setting & locations.

[modblob]

Setting.

The planet has no name, or at least not one you can find any record of. It has the dusty, barren redness of Mars, with all of that planet’s inhospitable nature, though that is where any real resemblance ends.

There’s water here, but the vast majority of it is undrinkable, dark, and reaches unknown depths with temperatures that can vary wildly from superheated to half-frozen. The planet’s climate is incredibly unstable, allowing for both snow storms in areas with more water to blistering heat over much of the terrain. At a moment’s notice an electrified sandstorm could sweep up from virtually nothing, and waves of radiation can wash over the landscape. Not to mention the incredibly strong winds that sometimes arise, and the flooding of water containing heavy metals that occasionally rises from the planet’s crust.

The air quality outside the colony is very poor, but marginally breathable. Characters can go outside without full equipment, but it isn't recommended, and without a helmet during a sandstorm or one of the radiation waves, they're liable to die. Painfully. The suits available at the colony have limited nuclear protection, and oxygen must be resupplied at the colony. Helmets can be pressurized for diving, if you're brave enough to risk it. There are GPS units available, but they're hardly accurate, between the electromagnetic storms and the constantly shifting geography. Maps are available too, but hardly trustworthy, and they need to be constantly updated.

But maybe it's worth the risk for you, to find some small piece of home.

the red shift

None of the dangers the terrain has to offer hold a candle to the real danger of this unnamed planet. The red shifts, named for the colors that envelope individuals caught in the phenomenon, can surge up with even less warning than the sandstorms. Radioactive and electromagnetic, the red shifts bloom over the landscape like a rising tide.

During a shift, the world becomes distorted, warped, impossible to navigate. People caught in it are enveloped in auditory and visual hallucinations, and can become so disoriented that they can't even recognize people they've known for years. Those not wearing protective gear from the colony may be cooked alive by radiation. But perhaps the most dangerous part is what the shifts carry with them. Slivers of other universes, little slices of places never seen before, or so familiar they're unmistakable. Objects, relics, landscapes. Monsters. Some exist only for a limited time, blinking out of reality the same way they arrived. But sometimes, rarely, things get left behind, changing the landscape of the planet and introducing new resources or dangers.

Though the colony is protected from the weather by its shielding dome, radiation leaks during the shifts can wreak havoc inside.

Locations.

anchor (the city)

So far as anyone knows, the colony of Anchor is the only habitable zone on the planet. Built into the ground, it’s a massive multi-level facility, each level designated to a different purpose. The tiers are built around an open central space, allowing for lighting to reach all the way down to the bottom of the colony. Protecting its occupants is a shield, a massive clear dome that both blocks out radiation and is powered by it. It’s easy to see the sky beyond, though the view is almost never the same for long. Whether it’s the changing stars, vanishing planets, or suns that come and go, there is no way to tell where the planet is in the universe at any given moment in time.

Anchor itself was once a sanctuary, built with the amenities that a place like this can support. There are small lounges, restaurants, a bar. Recreation rooms and parks and copious gardens. There’s a med bay, bio labs, and farming areas that make the colony largely self-sufficient. It’s meant to support a thriving community, and maybe once upon a time it did.

Now, however, it’s a ghost town.

The lounges, restaurants, and bar are largely inaccessible. The med bay, bio lab, and most areas needed for long-term survival are all sealed behind bulkhead doors that can only be opened if power to various areas of the facility is restored. Only the most basic functions are available to the first-comers. Guess they’ll have to get creative.

It hasn’t been unoccupied for too terribly long. Though the plants in each tier’s garden areas are wildly overgrown, things aren’t dilapidated. There’s no real decay, no rust making anything unusable. Whether the occupants simply vanished the same way they appeared or something else happened, they’re gone now. All that’s left is some damage to the exterior of the city and the occasional bullet holes and splash damage inside.

Traversing Anchor is simple enough. The easiest way to get anywhere on a single level is on foot, with the broad breezeways that line each floor providing a pleasant walk and a view of the park at the bottom of the city. To move between floors, there are lifts in many locations that go up and down from top to bottom, and stairways to use in case of fire or emergency. Unfortunately, the lifts are currently inoperable - might want to get on fixing those.

The large metal rails that span from the park at the bottom to the surface level facilities are intended for emergency evacuation procedures, with large pods able to hold a great many people traveling up and down each one at need.

There are also little battery-powered segway-like devices available on each floor to scoot around on, if you want to look like a loser.

anchor: surface level

The risks on this level are the most extreme. Not only is it prone to radiation leaks given the unmaintained shield, the air is lower quality due to poor filtration. While this can be improved, it’s never going to be a place to picnic.

▶ Arrival Zone: This is where everyone who finds themselves in Anchor first appears, in a small room with an experimental, one-way portal. Trying to walk back through is like trying to walk through molten stone. Slow, painful, and ultimately fruitless. On the screen to the left of the portal, a repeating arrival video plays. There are a large number of communication devices in racks along the opposite wall, through which you can tune into the network.

▶ Entranceway & Decontamination: Everyone goes through decontamination to enter the facility, for the first time or after excursions outside. Here, characters are instructed by a friendly voice to strip and place any clothes and equipment into a processor that will remove any harmful substances and radiation. After a refreshing communal shower, they will be allowed to retrieve any belongings deemed clean or salvageable. All unsalvageable items will be purged.

▶ Garage & Mechanic Shop: A high-roofed and well-lit area, whitewashed to show just how clean it is — or was, since there's a large buildup of dust, in addition to those bullet holes in the wall that no one had a chance to spackle over, apparently. In addition to the cabinets full of tools that line the back wall, there's a tunnel that leads out to a vehicular decontamination room and from there to the surface. Inside the garage are three working 4-wheel all terrain vehicles with two more in clear need of repair and rebuilding. These "space jeeps" run on batteries, which need to be recharged in the garage after about six hours of use. Less, if the terrain is rocky or unstable. There is one available radiation-resistant cover available that fits any of the existing units, but only one. In another room, off the main garage and with a separate tunnel to the surface, are several half-finished air frames and what appears to be a mini-submarine. These could be finished, with the right minds put to the task.

▶ Exit Room: Another large, whitewashed area filled with protective suits, helmets, first-aid kits, and other survival gear necessary to explore the world outside the colony or do general maintenance on units outside of the protective shield. While the place appears well-stocked, supplies are still limited and non-renewable for the time being. Some of the suits and helmets are in poor condition as well. Oxygen tanks can be found and filled here.

▶ Security & Fire Station: A severely damaged computer control room that would have access to all of the interior and exterior camera feeds as well as the sprinklers throughout the colony. If it were to be repaired. Some areas of the colony can be opened or shut down from this station in order to close off danger zones and smother fires, and - interestingly - there are controls for guns and lasers that are stationed remotely throughout the colony. These controls are currently inoperable.

▶ Armory: A tightly secured, currently inaccessible area, containing large stockpiles of munitions. Everything from side arms to rifles, laser cutters, survival knives, body armor, grenades - person with access to this room could start quite the party.

anchor: topmost levels

This area's facilities have suffered from the radiation leaks and medium air quality, but both of those things can be reversed if the shield is repaired and filtration systems are brought back on line. These areas are or would be responsible for most of the colony's long-term functions and supplies.

▶ Agriculture: Almost one entire level is dedicated to the colony's agricultural areas. Three full levels are given over to horticulture, a tree nursery and orchard, small forests, and livestock enclosures with broken fences and dilapidated barns. There are a few skeletal remains of unusual cattle, the bones chewed on and broken. Near the barns, connected to them by half-smashed plexiglass tunnels, is an area with floor drains and the tools to slaughter, cut, and cure meat. There are several dumbwaiter-looking things labeled "LAB" in large letters, where samples of blood and other offal can be deposited and transferred to the agricultural labs described below.

▶ Livestock: Some animals have survived in the overgrown, forested areas of the levels, but most are mutated and hostile, cannibalizing and breeding with each other in equal measure. A person could probably get some hunting done here, but whether or not they would want to eat what they kill...well, some people are more adventurous than others.

▶ Bio-Lab & Fish Hatchery: In addition to all of the plant growth and cattle-raising areas, there is a bio-lab. It's located in one of those formerly picturesque, now carnivore-filled forested areas, and contains sprawling facilities that are in surprisingly good repair. It seems whatever conflict touched the rest of this place never made its way to this facility. The bio-lab contains a library of DNA samples that can be grown into livestock over a period of time. It also houses a large fish hatchery, a gene splicing area, and a large lab dedicated to the study and manipulation of plants.

▶ Research & Development: Below the agricultural areas, there is a technological R&D area, with indoor and "outdoor" wings. The indoor wing is divided between larger rooms for vehicle and other large experiments, and labs with tools from the rough to those delicate enough to work on the smallest computer chips. Though they are in need of repair, there are computers to operate the various manufacturing areas of the labs, including 3D printers. The printers, like so much else, need to be fixed to be operable. The "outdoor" wing is blocked off from the open air at the center of the colony, allowing everything from vehicles to explosive munitions to be tested. Attached to the R&D facilities, there is an engineering workshop, something like a series of large garages, where bots can be fixed and gadgets can be tinkered with in privacy.

anchor: mid levels

These areas have better air quality than the upper levels, and significantly less risk of radiation exposure prior to fixing the shield. The spaces on these levels are classified as "enrichment areas!" Many are closed off or otherwise non-functional. Whatever happened in the city, these levels were the first to be isolated, and there is more evidence of conflict. Bullet holes and casings, blast damage, laser scoring. It will take some doing to get these spaces functional again.

▶ Bar: But here's a stroke of luck! The bar and dance club are largely untouched! The bar contains a large amount of synthesized alcohol in a seemingly endless variety of types (with varying levels of quality). The robot bartender is bullet-riddled and fritzy, so it might be best to make your own drinks until someone figures out how to reprogram him. If you decide to let him make your drink, you’ll be getting a synthesized version of a tequila sunrise. Every time. No matter what you ask for. You won’t even get a maraschino cherry in it. Sometimes he might accidentally glitch and throw it at you, too. Really, just make your own.

▶ Dance Club: The dance club is a large room with a small stage at one end and a variety of light and music settings, though the music is questionable at best. We hope you like space Raffi or galactic heavy metal, because there’s not a whole lot in between to start with.

▶ VR Room: This is something of a misnomer - there’s one large room to the left, with a hallway sporting more, smaller rooms off to the right. The large room is an environmental simulation room with artificial sunlight and a default oceanscape that can be programmed to resemble a person's own world. There's a certain degree of automatic cerebral interfacing to make sure it gets the details just right. The smaller rooms have access to a library of VR games, some of which work and some of which will insult you in various languages before crashing. People can meet and socialize in the environmental simulation room, or in any of the smaller rooms through virtual reality. Additionally, there is a completely digital "shared world" that any character accessing the VR Room can enter, which represents the city at its peak of functionality and beauty - this VR shared world is the first place that some new arrivals manifest, as ghosts in the machine that can interact via VR before waking up physically in the arrival room (most Test Drive memes will take place partly in this shared world). IMPORTANT NOTE: Anyone accessing virtual reality will receive a warning spiel before entering their chosen program that states that excessive or long-term use of the VR services can cause users to experience mental and/or physical damage.

▶ Spa: There is a fully-outfitted spa with three areas—one that has all the amenities of a Turkish bath, one designed to resemble a Japanese hot spring, and one area with the steam rooms and massage tables of a typical Western hybrid of both.

▶ Intimacy Lounge: This is a large lounge area where people can meet new people in a nice atmosphere, or have some personal time with someone special, as the barracks are very much not personal. There are a few private rooms available, some small and simple, some large with amenities such as a shower or bath. Basic provisions for relations with any sex (including a few alien ones) are provided. There's even one kink room. The matchmaking service bot allows characters to input their information to find compatible partners, or can access a character's portable device for matchmaking on the go - but be aware that it may simply pop up with whoever's closest, or not take your preferences into consideration at all. That is to say, the bot is sometimes very much on the fritz. Or just really kinky. No one knows.

▶ Food Service/Shops (Player-Run Businesses): There are a significant number of empty restaurants with spoiled food and small shops cleared of their contents that obviously require real human servers and cooks or other personnel. If you wish to claim one of these areas for your character to run, please see the Occupations page. New attractions can be created in empty areas if your character is enterprising, and can find or create the necessary equipment.

▶ Personal Supply Station: This is the closest thing to a colony convenience store available in Anchor. Many of the supplies found piecemeal throughout the rest of the colony are gathered in one place here. Mostly the items are small, like bedside lights, personal hygiene products, condoms, and other general supplies. Many of the cases containing these supplies are locked tight and were only opened by a supervisor, and the quartermaster bot is a little wonky, so these may be difficult to access. Moreover, supplies are not flush. There may be shortages as each item must be crafted in an automated facility using supplies available from the colony’s agricultural and development levels. Characters may manage the store to make sure no one is going nuts with the supplies available.

anchor: lower levels (housing)

This area is quite well removed from the worst environmental factors from The Outside, with good air quality and very low radiation levels, even without a shield. These levels are home to almost all of the housing options for the city, all of which are in moderately good repair.

▶ Barracks: The main living quarters are dormitory style, with one toilet per quad or double. Inside each dormitory there are all the generic basics: beds, desks, a small utility area for cooking and building small items, a computer terminal (non-functional), and one large screen which can be used to observe video communications or project images from outside or other parts of the colony.

▶ Showers: Most of the showers look like gym showers, being large and unisex, with spaced out shower heads. There are smaller, slightly more private gender-divided showers available for those uncomfortable showering in what amounts to a public space.

▶ Mess Hall: There is a large self-serve or bot-served mess hall and community lounge, with many prepackaged options available out of vending machines (most of which are long past their sell-by dates, as evidenced by the presence of mold). Supplies here must be refreshed with livestock, vegetation, etc. from the higher levels. There is a kitchen area where a cook could take over to prepare fresh meals.

▶ Gymnasium: A public-use gymnasium on this level contains typical gym equipment, a large treadmill area (which is used to supplement the colony’s power supply), general exercise rooms for aerobics, martial arts, and other uses. The area also contains steam rooms, an infra-red sauna, and a salt pool, none of which are currently functional.

anchor: bottom levels

This area is the safest part of the city - located at the very bottom of Anchor's depth, the bottom level contains the parts of the city considered most sensitive and necessary for survival of the residents, either mentally or physically.

▶ Park: At the bottom level, below the general living quarters, there is a park with sod grass, short walking trails, and a small lake with safe water where anyone can go swimming and some fish still remain. More fish can be added, of course, but they’ll have to come from the hatchery on the agricultural levels. There is nice tree cover, and the temperature and weather are regulated, and there is a flower garden that can be reinvigorated by those inclined to the work. There may even be butterflies to be found in the DNA library that may survive here. You can clearly see the sky from the park, and there is a large telescope near the center of the park.

▶ Plaza: There is a large plaza that wraps around the park, meant to host community or cultural events such as festivals, markets, or performances. The mosaic tiles in the plaza depict different areas of Anchor.

▶ Educational Center & Childcare: There is a small educational center off of the plaza, clearly intended for children. Its facilities include a classroom, recreation room, nurse's office, and hygiene facilities. The blast doors allowing entrance are firmly sealed, and the viewing windows into the classrooms seem unbreakable.

▶ Library: The library and data records center has been largely destroyed by a cave-in, apparently caused by an explosion. There is one section with reading materials that shifted in from other worlds, and it remains standing. Other data may be recovered from the collapsed area with effort.

▶ Medbay: The Medbay was constructed to be fully functional regardless of the presence of doctors. For mild to moderate injury, there are tubes in which the injured can be placed that fill with gel to accelerate healing. For more serious injuries requiring surgery, setting of bones, or other invasive procedures, there is a highly sophisticated automated surgery booth. It can perform most operations in absence of a surgeon. Doctors are still necessary for prescription administration and...like...compassionate contact. Volatile and addictive drugs are administered by bots to ensure there is no abuse, though there are ways around that if you really want to find them.

▶ Family and Luxury Suites: These individual luxury suites branch off from the plaza, some of them with living rooms visible through the same seemingly-unbreakable glass substitute that guards the children's education area. Originally intended for important persons and those few families that once resided here, they are multi-level condos with windows that face toward the park and gardens. Each suite has a private bathroom including a tub and shower, a miniature kitchen, and two to three bedrooms. Each one is furnished in soothing pale colors with high-quality furniture. As these had the highest security, they are locked down tight and can only be opened by someone with a high level of skill hacking the passcode...or blowing the bulkead. But who knows what other problems that might cause?

Images used for setting taken from Hazem Treasure's City in the Desert

Ask a Question.

Any questions related to the game's setting, the overall world, the city and what can be found in it, what can be found in the outside, and any other necessary in character information can be asked on this page. Answers to previously-asked questions will be linked below for ease of use.

▶ What kind of wild animals are in the Animal Area?
▶ What kind of insects exist in Anchor?
▶ Are locations not noted as inaccessible free to explore? Are there dangerous animals?
▶ Can characters refurbish broken or malfunctioning bots?
▶ What are radiation levels like? Are there geiger counters? Can characters connect existing devices to the network?
▶ Is the Arrival Room regularly accessible?
▶ How can characters go about programming VR programs?
▶ Could a necromancer raise the weird animal skeletons in Anchor?
▶ As of September 2019, which sections of the setting are still locked?
▶ What are Anchor's laundry facilities like?
▶ How frequently and in what way does the sky in Anchor change?
▶ Do characters ICly know the term "red shift" and if so, how?
▶ Can decaying magic rot through doors?
▶ Are power outlets available for tech from home?
▶ Could the geiger counter function on a device from a previous game still work in Redshift?
▶ Do the translation mechanics work on sign language, and if so, how?

Navigation.

Comments

Exploring!

[theweakhavepurpose]

Pratt has been wandering around and inspecting the animal area up top. He's stolen some crocken eggs, and I'm wondering what else he can say he saw/found?

[modblob]

Most of the animals he would've seen there would be the type of animal that survives well in the wild - deer, rodents, birds, and perhaps a glimpse or two of something bigger deeper in the area. Any animals he sees would have had mutations from generations of being exposed to the higher radiation and toxin levels on the higher levels of the city.

He would also be able to find a variety of bones, with varying levels of mutation. As well as a few human bones here and there (possibly some also with varying levels of mutation).

Other animals can be cloned in the bio-lab, once it's up and running, including regular livestock type animals.

[fishermansweater]

Hi mods!

Would there be any insects in the agricultural or park area? I know the setting indicates that butterflies would need to be created from the bio-labs but would there be any other bugs like bees or ants living in the agricultural area?

[modblob]

Thanks for your question, and sorry for the delay in responding!

There would be insects in the agricultural and park area. As with the remaining animals, insects that would survive easily in a harsh environment would survive, such as ants, roaches, worms, and any other alien bugs that you might be interested in making up for a tag. They also run a risk of being mutated.

Let us know if you need anything else!

[tenuefarfalla]

I realize now that the very specific question I asked earlier is not all that useful in the long run, and can be boiled down to a much simpler one:

Are we free to assume that any location that is listed here (and not specifically stated as unreachable for whatever reason) is fair game for someone who's gone exploring in the city? Not necessarily safe, but reasonably accessible.

[modblob]

No problem!

The confirmed locations are available for player discovery, however their usefulness is limited to the confines of the written description until players have completed repairs etc.

If players are unsure of the accessibility of particular areas or would like a more plot oriented/challenging approach they can contact the mods for assistance.

Some locations are stated to be off-limits or locked, in which case please message the mods for instruction, or a specific idea if you have one!

[writtendestiny]

Hello, darling mods!

Would it be possible for my girl Poison here to find a totally defunct robot, or parts of robot, to take apart/examine/maybe work out how to fix up the ones that are currently still rattling around Anchor?

[modblob]

Yes, it's totally fine for Poison to find a defunct robot and/or parts of one!

radiation and tech!

[queenofthegirlscouts]

With the radiation leaks, is there anywhere in the upper levels that is radiated to the point of "nope, don't go there, do not pass go, leave it?" Or anywhere that would be concerned to someone who has a radiation detector?

Following up, in R&D or the garage, are there any radiation detector devices (either functional or needing repair?)

And tech-question, would Shepard be able to use her omni-tool's communication abilities to hook into the communication device network and capabilities?

Thank you!

[modblob]

Thanks for your question, sorry for the delay in answering!

There are radiation detector devices in both the R&D and Garage. There would likely be around three functioning devices, with dozens more in various states of disrepair.

While there would be a lot of areas in the upper levels that were seriously irradiated, enough to cause damage to living creatures, there aren't any spaces that are too far gone to be useful in future. There are definitely enough areas with safe levels of radiation that none of the features in the upper level are irretrievable, and the Agriculture and other food-related processing areas would be clear of radiation (mostly to make sure that characters have a viable way to feed themselves).

Thank you for your patience, we hope this helps!

arrival area

[oldbookshop]

hello! this seemed kind of like the place to ask this, idk for sure.

i think that after he's settled more, aziraphale is gonna be interested in trying to spruce the video room up to make it less spooky for fresh arrivals. you know, getting some people together to clean it up, change the plants out, etc. (he sort of resurrected one of the dead plants when he first showed up, but he forgot about it immediately and idk how long that can go without watering before it dies again anyway tbh)

if/when he gets around to that point, is it possible for characters to do it? or is the arrival room more of a one and done deal, where people can't access the room again after they've been decontaminated/sent on their way?

[modblob]

This is definitely the right place!

Aziraphale is welcome to spruce up the video room. Just let us know what he might change, so we can adjust the welcome post to fit the room's new look.

VR Room programming

[livingdeadgirl]

Regarding the VR Room:

* How much programming does a character need to know in order to make a simulation of their own world?

* Is the cerebral interfacing disclosed in any way ahead of time? Like is there some dialog you have to click "Agree" on to make it work, I guess?

* If you die in the game do you die for real?

[modblob]

Thank you for your questions!

1. Characters would need a fairly advanced level of programming to make any kind of simulation for the VR Rooms, but it can definitely be done.

2. There is probably some text somewhere that you agree to (sort of Terms & Conditions style), but it's generally assumed that anyone using the VR rooms is aware of it. It's up to player choice if they wish to have a character notice the text about it or not.

3. Characters don't die for real if they die in the game - unless they've been playing for too long.

Agriculture Level

[abheirrant]

There are a few skeletal remains of unusual cattle, the bones chewed on and broken.

So uh. If a guy who could raise the dead happened to get near some of those skeletal remains, could they reanimate with magic like other animated skeletons? Could the broken bone shards attempt to reorganize themselves into some vague semblance of the creature they used to be -- or even something else with just enough legs to move -- shambling and pathetically clickety-clacking as skeletons do? Not even in a harmful way, but in a dumb "this is now a thing that exists here" way. Asking for a friend.

[modblob]

There's no reason that Carlisle couldn't reanimate the unusual skeletons he finds around. Everything you've suggested here should be totally fine to play around with. Go wild!

State of the station

[superposition]

Hello! I'm putting together an IC to-do list for restoring the station, and wanted to confirm a few things.

Are the following areas still inaccessible at present?

• Armory
  
• Bio-lab / Fish hatchery
  
• Dance club
  
• Intimacy lounge
  
• Player-run shop/restaurant facilities (partly inaccessible?)
  
• Educational center / childcare
  
• Family & luxury suites

Also, with relation to R&D / manufacturing:

• From the descriptions, it sounds like that's where all manufacturing in the colony is done? Is there any division between R&D and Manufacturing? (Should there be a Manufacturing Zone with its own header?)
  
• How much of the manufacturing equipment is still working? Are there certain types of product (processed food types, personal items, clothing, etc) that can't be replenished at present?
  
• Is food processing (pasteurization, processed food products, etc) conducted here, or in the Bio-lab?
  
• How hands-on is the manufacturing process? Do you just toss cuts of meat / bales of cotton down a chute and a burger / pair of jeans comes out, or is there more to it than that?
  
• I'm assuming there's a way to input your own manufacturing specs so the machines will make something you designed yourself? (Custom clothes, electronics, etc.) If so, is that system operational?

Thanks for your help, sorry about the Spanish Inquisition!

[modblob]

Hi! Sorry for the delay, there was a lot of information to go over here!

Here is the accessibility information that you have requested:

Armory - locked
Bio-lab / Fish hatchery - partially accessible
Dance club - accessible
Intimacy lounge - accessible
Player-run shop/restaurant facilities - partly accessible
Educational center / childcare - locked
Family & luxury suites - locked

Regarding manufacturing, most of it is done in R&D, though in some of the stores there are facilities available onsite to manufacture what's inside the stores - this is particularly true when it comes to stores that produce simple clothing and processed food. Many shops have 3D printers and replication/conversion devices that can create items or food to spec with sufficient energy. Replicator devices would be non-functional at the current level of available energy in the city.

The manufacturing processes are all very high-tech and require very little hands-on work, in most cases, and characters with sufficient technological expertise could input their own manufacturing specs.

The level of accessibility for these types of devices and processes are highly variable, as issues are mostly related to energy and character understanding of how the hardware and software work. Essentially, we don't want to micromanage how characters access this kind of thing, as long as players keep in mind that there are still limited resources and don't go hog wild!

Question about Laundry

[abheirrant]

Where is it done? Are there machines in the barracks area? In each dormitory? One for every X number of quads/doubles? Do they just have to wear their clothes in the shower and hope for the best? Does anyone have clean underwear here??????

[modblob]

Sorry for the delay!

There are no-cost laundry machines for communal use in sufficient number that, if the dormitories were full, everyone could conveniently get their laundry done.

Suns

[superposition]

Hi guys - just wanted to confirm, how many suns are there right now? I got the impression we started with 2, and then 2 more were added in TDM #3, for a total of 4. But I'm having trouble finding where the initial number was given.

[modblob]

There actually is no consistent number of suns in the setting! It is not a case of suns being added or removed, but the topography, constellations, suns, moons, and other features almost constantly changing.

The term "Red Shift"

[superposition]

SORRY FOR ALL THE QUESTIONS TODAY but

From an IC standpoint, where would the characters have learned that the "red shift" phenomenon is called that? Is it part of Idris Elba's video that's not written up in the blurb?

[modblob]

The red shift is referred to in many places around the city, from printed warnings on walls to databases and books in the library.

Locked Doors

[kaballin]

Kabal and his new bff Carlisle are going to try and use Carlisle's rot ability to get thru one of the locked doors around the generator area. Can they get thru it and what do they find if they do?

[modblob]

Sorry for the delay on this question! Carlisle's rot ability could get through the locked doors.

As for what's inside, may we ask which generator area you mean? Are you referring to the room the nanites were in, or another area? We can give a better answer once this is clarified.

power

[0thingsonmymind]

are there power outlets avaiable for characters? are they compatable with earth or other world tech/power supplies?

[modblob]

Yes, absolutely. Characters could plug in a phone charger or similar, but different types of outlets might be spread out in different places around the city. Characters may need to search a bit to find an outlet that works with other world tech.

[0thingsonmymind]

i forgot that brian's tablet has a geiger counter app. would that work here?

i'm just going to quote what the snowblind mods said about it

The Geiger counter app works as follows: When active, it displays radiation not in terms of numbers, but in terms of three danger levels: green, yellow, and red. Green is its default state. Yellow is dangerous but probably safe enough to stay in for a night. Red is too dangerous to stay in overnight.

the entire setting of snowblind was low-level radioactive, so i assume 'green' would still show for any low radiation levels like the general state of the mid and lower levels
He has to turn it on to check it, though, so it won't alert him to higher levels on its own.

[modblob]

There's no reason his geiger counter couldn't work in Anchor. You are correct about the levels and how they would show - lower levels would be green, upper levels might start edging into yellow, and outside the city would be red.

[tenuefarfalla]

Is sign language translated the same as spoken language here? I mean, obviously there would not be the sound of the spoken word, but does the meaning of it sort of pop into the other person's mind?

[modblob]

Yes, sign language would be translated the same as any other language. The meaning would just be apparent to the person seeing it, even if that person didn't know sign language at all.

[birdical]

How deep is the ground in the park? And the agricultural area? If some weird bird monster wanted to dig herself a little den for reasons, could she?

[modblob]

The soil in the Agricultural Levels is approximately 10 feet deep. In the park, however, it is multiple stories deep at least. She could definitely dig herself a den!

[theweakhavepurpose]

Question about housing!

We've all been playing with the assumption that the doors to the bedrooms lock, but never asked how they unlock. Are there keys? Fingerprint scanners? Biometric future DNA analysis?

[modblob]

Each apartment has a couple of options for locking mechanisms. Characters can choose to have the locking mechanism connected with their communication device so the door automatically locks when they leave the room and unlocks when they come back to the room - very useful for people who keep forgetting to lock their rooms behind them. There is also the option to decline this device pairing and use the standard power door locking mechanism, which can be opened with either a thumbprint, retinal scan, or other appropriate biometric marker that works for the character.

Tech overview

[superposition]

Hi mods - I've compiled a bunch of questions that came to mind following our discussion a couple weeks ago. Sorry if any of these are redundant, I just want to make sure I'm clear on these things going forward.

1. Flavor: You mentioned that Anchor Tech in general is a mishmash of super-advanced human engineering mixed with alien tech. What is that like aesthetically, however? Where do the alien parts sit on the Protoss ↔ Zerg axis? And are the human parts more blocky/industrial or curvy/retro-utopian? (I've gotten the impression that the station's overall aesthetic was a bit like "Dead Space," that sort of "industrial sci-fi meets urban decay" feel?)
   
2. Computing:
   1. Apart from the comm devices, are there other general-purpose computers available around the station?
   2. What sort of network and/or software resources are available to ordinary users? Does R&D have anything specialized in addition to that?
   3. Is the comm network the only one that outside devices can be made to interface with?
   
   
3. Power:
   1. What kinds of power does Anchor tech use? That is, does it all run on electricity, or are there other, esoteric energy sources in the mix, too?
      (This is an important detail for Qubit in particular; his powers only affect electrical systems, so it would be an easy way to prevent him breaking things we don't want broken.)
   2. In terms of sources - just to confirm the breakdown here - my understanding is that most of Anchor's power comes from the surface solar array, and that there are five generators that can be physically moved around as backups. Is that correct? How much of the station can a single generator power, assuming normal usage?
   3. Can power be rerouted to and from different systems as needed? If so, is that done via software, or do you have to manually rewire things? What parts of the station can't have power routed away (the VR Room was one, iirc)?
   
   
4. Maintenance:
   1. What's the maintenance workflow like for a technician? e.g. How would they find out about tech problems? Is there a ticketing system / remote monitoring?
   2. How do the maintenance bots react to people attempting repairs?
   3. Is any sort of authorization required to access maintenance areas/supplies/computer systems?
   
   
5. Learning Anchor Tech: Having been in Anchor for 5+ months, would it be safe to assume Qubit's picked up at least a working understanding of Anchor's technology by now? He'd have gathered this knowledge via 1) observing what the maintenance bots are doing (to find out how it fits together), and 2) conducting lab experiments (to dig into the underlying physics). This wouldn't by any means be a full understanding of how it works, but it could be fun to play out a "eureka" moment of him making some breakthrough about it.

Thanks so much for your help, and sorry again for the question flood!

Re: Tech overview

[modblob]

1. Many of the photos chosen for the TDMs and Intro Logs are picked because the aesthetic is similar to that of Anchor's tech. Think Halo, but also with a mishmash of very different alien tech wired together.

2. There are computers all over, with as many different networks and softwares as you would expect of a huge facility. R&D could come up with new ones, yes, A scant few programs are in "human-compatible" code, with Earthlike code language. Most are in entirely alien coding systems, which means you can use the tech but not hack or understand the OS beneath the surface.

3. Anchor runs off several different types of energy, but primarily radioactivity harvested via the dome and solar arrays arranged outside. There are generators all over, significantly more than 5, and what it can power depends on the generator, location, and facility's requirements. We can't get more specific, due to plot possibilities. Power can occasionally be routed occasionally from auxiliary areas, but power will always be prioritized toward the colony core and survival functions. Manipulating the power would require rewiring the systems in most cases, but there are some computer overrides.

4. Short answer: there is no maintenance workflow. Either you notice something is broken, or you don't. The bots generally handle small stuff and one could possibly follow them to find lightly damaged areas, but overall you would have to notice something isn't working or discover alarms, blinking lights, et cetera. The bots would likely leave people alone if they were making repairs, but any sabotage would be countered with bot pestering or attack. Authorization is required for core functions. Basically, think of it as your usual building system--the average person wouldn't have passwords or access to the important things, but could get into places like the janitorial closer or maintenance halls on their own.

5, Qubit can have some understanding of the tech, however, it is so advanced and such a varied hodgepodge that his knowledge would be the tip of the iceberg.

[circumitus]

So Rey's been rummaging through the collapsed part of the library to look for technical books and manuals to familiarize herself with the computing and tech in Anchor, since she assumes they use different programming language and such from our (and her) world that could help people navigate their location.

She has engineering knowledge that can help her make sense of these things and would like to try and see if she can use it to access currently inaccessible areas (she'd really like to break into that armory, for instance; but if this is meant to be saved for a plot thing in the future, I can understand wanting to keep it warded off for now).

In general I'm curious what kinds of material can be recovered from the collapsed area of the library. If there's any notable data that she could make use of, like history, records, someone's stash or vintage erotica, etc. Are they all in English or would they be automatically translated or impossible to read?

Lastly what do the materials physically look like? Are they hard copies of books or are they more digital, i.e. tablets, datapads, so on?

Thanks!

[modblob]

The collapsed area of the library houses all kind and formats of information, from tablets and datapads to paper books to Ming Dynasty scrolls (no, really). Some of it would be readable, or perhaps not readable but in at least familiar languages. Most of it, however, is alien, given the way Anchor was built by people from all across the universes.

Given the different operating systems behind various levels of the tech in Anchor, there are potential areas she could access, though unfortunately the armory would not be one of them. (You can PM us to work on plotting out what she might find access to!)

Character Death!

[arcadedragon]

Genji got himself hit with memory loss within the maze and subsequently wandered around, confused and hungry, until he got killed by a maze trap.

F to pay respects.

What happens next? Does he revive? Does Peter need to lug his corpse out of there?

[modblob]

We are so sorry for the delay on this question! Somehow it got lost in the inbox.

Players have the option for death to be permanent or to be revived. Since you want to revive Genji, here is how it works.

Genji would find himself rematerializing in the arrival room. This process would cause pain (the extent of which is up to you) and he will experience lingering pain at the site of whatever killed him (eg. the spot where he was mortally wounded, his stomach if starved to death, etc.) for however long you would like it to.

Additionally, he could come back...not quite right. Whatever that means is up to you, but it could be anything from physical to mental or emotional. He could lose a sense or the ability to feel an emotion, or he could have some fundamental aspect of his body changed. Or he could get silly embarrassing cat ears. Whether or not you choose to have him come back wrong is up to you! Any changes would remain, however, until he died and regenerated again, or went through a canon update.

Sorry again for the delay. Let us know if you have any further questions.

Abandoned Buildings

[tsuyoi_ame]

Yamamoto would like to clean out an abandoned building, maybe mid or upper level to turn into a training room/base of operations for him and Gokudera, are there any specifics or can he just snag a building and start working? Thanks!


And what are his chances of finding a piano, even if it needs work?

[modblob]

Thanks for your question!

While there aren't standalone buildings in Anchor besides the ones built by residents (all of the locations mentioned are set into the "walls" of the city), there are a large number of abandoned rooms that could easily be made into a training room or base of operations. Feel free to do what you'd like with one or more of them.

As for a piano, it is unlikely that there would be one in Anchor, but there would be several pianos or keyboards that he could steal, barter for, or con from the cruise ship currently visiting. The ship will remain accessible until the end of July.

Let us know if you need anything else!