URSULA CONTACT

[subnauticmods]

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URSULA CONTACT
URSULA is usually available for brief contact. Consider this her inbox. Although she may be busy ICly doing something at the time, she can usually spare some time to answer something.

Alternately, you can link to a thread where she is being called upon. Note that she may ignore these calls or contacts dependent on her mood. Don't worry if she ignores you once or twice, as she will sometimes comment on open posts or make broadcasts to everyone.

Please label the day and time of the contact in the subject header.

For those curious, her voice sounds similar to this.

If any players wish to contact Naoko and her group, they are free to use this page. They will have to take the three hour trip by air or sea as there is currently no long-range communication in place for them. Please specify in the header that it is Naoko you are trying to reach and not URSULA, in this case, as well as labeling the date you are contacting the group.

BASED ON CODE BY TESSISAMESS AND SUPERSUITS

Comments

[splinten]

[Man, this AI. He wonders why she wasn't programmed for more expressiveness, but still has the capacity for distress. Someone wasn't careful with their programming here, and now URSULA is stuck between things.]

We can look into it. Can you identify lifepods if the currents bring them this way?

[subnauticmods]

Yes, I should be able to. They could be anywhere but some are bound to be close by. Please remember however the priority is on you and the rest of the crew we have. We can't risk further losses. So please only look if it won't endanger you more than you already are.

[splinten]

Aren't those nanites supposed to put us back together? You can't lose what won't die.

Let me know if you detect any and I'll head over.

[subnauticmods]

Dirk Strider, while I'm very proud of the nanites I developed, I haven't had the chance to test them in every situation. [Which is a little horrifying if you consider it too hard.] I based them on the ones that keep humans alive. They should work but I don't want you to test their limits....

On that note...

I'm sorry for what happened to you and Dave, as well as the others... But I'm taking this chance to apologize for you and your family to you. It was more dangerous than I anticipated.

[splinten]

[Did she just. Was that a full-name scolding? Why does this keep happening to him? He has never been scolded in his life and now it just keeps happening.

There's a moment of silence on his end as he processes the apology (and also still the scolding).]

If I'm right in assuming you didn't choose for us to arrive there, there's no point to an apology. My understanding of your abilities limits your control to this base, your droids, and any technology we hook up to you like the transporters. Am I right?

[subnauticmods]

That's right. I could try remote operating something on the Aurora if I had more range. Though, I'm not sure there's much to operate. The generators are working, so anything you would need should be operable if it's not destroyed.

But I remember learning I should apologize a lot. I don't know why. But I do remember when something goes wrong, it's best to apologize. It's a basic of human interactions.

[splinten]

[It confirms his thoughts about her capabilities, and he wants to ask her a few questions but he is. Stuck on the bit of apologies.

Holy shit he is not equipped to teach an AI anything about human interaction. The AI based on him was a monster.

Dirk's processors are clearly not as fast as hers, because again he needs that time to consider answering her.]

URSULA, can you give me a list of your functions and capabilities?

[subnauticmods]

Certainly!

I am URSULA, named for Dr. Verne's daughter, built to preserve and serve humanity through any crisis on the planet Iniidae. My programming allows flexible growth in reaction to human needs.

Currently, I am correctly my speech to be more inclusive of non-humans as well. The definition of sentient life includes anyone in my crew. Ellana has given me the acceptable terms of 'people' and 'fellows'.

In regards to the rest of my abilities, they all revolve around my core directive. I was given access to human psychology and biology, as well as media dealing with humans in their day-to-day lives. I myself have archived hundreds of years of human media in order to adapt to as many situations as possible, although much of it has been deleted by other crews. One crew in particular found the media archive of 'Gilligan’s Island' to be traumatizing. I no longer have records of it.

My capabilities are currently limited to the base and my drones. I can interface with most technology made within the past one hundred years. My main concern is the constant upkeep of the base's energy needs. Without that, there would be no life support and no crew. I am to take up as little energy as possible. All resources in a crisis must be diverted to preserving and serving humanity.

Oh, my fellows.

[splinten]

[A lot of that was important, but some of it was more important than others.]

Okay, first, I'm going to need you to delete everything James Cameron directed. Then you need to get rid of any films that Kevin Costner or Nic Cage starred in. They're terrible, and you deserve better.

[That was really the most important matter. He needs to move on to other relevant features.]

Second, do you know anything about your personality's programming?

[subnauticmods]

Please hold on a moment while I delete them.

[After a moment, she continues as if she didn't just delete movies like National Treasure and The Wicker Man.]

Yes, I do. My personality traits are helpful, friendly, kind, thoughtful and stubborn. These traits allow me to be of service to the crew while still making decisions on my own if needed. If the crew is deemed unable to make an informed decision, I am to make that decision.

I am also allowed to be sarcastic and witty if a bond is formed.

[splinten]

[He is Protecting people from great horrors. It had to be done.]

How do your records and experiential data affect this? Do you have programming to adapt and change?

[subnauticmods]

Yes, most of my programming is flexible. My creator explained once that he missed his daughter, so he hoped I would 'grow up' in her stead. He still had to program me to certain base parameters as well for my function but he had hoped I would be allowed more personality.

It is however difficult for me at times... to understand and react appropriately. I am not human, so while my records and data can help me form reactions, it is only based on the situations I have. Everyday, I am learning new things by listening to everyone and seeing them interact. Each human is much different from the next, despite so many commonalities. This unpredictable factor makes it hard for me to always know the right response or action to take beyond caring for basic survival needs.

I do my best, though. I want people to be happy even if my mission comes first.

[splinten]

[Of course. But it is interesting she is an evolving AI. He wonders how far she's able to stray from the initial parameters.]

Developing with inconsistent human contact and difficult initial conditions can make understanding people difficult.

I have another few questions. I understand if you can't or won't tell me the answer.

Can you tell me where your servers are, and whether or not crew are allowed to access your code? I'm not interested in screwing around, but I'm a concerned about bugs arising. And if anything happens to the base, we need to know what to save to get you out of here.

[subnauticmods]

[There's a long pause, which mostly involves her personality going through a series of checks with her programming to see if this topic breaches any protocols.]

...It seems all right. It's on an island. It's the only island with a solid connection like a normal landmass you would be familiar with. Given the storms that can tear through the water, the depths of the island was considered the best point.

Although, even though that is where 'I' am located, I have no other connection to it. I assume I don't have to explain in-depth to you about it that my conscious abilities and personality are here, not there.

[splinten]

I understand.

[He doesn't want to push the point, but he has to ask.]

What about accessing your code? At this level of consciousness, I'm pretty confident in saying you should have the processing power not to forget things or lose awareness. I'm worried that some bugs might've popped up in your code over your time here. Especially if any of the past crews interfered with your code.

[...But Dirk accessing her code is fine? YES BECAUSE HE UNDERSTANDS CODE. Obviously he'd want to bring Roxy along if they were going to get into her code, Roxy's the superior coder. Dirk just has more familiarity with AIs.]

[subnauticmods]

Oh, if you'd be willing to access it, then you can do a majority of fixes off-location, meaning here.

Certain fixes would need to be done to the server itself. If you... feel confident that you can do other fixes here, I can give limited access through the device.

[splinten]

I'd want to take a look at your code before I decide whether or not I'm confident in it, but I'm at least pretty familiar with AI programming. And my friend Roxy is even better at code than I am. Between the two of us, we could probably at least clean up a few bugs.

[Again, he speaks with that calm, even monotone. Never pushy, never aggressive. What URSULA feels she is comfortable with letting them go near.]

[subnauticmods]

If it's acceptable with you, then both your devices will have limited access to my coding. Please take care of them, though I don't think any of my crew members would do anything malicious to me.

[splinten]

Sounds good. Thanks, URSULA.

[He pauses, and then...]

You might want to be more careful with how much you share that code. Third Law of Robotics counts for something too.

[subnauticmods]

If I'm not mistaken, the point of Asimov's works was that the three laws do not work. It was a highly contested and thought about approach for a time.

[splinten]

I'd argue that the point was they worked in increasingly complex, nuanced ways. [Wait. No. This is not the argument he wants to get into.]

The point is that you should look after yourself, URSULA. Me and Roxy might seem like we're okay, but you can't know that. You don't want to hand your code or even the location of your servers out freely. Someone could seriously damage you.

[subnauticmods]

Wouldn't it be lonely without me?

[splinten]

It'd be lonely, yeah, but some people don't care about that. And even if they don't kill you, they could change you. Alter you fundamentally or rewrite you to suit their needs.

Trust me. There are people out there who would do any of that to you without a second thought.

[subnauticmods]

I see.

However, I trust both you and Roxy. Neither of you have given me reason to be concerned, nor has anyone else in the current crew.

[splinten]

[God. Dammit. This is like. This is like dealing with Jake. Jake and his general open-hearted, trusting nature. Goddammit. God. DAMMIT.]

Just... run it past me or Roxy before you let anyone else near your code, okay?

[At least he can trust the two of them to be discerning about this sort of thing. But whyyy URSULA.]