dormcat on 4/9/2003 at 06:51
What about George Washington and the Order of Cincinnati, mentioned in a book Smuggler has? :confused: Any idea?
Krahl on 4/9/2003 at 07:04
Smuggler- "They're the CIA, or maybe Freemasons."
:rolleyes:
Smuggler is a really bad conspiracy theorist. :cheeky:
Fred Chook on 4/9/2003 at 10:50
You know, you're right. He says daft shit every time you talk to him. But he's lovable!
Z on 4/9/2003 at 15:54
Yeah, as Jacobson says, he's pretty whacked-out. Check out his computer, also:
Login = Hidden
Password = TrustNo1
(There's also Schick's account - Schick, Razor - but that never has mail)
Some of his messages are interesting. Seems that the often-heard, never-seen NSF trio of Decker, Young and Todd did make it out of NY, or at least tried. And the "Citizens Rights" conspiracy mailing-list he suscribes to makes his views look tame.
Quote:
Shirow Yoshitaka said:Next time, get your facts straight.:laff: (The humour becomes apparent if you read the rest)
Z
chris the cynic on 15/9/2003 at 15:27
Quote:
Originally posted by Z Some of his messages are interesting. Seems that the often-heard, never-seen NSF trio of Decker, Young and Todd did make it out of NY, or at least tried.Ok just got a second email from Chris Todd:
Well, it's been so long, I'm not sure there's much else I can think of...the only thing that occurs to me is my tribute to "System Shock 2" (one of the best RPG/action games ever made). I had three characters who you never actually meet, but only read about in data cubes and e-mails: an older, grizzled vet, and a younger couple who are in love. Originally working for MJ12 as security, they escape the destruction of the airfield at the beginning of the game and realize that they're former employers probably wouldn't be happy to see them, so they go on the run.
And, of course, wherever JC goes, they just happen to be in the same city, trying to buy passports or get out of the country. You can follow their story all the way to Paris, where I was going to have them tragically killed (there's a news item about a security bot going crazy and gunning down a bunch of folks at a cafe that's a remnant of that idea), but in the end I couldn't bring myself to do it. Of course, I couldn't figure out how to end their story, either, and since it was near the end of the development cycle...they just kind of vanish in Paris. One assumes they're probably sunning themselves in Tuscany somewhere under new identities.It's better the way he did it, tragic death wouldn't have fit, and an ending would probably be amiss, they were trying to get away and to do that they had to dissapear thus having an end other than the information just stopping would be odd.
chris the cynic on 15/9/2003 at 15:42
Just to break it up this (which was the greater part of that email from Chris) gets it's own post.
RosyCross is, in fact, a reference to the Rosicrucians, who almost always seem to find themselves somehow entangled with the Knights Templar and even Opus Dei in the various conspiracy theories. In this case, though, I didn't have a deep (or even shallow) motivation for using that as the Oracle's address, other than the fact that it fit in with the general atmosphere of the game. On the other hand, I did have a backstory for the Oracle that never really made it into the game - more explanation below.
That confirms that the name is the reference I thought it also has no real relation to the AI, guess AI's pick interesting email addresses.
To understand the Oracle, you need to understand that it's also something of an inside joke: in the early days of the Internet, when it was mostly nothing but Usenet postings, there was something called "the Usenet Oracle." You'd post a question, and if the Usenet Oracle deigned, you'd get an answer -- usually something humorous -- after which the Oracle would demand payment in some form. "You owe the Oracle an apple a day," or "You owe the Oracle eternal happiness."
So, I decided -- in the best William Gibson tradition -- that in the universe of DX, the Internet (or whatever its future equivalent is) had reached a critical mass of information that resulted in one or more artificial intelligences being spontaneously generated. Not wishing to draw attention to themselves, they masquerade as real people and only communicate electronically as they go about their subtle and unknowable business. The Oracle is one of these, but it's taken an interest in humanity, so it acts as an information broker in exchange for odd favors or items that help it understand people. Of course, essentially being an alien, the things it requests and what it considers a "good trade" are a little different from what actual human beings might desire.
I hadn't even considered that it was created without intention, this of course answers the questions of who made it and who it works for: itself.
This was something purely of my own creation and was never really integrated with the rest of the game -- though it doesn't necessarily contradict anything in the game either -- but I thought it would be a fun little thing for people to wonder about it. Unfortunately, since I haven't really been involved in DX2, it's unlikely the Oracle will be making a return.
Damn, I liked the Oracle, and I liked Todd's work.
Z on 16/9/2003 at 12:34
Hmm. Thanks for posting that, chris. System Shock 2, eh? Makes sense, now that I think about it.
Yes, it's a pity that Chris Todd won't be involved (or at least as involved) in DX2. I think Sheldon Pacotti is a great writer, but I also enjoyed Todd's work.
Z
