Tech Levels

[Tagmatium Rules]

---

LEVELS for TECHNOLOGY

 

We in Europa mainly use Modern Tech. That's just a regional convention, please respect that. Maybe, if you're an advanced nation, having invested lots in R&D,.. you might be a Modern+1. Which means your nation can have a space program, like NASA. But there's a difference between launching a space shuttle on the one side and satellites equiped with death rays, spaceships with lasers and alike on the other side. This ain't a Star Wars or a Star Trek region.

 

Although the technology of the nations in Europa tends towards modern-day technology, with exceptions such as the satilite weapons of the Second Tamurin Civil War, this is to clarify the technology in wider use in the world of NationStates:

 

Past Tech

So-called 'Past tech' is often used in Historic Roleplay and it is the use of technology inferior to modern RL technology within any given timeframe. Often these levels are adapted from some earlier age of human history. They can be used to re-enact such ages (with players filling in for different RL nations) or they can be used in entirely fictional histories. The use of Past Tech in NS generally ranges from the Peloponnesian Wars to World War II though later and earlier tech levels can also be used.

 

Modern Tech

Modern Tech uses the conventions of present day availability. You may generally assume that technology available to real world nations is also available to your nation. It is generally assumed to be the default position.

 

Modern +1

Tech uses modern technology, plus allows for things currently being researched. This is still much more restrictive than Postmodern Tech, and usually keeps technology within ten years of the present.

 

Postmodern Tech

Postmodern Tech is a halfway point between Future Tech and Modern Tech. In Postmodern Tech, societies and technologies are much like their real world equivalents, but there can be some bending of the rules. It is not related to postmodernism.

 

This nametag is contestable, allowing roughly up until the invention of FTL travel, Teleportation, or other "rule-breaking" technology. This makes it a fickle category, but one that is popular on the forums as it allows creativity while still reining in the temptation to construct Star Armadas. Many technologies which are fairly common in NS tend to be postmodern in nature, such as the use of holographic communication between national leaders (instead of the use telephones) as a plot device and entirely digital currencies.

 

Weapons used in space combat roleplayed in these eras tend to include such categories as early particle beam weapons, kinetic weapons (especially mass drivers and reaction-driven missiles), electromagnetic weapons (lasers). The concept of defensive energy "shielding" also tends to take a back-row seat compared to Future Tech capabilities.

 

Future Tech

Future Tech uses a variety of different future technologies not yet currently availiable or under serious development. Usually this tech level is used for roleplay in space. A lot of roleplay takes place in a context where travel to other systems is possible (with some effort - and a lot of nations still cannot do it) but most space roleplay takes place within the Sol system. (Especially on Earth and on Mars but also on other celestial bodies.)

 

"Near-Future" generally has its roots in reality and in promising technologies currently under development. Far-Future technology is more typically inexplicable in modern engineering or scientific terms and may require the discovery of new laws of physics. "Far Future Tech" also refers to roleplay involving huge space empires with many, many planets and high technology. The Fedral Union is an example.

 

Tech levels may be based on Star Wars, Star Trek, or any other futurist / science fiction variant the player may choose. However many players have taken to develop technologies unique to their own nations, especially with the aid of DOGA to make visuals of their unique ships.

 

Fantasy Tech

"Fantasy Tech" is not a tech level per se but rather the use of certain elements which are usually common to fantasy in nations. Fantasy tech is based on whatever conventions the players choose, and usually fantasy elements are embedded in another tech level.

 

Many older roleplaying nations have incorporated fantasy elements in their nation, and it has become a part of a very diverse NationStates roleplaying culture that mixes modern storywriting, historic events fantasy and science fiction in a big 'multicultural' melting pot of nations. Usually this translates into populations including non-humans such as Elves or vampires.

 

Some players choose to dismiss any fantasy elements and may ignore nations on (for example) the mere presence of a 1% dwarven minority. Such players may be accused of Realism-wank. Other fantasy nations, on the other hand, may use fantasy elements to gain an unfair advantage (which may be Magicwank in war or claiming a paradigm economy because your people are immortal and omniscient.) Especially when engaging in competitive roleplay such as war the tech conventions should be somewhat defined and understood.

 

Flying Hippo Tech

Flying Hippo Tech is a name given to somewhat silly technical level RPs. As opposed to being serious fantasy Tech, it is meant to be simply amusing. The most famous example of this is likely the Siroc & Newsted saga, in which, among other things involves Sirocco's use of "Flightless Hippos (They really can fly)" as a section of his army.

 

Why Flying Hippo Tech RPs are often looked down on by serious RPs as wastes of space with no rules, Flying Hippo Tech RPs have quite a lot of rules, revealed as the RP progresses, much like Calvinball.

 

Alternate Tech

Alternate Tech is a combination of technological levels. Alternate Tech is set in an alternate spacetimeline, where the technological history, and possibly even physical rules are different. unlike Fantasy Tech though, Alternate Tech does not deal so much with Fantasy as with reality. Alternate Tech is, somewhere between Fantasy and MultiTech.

 

It is, in effect, to MultiTech what Postmodern is to Future; a way to bend the rules to conform to what is necesary, without actually breaking and rearranging them. For example, a nation might have dragons, but rather than using them as a fighting force, or enemy, has them as a national animal, while maintaining space colonies, but still making the transition to alternative energy, operating an army equipped with swords and flamethrowers, and using airships instead of airplanes.

 

MultiTech

MultiTech is an interesting tech level used by many nations, especially the older ones. It incorporates elements from all techs, thus allowing for nations that have modern tech armies with future tech space fleets and colonies and fantasy elements.

 

The roleplayers of MultiTech usually pick several levels and do not use "all" techs. For instance, a nation might use post-modern, future, and fatasy - not every single variety of different techs. This allows nations to be included in most roleplays in the roleplaying spectrum.

 

Most MultiTech nations have their nation on earth with some modern tech variation and then have several fleets and possibly a space colony or two using either post-modern or a future tech variation, and perhaps have a touch of fantasy. MultiTech roleplays tend to be more freeform with less limitations, especially in technology. When joining roleplays, MultiTech nations often do only technological aspect of their nation.

 

MultiTech nations have two ways of doing things. They can roleplay several different timelines of their nation (like modern tech and future tech) with different leaders and national makeup, roleplay all in the same timeline at multiple tech levels at once, or a combination of both. An extreme of MultiTech is all tech.

 

All Tech

All tech is taking alternate tech and MultiTech to a new level. Both alternate tech and MultiTech had limits to the techlevels, however all tech is MultiTech to an extreme. Just like the name suggests, nations with "all tech" roleplay at all technology levels. This is slightly harder than MultiTech as it often requires multiple timelines roleplayed simultaniously. Other than that, all tech is basically MultiTech with every single tech.

Source: NSwiki

 

Please list were you feel your nation is, and comment upon the above.

 

Tagmatium is probably in the "modern tech" range, with little exception.

[Phil VII]

well, i would assume most people are in 'moderntech' or 'modern+1', the most tech in Philia is those secret stealth boats that were revealed in the latest RP. so i guess that is either Moderntech, or +1

[Tamurin]

Same here. Tamurin is modern tech with a few niches where it's +1.

[Ide Jima]

Ide Jima is definitely a +1, to account for some cool new technology for our armies,

 

 

[Haken]

Flying Hippo Tech

 

I like the reference to Calvinball.

 

 

I assume mine is Modern Tech. Kinda modern soviet-like.

 

[Mithril]

Mithril is a +1 Tech organization, if it was postmodern tech, whew it would be interesting...

[Dragonryders]

Mine would be alternate tech, I guess. Fantasy and Past combined. (Although the time is present day.)

Edited June 18, 2005 by Dragonryders (see edit history)

[Senator Gaius]

I'm Modern +1, or whatever it was called.

[Deltannia]

Hmmm. I guess I'd like to think of mine going from modern to postmodern. Pretty much in the +1 area, but I'm into research myself.

[Niederoestereich]

Modern Tech, although some research development may push it into the +1 pretty soon.

[Ide Jima]

Calvinball?

[Deltannia]

From the comicstrip Calvin and Hobbes, it was a game they liked to play where there were no rules, except to wear a mask. They would often have different zones and try to beat each other by having imaginary fields and objects of play.

 

Pretty much a completely random game.

[Ide Jima]

right

[Orioni]

Orioni = modern tech +1.

 

Orioni invests a lot of their money in R&D for maritime military equipment, to safeguard our traderoutes with our outlying colonies. That is why we use some of the technology which is currently being developed IRL.

[Jacob Taren]

Sevrun was getting really close to being 'postmodern tech' (small tactical walkers, orbital weaponry, etc.), but with everything that happened to it, when things finally get reorganized it'll probably be back down to somewhere in the +1 or modern region.

[Mongol-Swedes]

The shrinking of the bulk of the Mongol-Swede military to a small, high-demanding 'cell-army' has allowed for much of our defense budget (growing as of late due to increased activities by several nations in the area, but nowhere near what it was during the 60's{referring to the Sevrunian Rebellion thread}) to be put into intensive research into 'information warfare', placing the potential of the Mongol-Swede defenses at pratically limitless, with one of the most advanced communications encryption and decoding systems in Europa, if not clearly ahead of the rest(Ripping off Splinter Cell immensely here), even with the current stance of strict neutrality.

 

Henceforth, the Mongol-Swedes would be classified as 'Near-Future' tech, with some research already fully implemented into the 'real world'.

[Haken]

From the comicstrip Calvin and Hobbes, it was a game they liked to play where there were no rules, except to wear a mask. They would often have different zones and try to beat each other by having imaginary fields and objects of play.

 

Pretty much a completely random game.

[Vanarambaion]

Vanarambaion - Modern +1 Bordering on Postmodern. With the Ilia stuff Vanarambaion will be moving into Postmodern.

[Tagmatium Rules]

Ditto. We now have crappy plasma cannon! Muhahahahahaha!

[Caldari State]

For RP: All Techs

Game Tech: Future to Far Future

[Phil VII]

hmm, thats all very well Caldari State, but RP's would all get ratehr dull if all of us with our modern tech go to war, only tobe massacred by whatever far futuristic laser robots and whatnot you have.

[Caldari State]

I see

[Akiiryu]

You have been told this repeatedly CS. Our region's rp tech level is not future tech. As a diplomat you are obliged to respect our region's "culture". In reality until you have a state here its not really possible for you to rp anyways (most diplomats I know who rp in a number of regions place a puupet state in the region). Please don't quote the agreement at me, as I have already pointed out I am well aware of it and I am more than happy to show you where your current stance might be in contravention of it.

[Noitan Eugor]

Multi-Tech

Warhammer 40k Imperium of Man style.

 

(More on the Imperial Guard end of the spectrum)

[Pirilao]

hmm, Past Tech