Diplomatic missions

[geendeen]

I read about an interesting study concerning extraterrestrial life yesterday and it made me think of diplomatic missions to interact with Thargoids in the future.

I think i read here in the forum that there are supposed to be different factions of Thargoids with conflicting interests between them - and also saw some criticism here in the forum that there is only "pew-pew" to interact with rocks, barnacles and Thargoids.

On a related note:
I wanted to post a link to a couple of videos touching on the Fermi paradox back last December, but sadly i have not enough rep to post in the offline section, does anybody know how much reputation points are needed to be eligible for the off-topic section of the forum?

Spoiler

Very interesting Videos on Robert Lawrence Kuhn's YouTube Channel concerning the topic of the Fermi Paradox: 'Where is everybody' ?


[video=youtube;GVTSHFhszIg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVTSHFhszIg[/video]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVTSHFhszIg

David Brin - Where are All Those Aliens?



[video=youtube;o4MRoY5gOvs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4MRoY5gOvs[/video]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4MRoY5gOvs

Lawrence Krauss - Why aren't Aliens Already Here?



[video=youtube;8fLOxLXNsj4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fLOxLXNsj4[/video]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fLOxLXNsj4

Jill Tarter - Why aren't Aliens Already Here?



[video=youtube;cBVUdEQXvmc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBVUdEQXvmc[/video]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBVUdEQXvmc

Ray Kurzweil - Where are All Those Aliens?



[video=youtube;AA733aVjk2M]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA733aVjk2M[/video]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA733aVjk2M

Frank Drake - Where are All Those Aliens?



[video=youtube;BP9cVi8UKto]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP9cVi8UKto[/video]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP9cVi8UKto

Jared Diamond - Why aren't Aliens Already Here?

 

[zombieapocalypse]

That sounds like commie talk to me. The only good Thargoid is a very, very dead Thargoid.

 

[rhiz]

I read about an interesting study concerning extraterrestrial life yesterday and it made me think of diplomatic missions to interact with Thargoids in the future.

I think i read here in the forum that there are supposed to be different factions of Thargoids with conflicting interests between them - and also saw some criticism here in the forum that there is only "pew-pew" to interact with rocks, barnacles and Thargoids.

I agree – I’m slightly disappointed that there aren't more ways to interact with the Thargoids beyond destroying them. I like the idea that they could be represented as diverse, nuanced and multifaceted. That said, I think that FD should avoid anthropomorphism – perhaps their psychology and motivations are genuinely “alien”. I like the direction of your thinking though.

I once dropped into an extraterrestrial signal source, was immediately attacked and promptly ran away. That’s the extent of my interactions with the Thargoids to date . Of course, a large proportion of the player base is combat oriented, so it needs to be there, but it would be nice if there were some alternatives.

For example, the Thargoids could react differently if they encounter a ship without hard-points installed. One idea that occurred to me is that they could enter into some form of visual/auditory communication, which could then be decoded over time by the non-combat player base (ideally something beyond the standard scanning mechanism). These insights could then be used to feed and enrich the narrative.

Regarding the Fermi Paradox, my own thinking is rather bleak. I suspect that intelligent life is fairly rare (or at least short-lived), advanced techno-scientific civilisation rarer still and those that attain it tend to be as troubled and self-destructive as we are. There’s still a lot of “faith”, even within the scientifically literate community, regarding the compatibility of consciousness and broader reality - its inevitable progression and so on. I’m probably unduly influenced by Nietzsche in this regard though (and Olaf Stapledon to a lesser extent). Perhaps intelligent life in the universe has a tendency to succumb to some grand, cosmic ennui? I think that our own vanity still influences our thinking in this regard. But then again, I’m probably guilty of anthropomorphism here myself, so who knows.

“The conditions of life might include error.” F. Nietzsche, The Gay Science

"It must not be supposed that the normal fate of intelligent races in the galaxy is to triumph." Olaf Stapledon, Star Maker

 

[Leadfoot]

Had an odd thought for when we can land on Earth-like worlds: Diplomatic envoy for First Contact with a new Species. You could arrive in a "first contact ship" designed to close up when you leave it so the creatures there can't get in through the landing gear. By then we should have an 8-foot tall robot guard to accompany us. Bringing along a device to study the other planets to provide as a gift is optional.

Possibilities:
(1) shot within the first 60 seconds of stepping foot on the surface of the planet (high risk). Robot guard destroys planet and your save character is wiped.
(2) successful completion of your mission (get them to join the Pilots Federation) pays 3,000 credits.

 

[CMDR Rob Roy Hobbs]

Thargoids don't seem big on the idea, but good idea.

 

[geendeen]

I am deeply impressed by your entire post and hope you forgive me when i only quote one small directly game play related part:

...could react differently if they encounter a ship without hard-points installed.

I love the idea of NPCs (not only Thargoids) reacting differently to a completely unarmed ship.

 

[rhiz]

I am deeply impressed by your entire post and hope you forgive me when i only quote one small directly game play related part:


I love the idea of NPCs (not only Thargoids) reacting differently to a completely unarmed ship.

Thanks geendeen – it struck me as quite a neat way of distinguishing playing styles and motivations in this context, and forking events accordingly. It shouldn’t be too difficult to achieve programmatically. That said, I doubt that most players would want to extend the principle too far (moral pirates? ).

I enjoy combat as much as anyone, but I agree with the spirit of your thread. There's so much potential in the world that FD have created.