Welcome! These forums will be deactivated by the end of this year. The conversation continues in a new morph over on Discord! Please join us there for a more active conversation and the occasional opportunity to ask developers questions directly! Go to the PS+ Discord Server.

Kojak's Random Questions

11 posts / 0 new

Last post

Fri, 2015-09-11 07:54

Kojak

Kojak's Random Questions

I have random questions about EP often enough that it seemed wise to consolidate what would otherwise be numerous threads into a single thread where I post whatever questions pop into my head. Without further ado: Is the skinflex augmentation sophisticated enough to defeat biometric systems? What about a synthmorph with a synthetic mask and skinflex? How common is it for folks to use beta or delta forks in the inner system? What sort of security, physical and mesh, would be most common in locations run by criminals? Are the Ultimates biochauvinists? One might assume so, but I could find nothing in the text to support this assumption...so are there uplift Ultimates? Synth or AGI Ultimates? Can an infomorph in a ghostrider be transmitted to an airgapped system via the skinlink augmentation?

—

"I wonder if in some weird Freudian way, Kojak was sucking on his own head." - Steve Webster on Kojak's lollipop

Fri, 2015-09-11 11:30

DivineWrath DivineWrath's picture

Kojak wrote:Is the skinflex

Kojak wrote:
Is the skinflex augmentation sophisticated enough to defeat biometric systems? What about a synthmorph with a synthetic mask and skinflex?

I don't know exactly what goes into a biometric scan, so I'm making some educated guesses. I don't think that skinflex is enough. Skinflex changes your appearance, but it can't change your DNA or make it appear that you actually have biological material if you are a synthmorph. Also T-Ray sensors can see right through synthetic materials. Synthetic mask might work against T-Rays. T-Rays don't work well against water, so most biomorphs look rather solid to them. It depends on how realistic you try to go. Also, biometric scans are not ideal. Biometrics can be rendered useless or inaccurate by doing something as simple as changing bodies. Other standards are normally used. Panopticon, p. 34

Quote:
The drawback is that terahertz scanners will not detect contraband implanted within biological bodies, as t-rays do not penetrate skin.

The Panopticon book would be your best bet to find information on the omnipresent surveillance and how to defeat it. I haven't read it for a while so details are bit fuzzy.

Kojak wrote:
Are the Ultimates biochauvinists? One might assume so, but I could find nothing in the text to support this assumption...so are there uplift Ultimates? Synth or AGI Ultimates?

I don't think so. At least not to an extreme. I don't think they are against using Reaper morphs. They are not humans that will be against going synthetic, they're just kinda obsessed with going as far as human can go. They're survivors, so they will be pragmatic when they have to. There is an Ultimate faction that specializes in using analog tech, analog because it is not easily hacked if it possible to hack them. They only use high tech to fight TITANs if high tech is by far the better option than the alternative (like having some guardian nanohives instead of none). Most of that sub-faction members survived holding back the TITANs back during the fall, so they favor biomorphs and analog tech because both are very hard to hack for TITANs. I imagine that the rest of the Ultimates often follow their example. I don't think they are against non-human getting into the faction, but they have high standards. I think one of the books describes their attitudes quite well. Rimward, p. 122

Quote:
For those such as you, the anarchists, the scum, and autonomists, we see you as survivors, but not like us. You are tenacious survivors, but so is the cockroach. Worse, you are weaker than the cockroach, as you allow the sick, the infirm, and the unfit to live among you and even procreate.

Basically, I see them looking at everyone with that same kind of attitude. You might be powerful now, skilled now, wealthy now, or the very opposite of the said qualities. It does not matter. What will you be in the future? Can you prove that you will become something worth while? Everyone else is to be exploited or exterminated as convenient.

Fri, 2015-09-11 11:53

DivineWrath DivineWrath's picture

Kojak wrote:Can an infomorph

Kojak wrote:
Can an infomorph in a ghostrider be transmitted to an airgapped system via the skinlink augmentation?

I would allow it. I see no reason why it could not. Skinlink is a valid data communication device in my books.

Fri, 2015-09-11 12:16

Maudova

SkinLink

Divine posted pretty much the same thing I did. Redacted

—

~Alpha Fork Initialized. P.S. I often post from my phone as I travel extensively for work. Please forgive typos and grammar issues.

Fri, 2015-09-11 18:23

Kojak

DivineWrath wrote:Kojak wrote

DivineWrath wrote:
Kojak wrote:
Is the skinflex augmentation sophisticated enough to defeat biometric systems? What about a synthmorph with a synthetic mask and skinflex?
I don't know exactly what goes into a biometric scan, so I'm making some educated guesses. I don't think that skinflex is enough. Skinflex changes your appearance, but it can't change your DNA or make it appear that you actually have biological material if you are a synthmorph. Also T-Ray sensors can see right through synthetic materials. Synthetic mask might work against T-Rays. T-Rays don't work well against water, so most biomorphs look rather solid to them. It depends on how realistic you try to go. Also, biometric scans are not ideal. Biometrics can be rendered useless or inaccurate by doing something as simple as changing bodies. Other standards are normally used. Panopticon, p. 34
Quote:
The drawback is that terahertz scanners will not detect contraband implanted within biological bodies, as t-rays do not penetrate skin.
The Panopticon book would be your best bet to find information on the omnipresent surveillance and how to defeat it. I haven't read it for a while so details are bit fuzzy.

Well, the core book gives examples of biometric authentication: scanning fingerprints, palm prints, retinal scans or DNA samples. It says they were popular before the Fall but have since largely fallen out of use for pretty much exactly the reasons you outlined; that being said, there's still plenty of pre-Fall infrastructure around, and I imagine they might still have their uses with criminals or biochauvinists. So could skinflex "impersonate" any of those example accurately?

—

"I wonder if in some weird Freudian way, Kojak was sucking on his own head." - Steve Webster on Kojak's lollipop

Sat, 2015-09-12 01:38

Noble Pigeon Noble Pigeon's picture

Since it wasn't worth

Since it wasn't worth creating its own topic I guess I'll dump a question here that I've had for a while now. How exactly does media that provides 100% customized content for an individual become viable in any culture? As in, movies that can have different tones, or endings, or stuff like that. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of telling a coherent story that everyone has watched and can therefore all relate to? For example, if Game of Thrones was released in the time of Eclipse Phase, how exactly would the show be interesting at all if several characters who die end up surviving for different people because, preference I guess? How are EP film makers (or whatever the hell they're called, can't recall it at the moment) supposed to tell the stories [i]they[/i] want to tell if everyone wants complete or near-complete control over the story? Also, and I think this was asked in some other thread but I can't quite recall: what's the point of speaking more than one language in Eclipse Phase if AIs are able to instantaneously translate languages with native levels of nuance and subtlety? If they can get a language skill at 80, which is described as "worthy of being a system-renowned authority on the subject", I'd say that would negate any reason at all to learn any other language ever. Saying that purely as a strawman, of course. I rather hate the idea of people refusing to learn languages because "oh its more convenient for AIs to speak for me".

—

"Don't believe everything you read on the Internet.” -Abraham Lincoln, State of the Union address

Sat, 2015-09-12 01:51

Trappedinwikipedia Trappedinwikipedia's picture

Fully custom media won't be

Fully custom media won't be much like a movie. I'd expect it to be kind of like the Roy game from Rick and Morty than more linear media. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szzVlQ653as The routes people take, and the things they do are what tie people together, rather than normal fandom commiserating. I think that traditional media which isn't based around the events the watcher wants is still a things as well though, I don't see it getting wiped out. I don't think AI can real-time translate with native levels of nuance, I don't even think that possible due to the many, many parts of language which lack precise equivalents in other languages. Knowing a language yourself means you know all the little things, which is helpful in a lot of situations. I'd also expect learning a language to be pretty easy, thanks to how multilingual most of the system is. Going back a bit, I'm not sure if skinflex could fool biometrics, but I think it seems very plausible, as doing a retinal scan should be super easy for even everyday encounters. It would also help expand the niche of a uncommon piece of gear.

Sat, 2015-09-12 06:36

DivineWrath DivineWrath's picture

Kojak wrote:Well, the core

Kojak wrote:
Well, the core book gives examples of biometric authentication: scanning fingerprints, palm prints, retinal scans or DNA samples. It says they were popular before the Fall but have since largely fallen out of use for pretty much exactly the reasons you outlined; that being said, there's still plenty of pre-Fall infrastructure around, and I imagine they might still have their uses with criminals or biochauvinists. So could skinflex "impersonate" any of those example accurately?

I suppose I gave an answer you could get from the books. I don't think that skinflex is capable of doing what you are asking for. You will either need to reprogram skinflex (maybe at a -30 penalty), or you will have to buy another set of nanoware designed to do just that. Looking through the list of what is in the books, there doesn't appear to anything that does what you want. You might want to price the new augment as High or Expensive.

Noble Pigeon wrote:
How exactly does media that provides 100% customized content for an individual become viable in any culture? As in, movies that can have different tones, or endings, or stuff like that. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of telling a coherent story that everyone has watched and can therefore all relate to? For example, if Game of Thrones was released in the time of Eclipse Phase, how exactly would the show be interesting at all if several characters who die end up surviving for different people because, preference I guess?

I would expect that you would retain the ability to watch a default ending. I would think that many, if not most, people will watch the default ending first. Doing alternate endings is something that should be something you do for the same reason you might go read a fan fiction. I expect that it would be difficult to do multiple seasons or sequels if you can choose your own ending. From what I understand, the problem with many fan fictions is that many of those writers kill off all the bad characters and solves all the problems the characters face. Without conflict, people quickly lose interest. A secret to writing is to keep the audience wanting more. If all the problems or conflicts are resolved in the first season, then there is no point in a second season. You would have to create new conflicts to be resolved for a second season to have a point. (I tried to avoid spoilers) Take Game of Thrones for instance. Near the end, everything looked like it was going to be neatly resolved. One side won, and the other side lost. The conflict was set to be resolved in such a way to avoid a war (no big battles had yet happened). But then, one character's ego got in the way and opted to punish the losing side in such a way that they could not bear. In the second season, it was about the war that was started, and how other factions that had not yet entered the conflict were poised to take advantage of a losing side, or both sides if they were weakened enough.

Sat, 2015-09-12 18:54

Leetsepeak Leetsepeak's picture

I get the impression from the

I get the impression from the books that's there's a bunch of different kinds of content that look a bit like contemporary movies. I'm sure the old-fashioned movie still has a place in the culture. The methods used to make them will have totally revolutionized, and it's trivially easy to make special effects and stuff like that for people. If you want, you could theoretically treat this old-form of media as experiencing a cultural renaissance. I think the next most common thing would be XPs from the perspectives of different characters in linear narratives with customization options. After that I expect deeply interactive media to be the one in "competition" with those XPs that people tend to enjoy watching. One might be more popular than the other, but I would think of them as two separate things.

Mon, 2015-09-14 19:09

#10

GreyBrother GreyBrother's picture

Regarding the Media thing

Regarding the Media thing with multiple choices etc, just look at Bioware RPGs. Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Baldurs Gate all feature ways on how the story can drastically look different depending on the choices you make and the community interacts appropriately. They look for different approaches, favor specific ones, argue that one choice was not the morally right etc. I imagine that XPs will be kinda similar as multiple choice videogames, only with a lot more depth. And of course, some will just be a dungeon crawl where the decision is more "how did you defeat the monster" than playing out big intrigues.

Tue, 2015-09-15 02:25

#11

uwtartarus uwtartarus's picture

People make a living off of

People make a living off of XP's so I imagine that they do so by repeating a certain action numerous times for these presupposed customized content. Basically, XP producers pay X-casters (creators of XP's) to do the Freerunning stunt for their Commander Shepherd character for one choice, then redo the stunt for a different choice, and then against for yet another choice, and these XP producers take ALL of these myriad XP's and edit them together into the choice-decision-tree things that we have already mastered in the 21st century and it's Bioware video game things, to say nothing of the less game sort of games like Heavy Rain and Indigo Prophecy and L.A. Noir, which are closer to the Visual Novels from Japan,which have all sorts of endings and such, determined by player choices, which are then ways for players to discuss their media. No one watches Casablanca and talks about how the ONE ending they saw affected them, because they can talk about how they felt about Ending One, and how they almost didn't get Ending Two on their next play through, etc etc. like what folks have sort of said already.

—

Exhuman, and Humanitarian.