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Commy
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St. Louis, MO, USA
Mar 2004
time: 05:35
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I always thought it would be cool someday to actually be on the planet of Chiron, having 3 suns shining down on you, and lush forests of pink fungus, but lets say we are all common citizens on the Unity, and we have to choose which of the 14 factions to join, which we would have to be part of for the next 500 years.
Don't forget the social engineering the leader would probably do (don't expect Yang doing a democracy, or Miriam doing knowledge), and also don't forget that being in a weaker faction (peacekeepers, no offense) might mean death or a life in prison.
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Jethro83
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Newcastle, Australia
Mar 2002
time: 15:35
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Gaians: As much as I admire their determination not to mess up this planet like we messed Earth up, these people probably wouldn't shower much, and they'd probably be militant vegans.
Hive: Whippings, beatings, nerve-stapling. I could never live with myself giving or receiving the above.
University: Unfettered scientific progress sounds like a dream, but I'm no scientist, nor do I have aspirations of being one. And the scientists would get the lion's share of everything here.
Morganites: I utterly despise the greedy, so I wouldn't enjoy the company of people in this faction. I'd probably end my working life in a boring 9-5 desk job, living in a cubicle not unlike a sardine tin. As if I'm not depressed enough already! Not to mention my disdain for capitalism as it stands (and no, I'm not a commie, I just think people place undue importance on hard currency, and because of that, good, honest people suffer needlessly)
Spartans: I seriously considered this faction once. A focus on developing one's strength and valour is an admirable goal. But there would probably be too many distasteful things going on in there, just like in the namesake Greek citystate of old. And a society where trigger-finger-itchy people wave guns around freely and drive a tank to work isn't one I want to be mixing in with.
Believers: I'm an agnostic semi-Buddhist. I wouldn't fit in. In fact, I'd probably be burned at the stake when they find they can't ram their beliefs down my throat.
Cult: If there is anything I despise more than people ramming their beliefs down your throat, its crazy cults and the like cramming their beliefs into your unwilling mind with thought control. Not to mention the fact that this cult don't exactly have the best interests of humanity at heart.
Consciousness: I don't like the idea of sharing brainspace with a sentient program. I don't even like sharing my private thoughts with meatbags. How do you expect me to act towards a computer program who knows what makes me tick? It would use my irrational fears as a tool of control, and I'd have no choice but to fight it. An unimaginable headache if ever I heard of one.
Drones: I'm all for workers rights. I vote Labour in my country (much to the dismay of my radical conservative grandparents I might add). But I'm probably smarter, and more talented than the common worker. I don't see much room for developing my creativity or my intellect here.
Angels: I tried programming once and it didn't work out. Biggest waste of twelve months in my entire life doing that course. A prerequisite of this faction is probably knowing a programming language.
Aliens: Do I really need to spell it out?
Pirates: I love the sea. I live on the coast. I'm ten minutes from the nearest beach and just across the road from the shores of a lake, with an excellent view of an island. But seafood isn't exactly my favourite form of sustenance, and I figure that food grown on land would be prohibitively expensive amongst the Pirates since they probably raid other factions for such things.
That leaves only the Peacekeepers. They are probably the only faction with the flexibility to allow me to live my life the way I want to. And I don't think they are weak. Its only the AI of this game who can't utilize this factions strengths to full effect. An intelligent, wise, benevolent individual like Pravin Lal will probably manage much better.
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SynthetGod8
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I'd go with the Cybernetic Consciousness. I don't understand why some people think you'd be forced to share brain-space with a sentient program that would "use my irrational fears as a tool of control, and I'd have no choice but to fight it". I see it as a symbiotic relationship. You'd be one being. Sure, you'd be a little less human and a lot more machine, but I don't see that as a bad thing. If you're not so intelligent, you'll be upgraded with new processors. If you're not so strong, you'll be retro-fitted with Silksteel muscles.
You would not have to fight it, you'd work with it. Plus, there is the comfort of never being alone. All the information of a society at your fingertips.
I don't know about the rest of you, but I wouldn't mind giving up most emotions for intelligence.
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CEO Aaron
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Everything has its price. Even you.
Aug 2002
time: 05:35
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quote:
Morganites: I utterly despise the greedy, so I wouldn't enjoy the company of people in this faction. I'd probably end my working life in a boring 9-5 desk job, living in a cubicle not unlike a sardine tin. As if I'm not depressed enough already! Not to mention my disdain for capitalism as it stands (and no, I'm not a commie, I just think people place undue importance on hard currency, and because of that, good, honest people suffer needlessly) |
I'd say this is a classic case of familiarity breeding contempt. I'd have to say that I chose Morgan the last time this poll ran, and I'm choosing them again for the same reasons:
Hab limits: Morganites get more spacious and luxurious living quarters. Did everyone forget this? All those Hivers living in an underground hole eating soylent green, and the Gaians surviving off kelp crunchies can go screw, I'm going to make sure I get the good stuff.
Free Market Economy and Wealth values: I'm certainly not going to claim that unchecked materialism is the solution to the world's problems, but of all the factions' belief values and belief systems, Morgan's is the only one that's ever made sense to me. Historically speaking, societies focused on the creation of wealth DO create a better life for the vast majority of their citizens, and ironically, collectivist sociteties focussed on enforcing equality have consistently devolved into poverty-stricken despotisms. The free market may not be perfect, but it's the only way I want to live.
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Dansz
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lost in space
Mar 2004
time: 05:35
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Probably the Cybernetic Consciousness, unless things were done like the "Borg" on Star Trek. I sometimes wish I didn't have emotions to worry about anyway. Just don't go near any magnets!
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Jamski
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lol ED&D is officially full PvP LOL
May 2002
time: 05:35
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Come on, you need to get in shape, kick some butt, get a gun, protect your family... There's other factions out there, and some of them are dirty commies, and some of them are dirty money grubbers, and some of them are tree hugging hippies, or oh-so-nice liberals... well, when the mindworms come knocking, when the planet busters are falling you'll be glad your dad joined the Spartans and learnt to protect you, my son.
* Jamski has a Singularity Laser mounted on his pick-up *
-Jam
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GSTEIN
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I have noticed in various threads, including this one, the general acceptance of the pernicious myth that dictatorships are more efficient and can guard their people better than democracies. This has been disproved so many times that it is strange it still survives.
For example, the the huge world wars of the 20th centuries who won, the democracies or the dictatorships? Dictatorships are inherently inefficient and incompetent.
Many people in this thread base their choice on survivability. Yes, we all want to live but that is not THE most important thing. Courage and morality also enter into it. Could those of you whose like the despots like Yang actually torture and murde human beings because they will not believe as you do, act as you do?
I would live in any faction that has a republican form or government because a free people are not only happier than the slaves of dictators that are more competent, productice and better at warfare that the despotic murderers.
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Trithemius
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Canberra, Australia
May 2003
time: 14:35
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quote:
Orginally post by Jac de Molay
A communist dictatorship like a Hive. A harsh environment like Planet is not the place for a democracy. |
Democracies are capable of rapid and direct action - often, paradoxically, through the use of calculated autocracy; namely the elected dictator. I assume that the reason that Lal and other democratic faction leaders are constantly at the heads of their factions is because the are consistently elected to the position of absolute authority.
I also strongly disagree with the idea that the Hive is in any way Communistic. Arguably it is Stalinist, but Marx would be turning in his grave to see his theory associated with a character who is described as "The Despot" (although I think Yang should be described as "The Statist"). I refer you to the information here; I think it is clear that Yang is not a Communist, but a supporter of radical autocracy. The closest thing in AC to a (theoretical coherent) Communist is Foreman Domai of the Free Drones, who effectively overseeing a 'dictatorship of the proletariat' in pursuit of a Marxist Utopia.
quote:
Originally posted by Frankychan
And as a no brainer-----I pick the Hive. People think of him as a crackpot dictator, I see him as an enlightened individual.....
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Just because he is enlightened and well organised doesn't mean being a drone in his society would be a sack of laughs. 
quote:
Orginally posted by GSTEIN
For example, the the huge world wars of the 20th centuries who won, the democracies or the dictatorships? Dictatorships are inherently inefficient and incompetent.
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I'd say that this is not totally correct. The dictatorships in Italy and Germany were cartelistic abominations whose ideology was desperately cobbled together from wisps of air. This is not to rule out the idea that a centrally planned dictatorship would function better in a society with technologies like Planetary Networks. Centrally planned societies are neccessarily less "efficient" than societies that are 'self-organising'. The problem is the 'effective range' of the administration; with improved networking techs it is theoretically possible to extend the "range" of the central state to the peripheries of the society, something which is impossible currently. Hayek articulates the point you are getting at, but I think that the technology in AC might permit a centrally planned society that did not lapse into dictatorship and/or economic chaos (it should be considered that Hayek was rabidly anti-socialist ).
I would also strongly disagree with the idea that dictatorships are "inherently incompetent".
Finally, I would point out that the Soviet Union was critical in the winning of the Second World War and that Stalin was a stereotypical a dictator as you could ask for.
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Cosmic
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The Gaians
Looking inside the game, I usually start to think that in Alpha Centauri IŽm a part of something very different from what we had on earth. Its a new reality, a new planet, a new paradigm. WeŽre talking about a planet with life pumping on it like we never sttoped to pay attention while in earth. In a new planet, new values must be generated. The Gaians are, at least for me, not a simple crazy-tree faction (the AI is stupid, its the truth as we all know very well at this point).
In my opinion, they just look to the planet as a living being. The preservation of this planet isnt a romantic point of view, its just good-sense. From humans that now seek to understand their own nature, humans that seek transcendence. People in a new world with new ideologies in their heads. I remember that the some political and economic problems of the old world were in big part the creators of the war and destruction. If we bring those values here, weŽre fadded to go into the exact same end.
As humans start to know more about their own nature, they star to understand that they have more in common with the the planet as they never dreamt.
And then we learn about resonance. We learn about mental powers, and we understand what is psychic from the fungus. And we learn that we can do exact the same. Are we SO different from they?. We are just different in evolutionary point of view. IŽm not saying that I fall in love with fungus, but I do start to think about what KriŽLan tought to ChaŽDaw (when he start, after much training, to see the far flung manifolds. And start to see the planet as a mass of violent energy).
We all are made from energy, the fungus know very well how to use it. Lets just learn with then. Learn with the planet. I prefer to leave those pre conceived ideas of the old world aside and start something new. And when the human race transcends then we perceive that we have MUCH MORE in common with planet. We are a part of it. And at this point, we perceive that we have so much more to learn...
The social values are:
Politics:
Democracy (one of the best ideas of the old world, IŽll take it now. A world free to everybody to think and act freely. We need to think in group to take new decisions in a new environment. Political freedom is the key)
Economics:
Green (using resources to live a decent life, and learning to use what planet has to offer. Remember that with research all the factions start to use more resources from a same fungus square. Terraforming is a alternative in the beginning of the game when we know little what we can do with the natural resources of the planet. But in later game, lets forget this idea of Terraform, or "Formation like Earth", because this planet isnt Earth. And the fungus prove to be a more interesting resource. And IŽm not even talking of the Manifold Harmonics yet).
Values:
Knowledge (learn about the planet and learn more about the human being and its own capabilities. A society where everybody are encouraged to study, develop critical sense and see the planet as a big laboratory, using it to create a new future. A better one, indeed).
Future Society:
Eudaimonic (where every individual is free to show everything he/she have of more valuable to the rest of the society. Where people work to produce a better society for everyone to live. Cities that are build in harmony with the planet, where people are truly happy as human beings. Where everyone is free and know that the future lies not in destruction, greedy, lack of ethics, fundamentalism, control of mind and other primitive tools that prevented the humanity for so many time to embrace their transcendence).
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29-03-2004 11:15
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