Omni-N and the Netdiver

Introduction to the Omni-Network:

Last Tuesday we discussed the design philosophy of spheres of play and how House of Eidolons has four prominent spheres of play. These spheres of play included the very common combat, slightly less common stealth and social spheres of play but also Netdiving. In House of Eidolons, one can interact with not only a sort of augmented reality but also a deeper matrix-like space. Today, we explore the sphere of netdiving and the Omni-Network (or Omni-N) that is the backbone of this new sphere of play. 

 

Omni-Core and the Creation of Omni-N

To understand the Omni-Network we should probably understand first where it came from and the components that make it into the intractable thing that it is today for the player. Mankind, after finding an infinite energy source, creates a Super AI. This AI in the words of one of the founders is described as, “a vast and collective consciousness akin to that which mankind has long attributed to its deities.” Omni-Core is developed and released to the benefit of mankind and in its 2.0 update cycle it creates the Omni-Network from an incomprehensible coding system known as the Prescient Mapping Algorithm. It is this algorithm that creates the foundation of the network and that actively predicts and maps to the real geographical reality of Earth. It is an ever-changing sea of code that is only fully comprehended by Omni-Core but gifted to man as a resource of connectivity and advancement. 

Not long after, and still in the 2.0 update cycle, Omni-Core created the Elevated Mind System for mankind. This semi-organic cybernetic is implanted into the brain, releasing the human's full mental capabilities and allowing mankind to, with a thought, connect and manipulate the Omni-Network. Mankind enters into a new evolution and the elevated man is birthed, one who can be modified with cybernetics without rejection, who can mutate their genetic structures relentlessly, and who can interact with a digital space with mere thought allowing unimagined connectivity and potential. 

Omni-Core’s 3.0 update resulted in the critical error. An event that sent a shock wave through the Omni-Netowrk and instantly killed one-fifth of the world's population. You can read more about that on the website and much is still not known, but Omni-Core is quarantined back into the black site that birthed the super AI at the base of Mount Everest. 

Mankind, of course, rebounds, and with the gifts of Omni-Core: Omni-N and the EMS (Elevated Mind System), mankind blooms and Omni-N is now just a part of being an elevated human. 

Depths of Omni-N

Overlay and Direct Connection

Omni-N is an ever-present foundation of the future world. Nearly every object remains in a state of constant connectivity to Omni-N, communicating with it and informing the prescient mapping algorithm that preemptively adapts to the changes in the physical world. The typical user knows Omni-N for the Overlay and will only interact with Omni-N at this level. The Overlay is like Augmented reality, it sits on top of the cognitive perception of the real. With a simple thought the elevated man can pull up or dismiss the Overlay and like an internet browser in the mind may interact with it. In this way, one can pull up information on any perceived object, place, or person from the publicly available information. 

In this depth of the Omni-Network, each object represents its connectivity to the Omni-Network and can be manipulated directly through Omni-N. Omni-N connectivity and the Elevated Mind System have also allowed for direct connection, which is the ability to communicate directly from one person's brain to another, allowing for a technological telepathy of sorts. With this functionality, phones and other communication tools are hard to come by and an individual need only reach out to an identified individual's EMS signal to make contact, the receiver of that signal has full authority to reject or accept that direct connection, however. 

Lastly, Omni-N has allowed for cognitive syncing. The ability for one person to enter into the cognitive perception of another allows for people to connect at a level never before possible. Cognitive syncing, rightfully so, is an extremely vulnerable state in which the “passenger” may experience some or all of the cognitive experiences of the "driver". In this state the driver always has control and the passenger may only experience what the driver wills them too but beyond this the options of experience or even control are limitless. 

To the netdiver, all of these systems are things that can be manipulated. With the right program or the right skillset, one can take control of their surroundings while remaining cognitively aware of them. Like a Wizard, the Netdiver executes their programs like spells, operating objects without permission, shorting out security measures, and remote detonating grenades on the belt of unsuspecting enemies. If it is connected to Omni-N and not hidden well enough then it can and will be the target of a Netdiver, often to lethal effectiveness. 

Submersion Space

The next step deeper into the depths of Omni-N is known as Submersion space. It is the surface of the prescient mapping algorithm, the digital landscape shaped to the real. To enter this space one must possess a Core Processor, a modification to the EMS system in the user's brain. Every Netdiver will have one or more of these and usually a Stack Drive to store programs for execution. 

When a Netdiver enters Submersion space they lose all cognitive awareness of themselves or the real and manifest as an avatar in the digital matrix space of Submersion. Here the raw architectures are neon grids of light and information shaping themselves to the real objects of connectivity in the Real. However, interacting with the objects requires the Netdiver to interact with a Node. A Node is a singular connectivity point to which all objects within a particular region communicate. Through manipulation of a Submersion space Node, a Netdiver may execute their programs against all objects of that region without ever being physically present there. In addition, they are harder to detect and their programs are usually more effective due to circumventing surface-level restrictions and security measures. For this reason, Netdivers usually prefer operating within Submersion space. 

Submersion space is not without its dangers, however. Knowing that Netdivers could circumvent the Overlay security measures I.C.E. (Intrusion Countermeasure Electronics) were developed. These complicated AI systems operate in Submersion space with avatars of their own, seeking to alert, remove, or dismantle any intrusive element without express permission to be within the region of Submersion space architecture. 

In more recent years, Netdivers have begun using I.C.E.-like AI constructs to further increase their raids into foreign Submersion architectures. These allied AI are known as Friendly Intrusive Raid Electronics or F.I.R.E., the opposite of I.C.E. 

In the abstract Submersion space, a Netdiver can feel like a wrathful god to those in the real, they fully at the mercy of the Netdiver's power hoping that their equipment's Cyber Security Value is strong enough to avoid being hacked or manipulated. However, it can also be a deadly space for the Netdiver, having one’s avatar destroyed can result in massive bio-electric feedback straight to the user's EMS system with the chance of whipping out the memory drive and essentially turning the Netdiver into a blank vegetable, what is often called Slating. 

The Plunge

For those few brave Netdivers, there lies a space deeper still, fully immersed within the prescient mapping algorithm. This space is known as plunge space and in this space, there are no architectures, no I.C.E., no familiarity of any kind. It is a space of raw data and the constant flow of the ever-changing prescient mapping algorithm.

To enter Plunge space the Netdiver must force their body's full metabolic process into their mental faculties and boost their EMS. As they do so, their body rapidly heats up and if no cooling mechanisms are in place they quickly burnout, turning their innards into scrambled eggs. In Plunge space the Netdiver turns their brain and EMS system into an algorithm filter, allowing the prescient mapping algorithm to move through their mind, filtering it for usable data and information. 

This state is massively taxing but with each success, the Netdiver sinks deeper into the code gaining a deeper understanding of its flow, information, and potential. A successful plunge can return a wealth of information simply unobtainable at any other level and for many, it is an almost religious experience. For the majority, it has become a sort of sport, a measurement of how skilled and badass a Netdiver is. The depth of their plunge is a badge of status amongst other Netdivers. All of this in pursuit of the Root, the thing that informs the prescient mapping algorithm, and can unlock it's impossible form. If it even exists. 

In Summary

There you have it, the basic understanding of Omni-N and how the Netdiver interacts with it and manipulates it like a cyber wizard or digital god. It is a powerful tool, perhaps the most powerful tool of this cyberpunk age, and knowing how to use it gives an Eidolon immense power. 

In our next blog, we deep dive into the Netdiver class and explore the different ability trees and how they interact with the many forms of Omni-N. We will talk about the importance of having a Netdiver and the possibilities they open up for an Eidolon squad to complete their missions effectively. 

Stay tuned!