Terminal

True Vacuum - New Universe Space NRP

@Terminal, I have also made an NPC nation. Is it okay? If it needs any changes, I'll fix it. Or do we not need a NPC?

@SgtEasy

We can have NPCs, but I would not go as far as to say we have NPC nations sheets. In @Willy Vereb's case they might just want to settle for including a list of NPC factions and planet-states surrounding their territory along with brief descriptions of them.

These aren't poster nations, so they don't exactly pull focus - and they are also NPCs, which means anyone can use them. Employ with caution.

True Vacuum - New Universe Space NRP

Since I expect Beach and Ascendant will shortly correct their profiles, I'll take this brief lapse in order to improve the map some more. I'll add in some Wormhole Anomalies and also move the coordinates over to the OP for those of you without depth perception.

True Vacuum - New Universe Space NRP

@Terminal, I think I would like to be at 530 by 190 by 270 on the map, starting from the bottom left and in order of x, y and z. Seems nice and spacious but not too far away.

@Mihndar

@Terminal
Were there any other problems with my nation sheet?

@Durandal

@Mihndar: Wilco, consider yourself cleared to post.

@Durandal: I have no problems with your sheet for the time being. Consider yourself cleared to post.

True Vacuum - New Universe Space NRP

@Beach Burrito, The Centerpiece Initiative as a technology should need to be specifically fine-tuned and augmented for each individual species in order to be effective. I am afraid I can not permit a blanket suborning influence as-in, even if there were psionics involved (which there aren't). The time dilation makes me rather wary, although as long as you obey the FTL speed limit while using it, and as long as it requires its current obvious extensive array (as opposed to, say, wrist-mounted devices), then I'll let it slide. Modify the the CI and you can consider yourself approved.

Also, I see somebody has been using my old Meson clippings. Your flattery is appreciated. Proceed at will.

@Ascendant, I can appreciate the simplistic nature of the faction, but the sheet is somewhat sparser on details than is preferable. If you're looking for a way to inject more detail into the sections, you might want to explain Mother's point of view or opinions in those areas - she may be newborn and more curious and confused than anything else, but surely she has preexisting or else canalized behavior/schemas? Find a way to add a little more detail overall and I would be pleased to approve your application.

True Vacuum - New Universe Space NRP

Darn. Did I not make the cut?

@Beach Burrito

Chances are if I said absolutely nothing in regards to your application at all, I missed and did not see it. If I had read your app and rejected it, I would have said why immediately. I try my best to not leave people hanging, but I do occasionally miss things. If you see this sort of thing happen (and this goes for everyone), notify me IMMEDIATELY! If I have not commented on your app or else answered one of your questions, there is no reason why I should not have done so.

I will immediately look for and review your nation sheet. My apologies for missing it in my initial reviews.

@Ascendant, I see your app as well and will review it shortly. Thanks for your interest.

True Vacuum - New Universe Space NRP

<Snipped quote by Durandal>Oh, a shortlist on at least the player nation coordinates is indeed helpful.
May be even added to the OP if @Terminal agrees.

@Willy Vereb

Coordinates being listed in the OP is a fantastic idea. I'll even go ahead and try to pull the coordinates for the anomalies as well.

In regards to anomalies: Adding wormholes would be a pretty good way to fill space, since you have two anomalies per wormhole (two entry/exit points), and should help nations move around between strategic locations more quickly. Makes great sense to add a few. Any suggestions for specific interaction properties with other peculiar singularities?

As for NPC factions: I'll probably identify them as similar little blips to the main nations, but they'll all be uniformly dark gray and likely be numbered as you suggested (with an NPC designation slapped on just to be thorough).

EDIT: The 200s thing does seem fairly weird. There are two possibilities that occur to me.

1. I use a random integer generator to generate three random numbers between 1 and 800, which are used to determine the X,Y,Z coordinates. In the interest of nudging everyone closer together, I automatically rerolled any results that were less than 10 in two or more coordinates. This has only happened once (I plan on doing the same for future rolls as well), but if I hadn't tossed that roll out we would have at least one nation way up at the top along the Y axis.

2. The generator I'm using does not generate truly random numbers, but uses pseudorandom number generation. It is almost, but not quite, truly mathematically random. This is more obvious when you have a small-to-medium sample size, where serial generation trends are more apparent - this kind of error usually 'evens out' as sample sizes increase.

True Vacuum - New Universe Space NRP

@Durandal has been approved and added to the OP, as well as to the map.

All anomalies have been shrunk down to more realistic relative sizes. The Gamma Bubbles were also shrunk, despite the fact that they were already several orders of magnitude smaller than they should have been. In order to fill some more space, two more Supernova Remnants, one more Magnetar, and one more Gamma Bubble were added to the map.

Suggestions for anomalies of a similar nature welcome.

True Vacuum - New Universe Space NRP

@TerminalBtW, do you plan introducing some NPC races?
Or can we invent some minor NPCs on our own?
Given what my "nation" is, it'd be quite essential for me to establish trade relations with as many sentient races as possible.

@Willy Vereb

By all means, feel free to invent as many NPC species as you like. It is encouraged, however, that these are not factions of the same influence and standing of poster nations.

Working on revising the map now.

@Durandal, it looks mostly acceptable, but I'm going to have to ask you to dial down the Predation Generators. The pocket dimension bit is fine, and so is the wireless transmission of energy, and so is the generation and harvesting of energy from singularities - Neutron Stars however, are quite a bit beyond the ability of any of our factions to synthesize and then contain. Modify the generators and I'll approve your application.

Shadowrun - The Sound and the Fury (Snow Crash Inspired)

The moment Zelda killed the call, Traction tutted in annoyance. She glanced at Recluse and Damien briefly as they both spoke before she began to contribute.

"This fixer of ours issn't quite as dumb as she sounds, though my Nuyen is still on her being a low grade pilot with halfway bricked meat. She used a throwaway comm for this call with its GPS tracker removed, which means jing and at least a few minor corp contacts, probably means she's fixed before but not often or ever for runners like us. Case in point, I managed to trace her sorry hoop down anyway." She shot a loose gesture and a glance at Damien. "I've sent you the coordinates for the location she was calling us from. As for the comm itself, I reformatted its kernal and put in a snoop. If she uses it again, we'll know it. As for this job," Traction abruptly went limp mid-sentence, her eyes going glassy and dead as she transitioned to running hot - but not for long. A second later her head picked back up and she raised both her arms back up from the couch to continue manipulating her ARO.

"...Basically none of the warehouses on the waterfront have any devices proper meshed. It's like a little slice of the stone age, I only saw a few LANs amongst them connected to the Matrix via comm, no hosts or nothing, everything public grid. If they have any hardware on site, it's all self-contained. As for this drek about fudging the numbers, this hoop is gouging us. If you want to run a numbers job, you have to alter the receiving and delivering manifests. If you want to be thorough, you've also got to alter the manifest of whatever is supposed to pick it up. She's trying to run us twice for half the cost, the bonus pay is just her trying to spoof us without a mark. As for the plan,"

Traction made a few gestures, moving things around her ARO during her brief pause. "...Warehouses are unmarked, wholesale pallet means illicit shipping. Probably a gang if we're hot, maybe the Yak or mob if we're not. Fact that our particular Fixer knows about the CDs means others do as well, so we're not going to be the only people running. Likely candidates are another gang or nightlight runners. Our best option is to go in fast and smooth, hit the warehouses as fast as possible before anybody else has time to try drek. We'll go in with Damien's gopher, get into stoneage wireless range and I'll see if there are any unmeshed WANs I can tap tap into. We'll bring the drones to provide overwatch, let us know when and where our opposition will arrive and to discourage them. Kali can do that whole weightless rider thing to let us drop her anywhere we need some meat bricked." Traction slammed the palm of her hand with a clenched fist for emphasize. "If these warehouses are too real for me to pull anything from them, we have Cath and Yegor run some face and razor jander respectively, loosen a few tongues. Once we locate the warehouse, I'll lift us some blueprints and upload them to our smartlinks while Damien probes the warehouse interior. Cath, Yegor, and I run in and secure the pallete. Yegor for muscle, Cath can protect us from whatever Astral drek is on the CDs, and if I can find any kind of digital manifest or record I'll cook the books. Damien drives to the loading Dock, drops Kali down to secure it, we load the pallet in and burn rubber."

Traction turned her gaze disapprovingly to Recluse. "...I suppose in the interest of giving you something to do you can plant some explosives somewhere else along the waterfront, rig it for remote detonation to draw the PD's aim if they jander too close. Otherwise you might just want to run reconnaissance and mitigation."

She then abruptly stood up from the couch wearing a deadpan expression. "Our chances of success are best the sooner we do this. The more time you all waste, the higher the chance whoever else is running will get the pallet first. This isn't exactly a prime job, not like we're trying to run the Krupp. Relatively low-risk even if our Fixer is a drek-filled slot who told everyone we were coming. We don't exactly need heist prep to pull this off, and like always I've got contingencies for everyone. The biggest risk is literally that you drekheads will waste so much time in this simple, straightforward approach doing frivolous drek that the warehouse will be empty when we get there. Let's go."

Without even waiting for anybody else to respond, Traction then made a gesture to remotely open the elevator doors and walked straight out of the commons.

True Vacuum - New Universe Space NRP

<Snipped quote by Terminal>Alternatively you can try my other idea.
The colors would be for small anomalies (green = magnetar and yellow = nova remnant, for example).
Meanwhile you use white for player locations draw an arrow or something between their name and the point of their territory.
Alternatively you just put the names close enough that it's obvious where they belong.

Another idea could be the use of white/grey dots for nation locations + names but while you keep a third/fourth map with nothing but the players with color codes. Just to erase any sorts of ambiguity.

@Willy Vereb

The idea of the map is to give a complete reference, so anomalies and nations should be included together. While I considered your possibilities, I'm pretty sure I can resize everything neatly just from some basic image manipulation in the last minute or so. The anomalies should look and feel much smaller, and allow for placement of many more, without having to recolor every poster name - which would make them harder to distinguish for each other. I may resort to that if the anomalies prove to be unmanageable otherwise, but currently it's just not necessary. Thank you for the input regardless.