs. say you generate 100 terabits (a trivial amount of data in EP terms) of worth of pairs on Luna. You keep one half of each pair on Luna, and send the other half to Extropia on a shuttle, or maybe in a paper lunch bag.
You can then talk between those locations for 100Tb worth of talking. When you run out, you'll need to generate and ship more. When you want to talk with someone else, you need to exchange pre-entangled qbits with them. Again, brown paper lunch bags are probably the way to go. Dont look in the bag unless you really have something important to say.
The multi-hop thing gets expensive, and it eats up entangled pairs for each hop you want to talk on. Maybe its cheaper than shipping entangled pairs between distant points, that probably depends on some factors that are complicated to model and would be better left to the particular demands of your plot.
Tue, 2013-05-14 23:35
#3
Decivre
mikegentry wrote:I'm working
Welcome to the community, Mike. I hope you enjoy the game.
Nanoswarms are surprisingly durable, but have limitations. Even on Venus, the viscosity of the air allows the nanoswarm to float, giving it the capability to construct... in theory.
Unfortunately, one of the key weaknesses of transhuman nanoswarms is that they require a fairly stable area to function properly. High winds and vortices can disrupt their ability to function. And I believe that the lower atmosphere of Venus suffers from severe winds.
Now temperature is a finicky issue, as temperature tolerance will likely vary from swarm to swarm, based on composition and type. But I would definitely presume that they could work within, at the very least, maximum biological tolerances. Consider that the Surya has nanoswarms helping it survive on the Sun.
A cyberbrain has the ego stored in solid-state memory, effectively working in a similar manner to the stack. They are most likely also reinforced for protection in the same manner. As for accessing them, it'll probably be a bit harder. Getting to the solid state memory likely involves opening the head assembly, and getting to where the memory storage is located... at the very least requiring some specialized tools for synthmorph maintenance. A utilitool might suffice. But it is certainly more intensive then stabbing and prying with a knife.
This seems to be an error. It's safe to assume that Neutrino transmissions are secure if they are quantum encrypted. Laser and millimeter-wave transmissions are best when dealing with much shorter ranges... like hab to hab in a local area, or hab to nearby ship. They require a significantly smaller power draw, and can probably be done faster and without any encryption at all.
Farcasters likely are modular devices, being an assembly of parts rather than a single unified device. Considering this, the only part that would require being imported from a locale in order for proper entanglement is the actual quantum encryption component. It's likely that habitats trade these devices with other habitats with which they have a good rapport. And these transactions are likely done at low cost, because both habitats will benefit to have a travel line between them. The only scenario I can see where a person would need to make multiple hops is if they are heading someplace that is politically hostile to their point of origin.
I hope that helps.
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Thu, 2013-05-16 09:49
#4
nezumi.hebereke
Regarding neutrino security,
Regarding neutrino security, I think the different authors are using different definitions of 'security'. A neutrino broadcast largely guarantees successful transmission, securing you from corruption or non-availability (pretty important when that farcaster is your only way out of a TITAN Quarantine Zone). However, it's especially vulnerable when it comes to confidentiality. A neutrino farcaster needs additional security to protect it in that regard, while it's exceptionally potent in the other areas.
I know "low cost" is sort of a vague qualifier. I don't imagine that exchanging quantum keys is done cheap enough that for your average lower-income/rep person would be able to use it. There are costs first in producing entangled pairs, then in shipping them. For a modern-day comparison, imagine the costs of getting a custom-printed book, shipped from Australia, taking a six-month journey. It will be expensive enough that you'll complain.
I do think though that most habitats will have pairs with most other habitats, or at least they'll set it up like our modern airline hub, where you have twenty major ports that are all connected, and everywhere else is connected off of one of those ports. If you live in a thosuand-person habitat on the brink, not a lot of people will be willing to invest in buying heaps of quantum bits on the possibility that someone MIGHT want to go out there.
Thu, 2013-05-16 19:20
#5
puke
nezumi.hebereke wrote:For a
Well, to abuse the analogy, its more like someone pays for a few tens of thousands of custom books to be printed and then moves them overseas in a shipping container. You then may pay them for the privilege of tearing out individual pages for your own use.
Still more expensive than a phone call, but you get to enjoy the benefit of economies of scale.
Fri, 2013-05-17 05:05
#6
jhfurnish
puke wrote:nezumi.hebereke
Your retake on the analogy seems to speak to acquiring forks of a personality for single uses, in respect to 'pages'.
It's strange that a concept such as 'economy of scale' could possibly be applied to human beings ('egos') and their skillsets, but in the transhuman future postulated by EP it certainly does seem possible. Human beings become very fluid.
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Fri, 2013-05-17 12:38
#7
puke
Wow, thats an awesome take I
Wow, thats an awesome take I hadn't thought of. Actually, I was just describing the use of quantum entangled pairs: shipped in bulk and then used gradually for individuals to send secure transmissions.
Ego trafficking, awesome idea. Forks wouldn't even need to be one time use, unless you were legally trafficking in Alphas of indentures. The PCs could come in as an Ozma squad or something, to investigate illegal copies being made / forks being resold multiple times.