(IW) Cyberpunk Worlds

[arcanus]

Originally Posted by awesomenessofme1

There's really no feasible way that a late 2020s society that's had parachronics and high-tech worlds to ape for over 30 years is still TL8, even late TL8.

I agree with this, as per Worlds of Horror, cannon is now 2035, Homelines TL will be divergent with Computing, Materials, energy (and by default transport), entertainment and healthcare TL 9 due to consumer demand and commercial appetite there's just to much money and publicity to to be made by not advancing TL in these areas.

Other areas such as widespread weaponry could well be TL8 or TL8+1 as incumbant technologies and players hold the markets and consumers are happy to purchase small improvement to current.

Fear and deterrant is also a big incentive to improve TL, Homeline governments and maybe even citizens are aware of enviromental hellworlds, plus Nations are aware of advanced tech threats from Reich 5 and Centrum.

Defences will be an area where TL would be focused on and improve, space may not be very interesting for Homeline (high investment for things we can acquire from empty Earths) but deterrants against Lucifer type impacts are worth consideration.

HL might be super AI adverse afterall they've seen ROS, Ogre and Transhuman so the threat of AI Gods is a worry and probably one of the biggest headaches in terms of who might R&D crosstime capability - AI have got to high on the sleepness night list.

Developing Internet resilience and counteractions would be an area of focus and TL push, so cyberworlds could be of interest most cyberpunk net progress is more human development than AI and its also got huge entertainment benefits.

Its okay off-worlding your unclean industry and energy facilities but not everything can be transported by conveyer cheaply or efficiently (electricity being a prime choice) so advancing TL in clean energy would be a big focus.

The other thing to note is Homeline is rich, it has numerous worlds where it can acquire vast amounts of mineral and material resources.
Despite Infinities own immesne wealth, First and even developing world nation states wealth from taxation and reserves would be very strong, actually too strong in that to an extent they couldn't use of all their Off-world resources and maintain a viable economy which means that funding and reverse engineering R&D could be extremely well funded - essentially nations would look to uttilise their vast reserves without crashing the economy but they'd need to keep the wheels of progress moving to keep society and economies progressing, no nation would want to fall behind the curve.

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

With what connections? You need connections with the local underground to find runners, and an Infinity agent is going to smell like a cop from a mile away to runners (and you should have a massive familiarity penalty to Streetwise because you are not familiar with the local culture or the local criminal scene). At best, the runners will avoid you. At worst, they will kill you and sell your nice health organs to organleggers.

I think this is more of a timing element, so this isn't a quick payback scenario - once discovered Infinity has to keep an eye on the Worldline, so it can do so through remote means or personnel.

The cyberworld TL could be TL9+1 in programming and bio/cybertech which is of interest, if HL has progressed to TL 9 in these areas then its a single TL leap if theses areas are TL10 and if their developers are more human than machine of interest.

It would be a case of establishing cover IDs, uttilising undercover Scouts or Patrol who lean more to criminal than cop, ingratiating themselves with Nomad groups, money laundering outworld gold into cyberworld currency, developing the rep and then starting the runs.

If you think about it Merlin had the same challenge with infiltrating Georgia Bush into Homeline without her being able to use magic on HL (that we know of) and managed it undetected.