Lore-Discussion: How does Virtuality work - at all?

[Pizza_0786]

Synthetic ascension makes your leaders virtual. So far so good, having leaders exist in cyberspace and remote control robots is an interesting but working idea. However, how do virtual machine pops work, or in other words, effect anything from cyberspace without any apparent physical agents that require constructing?

Offer 1:
- Virtual ascension is straight-up reality hacking, somehow breaching into the same simulation the universe runs in and thus having the pops consciousness affect reality through living in the same bodyless matrix.
Counter: Why does it still require servers and upkeep?

Offer 2:
- Virtual ascension puts your pops into every part of your buildings, fully automating everything.
Counter: why do these fully automated things still require conscious pops, especially individuals? Science or unity alone would make sense as you may still need ideas, but everything relying on physical materials?

One more point for discussion: Why does the feature you get for the virtual section of the event grant dark matter?

[Garatgh Deloi]

I guess you could view it like this.

A normal empire would likely focus their automation on areas that are dangerous for their pops to work first and foremost, increasing output often taking a backseat to safety and working conditions.

While a slavery empire would focus their automation on the output alone, danger and working conditions being a secondary concern (only there at all to not "waste resources" aka slaves).

[Pizza_0786]

Originally posted by Garatgh Deloi:

I guess you could view it like this.

A normal empire would likely focus their automation on areas that are dangerous for their pops to work first and foremost, increasing output taking a backseat to safety and working conditions.

While a slavery empire would focus their automation on the output alone, danger and working conditions being a secondary concern (only there at all to get the maximum out of their slaves).

That interpretation works. I have no further challenges to continue this discussion at this point in time, but maybe someone else who finds this can add a seed to continue discussing.

[Geoff]

Originally posted by Pizza_0786:

Though then... What's up with slavery and other lower classes in normal empires? These pops still produce stuff, but I doubt it would be slavery if they only oversee some automated factory...

In game, I've seen xenophobic servile slave revolts from the syncretic evolution origin, where the original "master race" are enslaved and forced to work in the robot factories producing machines who were the only inhabitants able to assume elite roles. I am intrigued by the idea of forcing slaves to build machines whose primary function is to boss you around.

[Elitewrecker PT]

That means the servile species would have to lose its trait that prevents them from taking upper tier jobs.

[CrUsHeR]

Ever used a virtual file system on your PC?

Like Mod Organizer for Skyrim / Fallout.



Before these were invented, modding the game with hundreds of mods was pretty rigid. If you wanted to change anything, even if just the load order, you had to physically un- and reinstall entire mods. In particular when they came with loose files.

The base game was only about 10GB, but the mod installations easily went above 100GB. In a time where huge SSDs were not common.

So this was always a lengthy, tedious process. Meaning that you ideally only had one, very specific setup of mods. You could say that each user's installation was an individual.



Now with the virtual file system, nothing was actually installed physically into your game folder. All mods are stored in their own folders outside of the game, and the Mod Organizer does virtually arrange them in any myriad of possible combinations. Each time you start the game with a different profile.

So between running your game with two completely different overhauls, or an unmodded vanilla setup, it would now only take 1 click to start the game in its virtual structure. Instead of shuffling around mods and changing load orders for an hour each time.




Within this game?

IIRC the ascension still mentions that drones exist, but they no longer operate individually. Same like the leaders.

Virtualization could instantly change and adapt to any possible situation. Based on a pool of virtual assets, instead of physically making everything stronger and faster.

So none of the leaders or pops still exist physically, but it's all just software operations.

Alright, so imagine you are not a physical person sitting on your PC. But you are a virtual piece of software. You could be reading this article now, then instantly perform a task for your job, afterwards instantly relax at a virtual beach. All within two minutes. Or two nanoseconds. Who knows.

Point is, you alone are doing things which would normally take three different individuals.



It still leaves questions, like how virtual software operations would make a mining robot 200% more efficient.

After all, 9 women don't make a baby in 1 month.

[Shady]

there was research on hard holograms somewhere i think in aloys there was such a description so temporary projected hard hologram bodies maybe?

[Geoff]

Originally posted by Elitewrecker PT:

That means the servile species would have to lose its trait that prevents them from taking upper tier jobs.

They don't though. They have a society where nobody can work above a menial role unless they turn xenophobic and enslave creatures capable of working as specialists who can then build machine pops capable of holding elite positions if they're also materialist.

[Elitewrecker PT]

Yeah I understood, I was just saying that a rebellion in this case would require losing the trait to avoid this weird case where a servile rebels but remains working just low-class jobs.

[Geoff]

Originally posted by Elitewrecker PT:

Yeah I understood, I was just saying that a rebellion in this case would require losing the trait to avoid this weird case where a servile rebels but remains working just low-class jobs.

I think there's some exception that allows serviles to generate a ruler when they rebel. They can found mercenary enclaves too that have a high admiral from their pop. They don't avoid the weird case. They just live it out.

[jerrypocalypse]

I'm on the 2nd option as well. I kinda just picture it working like the mind uploads work in the Bobiverse series. The first book describes some minds being used to drive garbage collectors, for example, or do other functions, with the main character effectively embodying a space probe and being able to digitally control fabricators and stations.

Basically, the buildings, machinery, vehicles, etc *are* the consciousness "body" and they now just inhabit everything