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Author Topic: [ISG] Adventure Guy! - Epilogue  (Read 518994 times)

Retro

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Re: Adventure Guy! - Final Round 16.23: Endgame.
« Reply #2295 on: February 21, 2011, 05:29:14 pm »

Tell her we've come to stop her.



You tell her that she has to stop her plans to take the Chemical X immediately, or you’re going to stop her yourself.

Dr. Feringus laughs at you, brushing your serious tone off casually. “What, you? Really? Oh, that’s… that’s sweet, honestly, but regardless of whatever happened to you that made you think you’re different from the other bots, you’re not the least bit autonomous, and you’ve got a built-in overriding program that stops you from causing harm to a human. If I want to take all this energy, what on earth do you think you could really do about it?”



You stare at the ground, uncertain.

“Here, go on. Hit me. In fact, that’s an order. Close your fist up into a ball and hit me in the face as hard as you can, right now!”



You wind up to punch, fist clenched, arms shaking.

“Go on, hit me! HIT ME!



...You can't do it.

“Don’t embarrass yourself. You’re no more than a robot. If I ordered you to, you’d jump right off this ramp and burn up into one of those globes just like your friend. I could even order you to be happy about it if I wanted to.”

Ask her what happened to the Skree village



You ask her what happened to the oculoid village.

“The…? Oh! The creatures’ home, yes. I couldn’t tell you. Hardly gave it much regard myself. If it’s been disrupted, I imagine that was the work of my rather zealous assistant. He did show such… zest in carrying out his orders.”

She smiles sardonically. “You’re adorable, robot. Protecting these mindless animals from a danger they’re not even aware of? That’s what you think you’re trying to do, isn’t it? I mean, I’ll admit it’s endearing to watch artificial intelligence take responsibility for others unto its own, but there’s not really any point in your trying. You’re a little tin puppet, and I’ve got your strings. I mean… really, you don’t even know what’s going on here, do you?”

Ask her about [the purpose of Chemical X].



You admit that you don’t and ask what is so important about Chemical X.

She is silent for a moment, staring down. Then she begins to speak.

“I don’t really expect you to understand this, robot. Your design is… rather remarkably human, actually, but you’ve never spent any time on Earth. All you know is what your data banks of ancient caricatures and stereotypes tell you.

“We have been facing an imminent energy crisis for decades, now. We still have plenty, of course. But it’s all based on finding new sources in galactic exploration. And we’ve been using it faster than we can find more. Sooner or later we’ll be all out, and… things will become rather grim.

“When Les and I left Earth over two years ago, the riots were beginning. The government was beginning to restrict energy usage to prolong our stores. We were lucky to get out before martial law was enacted. There will still be energy for a decade or so to come, of course, or perhaps even two with careful rationing… but then our reserves will be emptied. So we needed something superior. Something lasting.

“There is no chemical compound actually named Chemical X as such. The term is a catch-all used to describe the hypothetical existence of an infinite energy source. We are standing in the middle of the first, and likely only, real source of a Chemical X. It defies physics, and all scientific knowledge of the natural world. And it’s ours.

“Have you noticed how cold it is in here compared to the caves in the planet’s crust, or the surface? Or how close the planet is to the local star, yet without burning up or even being unbearably warm? It’s this source that keeps the planet cool and habitable by your cold-loving creatures, and they in turn support the source.”



“Watch, robot. Observe. Look at the creatures’ interactions. Some feed on the chemical, and others cry out to it. The vibrations in the oculoid calls cause it to react, and to grow. They take from it and give back to it, and the sudden chemical reactions cool the planet. It’s a marvelous work of natural evolution, really. There’s no predators, no real ecosystem to speak of. Just a planet and its creatures, relying on each other to survive.

“Now… imagine.”



You feel chill wisps rush past you. The nearest globe is beginning to destabilize, whirling looser and wider around its center. The swirls of cold energy seem to pierce the ship’s brilliant white surface, getting absorbed into whatever storage system is hidden away inside.

Feringus begins to speak more fervently. “A world without conflict, without need! We isolate the energy into tiny base amounts, then proceed to stimulate it with the correct vibrations until each new fraction of energy is a source as big as these, and then we repeat the process again, and again, and again! Energy farming, robot. We could grow it faster than we’d be able to use it!

That is what this is about, robot. Solving the energy crisis for the entire universe… and not just for ‘now.’ For all-time.”

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
« Last Edit: February 25, 2011, 12:34:28 am by Retro »
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Jim Groovester

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Re: Adventure Guy! - Final Round 16.23: Endgame.
« Reply #2296 on: February 21, 2011, 05:59:24 pm »

Inform her that her pursuit of energy has destroyed her ethics and morals, and that we will not allow her to rape this planet of its resources.
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I understood nothing, contributed nothing, but still got to win, so good game everybody else.

Armok

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Re: Adventure Guy! - Final Round 16.23: Endgame.
« Reply #2297 on: February 21, 2011, 06:06:07 pm »

You know, while it wouldn't be very in character to just agree, she IS factually and morally right.
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III...

Jim Groovester

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Re: Adventure Guy! - Final Round 16.23: Endgame.
« Reply #2298 on: February 21, 2011, 06:09:36 pm »

Is she?

Remember that statue thing we talked to not too long ago? He seemed to think letting Feringus get away with the core was a bad idea.
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Tylui

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Re: Adventure Guy! - Final Round 16.23: Endgame.
« Reply #2299 on: February 21, 2011, 06:11:08 pm »

Sort of. She's assuming it'll all work if the Chemical X is moved. It might not.

And whether she's "morally" right, she still has to destroy a planet and an ecosystem to accomplish that which might not work!
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Armok

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Re: Adventure Guy! - Final Round 16.23: Endgame.
« Reply #2300 on: February 21, 2011, 06:13:02 pm »

About the energy I mean. It's one planet against a galactic civilization. And even if they're sentiment they're also aliens, and likely have values that are nowhere near humans nor robots made by them. She handled it gracefully but on average her actions will still result in net good being done.
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So says Armok, God of blood.
Sszsszssoo...
Sszsszssaaayysss...
III...

Soadreqm

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Re: Adventure Guy! - Final Round 16.23: Endgame.
« Reply #2301 on: February 21, 2011, 06:14:54 pm »

Inform doctor Feringus that you don't approve of her methods. Ask if she would like to hear what you have learned of the oculoids. Also ask her to tell more of these "vibrations" the magic energy stuff reacts to. I want to know if Feringus knows what the music box would do, preferably without reminding her that we have it.

Also, whoah, has this really been going that long? Congratulations! :D

Also also, it was just established that we cannot directly harm her, so any threats we make will come off as rather empty.



About the ethics nonsense, we just learned that the home planet of this pathetic species was having riots. The oculoids seem more socially advanced of the two. :P Anyway, it's more like one UNIVERSE against a galactic civilization. If we let Feringus take the magic balls, and they work as intended, humanity will spread across the galaxy. And then across any other galaxies. There is an exponential curve depicting the number of humans in the world, and it's just about to hit the really steep part. They'll spread across space, terraforming everything that can be terraformed and tearing everything else apart for raw materials. If you want to imagine the future, imagine a boot stomping on an oculoid's eyeball, forever.

And it's not the good kind of trans-galactic colonization, either, with humans as the aloof, enlightened precursors who build rigid-shell dyson spheres around black holes because they CAN and gently chastise other, less powerful species for being too warlike. Oh, no. They're the same old lame humans with their silly human flaws. If problems arise with the planetary energy controllers, there will be riots, followed by martial law. And without entropy holding them back, there isn't really any reason for them to advance any further. Feringus is dooming humans to an eternal golden age of peace and plenty. I could rationalize about this all day! :D

And we know quite a bit about oculoid sentience. The little ones are like somewhere in the range of children or animals, whereas the big ones are intelligent, articulate, and either raging or asking to die. And then there's the Mnemnem and I still have no idea what's up with him. Some kind of ancestral memory storage ghost that is also a statue? Who knows.
« Last Edit: February 21, 2011, 06:41:57 pm by Soadreqm »
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Ultimuh

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Re: Adventure Guy! - Final Round 16.23: Endgame.
« Reply #2302 on: February 21, 2011, 06:56:37 pm »

Inform doctor Feringus that you don't approve of her methods. Ask if she would like to hear what you have learned of the oculoids. Also ask her to tell more of these "vibrations" the magic energy stuff reacts to. I want to know if Feringus knows what the music box would do, preferably without reminding her that we have it.

Also, whoah, has this really been going that long? Congratulations! :D

Also also, it was just established that we cannot directly harm her, so any threats we make will come off as rather empty.



About the ethics nonsense, we just learned that the home planet of this pathetic species was having riots. The oculoids seem more socially advanced of the two. :P Anyway, it's more like one UNIVERSE against a galactic civilization. If we let Feringus take the magic balls, and they work as intended, humanity will spread across the galaxy. And then across any other galaxies. There is an exponential curve depicting the number of humans in the world, and it's just about to hit the really steep part. They'll spread across space, terraforming everything that can be terraformed and tearing everything else apart for raw materials. If you want to imagine the future, imagine a boot stomping on an oculoid's eyeball, forever.

And it's not the good kind of trans-galactic colonization, either, with humans as the aloof, enlightened precursors who build rigid-shell dyson spheres around black holes because they CAN and gently chastise other, less powerful species for being too warlike. Oh, no. They're the same old lame humans with their silly human flaws. If problems arise with the planetary energy controllers, there will be riots, followed by martial law. And without entropy holding them back, there isn't really any reason for them to advance any further. Feringus is dooming humans to an eternal golden age of peace and plenty. I could rationalize about this all day! :D

And we know quite a bit about oculoid sentience. The little ones are like somewhere in the range of children or animals, whereas the big ones are intelligent, articulate, and either raging or asking to die. And then there's the Mnemnem and I still have no idea what's up with him. Some kind of ancestral memory storage ghost that is also a statue? Who knows.


For now, I vote for this.
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Retro

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Re: Adventure Guy! - Final Round 16.23: Endgame.
« Reply #2303 on: February 21, 2011, 07:07:17 pm »

Also, whoah, has this really been going that long? Congratulations! :D

Seven months, almost to the day. Which means I've been averaging 5.24 panels a day as well, doublejesus.

Argembarger

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Re: Adventure Guy! - Final Round 16.23: Endgame.
« Reply #2304 on: February 21, 2011, 07:11:48 pm »

Inform doctor Feringus that you don't approve of her methods. Ask if she would like to hear what you have learned of the oculoids. Also ask her to tell more of these "vibrations" the magic energy stuff reacts to. I want to know if Feringus knows what the music box would do, preferably without reminding her that we have it.

This


About the energy I mean. It's one planet against a galactic civilization. And even if they're sentiment they're also aliens, and likely have values that are nowhere near humans nor robots made by them. She handled it gracefully but on average her actions will still result in net good being done.

Not even a little bit.

Sentience is sentience. We don't really have any right to do this.

The practically-a-GOD mnemnem saying the same thing doesn't really help your case, either
« Last Edit: February 21, 2011, 07:43:44 pm by Argembarger »
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dragnar

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Re: Adventure Guy! - Final Round 16.23: Endgame.
« Reply #2305 on: February 21, 2011, 08:08:20 pm »

If she can grow something like this from a single piece of chemical X, why not just take a bit? The oculoids don't need to die, not if she leaves most of the chemical.

Also: tell her about what gentleman did with the mutagen. He had no reason to do so based on his orders. Our intelligence is artificial, of course. But apart from out inability to defy her orders, what makes her intelligence any less artificial?
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From this thread, I learned that video cameras have a dangerosity of 60 kiloswords per second.  Thanks again, Mad Max.

RAM

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Re: Adventure Guy! - Final Round 16.23: Endgame.
« Reply #2306 on: February 21, 2011, 09:25:21 pm »

I also find myself asking, if it is really so easy to cause it to replicate, can't she replicate a sample and take that and not actually interfere with the current volume of chemical x?
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Zako

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Re: Adventure Guy! - Final Round 16.23: Endgame.
« Reply #2307 on: February 21, 2011, 09:34:20 pm »

Ask why she was looking for the other robots and why she took Patch apart. Also, ask how humans can verbally command robots.

I have a hunch about this doctor...

Plus, whats to say that there aren't other intelligent alien civilizations out there that we can't coexist with? Surely if humans are having an energy crisis then surely another civilization is having or had the same problems! What's to stop them from doing what soadreqm just described to us? It may not be a boot on an oculoid but rather a tentacle on a human skull. And yet, it hasn't happened.

And IF we take her word for granted and there IS indeed, an energy crisis, then humans can simply research a better method of creating energy rather than using simple fuels. The stars themselves are explosions, which are basically giant balls of energy in space. Whats to stop them from using solar energy instead? Atoms themselves, are held together by ENERGY, whats to stop them from using that?

I think that she is lying, and she wants Chemical X for a different purpose. She is currently fueling her ship with it, so maybe it has something to do with that?
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Evergod41

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Re: Adventure Guy! - Final Round 16.23: Endgame.
« Reply #2308 on: February 21, 2011, 10:00:47 pm »

Also, whoah, has this really been going that long? Congratulations! :D

Seven months, almost to the day. Which means I've been averaging 5.24 panels a day as well, doublejesus.
GEEE-ZUS!!!

mnjiman

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Re: Adventure Guy! - Final Round 16.23: Endgame.
« Reply #2309 on: February 21, 2011, 10:07:49 pm »

It looks as if she has lost all her morals, she thinks she is in the right... Has it ever been explained how Les died? We still have his skull.

If we already know that she is lying, lets confront her with that information

"Heh. For a scientist you are awfully ignorant and narrow minded. You are so focused on your next big scientific discovery you forgot all your morals. Isn't your ethics and values, and the ability to choose for yourself make you human. I am actually trying to save living creatures, and your trying to kill them. It would seem to be that I am more human then you are... but I am sure since I am a robot no matter what i say too you, you will not believe me. You already decided that I am wrong, even if I was right. Your a pretty horrible scientist if your unable to open your mind to all possibilities. Like the possibilities that the Ocloid creatures are intelligent. For the love of god they have a village. Besides, i know the truth of why your here... i watched all the tapes... your only here for fame...


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I was thinking more along the lines of this legendary champion, all clad in dented and dinged up steel plate, his blood-drenched axe slung over his back, a notch in the handle for every enemy that saw the swing of that blade as the last sight they ever saw, a battered shield strapped over his arm... and a fluffy, pink stuffed hippo hidden discretely in his breastplate.
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