A Thesis of Underlying Features of Realities and the Matrix

Part 2 of 4 made 1993 by Neil Asato

Those components dealing with subjects covered by BTRC products are copyrighted by Greg Porter. For those who wish to use portions of this work, please include proper references, such as, "Asato, Neil. "A Thesis of Underlying Features of Realities and the Matrix". Internet, 1993. A supplement for the published works of BTRC."

Similarity Versus Complementary
In most time travel games, there are often variations of the laws of similarity. One is that similar realities merge through convergent reality processes (similar time lines become one to reduce the paperwork of GMs). The other is that a object can't be brought nearby a past version of itself (this means you can't meet yourself in the past without reality doing something to kick you away). Choice A: The GM decides to have the laws of similarity in the campaign. The previously mentioned effects would occur. The one physical problem is that objects change with time, whether it is the changes due to energy exchanges like being warmed/cooled and any movement of its components, or the metabolic reactions in living beings that exchanges energy and materials with breathing and digestion. A way to test this is by having nearly identical objects on a molecular scale, like identical twins, close to one another. If probabilistic experiments (like the decay of radioactive particles) suddenly show skewed results as they get closer to each other, then these laws of similarity would exist. Another feature might be that identical twins might exhibit a kind of quantum mechanical interaction that would either keep them apart or have them overlap one another in a kind of probabilistic blurring (assuming energy is conserved, this would allow for a kind empathy/telepathy/action-at-a-distance effect where the identical twins really are, for brief instants of time, in the other person's shoes. GMs having this feature might have the stereotyped idea of twins who have a telepathic rapport with one another (real identical twins might not be very amused with this portrayal of them, though). Travel between realities can be done through a rather low tech means, for small objects anyhow. If the laws of similarity is used then, interfaces between realities can be done by simply having areas that are very close to each other in properties. The simplest might be parts of forests or stone arrangements that exists on different realities. If they are similar enough, they might be used to cross between one reality (this would require looser tolerances in the laws of similarity to allow for greater differences). For realities which require tolerances, having identical refrigerators/boxes/ safes/closets/drawers in different realities could serve as the interface. This could lead to humorous rationales of socks jumping across realities in drawers. A way to test for this is to have several nearly identical safes and see if you can detect changes in the interior of them as you add and remove small objects, like would sticking a magnet in one safe induce a magnetic field in another safe (you might want to have the safes located in different locations and have the placement occur at set intervals, for the sake of completeness). It is rather doubtful that laws of similarity is what governs real-life reality, due to the above implications. Choice B: The GM decides that the laws of similarity do not apply. If a time traveler goes into the past and wants to meet itself, then there is no particular problem. It would may result in a divergence in reality. Whether or not there might be other repercussions due to convergence of realities by other causes is a different problem. Some of the problems that might result from the possibility of endless generation of divergent realities could be solved by using laws of complementary. The laws of complementary is a different solution to the problem of divergent and convergent realities. Essentially, the idea behind this is that realities have a kind "shape" against which other realities can diverge off of or merge into. The best analogy to this is to think about how molecular biology works. An enzyme molecule can act on certain molecules by their shapes and catalyze the desired reaction and make the wanted molecule. This is similar to how an initial state in a reality can create divergent realities. The base reality uses its "shape" to create complementary divergent realities from the vacuum energy of the greater reality. Unlike enzymes, the complementary realities are probabilistic futures an instant away (presumably a Planck unit for an "instant") and this may or may not consume the original reality. For convergent realities, the realities must "fit" together at the point contacted or they will not merge (incompatible interaction). The merging is generally expected to result in a relatively smooth transition, with the extra components of released reality dissolving back into vacuum energy (GMs might make the result more showy and destructive, if desired). This diverging and converging will provide a kind of continuity and stability to the reality with the diverging providing a flow of time and the converging causing the merged reality to generally have a frequency curve for events (without this all sorts of improbable events could occur like osmosis occurring in reverse without the input of energy). Choice A: The GM can choose to not have laws of complementary. This would mean that realities cannot diverge or converge due complementary laws. The GM will have to figure out some other way to handle the divergence and convergence of realities, possible by using the laws of similarity. Without the laws of convergence, all sorts of strange events can be probable. Visitors to that kind of reality should watch out for things like spontaneous combustion, warm water in an ocean suddenly separating itself into ice and steam (temperature gradients), and vacuum energy manifesting itself on a macroscopic level for extended periods of time for no reason (this reality might rip itself apart for since it could result in the creation on entire realities expanding within that reality, which may not be very safe). Choice B: The GM can choose to have the laws of complementary in the campaign. Studying objects and interactions close to the level where quantum mechanical rules apply, the effect of complementary laws is quite noticeable. Given an initial set of conditions, piece of matter will appear to be appearing and disappearing as the realities diverge and converge, with locations following a probability function. This existence can be modified by the existence of other probability functions around it. This would mean that their existence/nonexistence can be altered by the use of the principles potential walls and wells. So far, this is basic quantum mechanics, so this might just be a different way of viewing quantum mechanical behavior. When a divergent reality occurs that does not converge, then the probability wave will be skewed without any real observable reason. This just means that one set of realities went in a different direction. There may be two or more diverging set of realities at any point, though they should be observable due to the skewing effect on probability. For reality travelers, this means that by making a region complementary with the reality you currently are in and the one you want to go to (essentially a bridge between realities). This type of transportation can be like the operation of a Matrix. As a matter of simplicity, the GM should assume that realities tend towards stability with regards to divergent realities that do not converge back. This means that events that cause severe paradoxes will usually result in a divergent reality that does not remerge. This will be accompanied by some skewing of the probabilities that might cause unexpected results to occur, causing navigation to difficult and throwing off planned results.

Induction or Sympathetic Response of Other Realities
Whether the GM chooses to have laws of similarity or complementary controlling the divergence and convergence of realities, it is possible for them to interact with other realities without directly interfacing them. Realities with laws of similarity might cause "nearby" realities to have a sympathetic response, making them more alike. This might have the strange effect of causing realities to tend towards merging with each other (sort of brings new meaning to phrase "the law of averages"). Realities with laws of complementary might have a more inductive response. This might allow merging without any other effects (like a gate in WarpWorld). In other cases, it create effects that has no observable cause like shifts in the probability of events.

Macroscopic Divergences and Convergences
An extra way to test whether the divergence-convergence effect can occur on a macroscopic scale is to see if there is a blurring of existence as in the sub-atomic scale. This would involve having a number of small ball bearings being shaken in a box by some device. Have several cameras observe the ball bearings. The cameras might have to be somehow shielded from the box and each other to prevent the idea that the probability wave of the cameras are interfering with the state of the ball bearings, possibly by using one-way mirrors and intense light sources to overpower any influence that the cameras might have. After the observation period, track the ball bearing's movement from each camera's perspective. If the information from one camera does not match the information from another camera, or there is an observation that a bearing seems to be experiencing a blurring of existence (this should not be caused by flaws in the camera to be valid), then this could provide a handle as to how different realities can be and still merge together. This requires that the realities are allowed to diverge that far before converging.

Survival/Studies in Alien Realities
For those TimeLords who want to study strange realities, and maybe annoy the GM by the depth of seriousness that the player character probes the world, performing experiments in the reality to study its properties can give great insight on the way reality works. An example is the "ether" reality in the CORPS Organization Book 1. In that world, metals do not exist, and it has a soupy atmosphere with fish-like animals. A test could be to see if plastics can be taken there. See what the effects of releasing gases and liquids there is like (do they form spheres? do they fall?). Check to see electricity works there by using batteries made with conductive plastic). Check to see what happens if you use a match to light a piece of paper (some caution might be best, since there might be a dangerous reaction). The one interesting effect of having access to realities with different properties is that you might be able to use the functions of properties of that reality to perform reactions that cannot be done easily elsewhere. An example with the ether is to use it as a polisher and metal purifier, since only metal stays behind while the non- metal parts like rust is sent through.

Study of Aftereffects of Converging Timelines
For most time traveling campaigns with limited major branches of timelines, there is always the question of what happens to contradictory and fuzzy information on non-overlapping events. Some GMs might choose to allow records to just have fuzzy and contradictory information. Other GMs might just go with the majority, with the minority timelines being wiped out. In cases where there is little in common between the timelines, this can be a very surreal world where what is real and what is not can change with time. This kind of campaign world can be very confusing, since they could find their pasts and who they are shifting around. For those organizations with some sort "isolation field" may find themselves dealing with multiple versions of themselves, each which proclaims that they are protecting the "true timeline". Another possibility is that time wreckers could inadvertently wipe themselves out of existence by changing the circumstances that led to their existence, presumably reality will stabilize the contradictions by shifting probabilities to prevent the alterers from existing. A similar problem is what happens in situations where there are multiple interferences in a timeline with each interacting with the others. A classic example of this is in Time Capsules, Enola Gay mini-module. One way to really make it convoluted is for the Time Patrol to have agents, native or otherwise, throughout history awaiting orders. If the base notices something, then all information known are sent to the appropriate time period. This could create a convoluted idea where agents do not have to worry about interfering with themselves with temporal dislocation effects since they are already there, and it would be the time terrorists who would be suffering from dislocation (if they try to do the events further and further back in time) by the idea that the Time Patrol agents being there first. A more simpler, if violent, way to deal with the problem of time terrorists is to place a number of sensors in various sensitive areas of time, possibly retroactively. If an unauthorized disturbance is detected, the disturbance's location is obtained by triangulation from the sensors. A 50 pound plastic explosive with liberal amounts of carpenter's nails imbedded within it is sent to the triangulated location at the time of detection. The result would be a big and very bloody explosion. A less noticeable variant idea is to send assault troops just before the detected event a few meters away with heavy armor and powerful guns and explosives for a very quick and messy ambush. On a more benevolent use is to use the idea to allow perfect navigation for transportation. This could be used to allow the discrete observation of events, or to give certain people information quietly (by transporting advanced knowledge to those who would be in a position to understand and use them).

Does the Past Events Dissolve or Do They Remain
This is more of a concern with worlds that follow complementary existence. If a past event remains in existence without being somehow consumed, then the past is available to be entered and changed. If not, then there is no past or future to go to, just the present, though this does not rule out travel to other realities.

Suppressive and Facilitative Effects of Time Tampering
All events have features that can suppress or encourage other events. As mentioned in the TimeLords book, it is difficult to gauge what sort of repercussions can lead from an event. As an example, the success of one event may suppress the development of competing events. The reverse holds true, as well. In addition, events often act synergistically, like the development of computers having an influence on special effects, or the use of better sanitation saving people from disease. When gauging what happens, try to incorporate the idea of competing events and groups to see what sort of changes occur. In the end, temporal tampering is a very uncertain attempt as there can be all sorts of previously unknown competing events that can manifest themselves after a temporal change.

Alternative Reality Traveling Devices Matrix (and related equipment)
These devices are described in TimeLords. They are compact and usually reliable. They tend to have features that simplifies a lot of problems, like removing diseases and acting as a translator. They usually work by simply throwing up a temporary interface between realities by using a singularity locked and manipulated in its core, which also supplies the energy for the matrix. They tend to have three drawbacks. The first is matrix lag (which incapacitates the user). One solution is to have the device in some sort of vehicle designed to allow the transition without it impacting on the user by "smoothing out" the transition effects. The second is the lack of control. This is not much of a problem if the user has a friendly AI that knows and understands what it is doing to handle the controls. The third drawback is the amount of energy taken/recharge time. This can be solved by having some sort of recharger that the device accepts, like another Matrix. Another solution is for it to influence the singularity to generate a lot of energy through inflation. This requires some caution, as it could get out of control.

Projector, type A - This functions like a Gate. It just opens up an interface between realities so long as it is operational. The projector is normally immovable, and they usually take up a lot of energy and space. In some cases, they can only transport objects to a location, but they can't retrieve objects (due to limitations on sensors or the projector only being able to work one-way).

Projector, type B - This has a lot of analogy to a kind of virtual reality projector. It is described in the CORPS Organization Book 1. It essentially "holds" the users at the destination reality as long as the device is on. It is like the ultimate in virtual reality in that the "image" interacts with the destination. It does have the unusual feature that for a person to stay at the destination permanently, the person just eats and breathes long enough for the destination's materials to replace the materials of the projector's reality. This raises the question of whether energy transfers like warming and cooling at the destination can be used to allow non-biological objects to stay at the destination permanently. Some can be used as a sensor for temporal disruptions by just projecting an object (could be a camera) and picking up interference effects. The one interesting problem is that if it is desired to have a permanent device left behind, it is necessary to do so indirectly. One way is to use bio- technology, or something similar, to make the desired device at the destination. Another might be to use cycles of warmth and cooling to see if it is possible to use energy exchanges to permeate the object with "local" energy. The primary disadvantage to this type of device is that it must be able to scan and lock onto the destination, making it subjectable to jamming and interference. The above limitation also limits the "range" of the device to the limits of the equipment with respect to scanning and projection. By using the above techniques, it may be possible to create a whole series of devices, allowing the devices serve as transfer node points. It could serve as a valuable device for conducting experiments and performing difficult reactions. An example would be to project a robotic manufacturing set with materials into space, and turning off the projector to get the materials that can be best made under "zero-gravity" conditions. Likewise, setting up temporary satellites and probes not require the use of rockets when you can just use the projector to send it there. Even if it takes more energy than a rocket, you get the benefit of having the data and materials sent directly to you and get to make changes in the equipment or location very easily. An interesting use might be to use projected energy collectors, like converting solar energy very close up into chemical energy, and seeing if the converted energy is still there when the projector is turned off. This could be used by space craft to replenish supplies. This can be done either using a projector to collect energy, by having someone else project the energy over and converting it to permanent form.

Gates (includes the use of Power/magic)
This can exist by using either the laws of similarity or complementary, which is discussed elsewhere. Basically, there is a merger point between realities. This can be two completely independent realities that meet or it can be a "budding off" of a reality. The latter is usually called a pocket reality, since it can be very small. For those GMs who use Power/magic in their campaigns, gates will tend to have fairly large amounts of ambient Power. These are discussed in more detail in the "Variant Rules on Deities and Related Subjects" article. This effect is caused by the fact that Power is connected with reality distortion, and the process can flow in reverse where a distortion in reality generates Power. For those GMs who want to use Power/magic to travel across realities, they will have to consider the orientation of the magic used and what the limitations are. The orientation of the particular magic type used will determine what realities, if any, it can go to. This includes what realities are "closer" and "further away" with respect to the magic used. In some cases, it may be impossible to travel in ways as the magic used simply does not work that way. As an example, it is unlikely that biological magic could ever be used to do any type of reality traveling due to the way it works. Even for magic types that can be used to travel across realities, there are limitations. In general, travel across time, space, and probabilities are often treated differently for most magic types. The more "further away" the destination is, the user will experience greater "Power resistance". This is due to the extra energy needed. The more "open ended" the magic used, then the greater is the need for navigation. Navigation can be considered to be used like Matrix skill. Like the Matrix skill, it is only good for one particular use of a spell, though it can help in using other types of reality traveling spells. The one difference is that this type of skill is for travel among previously traveled destinations like an Area Knowledge skill, and failure is still limited by the transportation's limitations (you can still try to find your way back to someplace familiar). It is possible, that some "Power resistance" could be measured in the trillions or more.

Hyperdrives
They are not strictly speaking, reality traveling devices, but they do have some overlap in abilities. They usually, also, overlap the development of anti-grav technology, since they both employ some manipulation of reality. Anti-grav technology generally works by shielding the mass it is around from outside gravitational fields and vice-versa. This has the effect of negating gravity, though not inertia, making the object "weightless". It can be used to just minimize gravitational effects or to create them, for various entertainment, manufacturing, and other purposes. While it could be used provide horizontal thrust by vibrating the field (it cannot be used unidirectionally as the field must form equipotential closed loops), it is not always as efficient as just using reaction thrust. Hyperdrives are described in SpaceTime. They basically allow spaceships to travel at faster-than-light speeds. They generally travel at about 3 and 1/3 light years per 3 to 5 days of travel. At TL 15, it is understood as a "tunneling past the light barrier" and is susceptible to outside gravitational influences. Actually, there are a number of different types. One type lowers the probability field of the ship to the point of near non-existence (so there is little interaction with the outside universe and can bypass the light-speed limitation by having a probabilistic existence) and has a biased direction of re-emergence. Some probability traveling devices are just advanced versions of this type. A second type creates a pocket reality that has a strong complementary affinity for the point of creation. This complementary "surface" is then changed to allow entry to another point. The change is done gradually, so that it is easier to navigate. When the complementary "surface" properties have been completed, the pocket reality is allowed to merge back into mainstream reality. This type has a lot in common with matrix-type of travel. A third type creates a direct interface from one point of reality to another, which also has a lot in common with a matrix. This has the disadvantage that there can't be too much "movement" between the points and that the "distance" can't be too great. Think of the limitations of a bridge for an analogy. Likewise, "turbulence" between realities could cause the "bridge" to collapse.

Alternative Timeline Branchings (approximations)
These are branchings in the timeline that diverge from the known reality. So far as it is known, none of these actually occurred in the real life time-line. 200 million B.C. - An inland sea is found on Pangea (a single large land mass). Some time travelers decide to set up a base on one of the shores. The area is somewhat marshy and has creatures that look like variants of crocodiles. 160 million B.C. - Some time travelers accidentally lets loose bird-like creatures and were unable to recover them. Hopefully, they did not cause too much problems with the timelines. The time travellers were collecting various animals from realities for a large zoo. 65 million B.C. - Relatively rapid movement of large animals, land bridges, and relatively high population densities made it favorable it to result in massive pandemics spreading across many creatures, wiping out many types of animals. The availability of large numbers of susceptible creatures and no medical technology allowed many virulent types of diseases to occur. In the ocean, a similar series of events occur, involving diseases similar to the "red tides" of 1990s earth. All of this took less than a half a million years to complete. Time travelers in this time period might want to take precautions against infection. A TimeLord later commented that, "the dinosaurs were the most successful creatures to have existed before humans, but they were all wiped away by the smallest creatures". The human race would face this very threat millions of years later for the same reasons. 4000 B.C. - In the area of the Persian Gulf, specifically Chaldea, a time travel organization attempts to advance human development faster than normal in the hopes that the human race will be able to use the boost to be able to deal with some catastrophe in the future. The group establishes a base in the waters of the Persian Gulf, and the members that interact with the people in the area always wear powered armor (to allow travel to the base and for protection). The names given by the members are: Oannes, Annedotus, Euedocus, Eneugamus, Eneubolos, Anementus, and Odacon. As a matter of policy, they would only show up during day time and return at night (a security precaution), and they did not eat or drink or take gifts from the people (another security precaution and to prevent the members from being to attached to the people). They attempt to teach these people whatever principle of civilization they can handle, like: literacy, arts and sciences, construction, religion (this was very controversial whether this would have bad future ramifications), laws (this caused some controversy as to whether lawyers help advance civilization or stifle it), math (with some geometry), agriculture, and medicine. The group tried to help form an advanced civilization, but they eventually gave up due to the endless fighting. Before the civilization died, they had those people make several time capsules with the lessons they taught (in the hopes that someone would use the knowledge to help civilization). In addition, they warned some of the people to evacuate the area and start over with less problems (a natural disaster occurred later involving flooding). The group was never heard from again, presumably to try elsewhere/when. 1000 B.C. - A war between 2 time travel organization occurs in India at this time in a power struggle. Advanced technological devices were used. Fragmented, distorted accounts of the events that led up to it and the event itself is used to form the basis of a collection of records known as the Vedas 1793 A.D. - The Reign of Terror begins in France. It involved mass executions for political power. What is not well known is that a few years prior to this, France was the world's leader in solar technology. This included adaptive optics to create solar furnaces capable of processing metals, and there was research into chemical reactions associated with light. The researchers were among those killed, and their notes lost. 1945 A.D. - In some alternate earth's where the U.S. did not use atomic bombs to end the World War 2, the U.S. developed a primitive solid-medium synchrotron device as an outgrowth of its extensive research into making radar with higher frequencies (for better resolution). It made use of thin strips of wire bent into sine-wave-shapes set into a resonant cavity. This device could project into the infra-red part of the e-m spectrum. Using Nikola Tesla's (an erratic inventor) notes as references, the U.S. used arrays of the device to make crude energy weapons/defenses. The crude force field development led to the development of holographic technology which was later used in the design and use of optical computers (electronic-based computers never did make it in these worlds). In some alternate earth's around this time, the U.S. discovers a crude form of travel among realities using electrical-based devices. The U.S. was testing experimental ideas on radar use and evasion on a ship, when it took itself on a trip back and forth in reality. When the ship managed to return, the crew was suffering to varying degrees from unprotected exposure to the transition environments and from the intense electro-magnetic fields interacting with their bodies (their Power, too). This was referred to in those worlds as the "Philadelphia Experiment". After some testing, improved versions were placed on planes. The crew of that squadron were to go into the area known as the Bermuda Triangle (where legends are that planes and ships disappear there anyhow) and pretend that they were lost and were losing fuel (actually they had refueled in the area). Once the final message was given, they activated their devices and Jumped across the realities. At least one of the original members of the squadron made it back to the general location and time. They gave a code that made it seem they were apart of the search operation looking for them. Although, it was just a few days later for the people looking for them, the members of the squadron had been on their trip for years. Due to the sudden difference in age, it was decided that it would be easiest to just give them new identities and say they died rather than give awkward explanations to their families of why they got older. Years later, in an embarrassing security breach, one of the crew sent a letter to their family to stop grieving for them and to get on with their lives. 1946 A.D. - In some alternate earth's where World War 2 did not end in 1945, there was no period of time that separated the end of World War 2 and the beginning of the Cold War. Due to this, the U.S. never had the time to develop the Marshall Plan (primarily aid for rebuilding the countries). Likewise, the United Nations never had the chance of being created. 1960s (?) - A solar-steam generator is constructed and operated in Egypt. It produced electricity until it was destroyed by a mob, since it ran equipment that replaced laborers in the area. 1970s - A U.S. researcher develops a genetically engineered elm tree that was immune to the Dutch elm disease, which was causing deforestation. Outcry against his experiments angered him, and he destroyed all known specimens and notes on his research. Time travelers might want to persuade him to give some saplings for making forests on devastated earths. 1971 - This is the approximate time that the magneto-hydrodynamic generator died in the U.S., due to a lack of focus, greed by non-producers who only studied the idea to death, and government in-fighting. The generator would have used plasma created by using anything moderately burnable to create a plasma to directly generate electricity. It was supposed to have a large scale production version by 1970. It was designed to use the most impure coal and have a built-in cleaner that would recycle components of the exhaust for re-use and prevent pollution. A pilot plant based on the U.S. design plans and research notes was constructed and operated near Moscow, Soviet Union, in the 1960s. The plant was called U-25 MHD. It was later used as the basis for the design and construction of 10 megawatt generators that could be moved on trucks (they were used in experiments for detecting mineral deposits by running a current in the ground and picking up the responses). 1993 - "Fast" nuclear reactor projects are shut down in the U.S. Not all were breeder types. These nuclear reactors were designed to consume nuclear waste by "burning" them as fuel in the nuclear reaction. The large scale production version was supposed to have been operating in 1996. Some other researchers try to keep the projects alive by having them consume the cores of nuclear weapons from the Soviet Union. Strangely, the U.S. takes worse care of nuclear waste than before, which causes problems a few years later.