The Evolution of Oddworld

[STM]

- The Proposal -

Oddworld is an enormous planet that holds so many species but look at how many are sentient, self aware and able to use tools and speak. There are civilisations of steef, grubbs, mudokons, sligs, glukkons, vykers and chronicclers to name a few but how has there been so many intelligent life forms? Perhaps the planet is extremely old but then, why do we not see gravity ports and amazing feats of technology, when you look at architecture, science of the vykers and other factors, I seem to think that oddworld is stuck in what would be our 18th to 20th centuries with the most revolutionary technology being their "Guardian Angel" TV screens...

- Hypothesis -

Oddworld saw a vast cataclysmic event that allowed the species to survive but a lot of the technology was lost, like the dark ages but on a grander scale.

Does anyone else have any ideas on this?

[MeechMunchie]

I think it was all created by God.

[Bullet Magnet]

The main consequence that comes to my mind is that sapience should have been a characteristic that has existed in a multitude of species throughout evolutionary history pretty much continuously.

Because on Earth, eyes have evolved multiple times separately (and with some very different solutions), as has flight, gills, secondary aquaticism, legs, and so forth. But not all at the same time.

It would be astonishing if on Oddworld sapience evolved in several species at approximately the same time (evolutionarily speaking). Regardless, something had to prevent the first sapient species from inhibiting the evolution of the other species.

[Manco]

It's possible that Oddworld is so large that the various species were able to develop sapience without ever encountering each other.

Perhaps Mudokons, Glukkons, Vykkers etc. are all natives of separate countries or continents, and only really became aware of other sapient societies when they began expanding their territory.

[OANST]

The main consequence that comes to my mind is that sapience should have been a characteristic that has existed in a multitude of species throughout evolutionary history pretty much continuously.

Because on Earth, eyes have evolved multiple times separately (and with some very different solutions), as has flight, gills, secondary aquaticism, legs, and so forth. But not all at the same time.

It would be astonishing if on Oddworld sapience evolved in several species at approximately the same time (evolutionarily speaking). Regardless, something had to prevent the first sapient species from inhibiting the evolution of the other species.

I'm so disappointed in you that I feel ill. And I'm not trying to be funny. These threads are trying my patience, but nowhere near as much as the people writing serious replies. I think I need to quit.

[Wil]

why do we not see gravity ports and amazing feats of technology, when you look at architecture, science of the vykers and other factors, I seem to think that oddworld is stuck in what would be our 18th to 20th centuries with the most revolutionary technology being their "Guardian Angel" TV screens...

Amazing feats of technology like levitation, world-spanning pneumatic networks, true artificial intelligence, teleportation, cybernetic and genetically manufactured organisms, whatever it is that allows the Bounty Can to work... Some races have technology comparable to our 19th Century tech, such as the Glukkons, but the Vykkers are ahead of us, particularly in the fields of medical science, gene splicing and robotics, and they sell this technology to other users. Oddworld Media is roughly comparable to ours mid-20th Century.

Regardless, something had to prevent the first sapient species from inhibiting the evolution of the other species.

Maybe they were all just really nice and kind and loving and sharing.

[Jango]

I think that Oddworld was created in a similar to the way in which the Earth was. First there were single-cell organisms, then multi-cellular, then proper creatures. But because of the different conditions on Oddworld, the single-cell organisms evolved and grew in a different way, hence why Oddworld is...well...Odd (sorry Max).

I'm so disappointed in you that I feel ill. And I'm not trying to be funny. These threads are trying my patience, but nowhere near as much as the people writing serious replies. I think I need to quit.

If you don't like a thread OANST, then don't post on it please. Thank you.

[STM]

OANST is lucky I pos-repped him a few days back.

I suppose I agree here Max, but perhaps due to the mysticism of the mudokon species, they don't need our technology? Who knows what the full power of the pyschic chanting of the mudokons can do?

[Wil]

I intentionally left out psychic abilities and mentioned only technological ones.

[STM]

Ah fair enough, I think factory technology is certainly more productive than our own but then there are limitations on this in our own world that the Magog Cartel may ignore such as regular breaks. Still they run a tight ship and the coalition of species, even simply for monetary gain, shows they can work relatively well together which is interesting since perhaps the creatures can tolerate each other, if so does this relate to thousands of years of social interspecies interaction?

[Bullet Magnet]

I'm so disappointed in you that I feel ill. And I'm not trying to be funny. These threads are trying my patience, but nowhere near as much as the people writing serious replies. I think I need to quit.

I'd already thought about it as a scientific issue I've encountered in my own world-building exercises.

[moxco]

Here is an idea Lorne created OddWorld as to sell games; and make money. Happy? I hate it when people discuss what they thougt happened in a fictional world. Because thats just it,
IT'S FICTIONAL!!

[Andrelvis]

Here is an idea Lorne created OddWorld as to sell games; and make money. Happy? I hate it when people discuss what they thougt happened in a fictional world. Because thats just it,
IT'S FICTIONAL!!

It's fictional, but plausible, which means it abides to certain rules imposed by it's creators, in order to maintain the Oddworld experience vivid and entertaining.

[moxco]

What's the point in disscussing a theory of how OddWorld species eveolved. Like I said it's fictional, it never happened. I doubt Lorne has ever considered it.

How they canonically came to be could be that they were the weird offspring from and orgy of un-intelligent organisms, if that’s what Lorne wants.

[Manco]

Well I guess we should close down the subforum because clearly no-one wants to discuss Oddworld anymore.

[ziggy]

Let the people speculate and geek out on oddworld if they want. Fuck man; OANST and Moxco, you guys need to take a Chill Pill. It's just a fan forum.

I do remember something from the old site saying that the mudokons' psychic powers were much more prevalent in the "olden times" and somehow they became dormant. I don't think a lot of this stuff is really meant to be explained, like which creatures evolved from what, because it would take out all the mystery of everything. A lot of creatures we don't know about yet, since the planet is supposedly so big, and we've only seen a small chunk of the land.

[Bullet Magnet]

Apart from the fact that it is actually fun for the people who choose to participate, it is a variation on thought experiment. One of the ways to explore why something in the world is the way it is is to imagine what the world would be like if that something were different. A large proportion of fiction is essentially that in narrative form. What we can then do is extrapolate further and explore the consequences of those differences.

And seriously, if this were a book club and we were discussing a novel, there would be far fewer of these ridiculous objections to the topic of discussion that no one has been forced to participate in.

And to those who would anyway: fuck off, you unimaginative little pricks. Do you really think learning occurs best in a vacuum alone, or with context and a point of interest to start from? I've learned a good deal and sorted out ideas in my head by answering questions like this here and elsewhere. I don't just saunter on-line and grandstand my booksmarts. I research and think, and I take it elsewhere.

[Nate]

Following on from what Max said, the core reason why Lorne made Oddworld 10x bigger than Earth was that technologies and cultures spread 10x slower. So there are some parts of Oddworld that we would regard as historically backwards and others that can be considered futuristic science fiction.

[ziggy]

So are Abe and Munch gonna go on a sailing expedition and find ancient cavemanish creatures, or a dark ages type land?

[Manco]

That 10x slower thing is a pretty cool concept. Do you have a link to where Lorne mentions this? I can't remember reading it anywhere.

[Wil]

http://oddworldlibrary.net/archives/...US/History.php

Note: Almost certainly not written by Lorne himself.

[STM]

So if it, being technology spread 10x slower, perhaps one of the main technological advancements of Oddworld is travel? We haven't seen cars or automobiles as such but we have seen flub fuels, ball cars and sophisticated means of train like travel. In a more native side there are wells and portals and chanting jumping, I suppose therefore that the races that could harness travel the fastet where the most succesful. Do you agree?

Also, I'm not sure if this is straying off topic but Bullet Magnet, what's a world building exercise?

[Squ_ish]

what i dont get is how rupture farms good possibly run by only selling two types of food and also wouldn't the mudo's want to eat more?

but anyway on the subject i reckon the reason they dont have travel is because they dont need it all they needed was the zulags to get around the factories and the train to go to necrum
where else would they go?


and has anyone seen the idea for a slig tank
man that looks cool

[Bullet Magnet]

Also, I'm not sure if this is straying off topic but Bullet Magnet, what's a world building exercise?

Tolkein was one of its champions. World Building

[ziggy]

dude Tolkein just stole a bunch of stuff from norse mythology and fairy tales.

[mr.odd]

Here is an idea Lorne created OddWorld as to sell games; and make money. Happy? I hate it when people discuss what they thougt happened in a fictional world. Because thats just it,
IT'S FICTIONAL!!

Yea. God forbid we even think about talking about Oddworld on the Oddworld forums.

[Nate]

what i dont get is how rupture farms good possibly run by only selling two types of food and also wouldn't the mudo's want to eat more?

http://oddworldlibrary.net/archives/...rf_intro.shtml

(click on the 'Specials' button)

[Sekto Springs]

I remember I once made a high quality "Just Eyes" label that I was going to print. I should see if I can find it.

[STM]

Hmm, back on topic. Are there still any oldgers left or are they all mudokons? Since they are behind on the technology tree than their counterparts but they are still in touch with their mystical side.

[Wil]

What are you talking about? "Oldgers" was the early name for Glukkons before they were called "Glukkons".