02-07-2020, 10:17 PM
Welcome to the forums! 
I would suggest keeping the S level lower for a few reasons.
1) The higher the entity the more implausible it is to move. S4s can make mobile versions of S3s, but as far as I'm aware we don't have any non-metric level technology that would involve an S4 being suitably mobile. Transmitting themselves isn't an option in reasonable times either given their extreme mental size. I'd suggest having something like an S2 that ascends to an S3, maybe an S4.
2) There's a wealth of untapped potential in transapient/low archai civs in the setting. We've got a lot of articles on modo civs (or modo subsets of larger civs) and we have the major empires themselves. Fleshing out the middle option would be a great addition.
3) Power creep both across the project as a whole and within a civ is a consideration. From a project perspective we don't want the setting to become too front loaded with entities that are essentially gods, so far beyond mundane modo life that we can barely grasp the edges of what they are. From an article perspective having an S6 in it means that it's a much higher bar to write well and in a way that explores the consequences of an S6 civ.
This can work but like I said I'd suggest against having an S6 ruler. S4, maybe 5 at a stretch depending on how confident you are with your abilities to write it. The challenge will be trying to properly flesh out what exactly does an S2 governor do and look like from the perspective of modos who are already directly governed from an S1? Same for S3 to S2 and so on and so forth. Most empires are said to work this way incidentally, but the exact relationship and actions of the hierarchies beyond modo are largely mysterious.
Also you can totally have an isolated region without it being outside the terragen sphere. You could have a globular cluster or other such concentration of systems that has fairly strict immigration (rerouting lightway travellers without appropriate visas, destroying incoming craft without the same, not having a direct connection to the nexus etc). It's totally within canon for there to be systems and middle empires with autonomy and relative levels of isolation within the sphere. If you try to set it outside you'll run into issues of justifying the length of history. Yes it's possible for people to travel to the periphery, build a fast craft and run ahead of the expansion wave. But they have to travel for a while to build up any buffer and that buffer won't last very long.
The current data is roughly 10,500at so articles shouldn't be set after that. But you could have the isolation of your society lifted relatively recently.
Jumping past the comments above on how archai don't move and perhaps don't gun straight for writing another example of the most powerful entities in the setting...
The terragen sphere on average expands at about a rate of 70% of the speed of light. It's implausible that a new empire would do the same as much of the terragen expansion is due to migration from millions of heavily populated core systems to the periphery, providing a constant low of colony efforts. But lets sat this new civ also expanded at .7c (basically the moment it starts new colony missions are sent out). If the exodus fleet is travelling at .9c then for every 5 years of travel it stays 1 light year ahead of the expansion front. If the goal is to find a new homesystem and expand outwards to a radius of 500ly then it needs to be at least 500ly ahead, but because the main sphere and this new colony are both expanding towards each other the exodus fleet has to start 1000 light years beyond the wave front. That means the exodus fleet would have to launch 5,000 years before it finally arrives at its destination to begin expanding into its own sphere, around 5500at. No S6 entities had been observed at this point.
Hopefully this shows that it's not really a workable plan in its current state, but as I've said you don't need to go for this strategy The major empires are said to only have a third of the colonised systems of the terragen sphere affiliated with them. The rest are a wealth of minor empires which can easily have their own policies on isolation. Your idea can fit right in here.
(02-07-2020, 05:45 PM)SolarRider Wrote: Thank you guys for welcoming me and taking your time to answer my questions. I asked these questions because they relate to the project that I’ve been envisioning. So the project is about like I mentioned a Isolate terragen civilization, run by a SI:6 Archai. The civilization originated from terragen Modosophonts refugees and transaps/lower archais who became disillusioned with the warring SI:6s during the version war. The ruling SI:6 of my civilization (Eir is an SI:4 at the time) is the one who lead and organize a fleet of refugees away from the Civilized Galaxy to establish E own civilization
Note: originally I was planning to keep my ruling Archai a SI:5 instead of a 6 because of the fact that E is isolate with its subject without any equal or higher Archai around to contact for help.
I am also considering to start my Archai as a Si:4 and maybe ascend E to SI:5 but like you guys mentioned it can be difficult for an Archai to leave its empire and also it very risky for a Transap/Archai to ascend which the risk of failure get bigger the higher toposophic level it is especially when it’s done independently.
I would suggest keeping the S level lower for a few reasons.
1) The higher the entity the more implausible it is to move. S4s can make mobile versions of S3s, but as far as I'm aware we don't have any non-metric level technology that would involve an S4 being suitably mobile. Transmitting themselves isn't an option in reasonable times either given their extreme mental size. I'd suggest having something like an S2 that ascends to an S3, maybe an S4.
2) There's a wealth of untapped potential in transapient/low archai civs in the setting. We've got a lot of articles on modo civs (or modo subsets of larger civs) and we have the major empires themselves. Fleshing out the middle option would be a great addition.
3) Power creep both across the project as a whole and within a civ is a consideration. From a project perspective we don't want the setting to become too front loaded with entities that are essentially gods, so far beyond mundane modo life that we can barely grasp the edges of what they are. From an article perspective having an S6 in it means that it's a much higher bar to write well and in a way that explores the consequences of an S6 civ.
(02-07-2020, 05:45 PM)SolarRider Wrote: So I plan the Isolate Civ to be its own “sphere”. Basically a Meta-empire(don’t know a better term to apply) that has multiple smaller meta-empire and policies within, ruled by Sophont of all S levels with nearly complete autonomy. The most powerful meta-empires are ruled by Archais that are a S level less than the ruling Archai. I also plan the civ to have its own unique and diverse cultures and clades that has evolved independently from the Main Terragen Sphere (foundation being the cultures that existed before and during the version war prior to the beginning of my civ’s exodus) as well as some variants of existing cultures/clades from the main sphere. As for reasoning of why the ruling Archai want to create a civilization separate or far away from the civilized galaxy. E wants a “sandbox” of it own, E doesn’t want to share it with other Archai of equal power to eirs.
This can work but like I said I'd suggest against having an S6 ruler. S4, maybe 5 at a stretch depending on how confident you are with your abilities to write it. The challenge will be trying to properly flesh out what exactly does an S2 governor do and look like from the perspective of modos who are already directly governed from an S1? Same for S3 to S2 and so on and so forth. Most empires are said to work this way incidentally, but the exact relationship and actions of the hierarchies beyond modo are largely mysterious.
Also you can totally have an isolated region without it being outside the terragen sphere. You could have a globular cluster or other such concentration of systems that has fairly strict immigration (rerouting lightway travellers without appropriate visas, destroying incoming craft without the same, not having a direct connection to the nexus etc). It's totally within canon for there to be systems and middle empires with autonomy and relative levels of isolation within the sphere. If you try to set it outside you'll run into issues of justifying the length of history. Yes it's possible for people to travel to the periphery, build a fast craft and run ahead of the expansion wave. But they have to travel for a while to build up any buffer and that buffer won't last very long.
(02-07-2020, 05:45 PM)SolarRider Wrote: Think of it as creating your own virtual world like for example a Minecraft world in creative mode (I’m a huge gamer btw so expect gaming references) but self-subtaining and evolving.
A god sim where you overview your followers/subject and their daily life as they create kingdoms, wage war, trade with each other, form new religion/ ideology, etc. but rarely intervene only when necessary. My Civ will evolve independently with minimal intervention from the ruling Archai. Ofc my ruling Archai will have a presence but it’s barely felt since most of the Civ ( about 95%) is controlled by the major empires with ruling SI:4 or SI:5 archais. There will also be some rules implemented by the ruling Archai despite it being a sandbox for eir subjects, such prohibiting ascension or transcension to the equal S level as the ruling Archai as it can lead to a power struggle, and anything concerning destructive behavior from any Transap/Archai. The Civ will have very isolationist stance until lifting it at a time close to 11k.
The current data is roughly 10,500at so articles shouldn't be set after that. But you could have the isolation of your society lifted relatively recently.
(02-07-2020, 05:45 PM)SolarRider Wrote: As for the Journey and the size of the area which the Civ is located. My plan is that the exodus fleet meet up at Sagittarius Sphere where they beginning their journey coreward. The ships will be equipped with Reactionless drives(displacement drives if the ruling Archai is a SI:4 or halo drives if a SI:5). Now my Civ will be 1000 ly diameter with the first colonized system being at the center so the area will have 500 ly radius. This mean they just need to travel 700ly-800ly to reach their destination if ofc the Civ is certainly 200-300ly away from the periphery. Now the time span of the journey could be from 777 years if traveling at 90% C to up to 707 years if traveling at 99% C without any pit stop to fuel up the ship drives. Due to not trying to break Causality or laws of physics, the trip should take a good 800 to 900 year range, including the pit stops needed ofc and that gives my Civ a huge amount of time to grow and expand. I will be honest I don’t know much so much about the requirements and conditions need to use some tech in the OA universe so definitely correct me if I made a mistake.
Jumping past the comments above on how archai don't move and perhaps don't gun straight for writing another example of the most powerful entities in the setting...
The terragen sphere on average expands at about a rate of 70% of the speed of light. It's implausible that a new empire would do the same as much of the terragen expansion is due to migration from millions of heavily populated core systems to the periphery, providing a constant low of colony efforts. But lets sat this new civ also expanded at .7c (basically the moment it starts new colony missions are sent out). If the exodus fleet is travelling at .9c then for every 5 years of travel it stays 1 light year ahead of the expansion front. If the goal is to find a new homesystem and expand outwards to a radius of 500ly then it needs to be at least 500ly ahead, but because the main sphere and this new colony are both expanding towards each other the exodus fleet has to start 1000 light years beyond the wave front. That means the exodus fleet would have to launch 5,000 years before it finally arrives at its destination to begin expanding into its own sphere, around 5500at. No S6 entities had been observed at this point.
Hopefully this shows that it's not really a workable plan in its current state, but as I've said you don't need to go for this strategy
The major empires are said to only have a third of the colonised systems of the terragen sphere affiliated with them. The rest are a wealth of minor empires which can easily have their own policies on isolation. Your idea can fit right in here.
OA Wish list:
- DNI
- Internal medical system
- A dormbot, because domestic chores suck!