Furscape MUCK

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====== Here There Be Banhammers ======
The general rule of thumb in Furscape is that if something exists somewhere in a laboratory today, in real life, then it's probably widely available in Furscape's setting.  However, some technologies are highly restricted for political reasons.  Many of our colony worlds are basically frontier settings where [[recom]]s are trying to carve a civilization out of the wilderness, and advanced technology is not always readily available.

The other thing to recognize is that we strive towards a hard science fiction theme.  This means that we avoid technology which defies the known laws of science, or for which a plausible explanation is not available.  (There are a few exceptions, but those are mostly related to space flight.)  We don't want Furscape to turn into Star Wars or Star Trek.  So, here's a list of technology that will never work. . .

  * teleportation (transporters, transmats)
  * matter replicators, holodecks
  * antigravity or artificial gravity fields
  * psionics (telepathy, telekinesis, "The Force", etc.)
  * rapid shape-shifting
  * time travel (sorry, Dr. Who & Back to the Future fans!)

====== Restricted Technology ======
There are also technologies that can work in our setting but are not generally available for various reasons.  In every instance, approval of any of the following technologies requires a @wizlog entry for the character requesting access. As a general rule exemptions are NOT granted for the following:

===== Advanced Nanotechnology =====  
Since the [[Earth]] was made uninhabitable and most of humanity wiped out with nanotech-based weapons in the [[history_introduction#the_apocalypse war|Apocalypse War]], research and deployment of [[nanotechnology]] has been highly restricted.  Some exceptions have been made for medical research, but much of what was available on Earth is no longer allowed.

===== Nuclear Fission =====  
Atomic weapons were also used heavily in the Apocalypse War.  Recom society is now powered mostly from polywell fusion reactors which neither use nor produce fissile material.  Development and deployment of nuclear weapons has been banned.

===== "Lost" Earth Technology =====  
Before the Apocalypse War, advanced nanotechnology produced a lot of amazing things.  A lot of that knowledge was lost and has never been fully recreated.  Some artifacts have occasionally been scavenged from Earth or from other parts of Sol System.

===== Compact AI =====  
We have [[artificial intelligence]], but the computers required are the size of a deep freeze and larger.  Robotic motiles are controlled remotely.  In theory it could be possible to create a fully self-contained robot, but making the computer "brain" small and efficient enough would require the use of advanced nanotechnology -- which itself is highly restricted.

| [[devik|{{http://www.trmichels.com/WolfHeadStare3310.jpg?75x75|Computers rule!}}]]| //Devik Sez: Only the most "basic" AIs such as those you'd find operating a smaller ship or performing other relatively simple tasks (for an AI) would be roughly this small scale. AIs for scientific, military, R&D, and large ship operations (think class 3 and bigger) will be considerably larger, perhaps even occupying several stories in a building when all cooling, power, and other support systems are taken into consideration.// |

===== Jump Drive =====  
All interstellar travel is done through fixed jumpgates.  Scientists have long speculated about the possibility of putting a generator on a ship so that it could produce its own jump point to hyperspace, but they just haven't figured out how to do it -- yet.

===== Alien Technology =====  
We know there are alien civilizations out there, and we've had limited contact with them.  Also, some of them may have left artifacts on our colony worlds.  They may have technologies that recoms are unfamiliar with.  For existing alien characters, access to different-but-equivalent technologies may be granted via RP Staff.

===== Handheld Energy Weapons =====
Lasers, phasers, blasters, plasma guns, lightsabers, ACME disintegration pistols and the like are not considered in-theme for a number of reasons. Energy storage is the biggest, but efficiently converting that stored energy into a beam or blade that can cause physical damage is another.  The sole exception to this rule is the [[https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Electrolaser|electrolaser]], and electrolasers are, as a general rule, restricted to law enforcement or military personnel.
 
===== Cybernetics =====
At this point in time, the only types of [[cybernetics]] allowed are artificial limbs, some artificial internal organs, and sensory neuroprosthetics such as eyes and ears.  Organic systems can be replaced with artificial systems on a one-for-one basis.  While these artificial systems can and sometimes do function at a significant percentage of the original organic system's capability, the technology to provide a perfect, 100% artificial replacement does not currently exist.  Players seeking a "like original" solution are encouraged to consider autologous cloned replacement parts, and are reminded that "metal is not better than meat, just different".  Some examples of verboten cybertech (and this is //not// an all-inclusive list!) are __Shadowrun__-style neural jacks for computer or vehicle operation, brain-boosters (enhanced processing), memory implants (chipjacks, internal storage, et cetera), and __Neuromancer__-style compact "tiara" non-invasive electrode neural interfaces.