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pelorus
Posts: 90
Joined: Wed 21 Dec 2016, 10:32
Location: Andalusia, Spain
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Re: Problems of Setting

Wed 22 Mar 2017, 21:05


There are plenty of reasons why there's Commodore 64s AND robots. And some groups will demand a better answer than "there just is".
I don't see a conflict. Robots/AI are not the same as Commodore 64s. What if there's no precursor. We discovered AI and we were able to replicate it. But its real AI. You want a play a video game and the AI in your home computer tells you you have to study and loads a Maths routine. Or you want to do your homework and the AI refuses to help you or even function because it had a bad dream last night about humans hitting machines. 
Same with VHS. The technology that allows a shipping liner to float above a continent doesn't necessarily mean that we automatically get CD/DVDs and MP3 players. We are using our frame of reference for that. We want the latest trappings because we assume technology all moves at the same rate. 
We are decades behind where we should be with Genetics because of a moratorium on Genetic Research back in the 80s. Every branch of technology moves at it's own rate. If it was Magnetrine and AI and crystal storage -  then we'd have another thing in tech to consider. And maybe everyone would have all the music in the world in their pocket. Or if it was worldwide wireless comms then everyone would have the internet...but it might be an aerial coming out of a Mac Classic. 
Think about Guardians of the Galaxy. Why does Starlord still use a walkman? Because he just does.
--
Have a look at "Nor Gloom Of Night" for T2K4 (A post-apocalyptic setting of hope)
CZTERY - 4 Mystery Scenarios for T2K4
Twilight Tangents - psychics and zombies for T2k4
http://www.lategaming.com/buy-the-books/
 
Crosbie71
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed 05 Apr 2017, 08:44

Re: Problems of Setting

Wed 05 Apr 2017, 08:57

I'm happy to accept the 'retrofitted' futurism. Just because these things exist, doesn't mean everything is replaced at once, nor that everyone can afford them, nor that they're the right purchase for those that can.

In the 80s, hovercraft technology existed, but not everyone owned one. Laserdisc existed alongside VHS. (So did Betamax!) PCs and business machines existed alongside ZX Spectrums and Commodore 64s. The internet was invented but there was no global WWW.

I take it to be a moment of change -- rapid development and discovery, with which the world and culture can't keep up. It's not stable. Which makes it an exciting and open RPG setting!
 
UrShulgi
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed 29 Mar 2017, 22:13

Re: Problems of Setting

Wed 05 Apr 2017, 17:19

And more than that, just look how technology is distributed throughout the different countries. There are countries, that suffer from bad health care and famine and so on, but in the same region usually there are people who can afford current high technology, modern medicine, posh food, ... Think about science fiction with star ships, high tech computers, phasers & blasters and poor people on the other hand, just having to work hard to make a living. Think for example of Lukes uncle Owen or Rey and the little 'town' where she sells her findings in episode 7. There are countless other examples throughout our own reality and fiction.

I think it's the same with new technology ... it takes some time to spread and at first not every country, region or culture accepts and embraces it. Just remember the 90s and the slow spread of the WWW and email. I got my first email-account for free, because I studied math (which was linked to informatic there) ... other students at my university had to wait a year of two, before they were able to get their mailaddress for 10 german mark. Several years you had to have access to an university-computer-room or an internet-cafe, not everyone used a modem at home to get internet-access.

The technology was there, but who had access or could afford it. The same with the c64. I owed one, but it was until Commodore sold the VC20 in Germany via a discounter, that homcomputer became a bit more widespread. The same happend here later, when a discounter started selling PCs... suddenly people started buying them who had never before even thought about it.
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