THE COMMANDER'S GUIDE TO FIRST CONTACT
Fantastic Beasts and How to Honk Them
Hello CMDRs!
I'm sure this particular topic has been touched on a hundred times before, but due to the fact it seems like we're very close to the possibility of first contact in the near future it seems wise to refresh this discussion.
Assuming there may be a chance to approach first contact in a non-violent encounter it should be absolutely necessary to advertise and inform as many interested commanders as possible if a peaceful outcome is desired, especially if Frontier goes full science on us (which is quite possible thanks to David Braben).
At this current stage, it seems rather likely that contact with the first aliens we encounter in Elite will be hostile, judging by the escalation of faction tensions, the corrosive nature of the UA's and the teaser video in David Braben's interview. However, these will not be the only aliens we encounter, and it stands to reason that at least one of the "first contacts" will allow for a peaceful outcome.
So, assuming we play our cards right and you're sat face to face with an alien ship, what should you do next?
FIRST CONTACT - ALIEN SHIP IS A SCRIPTED NPC
Well, first scenario to explore here is if the alien ship is an NPC, with a scripted set of outcomes. Whilst the opportunity for communication will be disappointing, it is quite possibly the least difficult if Frontier introduce a mechanic to handle it. The problem with communicating with an NPC if no such mechanics are available is the fact that it isn't intelligent (it doesn't have a man with a cup of tea sat at the other end with a Frontier shirt on).
As a result, it would likely go one of three ways:
FIRST CONTACT - ALIEN SHIP IS CONTROLLED BY FRONTIER
Oh my.
If Frontier decides to control the alien ship (likely in Open - I know, I know... the horror) then our responses and approach to a first contact could be far more cerebral and intelligent. If it is eventually suggested that such an approach could be a reality, then we seriously need our thinking hats on.
There are two rather large limitations we must adapt and overcome if first contact is to be a success. The first issue is that of our ships. Aside from "honking" our scanners in unison like a deleted scene from Inception or throwing random goods out of our cargo holds like the careless species we are (we'd look like right Pollocks) there's only one option left. And no, flashing lights will only tell the Thargoids their brake lights are faulty.
So how the heck do we handle a first contact?
STEP ONE - Keep calm!
So, CMDR InsertNameHere, you managed to find yourself face to face with an alien ship. For the sake of this guide, I'm going to call you CMDR Rex Laserstorm as let's be honest, you're going to be in the Elite history books so you better have a badasp name we can all aspire to.
So, CMDR REX LASERSTORM, aside from your devilishly good looks and incredible fortune, you're probably jettisoning a lot of biowaste from your cargo hold (If you know what I mean).
Keep calm and hold yourself together! It's not the fate of humanity at your hands, it's just the fate of a computer g- what am I saying you better not screw this up.
STEP TWO - Retract those hardpoints!
At this point, it's probably not a good idea to flex your imaginary spaceman/spacewoman muscles. Yes, that's right, they don't want to look at your hardpoints. They probably think they're rather small anyway.
On a more serious note, it's likely the alien may observe any obvious display of weaponry as a sign of aggression. I do not need to tell you that this is a bad idea. You're reading this guide for a reason, aren't you?
STEP THREE - Observe and respond!
Good going so far, Laserstorm! You've managed to stay alive and not insult their mothers. This is excellent.
At this point, Frontier will likely suggest or attempt to direct your next response through the alien's actions. If they honk, you honk. They flash, you flash. This shows your species has the intelligence of at least parrots.
The alien ship may then emit some sort of noise, or encrypted message. Probably both. If this is the case, this is the part where you scream in the forums for help in deciphering it before the aliens get bored and fly elsewhere. If it ends up as a game of "hear the message, type the response" then first contact should be relatively simple on your part.
Assuming the aliens wait for you to make the first move, or wish for you to communicate more freeform, then we move to step four:
STEP FOUR - Communicate!
This might sound simple. "I am Rex Laserstorm, on behalf of humanity we come in peace... kind of"
Sadly, there's every possibility that the aliens have not observed us for long enough to understand our language, our numbers, our alphabets or even emojis. [alien][up]
Of course, Frontier are from planet Earth (at least we think they are) but they will be pretending they understand none of it. So how do you communicate?
Unlike the Unknown Probes or NASA, we don't have pictures to convey our intent or knowledge. Our main tool at our disposal is the text box for communications. We can however attempt to use ASCII Art if the chatbox is flexible enough. The first example we might consider approaching is communicating that we have a basic knowledge of mathematics, as the use of maths is something likely every intelligent spacefaring species will have in common. After all, if they don't use maths, how could they build spaceships?
The first thing (that I reckon at least, feel free to correct me) we should do is communicate that we prefer a Base-10 numerical system, as we have ten fingers. We can't simply type a load of numbers as they might not understand that. Instead, it may be helpful to type something like this:
Hopefully, you'll get a similar reply which will let you identify what Base the aliens like to count in. If they have fifteen digits, expect Base-15 as a possibility, for example.
One method of communicating a knowledge of mathematics is by displaying the Pythagoras theorem. Aliens won't have a clue who Pythagoras is, but they will likely know this as the Krz'Khk'Zak theorem. Probably.
(That's a terrible triangle, I know. I think Frontier would understand what we mean though!)
From here on in, what happens next is mostly guesswork. You could get creative with ASCII art and show what we look like ><o or perhaps the Sol system O o o (o) o | o -o- o o | or a crazy crab (\/)o0(\/) (don't do that)
Either way, once you've established basic numerical communication and a desire for peace, the rest is up to you. Good luck!
COMMUNITY SUGGESTIONS
Raging Bulldog's suggestion of using Pi would also be an excellent means of communicating our mathematical awareness, as once the aliens understand base-10, you could try typing it out. (The first few numbers that is, otherwise we'd all be long dead before you finish)
Jaiotu's excellent alternative: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showt...nder-s-Guide?p=4418651&viewfull=1#post4418651
crushdepth brings up an excellent point: We should probably warn them (somehow) that not all humans are peaceful (you only need to look at our dearest friends over at the other first contact guide). This does not bode well for our diplomatic credit score. By the same logic, if aliens are in any way like us, they too will have peaceful and aggressive variants.
Thanks for reading, and suggestions are appreciated!
Fantastic Beasts and How to Honk Them
Hello CMDRs!
I'm sure this particular topic has been touched on a hundred times before, but due to the fact it seems like we're very close to the possibility of first contact in the near future it seems wise to refresh this discussion.
Assuming there may be a chance to approach first contact in a non-violent encounter it should be absolutely necessary to advertise and inform as many interested commanders as possible if a peaceful outcome is desired, especially if Frontier goes full science on us (which is quite possible thanks to David Braben).
At this current stage, it seems rather likely that contact with the first aliens we encounter in Elite will be hostile, judging by the escalation of faction tensions, the corrosive nature of the UA's and the teaser video in David Braben's interview. However, these will not be the only aliens we encounter, and it stands to reason that at least one of the "first contacts" will allow for a peaceful outcome.
So, assuming we play our cards right and you're sat face to face with an alien ship, what should you do next?
FIRST CONTACT - ALIEN SHIP IS A SCRIPTED NPC
Well, first scenario to explore here is if the alien ship is an NPC, with a scripted set of outcomes. Whilst the opportunity for communication will be disappointing, it is quite possibly the least difficult if Frontier introduce a mechanic to handle it. The problem with communicating with an NPC if no such mechanics are available is the fact that it isn't intelligent (it doesn't have a man with a cup of tea sat at the other end with a Frontier shirt on).
As a result, it would likely go one of three ways:
- The aliens give you lovely visual instructions to perform for their amusement. If you pass the minigame, peace is assured for humanity!
- You're expected to type in a phrase, honk your scanner or flash your headlights in a manner already deciphered by the community before the first encounter. Predictable, but a tad boring...
- An engineer modification allows you to transmit a message to an alien craft, probably saying something like "ALL HAIL BRABEN" or a modulated radio message as seen below:
FIRST CONTACT - ALIEN SHIP IS CONTROLLED BY FRONTIER
Oh my.
If Frontier decides to control the alien ship (likely in Open - I know, I know... the horror) then our responses and approach to a first contact could be far more cerebral and intelligent. If it is eventually suggested that such an approach could be a reality, then we seriously need our thinking hats on.
There are two rather large limitations we must adapt and overcome if first contact is to be a success. The first issue is that of our ships. Aside from "honking" our scanners in unison like a deleted scene from Inception or throwing random goods out of our cargo holds like the careless species we are (we'd look like right Pollocks) there's only one option left. And no, flashing lights will only tell the Thargoids their brake lights are faulty.
So how the heck do we handle a first contact?
STEP ONE - Keep calm!
So, CMDR InsertNameHere, you managed to find yourself face to face with an alien ship. For the sake of this guide, I'm going to call you CMDR Rex Laserstorm as let's be honest, you're going to be in the Elite history books so you better have a badasp name we can all aspire to.
So, CMDR REX LASERSTORM, aside from your devilishly good looks and incredible fortune, you're probably jettisoning a lot of biowaste from your cargo hold (If you know what I mean).
Keep calm and hold yourself together! It's not the fate of humanity at your hands, it's just the fate of a computer g- what am I saying you better not screw this up.
STEP TWO - Retract those hardpoints!
At this point, it's probably not a good idea to flex your imaginary spaceman/spacewoman muscles. Yes, that's right, they don't want to look at your hardpoints. They probably think they're rather small anyway.
On a more serious note, it's likely the alien may observe any obvious display of weaponry as a sign of aggression. I do not need to tell you that this is a bad idea. You're reading this guide for a reason, aren't you?
STEP THREE - Observe and respond!
Good going so far, Laserstorm! You've managed to stay alive and not insult their mothers. This is excellent.
At this point, Frontier will likely suggest or attempt to direct your next response through the alien's actions. If they honk, you honk. They flash, you flash. This shows your species has the intelligence of at least parrots.
The alien ship may then emit some sort of noise, or encrypted message. Probably both. If this is the case, this is the part where you scream in the forums for help in deciphering it before the aliens get bored and fly elsewhere. If it ends up as a game of "hear the message, type the response" then first contact should be relatively simple on your part.
Assuming the aliens wait for you to make the first move, or wish for you to communicate more freeform, then we move to step four:
STEP FOUR - Communicate!
This might sound simple. "I am Rex Laserstorm, on behalf of humanity we come in peace... kind of"
Sadly, there's every possibility that the aliens have not observed us for long enough to understand our language, our numbers, our alphabets or even emojis. [alien][up]
Of course, Frontier are from planet Earth (at least we think they are) but they will be pretending they understand none of it. So how do you communicate?
Unlike the Unknown Probes or NASA, we don't have pictures to convey our intent or knowledge. Our main tool at our disposal is the text box for communications. We can however attempt to use ASCII Art if the chatbox is flexible enough. The first example we might consider approaching is communicating that we have a basic knowledge of mathematics, as the use of maths is something likely every intelligent spacefaring species will have in common. After all, if they don't use maths, how could they build spaceships?
The first thing (that I reckon at least, feel free to correct me) we should do is communicate that we prefer a Base-10 numerical system, as we have ten fingers. We can't simply type a load of numbers as they might not understand that. Instead, it may be helpful to type something like this:
Code:
0
. 1
.. 2
... 3
.... 4
..... 5
...... 6
....... 7
........ 8
......... 9
.......... 10
........... 11Hopefully, you'll get a similar reply which will let you identify what Base the aliens like to count in. If they have fifteen digits, expect Base-15 as a possibility, for example.
One method of communicating a knowledge of mathematics is by displaying the Pythagoras theorem. Aliens won't have a clue who Pythagoras is, but they will likely know this as the Krz'Khk'Zak theorem. Probably.
Code:
III |_\ IIIII
IIII(That's a terrible triangle, I know. I think Frontier would understand what we mean though!)
From here on in, what happens next is mostly guesswork. You could get creative with ASCII art and show what we look like ><o or perhaps the Sol system O o o (o) o | o -o- o o | or a crazy crab (\/)o0(\/) (don't do that)
Either way, once you've established basic numerical communication and a desire for peace, the rest is up to you. Good luck!
COMMUNITY SUGGESTIONS
Raging Bulldog's suggestion of using Pi would also be an excellent means of communicating our mathematical awareness, as once the aliens understand base-10, you could try typing it out. (The first few numbers that is, otherwise we'd all be long dead before you finish)
Jaiotu's excellent alternative: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showt...nder-s-Guide?p=4418651&viewfull=1#post4418651
crushdepth brings up an excellent point: We should probably warn them (somehow) that not all humans are peaceful (you only need to look at our dearest friends over at the other first contact guide). This does not bode well for our diplomatic credit score. By the same logic, if aliens are in any way like us, they too will have peaceful and aggressive variants.
Thanks for reading, and suggestions are appreciated!
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