31733
Post by: Brother Coa
Grey Knight codex, page 6:
"Before leaving Titan for the final time, Malcador forged one last enchantment, greater than any that had come before it. Titan vanished completely from its orbit, hidden from Horus in the most unlikely of refuges - Malcador had anchored it amongst the tides of the Warp. Protected by Macro-Geller fields and sigilic rites of Malcador's own devising, Titan rode out the tumult of the Warp whilst the rest of the galaxy endured through the last months of the Horus Heresy and the tragedy of the Emperor's final battle."
page 7:
" Titan finally returned to its orbit in the mortal realm amidst the anarchy of the Second Founding. Time had flowed differently in the Warp, and Titan had endured a measure of years far greater tha'l that of the mortal world. So it was that a Chapter that had entered the Warp composed of a mere eight Space Marines and hundreds upon hundreds of untrained recruits, emerged with a full complement of one thousand fully trained Battle-Brothers."
So, this means that Imperium has machine that can push planet into and out of the Warp and even had shields that protect it from the Daemons and creatures of the Warp. Doesen't say anything more about that, witch means that machine is still on Titan in 41' st millennium.
Does this means when Tyranids arrive into the Sol they will use this machine to hide Terra and Mars into the Warp until Tyranids pass Sol?
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Post by: Coolyo294
No... Just... No.
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Post by: Kanluwen
Coa, do you even read the stuff you post?
This wasn't a device. It was a spell, for all intents and purposes. They put Gellar Fields(which are what ships use to protect themselves in the Warp) on it so that it wouldn't be ravaged by the things living within the Warp.
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Post by: iproxtaco
We don't know if Terra or Mars has one, the fact that both remained in the material realm during the Heresy is evidence to suggest that they probably didn't.
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Post by: Kanluwen
I should also add that before it's said, there likely is no psyker alive that can match Malcador's sheer power.
He was a few steps down from The Emperor himself in terms of power.
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Post by: 1hadhq
No Malcador - no move.
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Post by: iproxtaco
IIRC, the Grey Knights maintain the ability to put Titan in the Warp.
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Post by: Brother Coa
Kanluwen wrote:Coa, do you even read the stuff you post?
This wasn't a device. It was a spell, for all intents and purposes. They put Gellar Fields(which are what ships use to protect themselves in the Warp) on it so that it wouldn't be ravaged by the things living within the Warp.
I don't buy that, then how Titan returned when Malcador died during the Emperor's Ascension?
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Post by: Kanluwen
Brother Coa wrote:Kanluwen wrote:Coa, do you even read the stuff you post?
This wasn't a device. It was a spell, for all intents and purposes. They put Gellar Fields(which are what ships use to protect themselves in the Warp) on it so that it wouldn't be ravaged by the things living within the Warp.
I don't buy that, then how Titan returned when Malcador died during the Emperor's Ascension?
Probably because the ritual/spell/whatever was intended to last for a set amount of time no matter if Malcador was there or not, or he taught the first of the Grey Knights how to reverse the ritual.
To quote Harry Dresden "It takes a master artisan to create a spell like this. Fortunately, all it takes is a monkey with a stick to wreck it."
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Post by: 1hadhq
iproxtaco wrote:IIRC, the Grey Knights maintain the ability to put Titan in the Warp.
GK page 11. 4th para.
Seems they can't reproduce all of the spell and thus only partially use it.
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Post by: iproxtaco
I don't have my codex to hand, I remember that they keep this spell/machine permanently warmed up just in case.
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Post by: Mr Nobody
It would make for a good practical joke. Titan's here, now it's not, titan's here, now it's not.
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Post by: Brother Coa
So it's a spell? When I read "devising" I thought they meant that they "connect the shield to Malcador's own device".
Sory all for misunderstanding. I am still interesting if they can pull this trick again...
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Post by: KingDeath
Gellarfields can be breached...
See it this way, putting Titan in the warp is a risk, but not a potentialy fatal one.
Putting terra in the warp where all the legions of hell are waiting might be less wise.
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Post by: Grey Templar
The device still works, it just requires alot of psychic power to activate it.
they could enter the warp if needed, but they haven't needed to as of yet.
the fact they still have the machine implies they could, if needed, possably put Terra into the Warp to protect it.
it would require massive psychic power and energy to do it(the emperor would probably have to help)
the Nids are coming to Terra, but not for a long time yet and even when they get there its doubtful they could breach Terra's defenses.
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Post by: Ascalam
As far as i remember from the entry in the codex the thing is still switched on, putting Titan in an in-between state. I think it mentions it having a foot in each world. The Knights (except possibly the head honcho) don't know how to work it, if i remember right.
I'll have to check on that.
As far as i'm concerned it it one of the most egregous (love that word  ) pieces of fluff in the game, but i'll save my rant on that
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Post by: Agent_Tremolo
Ascalam wrote:
As far as i'm concerned it it one of the most egregous (love that word  ) pieces of fluff in the game, but i'll save my rant on that 
Don't worry... I'll rant on that so you don't have to
The moon-sneaking time-travelling thing is the most ludicrous idea on this edition's GK codex, and probaby one of the silliest narrative moves in all of 40k's history. That said, I take it was done by virtue of the Sigillite's extraordinary psychic powers, and thus cannot be replicated. So, there's no giant cloaking device for Earth and Mars.
However, this bit of the fluff ruined so many things for me that everytime I have the chance to read over the GK codex I skip that part and pretend it was never written.
First, it completely wrecked the image I had of Malcador. I pictured him as an obscure but powerful man in the material sense of the word, running the (extremely complicated) daily affairs of the Imperium, the Emperor's trusted über-administrator, lawmaker, mentat and augur. Now it seems that, despite being a mere human, he was able to pull magicks that would put the Galaxy's most accomplished psykers (i.e. Eldar Farseers) to shame.
Second, I thought that, while psychic powers are "magical" to all effects, they still were substantially different to "magic" from a narrative point of view. It seemed to me that psychics in 40k, both in description and as plot devices, had more to do with what we'd call "the paranormal" or "the occult" (telekinesis, telepathy, pyrokinesis, thought-forms, remote viewing, divination...) than with Tolkien's unrationalized and seemingly all-powerful magic. Psychics allow for the rare universe-changing miracle to happen (almost always left half-explained and often put in mouth of unreliable narrators), but the way Ward put together the whole Titan story felt at odds with the way 40k had for dealing with such events.
Third, it's phisically and socially implausible. I take an ecquivalent mass was left in Titan's place to prevent the whole Saturnian system from collapsing, that Saturn was never colonized despite it being one of the most interesting places to go within our home system, that Hohmann transfer orbits are no longer used for interplanetary travel and that EVERY navigation chart, map, holo, flight computer, history book and school manual was altered to erase Titan from existance... But consider this a minor objection. Such affairs have never bothered the 40k writers that much.
But what bugs me most is a sidenote of the planet-cloaking affair: The fact that one of Mars' moons (don't remember if it was Phobos or Deimos) was moved to Titan's orbit to act as the GK's private forgeworld. This probably deserves its own thread anyways, so I think I'll be starting a new one and leave this to discuss Titan and Malcador's invisibility.
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Post by: Ascalam
Deimos.
It is also tiny, barely more than an asteroid.
It's way too small to forgeworld up (even on a reduced scale for only one chapter), and Titan's gravity is far too weak to keep it in orbit anyway without handwaving.
Looking forward to the thread
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Post by: Grey Templar
the removal of a moon wouldn't unbalance the system. it would simply mean there wasn't a moon there anymore.
compared to Saturn itself, Titan's mass is fairly small and wouldn't cause much disruption.
Deimos, if it was moved into a suitible orbit around Saturn, would be fine too.
a stable orbit, fairly close to Titan, and in sync with Titan, wouldn't be that hard to create. If they had the means to get it there from Mars, i am sure they could get it into a stable orbit.
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Post by: Ascalam
Do you know newtonian physics at all?
Titan's mass is small compared to saturn, yes, but it would still be an unbalancing factor that woudl disrupt the gravetic map of the entire system, though it would take sveral thousand years to become obvious.
For something to orbit something else in a stable, unassisted orbit that won't decay requires the mass that you are orbitting to have sufficient gravity to hold you.
They can get it there, and put it in a stable orbit bby the mystic means of handwave devices, but it would have been far less complex and far more cost-effective/non brain-death inducingly stupid to have simply build a space station in titan's orbit, under power to maintain it's orbit.
The imperium has built space stations before, so why do they now have this feth-brained urge to play pool with planets instead?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7Z8w_unTU4
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Post by: Grey Templar
Whatever,
if they had the ability to move the darn things around i assume they brought things like this into consideration.
Titan was also only gone for a relativly short period of time so the orbit wouldn't have decayed much and then its back and nothing is amiss.
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Post by: Ascalam
Orf it could be a simple case of really crappy and needlessly grandiose fluff to allow something completely pointless, in order to make the GK look good
The imperium have never been able to move planets around up til this point. That's always been a Necron trick
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Post by: Grey Templar
well, the Ad Mech managed to ensure the Sun will never go out so i wouldn't put it out of their capabilities.
the GKs have access to some tech that has been lost ever since the Dark Age of technology. the Dark Age had tech that we couldn't even comprehend. moving a small moon is no big deal. toss Malcador in who is 2nd to only the Emperor in power, and its a piece of cake. We have a psyker moving a planet, the most powerful psyker in the universe next to the Emperor I might add. whats wrong with him moving a planet?
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Post by: Ascalam
That the most powerful psyker in the universe (sez you) didn't do the same with Terra during the HH to keep it safe, or just use said power to fling the entire astroid belt across the Sol system into the warmaster's fleet?
That it has never been part of the fluff until it got retconned in in a very hamfisted way, along with making Sorcery ok for the GK to use (it was previously anathema  ) and alien/dameon wargear/tech totally kosher (it was previously heresy).
'Tech from the dark age of technology' = 'handwave because we say so' in humanity's case. If the Admech had this kind of tech on hand they would have given it to the Warmaster when they all joined him, and he would have been dropping the Moon on the Emperor's palace
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Post by: Pilau Rice
It might be as small as an asteroid but surely you would know that something was missing.
I can imagine Horus, Talon on chin musing, Saturn looks different but I can't quite put my finger on it.
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Post by: Medium of Death
Surely Magnus outstrips Malcador in psychic ability.
Magnus was destined for the Golden Throne and Malcador didn't really handle that so well.
Also where is the fluff about the sun never going out because of the Ad. Mech?
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Post by: Leigen_Zero
All I want to know is why they chose Titan and then decided to hide it...
The GK homebase should be Pluto, even Horus wouldn't give a crap about Pluto
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Post by: iDevour
He was a few steps down from The Emperor himself in terms of power.
I recently read some stuff about librarians because one of my RP group wanted to play one.
How strong would you rate Varro Tigurius?
If this is true, and the Chief Librarian of the Ultramarines really has tapped into the Hive Mind, it would make him the most powerful active psyker in the Imperium, second only to the Immortal God Emperor himself.
I pictured him as an obscure but powerful man in the material sense of the word, running the (extremely complicated) daily affairs of the Imperium, the Emperor's trusted über-administrator, lawmaker, mentat and augur.
Well, he took the Emperor's place in the golden throne long enough for him to battle Horus, holding back the warp till Sigmar *cough* i mean the Emperor came back, and then he died in his arms. Didn't need the GK Codex to tell me to not mess with him
edit: before something breaks loose, im just kidding with the sigmar / emperor part  (i know at some point they wanted to fuse fantasy and 40k and sigmar was supposed to be one of the primarch scattered through space and time or something like that. But they trashed that whole concept  )
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Post by: Grey Templar
Ascalam wrote:That the most powerful psyker in the universe (sez you) didn't do the same with Terra during the HH to keep it safe, or just use said power to fling the entire astroid belt across the Sol system into the warmaster's fleet?
That it has never been part of the fluff until it got retconned in in a very hamfisted way, along with making Sorcery ok for the GK to use (it was previously anathema  ) and alien/dameon wargear/tech totally kosher (it was previously heresy).
'Tech from the dark age of technology' = 'handwave because we say so' in humanity's case. If the Admech had this kind of tech on hand they would have given it to the Warmaster when they all joined him, and he would have been dropping the Moon on the Emperor's palace
Here is why the E didn't hide Terra or toss asteroids in his direction. He didn't realise how far Horus had fallen. he still thought he could redeem him.
And just because the Ad Mech has the Tech doesn't mean they are just giving it out to anyone. it also isn't like everyone in the Ad Mech knows all about what they have. they keep secrets from each other too.
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Post by: daveNYC
Grey Templar wrote:well, the Ad Mech managed to ensure the Sun will never go out so i wouldn't put it out of their capabilities.
No they didn't. They might say they did (seriously, got a book and page number on that?), but considering that it will take over a billion years (in the grim darkness of the one millionth millenium, there is only war) before Sol starts to evolve out of the main sequence, there's no way to tell whether or not they're telling the truth. Indeed, I could say that I've invented a device that will prevent the sun from turning into a red giant, and there would be no way you could prove me wrong. I also have a rock that keeps bears from attacking me on my commute that's for sale, if you're interested.
And as far as sticking Holy Terra in the warp for safekeeping, that is probably a horrible idea. Terra is over twice as big, and there's the problem of what exactly would end up happening if you encased the source of the astronomicon in a Geller field, and then dunked the whole mess in the warp. Would it be the world's biggest fishing lure to every warp predator? Would the field end up containing the astronomicon's power in some way and lead to all sorts of grimdark deadness?
And finally there's the slight issue that the moon would have a hard time of it if it didn't have anything to orbit.
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Post by: Ascalam
Grey Templar wrote:Ascalam wrote:That the most powerful psyker in the universe (sez you) didn't do the same with Terra during the HH to keep it safe, or just use said power to fling the entire astroid belt across the Sol system into the warmaster's fleet?
That it has never been part of the fluff until it got retconned in in a very hamfisted way, along with making Sorcery ok for the GK to use (it was previously anathema  ) and alien/dameon wargear/tech totally kosher (it was previously heresy).
'Tech from the dark age of technology' = 'handwave because we say so' in humanity's case. If the Admech had this kind of tech on hand they would have given it to the Warmaster when they all joined him, and he would have been dropping the Moon on the Emperor's palace
Here is why the E didn't hide Terra or toss asteroids in his direction. He didn't realise how far Horus had fallen. he still thought he could redeem him.
And just because the Ad Mech has the Tech doesn't mean they are just giving it out to anyone. it also isn't like everyone in the Ad Mech knows all about what they have. they keep secrets from each other too.
I think by the time the huge spiky fleet daubed in chaos insignia was bombarding eath back into the dark ages he might have clued on a bit  If not horus personally he surely (Sarcasm: in his iiiiinfinite godlike wisdom) gathered where the rest of the fleet was aligned... He could have neutralized the threat by making them all 'fall to their knees in awe' like he did before, fron which position it's damn hard to pilot a starship
Horus wasn't 'everyone'. Most of the Admech went over to him and supported him, giving him their deeprest darkest secrets and groovy tech to mix up with warpstuff. If you're fanatically loyal to someone like that you don't hold out on them with something that uber
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Post by: squidhills
daveNYC wrote:And as far as sticking Holy Terra in the warp for safekeeping, that is probably a horrible idea. Terra is over twice as big, and there's the problem of what exactly would end up happening if you encased the source of the astronomicon in a Geller field, and then dunked the whole mess in the warp. Would it be the world's biggest fishing lure to every warp predator? Would the field end up containing the astronomicon's power in some way and lead to all sorts of grimdark deadness?
I imagine it would be something similar to sticking a Portable Hole in a Bag of Holding (I apologize to all the non-D&D nerds who didn't get that) only on an exponentially larger scale. The only logical outcome would be a complete and total re-boot of the franchise.
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Post by: Ascalam
There are times when i think that this would be a good idea.
The pre-existing fluff has been so heavily retconned, rewritten and butchered that it's harder to track it all (from beginning to current) than follow the Marvel universe's alternate timelines/crossover worlds.
If certain Black Library authors could be persuaded to read the fluff before they add more detail to it, and certain codex writers could be reined in and told to stop invalidating/changing the established universe on a whim the franchise would be fine.
Moving the timeline along as a living background rather than keeping it static as a retconfest would also help
To date i've played four armies that have been invalidated by retcon or wiped out according to the rewritten fluff. I think they're doing it just to annoy me
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Post by: daveNYC
Ascalam wrote:To date i've played four armies that have been invalidated by retcon or wiped out according to the rewritten fluff. I think they're doing it just to annoy me 
Take advantage, threaten to start playing Space Wolves unless people give you money.
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Post by: KamikazeCanuck
Eldar regularily slip planet sized craftworlds into the webway... so I guess it's not that crazy....
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Post by: Ascalam
Their ships are sentient though, and were always intended to fly Automatically Appended Next Post: daveNYC wrote:Ascalam wrote:To date i've played four armies that have been invalidated by retcon or wiped out according to the rewritten fluff. I think they're doing it just to annoy me 
Take advantage, threaten to start playing Space Wolves unless people give you money.
Tempting....
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Post by: KamikazeCanuck
Ascalam wrote:Their ships are sentient though,
uh, what?
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Post by: Ascalam
Sorry- partial post due to break ending
Craftworlds are sentient, giant spaceships (the wraithbone infinity circuit is full of eldar souls. Farseers can talk to them, and they form a gestalt conciousness for the ship.).
I don't think i've actually read anywhere that the craftworlds themselves can webway jumo, but it wouldn't surprise me  I had the impression that they send forces via webway from the craftworld, usually.
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Post by: KamikazeCanuck
They can go into the webway but they are not sentient.
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Post by: Miraclefish
Well they are and they're not...
And they're not planet sized. They're city sized.
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Post by: KamikazeCanuck
They're not and some of them are moon-sized.
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Post by: Grey Templar
I quote the Eldar codex, Page 14, left column.
"In a very real sense, the craftworld is a living entity, powered by psychic enery and responding in an organic way to the stimuli of Psychic forces"
that suggests the Craftworld is aware of its surroundings and as such should be viewed as Sapient.
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Post by: Kanluwen
Some plants respond to outside stimuli(Venus Fly-Trap anyone?) but aren't considered sentient.
Wraithbone should be considered the same. It's a psychoreactive compound, which of course means it would react to psychic forces.
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Post by: KamikazeCanuck
Exactly. They mean a craftworld is a self-sustaining ecosystem - not that it thinks.
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Post by: Ascalam
Plug one spirit stone into a wraithbone frame on legs-
Wraithguard. They can think for themselves (though they do get dreamy on occasion). They are sentient, as opposed to being programmed robots that have to be given a very specific set of orders and can't setp outside the box.
Plug a million such stones into a wraithbone shell- craftworld.
How are they not sentient? Did they wipe the spirit stones clean before plugging them in? I don't think so, dude
The Infinity Circuit is alive, and can think for itself/themselves- multiple minds after all
Farseers plug into the Infinity Circuit to ask advice from previous farseers and other deceased Eldar. I can give you page references if you need them  If they wanted to just talk to themselves they'd not need to ask, and they don't always get answers they like.
The Infinity Circuit (which is the central nervous system of the craftworld) is a storage system for sentient minds/souls, which can communicate intelligently. Ergo it is sentient.
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Post by: KamikazeCanuck
The infinty circuit is its own thing. The craftworld is another. AFAIK the infinity circuit doesn't control the craftworld, the Farseers do. Hence their asking of the infinity circuit what to do.
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Post by: Ascalam
The infinity circuit is built into the craftworld. It runs through it's structure.
Your brain is one thing, your body another. Your brain is connected via the nervous system to your body
As the Inifinity circuit is an integral and vital part of the craftworld, and it's sentient, the craftworld is sentient.
The farseers commune with the circuit for advice. The craftworld is directed by the living farseers, but that doesn't negate the fact that the dead ones can still think. They are honoured advisors, rather than the actual ship captain.
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Post by: Brother Coa
Grey Templar wrote:I quote the Eldar codex, Page 14, left column.
"In a very real sense, the craftworld is a living entity, powered by psychic enery and responding in an organic way to the stimuli of Psychic forces"
that suggests the Craftworld is aware of its surroundings and as such should be viewed as Sapient.
Maybe some sort of AI?
Or sensor arrays and reaction algorithms written by Eldar?
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Post by: KamikazeCanuck
The infinity circuit is supposed to be Eldar Limbo. Minds drift throughout it in a neverending sleepless dream.
I don't think the honoured dead are running the sewage system on Deck C.
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Post by: Ascalam
AI are still sentient, if self aware. Sentience isn't a biological-only thing
GIven the state of eldar technology the sensor arrays (which we have too btw - eyes,ears, nose etc  ) and reaction algorithms would be so complex that it would probably be self-aware anyway Automatically Appended Next Post: KamikazeCanuck wrote:The infinity circuit is supposed to be Eldar Limbo. Minds drift throughout it in a neverending sleepless dream.
I don't think the honoured dead are running the sewage system on Deck C.[/quote
Your brain has autosystems too. Do you have to make a mental effort to run your heart or make your stomach digest? Doesn't stop the system being sentient
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Post by: Brother Coa
KamikazeCanuck wrote:The infinity circuit is supposed to be Eldar Limbo. Minds drift throughout it in a neverending sleepless dream.
I don't think the honoured dead are running the sewage system on Deck C.
Why don't Dakka don't have "like" button...
This comment is a pure win
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Post by: KamikazeCanuck
That's why it's not a good analogy. Infinity circuit does not = autonomic nervous system.
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Post by: Ascalam
No, they are the higher brain functions, whilst the non-sentient autosystems handle the rest
Since you haven't yet presented a shred of proof that the craftworld is non-sentient, or even a convincing argument that it isn't, there's not much more point in discussing it, as it will always end up with you saying 'no it's not', with no supporting statement,reference or argument.
I'll keep to my belief that they are sentient, and you can go your own way
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Post by: KamikazeCanuck
Uh yeah, I can't prove a negative. You have to prove your point.
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Post by: Ascalam
I have
The craftworld is said in the fluff to react as a living thing.
There is a part of the craftworld's structure that is sentient, being a gestalt sentience that advises the living crew. The spirit stones are grafted into the ship's structure, unable to leave it until physically removed and reimplanted into a more mobile shell (wraithlord/wraithguard). They have the capacity to reason and the full gamut of other emotions, as well as sequential memory. In short they are sentient.
Ergo the ship is sentient.
You are saying it isn't with jack but 'because i say so' as an argument. It is possible to prove a negative.
IE:
I postulate that the moon is made of cheese (a classic trope)
You say it isn't.
You fly to the moon, and find that it is not. Or you talk to a learned authority who has firsthand experience of the matter at hand. You can then present proofs that my claim is inaccurate. Just saying it's not doesn't make you right without proof.
A logical premise then:
Does any permanent part of the ship that isn't living crew have the ability to communicate with said crew in a rational and intelligent manner?
If so, the ship is sentient, and also intelligent. They are different concepts.
Webster:
Definition of SENTIENT
1: responsive to or conscious of sense impressions <sentient beings>
2: aware
3: finely sensitive in perception or feeling
All three of these definiitions have fluff backing. They are aware, they have finely tuned perceptions (sensors) and they are responsive to sense impressions (they react to stimuli)
Only one of these is required to be sentient. Craftworlds are all three.
Intelligent:
Definition of INTELLIGENT
1a : having or indicating a high or satisfactory degree of intelligence and mental capacity b : revealing or reflecting good judgment or sound thought : skillful
2a : possessing intelligence b : guided or directed by intellect : rational
3a : guided or controlled by a computer; especially : using a built-in microprocessor for automatic operation, for processing of data, or for achieving greater versatility — compare dumb 7 b : able to produce printed material from digital signals <an intelligent copier>
Craftworlds are guided by intellect, in the form of the Infinity Circuit advising the crew. The souls within the circuit are rational and intelligent.
The autosystems you alluded to for sewage control are also intelligent, in that they are guided by computer.
I'm pretty sure a craftworld has the ability to produce material from digital signals, thoug it would be considered a bit outre..
If you argue the infinity circuit as seperate from the craftworld (not sure how, given that the whole craftworld is built around it) then it would not qualify for 1a, but the other points would stand.
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Post by: KamikazeCanuck
Explain how the infinity circuit is actually guiding the ship. If you are saying it is guiding the ship by communicating with the farseer then that is equivalent to saying an Imperial Ship is sentient because it is being guided by it's captain who is sentient.
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Post by: Ascalam
Is the Imperial ship giving him advice (rather than just a readout of sensor information)? I don't think so.
In any case, that's from the defiitiion of Intelligent, not Sentient, if you'll actually read the post properly
Guided by intellect: The Infinity circuit is intelligent. It provides instruction and advice to the crew. It guides them by intellect. Guiding someone or something and controlling it's movements directly are not quite the same thing.
If you have trouble with this abnormally simple concept feel free to ignore that point. The craftworld still qualifies under others as intelligent.
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Post by: KamikazeCanuck
Ok guy, you want to take your arrogant tone down a notch there? You think you've made all these brilliant points but all you've done is backpedal and talk in circles. The ship isn't sentient now but just intelligent and some other bs.
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Post by: Ascalam
Do you even bother to read the other person's post before you claim BS and backpedalling? Or do you find that insulting someone lets you off the hook for having an actual answer?
Read the dictionary definitiions i gave you.
I'm not being arrogant. I'm telling you that the fluff fits the definition of sentient perfectly on all points.
Therefore a craftword is sentient. No backpedalling there. No talking in circles. Check the definition carefully and try to refute me. If you can argue convincingly that none of the points is true of a craftworld then i will acknowledge that a craftworld is not sentient.
The Craftworld is also intelligent. If you'll actually read the post i posited that the craftworld can be considered to be both sentient and on some levels intelligent. They are different states of being, and non mutually exclusive.
Your argument thus far has basically been 'no it's not' with no supporting argument or fluff reference to back it up.
Prove to me that the craftworld in no way meets the criteria for either sentience or intelligence and i will accede the point.
Where are your brilliant points against the craftworld's sentience or intelligence?
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Post by: Kanluwen
"Reacting" does not mean "sentience".
As I said earlier, certain kinds of plants "react" to conditions(plants have been known to grow towards light sources, the Venus Flytrap responds to stimuli, etc)--they are not considered sentient.
Wraithbone, of which a Craftworld is constructed, is known as a "psychoreactive compound". That means it reacts to psychic energy introduced into it.
That's the whole basis of the "Bonesingers" the Eldar have. They use psychic energy to shape the wraithbone.
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Post by: KamikazeCanuck
I'm trying to get to the point through your insulting tone. Is your supposition that a craftworld is a sentient vessel because the infinity circuit advises the crew? A yes/no will suffice btw.
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Post by: Ascalam
My supposition is that a craftworld is intelligent because it advises the crew.
It is sentient for other reasons, as covered by the dictionary definition. With the definition in front of me i realised that it was both sentient and to a degree intelligent.
Also calling someone an arrogant BS artist isn't an insulting tone?? Automatically Appended Next Post: Kan:
Definition of SENTIENT
1: responsive to or conscious of sense impressions <sentient beings>
2: aware
3: finely sensitive in perception or feeling
Craftworlds are aware, have finely sensitive perceptions and are responsive to and/or conscious of sense impressions.
They meet the dictionary definition of sentient.
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Post by: KamikazeCanuck
How is any of that different than a human captain gelling the coxswain to turn left?
It is is the humans and Eldar that are sentient not the vessel they are in.
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Post by: Ascalam
The humans aren't asking advice from the ship, nor following the advice it gives. That's the difference. It is guiding them. It doesn't always mean physically steering the ship, but also providing direction in a given situation.
You're still confusing sentience with intelligence. They are different concepts. I'll admit that i did too, until i looked up the definitions in order to be more precise in my arguement.
The eldar ships are both sentient and intelligent. The ships react to stimuli without the crew prodding them, have finely tuned senses and are somewhat self-aware.
Human ships could be considered Intelligent on some levels, but as self-aware AI's are heresy in the IOM they are not Sentient. They do not react on their own to external stimuli, have no sense of awareness and are not concious of sense impressions.
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Post by: KamikazeCanuck
It is not "The Ship" that is sentient though but the Eldar within the circuit.
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Post by: Kanluwen
Not seeing anything about the Infinity Circuit actually running the ship proper. It is a psychic power grid that runs through the craftworld.
Eldar codex p. 14 wrote:
A Living World
All the craftworlds are built upon a skeleton of wraithbone whose structure extends throughout the gigantic craft. A similar wraithbone core lies at the heart of most large devices and every Eldar spacecraft. In function these cores are similar to the blood vessels and nervous system of a living creature, pumping life-giving energy around the body and also transmitting the impulses that coordinate its many functions. Wraithbone is psycho-conductive, and the core of a craftworld acts as a self-replenishing reservoir of power. The invasive rib-like structures carry this energy throughout the entire length and breadth of the craft.
In a very real sense, the craftworld is a living entity, powered by psychic energy and responding in an organic way to the stimuli of psychic forces. The power contained within it can be expended as light and heat, and most ship-board devices could not actually function without the psychic power grid that runs throughout the substructure of the craftworld. The Eldar refer to this grid as the infinity circuit.
Now, since I didn't see it there...it might be in the entry on the Infinity Circuit, right?
Eldar Codex p. 14 wrote:
The Infinity Circuit.
When an Eldar dies his spirit stone is retrieved and implanted inside one of the craftworld's bio-domes. Here the wraithbone core lies exposed underfoot, and the spirit stones placed there quickly take root. The spirit is released into the infinity circuit, where it joins the eternal shades of craftworld's dead. It says much about the Eldar's attitude to death that they choose the endless twilight of the infinity circuit is one of the most precious resources of a craftworld and Eldar do not speak of its existence to other races.
Once he is part of the circuit an Eldar continues to exist forever, safe from the predations of the warp, though his individual consciousness remains as a potential within the circuit. The infinity circuit is therefore far more than a source of energy, it is a place of refuge and eternal rest, from where the dead continue to watch over the living. Such is the plight of the Eldar that the living are sometimes forced to call their ancestors from their rest, transferring them into wraith-constructs so that they may fight for their craftworlds once more.
I'm not seeing anything there about the Infinity Circuit physically steering the ship, nor anything of that nature.
It talks about how the consciousnesses are there and asked for advice.
That's not asking the ship for advice, nor is it the ship being intelligent. It's the infinity circuit, which provides power through the consciousness and the psychic latency within.
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Post by: Ascalam
Depends on whether you consider the Infinity circuit (which runs through the entire ship) as being part of the ship. I do. If you don't that's your perogative.
I didn't say that the infinity circuit psychically steers the ship. I said that it guides the crew. Giving advice = guiding. My point was that to guide something or someone doesn't always mean to physically steer it. It can also mean to provide it with instruction.
The infinity circuit is a ship's system, containing the recorded personalities/souls of the deceased eldar, accessable by the crew. It is self-aware and intelligent. If you want to claim that it is the souls that are the intelligence i'm ok with that, but in a functioning craftworld they are very much a part of the ship's function, and are part of the 'ship' to my view. I suppose you could consider them 'crew' but it seems a bit iffy.
The ship itself is listed (in the quotes above) as being a living entity, capable of response to stimuli. It has sensor arrays of considerable acuity. It has been described as being aware. Therefore even a Craftworld with an empty infinity circuit would still be sentient.
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Post by: KamikazeCanuck
Still no different than a captain "guiding" his crew by ordering them around.
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Post by: Kanluwen
Ascalam wrote:Depends on whether you consider the Infinity circuit (which runs through the entire ship) as being part of the ship. I do. If you don't that's your perogative.
The Infinity Circuit is part of the ship in the same way that passengers are part of a 747.
I didn't say that the infinity circuit psychically steers the ship. I said that it guides the crew. Giving advice = guiding. The infinity circuit is a ship's system, containing the recorded personalities/souls of the deceased eldar, accessble by the crew. It is self-aware and intelligent. If you want to claim that it is the souls that are the intelligence i'm ok with that, but in a functioning craftworld they are very much a part of the ship's function, and are part of the 'ship' to my view. I suppose you could consider them 'crew' but it seems a bit iffy.
I'm not claiming it. That is GW's codex that says it.
The ship itself is listed (in the quotes above) as being a living entity, capable of response to stimuli. It has sensor arrays of considerable acuity. It has been described as being aware. Therefore even a Craftworld with an empty infinity circuit would still be sentient.
You need to reread the quote, and the page preceding it about Wraithbone.
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Post by: Ascalam
Except that it is the ship doing it, if you belive that the souls are part of the ship. If not then the craftworld has one less qualifier on being intelligent. It still qualifies on a couple of points. I'll agree to disagree on wheter the souls are part of the ship, as totherwise that part of the argument will get stale fast.
The original arguement was over whether the craftworld was sentient. It meets the criteria.
Intelligent is more of a toss-up, depending on how you interpret the fluff.
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Post by: KamikazeCanuck
Once again the craftworld is not self-aware the disembodied Eldar upon it are aware of it.
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Post by: Kanluwen
The ship is not sentient.
It does not meet any criteria, beyond a definition that is sketchy at best(by the criteria from the definition you provided-a plant such as the Venus Fly-Trap or any form of vine that grows up the side of a house is considered 'sentient'. I'm sure you can see why any logical reasoning would say "That's not right...").
The Infinity Circuit, while being built into the ship, is not doing what you think it does. The consciousnesses within are powering the ship's systems, but are not actually interacting with the ship in any way beyond that.
Think of it like a pedal-boat. How does it work?
It requires a human powering it. Is the human then 'part of the ship'?
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Post by: Ascalam
Kanluwen wrote:Ascalam wrote:Depends on whether you consider the Infinity circuit (which runs through the entire ship) as being part of the ship. I do. If you don't that's your perogative.
The Infinity Circuit is part of the ship in the same way that passengers are part of a 747.
I didn't say that the infinity circuit psychically steers the ship. I said that it guides the crew. Giving advice = guiding. The infinity circuit is a ship's system, containing the recorded personalities/souls of the deceased eldar, accessble by the crew. It is self-aware and intelligent. If you want to claim that it is the souls that are the intelligence i'm ok with that, but in a functioning craftworld they are very much a part of the ship's function, and are part of the 'ship' to my view. I suppose you could consider them 'crew' but it seems a bit iffy.
I'm not claiming it. That is GW's codex that says it.
The ship itself is listed (in the quotes above) as being a living entity, capable of response to stimuli. It has sensor arrays of considerable acuity. It has been described as being aware. Therefore even a Craftworld with an empty infinity circuit would still be sentient.
You need to reread the quote, and the page preceding it about Wraithbone.
1/. And it's control surfaces, fuel supply, telemetry. If everything shuts down without it it's not exactly like the passengers on a 747?
2/. I consider the souls to be the intellignece too, if you'll read my posts. I consider them to be part of the ship. A gestalt AI of sorts. I'm not seeing a thing in the fluff that says they aren't. Once installed into the ship's nervous system/powersource to roam freely they aren't so much being transported in the ship as being part of it. If they're passengers are they able to leave the ship of their own volition?
3/. I'm well aware that the ship is built from wraithbone. Wriathbone reacts to stimuli. The ship is wraithbone, therefore the ship reacts to stimuli. The ship also has the ability to percieve sense impressions and to sense the universe around it. How exactly is this negating it's sentience? It's more an argument that Wraithbone might be sentient than a denial that the ship is. Automatically Appended Next Post: In the quote you provided it actually says that the craftworld is a living entity, that responds to stimuli in an organic manner. You were nice enough to highlight it for me. That alone is a qualifier of sentience.
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Post by: Kanluwen
Ascalam wrote:
1/. And its control surfaces, fuel supply, telemetry. If everything shuts down without it it's not exactly like the passengers on a 747?
2/. I consider the souls to be the intellignece too, if you'll read my posts. I consider them to be part of the ship. A gestalt AI of sorts. I'm not seeing a thing in the fluff that says they aren't. Once installed into the ship's nervous system/powersource to roam freely they aren't so much being transported in the ship as being part of it. If they're passengers are they able to leave the ship of their own volition?
3/. I'm well aware that the ship is built from wraithbone. Wriathbone reacts to stimuli. The ship is wraithbone, therefore the ship reacts to stimuli. The ship also has the ability to percieve sense impressions and to sense the universe around it. How exactly is this negating it's sentience? It's more an argument that Wraithbone might be sentient than a denial that the ship is.
Where does it say anything about "sense impressions and the universe around it"?
In the quote you provided it actually says that the craftworld is a living entity, that responds to stimuli in an organic manner. You were nice enough to highlight it for me. That alone is a qualifier of sentience.
All the craftworlds are built upon a skeleton of wraithbone whose structure extends throughout the gigantic craft. A similar wraithbone core lies at the heart of most large devices and every Eldar spacecraft. In function these cores are similar to the blood vessels and nervous system of a living creature, pumping life-giving energy around the body and also transmitting the impulses that coordinate its many functions. Wraithbone is psycho-conductive, and the core of a craftworld acts as a self-replenishing reservoir of power. The invasive rib-like structures carry this energy throughout the entire length and breadth of the craft.
In a very real sense, the craftworld is a living entity, powered by psychic energy and responding in an organic way to the stimuli of psychic forces. The power contained within it can be expended as light and heat, and most ship-board devices could not actually function without the psychic power grid that runs throughout the substructure of the craftworld. The Eldar refer to this grid as the infinity circuit.
I can say my car is "in a very real sense, a living entity, powered by gasoline".
No offense, but you're taking a metaphor a little far.
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Post by: Ascalam
1/. The ability so sense the universe around it was actually from another piece of fluff. I'll see if i can find it and quote it later. It's getting late here.
2/, The ability to react to stimuli is a qualifier of sentience, as is the ability to react to percieve sense impressions. A venus flytrap is sentient- it has a sense of touch, and reacts to stimuli. It is also aware of the universe around it, in that it will turn to face the sun, will adjust it's position to the best advantage and so on. It isn't self-aware (as far as we know  ) but it is aware on a very primitive level.
It is not intelligent, which is a different kettle of fish entirely. Self awareness is necessary for intelligence, but not for sentience.
3/. Except that your car is not in any way a living entity.
It does not self-generate it's powersource, does not have a nervous system, or any analog of one, and more importantly (for the purposes of this discussion) is not called a living entity in an official GW fluff entry. Your car does not respond in an organic way to stimuli.
No offense, but you're denying the specifically written fluff a tad too hard. It doesn't say that it's like a living entity (metaphor) it says that it IS one.
I'm going to agree to disagree on this one i think, because otherwise it'll just spiral down to flameposts and threadlock.
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Post by: Brother Coa
Ascalam wrote:
Definition of SENTIENT
1: responsive to or conscious of sense impressions <sentient beings>
2: aware
3: finely sensitive in perception or feeling
"Sentience is the ability to feel, or perceive, or be conscious, or have subjective experiences."
Any computer program today can be made to be in aspect of 1 and 2, not 3.
And Craftworlds are alive as much is Necron metal. Even so no one told that Necron metal is sentient.
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Post by: Ascalam
My quote was from Websters. Where was yours from, out of interest?
I've already left this debate, so i'll stay left, but i'm curious which dictionary definition you're using.
Any one of the indicators is listed as being sentience in mine.
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Post by: Brother Coa
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentience
Before you start bragging, I used BASIC information about this from Wiki. And the most basic are the most correct, that's what everyone said here...
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Post by: Ascalam
Wasn't bragging. I was just curious as to your variant
You do know that wikipedia isn't always reliable, though? Your link has a marker that it's neutrality is disputed. It is possible to alter the reliability of Wikipedia by getting enough people to rate it poorly, or even doing it yourself over and over again.
For example it is possible to take a wiki page about the Holocaust, in perfect, accurate detail, and slate it continously as inaccurate, imcomplete and false. Do this enough and the page will carry markers showing it to be biased, inaccurate and containing falsehoods/omissions. It's been done before.
The Wiki information contradicts itself on what counts as sentient, dependent on source and genre. Water for example, is considered sentient in eastern religion...
I used a dictionary definition for that reason. It's not subject to alteration by enough people hitting the edit button
*shrug*
If we're going to use wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eldar_Craftworlds_(Warhammer_40,000)
The wiki lists the Black Library craftworld as psychically active, defending itself, which implies intelligence.
If we are going to continue discussing sentience i think we're going to have to agree on the same definition of sentience before we continue. I would prefer a scientific definition.
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Post by: Chuck Norris
Please stay on topic...
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Post by: Kanluwen
The Black Library is also noted as being a huge exception to the rule, and the only Craftworld which is entirely within the Webway.
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Post by: KamikazeCanuck
In Sci-Fi "sentient" typically means of human intelligence. Self aware. Y'know, what a craftword isn't.
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Post by: Ascalam
As we're going off topic, and the question is getting a but muddied by different definitions i'm going to open a new topic on sentience in 40k.
Kan- Or more correctly the Black library is the only one that is specifically noted to do so in an uncontravertable manner. It's presence inside or outside the webway has nothing to do with it's sentience. You do have to admit that it is both sentient and Intelligent in that one case, i hope?
'In Sci-Fi "sentient" typically means of human intelligence. Self aware. Y'know, what a craftword isn't. '
Not always. Intelligent is more often used in hard sci-fi. The AI is an artificial Intelligence, not an Artificial Sentience, because intelligence is a more demanding classification than sentience. Self awareness is not necessary for sentience, but it is for Intelligence, according to the actual definition of the word (the RAW, if you want to look at it that way.).
Lets take this discussion elsewhere though, to avoid clogging this thread any further.
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Post by: KamikazeCanuck
Here's my point:
The captain of an Imperial Battleship is hardwired into it. He perceives the galaxy through it's sensor arrays, feels it's internal workings and problems emotionally and actually controls and directs the ship by thought. He is far more in tune with the vessel than the infinity circuit.
By you logic an Imperial Battleship is sentient/intelligent.
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Post by: Ascalam
Possibly. I never claimed that only Eldar ones could be, after all..
The captain is a sentient, intelligent creature. This is unassailably true.
He is hardwired into the ship permanantly, or temporarily? I'm not all that up on imperial ships. If he is permanently a part of the ship, and uses it's systems as his senses then he effectively IS the ship, or at least a symbiotic part of it, using it's structure as his body, and feeling pain in response to damage.
Is the ship capable of reaction to stimuli when he is unplugged? I think there was some fluff about battletitans having a mentality/will of their own. That would qualify them as sentient, and possibly intelligent also. In Mechanicum i think it's mentioned that the Princeps directs the Titan, but also that there is at least an emotional undertone from the machine itself? I'll see if i can find the page numbers when i get home.
The Battleship may well be intelligent and/or sentient, by the scientific term, on some level. The IOM uses logic engines (computers) that direct functions of the vessel, which qualifies it for one definition of intelligence.
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Post by: Kanluwen
The AI within a Titan is capable of having a "personality"...because it absorbs part of the mentality of the Princeps who controls it.
The Captain and Imperial ship are permanently hardwired together. It's exactly like the Craftworld, in that they cannot operate without each other.
And again: neither of them are "sentient" by the scientific term. The scientific term requires a conscious reaction.
Setting a bale of hay on fire causes the same reaction that introducing a psychic pulse into Wraithbone causes, which means there is no consciousness involved.
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Post by: KamikazeCanuck
Yes, the captain is permanently hardwired into the ship. At that point the ship has become an extension of his body. The ship is not actually sentient he is! Just like the craftworld.
When I drive my car there is a sentience behind it but the car itself is not sentient. I don't know how else to clarify it.
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Post by: Ascalam
'Setting a bale of hay on fire causes the same reaction that introducing a psychic pulse into Wraithbone causes, which means there is no consciousness involved.'
You've tried this?
Wraithbone responds, hay does not. The fluff says that wraithbone is sensitive to psychic stimuli. Hay is not sensitive to stimuli.
I seem to remember previous princeps (and presumably captains) leaving an imprint of themselves on the computer. If the computer is to any degree self aware then the ship is intelligent.
Sentience does not require a concious reaction. All it requires is the ability to be responsive to OR concious of sense impressions, be aware (not necessarily self-aware) or be able to percieve. A lot of things fit at least one of these definitons, including all living entities.
Intelligence requires more.
In any case, as i've already said, we're off topic. I'm going to continue the discussion in the other topic, and leave this one to go back to it's original purpose, if you will.
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Post by: Brother Coa
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Post by: Kanluwen
Ascalam wrote:'Setting a bale of hay on fire causes the same reaction that introducing a psychic pulse into Wraithbone causes, which means there is no consciousness involved.'
You've tried this?
Wraithbone responds, hay does not. The fluff says that wraithbone is sensitive to psychic stimuli. Hay is not sensitive to stimuli.
Setting a bale of hay on fire is introducing an outside stimuli to the hay. If you're going to try utilizing scientific terminology, at least get it correctly.
I seem to remember previous princeps (and presumably captains) leaving an imprint of themselves on the computer. If the computer is to any degree self aware then the ship is intelligent.
Sentience does not require a conscious reaction. All it requires is the ability to be responsive to OR concious of sense impressions, be aware (not necessarily self-aware) or be able to percieve. A lot of things fit at least one of these definitons, including all living entities.
Venus fly traps are not considered sentient. Vines are not considered sentient. Bacteria are not considered sentient.
These are all "responsive" to stimuli.
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Post by: Chuck Norris
Well done coa, for trying to restore order to the thread
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Post by: KamikazeCanuck
Hay is responsive to psychic stimuli....
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Post by: Brother Coa
Anyway...
Planet hiding device resolved...
They can still activate it, but they will need many psykers to do it.
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Post by: KamikazeCanuck
Brother Coa wrote:Anyway...
Planet hiding device resolved...
They can still activate it, but they will need many psykers to do it.
That's what this thread was about? Yeah I guess so.
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Post by: Brother Coa
But no one told me if they could transport it to Terra and hide it?
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Post by: KamikazeCanuck
Brother Coa wrote:But no one told me if they could transport it to Terra and hide it?
Don't think so. Also putting a planet in the warp is a bad idea, Gellar field or not. The reason terrible things don't happen to the inhabitants of Titan is because they happen to all be incorruptable Grey Knights. Pretty sure putting Terra in the warp would be the worst thing ever.
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Post by: iproxtaco
When Titan was first put in the Warp it was home to hundreds, if not thousands, of uncontrolled psykers. Fairly sure the Gellar Field did a swell job.
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Post by: KamikazeCanuck
iproxtaco wrote:When Titan was first put in the Warp it was home to hundreds, if not thousands, of uncontrolled psykers. Fairly sure the Gellar Field did a swell job.
Who are you talking about?
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Post by: nobody
KamikazeCanuck wrote:iproxtaco wrote:When Titan was first put in the Warp it was home to hundreds, if not thousands, of uncontrolled psykers. Fairly sure the Gellar Field did a swell job.
Who are you talking about?
The initial GK recruits would be my guess.
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Post by: iproxtaco
KamikazeCanuck wrote:iproxtaco wrote:When Titan was first put in the Warp it was home to hundreds, if not thousands, of uncontrolled psykers. Fairly sure the Gellar Field did a swell job. Who are you talking about? When Titan was first put in the Warp, it was home to hundreds, if not thousands of uncontrolled psykers, potential recruits for the Chapter. Since it went on without issue, and Titan returned to the material realm with all 1000 Marines, I would guess that the Gellar field did a fine job of protecting it from potential Warp Powers. Obviously Terra is bigger, and would obviously be a much juicier target.
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Post by: KamikazeCanuck
There are many stories of ships's gellar fields not quite getting the job done. Everytime a vessel enters the warp it's taking a risk. Wouldn't want to take that risk with the capital world.
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Post by: iDevour
But its only a Gellar Field on those ships (also, i guess on a ship there are like a fantastillion things that could go wrong because the energy source has to keep the whole ship running. Or is there one dedicated to the Gellar Field alone ?).
Titan was also protected by wards designed by Malcador himself (if im not totally mistaken  )
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Post by: Grey Templar
Titan had massive Geller field generators to protect it from the warp in addition to the Sigilite's wards.
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