The story of Multiwinia

[Kuth]

Perhaps I'm thinking too much, but I'm a fan for backstory.

I ran into this little blurb on the Multiwinia website that spoke of the story behind Multiwinia:

"Long ago a computer scientist called Dr Sepulveda created a beautiful digital world existing entirely within a computer network of his own invention.
This world was called Darwinia and it was inhabited by a peaceful, law-abiding digital life-form called the Darwinians.
As the years wore on the Darwinians became ever more aggressive. They divided into factions, squabbling over Darwinia’s limited natural resources.
Tribes began to roam the fractal voids hell bent on each other’s destruction, drunk on power and unswerving in the pursuit of world supremacy.
Far and wide, they became known as the Multiwinians…."

It mentions nothing about the Virus...

but my thought of the moment is this: Wouldn't Dr. Sepulveda step in and use his God-like influence over the Multiwinians to stop them fighting? Would he feel compelled to work behind the scenes and stop the aggression of the multiwinians (as "God"), or would he just despair in the fact that his "children" have finally discovered war and are fighting one another?

Of course, Sepulveda help them if the Darwinians destroy some of the soul-sustaining structures that keeps them recycling in the world...

I've heard of no SP component to Multiwinia, but I wonder if that issue will be resolved in the manual?

[Mas Tnega]

He's probably more despairing that it's his fault the Multiwinians have the lasers and grenades.

[PegasusJF]

Perhaps he has passed on.

EDIT: Or, the Multiwinians just don't listen to him anymore. They did learn more about the details of their existance by tapping the Doctor's computer (as he said, he learned it before they were ready), which brought the virus. Perhaps the Darwinians became a lot more cynical about the Doctor.

[Phelanpt]

That description is missing the darwinia story, I imagine to avoid spoilers.
It's also missing something else.

[Phelanpt]

(...)this time you are some invisible force which enables you to control Darwinians directly. I'm not being very clear, but I think you get the point.

Jelco

I imagined it as the Multiwinians' hive mind, or a distant commander(higher rank than the officers) giving orders through the trunkport network.

[Kuth]

I don't think it's that you control the darwinians directly- it seems you have the same tools you did in the original. Perhaps the Darwinians have 'hired' outside help, above Sepulveda's influence?

Maybe that was the real purpose of the rocket, and the Red Darwinians weren't viral in origin.

[Shwart!!]

That blurb in post 1 is now on the Steam MW page.

Shwart!!

[Kuth]

Alright, I'm reviving this thread from page 2 to address discussion about the story of Multiwinia. Because I'm a fanboy for back story

The whole mess with the 'multiwinians' seems to come from a "decline in Natural Polygons". By Polygons, is this talking about native life in Darwinia or specifically the pure green 'native' Darwinians?

The blurbs in each of the levels tell us new things as well. The Blue faction, for instance, began as a minor code deviation of the greens. Red was saved from the virus by the greens. The original Great Tree (in Habitat?) was destroyed, and a new one planted by the mysterious "Shamans", whom have no representation in the game. Who are the Shamans? Are they what's left of the original Pure strain Darwinians (and thus retain knowledge on how to shape the world?).

Even after all the fighting it seems the Multiwinians still revere Dr. Sepulveda, as they treat temples as significantly important targets (since they fight over them, and value the huge statues of him). Why have none of the Darwinians appealed to Sepulveda to stop the carnage? Or why hasn't Sepulveda himself done anything to stop the Multiwinians from fighting (someone suggested he died... so then would Darwinia be running on it's own, forgotten, in a basement somewhere?)

The Futurewinians may or may not be from the future, though it's my guess that they are descendants of the Darwinians who left on the rocket ship.

Soo... thoughts? discussions? about the back story. Unless IV decides to release a SP campaign, the best we can get are descriptions from new maps or anything else released from IV.

[The GoldFish]

it's probably related to the polygon mines, the only actually limited resource Darwinia seems to have.

To be honest, I significantly doubt there is any actual detailed backstory, rather than a collection of slightly strung together ideas.

[Feud]

Perhaps the good Dr. feels morally obligated to not interfere. He stepped in with the viruses, since it was the DGs acting in ignorance, and since they had no way to fight against them themselves.

This time it is DG vs. DG, perhaps he feels that he should not interrupt the natural progression of their species by interfering every time they do something that he disapproves of, and that no matter how much harm to themselves they cause, taking away their ability to make that choice goes against everything that Darwinia stands for, a true artificial intelligence, not merely a program with set parameters.

[St!gar]

Exactly. That's what I'm thinking as well.

[xander]

To be honest, I significantly doubt there is any actual detailed backstory, rather than a collection of slightly strung together ideas.

Indeed, and that is just groovy! Now there are actually places to go if one wants to create a story driven campaign in the Darwinia universe (to Darwinia, or Multiwinia when and if campaigns become possible). ;)

xander

[Feud]

To be honest, I significantly doubt there is any actual detailed backstory, rather than a collection of slightly strung together ideas.

Indeed, and that is just groovy! Now there are actually places to go if one wants to create a story driven campaign in the Darwinia universe (to Darwinia, or Multiwinia when and if campaigns become possible).

xander

Quite right, there is something to be said for a story that refuses to tie up all the lose ends.

[The GoldFish]

Yeah well, really I mean that there's very little to work with - it's a lot better for it than Darwinia was though. Darwinia was very definate about some things, and barely mentioned others. Multiwinia says OH HEY EVERYONES AT WAR BOOM BOOM BOOOOOOM, with little mention of a lot of other things.

I mean, where do you think all these crate drops are comming from?

[Icepick]

There is some back story there, and quite a bit of it is communicated in the level descriptions. As more levels are released, this will be expanded upon a little, but we don't really go into too much detail for a couple of reasons.
Here are a couple of extras for you:

The Shamans that are mentioned evolved from all of the Officers left behind after the Great War. They regained their self-awareness and because they were linked directly to the system, they were able to direclty manipulate Darwinia.

The current Green Multiwinians are directly descended from the original Green Darwinians. Reds are descended from the virus-infected Darwinians after they regained their freedom from the virus. I thought this was clear but there seems to be some confusion.