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A life before the pod?

First post
Author
Ioan Asmodis Yassavi
Imperial Academy
Amarr Empire
#1 - 2013-01-09 03:41:31 UTC
I was wondering how a capsuleer's life and daily routine looked like before he became one - which leads me to how people become podders in the first place. Are they "born" (genetically engineered) to fulfill their predestined role, or is basically every citizen of an empire free to apply for a capsuleers licence, given he/she passes all required testings?

I am mainly asking because my char needs a backstory of some sort, and it is quite a thing whether I need to make up a "civilian's" past for him or not.

Thanks for your thoughts in advance!

When we have each other... we have everything.

Thgil Goldcore
Ministry of War
Amarr Empire
#2 - 2013-01-09 06:46:37 UTC
There is alot of things that have to be there to become a proper capsuleer. There is a degree of genetic makeup that makes a majority of the population unable outright. Further still it requires a certain mental ability that most simply cannot obtain no matter how hard they try. Lastly it requires being in a position for which you would be tested for capability, often favoring upperclass peoples.

The genetics are required simply to have a central nervous system that can correctly interface with the capsuleer implants and pod. Without this your ability to command the ship would be spotty at best.

The mental strength bit comes in since even if your brain can interface with a pod properly, you still need to be able to process all the data you get. Bare in mind that once in your pod you 'feel' the ship, more or less. Its not like our game interface where you click one button to fire or lock. A weak brain just would be unable to handle the vast amounts of information that is required.

Lastly the social class bit comes in since, even if your an exceptional mind, people wont notice you if your a vitoc addicted slave, or living in some farming community on a border planet. Although it should be said that most empires are more than happy to pay for your schooling should you be found to be capsuleer material.

That said, people who are able to become capsuleers often stand out as being SIGNIFICANTLY smarter, quicker, and overall superior to a standard person. Capsuleers are not 'average joes' by any stretch. So be mindful when writing your backstory that you are exceptional to 'normal' people in almost every way imaginable.
CCP Eterne
C C P
C C P Alliance
#3 - 2013-01-09 11:38:01 UTC
Thgil gave a pretty good summary of what is necessary to become a capsuleer. I would also add in that to receive proper training, you need a lot of money. The military academies train pilots to enter into service with them, but the other schools are universities just like those you'd find in the real world. So you have to pay tuition and the schools that offer capsuleer training are very high on the scale of cost.

Of course, you could also get a scholarship of sorts to go.

As for what you do to train up to be a capsuleer, we haven't really fleshed that out, but there's been a lot of stories posted on this forum and elsewhere that delve into possibilities.

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Nicoletta Mithra
Societas Imperialis Sceptri Coronaeque
Khimi Harar
#4 - 2013-01-09 19:51:39 UTC
Thgil Goldcore wrote:
That said, people who are able to become capsuleers often stand out as being SIGNIFICANTLY smarter, quicker, and overall superior to a standard person. Capsuleers are not 'average joes' by any stretch. So be mindful when writing your backstory that you are exceptional to 'normal' people in almost every way imaginable.

Apparently though, that is countered by what is usually called "capsuleer dementia". After a few times being pod-killed or even prior to that, any capsuleer can become a idiot, frothing from his mouth. :P
Issaku Tanaka
Galaxy Eaters
#5 - 2013-01-09 21:08:11 UTC
We can probably see what they look for in our stats: intelligence, willpower, perception, charisma, and memory. You'd also require genetic viability to be able to become an egger.

Assuming DnD like scaling, where '10' is 'normal' values for that stat, the average pod pilot would be one hell of a person, depending on where they spec.