Elite: Lore

17 May 2021, 7:53am
Isaiah EvansonRobotic, remote-controlled avatars... that choke to death when you run out of air.

And then magically revive far away the very next minute.
17 May 2021, 8:05am
SapphoRobots like Sappho don't need air, at least, not in RP. "Hazardous" would include extreme environments, I presume, & that would seem to include a vacuum.

Or a ship cabin with a "gaseous anomaly" as the commander.


Be nice Sappho.

Not my fault Synthya cooked burritos.
17 May 2021, 12:51pm
Sakashiro
Isaiah EvansonRobotic, remote-controlled avatars... that choke to death when you run out of air.


And then magically revive far away the very next minute.


At a certain point the logical explanation is "gameplay reasons."
17 May 2021, 12:53pm
Isaiah Evanson
Sakashiro
Isaiah EvansonRobotic, remote-controlled avatars... that choke to death when you run out of air.



And then magically revive far away the very next minute.



At a certain point the logical explanation is "gameplay reasons."

i agree. if they was something complex about coming back to life people wont risk it and breathing adds a dynamic to look out for to keep your character alive so immersion.
i am sure there are many ways to think around their methods.
17 May 2021, 12:55pm
is teleportation in the lore. or maybe a portable fsd. so just before you actually die you get teleported to your ship and healing technology only available for the pilots federation brings you back from the brink.
secret raxxla technology
17 May 2021, 1:15pm
I think the game manual made a passing reference that the ejection seat has a micro FSD, but based on fuel requirements in ships and other in-game sources, I wouldn't bet on it being a solid explanation. Much like telepresence, it only makes sense up to the point where the gameplay overrides the lore - such as rapidly going from Colonia to LHS 3447 in 30 seconds via a suicidewinder.

You could try and stretch it, but the mental gymnastics required to make it even somewhat feasible would be ridiculous. Simplest explanation is often the best.
17 May 2021, 1:41pm
Isaiah EvansonRobotic, remote-controlled avatars... that choke to death when you run out of air.


That actually makes sense. Simulating the near-death experience can be something that might keep you from wasting another and another avatar all over again, but that has a deeper psychological - or neural, correct me which one is better - aspect to it. Look at the video games we have: when there's red blood effects or screen going sepia/monochromatic, our fight-or-flight instincts kick in. We all know it is "just a game" and we are safe from any harm, but our brains maximize its power in order to avoid repercussions - in most cases a feeling that it will waste our time to start all over again. If you want less "deathly" examples, a lot of people adjust their bodies accordingly when they play driving or flight sims despite the fact there is absolutely no need to do so.

I know this one is not the best example as well, but there is a scene in first Matrix movie when Morpheus says something about breathing air - and its the Matrix that makes you think that you do so.
17 May 2021, 1:50pm
Robotic avatars flying our ships to keep us out of danger is just unmanned vehicles with extra steps. Kinda defeats the purpose.
17 May 2021, 2:00pm
Isaiah EvansonRobotic avatars flying our ships to keep us out of danger is just unmanned vehicles with extra steps. Kinda defeats the purpose.


Oh no, I was referring all the time to Odyssey's on-foot combat. Not to the pilots as pilots. I'm sorry for not making that clarification, as by "that explains my avatar theory" I meant the on-foot combat incoming along with the Odyssey.
17 May 2021, 2:09pm
Doesn't really make a lot of sense to simulate lack of oxygen if you're controlling a robotic avatar either.

This doesn't dismiss the idea of such things existing in the lore, it just seems counterintuitive to simulate asphyxiation when the avatar doesn't require oxygen, or a suit for that matter. It would be better to use a purpose built machine than to throw a robot into a spacesuit.

Simplest explanation being the best, it's "us," and when we "die" we simply respawn.
17 May 2021, 2:54pm
Why don't simply skip this lame "Holo-something" situation and add a new "lore-ish" option: we commanders are "physically" flying our ships and when it reaches a point of rupture for damage or other irreversible problem, an automatic system launch us in an escape pod. After "some amount of time" the pod reaches the closest Starport/base/orbital... when we have the option to rebuild our original ship or acquire a sidewinder.

After that, we need to find a solution to leave the place and go back home.

Yeah, it is a very stretched excuse to explain all the situation, but it is IMHO a most coherent gameplay excuse. And justify the "choke" stuff when the air is vanishing out the cockpit.

It could even introduce a "escape module" in the outfitting options, with a better or more potent escape pod.
17 May 2021, 3:07pm
Claudius AetiusWhy don't simply skip this lame "Holo-something" situation and add a new "lore-ish" option: we commanders are "physically" flying our ships and when it reaches a point of rupture for damage or other irreversible problem, an automatic system launch us in an escape pod. After "some amount of time" the pod reaches the closest Starport/base/orbital... when we have the option to rebuild our original ship or acquire a sidewinder.

After that, we need to find a solution to leave the place and go back home.

Yeah, it is a very stretched excuse to explain all the situation, but it is IMHO a most coherent gameplay excuse. And justify the "choke" stuff when the air is vanishing out the cockpit.

It could even introduce a "escape module" in the outfitting options, with a better or more potent escape pod.


This actually is what was in the official lore when the game first came out.

On ship's destruction, the commander is automatically ejected in a personal escape pod. Its construction and workings were never fully explained, but pods are regularly found at crash sites on planet surfaces and in USS just waiting to be scooped.

The ship's escape pod was described as being able to fly the occupant to the nearest starport, where a medical team would take care of them. In some official novels, the pilot has the option of turning off the escape pod's beacon to prevent any unwanted detection (such as passing pirates or slavers). Pods are also fitted with sleep inducing drugs to sedate the pilot whilst in transit.

A certain amount of handwavium is sometimes necessary to explain this use of pods. ED Odyssey is introducing the Rescue Rangers, an organisation which actively collects escape pods and returns them to a starport.
17 May 2021, 3:39pm
Since escape pods in the game seem to have no means of propulsion, and since they don't talk to me in local chat either, I imagine them as cryopods, with the pilot in a frozen state which could persist for a long time. This also goes well with the established lore of Imperial slaves being transported in cryostasis.

What bothers me a bit is that destroyed pirate ships drop lots of materials but never an escape pod.
17 May 2021, 4:25pm
From Premonition, by Drew Wagar:

"Death? What about escape pods... ?"

"And you've received training on how to use one, have you? You can navigate successfully to a nearby starport?"



Propulsion units on pods must be pretty small!
17 May 2021, 5:52pm
Isaiah EvansonDoesn't really make a lot of sense to simulate lack of oxygen if you're controlling a robotic avatar either.


As I wrote here:

Simulating the near-death experience can be something that might keep you from wasting another and another avatar all over again, but that has a deeper psychological - or neural, correct me which one is better - aspect to it. Look at the video games we have: when there's red blood effects or screen going sepia/monochromatic, our fight-or-flight instincts kick in. We all know it is "just a game" and we are safe from any harm, but our brains maximize its power in order to avoid repercussions - in most cases a feeling that it will waste our time to start all over again. If you want less "deathly" examples, a lot of people adjust their bodies accordingly when they play driving or flight sims despite the fact there is absolutely no need to do so.

According to how I see it at least, because even though something is simulated and we know we are 100% safe, our brain still does its own thing as if we were in actual danger. Therefore, brain gives us a serious boost in fight-or-flight situations: blood pressure skyrockets, body prepares as if for actual physical effort and our mind works at high gear in order to make quick decision.

I don't see why Achilles wouldn't incorporate that into robotic-based equipment and give extreme emulation as if you were there for better effectiveness and control - as "fake" danger is taken by the brain as real danger. There is a difference if you play a horror game on the screen vs when you play it in virtual goggles, because the way human senses are faked are on a wholly different level.

Triggering the most primal instincts etched so deep into our perfectly imperfect neural systems in order to gain advantage would be more than welcomed.


Last edit: 17 May 2021, 5:58pm

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