Droidness, Data and Auto-Translation
Brend
Elmer
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Droidness, Data and Auto-Translation
Brend » Tue Apr 28, 2015 6:00 pm
As a (starting) player it is a tricky business to find a balance between the 'high tech' and 'low tech' aspects of the Star Wars setting. To give some way to manage this, I have written the following post.
This is another installment in the series of 'setting explanation' posts that have been made over time. I started out writing this as a PM to a new player, but instead decided to put the whole thing on the forum, so I won't have to repeat it later on.
(Previous installments covered: Hyperspace, Cyborg and Travel Times and Communication Speeds.)
The 'In Real Life' (IRL) universe and the Star Wars universe (SW) have divergent technological developments. What is easy to do in one universe is not necessarily easy in the other. This works both ways.
Example 1: Droids
IRL we do not have an elegantly walking robot. Sure, we have attempts at moving on legs, but they are slow and awkward. In the SW universe there is ample evidence that droids can walk, and walk both elegantly and fast. In fact, it seems to be the default method of movement among droids -- discounting the specialist droids such as astrodroids or vacuuming droids. It is clear that SW is ahead of IRL in this case.
But even in SW the droids are limited. There is the law of 'Conservation of Droidness': A droid that is smart has clumsy fysical control, whereas a droid that has smooth reflexes and good fysical control can not normally be smart.
Example 2: Data
On the other side of the spectrum we have data storage and transfer. The IRL universe has a lot of cool tricks to do this. We can copy a file from one computer to another, and this simply duplicates the data. We have enormous amounts of storage space available, and can easily transfer high-quality video and audio to remote locations, even over bad connections.
In the SW universe, danone of these things are possibta is still a fysical object, confined to the data crystal it is stored in. Copying the data means getting a second crystal, and putting both of the crystals in a copying machine. The speed of the copy is dependent upon the quality of the crystals and the copying machine. Data transfer is done by picking up the crystal and moving it to the new location -- only within the Union can the holonet be employed for this. Data theft means literally breaking into the building and grabbing the data crystal.
Auto-Translation
One of the most impactful differences is how computers do their job. This is also a difference that trips up even the most experienced of players due to the ease with which we can use computers IRL for almost any imaginable task. We have desktop computers, laptops, iPad's, phones... IRL even a normal mobile phone is a generic computer, capable of running a full spectrum of programs, applications and tools that can aid us in ways that we now think are common: translation of written foreign languages, taking photo's and determining an items dimensions from the photo, calculating the route to the nearest restaurant, etc.
In SW nearly all computers only do one specific job: the job they were made for. There are almost no generic computers. Things we IRL view as normal apps are distinct and separate devices in SW. Google Translate is not a thing. In its place you have a translation device that contains a translation matrix between language A and language B. (Though it also works on spoken language, as long as it is from A to B and from B to A!)
Complete auto-translation and language recognition is actually a lot of effort in the SW universe: you carry around a bank of translation devices and try them.
Some concepts we know IRL map to SW but work differently then expected. A data centre for example. IRL this is a hall filled with computers that can do anything that is programmed on them. In SW the same data centre will contain dedicated 'calculation computers' to do scientific calculations, 'data storage computers' to store the the resulting data 'data transfer muxers' to allow the data to be transfered over the holonet, and 'backup droid banks' that instruct droids on where the backup data crystals should be moved.
This is another installment in the series of 'setting explanation' posts that have been made over time. I started out writing this as a PM to a new player, but instead decided to put the whole thing on the forum, so I won't have to repeat it later on.
(Previous installments covered: Hyperspace, Cyborg and Travel Times and Communication Speeds.)
Technological divergence
The 'In Real Life' (IRL) universe and the Star Wars universe (SW) have divergent technological developments. What is easy to do in one universe is not necessarily easy in the other. This works both ways.
Example 1: Droids
IRL we do not have an elegantly walking robot. Sure, we have attempts at moving on legs, but they are slow and awkward. In the SW universe there is ample evidence that droids can walk, and walk both elegantly and fast. In fact, it seems to be the default method of movement among droids -- discounting the specialist droids such as astrodroids or vacuuming droids. It is clear that SW is ahead of IRL in this case.
But even in SW the droids are limited. There is the law of 'Conservation of Droidness': A droid that is smart has clumsy fysical control, whereas a droid that has smooth reflexes and good fysical control can not normally be smart.
Example 2: Data
On the other side of the spectrum we have data storage and transfer. The IRL universe has a lot of cool tricks to do this. We can copy a file from one computer to another, and this simply duplicates the data. We have enormous amounts of storage space available, and can easily transfer high-quality video and audio to remote locations, even over bad connections.
In the SW universe, danone of these things are possibta is still a fysical object, confined to the data crystal it is stored in. Copying the data means getting a second crystal, and putting both of the crystals in a copying machine. The speed of the copy is dependent upon the quality of the crystals and the copying machine. Data transfer is done by picking up the crystal and moving it to the new location -- only within the Union can the holonet be employed for this. Data theft means literally breaking into the building and grabbing the data crystal.
Auto-Translation
One of the most impactful differences is how computers do their job. This is also a difference that trips up even the most experienced of players due to the ease with which we can use computers IRL for almost any imaginable task. We have desktop computers, laptops, iPad's, phones... IRL even a normal mobile phone is a generic computer, capable of running a full spectrum of programs, applications and tools that can aid us in ways that we now think are common: translation of written foreign languages, taking photo's and determining an items dimensions from the photo, calculating the route to the nearest restaurant, etc.
In SW nearly all computers only do one specific job: the job they were made for. There are almost no generic computers. Things we IRL view as normal apps are distinct and separate devices in SW. Google Translate is not a thing. In its place you have a translation device that contains a translation matrix between language A and language B. (Though it also works on spoken language, as long as it is from A to B and from B to A!)
Complete auto-translation and language recognition is actually a lot of effort in the SW universe: you carry around a bank of translation devices and try them.
Some concepts we know IRL map to SW but work differently then expected. A data centre for example. IRL this is a hall filled with computers that can do anything that is programmed on them. In SW the same data centre will contain dedicated 'calculation computers' to do scientific calculations, 'data storage computers' to store the the resulting data 'data transfer muxers' to allow the data to be transfered over the holonet, and 'backup droid banks' that instruct droids on where the backup data crystals should be moved.
Elmer » Wed Apr 29, 2015 9:40 am
Please let me add on the part of the droids. This is already said some times on the forum, but lets state it here as well for easy referring and finding:
Although the area of doids is very advanced in Star Wars, the droids stay very limited to their one purpose, just like every other piece of technology. The more advanced a droid is in one area, the more it sucks in all the others. Let’s take for example R2-D2 and 3-CPO. The droid 3-CPO is a protocol droid, completely focused on protocols, this includes knowing the language and the right handshake. However, he has nearly no problem solving skills, he can barely walk and in any other situation than a party with nobles all he can practically do is say ‘we’re doomed’ and shake is hands in the air in a clumsy manner.
R2-D2 is an astromech droid, specialized in space mechanical engineer stuff. Out of power? Need a jump coordinate plotted? He is the man. Knowing everything about power circuits and door mechanics he can repair and reroute the power of nearly every space ship. However in return he cannot even speak or walk. And need the help of a protocol droid or a translation matrix computer to communicate with the people he works for. And when put in a non-mechanical situation, all he can do is being eaten by a fish.
As you can see, these droids are very specialized and advanced in what they do, but when set out of their tiny comfort zone, they are totally useless. Any droid with more versatility has to compromise, and his skills will be dwarfed by any droid with specialization.
Apart from this, every part of the droid must be made from scratch, even the programming. As copying data is a special and limited thing within Star Wars, it is often simpler to make a new program altogether. So an army of droids all have very basic programming, since it is way too expensive and take way too much time to make advanced programming for all the millions of battledroids. Droids with advanced skills are possible of course, but their numbers will logically be very limited.
Since the programming most of the time is made from scratch, this also explains the differences in behavior between droids of the same production line. A piece of code different here or there and you accidently have a droid who is more bossy or more of a joker.
So in general a player can have droids, but their skills are extremely limited. For some cases and you can have special and cool droids, but these are the exceptions on the rule, and they need a very good reason for existence. Think of it as cool droids are as rare as Jedi. A droid with great reflexes, flexibility, speech, mechanical engineering skills, piloting skills translation matrix and gun handle abilities will have no problem solving skills at all and literally cannot separate the door from the wall and will keep bouncing against the wall wondering why he cannot walk further.
Although the area of doids is very advanced in Star Wars, the droids stay very limited to their one purpose, just like every other piece of technology. The more advanced a droid is in one area, the more it sucks in all the others. Let’s take for example R2-D2 and 3-CPO. The droid 3-CPO is a protocol droid, completely focused on protocols, this includes knowing the language and the right handshake. However, he has nearly no problem solving skills, he can barely walk and in any other situation than a party with nobles all he can practically do is say ‘we’re doomed’ and shake is hands in the air in a clumsy manner.
R2-D2 is an astromech droid, specialized in space mechanical engineer stuff. Out of power? Need a jump coordinate plotted? He is the man. Knowing everything about power circuits and door mechanics he can repair and reroute the power of nearly every space ship. However in return he cannot even speak or walk. And need the help of a protocol droid or a translation matrix computer to communicate with the people he works for. And when put in a non-mechanical situation, all he can do is being eaten by a fish.
As you can see, these droids are very specialized and advanced in what they do, but when set out of their tiny comfort zone, they are totally useless. Any droid with more versatility has to compromise, and his skills will be dwarfed by any droid with specialization.
Apart from this, every part of the droid must be made from scratch, even the programming. As copying data is a special and limited thing within Star Wars, it is often simpler to make a new program altogether. So an army of droids all have very basic programming, since it is way too expensive and take way too much time to make advanced programming for all the millions of battledroids. Droids with advanced skills are possible of course, but their numbers will logically be very limited.
Since the programming most of the time is made from scratch, this also explains the differences in behavior between droids of the same production line. A piece of code different here or there and you accidently have a droid who is more bossy or more of a joker.
So in general a player can have droids, but their skills are extremely limited. For some cases and you can have special and cool droids, but these are the exceptions on the rule, and they need a very good reason for existence. Think of it as cool droids are as rare as Jedi. A droid with great reflexes, flexibility, speech, mechanical engineering skills, piloting skills translation matrix and gun handle abilities will have no problem solving skills at all and literally cannot separate the door from the wall and will keep bouncing against the wall wondering why he cannot walk further.
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