Frequently Unanswered Questions, FUQ it. Options

[Stahlseele]

and i still get sad every time fastjack and his final logout are mentioned <.< . .

[Sir_Psycho]

Fastjack? Don't you mean Captain Chaos?

[darthmord]

I still want to know what happens to Captain Chaos *after* the Crash.

I'd say more but I don't want to spoil anything for those who may not have read it yet.

[NightmareX]

Regarding the Captain,

[ Spoiler ]

It seems clear that JackBNimble deleted him

[Sir_Psycho]

Oh contraire,

[ Spoiler ]

I thought JackBNimble saved him, and then dispersed into the matrix? I heard he went down protecting Shadowland from Jormungand.

[treehugger]

What are the leads concerning FastJack's meeting with Saeletra ? (Good morning world. Welcome back. Play nice.)
Was the name mentioned elsewhere ?

[CanRay]

And how angry is she that people aren't playing nice? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

[SpasticTeapot]

Why didn't Dunkelzahn do anything to prevent the death of his first interpreter? What REALLY happened?

Who is Fastjack? What happened to him?

Who - or, more importantly, what - is Juan Atzcapotzalco?

If Elves live 300+ years, why aren't there loads and loads of them everywhere?

Why is the Ares Predator IV pistol harder to find than highly invasive cybernetic surgery?

ED.Second Edition.Horror.Cauthronne(or however you spell her correctly) = Winternight.Shamans.Toxic Raven Totem?

(just thought how the GOD-Chips/Berserker-Chips are essentially EXACTLY the same thing the Horror does for her marked ones, her apperance is Raven-related too!)

What the heck are you talking about?

And, most importantly...

What is Ancient History's real name?[b][/b]

- What or who sent that enigmatic message to Fastjack on the day of Awakening ?

Saeletra. Likely an IE's pseudonym.

[Ancient History]

And, most importantly...

What is Ancient History's real name?[b][/b]

Bobby.

[Cain]

Who is Fastjack? What happened to him?

Fastjack is "just" a very old, and very skilled, decker. Over the years, he's become famous for all his exploits. He also created the original "Jack Hammer" utility, which may be the first Black Hammer program usable by personas. No one has reported meeting him in person, but those who've seen him in the Matrix say his skills are amazing.

If Elves live 300+ years, why aren't there loads and loads of them everywhere?

Because "modern elves" weren't officially born until UGE hit in 2011. While there were a few "spike babies" (Dodger is believed to be one of them), for the most part, elves and dwarves weren't born until UGE.

And, most importantly...

What is Ancient History's real name?[b][/b]

Bobby Derie. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif)

[Stahlseele]

insert obvious Bobby Drake joke here.

[SpasticTeapot]

Fastjack is "just" a very old, and very skilled, decker. Over the years, he's become famous for all his exploits. He also created the original "Jack Hammer" utility, which may be the first Black Hammer program usable by personas. No one has reported meeting him in person, but those who've seen him in the Matrix say his skills are amazing.

Yes...but WHO is he? He's been there since nearly the beginning - back in the days when cyberdecks were big enough to be called cyberdesks, bought only by corporations and universities. Is he a disgruntled university professor, wiz-kid student, ex-corporate coder, or something else entirely? Where is he from? Is he even a "he"?

Because "modern elves" weren't officially born until UGE hit in 2011. While there were a few "spike babies" (Dodger is believed to be one of them), for the most part, elves and dwarves weren't born until UGE.

I'm well aware of this. However, longevity generally implies wealth - which, in turn, implies a low rate of birth mortality. Assuming that they have a naturalbirth rate 1/10 that of a similar human population, they'd still outnumber us by a huge margin after only a few hundred years. Combine this with modern fertility treatments that allow you to have kids whenever you want, and you have a lot of elves.

There's also the obvious social issues. A human in 2012 will have entered college in 2030, graduated in 2034, finished grad school in 2039, and will be nearing retirement at age 2070, preparing for his retirement in less than ten years. An elf born at the exact same time, however, will be the biological equivalent of less than forty, capable of a far more strenuous workload and further increasing his skills long after the human has become worm food. There's no good reason why he couldn't keep working for another hundred and fifty years after that - making a human with a possible maximum of 90 years' experience completely useless.

Then we get to orks, who are capable of childbearing about the same time a human male starts getting a fuzzy upper lip...and, if memory serves, have quite a lot of twins and triplets.

[Cain]

I'm well aware of this. However, longevity generally implies wealth - which, in turn, implies a low rate of birth mortality. Assuming that they have a birth rate 1/10 that of a similar human population, they'd still outnumber us by a huge margin.

There's also the issue of orks, who are capable of childbearing about the same time a human male starts getting a fuzzy upper lip...and, if memory serves, have quite a lot of twins and triplets.

Ork infant mortality rates are much higher than other metatypes, largely because a lot of them are poor, and have little access to medical facilities.

Even allowing for multiple outbreaks of VITAS, there's no reason for elves to outnumber baseline humans. Given that the average lifespan of a human in 2008 is 78 years, elves simply haven't been around long enough to outlive humans born in 2011, the year of UGE. The oldest elf, excluding spike babies, would only be in his late 50's. That's not especially old.

[Ancient History]

I'm well aware of this. However, longevity generally implies wealth - which, in turn, implies a low rate of birth mortality.

This is more like metabolic rates; less longevity-because-they-eat-better-and-have-medical-care than the lifespan of a tortoise - the egg that doesn't get eaten by rats has the potential of living a couple hundred years.

[JonathanC]

Is there any reason to buy a Colt Manhunter, when the Ares Predator IV is so clearly superior?

[Ancient History]

Is there any reason to buy a Colt Manhunter, when the Ares Predator IV is so clearly superior?

Charlie Norris, granddaughter of actor Chuck Norris, used one in her very popular 2069 sim "Ork Cowgirl."

[SpasticTeapot]

Ork infant mortality rates are much higher than other metatypes, largely because a lot of them are poor, and have little access to medical facilities.

Even allowing for multiple outbreaks of VITAS, there's no reason for elves to outnumber baseline humans. Given that the average lifespan of a human in 2008 is 78 years, elves simply haven't been around long enough to outlive humans born in 2011, the year of UGE. The oldest elf, excluding spike babies, would only be in his late 50's. That's not especially old.

This is why I said "In a few hundred years". After a few centuries, humans will be second-rate members of society, vastly outnumbered and outclassed by elves.

I know it doesn't have a huge impact on the game setting, but it's a lot easier to understand the fear of Humanis and the Alamos 20k. After all, regular old humans have just become obsolete.

This is more like metabolic rates; less longevity-because-they-eat-better-and-have-medical-care than the lifespan of a tortoise - the egg that doesn't get eaten by rats has the potential of living a couple hundred years.

I'm well aware of this. However, it's quite a lot easier to save up some money and find a stable living situation if you've had a long time to do it - and an average elf would be having kids about the same time a human would retire. To continue your tortoise metaphor, the eggs simply wouldn't get devoured - there's too many autoturrets guarding them.

[Ancient History]

Longevity means squat in a hostile environment. Anybody below the poverty line today could potentially save their pennies and set their kids up for life, but the realities of the situation suggest that they won't or won't have the option to. (And where did you get the idea that elves don't get knocked up as teenagers and end up working minimum-wage jobs?)

[SpasticTeapot]

Longevity means squat in a hostile environment. Anybody below the poverty line today could potentially save their pennies and set their kids up for life, but the realities of the situation suggest that they won't or won't have the option to. (And where did you get the idea that elves don't get knocked up as teenagers and end up working minimum-wage jobs?)

By that same logic, an elf is capable of childbearing for 150 years or more. Elves will make more elves...but the first elves aren't going anywhere. Having ten kids is no big deal if you have no more than two at a time. Furthermore, the kid of that elf teenager has the same potential mortality rate as anyone else...but I'd wager that in the thirty year period she could wait before having her next kid, she'll likely own the Stuffer Shack she works at.

Ignoring that, there's still the social implications. All history professors, by definition, will be elves - why pay a guy who studied the time period when you could hire one who was actually there? And then there's the sticky issue of tenure - any elf who gets a job won't be leaving it for centuries.

[Ancient History]

"Yes, Jeeves has been in the family for generations."

You're assuming they live that long. It's like saying everyone today has a potential lifespan of 115 years; there's certainly examples to prove you right, but it's still only a fraction that makes it that far along.

Still, I'm glad you're thinking that way - as an issue it hasn't come into its own yet in SR (and won't for a bit), there is that bit with the Ancients...

[SpasticTeapot]

Still, I'm glad you're thinking that way - as an issue it hasn't come into its own yet in SR (and won't for a bit), there is that bit with the Ancients...

Heh. The problem with the Ancients is the very high mortality rate. They're possibly the only group of elves for which that descriptor is oxymoronic.

Of course, it does give a new meaning to giving respect to an Original Gangsta...


Speaking of questions: What the fnord does Pornomancer reference?

[Tiger Eyes]

By that same logic, an elf is capable of childbearing for 150 years or more. Elves will make more elves...but the first elves aren't going anywhere. Having ten kids is no big deal if you have no more than two at a time. Furthermore, the kid of that elf teenager has the same potential mortality rate as anyone else...but I'd wager that in the thirty year period she could wait before having her next kid, she'll likely own the Stuffer Shack she works at.

LOL. There are a few women in first world countries who have 10+ kids. But I dare say they are the exception. They're so unusual, they have television shows about families like that. There comes a point in a mother's life where she just can't stand the idea of any more sleepless nights, diapers, baby vomit, and repeated mastitis infections.

Seriously. Human women now could easily (on average) bear ten or more children during their fertile years. How many do you know who do??? Two or three kids is fairly standard. Why do they stop? There are reasons above and beyond "child-bearing years" that dictate how many kids you have. Most women stop having babies while they're still fertile. So it's not that. Finances might be one, but really, for many families, it isn't the biggest consideration (I know very few families that say, "Oh, we want another baby, but we can't afford it" - when you've got the baby bug, money isn't generally the first thing on your mind). It's sanity. My kids are potty trained, occasionally sleep through the night (but never the same night), and one is even starting school. I love babies. Really. But I don't think I could start over. Maybe in 30 years, I'd have forgotten the morning sickness, the 5! mastitis infections, the 37.5 diaper changes per night, the smell of kid vomit in my car... or maybe I'd be thinking it'd be nice to just enjoy my grandkids.

It may be great in the abstract to say that elves could have a kid every 18 years and over run the world. But I daresay you wouldn't find many elven women who'd be interested in that. ("What? I just got Betsy through puberty and out of the house. You think I'm going to do that again? Crazy man!")

[Cain]

Even given a hundred years or so, a human who undergoes regular Leonization can live for a hell of a long time. As far as fear goes, I thought the fact that elves could expect to live 300+ years wasn't common knowledge?

Speaking of questions: What the fnord does Pornomancer reference?

A pornomancer is a massively broken social adept, who has 30+ dice for seduction rolls. Basically, even if you're straight, you just got seduced. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/eek.gif) There's a few sample builds floating around Dumpshock, you can look up the build if you want to.

[Rasumichin]

There's also the obvious social issues. A human in 2012 will have entered college in 2030, graduated in 2034, finished grad school in 2039, and will be nearing retirement at age 2070, preparing for his retirement in less than ten years. An elf born at the exact same time, however, will be the biological equivalent of less than forty, capable of a far more strenuous workload and further increasing his skills long after the human has become worm food. There's no good reason why he couldn't keep working for another hundred and fifty years after that - making a human with a possible maximum of 90 years' experience completely useless.

And now imagine what a free spirit could do with its lifespan- they're theoretically immortal.

In fact, the differing lifespans should -and most likely will- cause all kinds of problems in the 6th world.
RC adresses problems such as fully mature orks being treated as kids, then there's the problem that no one born as an ork will live long enough to see retirement baring leonization (and we all know how many orks can afford that, right?), a jail sentence of 10-20 years can easily mean they'll never get out of the box again while for a free spirit, it may mean next to nothing and so on.

Then we get to orks, who are capable of childbearing about the same time a human male starts getting a fuzzy upper lip...and, if memory serves, have quite a lot of twins and triplets.

Usually, it's 4 children (selective abortions may be a huge issue among ork communities, now that i think about it).
There's a reason why they have become the second most numerous metatype in spite of short lifespans and generally poor living conditions.

[SpasticTeapot]

Maybe in 30 years, I'd have forgotten the morning sickness, the 5! mastitis infections, the 37.5 diaper changes per night, the smell of kid vomit in my car... or maybe I'd be thinking it'd be nice to just enjoy my grandkids.

Assuming you have two kids, and wait 30 years....then repeat.... you'll still have six kids.