Legix
Well-Known Member
Since I've finally just about finished painting and (as a result) am nearing the end of having to work as much, I figured I'd finally bring up something that has been alarming me and has been an issue brought up among myself and a few other members.
In particular, this is the arising issue I've continued calling a Tech War.
With USO and various groups pushing to make new technology, this has been an underlying issue that has seemingly been going under the radar and is something I feel needs to be spoken about here. Reason? It has to do with the health of a setting when this sort of thing occurs.
Some might have looked back in prior times through SARP and noticed some technology is strangely strong, massively armed, or simply banned. This is because in the past, a similar situation broke out that led to many of these technologies advancing to these absurd levels. Interdiction was, for example, overused to the point the concept was simply banned. And now this has been getting explained by three very flawed excuses.
One could argue that as a technological view, this excuse has more purpose. But think of a real life example, such as the Cold War. Just because we could continue developing nukes, both Russia and the United states continued to do so. While it led to some good, it also promoted some of the most unhealthy and unstable relations the world had ever seen... all because people stopped caring about the morality of their technology. In SARP, this rule is so ethical that most nations (even including Nepleslia) would ask it before they began trying to further make their technology grow in superiority rather than simply make more of it. A war of numbers rather than a war of sheer destruction isn't what people want... until you realize a War of Numbers would be World War 2 and a War of Destruction would be a Nuclear War that destroyed the planet and likely crippled (if not exterminate) our species.
Because the site suffered from countless bouts of this issue in the past that led to many technologies getting banned or viewed harshly.
Interdiction as my key example was likely a victim of this based on knowledge of it. When one faction made use of it, others prepared interdiction to cripple them... and then others made interdiction to interdict the interdiction. People continued waging the war of "well, they have it so I can have it" and the PvE/traditional RPing of the site was stripped of an element because the PvP aspect threatened the site. Some might ask "Well, most of the site doesn't RP in PvP, so why does it matter?"
This is due to the fact that even though you aren't going against other players, you are going up against that faction. You can't use a faction that has exceptionally better technology and continuously play them as losing to a worse-off faction. Even the Rebels lost battles, especially as the Star Wars setting was expanded we saw examples of the good guys losing. This was to ensure there was balance in the setting. Both groups would make advances or swap positions by stripping technology from others. In SARP, doing such a thing would go against FM rights... which meant that to ensure fairness they simply had to either ban the technology entirely or continue letting everyone one-up the other. It forced people to harm the setting further to "balance out" the pain.
We also generally won't accept cutting edge or advanced technology for factions that don't have any role-play going on.
Make an effort to improve on existing designs; we have a lot of good designs that could use some refit or upgrading.
These two statements effectively clarify that there is a moral integrity to making new technology or submissions, primarily that cutting edge technology should not be made without lots of RP to back it up. On top of that, improving or upgrading things should be done before making entirely new and advanced things. People often also say "Well, only I'll be using it" or "Well, it doesn't have to work a certain way when others use it!"
That is also against the rules, under rule 4. Promising in-universe restrictions on use or availability.
I don't expect many people to want to post here or that there will be agreement in full on this. I only want to make this article to better explain why there have been issues and arguments lately for the many people who have been following the settings and waiting (sometimes) on certain tech to occur.
It's not being done to hinder RP or to spite certain people. This is because a few members worry when they see a lot of the danger signs from the past and are worried about the setting.
It's a lot to read @_@ but this is something that only a few people have actively been causing and continuing to drive as a whole. I'd love it if this could be brought up and discussed, perhaps to better find a way for people to find paths to get what they want without the potential spark that forces other factions who want to be relevant to match or keep-up with this new wave of technology and submissions. It'd make no sense to stay weaker than a nation... but surpassing them only invites a cold war, which I'd hope the majority of space empires would recognize as a dangerous situation for both sides. Especially when the sector is being threatened by the Kuvexians.
If you think this is an issue, if you don't agree, then please post here. Be respectful and present your own fact-backed thoughts on the matter. This is something that, honestly, worries me since in the past no one likely thought it would be bad... yet it did result in the setting getting plagued with technological disbelief in various fields and earned scorn from members alike in the past when they were faced against this/stopped from participating. This is something that fits a setting discussion, as it really is an issue. Whether its an issue that we're about to have one or perhaps that we haven't had one is something I'd like to hear from the various members of the site and I'm sure even the NTSE and Staff would benefit from this discussion.
@Wes - I primarily want you to stop by and read this too, since you know better than most as to the past. It may be time to consider discussing a resolution to this sudden surge for "better technology", as there are other ways for us to bring things in such as redesigns and MUCH smaller technology leaps. Or, at least, that's what the submission guide suggests and has somewhat been ignored as of late.
In particular, this is the arising issue I've continued calling a Tech War.
With USO and various groups pushing to make new technology, this has been an underlying issue that has seemingly been going under the radar and is something I feel needs to be spoken about here. Reason? It has to do with the health of a setting when this sort of thing occurs.
Some might have looked back in prior times through SARP and noticed some technology is strangely strong, massively armed, or simply banned. This is because in the past, a similar situation broke out that led to many of these technologies advancing to these absurd levels. Interdiction was, for example, overused to the point the concept was simply banned. And now this has been getting explained by three very flawed excuses.
"I'm making it because nothing says I can't."
"Well, if X can have it, why can't I have it with Y?"
"It doesn't break the rules!"
For those of you who doesn't understand what is wrong with this, this thread is here to explain why these things are bad and why it is fueling a very unhealthy Tech War."Well, if X can have it, why can't I have it with Y?"
"It doesn't break the rules!"
- "I'm making it because nothing says I can't."
One could argue that as a technological view, this excuse has more purpose. But think of a real life example, such as the Cold War. Just because we could continue developing nukes, both Russia and the United states continued to do so. While it led to some good, it also promoted some of the most unhealthy and unstable relations the world had ever seen... all because people stopped caring about the morality of their technology. In SARP, this rule is so ethical that most nations (even including Nepleslia) would ask it before they began trying to further make their technology grow in superiority rather than simply make more of it. A war of numbers rather than a war of sheer destruction isn't what people want... until you realize a War of Numbers would be World War 2 and a War of Destruction would be a Nuclear War that destroyed the planet and likely crippled (if not exterminate) our species.
- "Well, if X can have it, why can't I have it with Y?"
Because the site suffered from countless bouts of this issue in the past that led to many technologies getting banned or viewed harshly.
Interdiction as my key example was likely a victim of this based on knowledge of it. When one faction made use of it, others prepared interdiction to cripple them... and then others made interdiction to interdict the interdiction. People continued waging the war of "well, they have it so I can have it" and the PvE/traditional RPing of the site was stripped of an element because the PvP aspect threatened the site. Some might ask "Well, most of the site doesn't RP in PvP, so why does it matter?"
This is due to the fact that even though you aren't going against other players, you are going up against that faction. You can't use a faction that has exceptionally better technology and continuously play them as losing to a worse-off faction. Even the Rebels lost battles, especially as the Star Wars setting was expanded we saw examples of the good guys losing. This was to ensure there was balance in the setting. Both groups would make advances or swap positions by stripping technology from others. In SARP, doing such a thing would go against FM rights... which meant that to ensure fairness they simply had to either ban the technology entirely or continue letting everyone one-up the other. It forced people to harm the setting further to "balance out" the pain.
- "It doesn't break the rules!"
We also generally won't accept cutting edge or advanced technology for factions that don't have any role-play going on.
Make an effort to improve on existing designs; we have a lot of good designs that could use some refit or upgrading.
These two statements effectively clarify that there is a moral integrity to making new technology or submissions, primarily that cutting edge technology should not be made without lots of RP to back it up. On top of that, improving or upgrading things should be done before making entirely new and advanced things. People often also say "Well, only I'll be using it" or "Well, it doesn't have to work a certain way when others use it!"
That is also against the rules, under rule 4. Promising in-universe restrictions on use or availability.
-------------------------------
To sum this all up, this is the presented points and warning signs leading to a tech war SARP went through in the past that severely broke it and led us to a lot of the tech issues and balancing issues we've been making systems and having discussions over for a long time. This isn't something one can deny as being a threat... it is happening right now as two factions are bursting from small powers to major ones. Ahead of groups that have been here long, such as the Iroma, Nepleslia, and even Yamatai's technological might.
I don't expect many people to want to post here or that there will be agreement in full on this. I only want to make this article to better explain why there have been issues and arguments lately for the many people who have been following the settings and waiting (sometimes) on certain tech to occur.
It's not being done to hinder RP or to spite certain people. This is because a few members worry when they see a lot of the danger signs from the past and are worried about the setting.
It's a lot to read @_@ but this is something that only a few people have actively been causing and continuing to drive as a whole. I'd love it if this could be brought up and discussed, perhaps to better find a way for people to find paths to get what they want without the potential spark that forces other factions who want to be relevant to match or keep-up with this new wave of technology and submissions. It'd make no sense to stay weaker than a nation... but surpassing them only invites a cold war, which I'd hope the majority of space empires would recognize as a dangerous situation for both sides. Especially when the sector is being threatened by the Kuvexians.
If you think this is an issue, if you don't agree, then please post here. Be respectful and present your own fact-backed thoughts on the matter. This is something that, honestly, worries me since in the past no one likely thought it would be bad... yet it did result in the setting getting plagued with technological disbelief in various fields and earned scorn from members alike in the past when they were faced against this/stopped from participating. This is something that fits a setting discussion, as it really is an issue. Whether its an issue that we're about to have one or perhaps that we haven't had one is something I'd like to hear from the various members of the site and I'm sure even the NTSE and Staff would benefit from this discussion.
----
@Wes - I primarily want you to stop by and read this too, since you know better than most as to the past. It may be time to consider discussing a resolution to this sudden surge for "better technology", as there are other ways for us to bring things in such as redesigns and MUCH smaller technology leaps. Or, at least, that's what the submission guide suggests and has somewhat been ignored as of late.
