engine Heart

GM Handbook

Table of Contents
1 Introduction................................................................1
2 History.........................................................................1
2.1 The Before Time................................................1
2.2 The Emergency Rewrite..................................1
2.3 Now.....................................................................1
3 Technology...................................................................2
3.1 Human Technology...........................................2
4 Locations.....................................................................2
4.1 The Central Parkway ......................................2
4.2 The Restaurant / Bar........................................3
4.3 The Mexican Restaurant.................................3

4.3.1 The AI..........................................................3

4.4 The Theater........................................................3
4.5 Central Mall Operations.................................3
5 Traces of Civilization.................................................4
6 Appendix......................................................................4
6.1 Random Robot Generation...........................4
6.1.1 Attributes...................................................4
6.1.2 Other Factors...........................................4
6.1.3 Features......................................................5
6.1.4 Defects.......................................................8

Introduction

So the goal here is to create a Wall-E type setting to run a couple of adventures in as a lonely robot
that was long ago left behind by the humans that built it.

2
2.1

History
The Before Time

Long ago, there were humans, and they built advanced cities and technologies. They built robots, and
they built robots that built robots. The robots were controlled by artificial intelligence of varying
degrees of sophistication.
Compared with factual real technology, I'm envisioning the level that we might have in 100 or 150 years.

2.2

The Emergency Rewrite

Something happened, and (as I define the setting in greater detail, I need to decide what) it required
extreme action. In the end, the robot manager decided to perform an emergency rewrite on the
programming of every robot under its control.

2.3

Now

Eighty years after the emergency rewrite. While the level of technology before the emergency rewrite
was quite advanced, much of it has deteriorated and is no longer functional.

3
3.1

Technology
Human Technology

The pinnacle of human technology:

Artificial Intelligence

Common: many robots were programmed with limited levels of

artificial intelligence. These robots are generally bound to the level
of their programming and purpose.
Uncommon: some robots were programmed with additional
features which allow them to make decisions beyond their original
programming. This type of programming was becoming more
common and can be found in a variety of robot types.
Rare: a few AIs existed that were able to design and modify other
artificial intelligence programs.

Robotics

Able to perform fine manipulation, excellent locomotion and vision

algorithms. Controlled by artificial intelligence as described above.
Notes: The Sirius Cybernetics Corporation (humorous reference to
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) was a prominent producer of
many AI and robots.

Energy

Solar power, nuclear, wind, coal.

Space Exploration

Large-scale human supporting.

Transportation

Airplane Space Plane (low outer atmosphere)

Car Electric Car with AI controlled traffic shaping

Biotechnology
Genetics

Locations

I'm going to keep this easy and imagine a place that I'm familiar with, and adjust it as needed to make it
more interesting. I'm starting with Orchard Mall. Imagining 100 to 150 years in the future. I'll just
assume that in the future, there will still be shopping malls, but with advances.
The main locations are described next.
[Other large crater where a robot with a Nuclear Battery exploded]

4.1

The Central Parkway

Includes children area, common area (in which there used to be entertainment now it is generally
empty).

4.2

The Restaurant / Bar

This was once a combination restaurant / bar that humans would go to in order to eat, drink and
generally waste time talking with one another. I'll imagine that it was a Rocky Mountain Brewery, and
that in the future humans still drank beer. Then since the emergency rewrite, the sign has deteriorated
to Ro ky un in ewer. Most mall robots (including those attached to the restaurant), refer to it as the
Ro-K-Y, or as Restaurant Rho. The robots that are still active here maintain a strong rivalry with
the robots in the Mexican restaurant.
The robots: the AI, the bartender, the matre d'htel, waiter / waitresses, cook, maintenance / supply
storage / restocking.

4.3

The Mexican Restaurant

This was another restaurant that was favored by humans, and although it was not really necessary to
compete for business (because of the greater overall productivity) as strongly as it is in the present, the
robots in this restaurant and the above restaurant / bar were programmed to have moderately strong
competitive impulses. Originally, it was Rico's Mexican Restaurant, but now it says, Pico ex can estau.
Robots generally refer to it as the Pico.
The robots: the AI, the bartender, the hostess, waiter / waitresses, cook, maintenance / supply storage /
restocking.

4.3.1 The AI
In the Before Time, the AI was the Sirius Cybernetics 4040 restaurant manager. It was optimized with
the Mexican-American culture and cuisine program. When the AI was originally installed, it had a
competition module, but it was not turned on. During the tumultuous times of the Emergency Rewrite,
the competition module got turned on and set to a relatively high level. Since then, the AI has made
numerous attempts at gaining a dominant share of the (non-existent) market share.

4.3.2 The Cook

The cook is a large, older model robot with attitude. Because the restaurant never (or almost never)
gets any customers (a couple of times there were some birds that would occasionally fly in), and no
orders are generated

4.4

The Theater

In the future, humans consumed more and more entertainment, as they were required to perform less
and less work. One of the more popular forms of entertainment was the interactive movie experience.
In its time, it was known as The AMC Experience
Whether it was a cause of some accident, or purely of neglect, the sign now reads, The ___
__perience. The robots refer to it as the Perience, or sometimes the Experience (for those robots
that survive with less damage to their memory systems).

4.5

Central Mall Operations

At the east end of the mall is a large building, and in one of its spaces was the Central Mall Operations.