And I just thought of something else. If they have that thing on the sword... and they use it to create manipulators on the sword... and manufacturing manipulators requires 2kms free of people or any other sort of interference... how the hell do they make manipulators on the sword? Do they shoot the AM out an airlock and have her do it with her mind while outside the ship?
They don't. Most of the armory equipment, like MK suits, gauss/laser rifles, avatars, ect. aren't manufactured- they are just stored in the Sword. Manips are probably the same, especially since there's so few types.
Then again, how would they manufacture automanips used in prototypes from VR? I don't remember anyone ever actually getting a prototype automanip created though, so maybe we just wouldn't be allowed to get VR created automanips.
There were four other squads dropped in for separate missions in the area. What happened to them? Where are these non-us prisoners hiding? Are there still some on the Sword? I had a mental picture that all the prisoners that got blown up the first mission were just placeholders until more players joined; perhaps this is incorrect.
Further review shows that there was more than one ship at the drop site... but did any more come from the Sword?
PW said that there used to be 'backround' NPC inmates, but they got phased out as the player base grew. We aren't considered to have any anymore, or if we do they are the various abandoned characters from people who have stopped playing over the years.
Earth (the original) is referred to as an Archive world. What is that? Does anyone still actually live there? Are there other Archive worlds, or is Holy Terra just that special here too?
PW said in the ER talk that original Earth got turned into a giant museum that describes the history of Earth. That's probably what an Archive world is.
There are also mentions of Tomb worlds. What are those? Clearly they are separate from Silent worlds (as those are mentioned too), so what are they?
IIRC, a tomb world is a world where humans died off, usually during the Altered wars when humanity got fractured and divided. I think someone went adVRnturing on one once. There were pipes, and some sort of terrible green fluid/blob stuff? And it ate him? Eh, my memory's failing me. I think it was near, or related to, Zako's adventures in making a better helmet.
Also, Aresteve is writing on the wall with chalk? The avatar of a giant computer brain is writing on the wall? You should probably see what he is doing. If it's art, run and don't look back.
I'll bet it's pictures of sheep.
EDIT: Reading through the M4 briefing reminded me of those nice full-color hexmaps PW used to make. Ah, nostalgia...