GULGALLANA

[soulping]

You are on a spaceship.

Most of your time will be spent on the bridge, which is exactly as fancy as you’d expect it to be — it looks a little like this. (The chairs are super comfortable!) Your brand new artificial intelligence — which, if you investigate, you’ll find is housed in a small computer chip — has been implanted into the computer terminal on the back wall. The diagnostics readout displayed along the bottom of the screen tells you that the AI has only been outfitted with the most basic of Stability Cores, and is currently Critically Unstable.

Comments

ROUND 1

[soulping]

It is the year 5256, and humanity has spread across two galaxies. Technological leaps have been massive — super powerful, prohibitively expensive AI have recently been developed, with the capacity for beyond human-like growth, development, and learning. It’s said that a single AI could be capable of managing a fully outfitted fleet of galactic class star ships. Trials are looking positive.

A small number of ships — yours included — have been selected to take part in a competitive military research project. You lucky devils! The government has given you a brand new AI of your very own, complete with a basic Stability Core and a generous grant of 1000 credits. The only downside is that … well, one SC of that calibre might not be enough to sustain the AI for long.

CREDITS
Starting bank: 1000 Credits

BUY FROM THE GOVERNMENT
High Quality Core: 600 (Sell Price: 350)
Medium Quality Core: 500 (Sell Price: 250)
Low Quality Core: 400 (Sell Price: 150)

BUY FROM THE BLACK MARKET - if you dare
High Quality Core: 350 (Average Sell Price: 200)
Medium Quality Core: 250 (Average Sell Price: 100)
Low Quality Core: 150 (Average Sell Price: 50)

OTHER
Buy a newspaper: 10
Buy a cat: 50

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Help fund research on artificial intelligence by donating a sum of your choice.
Help further research on artificial intelligence by donating yourself.

OTHER
There are many ways to forge your path through life. What will you do?

SUBMIT

[soulping]

Re: SUBMIT

[debate_avenger]

We'll be buying a High Quality Core from the black market. Flare's in charge of making sure we don't buy a fake core, with his technical expertise, while I'll be handling the negotiations and erasing our tracks afterwards, since I have experience in both.

We'll also be taking advantage of our position as a military research vessel to scour through classified information, looking for information on cores that have gone missing, AI research, and known dangerous areas.

Discussion

[debate_avenger]

Re: Discussion

[debate_avenger]

Now then. Since we're a military research ship, we should have access to some classified military information. The first step is undoubtedly to take advantage of our access levels and gather up any and all information we can. If there's anything I've learned from my experience, it's that they're not going to hand that information over unless we hunt for it ourselves.

Aside from that... Our AI is critically unstable, so it's going to need a core as quickly as possible. I'd suggest against buying one from the black market, though -- we can't trust the quality and they might end up offering fake ones.

RESULTS

[soulping]

You purchase a high quality core from the black market. It works perfectly, and upgrades your AI from critically unstable to plain old unstable.

Your blatant abuse of your authority results in one member of your crew getting cold feet and locking themselves in an escape pod! On the bright side, you learn that there is a weakness in security at the Fiddlesun Financial Corporation, who are heavily involved in sponsoring AI research. They are also filthy, filthy rich.

Re: RESULTS

[debate_avenger]

You call it "blatant abuse of authority", I call it "using the resources my job gives me to do my job properly".

Re: RESULTS

[whataknightfora]

I didn't realize accessing information would be considered dishonorable.

ROUND 2

[soulping]

CREDITS
Bank: 650 Credits

BUY FROM THE GOVERNMENT
High Quality Core: 600 (Sell Price: 350)
Medium Quality Core: 500 (Sell Price: 250)
Low Quality Core: 400 (Sell Price: 150)

BUY FROM THE BLACK MARKET - if you dare
High Quality Core: 350 (Average Sell Price: 200)
Medium Quality Core: 250 (Average Sell Price: 100)
Low Quality Core: 150 (Average Sell Price: 50)

OTHER
Buy a newspaper: 10
Buy a cat: 50

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Help fund research on artificial intelligence by donating a sum of your choice.
Help further research on artificial intelligence by donating yourself.

OTHER
There are many ways to forge your path through life. What will you do?

Discussion

[debate_avenger]

Re: Discussion

[thehirohewanted]

[Gonna look at this computer and see if there's a way to talk to the AI.]

Re: Discussion

[debate_avenger]

Now then... Shall we continue with our plan? Recruit people? And what should we do about the security flaw we discovered? We have quite a few options on what to do with it:

First, we could sell the information on the security flaw on the black market. That obviously doesn't give us much in the way of resources directly, but it does give us a chance to take advantage of the flaw without implicating ourselves directly: The research will undoubtedly wind up on the market, and then we can buy it.

Second, we can sell it to the company themselves, informing them of their security flaw. We should be able to trade money, favors, or research for telling them about it and how to plug it up.

We could also just raid the place ourselves and get the research that way. I'd suggest against stealing money, though: Money leaves a lot more traces.

SUBMIT

[soulping]

Re: SUBMIT

[debate_avenger]

Now then. As an official military AI research ship, we will set about recruiting some crew to assist with the work. We have the position for a reason, so we need to get some more skilled crew members.

We will also negotiate with Fiddlesun Financial: We will sell them information on their security flaw and how to fix it, for some of the AI research they acquired. We will also offer our services as AI researchers ourselves, if they'll willing to subcontract some of the work out to us.

RESULTS

[soulping]

You attempt to recruit some additional personnel. Many of the applicants are shady. One of them paints the entirety of your starship a ludicrous shade of hot bubblegum pink, and another makes off with 50 credits and all of your shoes. Happily, however, some of them are actually legitimate, and you gain two additional crew members who are happy to do your bidding.

Your negotiations with Fiddlesun Financial are mildly successful. They purchase your services for 300 credits, and in turn, they tell you that recent clinical trials for advanced AI implantation into human interface ports have shown some promise for further development.

Re: RESULTS

[debate_avenger]

...

...Our ship is the same color as Yumika's hair.

[You think I care about the ship being bubblegum pink? Nope!]

ROUND 3

[soulping]

CREDITS
Starting bank: 900 Credits

BUY FROM THE GOVERNMENT
High Quality Core: 600 (Sell Price: 350)
Medium Quality Core: 500 (Sell Price: 250)
Low Quality Core: 400 (Sell Price: 150)

BUY FROM THE BLACK MARKET - if you dare
High Quality Core: 350 (Average Sell Price: 200)
Medium Quality Core: 250 (Average Sell Price: 100)
Low Quality Core: 150 (Average Sell Price: 50)

OTHER
Buy a newspaper: 10
Buy a cat: 50

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Help fund research on artificial intelligence by donating a sum of your choice.
Help further research on artificial intelligence by donating yourself.

OTHER
There are many ways to forge your path through life. What will you do?

SUBMIT

[soulping]

Re: SUBMIT

[debate_avenger]

Flare will be donating himself to help further research -- To be precise, we're implanting the AI into his human interface port as mentioned previously.

Aside from that, we'll also be update the ship with some proper AI analysis and research equipment, so we don't have to pay other people to do it for us. If we already have that stuff, upgrade to better versions of it.

Discussion

[debate_avenger]

Re: Discussion

[thehirohewanted]

...I guess that's what donating ourself is?

Think that'd be safe?

Re: Discussion

[debate_avenger]

Now then... From here on, we don't really have a plan, so... Where do we want to go from here?

ROUND 4

[soulping]

CREDITS
Starting bank: 400 Credits

BUY FROM THE GOVERNMENT
High Quality Core: 600 (Sell Price: 350)
Medium Quality Core: 500 (Sell Price: 250)
Low Quality Core: 400 (Sell Price: 150)

BUY FROM THE BLACK MARKET - if you dare
High Quality Core: 350 (Average Sell Price: 200)
Medium Quality Core: 250 (Average Sell Price: 100)
Low Quality Core: 150 (Average Sell Price: 50)

OTHER
Buy a newspaper: 10
Buy a cat: 50

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Help fund research on artificial intelligence by donating a sum of your choice.
Help further research on artificial intelligence by donating yourself.

OTHER
There are many ways to forge your path through life. What will you do?

SUBMIT

[soulping]

Discussion

[debate_avenger]