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[songofthephoenix]

[SPEC] Where is Perplex City?

[newzgrl]

I'm thinking Perplex city is in some kind of alternate dimension, and maybe the cube allows them to see into our world so they can study us. The video refers to how we used our collective experience and have come to different conclusions. So it sounds to me like both "worlds" were on the same track, then split off in two directions somehow. They maybe trying to discover how our worlds ended up so different (ly?)

[RI_Barnica]

I don't know why, but I get the feeling that they already know where/when) our timelines diverged. I wonder if it was with the discovery of the cube? And I wonder what event led to us not discovering the cube... was it missed due to a distraction, destroyed (accidentally or on purpose), or locked away (a la the ark in Raider's). I think we'll be getting clues to this as the game progresses. If one accepts the divergent timeline, how long would you guess its been since we diverged?

[KSG]

Here's sort of a mashing together of the spec I've heard that I think makes the most sense so far.

Perplex City is in an alternate dimension. It is probably their equivalent of London, just because London seems like such an important place in this game. There are some interesting theories about their time being different from ours, none of which I believe. I think their time is our time, and they just use different letters and numbers to refer to it. They are in the present.

Now, I think 'their consumer habit' is likely a comment on our dimension being different from theirs. This reminds me of someone's spec about how the video talks about culture shock and differences in our worlds while showing a bit of Tokyo that is almost nothing but advertising. Come to think of it, we verified the location mostly by matching up pictures of advertisements. I think the culture shock mentioned in the video mainly refers to feeling completely overwhelmed by the messages we're bombarded with over here.

I think it will be hilarious when the "unusual client" turns out to be adbusters.

RI_Barnica, I get that feeling, too. They probably do know when the split was. I don't know why, either.

[yanka]

Ok, this is something I was very much afraid to bring up during the whole e-numbers thing , but I don't see how we can avoid it completely, so... I think the simplest, cleanest explanation of "where" they are would be: a copy of Earth in something like a level 3 multiverse that, as RI_Barnica suggests, diverged at some point. I hate talking about things that are beoynd my realm of comprehension, but from what feeble understanding I have of such a scenario, their universe would be a bubble that is exactly the same as ours (i.e. our quantum histories in all such bubbles are exactly the same up to certain points in... ugh, time) - so they actually live on Earth, in the Solar system, in the Milky Way, in what would be our year 2005, etc. I have absolutely no idea what processes they would be able to use to communicate with us *instantly* (as far as I understand, we would be separated by trillions and trillions of light years), but I suppose we can write it off with "dougnut shape", "wormhole" and some generalized "it's just a game, not a course in astrophysics" statement pretty easily . I apologize in advance if this spec is going to revive the e-numbers debate, or cause a flood of symmetry, M-theory, and inflationary period posts. Actually, maybe I won't apologize for the latter, since it would probably turn out to be rather interesting.

Anyway,

[songofthephoenix]

I am going to place some oog references here that have to do with time travel and portal's and the attributes and worlds that are held within each to see if any relate to Perplex City..

a) Sliders - They use a device to enter gateway's into other Earths.
b) Back to the Future - the use a device to travel backwards and forwards nito time. The pass is changed which alters the future (remember the Doc describing the time lines when Biff went back and changed the future by gambling on the horses?).
c) StarGate - Portal which is basically like a worm hole between different planet's.
d) Bill and Ted's Excellent adventure - Time travel - however, the future and past are not affected. It just make's the present more interesting.
e) Dark City - City is some form of space ship and the creatures can alter the physical attributes and mind's of people upon it.

I have a feeling that the Academy are from a higher society that has come from either another time, great distance, or dimension, and have surpassed 'culture' so to speak. They remind me of some form of futuristic arcadian type people that are interested in learning and understanding people and themselves.

It is interesting how the reception type people still have some similarities as people here. Fashion still creates the same kind of desire.

[songofthephoenix]

[POTUS]

I get the feeling that wherever they are - they are very much like us. They have religion and science and police and crime. Why they even have fashion:

[Scott]

[Salkunh]

[spaceXplorer]

The Time Travel theory also links back in with the whole Dirk Gently thread. See here in the Adverts in Newspapers topic

I still really like this theory, and still think that the whole 'Sofas in the Stairwell' reference was meant as a big clue rather than just an anecdote.

[POTUS]

Scott wrote:

[maxim]

I think that Perplex City exists in our world, but is hidden in such a way that we could never reach it, but they could reach us. So far all communication has been one-way, and will probably continue like that. Think of it as a big hill... they are at the top, watching us, whilst we are unaware of their presence. That hill could represent time, space, anything you like. Really, it doesn't matter. The point is, when the cube was lost down that hill, they made the decision to alert us to their existance while they attempted to retrieve it.

Why would they do that? Haven't they learned a lot from researching us, something they do not want to just throw away? The cube must be hugely important if that is the case. Or perhaps, as the conversations suggest, they have long desired to 'visit' us at the bottom of the hill, but maybe it was too dangerous... could the cube be an excuse? And if it is proved to a 'one way trip', or at the least, a difficult return (which would explain why we have not been able to reach them before now), then what are they risking by notifying us of their existance?

Just a few things to chew on.

[newzgrl]

[EclecticMunk]