The forthcoming election

FZD

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Gotta say from reading the surface gumph, I like Addisons ideas because FOR SCIENCE and I like Sharrads ideas...

Not got long to make up my mind...
I got to wonder if electing Addison means CIG actually focuses more on bringing computer blades and AI turrets online 2021
 

NaffNaffBobFace

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I got to wonder if electing Addison means CIG actually focuses more on bringing computer blades and AI turrets online 2021
Maybe, but an Imperitor is for life, not just for Christmas. This is a decision which will last 10 whole years, not a choice to be made on the back of short-term wants or whims.

I am also liking Ngo for their stance on the Tevarin, but I'm not crazy about moving the Capital from Earth to Terra.
 

FZD

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Maybe, but an Imperitor is for life, not just for Christmas. This is a decision which will last 10 whole years, not a choice to be made on the back of short-term wants or whims.

I am also liking Ngo for their stance on the Tevarin, but I'm not crazy about moving the Capital from Earth to Terra.
I'm just saying, lore aside, this pretty much seems like an opinion poll between AI, Trade, Mining/Piracy, Tevarin/Terra (1+1=Wormhole focus?), Mission gameplay. I'm not saying it'd be JUST a short term effect, but I'm thinking it'd likely start with a short term effect.

Now, this time around it's lored up as imperator election, next time around it can be something else, or hey, maybe the imperator drops dead when it's convenient. I think this is really just a fun way of asking players what they prefer.
 
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NaffNaffBobFace

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I'm just saying, lore aside, this pretty much seems like an opinion poll between AI, Trade, Mining/Piracy, Tevarin/Terra (1+1=Wormhole focus?), Mission gameplay. I'm not saying it'd be JUST a short term effect, but I'm thinking it'd likely start with a short term effect.
Ahaa, I see what you mean.

As a kid who frequented the local bicycle shop, a sign on the back wall always stuck with me: "The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten". I just googled it and it turns out that's a Benjamin Franklin quote. it could be altered to ""The bitterness of a crappy imperitor remains long after the sweetness of skipping the queue for a feature release is forgotten" 🙂
 

FZD

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Ahaa, I see what you mean.

As a kid who frequented the local bicycle shop, a sign on the back wall always stuck with me: "The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten". I just googled it and it turns out that's a Benjamin Franklin quote. it could be altered to ""The bitterness of a crappy imperitor remains long after the sweetness of skipping the queue for a feature release is forgotten" 🙂
I don't seem to be quite able to effectively express myself today. I'll redouble my efforts and see if I can clarify what I mean: Firstly, I don't think there is a poor choice for imperator. Secondly, I don't mean that CIG would abandon all other gameplay. But I'm like 95% sure this will affect CIGs long and short term development plans, short term I think they'll focus on that sort of gameplay, meaning anything from throwing an extra 10 people at it to devoting everyone's idle time to it, and long term that area might get 1-2 extra features/items/vehicles, some existing features might get some improvements, some laws in the universe might get minor changes, etc. That's pretty much the totality I think will result from the election. If you think there is something else, I'd be most curious to hear about your opinions / speculations on the matter.

And just because an imperator is selected every 10 years, doesn't mean we wouldn't get to make our voices heard for the next 9 years, it might not be a yearly thing (not counting ship showdowns etc. here), but there are a lot of votes the citizens could take lorewise, maybe we'll be voting for senators next. Maybe there will be a referendum on some issue. Maybe the imperator dies and the next election needs to be held early (I'm actually like 65% sure about that one).
 

Gambit

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NGO here!

1) Trying to make amends for the damn stupid messer era - without needing to build a super structure that is not going well;
2) Getting tevarins to be more present in game - wild bet here, who knows, maybe playable earlier than later;
3) Terra is WAY better than Earth in my book!

I really like the artificial intelligence option as well. But Terra being the capital is something I've been following for a long while - also, it is how Earth is pronounced in Portuguese, so it will be fun to find people saying this word more often!
 

NaffNaffBobFace

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I don't seem to be quite able to effectively express myself today. I'll redouble my efforts and see if I can clarify what I mean:
Not at all, I'm in a talky mood today :)

Firstly, I don't think there is a poor choice for imperator. Secondly, I don't mean that CIG would abandon all other gameplay. But I'm like 95% sure this will affect CIGs long and short term development plans, short term I think they'll focus on that sort of gameplay, meaning anything from throwing an extra 10 people at it to devoting everyone's idle time to it, and long term that area might get 1-2 extra features/items/vehicles, some existing features might get some improvements, some laws in the universe might get minor changes, etc. That's pretty much the totality I think will result from the election. If you think there is something else, I'd be most curious to hear about your opinions / speculations on the matter.
I definitely see where you are coming from but I see a much bigger picture based on who gets into the position - I think it's more a very long term thing they build the foundations of the empire that we will be playing in going forward. To give some examples of a few things that matter to me as a voter and what the candidates have said they will do:

SynthWorld: I want this to continue, but I don't want it to bankrupt the empire -
If one of the candidates get in, the project is over immediately. If another one gets in it gets more funding and continues. If some of the other candidates get in they'll take a look at it and will proceed if it's viable... I wanna play on SynthWorld, so I wanna vote for the person who wants to guarantee its funding.

The Fair Chance Act: I want this to continue -
The Garron II incident (where they terraformed a populated world inhabited by a non-tech species massacring them all) was so horrific it ended the Messer Era. The UEE also terraformed the Tevarin homeworld after we won the war, leaving an entire species adrift in the Empire - accepted as part of the citizenry but with nowhere to call home, something I would call an atrocity. It was at the beginning of the Messer era and Garron II was at the end of the Messer era, grizly book ends to a vile patch of human history. One of the candidates will ban terraforming in favour of concentrating on building artificial planets hence SynthWorld. One of the other candidates will remove the Fair Chance Act to remove red-tape. I'm not for that I don't want to see another Garron II and would be horrified if that candidate gets in and sets the wheels in motion for another massacre.

The Tavarin: See above about their homeworld -
I am a sympathiser and think the UEE committed an atrocity against them. We won the war, but we didn't stop there. There is only one candidate who has mentioned attempting to make things better for them.

The Seat of the Empire: Earth or Terra? -
One of the candidates wants to move all Earth UEE government to Terra, making the capital of the Emipre a planet that is not our homeworld. They put forward Terra is just a much better hub - it is - both commercially and defensively it's a hive of activity while SOL system has been on a downturn for centuries with only a few jump points whereas Terra is a hub. But do you need a hive to run an empire? This change would create a lot of gameplay moving junk from Earth to Terra, but at the cost of SynthWorld which I would be moving a lot of junk to and want to see. To me that's a direct effect on game play, going between two inhabited planets with local anamocity in Sol and hope and high times in Terra, verses delivering resources to an artificial planet. I dunno I just don't feel moving the seat of the UEE would have any benefit and it would cost SynthWorld to do it. I just don't see a benefit for the cost and effort.

AI: With the loss of the Generation Ship Artemis humanity took the decision to restrict AI, the ship had a max speed of Quantum and the pilot was AI but the whole craft just... vanished. Lost. Gone. No trace. One of the candidates wants to cautiously begin research in AI again, and not only that, mount exebitions to locate that lost generation ship Artemis. That's gameplay I wanna be part of the Artemis is fascinating.

As you can see from the above, some candidates want to do things I am interested in, some candidates want to do things I would hate to see happening, and it will be their way for the next 10 years.

No one candidate covers all the bases for me. It's choosing the one I think I'm going to get the best 'verse expiriance from which closes matches my goals and ideals. Yes, I could take a contradictory stance to whoever gets in, but when it's something like SynthWorld being shut down, if the Empire stops funding that project it's just gone. There won't be any way I can just keep delivering resources to a construction site with no workers and no one paying the bill for the stuff I bring in.

And just because an imperator is selected every 10 years, doesn't mean we wouldn't get to make our voices heard for the next 9 years, it might not be a yearly thing (not counting ship showdowns etc. here), but there are a lot of votes the citizens could take lorewise, maybe we'll be voting for senators next. Maybe there will be a referendum on some issue. Maybe the imperator dies and the next election needs to be held early (I'm actually like 65% sure about that one).
I do hear you there, always a possibility, especially with the imperitor dying thing - if a player doesn't like who got in, what's to stop them just walking into the high office and ending the winner of the fair election, over and over again, until they get the person they wanted in?

Another thing I really don't want to see, though, is a stagnant governance that can't do anything because of polatics. It's a game - not a boredom simulator 🙂
 

FZD

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I definitely see where you are coming from but I see a much bigger picture based on who gets into the position - I think it's more a very long term thing they build the foundations of the empire that we will be playing in going forward. To give some examples of a few things that matter to me as a voter and what the candidates have said they will do:
I think we're along the same lines, but just have different ideas on to what extent gameplay is affected or maybe we even perceive the same amount of change to be more or less significant.

SynthWorld: I want this to continue
Full agreement there :)

As you can see from the above, some candidates want to do things I am interested in, some candidates want to do things I would hate to see happening, and it will be their way for the next 10 years.
Yes, that is the same for me, however, I don't think any of the candidates have conflicts between their long and short-term goals, like say I like trading, I want both the short and long term effects Costigans promises, which I interpret as bigger profits and (some) safer routes (and perhaps more smuggling opportunities). As for addison, I'd want CIG to focus on AI tech now, and in the long term I'd also be interested in more advanced AI tech, science gameplay and possibly quelling an AI rebellion, why not. Android crewmates you buy instead of pay salary to would be quite nice.

No one candidate covers all the bases for me. It's choosing the one I think I'm going to get the best 'verse expiriance from which closes matches my goals and ideals. Yes, I could take a contradictory stance to whoever gets in, but when it's something like SynthWorld being shut down, if the Empire stops funding that project it's just gone. There won't be any way I can just keep delivering resources to a construction site with no workers and no one paying the bill for the stuff I bring in.
For me, it seems to be a tough choice between Costigan and Addison. But I think I might be leaning towards Addison, as I think it'll mean we'll get more interesting AI tech down the road as well as hopefully bit more AI focus on development in the short term as well. If there was a candidate that would deliver automated turrets sooner and more advanced automated turrets later, that'd most likely be Addison. Among other things, of course. And the way I see it, whatever the gameplay you're doing, AI techs will probably provide some sort of boon. If not, well, I got CCU to endeavor, floating science station, Hey-o!
 

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I definitely see where you are coming from but I see a much bigger picture based on who gets into the position - I think it's more a very long term thing they build the foundations of the empire that we will be playing in going forward. To give some examples of a few things that matter to me as a voter and what the candidates have said they will do:
I think we're along the same lines, but just have different ideas on to what extent gameplay is affected or maybe we even perceive the same amount of change to be more or less significant.
You guys have too much spare time to follow this, or maybe I don't have enough. However, I am also trying to decide between Costigan and Addison, for largely the same reasons. I just haven't followed it as much as I need to. I have an condition called "real life" that keeps interfering. Damn thing.
 

NaffNaffBobFace

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I have an condition called "real life" that keeps interfering. Damn thing.
I hear that, ignore it at your peril as I have my RL!

What's the worst that could happen? It's Bin Day and it won't get emptied for another two weeks - and guess who got distracted by the internetz and didn't put the damned thing out...

I'm hoping there will be a TL;DR for vote day. I dunno whether to go vote immediately, or wait and see if any dirt gets raked up over the course of the voting period to see if that can help put me off any of the candidates.

I really, really hope they don't show us the totals as they are running - there are far to many glory-supporters who vote for who/what ever is winning just so they can say they backed the winner so were 'right'.
 

Lorddarthvik

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Now that I've read the short descriptions, I'm on the same boat as many above me, Costigan or Addison?

I'm leaning more towards Titus cos cool name brah, and I like space truckin! (he is focused on economy, and I'd like to see that pushed forward way before we get more useless Ai drones or other sci-fi crap to play with)
 

NaffNaffBobFace

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Star Citizen Live with the Lore Team on the process of making etc, still watching it so not sure how helpful it is for us plebs, but they mentioned Lord Buckethead so I'm already totally invested in watching this one :love:

Lengthly at an hour but seems to be going into the background of how all this came to be if you're interested.

EDIT - Boaty McBoat Face is refurred to several times, for anyone not aware: In the UK the British Public were invited to vote for the name of a new arctic research ship - they voted Boaty McBoat Face. The organizers of the vote went didn't think that was suitable so went with the second choice, The Sir David Attenbourough... but one of the ROV's was namesd Boaty McBoat Face in honour of the vote, which has gone on to be the center of several scientific discoveries.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZWw8bKxmy4
 
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NaffNaffBobFace

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I think we're along the same lines, but just have different ideas on to what extent gameplay is affected or maybe we even perceive the same amount of change to be more or less significant.
Okay, having watched the above video, I think I can see what you mean now, I think :)

That's very interesting vid - Even if the people wanting to kill off Synthworld get in, its not guaranteed due to having to get it past the Senate and the Senate is very pro SynthWorld... and the Addison AI information in it suggests any law change would be extremely basic and not exactly the Skynet tomorrow situation some may have thought...?

Any tech in, or planned to be in the 'Verse, would not be currently considered AI anyway I don't think? And that research would be starting legally and heavily regulated... Things like automated turrets, Computer blades and even The Greeter at Microtech would not be considered AI - for example, the greeter can say hello if it detects you stood in front of it and ask how it can help, but it can't deduce that you are wet from being covered in snow and offer you a towel. You need to tell it how it can help you.

I think "AI" in the 'Verse means an artificial sentience being able to make observations and decisions independent from a human, not an automated machine. As example:

Automation: Red marked ships are the enemy, any ship that fires at us is the enemy, mark that ship red and fire at the red marked ships. An ally clips our shields with a shot, the automation marks them red because being hit = enemy action. Our automated turrets open fire and our ally is destroyed in friendly fire. The fix to this is an exemption list of ally ships on our team. One of our ships gets boarded, though, but the exemption list isn't updated in time and it destroys us without our auto-turrets firing a single shot in defense of the ship

AI: Red marked ships are the enemy. One of our allies accidentally hit us with a shot, they are obviously not enemy so don't mark that ship red. More shots come in from our ally ship, but they are our ally? They may have been boarded? Send comms. Comms ignored, missile lock detected and more shots to the shields, return fire but with distortion rounds only, disabling the ally ship. Ally had in fact defected to the enemy, our AI didn't know this but was able to use the tools at its disposal to get extra information, make working assumptions and assertain our ally ship was no longer an ally but only knock the ship out, not destroy it.

That's what I think it says to me but then I'm me and do tend to overthink things 😉

An interesting phrase used in the video was "The lens you see events in the 'Verse through" and gave the example of a mission to supply an illegal AI research station in a hard to find outpost on some moon, verses going to answer a call for urgent supplies from a legal AI research station in or close to a primary landing pad on a planet. That's pretty interesting, I can see why the Lore Team is having such a 'mare over how to approach events in the 'Verse through an Addison lens of AI and Education rather than Economy, Empire Building or Hail Emperor.

I think that helped me make a clearer choice on which of the contestants I might choose... might mull it over for another couple of days though :)
 
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NaffNaffBobFace

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The polls are open:

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