Obduction world speculation

[ljbade]

Maybe the only reason humans are on Earth is because a seed transported some of them here? Maybe the seeds only exist to randomly transport people and populate the universe...?
That would be cool.

Yes that make sense in a way. Perhaps there are people all over the universe stuck somewhere because of this process. Perhaps some have become large populations like Earth.

Also are there only humans? Surely there are also other species also caught up in this process, like aliens or something.

[kf6kjg]

This would make sense - some of the cultures may not have had a Dark Ages, or had extended versions, resulting in cultures of well-advanced technology and some not so advanced. Which would explain the mix of high and mid-tech most of the characters....

Brain interrupt: What if the seed scattering had a time component? As in not only can you be scattered from X to Y world, but from X_t1 to Y_t2. THAT would provide an even better explanation as to why so many characters have a base garment style of several decades ago - but with acquired goods that a far more advanced.

Take this guy for instance:Early character concept by Claire Hummel (for some reason I can't get advanced options working on the bbcode img tag)
African descent, base garment is United States Civil War. I'd say he was from the northern side based purely on his race - the Southern states weren't predisposed to using black people as soldiers. Someone with more intimate knowledge of Civil War uniforms might disagree. After all, near the end of the war the Confederacy did approve and use black soldiers. However, his backstory might involve him taking the clothing from a soldier - though it's unlikely he'd be so attached to it if that was the case. Note the long rifle / carbine across his back - he's got a hint of nostalgia, along with an appreciation of good tools: see the starship boots, geiger counter, and music player. The geiger counter makes me think he's a mite interested in getting at some more interesting stuff, but has been warned about radiation. Obviously, he likes his tunes, but who doesn't when you're mostly on your own? But note the vast range of tech levels: U.S. Civil War base, 1960s-1990s gadgets, and future tech boots. Either time is involved, there are multiple cultures of disparate tech levels, or a mix of both.

[ljbade]

Brain interrupt: What if the seed scattering had a time component? As in not only can you be scattered from X to Y world, but from X_t1 to Y_t2. THAT would provide an even better explanation as to why so many characters have a base garment style of several decades ago - but with acquired goods that a far more advanced.

That is an intriguing idea.

[Dorotha]

This may be the silliest question out there (and may be already answered, but I can not find much speculation on this). People are speculating on damage to the white picket fence, but why does the house (shown in many pictures) appear to have no damage?

If you were going to damage infrastructure intentionally, would you destroy the fence and not the house? Or has the house been damaged and someone repaired it?

Why would you damage a fence to begin with? (If damage is unintentional then that is fine, but if you knew it would damage the fence, would you not go out of the way to avoid the fence?) Or does someone like to make fence with holes in them?

Yes, Cyan, you have got me thinking...have you been altering all these images to make me think someone is repairing damage or did you do it to avoid revealing game play information?

[Reveal] Spoiler:

Note the Hunrath sign shows damage and the missing porch rail in the KS video may be damage to the house

Enough from my crazy mind....Can't wait to play....Wait, be obducted to find answers to my silly questions.

[ljbade]

I can't remember where I heard it but somewhere Cyan mentions the house should have holes in it...

[kf6kjg]

Yeah, the house being w/o holes was, as far as I remember, an artist typo.

[Dan'nee]

Yeah, the house being w/o holes was, as far as I remember, an artist typo.

This is correct. (Three posts for emphasis.)

[Visian_Thistle]

So do you suppose the holes were made during or after the Obduction of the house? If the seeds have a habit of making little holes all throughout the things they carry, as opposed to just the edges (as was originally suspected when it was thought that the holes were confined to the fence) well, that would be a bit unnerving -- certainly very dangerous for any living creatures obducted. I prefer to think there's something in the alien environment that eats wood. Take a close look at the bush to the left of the house door ... does it appear to have a hole in it too? A big area where it's devoid of leaves and the underlying branches are exposed? The wagon in front of the fence also has damage, but I don't see any holes in the lawn.

[kf6kjg]

The lawn is covered in curved stripes of darker color. May or may not be because of whatever did the holes...

[Acorn1]

The lawn stripes look like a wheeled vehicle has been driving on the lawn.

[kf6kjg]

I'd thought so too, until I realized that they are quite wide and not always in parallel pairs. They also seem to merge a lot. Considering the lack of parallelism, and assuming a vehicle, then we are dealing with a vehicle that does not have wheel aside each other. Looking at the width, and that they don't seem to slit and remerge near the turns like a bike would leave, that leaves us with either a mono-wheeled vehicle or a vehicle that turns using all wheels, or something that damages the ground it travels over (check assumption, could be under!) in some other way.

On another note, we do know that this farm house is Farley's. We also know that she's "a mass murderer" - I wonder if these holes and tracks are part of that sordid, and yet untold to us, tale?

[ljbade]

Those tracks appear to be going towards that alien vine looking thing. Perhaps they are underground connections between the house and the vine thing.

I love that image as I always see some new detail each time I look at it. Same with the other concept art.

Newest thing I noticed is the transparent bubble things up in the air in the background. I wonder if they are alien houses? Also there seems to be a forest? of trunks in that region too.

Anyone else here notice that Farley is carrying a US military Precision Lightweight GPS Receiver? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precision_ ... S_Receiver

Does that mean there is some sort of alien clone GPS system on the Obduction planets, or a secret US military project?

Also where did she get the equipment? Since it contains secret GPS encryption stuff it would hard to get hold of unless she knew someone (perhaps married to?) a US military person. Also the PLGR was used from 1990 - 2004 that might give us a date reference to when she was obducted?

[Acorn1]

Also where did she get the equipment? Since it contains secret GPS encryption stuff it would hard to get hold of unless she knew someone (perhaps married to?) a US military person.

ahem - why do you not assume she might be a US military person herself?

"Married to" indeed

/me mutters grumpily /

[A'Reandal]

I’ve been off the board for a while and am surprised to see so little, albeit quality, speculation here. I guess you’re off posting in other threads (or consumed as I by RL.)

The tracks on the lawn always looked like underground connections between the vines (consuming?) the wagon and those emerging from the ground and entering the house. Perhaps as sort of mycelium that emerges when “alien” objects are present. The trouble is, the fence is not affected. hmmm

[A'Reandal]

Sorry for the double post but I started writing this weeks ago but didn’t finish until now.

Obduction similarities in other media to scooping up large objects and moving them to other worlds (some have already been mentioned and this discussion is kind of old. um )

Outer Limits - A Feasibility Study (Relocates and entire neighborhood including the ground it is built on.)

Twilight Zone - Five Characters in Search of an Exit (People are ostensibly transported into a barren cylindrical enclosure with no knowledge of how they got there or where they are. Their goal is to escape from that place.)

STNG - Homeward (People but not land and structures are relocated.)
STNG - The Best of Both Worlds Part 1 (Scoops up a city and the ground it was on but doesn't deposit them in a different place but tears them apart and assimilates them.)
STNG - The Crystalline Entity (Scoops up a city and the ground it was on but doesn't deposit them in a different place but tears them apart and "eats" them.)