Hey everyone,
Today I want to talk about a unique feature in our Fermi Paradox. So let's talk about Radio Signals.
All our species start as Stone Age cultures and they evolve on planets many lightyears apart from each other. This means that in the beginning they can not interact with other aliens in any way because they have not the technology but even not the understanding that other life forms might exist and what actually a planet or a lightyear is.
Over time they will discover astronomy and observe the stars in more detail but still are bound to the constraints of their home. But when they finally reach the Industrial Age they are able to communicate via radio waves.Now, the new “Sending out Signal” event is unlocked for this species. It might happen that by accident or by intent this civilization is sending out radio waves towards another star. The content of these signals can vary. Maybe they are broadcasting mindless tv shows or maybe their scientists are trying to establish contact with a far away civilization.
But it will take quite some time until the inhabitants of a different planet can try to decipher these radio messages. Why? Because radio waves do not move faster than the speed of light. Let's say there is an alien civilization on Alpha Centauri ( the closest star to our Earth ). It would take 4 light years until a radio message from us would reach these creatures. In extreme cases, a message from one end of the Milky Way to the opposite side would take 50.000 years.
Also signals are still wandering through space regardless of what happens to the sender civilization. If they start a nuclear war and destroy their entire planet, the radio waves can still be captured by a society advanced enough. So if they start looking for the origin of the signal they would only find a radiated planet. And a civilization that sends out a very peaceful message could become a tyrannic empire decades later. You never know.
So what will happen if the signal is finally reaching a society with the technological ability to detect these messages? As soon as a civilization joins the Nuclear Age and a signal broadcast reaches them, a unique “Signals from Space” event is triggered. It is now in your hands as the galactic gardener to decide how a civilization reacts to the news, that they are not alone in the universe.
Will they become very excited that they have proof that they are not alone in the universe and this euphoria triggers a scientific research boom? Will their government cover this information so their people won't start to panic? Will they react with fear and despair, fearing an alien invasion and preparing for interstellar war?
Long lasting side effects can also occur to a civilization that found out that other aliens are out there somewhere. A new religion could evolve worshiping the sender of the strange signals as gods or a global war could break out over access to the valuable information that could lead to the discovery of alien technology.
The early phase of the game is interesting, because before even any starships are built to explore other systems, the different alien civilizations could receive messages from faraway stars and even send answers back even if this would take hundreds of years.
Generally, it is desirable to send as many signals out to the stars because a positive Signal reaction can really give each civilization a good development boost ...but beware if some of the civilizations grow into very hostile and dystopian society, maybe it is not the best idea to reveal to them where they can find a planet to conquer.
Thank you very much for reading and I hope you find this interesting! Expect more updates soon as we continue on development and explore the galactic possibilities in The Fermi Paradox.
See you in the stars, voyager.
Jörg from Anomaly Games
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