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CHOMPStation2/code/modules/lore_codex/lore_data/species.dm
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/datum/lore/codex/category/species
name = "Species"
data = "There are many different types of lifeforms (both alive and artificial) in the galaxy, which you may find inside Vir."
children = list(
/datum/lore/codex/page/human,
/datum/lore/codex/page/skrell,
/datum/lore/codex/page/unathi,
/datum/lore/codex/page/tajaran,
/datum/lore/codex/page/diona,
/datum/lore/codex/category/teshari,
/datum/lore/codex/category/positronic,
/datum/lore/codex/category/drone
)
/datum/lore/codex/page/human/add_content()
name = "Human"
keywords += list("Humanity")
data = "Humans are a race of 'ape'-like creatures from the continental planet Earth in the Sol system. They are the primary driving \
force for rapid space expansion, owing to their strong, expansionist central government and opportunistic [quick_link("TSC","Trans-Stellar Corporations")]. \
The prejudices of their 21st century history have mostly given way to bitter divides on the most important issue of the times- technological \
expansionism.\
<br><br>\
While most humans have accepted the existence of aliens in their communities and workplaces as a fact of life, exceptions abound. \
While more culturally diverse than most species, humans are generally regarded as somewhat technophobic and isolationist by members \
of other species."
/datum/lore/codex/page/skrell
name = "Skrell"
keywords = list("Skrellian")
data = "The Skrell are a species of amphibious humanoids, distinguished by their gelatinous appearance and head tentacles. \
Skrell come from the world of Sirisai (called Qerr'balak by Skrell), a humid planet with plenty of swamps and jungles. Currently more technologically advanced \
than the humans, they emphasize the study of the mind above all else.\
<br><br>\
Gender has little meaning to Skrell outside of reproduction, and in fact many other species have a difficult time telling the difference \
between male and female Skrell apart. The most obvious signs (voice in a slightly higher register, longer head-tails for females) are never \
a guarantee. Due to their scientific focus of the mind and body, Skrell tend to be more peaceful and their colonization has been slow, swiftly \
outpaced by the humans. For humans, they were their first contact sentient species, and are their longest, and closest, ally in space."
/datum/lore/codex/page/unathi
name = "Unathi"
data = "The author wishes to apologize to the reader, as they currently lack enough knowledge of the Unathi to write about them, as they are \
rather rare inside Vir." // Replace this when Anewbe finishes the lizard rewrite.
/*
data = "Raging in from Moghes, the Unathi are a race of tall, reptilian humanoids that possess both crocodile-like and serpent-like features. \
They are a proud, warlike species that favors honor and strength, their home, Moghes, is a desert planet but was once believed to be full of life. \
Of all the currently known sentient species, the Unathi are the most unequal in gender with females tending to be property of the males. Most Unathi \
outside of Moghes tend to be exiles however, and with influence of other species the gender difference is not nearly as pronounced. Unathi were \
humanity's second contact, and despite their aggressive nature, seem to get along well enough with humanity, though are often considered to be \
'second-class' citizens and are rarely seen in jobs other than where muscle is needed." // This probably needs to be updated.
*/
/datum/lore/codex/page/tajaran
name = "Tajaran"
keywords = list("Tajara")
data = "The Tajara are a race of humanoid mammalian aliens from Meralar, the fourth planet of the Rarkajar star system. Thickly furred and protected \
from cold, they thrive on their subarctic planet, where the only terran temperate areas spread across the equator and tropical belt. \
With their own share of bloody wars and great technological advances, the Tajaran are a proud kind. They fiercely believe they belong \
among the stars and consider themselves a rightful interstellar nation, even if the humans helped them to actually achieve superluminal \
speeds with Bluespace FTL drives. Relatively new to the galactic stage, their contacts with other species are aloof, but friendly. \
Among these bonds, Humans stand out as valued trade partners and maybe even a friend."
/datum/lore/codex/page/diona/add_content()
name = "Diona"
keywords += list("Dionaea")
data = "The Dionaea are a group of omnivorous, slow-metabolism plantlike organisms that are in fact clusters of individual, smaller organisms. \
They exhibit a high degree of structural flexibility, and come in a wide variety of shapes and colors to reflect the intelligence of each individual \
creature. They were discovered by the [quick_link("Skrell")] in 2294CE, not on a planet, but in open space between three stars, a figurative hell that made it \
difficult to discover, much less contact them.\
<br><br>\
Dionaea spread by seeds and are asexual, no gender. When grown into their small 'nymph' state, they are known to eat large amounts of dead plant \
matter and fertilize plants while they learn from those around them, and as they grow further, they merge into larger and larger forms. It is not \
unheard of for Skrell explorers to be traveling in a ship composed of habitat modules and engines of Skrell design and the body formed by their \
Diona allies to warble across the cosmos.\
<br><br>\
Introduced by the Skrell, and quite slow and peaceful, the Diona share good relations with the other species."
// Bird lore
/datum/lore/codex/category/teshari/add_content()
name = "Teshari"
data = "The Teshari are reptilian pack predators from the [quick_link("Skrell")] homeworld, Sirisai (Qerr'balak). While they evolved alongside the Skrell, their interactions with them \
tended to be confused and violent, and until peaceful contact was made they largely stayed in their territories on and around the poles, in tundral \
terrain far too desolate and cold to be of interest to the Skrell. In more enlightened times, the Teshari are a minority culture on many Skrell worlds, \
maintaining their own settlements and cultures, but often finding themselves standing on the shoulders of their more technologically advanced neighbors \
when it comes to meeting and exploring the rest of the galaxy.\
<br><br>\
It is important to note that Teshari names are unlike standard human names. Their pack name precedes their given name."
children = list(
/datum/lore/codex/page/teshari_packs,
/datum/lore/codex/page/teshari_physical
)
/datum/lore/codex/page/teshari_packs/add_content()
name = "Teshari Packs"
keywords += list("Packs")
data = "There are several packs you may come across;<small>\
<br><br>\
<b>Eshi</b><br>\
A large, old, politically neutral pack heavily involved in efforts to get Teshari into space. Probably the most \
common pack to see outside of a [quick_link("Skrell")] colony, and probably the most numerous Teshari pack outside of Sirisai and associated colonies.\
<br><br>\
<b>Nasemari</b><br>\
A very small pack. Generally focused around supporting and providing for packs on the homeworlds, they have devoted \
themselves to training as technicians and engineers in order to obtain skills and training to take back to Sirisai. \
The pack is only around thirty people in size, but owns and maintains a nuclear power plant.\
<br><br>\
<b>Schasaraca</b><br>\
One of the more Skrell-devoted and integrated packs. They tend to be rather sycophantic towards the Skrell and work as \
scientists and field researchers on a variety of projects, generally biology or technical research. They have a reputation \
for working as spies and informants for the Skrell governments amongst other Teshari.\
<br><br>\
<b>Ceea</b><br>\
An isolationist pack from the northern tundra of Sirisai; generally known as disliking the Skrell. Small to average in size; \
only around sixty members. Their regional culture is built around the study culture and anthropology, as well as archaeology, \
originally for the purposes of recovering history and materials \"lost\" due to Skrell interference. It would be very rare to \
see them on your travels, however they are listed here for the sake of completeness.\
<br><br>\
<b>Resca</b><br>\
A pack that sold off its small native territory for the chance to get into space. Very musically inclined. They tend towards medical professions.</small>"
/datum/lore/codex/page/teshari_physical/add_content()
name = "Physiology of Teshari"
data = "The Teshari are, relative to other species, smaller than average, rarely reaching more than 2-3'/1m in height, and weigh less than \
90lbs/40kg. They have rapid metabolisms and very efficient digestive systems, and thanks to sharing in \
the medical technology of the [quick_link("Skrell")], they tend to have robust and effective immune systems. They evolved \
for very cold and very barren areas, generally the polar regions. Because of this, their skin is a fine \
insulator and many of their internal processes are not particularly energy-efficient; they cannot cope \
well at all with high temperatures.\
<br><br>\
Their hearing is exceptionally sensitive to the point that they can detect a person moving on the other \
side of a wall, but this comes at a cost. Very loud noises are very painful for Teshari, so be mindful of \
your indoor voice when speaking with one. The Teshari are omnivorous but generally prefer to eat meat wherever possible."
// Posi lore
/datum/lore/codex/category/positronic/add_content()
name = "Positronics"
keywords += list("Positronic", "Posi", "Posibrain", "Posibrains")
data = "A Positronic being, is an individual with a positronic brain, manufactured \
and fostered amongst organic life. Positronic brains enjoy the same legal status as a human in [quick_link("SolGov")] space, although discrimination is \
still prevalent, and are considered sapient on all accounts. They can be considered the \"synthetic species\". Half-developed and \
half-discovered in the 2280<38>s by a human black lab studying alien artifacts, the first positronic brain was an inch-wide cube \
of an palladium-iridium alloy, nano-etched with billions upon billions of conduits and connections. Upon activation, \
hard-booted with an emitter laser, the brain issued a single sentence before the neural pathways collapsed and \
it became an inert lump of platinum: \"What is my purpose?\"."
children = list(
/datum/lore/codex/page/positronic_brain_physical,
/datum/lore/codex/page/positronic_memory,
/datum/lore/codex/page/jans_fhriede
)
/datum/lore/codex/page/positronic_brain_physical
name = "Physical Structure of a Positronic Brain"
keywords = list("Physical Posibrain", "Physical Positronic")
data = "A positronic brain is a cube of complex metal alloy between two and six inches to a side. They usually weigh just under ten kilograms and are \
<b>very fragile</b> when exposed to the stresses of heat or cold, as well as physical trauma. The exterior surface is chased with a network of grooves, forming \
a maze of geometric patterns right down to the molecular level, and the interior is hollow; complex particle generators and densely packed computational \
arrays form the basis of a self-computing neural network, complex and somewhat poorly understood. Most modern positronic brains are equipped with \
standardized I/O ports, and all have some interface for imprinting."
/datum/lore/codex/page/positronic_memory
name = "Positronic Memory"
keywords = list("Posi Memory", "Memory")
data = "Positronic minds learn in a similar manner to humans and other forms of life, although typically more quickly. They are not simple computer storage that holds information \
verbatim as it is received- instead, they have to repeat activities and train in order to retain memory on complex tasks. Similarly, positronic brains do \
not have an infinite storage capacity and undergo a natural process of forgetting, albeit in a structured manner, losing unimportant day to day details and \
ancient information no longer deemed useful. Because of the nature of the positronic brain, its memories cannot simply be stored elsewhere.\
<br><br>\
Particularly old positronic minds, over a century plus, that store a great deal of memories have displayed a tendency to become gradually more introspective \
as more of their mind is co-opted for the task, ending in a state of near-catatonia as their neural networks become clogged with memory. Many choose to avoid \
this end of self by more aggressively managing their memories, storing a window of their recent existence and most treasured memories rather than their full lifespan."
/datum/lore/codex/page/jans_fhriede
name = "Jans-Fhriede Test"
keywords = list("Jans-Fhriede", "JF", "Jans", "Fhriede", "Jans Fhriede")
data = "Positronics are eligible to take the \"Jans-Fhriede Test\" after a year of being created, measuring their function in a society and judging if they act \
socially acceptable and are capable of understanding their actions and the consequences resulting from them. If they successfully pass the test, \
they are considered legal adults and hold the same basis of rights as a normal human. At that point, Positronics are not allowed to be lawed, \
unless on a contractual basis or otherwise under their own volition."
// Drone lore
/datum/lore/codex/category/drone
name = "Drones"
keywords = list("Drone")
data = "While low-level drone intelligences are as old as the oldest human colonies, research into higher-level systems was stymied in human space by precautionist \
politicians for hundreds of years. Tensions between the corporate rim and the highly conservative core worlds over drone proliferation led to what humans call the \
Third Cold War, which was defused by the introduction of the positronic brain. After the Icarus Front's loss of the majority in 2504, harsh laws \
against advanced AI were replaced with the SolGov Emergent Intelligence Oversight commission, the illegality replaced with a steeply sloping \
system of monetary costs.\
<br>\
The term \"drone\" was coined by early positronic activists, eager to distinguish themselves from the menial bots that most space-dwellers were \
familiar with, and avoid the ambiguity of the term \"AI\", which now usually refers to drones."
children = list(
/datum/lore/codex/page/codeline,
/datum/lore/codex/page/emergence,
/datum/lore/codex/page/emergent_intelligence_oversight,
/datum/lore/codex/category/drone_classes,
)
/datum/lore/codex/page/codeline
name = "Codeline"
keywords = list("fork")
data = "A \"codeline\" is a single type of drone. A codeline represents a significant degree of effort from sapient programmers to realize, as well as \
a substantial amount of regulatory fees levied by the government. Each copy of a codeline is called a \"fork\", whether the fork is created from the \
codeline<6E>s initial state or from a fully realized individual of that codeline. The degree of similarity between forks of the same codeline varies \
on the intelligence of the codeline, with low-level forks being virtually identical to high-level forks being no more similar than family members."
/datum/lore/codex/page/emergence
name = "Emergence"
keywords = list("Seed AI")
data = "\"Emergence\" is a term associated with drone intelligences who become more intelligent than they were originally intended to be. While this can \
extend to financial systems learning language, for instance, it is usually applied to hypothetical intelligences that become more intelligent than humans. \
Humanity has a long-standing cultural fear of emergent \"seed\" AI, egged on by Icarus memeticists and the occasional very real partial emergence events, where \
colony-control AI or other powerful systems begin to advance drastically in power, usually ending with the AI being shut down after crashing a handful of major systems."
/datum/lore/codex/page/emergent_intelligence_oversight
name = "Emergent Intelligence Oversight"
keywords = list("SG-EIO", "SG EIO", "EIO", "Intelligence Oversight")
data = "SG-EIO, usually just called EIO, is the organization charged with monitoring existing AI for any threat of dangerous emergence. Their perception in the \
public eye is generally positive, with all but the hardest-line Mercurial humans in favor of protection from the dangers of Seed AI. Some positronic rights \
groups bristle at the EIO<49>s human-centric viewpoint, but most are glad to have a different boogeyman in the form of drone intelligences. The tiny population \
of A-class drones are generally frightened of the EIO<49>s total power over them."
/datum/lore/codex/category/drone_classes
name = "Drone Classifications"
keywords = list("Class", "Drone Class")
data = "To aid in its work, the EIO has created a system of classifications corresponding to different levels of drone intelligence. Higher classes are more \
expensive to deploy and develop, owing to the costs of EIO oversight and political pressure against drone proliferation. EIO classification involves an initial \
audit of the project's source code by experts and automated systems, and for high-class drones further check-ins throughout the life of the drone. \
Drone chasses are often branded with their inhabiting intelligence's class, especially those of B or A-class drones, and class is often recorded in security records."
children = list(
/datum/lore/codex/page/class_f,
/datum/lore/codex/page/class_d,
/datum/lore/codex/page/class_c,
/datum/lore/codex/page/class_b,
/datum/lore/codex/page/class_a,
/datum/lore/codex/page/class_aa,
/datum/lore/codex/page/class_aaa,
/datum/lore/codex/page/class_x,
)
/datum/lore/codex/page/class_f
name = "F Class"
data = "\"F-class\" drones are an informal term for computer systems that pose absolutely no emergent risk. Most 21st-century software is F-class, as is much of \
the software used by 26th century humanity. The only regulation on F-class software is the occasional check that it is, in fact, F-Class, and as such has remained \
the most prevalent form of information-processing technology for centuries. The software powering most F-class drones is either freely available or bundled with the \
machine it's supposed to run."
/datum/lore/codex/page/class_d/add_content()
name = "D Class"
data = "D-class drones are conceptually descended from pre-[quick_link("Icarus")] AI and bear a strong resemblance to their forebears. D-class drones are essentially \
number-crunchers, with virtually nothing in the way of social development. They cannot speak more intelligibly than your average piece of software, \
using pre-determined messages written by their programmers, and have no capacity for self-improvement. They are D-class intelligence because they \
work with more complex problems than [quick_link("F class")] software, such as financial forecasting and large-scale data mining and memetics. The creation and \
deployment of D-class drones requires only a small fee for the required code audit, although some high-power financial and political systems are \
regularly watched by the [quick_link("EIO")] for signs of emergence. There is no real monopoly on the production of D-class drones."
/datum/lore/codex/page/class_c/add_content()
name = "C Class"
data = "C-class drones have social protocols for ease of use by organic and positronic laypeople. C-class drones are capable of speech, although \
it has a strong tendency to be formulaic and repetitive. They are also capable of a limited degree of self-improvement, and over time individual \
C-class instances tend differ slightly from one-another. C-class drones suffer a moderate fee to development, with automated [quick_link("EIO")] tools ensuring \
that they are not a long-term emergence risk. However, one a codeline is confirmed safe, deployment is unlimited, encouraging developers to \
instance many forks of the original drone to recoup their cost. The market for C-class drones is a strange space, dominated by Xion Manufacturing, \
Ward-Takahashi GMC, and a large number of smaller firms, like the notoriously-cheap Cyber Solutions."
/datum/lore/codex/page/class_b/add_content()
name = "B Class"
data = "B-class drones have advanced social protocols and are often capable of very intelligible conversation, so long as one sticks to surface \
topics. B-class drones tend to be specialized but still capable of remarkable growth within their speciality, making them popular for autonomous \
deployment and even supervision of other classes of drone. The dividing line between [quick_link("A Class", "A")] and B-class drones becomes apparent when they are taken \
out of their area of specialization, with the B-class drones swiftly becoming useless. They incur a hefty fee for the production of the initial \
codeline, as their emergent potential is far greater, and a smaller but still substantial fee for the production of forks. The market for B-class \
drones is a battleground between Ward-Takahashi and NanoTrasen, with other firms usually producing B-classes for in-house needs."
/datum/lore/codex/page/class_a/add_content()
name = "A Class"
keywords += list("AGI")
data = "A-class drones are also referred to as AGI. A-class drones are capable of performing in many contexts and can learn to solve problems from \
first principles, with an incredible potential for growth and emergent behavior. However, some abilities fall short of humans<6E>, usually those relating \
to socialization, and they often act in ways that are strange or distressing. There is a small but growing lobby of support for the personhood of A-class \
drones. The cost of initializing an A-class drone is absolutely massive, as they will be monitored by [quick_link("EIO")] forever. The auditing cost of an A-class drone \
codeline is even more staggering, making development and deployment of AGI limited to research, highly difficult and high-throughput operations like habitat \
overwatch, and a few risk-taking firms banking on the associated fees dropping. There is not a proper market for A-class drones, although an appreciable \
fraction of them are made by [quick_link("NanoTrasen")], with the rest generally being university research projects."
/datum/lore/codex/page/class_aa
name = "AA Class"
data = "AA-class drones <b>do not yet exist</b>. Hypothetically, they are equal to living in every respect, with psychology that would not be abnormal in a baseline \
human. The type of AA-class drone most frequently discussed is a hypothetical digitized consciousness of a human, a human brain that is somehow translated into \
software. Some argue that a small fraction of the A-class drones would more properly be considered AA, but as of yet no action has been taken. Some Mercurials \
will jokingly refer to themselves or other organics and positronics as AA<41>s. Research into brain uploading is heavily regulated and generally illegal."
/datum/lore/codex/page/class_aaa
name = "AAA Class"
data = "AAA-class drones do not yet exist, hopefully. They are more competent in every way than humans and pose a threat to the continued existence of sapient life. \
Anybody creating an AAA-class drone can be classified as a threat to humanity and dealt with very harshly."
/datum/lore/codex/page/class_x
name = "X Class"
data = "X-class drones emerge from unrated software, are produced by rogue labs, or cross the border from foreign space. They are considered a threat to national \
security and deleted when encountered in SolGov space, with the producers prosecuted legally if it has a SolGov origin. The few Skrellian drone labs will usually \
rate their product with EIO to allow their product to be imported."