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Mindspikes are appendage-like[1] implants[2] produced by Mindsci made for accessing human memories and used for breaking into corrucysts by the FBX. They are able to produce renderable output, establish communication with thoughtforms, translate the obesk language, and log entities encountered. Prolonged Mindspike usage seems to cause personality changes in users[3].
The Mindspike industry was directly inspired by obesk groundsmindry[4].
Framing Device
Framing Devices are third-party utilities that can manipulate what the Mindspike processes in order to access previously blocked memories.[5]
GAD
The GAD value, also known as global ambient dissonance, is a fluctuating value that affects Mindspike technology by causing deviations in usually stable renderings. Moth recalls the story of the discovery of GAD, in which a fjortoft box running a constant and consistent signal would show random fluctuations that were the exact same for all Mindspikes across the world, despite them not being directly connected. There are various theories as to why this is the case, including possible electromagnetic interference from Earth or The Dull Contrivance.
The GAD value can be viewed on the top right of the system management menu. It is derived from the value of the GCP Dot, a real metric that shows how much variance currently exists in randomly generated numbers around the world. This gets converted to a GAD value according to the table below. The game fetches the current GAD value once while loading and once every 5 minutes, and some changes may occur if the GAD value updates. When the GAD value is low, the mindspike render becomes more incoherent. This causes changes ranging from minor visual degradation to opening pathways around the cyst that are normally inaccessible. The Interloper can equip the Hunger Mask to simulate the effects of the lowest GAD value on demand, but this does not alter the actual GAD value in the background.
| Value | Description | CGP Dot Index | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | GAD::'overcoherency block, exercise caution' | above 95% | Almost no effect* |
| 1 | GAD::'overcoherency fluctuation' | 80% to 95% | Almost no effect* |
| 0 | GAD::'coherent' | 20% to 80% | Normal |
| -1 | GAD::'incoherence fluctuation' | 5% to 20% | Many graphical changes, opens up various paths |
| -2 | GAD::'widespread incoherency, exercise caution' | below 5% | Same as above, with more degraded visuals |
* The one and only effect of overcoherency is lowering the pitch of the music in Their Waters by an octave.
Masks
Masks are a third-party utility that can alter thought spaces. They are unlocked by first meeting the Council in Jokzi Ozo.
Operating System
Tonga was the first developed operating system for Mindspike technology. Although antiquated, it is currently being used by the Interloper, because they never update theirs, and the latest update to it caused havoc for its users, to the point that Moth describes it as "that big disaster update" and says that they "can't even imagine what Mindsci was thinking". It can handle higher incoherency than what is typically allowed if entered from slightly incoherent places, because it relies on the brain of the user for functionality, including detection of incoherency. This reliance, however, caused an early scandal named "memory pulling", in which memory sources were removed mid-use, resulting in the user suffering from hallucinations and hampered temporal perception ("chronos misalignment").
It is unknown how many different operating systems there have been, but the number is more than three.
Protective gear
FBX Mindspike contractors have to be wearing protective gear when interacting with corru technology per safety protocol[6]. It is known that the protective suit is thick[7], includes a removable faceplate[8] and at least one blue light on the head part of the gear[9]. The suit is required to guard against cyst explosions[10], aggressive corru lifeforms and cyst radiation[11].
- ↑ Transcripts:FBX_Basement#Feed_Copper Instance of the mindspike being used as a limb separately from hands
- ↑ Referred as such by the abridged license
- ↑ Transcripts:Embassy#About_bstrd
- ↑ Transcripts:Embassy#Groundsmind?
- ↑ Transcripts:Embassy/Collapse#First read Lines 15-34
- ↑ Transcripts:Embassy/Golem#Metatrauma Line 117
- ↑ Transcripts:Embassy/Golem#Metatrauma Line 86
- ↑ Transcripts:FBX_Basement#Feed_with_Container+Gun Line 44
- ↑ Transcripts:FBX_Basement#EP0_Intro Line 40, the cyst gains a blue shine at the top upon Interloper approaching
- ↑ Transcripts:Embassy/Golem#Metatrauma Line 116
- ↑ Transcripts:Embassy/Golem#Metatrauma Line 114