The perils of tech

Discussion in 'Debates & Discussions' started by S'ahelas, Dec 14, 2020.

  1. S'ahelas

    S'ahelas Level 9 (Burgler) Exiles Citizen

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    I’ve been thinking about tech, especially since reading Gods Eye.

    Minor spoiler: without tech research someone could pick up gold and not know what it is.

    In the land, a settlement has to research a tech to utilize it, and someone with the knowledge of an advanced technology could not teach the group without the research unlocked.

    This defies common sense. Moreover, this is not how people have been previously acting. For example, there is not much difference in being taught how to forge basic steel and some new guy coming in and teaching how to forge a special steel alloy, as both basic and special steel are a combination of elements, combined and refined at different temperatures, formed in a step by step way— in other words both are recipes. One can as easily be taught as the other. So why is there a block on Randy’s knowledge, for example, why can’t he teach his skills?

    There are a few partial explanations: like knowledge is magical, unlocked using magic methods. It can be given using skill books. Also, it makes it easy to explain the research mechanic and allows someone like Richter to develop new skills and technologies from nothing.

    But I would have preferred the way research advances in the real world: hard work, collaboration, trial and error, etc. It should be difficult to develop stronger steel and predicting the heavenly bodies, especially if new machines are required like telescopes and a different chemical flux. This would prioritize finding engineering books or recruiting experts in a field. This would make a library even more important.

    It’s a little jarring to me that a few people who have never studied metalworking can, with zero collaboration from smiths, smithing equipment, or previous literature can “develop” Alloy I or Animal Husbandry I while failing to make paper, while the actual enchanters, farmers, smiths etc have no way to iterate and change their processes. I’m calling bull shit.
     
  2. Dragon

    Dragon Level 19 (Enchanter) Exiles Beta Reader Citizen

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    Its not that kind of limitation. Remy, the god of the panther people, cannot directly give them advanced knowledge of technology by any means whatsoever. If he tries they will be blocked from realising the implications of whatever he is trying to tell them.

    Its a pretty reasonable limitation that very much works in Remy's favor. He can't share his knowledge from Earth which is annoying. On the other hand gods with hyper advanced magic and/or technology can't just give it away eutger, they have to guide their civilizations through the steps of discovery, exploration and research. It levels the playing field a little, though older more experienced gods still have a huge advantage as they've had hundreds of thousands or millions of years to accumulate technological and magical knowhow.
     
  3. Belgared

    Belgared Level 10 (Filcher) Exiles Citizen

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    I think one of the main things you are missing is that there exists both magic in the land as well as class skills that allow things that shouldn't exist. For example the scribes acquired skills that allowed them to perfectly copy documents if I'm remembering correctly. Also the reason the tech tree works that way is the research applies to everyone that is in the village/town/city.
     




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