Dauntless comment thread

[Jamski]

Nice update

The thing that always bothers me about SMAC fiction though, is the time scale. Obviously it takes years to build bases and increase populations...

...but why does it take years to sail across a small sea?

The only solution is to assume that the world is truly immense - Jupiter sized, with hundreds of thousands of kilometers of hostile terrain between bases.

-Jam

[Velociryx]

I agree....something is amiss in the timescale, however, I think that at least some of it can be explained by what I'll call the "alien environment" factor, and a further bit of fudging can be achieved via what I'll call the "calamity factor."

The way I see it (and the way I tried to write it out) is this:

We got the shattered remnants of humanity on a hostile alien world. True, they've got some technology, so it's not exactly comparable to the wooden sailing days of our pioneer ancestors, but there are clear similarities, and the parallel is unmistakable.

And, like the early pioneers of our own history, the folks here on Chiron have to deal with subsistence living, setting up the basics, and facing the unexpected rigors of this alien climate.

I touched on this briefly by making Dauntless fragile, giving her a top speed of four knots, and making her actually lose ground on days where the seas were less than calm.

Touched on the calamity factor as well, by giving the ship that's pretty much the star of the show so far a wheezing, laboring engine, most probably caused by her rough landing on the surface of Planet.

Also, I think we can get a bit more "fudging" tossed in on account of time spent mapping and charting as the first explorers go. Our own sea lanes have been fully known for centuries, but here, especially in light of damaged and ill-functioning instrumentation, it would be vital to early survival to not rely on them, but hand chart each league of the sea traveled through.

All of that taken together....yep, I can believe it might take years to traverse even a fairly modest landmass such as Hope Islands....perhaps not quite as many as it did, true, but I could definitely see it...

Glad you guys are enjoying the story, too!

Basically, all I hoped to accomplish in the "early years" was to lay the foundation and introduce the characters. I truly have no idea what direction the story will take, cos I've not played beyond 2201 as of yet, but as the story progresses, I expect that the story will take on a much greater depth...already I am seeing opportunities for further exploration and explanation, and may go back and flesh out some areas that were skimped over in the telling so far, simply to build more meat on the characters thus far, as they will be pivotal in the tale as we move forward.

Also, I should note that I have no particular strategy or plan in mind....best way to play when playing blind research games, since you really have no way of knowing just how the tech progression will go. Right now, we're definitely not geared up to be warmongers....laser/synth when at least one of our rivals has Impact does not a fearsome fighting force make, but that's okay too.....I got a feeling we'll be okay, especially if Goliath proves to be as big as it "feels" and is uninhabited....

-=Vel=-

[Jamski]

What can I say? I'm inspired to play my own "story game" on a big map with tech stagnation now.

-Jam

[Skanky Burns]

I love it when threads I want to look for get pre-bumped.

Great update. I love how the central character in your story, the most important character you have introduced is placed in the most risky position - a very old and slow ship charting the seas in a very hostile world. Alas that it had to end.

Goliath seems nice, both large and uninhabited. You also have a nice island chain southwest of Unity to expand into. Strange that the Spartans would travel all that way just to make war with you - they have plenty of targets much closer to their home.

And just a minor mistake I noticed:

maybe the unnaturally life we’re all enjoying leads to insanity?

maybe the unnaturally long life we’re all enjoying leads to insanity?

[Velociryx]

WhoooHoooo! GO Jamski! Looking forward to the read!

And I'm glad you guys are enjoying it!

Thanks for the heads up on the mistake there, Master Skanky! It has been duly fixed!

Yeah, I thought long and hard about that, and wondered at what the heck I would do if anything happened to The Dauntless while out exploring....since I had essentially built the whole story around it, with the main character as her captain, and given that I'm writing the story "live," I had no way of knowing if she'd even survive, which made those decades of exploration even dicier!

But it *really* worked out I think! Oh, and don't you worry, even though we've now charted much of the world, Captain Fairbanks and his ancient ship still have more adventures left to them! (after a *long* overdue total refit of the ship, mind you!)

Last night I played to 2301, and have MUCH to write, so I've forced myself to stop playing and get to it!

-=Vel=-
(salivating to get to work on the "Skanky Archepelago Colonization Project", too!)

[Skanky Burns]

[binTravkin]

Eager to read the new chapters!

[binTravkin]

The Firaxis should hire you to write fiction for SMAC/X 2 if they ever make one!!

[Velociryx]

Thank ya, Trav! Believe me, if there was ever gonna be a SMAC/x2, I would LOVE to be involved!!!

I don't think I can wrap my brain around writing another segment tonight....LONG day at work, so I'm taking the evening off and closing my eyes for a while, but the story is not forgotten!

-=Vel=-

[Sovereign]

More awesome reads.

Your story is up there with Alinestra Covelia's "Joe" with its thrills, characters, plot, etc.

Keep up the good work!

[Velociryx]

Thank ya, good sirs, and another update for your reading pleasure!

-=Vel=-