Preparing a Heist (part 2)

When I began designing this mission, the first thing I realized was how vital it was for me to have a clear idea of the bank layout. Rather than try to write from a visualization, I immediately began to work on a map of the bank. This was no easy task, as it was difficult to get much detail online about actual bank floor plans (I wonder why? ;) I managed to find some information, and after a lot of investigating, I came up with a floor plan for a bank that felt realistic and practical. Each area had a specific function, and the design also enhanced the opportunities the players would have for sneaking around during the heist. In the mission itself, there will be a smaller, single page map of the entire bank for reference, and four separate, full page quarters of the bank for printing and immediate battle-map use.

Preparing a Heist (part 1)

Sometimes I'm great at keeping secrets, but in this case not so much--I'm in the process of writing a new mission for Solar Echoes called “The Heist Stratagem,” which I'm hoping to finish before the weekend sci-fi convention at Farpoint. Farpoint gamers will be the very first to try this new mission, beta-testing it before I publish and release it soon after. Without giving away too much of the story, I will say that the players' team is going to get caught up in the middle of a bank heist, and as undercover operatives, it is their mission to achieve their secret mission goals while simultaneously thwarting the heist. More details to come...

Alien Theory (part 5)

However, many believe that aliens are here, either visiting earth or already living among us. The increasing number of UFO sightings in recent years (which probably have nothing to do with the ease of using special effects and personal drones to create convincing Youtube videos) suggest that the aliens are becoming far more comfortable with us knowing they are here. It is suspected that people in our government already know the truth, and some believe they are withholding evidence so as not to cause mass panic (if the 1938 Orson Welles fake radio broadcast of “War of the Worlds” is any indication, people will indeed panic and commit suicide for fear of an alien invasion.) It isn't a stretch to believe that our government would lie to us--there's already plenty of history there--but is evidence of an alien crash in Roswell really being hidden in Area 51? One day it might be announced that aliens actually live among us, visit our planet on occasion, or have made contact. But if that day never comes and we are alone in the universe, it certainly doesn't hurt to wonder and imagine—that's the stuff that makes great sci-fi!

Alien Theory (part 4)

The so-called Fermi Paradox (Hart-Tipler argument) is another theory that addresses the question, Why haven't we discovered alien life? The theory highlights the contradiction between the high estimates of probability for the existence of alien life and the total lack of evidence for it. The tenets of the theory state that our sun is a common star, and there are billions of stars in the galaxy. With high probability, some of these stars will have Earth-like planets, and it would stand to reason that some of these planets would therefore develop intelligent life. Some of these civilizations would develop interstellar travel (which we Earthlings are currently developing.) Even if we consider that developing interstellar travel is likely to be slow, our galaxy could be completely explored in about a million years. When considering all this, some have pointed out that we have no convincing evidence of aliens, nor any signs of alien intelligence anywhere in the universe. The famous question essentially sums up the theory: “Where is everybody?” The “Fermi Paradox” indicates that, due to a total absence of evidence, it can be concluded that aliens don't exist.

Alien Theory (part 3)

Another theory to explain the absence of alien contact so far is that, if they ever did exist, they are all now extinct. Considering the volatile process for a planet to become habitable, it is very unlikely that microbes and other forms of life could have existed long enough or be plentiful enough that they could help balance the process. Life on a planet actually regulates greenhouse gases such as water and carbon dioxide, but without it, surface temperatures would be too volatile to support life for very long because most early planetary environments are unstable. Sudden and erratic heating and cooling on young planets would make it difficult for early life to survive and flourish. This delicate window of time is just one of the many factors that makes life on another planet very, very unlikely, even if they have habitable environments.

Alien Theory (part 2)

One theory explains that alien life is probably so far advanced from our own that aliens would have no desire to contact us. It wouldn't be difficult for an advanced alien race to mask their presence, considering our very primitive methods of looking and listening. They are probably much more concerned with their own affairs, and it's not hard to imagine that such an advanced race would look at Earth and quickly lose interest, considering all of the diseases, wars, and depletion of natural resources we have here on our home planet. What do we really have to offer an advanced alien race?

Alien Theory (part 1)

Do aliens exist? Why aren't we certain? With fairly recent discoveries like the star, KIC8462852, which blinks in and out at such irregular intervals that scientists are suspecting alien activity, we still lack definitive proof that alien life exists. There are a number of theories to explain this, and though some people are convinced they have seen UFO's in the sky or have been abducted by aliens, these people are still considered fringe groups with large imaginations. It's difficult, though, to look out at the billions of stars and to think that we really are all alone. If we're not alone in the universe, though, why haven't we had contact with aliens yet?...