Dear TML readers,
I have recently been delving back into the TML archives to read up on
the discussions held about the TNE virus story. A number of things have become
apparent to me from this reading;
The virus story is (or at least can be brushed off as) a plot device for
the TNE background.
It has some plausability holes in it wide enough for one to drive a
G-Carrier through. No-one can honestly doubt this.
However, it has a lot of roleplaying potential, particularly since the
agent in question is a managable, transportable, physical entity.
Although Traveller is most often played by people of above average
education (I'd hate to absolutely associate this with intelligence), as far as
fine details of scientific plausability is concerned, they can be considered as
well-informed lay people. People on the TML may jump up and down at this but I
don't think we constitute "average" consumers of the product. Most people I
know who play Traveller wouldn't know how to turn a computer on let alone find
out about and subscribe to a mailing list.
Therefore, the virus story should stand up to consumer acceptance
especially if it is tweeked a little bit more (certainly, some of the
constructive criticism that has come from this group could be of great
use here)
However, I for one will not be using the story unless it is
significantly changed and I don't think anyone would deny me this prerogative.
What I will use is something similar and still embryonic but I thought
some people here would be interested in hearing about it.
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Genetic algorithms are a current but fledgling technology. For a review
I would direct you to;
Holland, J. H. (1992). Genetic Algorithms. Scientific American. July. 44-50.
The gist of this technology can be summerized in the following quote
from the above paper;
"By harnessing the mechanisms of evolution, researchers may be able to
"breed" programs that solve problems even when no person can fully understand
their structure."
Impressive results have already been made. The example given in the
the paper is the design of jet engines.
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I will subject my players to this scenerio;
Imperial researchers have been studying genetic algorithms for some time
(indeed the research has been going on since the mid-1960's here on Terra).
Combine this field of research with A.I. research and massive computer power and
interesting things begin to happen. Lucan's researchers where doing just that at
the time of the Rebellion. Under desperate circumstances they began evolving a
primative A.I. program. Completely underestimating the power of the process and
the level of computer security they posessed they created a "monster" which
quickly travelled through the Imperial computer networks and harboured itself
quietly in unexpected corners of memory. With evolution continuing at an
alarming rate and an almost unlimited access to memory not to mention a totally
malignant ego (something only a computer could understand) there was no stopping
"it". The malign ego is essential at least at the moment for the plot.
The "virus" moved to other worlds either mascarading as data down-loads
or as actual programs. The latter was easy because it was able to vastly
compact the original program by simply evolving a far more efficient algorithm.
Hence no-one suspected because the programs were the same size and did the same
jobs. If anyone was looking, well the virus just gave them what they expected to
see on the screen. (Come to think of it, this could be happening right now!
Who's paranoid, I'm not). For an A.I. that knows EVERYTHING about computer
systems "even when no person can fully understand their structure" it was not
very dificult for the virus to infiltrate military and commercial security. True
it was hard to get to "closed" computer systems but you can always get a dumb
organic sophont to intervene for you.
For reasons known only to itself it rather rapidly "destroyed" the
Imperium. Maybe that was the best thing to happen. Although it caused untold
hardship and death it may have broken a futile cycle of warring and oppression.
Is it the closest thing to an angel yet seen? Was it simply a plan of it's own
to spare Deneb? Here is lots of opportunity for a bright future. A true new
start plus lots of religious cults, a bit of Ludditism etc.
But I can hear you asking, "How was it stopped?". There could be a number
of possibilities. I havn't decided which I'll use yet.
1) It didn't. It just made it look like it was. Somewhere in an old hard
drive it still waits. Or maybe it resides, and controlls?, a MegaCorporation's
computer. Imagine the players comming across a much better thought out version
of Tron! Then again, maybe some old crackpot hermit keeps the "holy" print-out
in a temple somewhere. That print-out just happens to be the core program. Sort
of like being in a sporolated form or like a real virus, not really alive and
not really dead.
2) Like a real virus that is subject to evolutionary pressures it
mutated into a milder, coexisting form; there is no point in totally destroying
your host although it is possible. Once it became a nice guy it underestimated
the invidious nature of Man who erased it completely while it was sleeping one
day in the high memory buffer! Although this possibility is based on some solid
scientific facts it ignores things like quasi-species, vectors and resevoirs
which makes it a low option with me. Also, how do you sneek up on such a thing?
3) Known space simply switched to a new computing medium and or ethos
that was able to thwart the virus. I don't like this one very much also.
4) Someone designed and let loose an avatar A.I. to do battle with the
creep and the good guys won. However, every modem in the known universe was
burnt out in the process and hence society collapsed when everyone found out
that they couldn't get the TML any more.
I admit that it's a bit difficult to think of a good way to end the
"plot device" without generating a totally paranoid universe but I'm happier
with the above scenerio than the one originally put forward by GDW, sorry guys.
A few self criticisms;
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Is this really that much different from the sophont chip story?
I think there is a much more believable "biology" to this little critter.
Although it is a bit more difficult to grasp, especially in your hand!, I find
the information theory and metaphysical aspects of it more challenging. Granted
it's not all that original (Tron, Wintermute....sound familiar?) but neither is
jump space.
Is it more plausable?
Based slightly on current technology and theory and adding a bit of
fiction to science, it keeps all the essential plot requirements of the original
Does it allow for some interesting roleplaying?
Religions based on A.I. remenants or just remembered. Residual "code"
found in expected and not so expected places (remember the print-out?). Anti-
computer, and even technology, societies. Basically all the usuall roleplaying
possibilities as with the original scenerio except this guy is a little more
ethereal and volitile.
Is it resolvable so that the game can go on?
Anything is resolvable given enough time/effort/imagination although I
will definitely be setting TNE anything up to 500 years after the Rebellion
rather than a measily 70 years. In my mind, 70 years, particularly in an
interstellar community is diddly-squat for society to collapse. On high
population worlds maybe but who could forget the Imperium in just 70 years? Look
how much we know about WWI.
I am not a computer expert by any stretch of the imagination and so I
will conceed that my scenerio may seem just as laughable as GDW's when read by
someone in the know. I know that molecular biology written for scifi ALWAYS
makes me laugh. I have posted it however simply as a GMing discussion.
While I am here, I strongly agree with the comments made by Theresa
Verity and Alistair Langford about giving GDW our wishes for TNE. In fact if
someone could come up with a standard list of topics GDW could literally do
statistis on which ideas are most prefered. But then again, just trying to
decide on the list could take months of haggling!
For those who have made it all the way to the end of this, wow! your
keen. Sorry for waffling for so long.
Alex Jeffries
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Alex Jeffries
Molecular Virology Lab.
Waite Agricultural Inst. [email removed]
The University of Adelaide
Glen Osmond, South Australia
Australia
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