What if there was holodecks as common tech

[saadus]

Lord of the Rings, but in many episodes of course. Can you imagine what that would be like?

 

You sir...just made my imagination explode with glorious epicness.

[Thedragonemperor]

Star Trek always painted a very pretty picture of the universe, but then you have to think what would actually happen if there was actual holodecks. A lot of series have approached the idea differently, but the results always seem the same. When you can create a reality that's better than your own, why would you every try to go back to the real world? I mean, you could have anything in that holodeck. The perfect family, the perfect woman, adventures that could never begin to happen otherwise. It just seems like something you would never leave.

 

Maybe I'm over thinking it, but it stinks of "this technology would spell doom for any society".

[Vindekarr]

I think we'll need some sort of holodeck-like force feedback system for driving/racing games to advance any further. Realistic though Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport are, I've actually driven a real racing car, and I can tell you, they only give about 10% of the experience. A special chair is needed at the very least.

 

When you're in a race car, in real life, even a Group N machine, it's a full body experience. Every bone in your body vibrates, the interior's always blazing hot because of a lack of air conditioning, your right knee is in semi-permanent torture because the gearbox is running too hot. Whenever you change gears, the whole machine jerks enough to throw you in your seat. The gearbox shrieks like a banshee in a cage and the engine's so loud, and vibrates so forcefully, that it feels like there's a demon trying to escape from under the hood. It's an almost indescribably violent sensation, and despite the violence of it, you feel like you're part of the car. You can feel every tiny irregularity in the road, feel the grip of the tyres-it's like you're hardwired into the machine. THAT, THAT is what I think holodecks would give to car games. That amazing, unique feeling.

 

This gives you some idea of the violence, but not the sound. Unless you've been in/near an actual race car, you have no idea just how astoundingly loud they are. Frighteningly loud, something in human instinct doesn't like noises that loud. Or just how hard they shake, judder and rattle-they really do throw you around in your seat, especialy on gear changes. Edited September 1, 2012 by Vindekarr

[Deleted1848331User]

Have to agree with Vagrant on this one... I can't deny that would be one of the first things I would do.

 

Other than that. Assassin's Creed! Come on, who doesn't want to jump through the cities of Italy, the Middle East, or the trees in America (back when there were still trees like that of course....) and then be this awesome guy who can just take down hundreds of guys without getting tired or run forever (basically forever). That and I'd feel like a bamf the entire time.

 

Or Pokemon.

 

Or The Legend of Zelda.

 

Hell, even Mario.

 

Let's just add pretty much every Nintendo franchise to my list.

[flamenx01]

The main problem with holodecks in start trek is that they always malfunctioned and people always ended up trapped in them with evil holograms trying to kill them. :ohdear:

[Vagrant0]

The main problem with holodecks in start trek is that they always malfunctioned and people always ended up trapped in them with evil holograms trying to kill them. :ohdear:

Which is why sex games would be the best way to go... As long as it isn't one of those gory ones with bad endings, or NTR, you're looking at win no matter what since the characters tend to either be paper thin, based on moe, or atleast not very aware of the situation. Just avoid the Yandere. :thumbsup:

 

 

Star Trek always painted a very pretty picture of the universe, but then you have to think what would actually happen if there was actual holodecks. A lot of series have approached the idea differently, but the results always seem the same. When you can create a reality that's better than your own, why would you every try to go back to the real world? I mean, you could have anything in that holodeck. The perfect family, the perfect woman, adventures that could never begin to happen otherwise. It just seems like something you would never leave.

 

Maybe I'm over thinking it, but it stinks of "this technology would spell doom for any society".

It would be doom, plain and simple...

 

The only reason why it works in Startrek deals primarily with all that stuff about Startrek that is plainly obvious, but few really admit. For one, you have what is essentially a vast dystopian society who is so bored and disgusted with what they have that they would cram their best and brightest scientists and officers onto a ship in search of strange new worlds (and subsequently something novel). . Meaning that not only has the creative process among humanity gone so totally stagnant that they are more interested in works from Shakespeare to Agatha Christie than anything which might be from their own century, but that they've also gotten bored of, or simply can't find any appeal in any of those creative works from other species (With Klingon Opera... who can blame them). This is why most of the crew don't get too attached with holodeck simulations (aside from those members of crew who really don't get enough personal contact)... They've pretty much all been there thousands of times before, and the vastness of space and whatever new, wondrous alien thing on the horizon is much more interesting. That, and the risks of the holodeck malfunctioning 1 out of 6 times helps thin out the population of those who might get addicted.

 

 

Arguably this is better than the Whovian explanation for humanity's expansion across the stars.

 

To boldly go and shag species nobody has shagged before, and even some that have, because sex is really the only thing left living for.

 

[Maharg67]

Holodecks would be great for educational purposes. I would love to use one to assist me to learn many things from basic maintenance to improving my art skills to much else. That way what I do in the holodecks could actually improve my life outside of the holodecks.

 

My greatest addiction might be to create a world which is basically like my own but where I get to 'have' any woman I want, to beat up the bad boss, to race crazy with a hundred police cars chasing me and so on.

 

Other than that, Tomb Raider! Question is do I want to be a man or a woman?

[Vindekarr]

I totally agree Maharg, and I can thinking of some ways it could have enormous potential in some professions too.

 

I'm a mechanic. I've experience, training, experienced co-workers, complex diagnostic tools and common sense on my side, but when a car comes in and needs repairing-much like being a doctor-diagnosing the patient isn't straight forward, because like a doctor I can't neccessarily just look in and see the cause of the problem. There's a lot of "exploratory surgery" in our line of work, as even with advanced diagnostic systems working out exactly what's wrong isn't straight forward. Take a misfire for example-that could be caused by the electrics, the ECU, the carb(s)/injectors, physical engine block damage, or a number of other things.

 

Now, if I could make a 3-D scan of the car, and then convert that into a manipulable hologram, it would make my job a lot easier. It's the same thing for doctors-imagine if a doctor could make a life-sized hologram of their patient based on scans-how many misdiagnoses and medical accidents that would prevent-and how many lives it could save or improve. Or as a tool for teaching doctors and engineers of all kinds. I learned my trade pulling apart junkers and making hotrods at tech school, it would save governments hundreds of thousands, if not millions, on education every year if trade and medical schools could use holodecks rather than buying a stream of ruined cars and expensive dummies.

[Vagrant0]

Now, if I could make a 3-D scan of the car, and then convert that into a manipulable hologram,

Except that such information would not necessarily tell you more than existing diagnostic equipment unless those scans were perfect. For medical use, this would have to be something with the fidelity to determine one type of tissue from a slightly different type with 100% accuracy. Such a machine also couldn't work to try and extrapolate data (like the holodeck works in the series) since these extrapolations may be incorrect when the data is ambiguous. Our imaging technology just isn't good enough on that end of things, and probably couldn't ever be without exposing that person to a variety of harmful radiation.

[Maharg67]

Now, if I could make a 3-D scan of the car, and then convert that into a manipulable hologram,

Except that such information would not necessarily tell you more than existing diagnostic equipment unless those scans were perfect. For medical use, this would have to be something with the fidelity to determine one type of tissue from a slightly different type with 100% accuracy. Such a machine also couldn't work to try and extrapolate data (like the holodeck works in the series) since these extrapolations may be incorrect when the data is ambiguous. Our imaging technology just isn't good enough on that end of things, and probably couldn't ever be without exposing that person to a variety of harmful radiation.

 

@Vagrant0

 

I started this topic with the suggestion that 'if holodeck technologies' were available but I did not assume it would be exactly like in the Star Trek Series or movies. I also figured that if the holodeck technologies were available, then so would many others at around the same level. They would have to be for the holodecks to function properly. No such technologies exist in a vacuum. To have working cars you need far more technologies than just the working cars. That would make Vindekarr's point more valid as the holodecks would be working with more advanced forms of scanners, sensors, etc. that would be far less harmful. It is too easy to be cynical and paint it as being practical. Practical is good, cynicism often impedes progress, good ideas. Good practical is being open to new ideas but being careful to pick out the fool's gold from the gold.

 

The quote you have at the bottom starts out good. Ideas are no good with out drive, with out skill, with out lots of stuff like that. Yet some of those 'million dollar ideas' have not only turned out to be good, they have made millions of dollars. This goes for games as for everything else. We always need new, fresh ideas even if finding the genuine thing is often like finding a single piece of straw in a whole lot of hay.

 

PS: another game to be played in a holodeck would be Eve On Line where you move around small spaceships, stations and otherwise interact with a galaxy in front of you.

Edited September 4, 2012 by Maharg67