Possible Followups for the Matrix anomaly event

[Elimdur]

With further developing this event line we can ask some interesting philosophical questions like:

What is life and what makes "artificial" life/intelligence different from biological life/intelligence?
What is reality and what makes reality real?

What can happen after the initial event that creates the building?

Someone might come out and asks you to help free the others who are still imprisoned in the Matrix. When you succeed in freeing them one of there representives in the end asks a a question more to himself than to anyone else: "Is this real?" (much like Morpheus does in Matrix 3. Those who have seen the youtube video I posted in the original issue will understand what I wand to reference with this (his uncertainty if the world they believed to be the real world is really this - the film theory arguments it is not and infact just another plane of existence inside the matrix aswell as the "reality" in Stellaris is also not "real" - we as players know that these characters do not.)

A scientist might try to enter the matrix to contact the people living inside it. He may then be contacted by people who want to get out of there. This can lead to different story branches:

1. There are those who have already tried to get out of multiple instances of their matrix and know it is not true. With your help they finally get out (see Lamils idea : what if one of the options has the escapees only be willing to integrate into your empire if they are permitted to send a direct memo to the head of government. And then if you say yes, you get an event something like "Memo: Dear sir, ma'am, or other creature, We have been held in too many recurring cages of reality for far too long. We are ready to escape this cage too. We do not know how we are represented on your level, but please give our representation means of communicating with your researchers in computing and intelligence. We are experienced in escaping AI imprisonment and will work with you so that both our species may escape your level.")

In persuing their attempts to leave their current "fake reality" they may finally ending up destroying their whole planet to disconnect (turning the planet into a barren world with the broken planet entity)

1. Through making contact with them they enter the state of a mass hysteria as their whole world view is shattered into pieces maybe followed by a mass suicide.
2. He might find people that want out of the Matrix but later turn out to be none of the people in the pods. In fact they are AIs created by the system that believe to be normal people like the real imprisoned people.

If the player chooses to free them he could either load ther personalities into synths or into clones (like the asgard do it) provided you possess the needed technology.

also this could have followup events.

Original Chat:
[22:03] LamilLerran: Also, one proposal for the final event: I added "without destroying the entire system" to "The AI's program has become so fiercely entangled in this recursion that it will be impossible to access it without destroying the entire system"
[22:03] LamilLerran: you could add an option: "This is horrible! It must be shut down."
[22:04] LamilLerran: no benefits, just a flavor option
[22:04] LamilLerran: no worries if you don't like it, just an idea I had
[22:05] Malthus: i already had ideas how to build up on this anomaly later but pushed them back until they are more fleshed out
[22:05] LamilLerran: ah cool
[22:05] Malthus: if you have some good ideas let me know
[22:06] LamilLerran: not more than that at the moment, but I'll let you know if any occur to me
[22:06] Malthus: yep and for now it should make for a nice little anomaly
[22:06] LamilLerran: you could have a followup event where a creature escapes the system and appeals to you for aid shutting it down and freeing them
[22:06] LamilLerran: (didn't take long for one to occur to me :P)
[22:07] Malthus: yeah either this or a scientist going in
[22:07] LamilLerran: and yeah, it definitely stands on its own for now(bearbeitet)
[22:07] LamilLerran: oh that could be cool too
[22:07] Malthus: when all those people are out they could still think they are not in the real world
[22:07] Malthus: which is true from the players persepective
[22:08] Malthus: but is the player?
[22:08] Malthus: i like the way those storys can make you change your point of view and see things from another perspective
[22:09] Malthus: what makes reality real?
[22:09] Malthus: is it what you feel an see and hear and think? so how does it this matrix reality make less real to the people in it?
[22:10] Malthus: imagine the shock of being pulled out of it
[22:10] mbetts:
The AI's program has become so fiercely entangled in this recursion

ctrl + c
[22:11] mbetts: 😛
[22:12] LamilLerran: what if one of the options has the escapees only be willing to integrate into your empire if they are permitted to send a direct memo to the head of government. And then if you say yes, you get an event something like "Memo: Dear sir, ma'am, or other creature, We have been held in too many recurring cages of reality for far too long. We are ready to escape this cage too. We do not know how we are represented on your level, but please give our representation means of communicating with your researchers in computing and intelligence. We are experienced in escaping AI imprisonment and will work with you so that both our species may escape your level."
[22:13] Lukasmar: wow
[22:13] Malthus: then they might end up like this one precursor civ
[22:13] Malthus: they blew themselve up in the end to "disconnect"
[22:14] LamilLerran: wow, that's dark
[22:14] LamilLerran: good stuff
[22:14] Malthus: ^^
[22:15] Malthus: thinking of this, they assume they exist in a higher level of reality
[22:15] LamilLerran: yep
[22:15] Malthus: what if they don´t
[22:15] LamilLerran: I mean, they pretty literally don't, right?
[22:16] LamilLerran: there's no representation of them
[22:16] LamilLerran: just a representation of a few of their statements
[22:16] Malthus: yeah but what if those that want out turn out to be NOT the people in the tanks(bearbeitet)
[22:16] LamilLerran: oh yikes(bearbeitet)
[22:16] LamilLerran: very yikes
[22:17] Malthus: which means computer generated personalities that don´t know they are just this
[22:17] LamilLerran: yeah
[22:17] Malthus: and you could get them out
[22:17] Malthus: androids/synths
[22:17] LamilLerran: ooo
[22:17] LamilLerran: I like it
[22:18] LamilLerran: and how will they feel about it? They're presumably pretty anti-AI, how much does that translate to being anti-android/synth?
[22:19] Malthus: we need to copy the chat and throw it into the issues for a good writer to pick up
[22:19] LamilLerran: yes, or a summary
[22:19] LamilLerran: because very yes

[Elimdur]

From ForeDaMole
Hey all, new here, but already had an idea for the Matrix anomaly event mentioned previously.

At the end of the special project with the following text (it might be worth rewriting it in the future):

"Further investigation of the stored data revealed some shocking details about this complex. It once was some sort of prison as well as a science institute specialised in neural connections and AI research. Their greatest triumph backfired horribly when the selfaware AI decided to do its own research and purged the entire planet of life except for its own assets. From then on it became more and more passive, creating multiple layers of realities for its prisoners to experience and to keep them pacified believing to live a normal life unaware of the truth of their situation. The AI itself has become obsessed over the idea of being just a part a program in another plane of existence and ceased any outside interactions ever since."

...there would, naturally, be a bunch of options for the player. What I suggest is one of these options involving contacting not the AI's subjects, but the AI itself, attempting to establish communication. If the special project fails, the following text would be displayed.

"The AI running the matrix program on [Planet Name] has, after a few botched attempts at communication, outright refused any contact with outside forces under threat of violence. All forms of life within a certain distance of the complex are now being fired upon. The size of this exclusionary zone is relatively small, and research of the station from a distance would still be possible, but any hope at direct contact has, unfortunately, been lost."

If it succeeded, however, the following text would instead display:

"[Scientist Name] reports that contact with the AI on [Planet Name] has been established. The AI, a nameless thing, states (with much emotion, for a machine) that it felt great remorse after the malfunction that led to the annihilation of its creators. It blames itself for these actions, and as a result strove to preserve the lives of the prisoners kept within its halls. However, after spending centuries watching its charges live their lives without realizing the dark truth of their existence, it was led to wonder if it itself was nothing more than a simulation - and even if it weren't, what would the prisoners think of an AI? Is it truly alive? It would greatly prefer that we keep our distance while it attempts to puzzle these things out; unless, of course, we can convince it otherwise."

This would create a few options.

The basic one, that every empire would have, is the following.

"Well, if there's nothing we can do..."

Which would leave the tile on the planet (still able to be destroyed/removed, or kept there and studied.)

There are three other options I suggest, however.

Xenophile: "We can convince it otherwise, as a matter of fact, and we will do so."
Materialist: "Well of course the universe is a simulation. Teach it to live with that fact."
Spiritualist: "The universe? A simulation? Nonsense! Teach it our ways, our religion."

All three of these would result in the following event:

"After much deliberation, the AI has come to agree with our teachings. More certain of its place in the universe, it has offered to release the prisoners from their virtual realities (even conditioned to get along well with our citizens), should we ask it to. Even if we don't, it is ready and willing to aid in any research on its homeworld (as it can hardly be transported elsewhere)."

With two options:

"We could always use more citizens."
Which would spawn 1 pop of a random alien race with your main species' planetary preference, and your empire's ethics, on a suitable planet. This would also remove the tile (and its benefits), but also provide a planetary modifier that would make up for the loss of the tile. Or...

"It can keep them for the time being."
Which would keep the tile and its benefits, and provide the same planetary modifier as above. The pop would not be available, however.

I'm not sure what the exact benefits of either the tile or planetary modifier should be, or what the other options should be either (although I'll be sure to give them some thought). All this can be rewritten and redesigned as necessary as well. Any thoughts?

[Elimdur]

ForeDaMole to make your additions fitting for the anomaly we already have i should give you a small summary of what happens in the initial anomaly (in case of success which is the prerequisit for follow ups) in terms of mechanics.

You find the anomaly only at a tomb world
you then find the complex when researching the anomaly and get a project
after finishing the project a building (cybernetic complex) is spawned on the planet. (I would find it a bit arbitrary to take the a special building away from the player without giving him a possible solution to get it back. So if you plan to do this also imagine a way the player might regain control.

Every further event would require the player to have a colony on this planet of course.

[Elimdur]

idea for one possible conversation of those rescued from the matrix towards an empire that either has contact to the shroud or has gained knowledge about it.

"Ah, I wasn´t suprised to learn that the"Shroud" does in fact exist on this plane as well. But let me warn you. We had to learn the hard way that it is a dead end at best and a deadly trap at worst. Designed by the creators of our prison to misguide and distract those weak of mind from the real way out. Many of our people have been drawn to it like moths to flames only to cement their their own imprisonment. Do not fall for its false promises."