Gort of the discord came up with this idea. I liked it, and want to try implementing it.
As the seedship prepares to into orbit, it notices something extremely peculiar. Another ship is orbiting the planet, and it makes no sign of noticing the seedship, and no other signs of technology are visible in the system.
Change course
The AI decides to leave the stray ship behind and find a new planet.
Investigate the ship
Failure: The seedship attempts to go closer, but the engines fire harder then anticipated, and the seedship crashes into the second ship, wrecking it and massively damaging the seedship. Nothing salvageable remains.
Success: The seedship successfully pulls up to the foreign ship and notices it is... another seedship? The AI frantically searches it's records but finds no mention of the seedship's builders launching multiple ships. The second seedship also looks very damaged, and likely only good for scrap. The AI ponders whether or not to send a probe to search for salvage.
Launch a surface probe (-1 surface probe)
Option 1: The surface probe finds that power generation is still online, although little else is, and a few sleep chambers are still working, and the surface probe hooks them up to its own chambers. The AI scans the planet below, happy to have rescued [25-50] colonists.
Option 2: The surface probe finds that power generation is offline, but the data storage modules still contain some information. It hooks up its own battery to the derelict seedship and copies what it can from the databases. When the probe dies, the seedship uses the newfound information to fill some of the holes in its databases. The AI scans the planet below, happy to have recovered some lost information about humanity. (If the databases are undamaged, the last line should read "The AI scans the planet below, happy to have salvaged some information about alien [cultures/science]." (+10-25% to either database)
Option 3: The probe finds that the [non database system] is in almost pristine condition, and cuts out most of it to bring back to its own seedship, to use in repairing the [system]. (+60-70% to a random damaged system)
Option 4: The probe finds that the derelict seedship gathered an obscene amount of data when it was still operating, and the probe gathers what remains from the derelict seedship's scanners. (+2 levels to 2 random scanners)
Option 5: The probe boards the derelict seedship and finds that there is no significant salvage to be found. The AI scans the planet below, dejected. (No effect)
Option 6: When the probe touches the other seedship, it jolts to life, sending the probe barreling back towards where it came from, and other seedship sends a very colorfully worded message before hastily pulling away. (30-40% damage to a random system)
Ignore the seedship
The AI is sufficiently creeped out, and decides to pretend it is not there.
No probes
Unfortunately, without surface probes, the AI is unable to investigate the ship.
Gort of the discord came up with this idea. I liked it, and want to try implementing it.
As the seedship prepares to into orbit, it notices something extremely peculiar. Another ship is orbiting the planet, and it makes no sign of noticing the seedship, and no other signs of technology are visible in the system.
Success: The seedship successfully pulls up to the foreign ship and notices it is... another seedship? The AI frantically searches it's records but finds no mention of the seedship's builders launching multiple ships. The second seedship also looks very damaged, and likely only good for scrap. The AI ponders whether or not to send a probe to search for salvage.
Option 1: The surface probe finds that power generation is still online, although little else is, and a few sleep chambers are still working, and the surface probe hooks them up to its own chambers. The AI scans the planet below, happy to have rescued [25-50] colonists.
Option 2: The surface probe finds that power generation is offline, but the data storage modules still contain some information. It hooks up its own battery to the derelict seedship and copies what it can from the databases. When the probe dies, the seedship uses the newfound information to fill some of the holes in its databases. The AI scans the planet below, happy to have recovered some lost information about humanity. (If the databases are undamaged, the last line should read "The AI scans the planet below, happy to have salvaged some information about alien [cultures/science]." (+10-25% to either database)
Option 3: The probe finds that the [non database system] is in almost pristine condition, and cuts out most of it to bring back to its own seedship, to use in repairing the [system]. (+60-70% to a random damaged system)
Option 4: The probe finds that the derelict seedship gathered an obscene amount of data when it was still operating, and the probe gathers what remains from the derelict seedship's scanners. (+2 levels to 2 random scanners)
Option 5: The probe boards the derelict seedship and finds that there is no significant salvage to be found. The AI scans the planet below, dejected. (No effect)
Option 6: When the probe touches the other seedship, it jolts to life, sending the probe barreling back towards where it came from, and other seedship sends a very colorfully worded message before hastily pulling away. (30-40% damage to a random system)
The AI is sufficiently creeped out, and decides to pretend it is not there.
Unfortunately, without surface probes, the AI is unable to investigate the ship.