Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[10ebbor10]

so we want nano-machines instead of nanites, is that what your saying?

Nanomachines = Nanites

No real difference. Just that one's more often used to refer to a magicified deus ex machina version of the other.
I just want to prevent a situation where the solution to every problem is to throw nanomachines at it.

[Ukrainian Ranger]

+1 to 10ebbor10

I hate nanites in Sci-fi settings because they look like magic...

I can understand insectsized microrobots (Still energy issue should be solved) but everything smaller than that and doing complex things is like having a bacteria that can build an airliner

[Unholy_Pariah]

while i strongly disagree with your stance that nanomachines are magicified proteins that cant build complex structures i do agree that we should put some limits on their in game functionality,

being able to just throw them at an asteroid and have it morph into a ship for example is just utterly ridiculous, having them fabricate complex mechanical components to reduce construction costs or speed up construction on the other hand is perfectly fine by me as long as people don't expect them to miraculously be able to make an ion engine for $50 in half an hour.

Edit: Personally i also dislike the Hollywood style nanites that you see that almost instantaneously repair any damage done to larger structures and can construct anything provided the have access to large amounts of power.
nano-machines are really only artificial cells after all and thus would only be capable of performing comparable actions at maybe a few times faster at best. but provided they had all of the necessary materials i do believe they could build a ship... although i believe it would take them months to complete it and it would be more like growing a whale then constructing a vessel.

[10ebbor10]

Well, they can build complex structures, but they can't do that from scratch. You'd have to design quite a few a lot of types of nanomachines, each one adding component molecules.
They're not robots after all. A nanomachine is a very, very simple thing. It sees it trigger material, bonds with it, adds or breaks of a molecule, and that's all. By combining different nanomachines you can do complex stuff, (example: Humans) but you're having a very hard time to plan a chemical ecosystem as complicated at that.

Oh, and nanobots are smaller than cells. They're proteins. The cell would be the nanomachine creator, at best.

[Brood]

Well since it's Mesors sheet it's his version of nanites. So I'm gonna wait for him to explain

[10ebbor10]

Well since it's Mesors sheet it's his version of nanites. So I'm gonna wait for him to explain

Actually, since it's the GM's game, it's his version of nanites.

And well, considering against who's suggestion my original nanites ain't magic post started, I don't think it changes anything about the argument.

[Brood]

Normally the one who made the character decides. But I'll wait and see how it goes.

[10ebbor10]

Normally the one who made the character decides. But I'll wait and see how it goes.

Rule 1 of forum games: The GM is always right.

[tryrar]

Indeed. Given I mentioned a Grey Goo scenario, I'll allow something closer to Hollywood, but as metioned with severe(treaty-imposed) limits. Those being no )lrgal) offensive use of nanites, they run simple AIs, and they have built-in killswitches.


Also, appears the colony has the most votes, so we're going with that!


The ability to design to your heart's desire wins over any other consideration, so you send off a reply to the planetary government while you pull up info on TYX-9-B. It is a typical G-class main sequence star, about 25% larger than Sol, with 7 planets, though the only habitable planet is a rocky world 50% larger than Terra. While it is also of terran type, it only has oceanic coverage of about 35% of it's surface, and an unusually high oxygen concentration that prohibits any sort of habitation at lower altitudes(though it has spectacular mountain ranges!). Of note, the locals have taken to calling the place Jotun.

The other planets consist of a tidally-locked semi-molten planet orbiting very close to the star, a rocky, nearly airless planet on the other side of the star from Jotun, an impressively large asteroid belt, a Super-Jovian planet with over 30 moons, a Saturn analog, and an unusual double-planet system consisting of two closely orbiting gas giants about the same size as Neptune.
While you are browsing this info, you get a beep on your terminal. It's the planetary governor of Jotun, a man by the name of Garent Drak, wanting a video chat. You quickly connect to him.
"My friend, thank you for your quickly reply to our offer! We have a very pressing need of talent like yours, and we will spare no expense in getting it!"
He goes on that the offer includes paid travel to the system, your own office and lab, a VERY generous stipend, complete freedom in your designs, 3 assistants, and if things go well possibly your own cabinet post! You can't agree fast enough, and arrange for the date you'll be traveling to the system. Before you sign off though, he asks you what you're looking for in assistants.
Ok, before we switch scenes to the colony, you'll need to come up with what you want your assistants to be able to do. For instance, maybe you want a guy who knows power plants, or someone who has knowledge of fusion engines.

[10ebbor10]

Indeed. Given I mentioned a Grey Goo scenario, I'll allow something closer to Hollywood, but as metioned with severe(treaty-imposed) limits. Those being no )lrgal) offensive use of nanites, they run simple AIs, and they have built-in killswitches.

Meh. Magic nanites it is then. _{I'm going to ignore the GM and still go with sensible stuff}.

So, since we're working with _Magic nanites we want

a) A computer specialist (To design nanite ecosystems/ magical nanite AI)
b) A wirelesspower transmission specialist. (Nanites are too small for batteries_{or AI's, but anyway})
c) A power generation specialist. (We're using several energy hungry techniques)

[Ukrainian Ranger]

Heh...

a) Ace fighter pilot,  who was kicked from the navy after he punched an officer

b) AI coder , preferably a female teenager

c) Power generation specialist: colonial powerplant designer who lost his job after colony produced more powerplants than colony needs. He doesn't want to emigrate from the colony because of his family.

[Brood]

Indeed. Given I mentioned a Grey Goo scenario, I'll allow something closer to Hollywood, but as metioned with severe(treaty-imposed) limits. Those being no )lrgal) offensive use of nanites, they run simple AIs, and they have built-in killswitches.

Meh. Magic nanites it is then. _{I'm going to ignore the GM and still go with sensible stuff}.

So, since we're working with _Magic nanites we want

a) A computer specialist (To design nanite ecosystems/ magical nanite AI)
b) A wirelesspower transmission specialist. (Nanites are too small for batteries_{or AI's, but anyway})
c) A power generation specialist. (We're using several energy hungry techniques)

+1 to this one.

[~Neri]

Power tech, ai specialist, and mining tech, we are at a colony, we will need to mine, we will be able to get more assistants later anyways, also I agree with having a teenager as the ai tech, teens are always better coders then adults, more imagination and all that fun stuffs.

[Shades]

b) A wirelesspower transmission specialist. (Nanites are too small for batteries_{or AI's, but anyway})

considering we already have nano-machines that don't use wireless power sources it seems you sticking to claiming it's impossible for sci-fi to manage it.

[10ebbor10]

b) A wirelesspower transmission specialist. (Nanites are too small for batteries_{or AI's, but anyway})

considering we already have nano-machines that don't use wireless power sources it seems you sticking to claiming it's impossible for sci-fi to manage it.

We do? Quote please. (Also, I don't quite understand what you're trying to say.)

Nanites can be powered wirelessly, or use chemical reactions. Problem with the last is that it limits the nanite to exothermic reactions.