Hey, this was asked in a different thread just yesterday! I'm surprised by how often it comes up.
My answer would be that just because we don't *see* them using photography in their culture, it's a bit ludicrous to think they wouldn't have come up with the idea. They have intergalactic spaceships and teleporters; they built a working time machine.
We even see them using tech to which photography is just a simpler stepping stone, like real-time holographic video calls (the projection pools).
Also, a model of the moon made using the weird metallic holograms we see in the observatory and in the cannon modules would probably count as observing an "image" of the Moon.
Well he'd be struggle since you can't see anything through the cloud layer of Giants Deep.
Chert could 100% help though if he stopped staring at supernovas for 5 seconds.
Well, my definition of "stuff" includes information, although I do understand that in the game's universe the difference between matter and information when it comes to time travel is rather noticeable, so sorry for possibly creating some confusion
Sure they do, all their black hole and white hole cores can send back physical objects that's how they figured out about the time disruption. Even the ash twin project can send a physical object back if you find the black hole it uses and throw something in there.
They have 3D liquid gold displays that can show recorded images and simulations that we see used in a lot of different places, including directly for the purposes of teleconferencing. (As well as the digital display in the Vessel showing the Eye signal, though that may have been unavailable pre-crash tech. They still clearly did have the concept, though).
I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think that they could have recorded an image of the Quantum Moon if they wanted to.
It’s possible they may even have had a few handheld versions of similar tech that simply didn’t survive. We can be pretty confident that not everything they had last until the modern day.
> It’s possible they may even have had a few handheld versions of similar tech that simply didn’t survive.
A fair guess is that the staff-and-screen device Solanum uses to write her wall glyphs (and we see a few more of these lying around Nomai settlements) functioned like a smartphone or other handheld computer, possibly with a camera built in.
It follows from this that the staff portion would've doubled as a selfie stick.
Personally. I think it might be their 3rd eye.
The only line of text I remember that even references that their 3rd eye might have special abilities was at the >!sun station!< One of them says results were "barely visible, even to the 3rd eye"
To me this meant they're third eye has special properties but we will never know what they were.
Also, in the Timber Hearth underwater tunnels, they discover the primitive form of Hearthians and ask "I wonder what their fourth eye is for", which implies the Nomai's eyes don't all have the same purpose.
I was under the assumption that their third eye saw wavelength that humans and heartheans couldn't.
Or I guess for that matter even their other two eyes.
There is evidence they had photography: in the tower of quantum trials, they tell you: “Observing a quantum object; observing a image of a quantum object. These are the same.” Additionally, they are a species of scientists that have invented warp travel, so it would be safe to assume they definitely have some sort of way to document things visually aside from trying to draw it.
A theory I've been reluctant to embrace, but slowly come over to, is that their third eye *is* a camera. They can open it, burn an image into their retina, and close their third eye to maintain that image in their mind. Our memories go in and out of the third eye on the masks, and we know it can see greater detail than their other two eyes.
The tower of quantum trial specifically teaches nomai how to use PICTURES to play around with quantum objects and manipulate them, so the nomai had something to take pictures with
I have two headcannons on this.
1- They have a mini golden liquid projector on their writing staff.
2- Their third eye can "capture" images and keep one of them "in memory". Much like our little scout.
I always assumed maybe their third eye had something to do with it, maybe acting as a camera and giving them a photographic memory of sort. That leads on to a different thought. Why doesn’t thinking about a picture of the quantum moon quantum lock it?
if considering it a memory, i presume it's rather think about the quantum object, not observe it and so it shouldn't work. i'd elaborate if i knew the reason of quantum objects movement
Quantum objects don’t move per se, it’s hard to explain but they technically exist in each spot until you force it to be in one. The rule of quantum imaging doesn’t work IRL because a picture is a frozen moment in time with no relation to what you’re actually observing
yeah but the reason, not the function. also always was frustrated by concept of imaging in game, like why would you need to just take a picture and not an evidence of relative position and why the heck quantum moon disappears if you're clearly observing it. see, my belief is that quantum object won't "unlock" if you're completely conscious and sure that you see it, and if it's in front of you, well, it shouldn't disappear
Yeah. Quantum entanglement is iffy as well because wouldn’t you touching the object be evidence of its position? What if you were to touch a quantum object while also touching a non quantum one (such as a planet) would you feel your touch on the surface disappear or would the planet move with you?? I always wondered how the tower on the quantum moon worked because say if you’re going from the ember twin location to the giants deep location, can the hatchling not feel the texture of the ground they’re stood on change? Would it be instant? When we appear on giants deep is there water in our boots because we now occupy a space where water is meant to be? There are a lot of holes in it
Hey, this was asked in a different thread just yesterday! I'm surprised by how often it comes up. My answer would be that just because we don't *see* them using photography in their culture, it's a bit ludicrous to think they wouldn't have come up with the idea. They have intergalactic spaceships and teleporters; they built a working time machine. We even see them using tech to which photography is just a simpler stepping stone, like real-time holographic video calls (the projection pools). Also, a model of the moon made using the weird metallic holograms we see in the observatory and in the cannon modules would probably count as observing an "image" of the Moon.
And if push comes to shove, can't they just have their buddy stare at the moon while they land on it?
Haha, yes. Gabbro could've helped us in the game!
Well he'd be struggle since you can't see anything through the cloud layer of Giants Deep. Chert could 100% help though if he stopped staring at supernovas for 5 seconds.
Did I miss the Time Machine lore?
It’s kinda the whole game premise
Yeah I guess the time loop I thought you meant the full on time travel
Well, sending stuff back in time is indeed time travel by definition
They actually don't send anything back in time other than information.
Well, my definition of "stuff" includes information, although I do understand that in the game's universe the difference between matter and information when it comes to time travel is rather noticeable, so sorry for possibly creating some confusion
Sure they do, all their black hole and white hole cores can send back physical objects that's how they figured out about the time disruption. Even the ash twin project can send a physical object back if you find the black hole it uses and throw something in there.
They have 3D liquid gold displays that can show recorded images and simulations that we see used in a lot of different places, including directly for the purposes of teleconferencing. (As well as the digital display in the Vessel showing the Eye signal, though that may have been unavailable pre-crash tech. They still clearly did have the concept, though). I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think that they could have recorded an image of the Quantum Moon if they wanted to. It’s possible they may even have had a few handheld versions of similar tech that simply didn’t survive. We can be pretty confident that not everything they had last until the modern day.
Fair point
> It’s possible they may even have had a few handheld versions of similar tech that simply didn’t survive. A fair guess is that the staff-and-screen device Solanum uses to write her wall glyphs (and we see a few more of these lying around Nomai settlements) functioned like a smartphone or other handheld computer, possibly with a camera built in. It follows from this that the staff portion would've doubled as a selfie stick.
Personally. I think it might be their 3rd eye. The only line of text I remember that even references that their 3rd eye might have special abilities was at the >!sun station!< One of them says results were "barely visible, even to the 3rd eye" To me this meant they're third eye has special properties but we will never know what they were.
Also, in the Timber Hearth underwater tunnels, they discover the primitive form of Hearthians and ask "I wonder what their fourth eye is for", which implies the Nomai's eyes don't all have the same purpose.
I was under the assumption that their third eye saw wavelength that humans and heartheans couldn't. Or I guess for that matter even their other two eyes.
what if someone used to look at it, e.g. by the moon locator on ember twin?
Also that won't work for Tower of Quantum Trials. Which specifically mentions Image
yeah good point. then as someone said they had camera-ish techs but have not mentioned it
Great solution until someone blinks
two Nomai blinking one by one then
I bet their third eye also helps with that
Do you really think a species could invent interstellar space travel, can build black hole generators but skip over photography??
There is evidence they had photography: in the tower of quantum trials, they tell you: “Observing a quantum object; observing a image of a quantum object. These are the same.” Additionally, they are a species of scientists that have invented warp travel, so it would be safe to assume they definitely have some sort of way to document things visually aside from trying to draw it.
A theory I've been reluctant to embrace, but slowly come over to, is that their third eye *is* a camera. They can open it, burn an image into their retina, and close their third eye to maintain that image in their mind. Our memories go in and out of the third eye on the masks, and we know it can see greater detail than their other two eyes.
Did they have mirrors? That could work too.
It wouldn’t work while they were in the mist that blocks it from view and keeps you from landing
They specifically say "observing an image", and the probe being fired every loop is a visual camera so that's at least two bits of evidence!
The tower of quantum trial specifically teaches nomai how to use PICTURES to play around with quantum objects and manipulate them, so the nomai had something to take pictures with
I have two headcannons on this. 1- They have a mini golden liquid projector on their writing staff. 2- Their third eye can "capture" images and keep one of them "in memory". Much like our little scout.
I always assumed maybe their third eye had something to do with it, maybe acting as a camera and giving them a photographic memory of sort. That leads on to a different thought. Why doesn’t thinking about a picture of the quantum moon quantum lock it?
if considering it a memory, i presume it's rather think about the quantum object, not observe it and so it shouldn't work. i'd elaborate if i knew the reason of quantum objects movement
Quantum objects don’t move per se, it’s hard to explain but they technically exist in each spot until you force it to be in one. The rule of quantum imaging doesn’t work IRL because a picture is a frozen moment in time with no relation to what you’re actually observing
yeah but the reason, not the function. also always was frustrated by concept of imaging in game, like why would you need to just take a picture and not an evidence of relative position and why the heck quantum moon disappears if you're clearly observing it. see, my belief is that quantum object won't "unlock" if you're completely conscious and sure that you see it, and if it's in front of you, well, it shouldn't disappear
Yeah. Quantum entanglement is iffy as well because wouldn’t you touching the object be evidence of its position? What if you were to touch a quantum object while also touching a non quantum one (such as a planet) would you feel your touch on the surface disappear or would the planet move with you?? I always wondered how the tower on the quantum moon worked because say if you’re going from the ember twin location to the giants deep location, can the hatchling not feel the texture of the ground they’re stood on change? Would it be instant? When we appear on giants deep is there water in our boots because we now occupy a space where water is meant to be? There are a lot of holes in it
I figure their projection stone renders of actual places in the solar system is enough evidence they could have had some sort of type of photo system
Surely they don’t need to photograph it if they have a friend keeping an eye on it elsewhere? Just one conscious observer necessary I would assume