| Pages: [1] :: one page |
| Author |
Thread Statistics | Show CCP posts - 0 post(s) |
Tarminic
Forsaken Resistance
The Last Stand
   |
Posted - 2008.01.12 17:28:00 -
[1]
In my bacteria-addled state, I've been doing a lot of thinking. Not because I'm particularly introspective, but because when I'm thinking, I'm generally not coughing or focusing on the fact that my entire body is in a state of immunological disrepair. So, onwards!
After playing through some of portal and watching the rest of it on Youtube, I'm actually very interested in the kind of technology present in it and the Aperture Science corporation. I have several theories.
Aperture Science
I don't think that the original goal of Aperture Science's flagship program was interested in creating large portals in the first place. In fact, I believe that much of the known backstory of the Aperture Science is falsified. In fact, I believe that the "portal gun" was developed almost entirely by accident. Why, you ask? Allow me to explain.
1. Since when does the pentagon or military-industrial corporations give themselves straightforward names like "Aperture Science?" The Manhattan Project wasn't called the "Nuclear Bomb Deployment" project, after all.
2. Given that their primary field of research was supposedly developing portals, how was it that they just HAPPENED to have the most advanced artificial intelligence system in the known Half-Life 2 Universe? More importantly, what would they actually NEED it for? Anything it's tasked with, such as guiding the test subjects, can be done just as well by a normal human.
My Theory
Much of Aperture Science's actual history has been falsified, as is their initial intent. I believe that the original intention of the Aperture Science Labs was to create cutting-edge battlefield artificial intelligence. Their development of large portals was done almost by accident. How could one "accidentally" develop quantom portals, you ask?
Remember, when fighting Gladus, that you had to remove individual spheres, all of which behaved distinctly? I think that this was one of the primary aspects of the AI they were developing. Gladus's behavior could be altered dramatically simply by attaching or removing these different AI spheres. Based on that there appear to be several different types of spheres, or cores:
-Logic (blue)
-Morality (purple)
-Red (aggression)
-Orange (not sure really...)
Obviously the design GlaDOS's AI, while interesting, was horribly flawed to begin with, as the Logic node seems obsessed with making cake - perhaps a disgruntled/over-curious employee wanted to see if it could "optimize" a cake recipe? That may have caused it's malfunction to begin with, for all we know. The fact that the "morality" core was added after GlaDOS flooded the facility with a neurotoxin also suggests this.
So why was GlaDOS managing the entire facility? I believe bad management was to blame here, the same kind that you find in software development during "crunch times." Clearly Aperture Science needed something to impress their DoD stockholders and installed the AI into the facility as a way to gain more funding. This would obviously prove to be a fatal mistake.
What does this have to do with portals?
Good question! Remember how I said that this AI would most likely be used for military operations (as indicated by the presence of an "aggression" core)? Well obviously they wanted this AI to be very resilient in the face of enemy anti-tank weapons. I believe that, as GlaDOS states, all Aperture Science equipment is operational up to 4000 degrees kelvin, the connections between AI nodes were not. Wireless communication would be too limited by bandwidth, and if one of the cores were jammed then the AI's behavior would begin to degrade (GlaDOS, for example). So what method of transmitting data could continue to function should a core by physically separated from it's parent structure, and be immune to wireless jamming?
Portals.
----------------
Tarminic - 31 Million SP in Forum Warfare
Play EVE: Downtime Madness v0.78.2 |
Tarminic
Forsaken Resistance
The Last Stand
|
Posted - 2008.01.12 17:33:00 -
[2]
How did this lead to the portal gun, you ask? Another good question!
The original "portals" were extremely small in scale, so they used very little in the way of energy to create and maintain. They would act as fiber-optic connections between AI nodes and allow them to continue to operate if they were separated from the parent AI structure. This is why, when fighting GlaDOS, you could not simply remove the different AI nodes, you had to physically incinerate them. I imagine that they discovered, almost entirely by accident, that portals of a much larger size could be created given the appropriate power source (the origins of said power source? I have no idea). Thus, as an off-shoot of their primary program and a fascinating coincidence, the Portal Gun was created.
And those sentry gun things?
It's obvious that those were early prototypes of the Gladus AI that had been retrofitted for testing. They obviously contained all the appropriate nodes, including the morality nodes, but it appears that parts of them were "turned off" in their programming. That's why they shoot at you and then apologize for it.
Other signs of bad management at A.S.
There are several other instances of commands or responses being "hard-coded" into GlaDOS, primarily the statement she makes regarding "Android Hell." Clearly there's no programming logic to determine if the test subject she is speaking to is actually an android or not.
----------------
Tarminic - 31 Million SP in Forum Warfare
Play EVE: Downtime Madness v0.78.2 |
Cmdr Sy
Appetite 4 Destruction
|
Posted - 2008.01.12 17:42:00 -
[3]
Interesting stuff.
You know what is 'taking portal too seriously' though?
This. 
EVE CCG Trinity Booster
|
Orgos Khenn
Minmatar
|
Posted - 2008.01.12 17:46:00 -
[4]
 Originally by: Cmdr Sy
Interesting stuff.
You know what is 'taking portal too seriously' though?
This.
...I think...I just saw god.
|
Micheal Dietrich
Caldari
The Delta Source
Dread Sovereign
|
Posted - 2008.01.12 17:48:00 -
[5]
You know someone on the forums is gonna buy one now.
I had fun with the sentry's myself. I liked using a companion cube for a body shield and just run up on them.
|
Kirjava
Lothian Quay Industries
Zzz
|
Posted - 2008.01.12 19:16:00 -
[6]
Tar, that is taking it far, far too seriously.
The "bring your daughter to work day" was mentioned, and the main charecter is a female in early 30s, hypothoses - she was brought to work, and as Gladros morality core was fitted after releasing neurotoxins, this indicates survivors who found shelter.
Ergo, she was unconscious for the 20 year gap, hence an 11yr old girl being enticed into doing work by being offered cake as a reward.
Apeture Science was a private company, perhaps they simply build Gladros to get a combined sentient perspective in tandem with the processing power of a Mainframe. Possibility that Gladros released "deadly neurotoxins" which compromised circuits leading to advanced reasoning leading to insanity and dedication to the original goal - build portal generator and prove it works.
A Private company dedicated to creating such a portal generator would probably be a factor in the naming, a director picks up a Thesaurus and see's Portal: Gateway, Apeture.
~Nyron
Originally by: Minerva Vulcan
But poor victimized Ulf...I weep lavender scented tears for you.
|
Crumplecorn
Gallente
Eve Cluster Explorations
|
Posted - 2008.01.12 19:46:00 -
[7]
The portals followed on from the shower curtains.
-
DesuSigs |
Blane Xero
Amarr
The Firestorm Elite
|
Posted - 2008.01.12 21:37:00 -
[8]
Orange is Curiosity, hence the "hey, where are you, where did you go, are you coming back, oh your the lady from the test" stuff
My favourite bit is when she tries to kill you, and if you survive she says "haha, you actually though i was going to kill you, well you passed the real test" blada blada bla and there is one bit where she goes " i was like - Now oyu die - and you where like - NOWAI!" had me in fits of laughter....
Welcome to EvE |
Sister Impotentata
Elite Angels Of Death
|
Posted - 2008.01.12 22:26:00 -
[9]
DXM is truly damaging in quantity, and besides, it ain't that good a trip anyway. Come back safe, man.
-----
TANSTAAFL
Originally by: Professor Falken
What you see here on these screens is a fantasy, a computer-enhanced hallucination! Those blips are not real missiles, they're phantoms!
|
Tarminic
Forsaken Resistance
The Last Stand
|
Posted - 2008.01.13 01:06:00 -
[10]
Originally by: Sister Impotentata
DXM is truly damaging in quantity, and besides, it ain't that good a trip anyway. Come back safe, man.
I am high on bacteria! Good times! *pukes*
----------------
Tarminic - 31 Million SP in Forum Warfare
Play EVE: Downtime Madness v0.78.2 |
Surfin's PlunderBunny
Minmatar
mUfFiN fAcToRy
Sex Panthers
|
Posted - 2008.01.13 01:25:00 -
[11]
You know the best cure for bacteria... a virus 
Originally by: Tarminic
Okay, that's it. You are on the KOS list, and you better pray that I don't have access to a locater agent. 
|
Imperator Jora'h
|
Posted - 2008.01.13 04:46:00 -
[12]
Actually I think Portal takes place as a sort of prequel to Half Life-I. The story goes that both Black Mesa and Aperture Science were competing to produce Portal technology. Of course we all know that Black Mesa's efforts went horribly awry when the G-Man orchestrates the resonance cascade that opens a portal between Earth and Xen.
So, nothing weird here. Simply two companies developing the same technology at the same time.
As for the name this was not of the same order as the Manhattan Project. And Aperture Science could be making cameras or artificial rectums for all the name tells you.
|
corroded
|
Posted - 2008.01.13 04:58:00 -
[13]
did you stop to read the slides in the "black mesa room"?
(on the way to the first rocket-bot)
shows that black mesa funding was at rock bottom, whilst projected funding for aperture was through the roof.
well.. it didnt really turn out that way later, did it?
mostly due to the player messing up the facility perhaps.
|
Dark Shikari
Caldari
Sharks With Frickin' Laser Beams
Mercenary Coalition
|
Posted - 2008.01.13 05:03:00 -
[14]
Originally by: corroded
did you stop to read the slides in the "black mesa room"?
(on the way to the first rocket-bot)
shows that black mesa funding was at rock bottom, whilst projected funding for aperture was through the roof.
No... it showed the exact opposite. Aperture Science had made far more requests for funding, yet gotten drastically less than Black Mesa.
|
Amarria Black
Clan Anthraxx
|
Posted - 2008.01.13 05:45:00 -
[15]
Originally by: Sister Impotentata
DXM is truly damaging in quantity, and besides, it ain't that good a trip anyway. Come back safe, man.
/derail
The quantity of DXM needed to do lasting damage to ones organs (beyond the inability to metabolize DXO, whoopidy doo) is a few orders of magnitude larger than the amount needed to have full out-of-body disassociation. Assuming you're ingesting it by way of cough syrup, you'd need to be drinking it by the gallon.
Originally by: Frug
Your reputation has been entirely redeemed in my eyes. I now want your babies.
|
Komen
Gallente
Trinity Nova
|
Posted - 2008.01.13 09:34:00 -
[16]
Someone beat me to it, but orange is the curiosity sphere, the drive to learn and acquire data, I suppose.
Red is, of course, aggression, which would support your theory that GlaDOS is the result of battle AI research.
On a side note, I was amused that the sphere that recites cake recipe has an 'iris' that is dilated, much like a person who has ingested hallucinogens, and speaks in a dreamy, deadened voice. Not sure what that signifies, other than the dev team's sense of humor.
___________________________________
Wielder of the Trout of Doom(tm)!
___________________________________
|
James Swindle
Caldari
Caldari Provisions
|
Posted - 2008.01.13 12:13:00 -
[17]
Where do you get all this background information from???
|
Kirjava
Lothian Quay Industries
Zzz
|
Posted - 2008.01.13 12:14:00 -
[18]
Originally by: James Swindle
Where do you get all this background information from???
Wikipedia for some bits based on Half Life series so far, the rest he made up.
~Nyron
Originally by: Minerva Vulcan
But poor victimized Ulf...I weep lavender scented tears for you.
|
Kazuma Saruwatari
|
Posted - 2008.01.13 12:21:00 -
[19]
this is why I hate being very sick so as to be bed-ridden and become out-of-touch with reality.
Last time this happened, I was in a hospital bed getting over dengue (look it up, it isnt funny catching it) and I had a dream-hallucination in the night of a clown, a rat, and a ninja.
TBQH, I cant remember the details myself, but when I try to remember them, I get the really bad feeling that I shouldnt
-
Odd Pod Out, a blog of EVE Online |
Doctor Fruitloop
|
Posted - 2008.01.13 12:42:00 -
[20]
Originally by: Kazuma Saruwatari
TBQH, I cant remember the details myself, but when I try to remember them, I get the really bad feeling that I shouldnt
Tell me about it, last time it happened to me I was concinced I was at one of ******'s ralleys, but I kept objecting by saying things like "thats not very nice is it?" and "what did they do to you" with everyone around me grumbling in agreement.
What does it say about my mental state when I have a fever and I dream of lecturing ****** and ultimatly telling him to get laid and relax 
Originally by: me bored
The only bad thing about pokemon is what a frustratingly terrible trainer ash is. Can you believe that he actually tried to use a caterpie to catch a flying type pokemon? What a noob. |
corroded
|
Posted - 2008.01.13 12:49:00 -
[21]
Originally by: Dark Shikari
Originally by: corroded
did you stop to read the slides in the "black mesa room"?
(on the way to the first rocket-bot)
shows that black mesa funding was at rock bottom, whilst projected funding for aperture was through the roof.
No... it showed the exact opposite. Aperture Science had made far more requests for funding, yet gotten drastically less than Black Mesa.
ah, my bad :P
|
Shiipo
Caldari
Dangerous Trades
|
Posted - 2008.01.13 12:52:00 -
[22]
Originally by: Dark Shikari
Originally by: corroded
did you stop to read the slides in the "black mesa room"?
(on the way to the first rocket-bot)
shows that black mesa funding was at rock bottom, whilst projected funding for aperture was through the roof.
No... it showed the exact opposite. Aperture Science had made far more requests for funding, yet gotten drastically less than Black Mesa.
huh?
I read it as a comparison of requested and approved patent applications...
|
| |
|
| Pages: [1] :: one page |
| First page | Previous page | Next page | Last page |