TAKSHAKA

[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

[brakeup]

- Buy High Quality Core from the government (600)
- Buy a newspaper (10)

Re: ROUND 1

[brakeup]

[He sure has no idea what all this is about or how he's suddenly in space or how to money good, bUT. He has to try and win the game, right. What is a winning thing to do here. Hmmm...]

Re: ROUND 1

[eluvianathema]

Hello! Goodness, this is all very odd-looking. Did you understand any of that?

Re: ROUND 1

[brakeup]

[Oh you're here too.]

Daisy. I understand enough to participate. [Probably.]

I decided to buy a High Quality Core from the government. I also bought a newspaper. Perhaps we can learn more about the situation from that.

TAKSHAKA

[soulping]

You purchase a high quality core from the government! It is successfully integrated into the computer system and turns your AI from critically unstable to plain old unstable

You also buy a newspaper. The following news story is listed on the front page:

"CREDITS TAKEN WHERE NO CREDIT IS DUE. In a continuation of the colony's crime problem, bank robbers robbed the Niedhukx Bank on Sunday. Approximately 1000000 credits were stolen. The manager of the bank refused to speak with journalists about the heist. Perhaps rumors that it was an inside job are true?"

ROUND 2

[soulping]

CREDITS
Bank: 390 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

[brakeup]

- Buy a cat (50)
- Go to Niedhukx Bank to try and bribe the manager into telling them about the bank heist (50)

Re: ROUND 2

[eluvianathema]

That's an awful lot of credits... which we don't have many of, right now. Could we look at the black market?

Re: ROUND 2

[brakeup]

[bank heist......]

Buying a cat will leave us with 340 credits. Even so, dealing with the black market does not seem... proper.

That news story. Maybe we could investigate.

[Indigo this is a ship in outer space not a police station.]

Re: ROUND 2

[eluvianathema]

[doesn't seem bothered by Black Market deals, but w/e]

Could we? Ooh, what if we sent a few credits to the manager as a bribe? I bet he'd be willing to talk, then.

RESULTS

[soulping]

You purchase a an extremely cute, cuddly maine coon. A cute, cuddly, loud maine coon that sounds like a helicopter taking off whenever it purrs, which is frequently. It has a bad habit of twining around people’s ankles when they’re trying to walk, because pet me. PET ME.

You head over to Niedhukx Bank and attempt to bribe the manager. He takes the bribe ... and promptly calls the police. You spend the rest of the day running through the city streets, hiding in trash cans and disguising yourself as clowns to avoid detection. You pick up 30 credits that somebody had carelessly dropped on the floor.

ROUND 3

[soulping]

CREDITS
Starting bank: 320 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

[brakeup]

- Buy a Medium Quality Core from the black market (250)
- Attempt to insert the AI's chip into the port on the back of Indigo's neck

Re: ROUND 3

[brakeup]

[That sure happened. And he was still deadpan through all of it.]

[But now petting Sir Pickles the Gallant, because it insists on pets. So fluffy...]

Re: ROUND 3

[brakeup]

[But okay, what to do next. Bribing the bank manager was a bust. Pursuing that further may be a mistake if they are to win the game. Back to strengthening their AI... maybe the black market is their only option at this point, alas.]

[He did notice the ports on people's necks, including his own. Hm. Isn't the AI contained in a chip about that size? Is that important?]

[One way to find out.]

ROUND 4

[soulping]

CREDITS
Starting bank: 70 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

[brakeup]

- Consult with the crew to find out what a crossword puzzle is, then make one for the AI.
- Pet Sir Pickles the Gallant a lot.

[THE CROSSWORD PUZZLE]

[eluvianathema]

[I LIED IT LOOKS LIKE THIS]

Re: ROUND 4

[brakeup]

[He's a robot himself to begin with, so yes computer why not. Having another mind suddenly inside yours is still weird as hell though, holy moly.]

[He winces and holds his head as the disorientation hits, and- wow these are a lot of thoughts and desires he isn't used to.]

Ah. Hm. This is- strange? What is a crossword puzzle? Do we have any?

Re: ROUND 4

[eluvianathema]

Are you alright? That was an awfully risky move... I don't know what a crossword puzzle is, either.