Vykker queries

[Bullet Magnet]

Exactly, but in fantasy worlds, such limitations are meaningless.

[Nate]

No, that's the strength of good fantasy. If you'd ever read Tolkien's famous speech On Fairy Stories (or just skimmed it, as it is hard reading), you'd see him discussing this very topic. He hits back at people who criticise fantasy because 'anything is possible' and points out that the best fairy tales have strict rules within their universes that cannot be broken. They may be different to the rules in our universe but they are rules nonetheless.

My point being that much of the technology in Oddworld is based on ours, taken to the extreme. Not everything is possible and if you say that it is, you're demeaning the world that OWI have created.

[magic9mushroom]

You can't do major genetic modification to yourself. You could only change limbs on offspring. About the most you can do to an adult is block off an existing gene from firing or introduce one that will produce an extra hormone.

One prob there ndw, you assumed non-(sci-fi-technobabbly)-humanlevel tech. The vykkers are more advanced than us, come on they can link stuff into Munch's nervous system and make him able to control it for goodness sake.

My theory: totally new genome created and used for offspring, existing non-supersmart pre-Vykkers have brains removed, upgraded and implanted into embryos grown brainless. Or they could just cut the brain out of an infant to empower them: they are that sadistic.

BTW: SIGGED!

EDIT: Another piece of evidence is their superlong lifespans which anyone would want.

[Slaveless]

One question on your theory. How did the Vykkers become so smart? Couldn't they just teach the younger Vykkers their knowledge? And isn't smart something that you become, not something you are? My belief is that Vykkers are just naturally so observant. Also, you can't take a brain out of an embryo. There isn't even one! Another thing, wouldn't Vykkers have diginity for other Vykkers when it comes to pain? One other thing, your proof is not correct, since Vykkers go through life expanding surgeries.

Could it be possible that Vykkers are a combination of normal intellgent species, resulting to as a hyper observant and theorizing species? And being that Vykkers obviousily evolved over the course of time, they are able to be really intellgent.

[Arxryl]

that is possible yes. they probably DID in fact evolve/ adapt for the purposes of being an industrial society. I'm not saying they chose to evolve, I am merely saying that the environment they live in being an industrial one, they would adapt over time to fit the industrial way of life.

[Wil]

How did the Vykkers become so smart?

The Vykkers developed their vast medical/scientific knowledge through trying to extend their own lifetimes. How they managed to develop such a cold, logical intelligence is tied in with their historic, sadistic mentality, although what environmental change caused these to become selected characteristics isn’t quite so intuitive.

Another thing, wouldn't Vykkers have diginity for other Vykkers when it comes to pain?

You mean would they be against causing each other pain? Nope. The only bonding evident between Vykkers is that which preserves their twisted practices. They’re as empathetic to each other’s suffering as they are to other creatures’.

[magic9mushroom]

The Vykkers developed their vast medical/scientific knowledge through trying to extend their own lifetimes. How they managed to develop such a cold, logical intelligence is tied in with their historic, sadistic mentality, although what environmental change caused these to become selected characteristics isn’t quite so intuitive.


You mean would they be against causing each other pain? Nope. The only bonding evident between Vykkers is that which preserves their twisted practices. They’re as empathetic to each other’s suffering as they are to other creatures’.

Unless, of course, the current Vykker form is the result of intelligent design by pre-Vykkers, which is the whole point of this thread. Brains/intelligence is partially genetic(remember the Nobel sperm bank that created superkids?) as is lifespan. So their apparently maladaptive sadism and useless appendages don't have to be explained by natural selection(I think it might be a bit hard to prove!).

[Slaveless]

Having extra limbs may have been use to Vykkers when they were tree dwellers, for maybe they often had to be connected the trees they were on to survive. For example, they needed two of their limbs to feed on their food, while they needed to the rest to have a nice hand and feet hold on the trees. Super natural intellgence could have been the result of genetic inbreeding or simply it was the result of having too much free time.

[magic9mushroom]

Or of genetic engineering. Their body form is so cliche, like some mad scientist thought it up!

[Nate]

What are you talking about? Vykkers are the freakiest damn creature design ever!

[Xavier]

I agree, the vykker's design is awesome!!

[Wil]

If Vykkers are genetically sculpted, why are they ill adapted to their environment and job? i.e. Legs that clearly need to be surgically altered, poor eyesight, fingers that are barely prehensile?

[Arxryl]

Maybe they eventually degraded from the use of modern "enhancing" technology.Since they don't rely on their own natural abilities but instead use science and technology, they eventually degraded.

[Xavier]

you could explain the poor eyes with that theory (screens are bad for them, very baaaaad ) and maybe the fingers

but that wouldn't explain the legs at all

[Wil]

Would it explain their fingers? I think it’s too big a morphological degredation. Since Vykkers were arboreal, my guess is that their long, thin digits/nails are adapted to reaching grubs underneath tree bark.

[Munch's Master]

^I agree with Max's suggestion here. The legs I'd imagine were originally longer and more flexible, designed for gripping and swinging through tree branches, but as their brains developed for whatever reason (Naturally or through environmental changes), they began to undertake the medical profession, and for whatever reaso nfound their tree-dweller legs were unsuitable for thier new lifestyle, so amputated them. Over time I'd then imagine they will evolve to naturally posess shorter legs, much in the way we evolved fro mthe hairy caveman wh oneeded the hair for warmth, to modern man who doesn't need the hair to the same degree.

[Nate]

Except that if they all get their legs cut off there would be no advantage to having slightly shorter legs. So they would not evolve to anything specific. Just like how our immune systems are going to hell because Medical Science stops the human specimens from dieing out.

[ODD-BOD]

There would be an advantage for shorter legs because they would be closer to the ground meaning a lower centre of gravity so they could stand very still when operating and testing on fuzzles and stuff so they probably did amputate themselves.