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[Translucent History]

PyrosNine: Ummm, a normal, with slitted eyes, who can cause destruction, and control cats? Or so that's what I got from reading your profile. Ummm sorry but I may have to nix that. Yes there may be cats left over in the world, but not nearly enough to form a force large enough to destroy towns. Now, options, give us more reason for your character being able to do such things.And then Dark and I can discuss it.Or come up with something else character wise.

Phoenix: I smell a Cortana look-alike. Ummm, you made some good arguments for why and how you character operates. Now unless Dark has any objections I'd say you're good to go. All but your Mako knock off. I'd really perfer we did not have any wheeled transports at this time. Maybe later in some other chapter, the technology can be rediscovered. But at this point in time Crawlers and Sand-skiffs will be our only options. I am sorry if that really screws up your ideas for your character. But as the originator of this RP, I have last say.

Dx2: Odon, my friend, a long long time it's been. I'd recognize your name anywhere. Anyway, I gave my go ahead on this character on the old site and there as here, it fits within the current bounds of the technology and other factors. You are good to go.

Now unless someone posted while I was writing this up, we should be okay so far.

[Arhra]

Um... they have vehicles like that right now. Complete with pintle mounted weaponry.

That's it basically just futured up a little.

[Translucent History]

You can continue to give me arguments as to that technology existing now, and I'll just continue to veto that argument.

I am very sorry, but the final word is that the technology has not yet been rediscovered. It's true, Pre-war, IFVs and APCs would have existed that were wheeled like that. And more then likely the schematics exist to create them, and Phoe's character may even have that technological understanding, but right now, the technology is unattainable in the RP setting.

Until those technological means are rediscovered in some bunker or hidden complex somewhere, Crawlers and sand-skiffs are our only options.

[Arhra]

Wheels are integral to a tracked movement system.

You're saying people don't understand the concept of a wheel!

[IHateMakingNames]

I'm confused now. How much technology is actually there? Being able to make cyborgs but cars are unknown wonders is a bit screwy.

This applies for a lot, and I'm curious how you've run this setting before with so little things thought up (Several times you've mentioned just thinking up something, like power cells, wheels, and what sand-riders use).

There are a lot of vague concepts but no actual specifics.

[Arcanum]

The concepts and technology most certainly exists in the world of Endless Sands. Obviously the concept of the wheel is understood due to it's necesity in the design of tracks. What we're saying is that the technology that exists in the current day of ES is only what has been rediscovered through bunkers, and in some cases derived from technology discovered in bunkers. However, while a large portion of the bunkers have been discovered and unearthed, there are still countless more. The people of ES only know the technology they discover, and as of yet, wheeled transport isn't one of them. Someone discovered tracks and they caught on because they worked. Nobody has discovered an ATV or something, or if they have it was dismantled or destroyed. Regardless, the concept of wheeled vehicles never caught on simply because for them, tracks were more practical, more common, and known to work.

On top of that, tracks add more to balance out the setting, making common transport a bit slower. This allows sand-riders to have an edge regarding transportation, since their methods of transportation are the fastest. If wheeled vehicles were common, they would be significantly faster and make sand-riders less important.

In the end I'm siding with Translucent since ES was originally his idea. He has veto over everything since he knows this world best. Sure while the specifics of certain things weren't discussed, it was just assumed that measures were in place to make sure everything ran smoothly. When there was a bump in the road, we figured it out then and there. If we had to figure out every detail of everything in the world of ES, then we'd be starting some time next year.

But seriously, is it really that big of a deal for there not to be wheeled vehicles? It's not too hard to replace the wheels on your vehicle with tracks and it's not like it would drastically change anything either.

(Also, just a last note, sorry if I sound rude, jerk-ish, arrogant, snide, etc etc during this post. It's kind of late and I'm kind of tired. I'll address this more in the morning but I felt you all deserved a more immediate reply.)

[Arhra]

Why is it such a big deal for them to exist?

EDIT: If you want to get technical, a tracked vehicle should still be able to beat what is essentially a wind powered surfboard in a straight up race. The advantage the sand riders give is its much less resource intensive to use.

EDIT2: It's also quite simple to say most vehicles aren't that fast. Maybe they're optimised for fuel efficiency, a little run down or simply can't handle the deep sands where Sand Riders excel.

[PhoenixFlame]

Cortana? Oh no, :p the character inspiration is far older than that. If you're familiar with Phantasy Star IV, she's far more similar to Demi (or Wren, except Wren was a combat model). Cortana never had a physical avatar, either, so I don't see how you can draw parallels there compared to any of post-apocalyptic fantasy's rich android character history. I admit it was one of my further-out there ideas, but previous questions rendered the other two impossible.

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Wait, you're saying that because people can't construct wheeled vehicles, but can construct tracks (I won't argue with how they can do this, giving it the benefit of setting theme), that lostech wheeled vehicles suddenly cease to exist? The Hyperion was presumably designed around the same time Aira was, which is why it would have a different locomotion type.

Edit: Right, you're saying a wheeled vehicle would be artifact 00000, and I can't take it at chargen. Got it.

As for the Stryker-in-spaaace, personally though, I don't have any problem with it. It wouldn't be difficult to simply take the wheels off and replace it with 2 and 2 lightning-style suspended track subunits, it'd just look... Goofy. As for the functionality, I was told to design an IFV, so I researched what would presumably work on a desert without having been specifically designed to do so. XD There are admittantly not many precedents for such a vehicle to exist. Still though, tracked vehicles can easily hit 60kph over open terrain.

Edit2: -wheels, +tracks. Easy, though I feel I may have cheated by opting for the high speed track design, there really is no reason for a transport to be designed to move as slow as a tank.

[PyrosNine]

Originally Posted by Translucent History

PyrosNine: Ummm, a normal, with slitted eyes, who can cause destruction, and control cats? Or so that's what I got from reading your profile. Ummm sorry but I may have to nix that. Yes there may be cats left over in the world, but not nearly enough to form a force large enough to destroy towns. Now, options, give us more reason for your character being able to do such things.And then Dark and I can discuss it.Or come up with something else character wise..

What's this madness about cats? And what's up with you unimaginative yahoo's rolling up and not understanding metaphors.

When I say he's a badass normal, and mention that wherever he goes there is destruction, you assume he's making things explode because he looks at them? Or that he is punching over civilizations one city at a time?

Last time I used this character, I stated that he "crawled from the end of the world", and neither GM perceived that as metaphor or that he came from a place that was at the end of the world, instead presuming that I was saying he has been around since the apocalpyse.

He's pure bad luck, plain and simple, and the destruction of these towns is not that he walks in and starts blowing up the place, but that his presence instigates things. A nobody, who easily slips into town, and after several actions, the town is thrown into discord and he leaves almost namelessly, onto the next town.

As for the slits, it's a natural eye condition for people who have eyes that are mis-proportioned or somewhat large, not any sort of mutation or magical happyness. It looks cool some of the time, friendly the rest of the time, but when he opens his eyes and gets sand in them, it hurts!

[blacksands]

Whoah, flurry of activity, sweet.

Where to begin...
Gotta say, I'm in love with the characters you all have been creating!
Though, when I step back and look at the party as a whole, I'm concerned that it may be overpowered.
...BAH! In the end it just means our challenges will be that much tougher, and we're still in a world where a bullet to the head's gonna kill most anyone.

Dx2, very good to see you and Ganekuro again! Looking forward to another adventure with ya.

Malik and Aira are going to have some very interesting consequences for my new character. I genuinely have no idea what she's going to do. She could become instant best friends with them or try and "cleanse" them on the spot.

Pyros, I had similar concerns about your character too. From my original reading of Nein's sheet, I thought he was going all light-warriors-in-Dwarf-Land across the landscape. But re-reading it now, I see what you were describing.
A character to whom luck is chaotically bent about. And all outside his control. Interesting. I'm excyted to see how you play him.