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--- interceptions_and_encounters [2025/09/23 14:32] – created ultracomfy
+++ interceptions_and_encounters [2025/09/23 15:34] (current) – ultracomfy
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-Interceptions and Encounters
+<WRAP column 18% right>
-[[The Long Journey Home]] is an interesting beast. The way it models communication and interaction is very systemic, which allows for a very discrete and direct understanding of inter-individual dynamics. It mostly skips out on the subtleties and details that makes "true" human interaction so difficult to define. [[TRANSCOM]] deals with the communication side of this and explores how I think my brain works internally, but it is only one third of the equation.
+{{page>Templates:Systems}}
+</WRAP>
-Before communication can happen, we need to establish //contact//, and this is done through what the game calls an "Interception".
+~~Title:Interceptions and Encounters~~
+<WRAP centeralign>Mechanics/\\
+<fs xx-large>Interceptions and Encounters</fs></WRAP>
+<WRAP box>
+In my brain, communication is explained through three things:
+  - The mechanics are described through [[Interceptions and Encounters]]. Intercepting gets us into an Encounter, which is how a conversation starts, runs, and ends.\\
+  - [[TRANSCOM]] is the interface my brain uses to converse. It decodes speech into thoughts and ideas, and it encodes thoughts and ideas into speech. Coarsely, but it sometimes gets the job done.\\
+  - Finally, there is the [[Comms Engine]]. The Comms Engine is what my brain uses to decide what to say. It is essentially a chess engine for conversation.
+This is the first part of the series. If you're reading this for the first time, you are encouraged to read the pages in order (this is the correct page to start with).
+</WRAP>
+====== Introduction ======
+Before any communication can happen, we need to establish //contact//, and this is done through what the game calls an "Interception".
-So, most of our day we spend our time roaming. We probably have things to do, we might be sitting at work, we might be walking to the grocery store, we might be sitting at home listening to music. Either way, we are basically just "out there" and open for anyone to engage us (regardless of whether we //want// to be intercepted). So you're out there minding your business, whatever that is, and suddenly someone talks to you - Interception. Anyone in range can, at any moment, reach out to you ("intercept you", either by talking to you directly, or by calling you by phone, etc.) and pull you into what is known as an "Encounter". An Interception is a means to trigger an Encounter.
+So, most of our day we spend our time roaming. We probably have things to do, we might be sitting at work, we might be walking to the grocery store, we might be sitting at home listening to music. Either way, we are basically just "out there" and open for anyone to engage us (regardless of whether we //want// to be intercepted). So you're out there minding your business, whatever that is, and suddenly someone talks to you - Interception. Anyone in range can, at any moment, reach out to you ("intercept you", either by talking to you directly, or by calling you by phone, etc., there are different ways to call it: ping, hail, intercept, etc.) and pull you into what is known as an "Encounter". An Interception is a means to trigger an Encounter.
 An Encounter is a discrete social situation that an individual is part of. This means that once at least one side has established contact, this is now a distinct "situation". It is probably best thought of as a "room" with all the participants. Even if right next to you, even if at the end of the hallway 100m away from you, even if present by phone or voice chat - everyone you are directly interacting with is "in" your Encounter.
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 Additionally, physical fights happen inside of Encounters. Any direct, physical or social interaction is an Encounter, as long as it is intentional. Unintentional physical or social contact are not Interceptions, so they don't cause Encounters - BUT they can often lead to the other person triggering an Interception because they think it //was// intentional. But, for example, if you are working with another person in a small space, unintentional physical or social contact can happen unintentionally and therefore does not constitute an Interception((Then again, whether you want to consider the whole ordeal to be one large Encounter is up for interpretation.)).
-  - The primary insight the Interception & Encounter system works off of is the distinction between //Roaming// and //Encounters//. We transition between them using //Interceptions//.
+  - The primary insight the Interception & Encounter which the system works off of is the distinction between //Roaming// and //Encounters//. We transition between them using //Interceptions//.
   - Next it is important to understand that an Encounter means any intentional social or physical interaction, regardless of physical distance.
   - Your Interception range is not limited solely to how far you can yell. You can intercept people by phone, computer or any other system that immediately grabs the recipient's attention.
-########################### Digital Communication
+====== Digital Communication ======
 This is, by the way, how computerized encounters are special:\\
 When you call someone, you are //attempting// an Intercept. If the person has their phone off or has it set to Do Not Disturb mode, they may not notice. In that case, the Interception failed. But if a person //does// notice that they are being called, the Interception was successful. At this point, this is now an Encounter, even if the person who is being called can still choose to decline the call - the important part here is that, whatever they do, it is intentional and was the result of choice.
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 Now, obviously you can send messages and Emails with the intent to Intercept, and if the recipient reads the message and knows that this is meant to be an Interception then, yes, even these modes of communication can have Interception. Something like "hey, please call me asap" is an attempt to Intercept in the same way that I said earlier that calling someone can be an attempt to Intercept. The moment that the recipient sees the message "hey, please call me asap", that's a successful Interception. But beyond that, instant messaging and mail are largely Interception-less. Same goes for stuff like letters, ie. physical mail.
-######################################## Other Oddities
+====== Other Oddities ======
 However, especially in the case of instant messengers, Encounters //can// emerge. If you and your recipient happen to be online at the same time and are engaging in synchronous conversation, that is then an Encounter. This can emerge naturally and that makes it a special //Interception-less Encounter//. Ouh, I love that word((Again, discussion can be had if any one of those messages you are sending can be construed to be an Interception, but I do like the argument that if both sides just randomly happen to start messaging each other at the same time, an Encounter can emerge without an Interception.)).
 There are some funny discussions to be had about "what if only one side treats a conversation as synchronous?" (ie. one side is actively at their phone waiting for a response while the other has already put the phone away and only looks at their screen every few minutes), or "how synchronous does a conversation need to be?" (ie. physical mail, letters, are not synchronous, but how fast exactly does a transport medium need to be for synchronous conversation? What about a 1 minute delay? What about 5 or 10 minutes? Does it even matter if both sides //treat// it as synchronous?), but these conversations are not relevant for understanding the primary matter of Interceptions and Encounters.
-######################################## My Interpretations
+====== My Interpretations ======
 Interceptions and Encounters play a part into why I am the way I am.
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 I mean, I don't mind Interceptions in general, but I want people to be respectful with how and when to Intercept people. Like, in the game you do //not// Intercept every alien you see just to say hello to them. Do you realize how much drama that is? Cut Roam thrusters, cruise thrust, synchronize relative speed to target vessel, get close, cut cruise thrust, precision thrust to move into position to whereever you want to be around the alien ship, stop, hail, open TRANSCOM, say your thing. All that just for a "Hi!" in the morning? You gotta be kidding me. You're wasting like one hour of that alien's time for that. I mean, of course this is different if you've never seen that alien before, ie. don't know that alien, and want to find out who they are and maybe introduce yourself. Sure! But beyond that? What brainless drama just for a stupid display of "politeness". Or, even better yet: Hail a ship into standstill, then get mad at them if they don't pick up and instead just try to exit the Encounter. If you've ever tried to greet me in the mornings, were ignored by me and then felt offended - this is you. Better yet, if you make a scene out of that and try to force that Encounter, you have completely lost your marbles. You do not get to dictate when I have an Encounter with you. Whether I respond to being hailed or choose to piss off is my free decision. Imposing societal norms on me that encroach on this freedom by punishing me for making a decision you arbitrarily choose to not like - that's a problem.
+----
+See next: [[TRANSCOM]]\\
+See also: [[Comms Engine]]