❛MULTIVERSE❜—Parallel Universes & Underworld Mirrorverses

TL;DR

  • 100% Reset, Embracing Base Terrain, Opposite Friend or Enemy, & Ponderings of “All Evil”

A bunch of scientists gather around a ‘thing’ on a table. One whispers to the other, “Will this be a Frankenstein in XR?” Another exclaims sarcastically, “Or some levitating radical, of a topic?” Of which then shook stark black, and ‘thing’ came alive, grasping realities by its procedural atoms…

Origins 3.0 added new planets with new terrain, to avoid changing present terrain on preexisting planets, of which in a manner of speech, “Reset the Universe Without Affecting Player Bases,” however meaning a future of birthing new, while untouching old, and repeating, although it is just the present terrain on the preexisting planets that remains untouched, while all else may be reset.

However…

Many ∙ ❛ASTR🞇-🞇WLS❜ ∙ in our community, :owl: some nibbling numbers and consuming code to aide in their digestion, foresee problems and therefore seek solutions. And thanks to our collective wisdom, we might have not only solved these problems, but with a 100% universe reset, as in reset the whole thing, just as many express a desire towards, resulting in the acceleration of a staggering universe expansion.

And in doing so, it would appear we have stumbled upon a simple, yet unknown, access point, found between the code and the numbers, no doubt even overlooked by the developers, that has remained untouched to this very day, which leads to the vastness of parallel universes, within alternate realities.

:muscle::nerd_face::dizzy:

Patch Notes, be like…

  • “Note: Thought birthing billions of planets was impressive?”
  • "You may need to be seated for the results to these ‘maths’ !"

One burning question

One powerful answer

One perceived problem

One possible solution

Above enables a selective reset. Below resets the whole thing…

One inspired alternative

  1. Since Origins itself demonstrates older-style generation still possible in current game,
  2. Since “base-building requiring its original built-upon terrain” seems to be the concern,
  3. And not fauna, flora, biome, etc. (although, these could be factored in too, if so desired),

What if they added a setting/option, similar to a multi-toggle switch (somewhere within the UI/menu(s)/etc.), to easily switch between terrain variation by update version, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0+?

Note: For the simple sake of discussion, ‘1.0, 2.0, 3.0,’ are here being used for illustrative purposes only, and as such are not necessarily indicating actual versions that feature any such terrain resets.

  • Add ability to switch between terrain gen algorithms by version
  • Option: Add an in-game tech for accessing ‘alternate realities’

Possibilities…

  • A single planet would then have multiple terrain ‘base-building options.’
    • I’m describing ‘parallel universes’
  • A base marker could mark a base across all versions
    • Perhaps a light beacon, emitted into the air
    • Stating which version to switch between
  • Upon switching to associated terrain version
    • Base-computer would show
    • Uploaded base would show, etc.
  • IF base is chosen from teleporter, auto-arrive at associated terrain version

Further…

  • Add ability to move entire bases between base computers, and cross-version. :ok_hand:
  • Add a warning that if doing so, different terrain may render undesirable results.
  • Ensure that the base fits securely to the ground (but only as a selectable option)

Result…

NMS Parallel Universes GIF

Note: Color gradients illustrate terrain variations, which need not be by update versions.

Example…

  • 18 quintillion planets × 3 terrain algorithms (update versions) = 54+ quin. planetary realities
  • Same amount of planets, and yet the universe just tripled, then quadrupled, and then comes…

“…sextillion, septillion, octillion, nonillion, decillion…”

:exploding_head:
“Good mercy, new calculator!”

…and that data, being terrain algorithms.

Parallel Universes

  • Alternate Reality vs Augmented Reality vs Virtual Reality vs Mixed Reality (XR)
  • The very personification of…
    • “Anomalous Interdimensional Multiversal Cohabitation”

Notice in the wiki…

Parallel universe, also known as an alternate universe, or alternate reality, is a hypothetical self-contained plane of existence, co-existing with one’s own. The sum of all potential parallel universes that constitute reality is often called a “multiverse”.

  • Remember ‘WARE’ and the term ‘multiverse’ in the Waking Titan ARG?
  • Waking Titan ARG’s ⦂ ‘WARE’ or ‘V/ARE’ teased ‘VR/AR’ into — Reality!
  • You know how Travellers (4th race aliens) flicker in and out of realities?

“Hi, Sean.” :wave: Remember your tweet…

  1. Besides birthing planets, or entire star systems, or vast regions of space… :ringer_planet:
  2. What could be more sci-fi than birthing parallel universes of 18 quintillion each?
  3. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: Birthing all stated, plus a mirrorverse of all stated, and quite naturally, of course !

After all…

Mirrorverses

Rumer has it that all evil is coming to this universe

  • Licks a finger to the wind. Can you feel the hot breath of an opposite empire?
  • (Note: Mirrorverses could help ensure such ‘realities’ are entirely optional.)
  • Choices: Having stumbled upon an unknown access point, should we open it?

Notice in the wiki…

The characters in the Mirror Universe are aggressive, mistrustful and opportunistic in personality. Whereas the Star Trek universe depicts an optimistic future in which the Earth-based United Federation of Planets values peace, co-operation and exploration, episodes set in the Mirror Universe feature the human-dominated authoritarian Terran Empire which values war, despotism and conquest instead.

In Star Trek: Discovery, it is noted that humans from the Mirror Universe suffer from photophobia (a sensitivity to light).

And yet, this need not be the access point to “all evil,” but could just be a duplicate of the universe, wherein everything simply appears in reverse, be it ‘visually’ or otherwise. Of course, however that may appear, or whatever that may present, it would seem that a mirrorverse should offer something special, that’s unattainable or unachievable otherwise, and likewise feature certain challenges and/or threats that are entirely unique to its own experience. It could present opposite friends or opposing enemies, and being that this is a survival game and so many players keep begging for something like an evil race…

It could play out like this…

Same planet, but inside out, like a bubble

This would be a very unique, if not entirely avant-garde, take on the the concept of ‘mirrorverse.’ So much so in fact, that general wiki articles may need an amendment, for the inclusion of this concept. One could argue that this is an ‘underworld,’ and they would be absolutely correct, and I argue it to also be a ‘mirrorverse,’ due to the reverse nature of this concept. In fact, ‘mirrorverses’ with an ‘s’ due to many.

However, whether the ‘below or inside’ should be an exact replica of the ‘above or outside’ is a matter subject to debate, because even Star-Trek’s take on a mirrorverse was not an exact replica in reverse, but instead its inhabitants were primarily of pure evil focus, and thus mirrored in contrast those outside the mirrorverse in the real world of whom seek joy, peace, happiness and love. Therefore, the term ‘mirrorverse’ would appear to easily work as a general term, meaning “any reality somehow in reverse.”

Underworld

Notice in the wiki…

The concept of an underworld is found in almost every civilization and “may be as old as humanity itself”. Common features of underworld myths are accounts of living people making journeys to the underworld, often for some heroic purpose.

Therefore…

“How could No Man’s Sky be complete without an underworld?”

A vast system of “Caves?” — No, no, no… :hole:

Underworld Mirrorverses

A civilization that lives upside down, upon the very ground of which we walk upon. Where likewise the ground appears concave, due to being inside the planet. And not convex, as it would appear outside the planet. And perhaps the terrain algorithms could be seeded in reverse, if that is even possible. Or seeded just the same, but how they would appear if able to be viewed from underneath. Meaning things like caves would be seen in reverse, squiggling into the air; With maybe something like stalagmites and stalactites upon the outside, instead of the inside. So that if you flew your starship into the sky, which is really just the center of the planet, you’d end up on the other side of the planet; IF of course there were not some kind of light source repelling you back, or some other likewise obstacle in the center, perhaps even solid ground, or a molten core, for that matter.

Celestial outer space would be entirely inaccessible inside the underworld of that planet.

In other words, when standing on a planet and staring at a mirror, be that a specified portal-like structure or an otherwise mirror, or perhaps a concave mirror, which can also be used to view one’s reflection, upon entering the mirror, you enter the planet in reverse, but in this case meaning “as it would be seen inside out.” (Or, did we just find a purpose for an AquaSphere? Just a thought.) And it would be that, in the sci-fi crazy universe of No Man’s Sky, this means entering what feels as though, and actually is, entering inside the planet, or in other words, “the planet inside out.”

You enter what feels like an inescapable reality, accessible and escapable only by mirror.

And being that there is no sun inside a planet, (or perhaps there could be, if messing with physics), maybe the light source could be visualized as a glowing center or central core, (or suspended molten chamber), that simply dims and brightens. And to spice thigs up a bit, each planet’s light source could be seeded from within a rainbow of color options, (perhaps even a glowing molten chamber, that fades from one bright daylight color to an opposite dark nighttime color; like how the complementary could be bright red by day, verses dark green by night), or any other concept otherwise.

I mean, it could just be a mirrored replica of the outer surface…

Or a super dark and particularly ominous place, :eyes: something on the level of a hunted mansion, :bat: so to speak. :eyes: Where everything is just blacked out entirely, :eyes: as a dangerously spooky world of night, :eyes: wherein only the plants and other anomalous objects light the way. :eyes: Or… Wherein, only the eyes of a predictor race light your travels, :eyes: together with the eyes of all predictor fauna and other horrors, :eyes: stalking your every mishappen steps, :eyes: into a darkness that will easily entangle and ensnare you into its ominous doom…

“And in that moment, all the vines reached out, and what appeared to be a talons claw, spread open wide, ready to retract, but it was in fact a face, and there was horror as far as the eye could see…”

:eyes:
Nonetheless…

It does seem to make sense though, for a light source in the reality of such an inner planetary sky, to gravitationally repel the act of being flown directly into. Otherwise, it would lack the illusion of solidity and effect. Or, I guess it could always start burning you to a cinder, the closer you approach. And Atlas (the black diamond and/or the red orb) could be faintly visualized within the light source, upon closer inspection.

NMS Underworld Mirrorverse with Atlas Sun

And everything described at the outset of this writing, about parallel universes, or alternate realities, featuring unique terrain per version, holds true just the same within the mirrorverse. And a base marker (something like a light beacon, emitted into the air) is seen not only across all versions, but also between the regular parallel realities and the mirrorverse realities. So that if a base is located underground, within the mirrorverse, or vise versa… it can still be found, whether that terrain version or reality is within the mirrorverse, or it is not, and regardless of which you are presently within.

:skull_and_crossbones:
Now, with all that having been said…

We can play up this dark underworld of mirrorverses a bit further. But do note though, that this could very well, be replaced with a world of pixies, mermaids, rainbow unicorns and/or anything otherwise.

Behold… A Predator Civilization :skull:

And this is where it gets absolutely terrifying, to really learn of what actually lurks beneath, the planetary surfaces that all of us inhabit, and then it becomes clear why it is that when you “touch the eggs” :egg: of biological horrors, that they burrow up from the ground, from the dark underworld, and the mirrorverses of all these planets.

You see, for the most part, “all evil” is contained beneath… well… except for what isn’t.

Therefore… Perhaps the inhabitants, fauna and flora behave in reverse temperament, than they do when above the surface, wherein below, “EVERYTHING’S OUT TO GET YOU!” Gek, Vy’Keen, Korvax and/or probably more realistically… A primitive alien variety or varieties unique to these realities, start either chasing after you so as to devour you whole, or attacking and shooting at you on sight. And in this underworld, if there be starships in the sky, then such passing ships begin shooting at you, so as to destroy you on sight, and you are under attack, whether you’re on the ground or in the sky…

And even normal plants become hazardous flora and herbivore creatures become predator fauna. And/Or… Biological Horrors spawn in the place of fauna, etc. and “all evil” breaks loose. And now it is that birds attack from the sky, ‘AND’ the sandworm ‘CAN’ actually burst right up from the ground below you ‘AND’ eat you, ‘AND’ slither across towards you, AND eat you, and YES!.. be “overpowered to the player.” Why?.. Because while the rewards might outweigh the risks, whatever such rewards may be, and the risks are certainly many, the underworld mirrorverses are entirely ‘optional gameplay.’

And so it is okay for what lurks beneath, or in the reverse, to be an :hot_face: ABSOLUTE EXTREME, or…

:cold_face: A terrifying nightmare world!

Options…

  1. Add mirrors into the game, and place these in buildings throughout the universe, and as an accessory where one can view their appearance reflecting back.

  2. Add mirrors as base building parts, as well.

  3. And perhaps, if so inclined, make it possible to occasionally, and only very rarely, see something that spooks the player-character, that’s briefly terrifying in the refection, and that just flashes before one, as an eerie reminder of this underworld. :scream:Of course…

Since mirrors will then take on a whole new meaning… “Did we go too far?”

Shadow People

Be they friend or be they foe… Add ‘Shadow People.’

Q. Travellers flickering in and out of realities?
A. Good. Now trap 'em in the mirror. :ghost:

Accessing the Present Underworld

Presently, if your player-character falls through a piece of terrain that doesn’t quite render in, they’ll fall into an empty void below, until they reach a certain specified limit and then they will basically die. However, there are other ways to catch a glimpse of the present underworld, like getting the camera that follows the player-character pinched in a tight space in a cave, which is certainly the safest and easiest option.

HOT TIP: :fire: If you fall through the terrain and your ship is near, and IF your jetpack will last, you can enter your ship from below the terrain, and enjoy a narrow escape. Worked for me, in the past, at least.

The following images would have to be flipped and so would the character, and the issue of the terrain not showing from the underside would have to be tackled, in order for this to work for an upside down ‘underworld mirrorverse,’ if approached in a very literal sense. But these are simply provided as a reference point, of what it presently looks like below the terrain, or if viewing from below.

What’s particularly interesting is being able to see the cave systems inside out.

CLICK FOR MORE PHOTOS

What happened here was that the cave I was in didn’t fully render in, which lead to some interesting pictures. Here I was able to see that the water level that we observe at oceans just carries right on underneath the terrain, and so what we essentially have is an entirely water world, if we were to strip away the terrain. Yeah, planets become not so impressive, if consumed from this view. However, do certainly observe all this open wasted space, of which begs for the fulfillment of its mystery.

:brain: BRAINSTORMING…

Which leads me to wondering if perhaps the underworld should be located somewhere below this waterline. Or if the waterline should simply disappear from the players sight, or turn off so to speak, once the player enters the underworld. But there is no doubt multiple approaches. For instance…

There could be one (or more) underworld(s) per system, and such could be designated to one (or more) unused planet(s) per system, and therefore does not show in the star system. Or an entire unused system could be designated, and therefore does not show in the galaxy map. And in the aforementioned case, maybe the planet is now used, but only for the designation of an underworld, and continues to not show in the system, but the inside of such is accessible, although only by a specified mirror-like portal. And we as players could of course be provided the illusion of entering what lies below the planet, when in fact this is located inside an entirely different planet, and perhaps even a completely different system.

Although if in a different system, might there be a loading or warp screen? Would that provide the desired emersion? Seek a different animation? If falling into a mirror-portal with a liquid-like substance, perhaps a swimming sequence? I would of course prefer that we literally enter what is truly located below, and not simply an optical illusion. But in the end, just whatever gets the job done. Right?

Hmm… :thinking:

Now as for the below images, these were captured in a completely different way.

CLICK FOR MORE PHOTOS

About these photos…

In this case, I’m standing directly on the terrain, and yet the terrain is not rendering in, and further, I am not falling through. And I could be wrong, but I also question whether there was a waterline associated with this planet. Or had it not rendered in? Because, it would appear that the weather is clearly seen straight through to the underworld. Naturally, I forget now whether this planet had oceans, or not.

Although…

I took these in one of the numerous star systems that are located within the inaccessible stars of the outer limits of all galaxies. These star systems do not show on the galaxy map, and so in a sense do not exist in-game, because they are not accessible through such ‘normal’ means, and nor can they be accessed via portal, but they do in fact exist in-game, and some might show on the galaxy map, if edited into. But that’s just the thing: They require a Save Editor and an understanding of how to manipulate coordinates, in order to be accessed. But not always do they show on the map, even if edited into.

It is typically the ones closest to the limit of just after they visually disappear from the map at the very outer edge that do still show in the map, but again, only once edited into; And these are only a few Regions deep. And in the case of the ones furthest into the outer-limits, which are even further Regions deep, well let’s just say that strange glitches may occur, where entire planetary terrain may not load in and/or there is only water, of which you can even fly straight through, and yet there is no ocean floor below, because it too refuses to render. And even the stars in the sky may refuse to shine. Or as in the case of these photos… The planetary terrain is here flashing in and out of reality, and all is unstable.

Nonetheless…

The above photos preserve a rare glimpse into the present underworld.

Accessing the Future Underworld

NMS Underworld Mirrorverse Inverted Tower Portal (Closer)

BEHOLD! — The NMS Underworld Mirrorverse ‘Inverted Tower Portal.’

Image Source

Looking down the Initiation well at Quinta da Regaleira

Remember falling through the fissure in the once popular ‘MYST Series?’

Perhaps an ‘underworld mirrorverse’ could be accessed through a second variety of portal, probably one per planet and maybe requiring either no glyphs, or a different kind of glyphs, and maybe some kind of other ancient technology, perhaps from the ‘Shadow People,’ and/or from the black market, of which could include a planet-wide or system-wide puzzle, as did many aspects of the MYST series. This could display as a portal that looks like (1) an equally massive mirror of which the player-character walks through, and/or (2) an ‘inverted tower’ of which the player-character falls into.

And it would be interesting if once entering the perimeter of this access point, and the closer that one gets to the actual source, that the greater the frequency of underworld horrors begin to surface, so that it becomes increasingly difficult to reach the actual center of this type of portal; Call it the buildup.

These concepts could appear as if a mirror, with an appearance somewhat like that of water, and/or that resemble the reflection of its ‘inverted world,’ perhaps at the bottom of a deep rivenous fissure of sorts, or at the bottom of a deep chasm-like well, (so long as they get the illusion of entering what lies below), and falling… into the reverse underworld of that planet, or otherwise mirrorverse, of likewise mirrorverses…

And if an ‘Inverted Tower Portal,’ then perhaps one could fall into a stiff updraft, so that one falls slowly. Or, the puzzle could be to stop, or simply slow, the updraft. And what’s immediately on the other side could be the player-character now standing either on or perhaps at a safe distance from the edge of the now un-inverted ‘vacuum tower’ of the portal, in other words, the portal inside out.

And then the realization of what really lies below… :eyes:

image

And in that moment…

“…undecillion, duodecillion, tredecillion, quattuordecillion, quindecillion, sexdecillion, septendecillion, octodecillion, novemdecillion, vigintillion, centillion…”

:exploding_head: “Good mercy, new calculator!”

Seeing the situation, that Crim’s about to blow a ‘googolplex,’ a certain ominous figure that goes by the mysterious name of Sean, finally decides to chime in…

“A googolplex is 10 to the power of googol, a number that boggles the mind. In fact, a googolplex is so large that there’s really no known use for it. Some say that it even exceeds the total number of atoms in the universe.”

"Larger, you say !?"

“‘Graham’s number’ and ‘Skewes number.’ Both of these require a math degree to even begin to understand.”

And while a loving attempt, at saving a poor unfortunate soul, it was by far too late…

A single button fell from a single calculator, and a single drop of blood, :drop_of_blood: fell from a single button pushing finger, and a single finger, fell from a single calculator, and a single calculator, fell from a single doctor’s hand, and so too did a fragment, of — ℞ | Dr. Crim.

@OldGods, been fostering your masterchild since early :tangerine:.

Insert discussion here…

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