TIAMAT

[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]

DISCUSS!

[tatsumi_textiles]

[Looking to see who all's there]

Any ideas?

Re: DISCUSS!

[likebigboats]

It's easy. Take out the AI chip, defect, and sell the latest-and-greatest military development on the black market.

Re: DISCUSS!

[tatsumi_textiles]

Ain't the point to get more cores ta support the AI?

[withmyownfists]

Uhm... won't we lose, then?

Re: DISCUSS!

[likebigboats]

[settling into a chair and putting her feet on a control panel]

It's a losing proposition. You're always going to be scrounging for your next stability core before your current one burns out, like an addict looking for a fix. The best profit is to sell the secret nobody else has access to and get out before all the high maintenance trouble starts kicking in.

[tatsumi_textiles]

That ain't really an option.

Maybe there's somethin' in the newspaper we can use?

[likebigboats]

Getting enough money to retire and buy -- normally an island but I suppose here it'd be a moon -- is a win in my book.

Re: DISCUSS!

[tatsumi_textiles]

Yeah, but is that goin' ta get us shards?

Last time we tried shit like that we lost anyway.

[A pause]

We did get drinks, though.

[withmyownfists]

It doesn't exactly get us shards though.

[ And that's winning in her book. ]

[withmyownfists]

That's a possibility.

...

Or we could buy the cat.

[tatsumi_textiles]

....why not both?

Newspaper, a cat, and onna those black market cores ta tide us over until the next round.

Re: DISCUSS!

[likebigboats]

Drinks are also good.

Did you hear any actual goals? We're just given this thing and a couple things we could try. The way I see it, the only clear losing proposition is to let the AI burn out without having done anything.

[likebigboats]

Aren't we assuming that?

[withmyownfists]

That works for me! Life's not worth living if you don't have friends, right?

[ even in games, she is an animal hoarder. god help you, tiamat ]

Re: DISCUSS!

[tatsumi_textiles]

Yeah, our goal is ta get as many cores as possible.

I'm thinkin' we get a cat, a newspaper, and one of those high end black market cores.

Yer good at that crap, right? You'd be able ta make sure we don't get ripped off or killed gettin' onna those?

[tatsumi_textiles]

Hell, it's not like they ever let us bring our real pets in.

[You made him crack a smile, congratulations]

[withmyownfists]

But the goal is to get more or better stability cores, not end up with none.

...

If we were going to sell it, wouldn't the better strategy be to sell it and then reinvest our money in research?

[ even that's kind of a gamble though ]

Re: DISCUSS!

[likebigboats]

Sure, I'm good at shady things.

But if we want to go that way, we should invest in arming ourselves. We're a government research ship. Don't want anyone to get ideas that we're a good target.

[likebigboats]

Why wouldn't we keep the money?

Re: DISCUSS!

[tatsumi_textiles]

So, a core and weapons?

Don't see it on the buy list, but, hell, it's a black market.

No way they don't got weapons.

Do you think you'll need back up in the market?

[withmyownfists]

[ OH it's so good to see ochre smiling again!!! ]

[withmyownfists]

Well, how else are we going to get cores?

Re: DISCUSS!

[likebigboats]

Extra muscle never hurts. Just make sure the door's locked while we're away.