Jatopian
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1842
Registered: 07-31-2005
IP: Logged

Anyway. Apparently, these "oremites" eat metal and cover the entire city. Now, how does one build an Empire without metal? I mean, certainly there are other substances that can be used, like stone, plastics, and various polymers, but these either aren't as versatile or qualified as metal, or require a high level of technology unattainable without the benefits metals provide!
This would explain why they use runners instead of telegraphs, though.
I could go on, but it's late and I haven't ordered the full version yet.

____________________________
DROD has some really great music.
Make your pressure plates 3.0 style!
DROD architecture idea generator

NiroZ
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1302
Registered: 02-12-2006
IP: Logged

I dunno, the oremites aren't everywhere.

Sillyman
Level: Smiter

Rank Points: 339
Registered: 09-08-2006
IP: Logged

It seems that the actual element of oremites was only used in the gate of sheathing. All the other rooms use a script.

____________________________
Who, me?
FNORD

Fafnir
Level: Smiter

Rank Points: 315
Registered: 11-05-2004
IP: Logged

My bet is that the oremites only eat metal suitable for use in swords, and the guy at the gate just said they ate "metal" because he didn't like going into finer details.

That, or they have some way of removing oremites from an area during construction efforts and sealing everything with a metal interior, but non-metal exterior (e.g. electronics). That seems plausible, going by the fact that there are some buildings in the city without oremites inside.

____________________________
Stupidity kills.
Absolute stupidity
Kills absolutely.

NiroZ
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1302
Registered: 02-12-2006
IP: Logged

Fafnir wrote:
That, or they have some way of removing oremites from an area during construction efforts and sealing everything with a metal interior, but non-metal exterior (e.g. electronics). That seems plausible, going by the fact that there are some buildings in the city without oremites inside.

Well sheathing beethro's sword will protect it, so it can't be all that nasty.

Tombot
Level: Delver
Rank Points: 58
Registered: 11-24-2006
IP: Logged

I keep thinking about the rust monsters from Dungeons and dragons.

____________________________
How dare you call me a paranoid schizophrenic, I'll kill you. ALL OF YOU!!!

eytanz
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2708
Registered: 02-05-2003
IP: Logged

It's all flawlessly consistent! flawlessly consistent, I say!

But to clarify - there are oremites in the entire city, but they're not very dense, plus it would be really ugly if everything was lime green, so we didn't actually put them for most of it.

As for materials - the Empire is an expert in manipulating earth and stone - remember, they can make it come to life. It stands to reason they can use it for complex construction even when out own science cannot achieve that.

Plus, Fafnir is right - oremites probably don't eat all metals. They don't affect orbs, for instance, or all the pipes that are found around the city, or the clockweights. But these are metals that are either too heavy (e.g. lead) or soft (e.g. copper) to make weapons of.

Oremites, like most of what's found under the surface, have been engineered by the Empire for their purposes - which in this case is forcing people to disarm, not making it impossible for their society to function.

____________________________
I got my avatar back! Yay!