Now that you mention it, this is kind of the premise of the Star Ocean series. It has “symbology” (as it’s called in the third installment, Till the End of Time), which is basically the ability to manipulate nature to do “magical”-seeming things by formation of particular symbols. The people in these worlds harness this capability for standard engineering purposes: they build air-conditioning units that draw their coldness from application of specific symbols.
The plot of End of Time revolves around a professor combining symbological powers with those of genetics.
TTEoT is a superb game, and that’s not the only LW-relevant theme it contains.
Spoilers:
Gur cynlre punenpgref ner NVf jub cebprrq, va gur pybfvat npgf bs gur tnzr, gb rfpncr gurve obk. Gur raqvat vf n Crezhgngvba Pvgl-yvxr fpranevb jurer gur “birefrref” fuhg qbja gur jbeyq-fvzhyngvba—ohg vg pbagvahrf naljnl qhr gb vagreany frys-pbafvfgrapl.
Oh, hush you. With my LessWrongian superpowers, I know what the game was meant to be about. It’s not our fault that the scriptwriters just had to be rephrased with the “sbhegu qvzrafvba” herpaderp so that lesser mortals could follow it. :)
(I’m now imagining a MethodsOfRationality!Fayt who had been expecting the plot twist based on ubj fhfcvpvbhfyl uhzna nyy bs gur “nyvra” enprf va gur tnynkl jrer...)
:D I was rather disappointed in Eliezer for not giving Star Ocean: Till the End of Time a mention in his ultimate crossover fanfic. My cat is named Fayt. (The other one’s named Lyra.)
Now that you mention it, this is kind of the premise of the Star Ocean series. It has “symbology” (as it’s called in the third installment, Till the End of Time), which is basically the ability to manipulate nature to do “magical”-seeming things by formation of particular symbols. The people in these worlds harness this capability for standard engineering purposes: they build air-conditioning units that draw their coldness from application of specific symbols.
The plot of End of Time revolves around a professor combining symbological powers with those of genetics.
TTEoT is a superb game, and that’s not the only LW-relevant theme it contains.
Spoilers:
Gur cynlre punenpgref ner NVf jub cebprrq, va gur pybfvat npgf bs gur tnzr, gb rfpncr gurve obk. Gur raqvat vf n Crezhgngvba Pvgl-yvxr fpranevb jurer gur “birefrref” fuhg qbja gur jbeyq-fvzhyngvba—ohg vg pbagvahrf naljnl qhr gb vagreany frys-pbafvfgrapl.
So it’s the same as the plot of Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality? >.>
Oh god, I hope not. You can see in my above comment what that would actually entail.
As it was presented in the game, I personally found that to be among the worst plot twists I had ever experienced.
Fnlvat gung gur znva punenpgref ner nyy NVf fbhaqf n ybg pbbyre guna gur zber cerpvfr eriryngvba, gung gurl’er nyy ACPf sebz na ZZBECT cynlrq ol orvatf sebz “4 qvzrafvbany fcnpr” juvpu gheaf bhg gb or culfvpnyyl nyzbfg rknpgyl yvxr gurve bja havirefr.
Oh, hush you. With my LessWrongian superpowers, I know what the game was meant to be about. It’s not our fault that the scriptwriters just had to be rephrased with the “sbhegu qvzrafvba” herpaderp so that lesser mortals could follow it. :)
(I’m now imagining a MethodsOfRationality!Fayt who had been expecting the plot twist based on ubj fhfcvpvbhfyl uhzna nyy bs gur “nyvra” enprf va gur tnynkl jrer...)
:D I was rather disappointed in Eliezer for not giving Star Ocean: Till the End of Time a mention in his ultimate crossover fanfic. My cat is named Fayt. (The other one’s named Lyra.)