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--- interceptions_and_encounters [2025/09/23 14:48] – ultracomfy
+++ interceptions_and_encounters [2025/09/23 15:34] (current) – ultracomfy
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 <WRAP centeralign>Mechanics/\\
 <fs xx-large>Interceptions and Encounters</fs></WRAP>
-This page is the beginning of a three-part piece on how conversation and social interaction works in my brain. It is loosely based on the system from the 2017 video game "The Long Journey Home", in which the player has control over a human expedition spacecraft. Over the course of the journey, the player will make contact with other, spacefaring, lifeforms. In normal play, the game gives the player a camera perspective that shows the current star system around the player's ship, but if an alien comes close, the player can choose to "ping", or to "intercept" that alien's spacecraft. The game is paused and the camera then zooms in to a scale at which both spacecraft can be properly scene. That's an "encounter", because this is now two (or more) spacecraft encountering each other. To communicate, the player now uses a device called [[TRANSCOM]], which translates the player's intent into alien language and translates alien language into something the human can read. The player can freely choose what to say given the vocabulary the player has, and the choice over that is modeled by the [[Comms Engine]].
+<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 communication can happen, we need to establish //contact//, and this is done through what the game calls an "Interception".
+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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 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]]