Goo addiction

[Catfoodbob]

Being able to be addicted to the strange goo substance in its purer form.
and some additional things would be that you could be able to with some skill extract goo from tainted “watchamacallits” for more efficient use for mutagens and perhaps some newer recipes.

also zombie effigies… for the masking of your smell from zombies, and scaring off certain npcs. just make sure no bloody spiders drag off your effigy.

[KA101]

[quote=“Catfoodbob, post:1, topic:7462”]Being able to be addicted to the strange goo substance in its purer form.
and some additional things would be that you could be able to with some skill extract goo from tainted “watchamacallits” for more efficient use for mutagens and perhaps some newer recipes.

also zombie effigies… for the masking of your smell from zombies, and scaring off certain npcs. just make sure no bloody spiders drag off your effigy.[/quote]

There’s NO reason anyone would take XE037 neat. The stuff actively tries to kill you. Closest RL analogue I can think of is Botox, and Botox isn’t semi-sentient.

[Barhandar]

There’s NO reason anyone would take XE037 neat. The stuff actively tries to kill you. Closest RL analogue I can think of is Botox, and Botox isn’t semi-sentient.

Unless you’re in along for the ride, as with most of mutations (I choose to believe that most trait-valid mutations aren’t goo-driven, and you’re adding Mycus).
Speaking of things, what does ‘XE037’ mean, specifically?

[KA101]

[quote=“KA101, post:2, topic:7462”]There’s NO reason anyone would take XE037 neat. The stuff actively tries to kill you. Closest RL analogue I can think of is Botox, and Botox isn’t semi-sentient.

Unless you’re in along for the ride, as with most of mutations (I choose to believe that most trait-valid mutations aren’t goo-driven, and you’re adding Mycus).
Speaking of things, what does ‘XE037’ mean, specifically?[/quote]

Lore’s pretty firm on that. Mutations are largely the goo/XE037 adapting a living host such as yourself. Same mechanism that works to radically accelerate growth in insects, frogs, and fish, and that lets it build specialized zeds. You can disbelieve it all you like, but that’s how it works.

The Mycus can grow fungal structures and rewrite brain chemistry, but isn’t nearly as effective.

XE037 is the Blob. That black oily stuff that lives in slime pits, trap tiles in Labs, tries to hit you, becomes blob globs when you kill it. Omnipresent in the groundwater at this point, and is sufficiently present in the PC that when you die you should rise as a zed.

[Barhandar]

Lore’s pretty firm on that. Mutations are largely the goo/XE037 adapting a living host such as yourself. Same mechanism that works to radically accelerate growth in insects, frogs, and fish, and that lets it build specialized zeds.

How you’re telling it to adapt with mutagens and why does it also spontaneously work when irradiated or eating mutated bits from cloning vats?

XE037 is the Blob. That black oily stuff that lives in slime pits, trap tiles in Labs, tries to hit you, becomes blob globs when you kill it. Omnipresent in the groundwater at this point, and is sufficiently present in the PC that when you die you should rise as a zed.

No, I mean, how’s the designation deciphered?
Does it live through boiling/halazoning the water?
But you don’t. Yet. It would be pretty fun to meet your previous character as a zed with full range of both mutations and bionics (does blob inside you learn to do things when you do them yourself, like activating bionics?), as well as items still equipped. Imagine fighting Marloss Man Reborn as a zed, for example.
NPCs should have roughly the same amount of blob inside, as well, but they don’t rise yet either.
Also, how far from New England did Blob spread yet?

[TheFlame52]

But you don’t. Yet. It would be pretty fun to meet your previous character as a zed with full range of both mutations and bionics (does blob inside you learn to do things when you do them yourself, like activating bionics?), as well as items still equipped. Imagine fighting Marloss Man Reborn as a zed, for example.

I’m famous ;u;

[KA101]

[quote=“KA101, post:4, topic:7462”]Lore’s pretty firm on that. Mutations are largely the goo/XE037 adapting a living host such as yourself. Same mechanism that works to radically accelerate growth in insects, frogs, and fish, and that lets it build specialized zeds.

How you’re telling it to adapt with mutagens and why does it also spontaneously work when irradiated or eating mutated bits from cloning vats?

XE037 is the Blob. That black oily stuff that lives in slime pits, trap tiles in Labs, tries to hit you, becomes blob globs when you kill it. Omnipresent in the groundwater at this point, and is sufficiently present in the PC that when you die you should rise as a zed.

No, I mean, how’s the designation deciphered?
Does it live through boiling/halazoning the water?
But you don’t. Yet. It would be pretty fun to meet your previous character as a zed with full range of both mutations and bionics (does blob inside you learn to do things when you do them yourself, like activating bionics?), as well as items still equipped. Imagine fighting Marloss Man Reborn as a zed, for example.
NPCs should have roughly the same amount of blob inside, as well, but they don’t rise yet either.
Also, how far from New England did Blob spread yet?[/quote]

Specialized chemical processing; the clonal stuff may be a remnant of pre-DDA code that I’d be happy to expunge, or might have enough anomalies that it triggers something.

Designation is more or less Xenological Specimen #037. I didn’t write it. PE numbers are human-derived chems; the mutagens and purifier have various ones.

I don’t think GlyphGryph, TDW, or Whales ever ruled, so I’m gonna go ahead and officially say that commercial chemical-purification treatment does NOT kill the blob. If it did, the Cataclysm likely would not have happened, as active Sewage Treatment plants would have filtered it out. (And XEDRA would have had to pull a coverup, but that’s much easier.) In terms of reducing your dosage, purifying the water doesn’t help.

We’ve wanted to implement dead chars rezzing for some time. Major project, if you’ll consider translating everything the player has available into a Critter, which relies on whatever AI we can write rather than the NI you provide for the PC. (MMR would not be able to effectively use just about all of the bionics as a Critter. He’d be an ordinary shocker brute at best.)

And it’s unclear how far the Blob spread, but it’s pretty certain that Washington DC is no longer the center of US government.

[kevin.granade]

[quote=“KA101, post:4, topic:7462”]Lore’s pretty firm on that. Mutations are largely the goo/XE037 adapting a living host such as yourself. Same mechanism that works to radically accelerate growth in insects, frogs, and fish, and that lets it build specialized zeds.

How you’re telling it to adapt with mutagens and why does it also spontaneously work when irradiated or eating mutated bits from cloning vats?[/quote]
The goo mostly acts by splicing together elements it finds in the environment, the “flavored” mutagens are spiked with material from a host that provides this material, so directs the mutation.
Radiation is absorbed by the XE037 in the player’s body and stimulates mutagenic activity.
Cloning vat parts are saturated with growth hormones and other chemicals that likewise stimulate mutagenic episodes.
Yep, it’s bad movie science, but that’s how we like it.

[quote=“KA101, post:4, topic:7462”]XE037 is the Blob. That black oily stuff that lives in slime pits, trap tiles in Labs, tries to hit you, becomes blob globs when you kill it. Omnipresent in the groundwater at this point, and is sufficiently present in the PC that when you die you should rise as a zed.

Also, how far from New England did Blob spread yet?[/quote]
Roughly everywhere. You’re not even at the epicenter, the game just happens to be set in New England.

[Barhandar]

Also, how far from New England did Blob spread yet?

Roughly everywhere. You’re not even at the epicenter, the game just happens to be set in New England.
[/quote]
So, ocean is basically sentient now, and to get rid of the Blob you’ll need an Exterminatus, stat?
And what was the origin point?

Speaking of life-sustain things. Can gooped humans still procreate successfully and have fertile offspring?

I don’t think GlyphGryph, TDW, or Whales ever ruled, so I’m gonna go ahead and officially say that commercial chemical-purification treatment does NOT kill the blob. If it did, the Cataclysm likely would not have happened, as active Sewage Treatment plants would have filtered it out. (And XEDRA would have had to pull a coverup, but that’s much easier.) In terms of reducing your dosage, purifying the water doesn’t help.

There should totally be ‘pure scientist survivor event’ who purifies the water using graphene filters. Unless blob IS basically the water or can act the same, the stuff only allows H2O to pass through, and blocks everything else. Even gases, I think.

[Abbysynth]

[quote=“Barhandar, post:5, topic:7462”]Also, how far from New England did Blob spread yet?

Roughly everywhere. You’re not even at the epicenter, the game just happens to be set in New England.[/quote]
So, ocean is basically sentient now, and to get rid of the Blob you’ll need an Exterminatus, stat?
And what was the origin point?

Speaking of life-sustain things. Can gooped humans still procreate successfully and have fertile offspring?

I don’t think GlyphGryph, TDW, or Whales ever ruled, so I’m gonna go ahead and officially say that commercial chemical-purification treatment does NOT kill the blob. If it did, the Cataclysm likely would not have happened, as active Sewage Treatment plants would have filtered it out. (And XEDRA would have had to pull a coverup, but that’s much easier.) In terms of reducing your dosage, purifying the water doesn’t help.

There should totally be ‘pure scientist survivor event’ who purifies the water using graphene filters. Unless blob IS basically the water or can act the same, the stuff only allows H2O to pass through, and blocks everything else. Even gases, I think.
[/quote]

I’d LOVE to see more graphene stuff in-game. I’ve done a ton of studying on it and this stuff is totally insane. It makes “superalloy” look like crudely-beaten iron; it’s something like 200-300 times stronger than steel and 50 times lighter, conducts electrical signals, never rusts, and yes filters out just about everything but water (or anything else with very low molecular size). And all it is is carbon!

In the near-future of Cataclysm I would definitely assume that graphene would be far more common: the only issue facing its production today is that there are not yet any viable methods to producing it in commercial amounts. Give it 5-10 years though and you could see it in everything. It can take the place of virtually any metal and does a better job at it. A car made entirely of graphene as opposed to aluminum and steel would be able to float on water and could be picked up by 1 or 2 people and carried around. Sony is currently making graphene-based high-def televisions that can be folded up like a rug and stuffed in your pocket. Unrejectable bionic implants would be easy.

So anyway to get back on topic, graphene could definitely work to filter not only stuff like the blob, but also basic contaminants much better than standard carbon filters.

[Barhandar]

It can take the place of virtually any metal and does a better job at it. A car made entirely of graphene as opposed to aluminum and steel would be able to float on water and could be picked up by 1 or 2 people and carried around.

First, good luck welding graphene and other carbon formations together like you can do with steel, two metal plates, some salt water and two wires. Second, sometimes you need things to be not only sturdy, but also HEAVY. Car that floats on water due to low weight would be absolutely terrible in any high wind conditions, and aluminium in car construction is used not just because it’s lighter, but also because it crumples, protecting driver and passengers from shock.
I’d totally see graphene reinforcements being used everywhere, though. Like with car example, weighted carbon frame, replaceable attachable aluminium crumple-frames in front and back so if you suffer a collision, you get no damage AND you only need to replace part of the car instead of scrapping it entirely.

Also, isn’t graphene a fire hazard and one of the best heat conductors as well? Imagine a car built entirely out of it catching fire.

[kevin.granade]

[quote=“Barhandar, post:5, topic:7462”][quote=“Kevin Granade”]Also, how far from New England did Blob spread yet?

Roughly everywhere. You’re not even at the epicenter, the game just happens to be set in New England.[/quote]
So, ocean is basically sentient now, and to get rid of the Blob you’ll need an Exterminatus, stat?
And what was the origin point?[/quote]
Both undecided.

Speaking of life-sustain things. Can gooped humans still procreate successfully and have fertile offspring?

To some extent, but depending on how heavy the goo infestation, it might not resemble normal human reproduction.

[quote=“KA101, post:7, topic:7462”]I don’t think GlyphGryph, TDW, or Whales ever ruled, so I’m gonna go ahead and officially say that commercial chemical-purification treatment does NOT kill the blob. If it did, the Cataclysm likely would not have happened, as active Sewage Treatment plants would have filtered it out. (And XEDRA would have had to pull a coverup, but that’s much easier.) In terms of reducing your dosage, purifying the water doesn’t help.

There should totally be ‘pure scientist survivor event’ who purifies the water using graphene filters. Unless blob IS basically the water or can act the same, the stuff only allows H2O to pass through, and blocks everything else. Even gases, I think.[/quote]
You’re underestimating the goo, if it’s sentient it could trivially block the filter rather than letting itself be purified out. Plus, purify what water? It’s in the groundwater, rivers etc.

[Nathan]

If it did, the Cataclysm likely would not have happened

The cataclysm wasn’t really caused by zombification though, the portal surge had more do to with it, and I’d imagine that would have thrown a wrench in water treatment. It could go either way.

So, ocean is basically sentient now, and to get rid of the Blob you'll need an Exterminatus, stat?

4th dimensional transpositions for the entire planet. might cause other problems however.

I’d imagine it might be easier to find a way to fool the blob into thinking its already at the mammalian limit even if there is no pre-existing infection in said person/animal.

[KA101]

[quote=“KA101, post:7, topic:7462”]If it did, the Cataclysm likely would not have happened

The cataclysm wasn’t really caused by zombification though, the portal surge had more do to with it, and I’d imagine that would have thrown a wrench in water treatment. It could go either way.

So, ocean is basically sentient now, and to get rid of the Blob you'll need an Exterminatus, stat?

4th dimensional transpositions for the entire planet. might cause other problems however.

I’d imagine it might be easier to find a way to fool the blob into thinking its already at the mammalian limit even if there is no pre-existing infection in said person/animal.[/quote]

Without large-scale zombification taking place, damage control for the portals would have been far more straightforward and FEMA, etc resources would actually have been helpful. Further, XE037 breaching containment caused a rapid shift in scientific time/resources that might have detected the portals going uncontrolled, and thereby been able to shut some/all of them down.

IOW, the details may be nitpicky but the general idea is that we’re the ones responsible for breaking our world.

Fooling the goo is an interesting idea, not sure how one would do it.

[Barhandar]

You’re underestimating the goo, if it’s sentient it could trivially block the filter rather than letting itself be purified out. Plus, purify what water? It’s in the groundwater, rivers etc.

Drinking water. Besides, I doubt it saturates the air and goes through plastic and glass, so whatever water is bottled is still not gooed.
To what degree it’s sentient? How much of it (black and oily, so would likely be visible) you need in, say, a liter of water to have it actually be able to think?

[quote=“Nathan_, post:13, topic:7462”]4th dimensional transpositions for the entire planet. might cause other problems however.

I’d imagine it might be easier to find a way to fool the blob into thinking its already at the mammalian limit even if there is no pre-existing infection in said person/animal.[/quote]
4th dimensional transpositions for the entire planet would result in either Sun getting consumed for required power, or Earth becoming Eye of Chaos. Maybe both, given how much energy teleporting requires and how much it damages the Veil.

What? You mean, not infect? Sorry, impossible by virtue of it being everywhere already. Everyone who isn’t contained is goo’d.
So it would be more effective to search for a way to control it and make it completely symbiotic and not-as-aggressive. Sorta like Mycus, minus hivemind and Tau-level mind controlling.

[quote=“KA101, post:14, topic:7462”]IOW, the details may be nitpicky but the general idea is that we’re the ones responsible for breaking our world.

Fooling the goo is an interesting idea, not sure how one would do it.[/quote]
Not exactly ‘breaking’ yet. If portals were opening in USA only and Blob hasn’t managed to spread to other continents yet, people over there can provide considerable resistance - especially if dying special forces alerted over common radio channels why and to what they’re dying. Therefore, they can start experimenting on solving the problem, and won’t have as many - or at all - zombies and trouble resisting nether critters.
Speaking of which, it would be very interesting if some groups would infect themselves on purpose and try for controlled mass-mutation. I’d imagine there would be a lot of people all for becoming part bird.

Fooling? Ocean-sized brain? Ha ha, good luck, even with limited signal propagation it’ll be way smarter than anyone else, so humans’ best bet is pushing for coexistence.

[Nathan]

4th dimensional transpositions for the entire planet would result in either Sun getting consumed for required power, or Earth becoming Eye of Chaos. Maybe both, given how much energy teleporting requires and how much it damages the Veil.

might cause other problems however.

What? You mean, not infect? Sorry, impossible by virtue of it being everywhere already. Everyone who isn't contained is goo'd.

The goo voluntarily adjusts the amount in mammals to be 1% of bodymass. this mechanism is the one I'd look towards attacking as far as a cure was concerned.

Without large-scale zombification taking place, damage control for the portals would have been far more straightforward and FEMA, etc resources would actually have been helpful. Further, XE037 breaching containment caused a rapid shift in scientific time/resources that might have detected the portals going uncontrolled, and thereby been able to shut some/all of them down.

FEMA camps would still have been death traps, you typically don't find a lot of water purification tablets or water purifiers on hand near them, and they aren't really hooked up to the water system. Likewise zombification could have hit during the emergency response, as opposed to just before, which would have had the same effect. as to the portal surge, and its response, that actually hurt the blob by bringing its competitors here, though I suppose it wouldn't have been able to predict that we'd just try to blow up all the portals.

Fooling the goo is an interesting idea, not sure how one would do it.

Well we know as a proof of concept that the stasis limit can be breached the other way, but it would probably be decades of scientific effort on the part of a reconstituted civilization to figure it out.

sentient ocean

Probably not. Our universe is hostile enough to XE037 that it needs hosts, if its already taken over the pacific, then why bother with people? it exists in the water supply, but not in the concentrations necessary to do anything really useful, and has to find a host/slime pit in order to put that together in all likelyhood.

[i2amroy]

Bottled water is indeed pure of the goo, which is why you still have things like scientist and military corpses lying about; they hadn’t been drinking the goo-infested water and were therefore immune to reassurection after death. It’s widespread enough that you are pretty much limited to pre-Cata sources of bottled water though, which is a lot but not unlimited.

As for filtering I wouldn’t be surprised if some part of the goo has developed in such a way to emulate the properties of water that allow it to penetrate through graphene. The goo is constantly developing new mutations and passing on the useful ones to other parts of the goo, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the ability to emulate water turned up and proved useful enough to pass on for some reason or another.

I probably wouldn’t rate any particular bit of water in the ocean as sentient, but with the sheer amount of volume I wouldn’t be surprised if the ocean as a whole started to develop a vague sense of consciousness.

I could see a potential hijacking of the goo mechanisms to stop an infection, though since the adjustment happens pretty quickly after the initial infection you would probably need to be treated immediately or go the route where you treat yourself with a bit of the stagnant goo to trick active goo from infecting you, but not enough to actually trigger the ressurection. And it would always be vulnerable to a countermeasure being developed by the goo (constantly replacing that 1% with any new goo ingested and passing out the old goo instead of having the new goo pass through?)

On the topic of other countries, while It isn’t known right out if any other countries were experimenting with portals or had networks as extensive as the U.S.'s, IIRC it was definitely suspected that several others of the larger countries were also researching them and working on setting up their own networks.

[Valpo]

I am destroying the goo by turning it into glue! I doubt the goo could addabt to every kinde of filtering method . If for example youfilter by molecule i doubt an organism would be able to fit through too thats simply to smal for anything more complex then a single molecule which would be needed to form anything close to a sentient beeing. at least its like that irl. Also as the goo clearly interacts with the dna of things it entered its probably made of the same basic stuff we are made of down to some thing simliar to our dna. If thats not the case then how does the blob know how to alter it if its no something inherently similiar to itself?

Also boiling the water might not work … maybe aplying even more heat might do to purify the water as burning proved quite effektive against the blob .

[i2amroy]

Keep in mind that just because something appears to only consist of a single molecule doesn’t mean that is the whole thing. It’s very possible the creature is larger and is just partially in another dimension (IIRC this is both how the goo communicates with other goo and how things like flaming eyes can affect you from a distance, they are reaching through one of the lower dimensions).

[Catfoodbob]

so perhaphs maybe a dimensional wall that part the goo subspaces on would be able to knock the goo off, especially if its a sudden interaction with said wall