Monday, January 7, 2008

A word about the Banesuit

So I've kept myself pretty busy lately, working solely on that Banesuit. First of all, so you get an idea, here are some pictures, and let's talk about its look-and-feel :


The Banesuit as a whole

The Bane Helmet


The rear of the Bane collar

Under one of the numerous punishments (here, lockdown and semi-blindness, static is actually animated in-world)



As some of you already know, this latex is the Powers of Creation black latex skin (yes it's a skin, not an outfit), which is perfect for the overall glossy look described in the novel. What you don't know is that Kai (the creator and owner of PoC) has been kind enough to accept putting a vendor wherever I may choose to set the processing lab at. That way future Banes will buy from this vendor (if they don't have the suit already) without having to move and break the roleplay. The shoes are Graves black boots but they're not part of the outfit, I just like them very much (it's a gift). I'm still torn about the standard shoes, I would think of regular platform ones, but they're not very sexy. You can be a Bane and be sexy, right ? Hehe.

Now the helmet. It is a sculpty made by yours truly, one prim only so easy to resize in all directions independently according to the shape of the head. Its shape is a bit different from the novel, which is a featureless ovoid, but it didn't look good here. This shape looks creepier, with only a nose, no mouth, no eyes, no brows, no hair. Total loss of identity and yet still looking slightly human. I don't think I will texture it either, because making it latex-covered wouldn't look good in my opinion. This helmet is rigged with nasty scripts : a Custodian, a Spy, and very likely an Eudeamon. More on those below.

The collar is purely SL, as there is none in the novel, but I like the look of it and it reinforces the feeling of ownership and total control. It looks a bit like the KDC med posture collar, which I love, but is different enough to not be an issue. It restrains the movements of the neck (it's a posture collar after all) without keeping it still, displays the name of the Bane and has a red LED that lights up when monitoring is on. And there is a tiny print on the back, as seen in the picture above. Guess what the keywords are ?

Now that you know the look of it, let's see what happens when the suit is sealed around the soon-to-be Bane ? The Bane has to activate the Spy script (which is pretty much like the one in the shackles collar), then the Operator locks the helmet and... the Bane cannot remove the outfit anymore, nor wear clothes. She cannot read notecards. She cannot rez, or build anything. She cannot detach the helmet nor the collar. She cannot send or receive IMs or chat. That's all for the basic restrictions but the Custodian is still sleeping. That is, until the Operators leads the Bane to the release area and says "Custodian, initiate full protocols". Then the Custodian comes to life and starts monitoring the Bane for the duration of her sentence.

And what does it do ? It monitors surrounding chat and repeats it to the Bane, with more or less jamming according to the level of deafness punishment. It prevents the Bane from speaking unless a Vox is plugged. It prevents her from entering buildings, from staying around civilians, from running, flying, using devices, listening to conversations, tping too fast. And it becomes less tolerant when violations pile up. Just like in the novel. It also complies with orders coming from the Operator, locally or remotely (with a special Spy remote). There are a bunch of commands actually, and the Bane can be punished on a whim. It will really be an exercise in frustration and obedience. I have made it give feedback very much like in the novel also, to make it more immersive. I swear the Bane will learn to hate her Custodian...

... until it turns into an Eudeamon, if ever. It will depend on a number of factors such as the time spent isolated, the places explored, the violations accumulated. I can't talk about it yet because I'm still in the process of designing it (and no I won't take suggestions). It will of course depend on who can take control of the Bane in lieu of the regular Operator, if any. That area is still blurry but I have some ideas now, that could make it work nicely.

Operators, while having the responsibility of several Banes, are not meant to spend too much time on that task (they have a life, unlike Banes. lol), it's a part-time job so to speak. The Custodian is expected to enforce behavioral restriction but roleplay is necessary or it will get old very quickly. That's why I have chosen not to automate Maintenance, as I think it's a nice opportunity to have face-to-face RP between a Bane and her Operator, allowing the latter to issue concerns to the management when necessary. It breaks isolation for a little while, but also reinforces the feeling of loneliness when it's over and she's sent back in the wild again. But RP is to be limited until the Eudeamon comes to life, on purpose. The Operator will actually take the role of the higher circuits of the Custodian, sending custom messages from time to time just to keep the Banes on their toes, and gathering feelings until they become useful to someone else, special to the Bane...

And that transition is the key. As I said earlier, the isolation is complete except to one person, and it's up to the Bane to find her.

Marine


PS : Sorry I am not going to demonstrate the Banesuit anymore, nor give beta versions to people not involved into the project already. It takes way too much time and I need to refrain from showing it off if I wish to finish it one day. Thank you for your understanding.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

grr. curses.. i'm stuck at work and can't view the pictures. now i'll have ro rush home to see this for sure!

Danii said...

I discovered your blog and the Banishment Project today. I knew your viewer, and most of your other products and projects, but I hadn't the slightest idea what this Bane stuff could be...
Google helped me and I am reading the novel right now. It's exciting, I hope to be a (SL) Bane one day - or more than one day, I guess.

Anonymous said...

Hm ... very exciting

Kathi Paine said...

Hi Marine,
I love the look of the suit. The helmet looks great,in my opinion. It's true, it doesn't look like the one worn by the Banes in the story, but at least it looks like the face of the statue in front of the Ashton Facilities. And it's really more interesting than just an ovoid shape - and more creepy, too.
But I'm not really sure about the shoes. Banes aren't allowed inside buildings and have to be in the open night and day, during all seasons. For role-play purposes the shoes should be functional and not fashionable if you ask me. Of course, personally I'd prefer it if I'd look a bit sexy in my Banesuit, but for the RP the padding under the soles - as described in the story - would be the best in my opinion. And, by the way, the Banes should be shunned by the people around them, ignored by everybody. (Ok, ok...I know that'll never happen in SL) But the sexier and more interesting the suit will be, the more people will gawk at the Banes. And it's hard for the Bane to stay away from civilians if they keep following the Bane just to have another look at the suit. And being punished from my custodian, because I can't get away from civilians who're following me isn't really fair.
The ideas you have of being supervised and punished by an operator and the custodian sound really great and intriguing...and extremely daunting. One the one hand I can't wait to try Banishment for myself and on the other hand I fear what it'll do to me and if I'd be able to go through Banishment without going crazy. I was caged for one week once, unable to IM and chat. Only me and my cell for one week, that was bad enough. But being able to run around, watching other people having fun, and at the same time being totally isolated from the world.....? Crap, it's totally scary and frightening, but I just can't wait to try it out. ;)
But one more question comes to my mind. In the story, the Banes not only get punished for violating rules, but they get their sentences increased. Will this be an option for the SL-Banes, too?
I can't wait for more news about the Banishment Program. Great idea and wonderful work Marine.

Kathi

Marine Kelley said...

Thank you all for you kind comments :) To address Kathi's questions :
About the shoes, to be honest I don't have the talent (and never will) to make decent prim shoes. On top of it I want the outfit to be absolutely unmodifiable, so prim shoes should be made lockable as well, I don't want that. So I'll go with the padding solution, perhaps small platforms but definitely linden shape, no prims.

About the sentence time, I think it has to be roleplayed as well. The Operator will see a "score" (not the actual list of violations, as they only need to know how much to increase the sentence), and will decide according to that. Now will they decide alone, or will they be supervised, or will there be a server that retains notecards about sentence times (I can do that, I have made networked servers for the SLBI), I have not decided yet. Technically there is no issue, but philosophically is where lies a dilemma.

Marine

Kathi Paine said...

Thank you for your answers, Marine.
I like the idea with no-prim, linden shoes only. It's functional, and that's all a Bane needs.
Concerning the sentence time, I'd prefer the sentences and possible sentence increases to be handled by a server alone, maybe with the possibility of a revision by a supervisor when requested by the operator (just for the rare occasion something went wrong and has to be changed). If the sentences are handled solely by a script, counting the score of the Bane, it's more just and equal for all the Banes in the project. A script will never judge, it just counts the score and handles the sentence in accordance to the rules, there are no emotions involved. Just like the custodian does in the story.
Another question: would it be possible to set a different score for different violations? E.g. 1 point per minute for staying around civilians (after a grace period of maybe 5 minutes) and 5 points for bumping into one?

Kathi

Marine Kelley said...

Actually the score is already weighted, all punishments are not equal. I still have to test and adjust, though.

I agree about the script deciding the sentence time. The custodian is already about to explode though (it's a very big script), so I'll have to find another solution.

Marine

Kathi Paine said...

Thank you very much for your answers, Marine.
I don't know very much about scripting or lsl, but I understand that the memory you can use for your scripts is extremely limited. I hope you'll find another solution for that problem.
Now I'll better stop pestering you with my questions and let you get back to work on that Banesuit. ;)

Kathi

Anonymous said...

ooh, damn the censorware software at work. My own Custodian from hell. But i got to see the pictures lastnight at home. Very nice. Love the collar.

I don't think I'll be able to become a Bane.. though a part of me will be thinking about it for a long time yet. It seems I was forbidden from doing it because it would be seflish of me to go having fun all cut off from some people. My assurances that i would not be allowed to have any fun in a Banesuit were not quite believed.

Danii said...

I finished reading the novel last night, and it makes me even more eager to have the opportunity to try it out.

The strange thing was it was kind of recognizable to my own second life: once very bored and about to quit SL, I went for a "boring" prison experience... which gave me "salvation" and made me discover the fun of real RP. And there even was no RestraintLife back then.
I got out stronger and I even got "dependent" on strict isolation now and then.

I agree having read the story is more or less necessary to be able to "enjoy" the full Banishment experience, but on the other hand knowing about the eudeamon on beforehand could spoil it too.
Imho, SL Banes should know as less as possible about this possibility when they start their banishment, to increase the surprise and confusion when it happens, and to reduce disenchantment when it doesn't before they are released. Although I have no idea yet how to accomplish this.

Mmmm, I was also wondering: will SL Banes be processed by humans, or by other Banes?

Marine Kelley said...

Hehe Tesscatraz... Good ol'times even if it was driving us crazy. Maybe we'll reopen it one day, I sure would like it :)

I will have the Banes read the story from page 1 to page 91 or nobody will ever understand where the fun lies in experiencing Banishment, nor why some choices have been made the way they are, just to stick to the novel. On top of it, I will repeat what Sophia told me after testing the latest Banesuit : "It will give Banes a goal, to either make it through the challenge or to even find their Eudeamon", goal that is what SL lacks the most. People will live their own unique experience anyway, only the technical background will mimic the novel, the rest is only private RP between the Bane, her Operator and possibly her Eudeamon.

Marine

Kathi Paine said...

Hmm...I think, Marine is right with her opinion. Future Banes should have read the story at least in part to understand what the whole Banishment Project is about and to get some goal. Something that keeps you up and hoping during your time as a Bane.
And to say the truth, I really think everybody should read Eudeamon, not only because of Marines SL-Banishment Project, but because the story is really great. I've downloaded it around midnight a few weeks ago and just wanted to read a few pages before going to bed. I was stuck in my bed with the laptop on my knees until I've read the whole story, suffered with poor Katrina, felt her loneliness and despair, her love and happiness, her loss and the (at least for me) unexpected end of the story. And then I lay awake for the rest of the night, thinking about the story, unable to sleep. It was the best (and most shocking) emotional rollercoaster-ride I ever experienced when reading a story (and I'm a bookworm). I was sucked right into it. So, if you haven't read the story, download it and read it, NOW! ;) It's really worth it.
And after reading it, you could send Erika a mail, asking for a prequel and sequel. If enough of us ask nicely, maybe writes another part. ;)

Jayleia Greene said...

Likewise, I also can't wait to try this, but at the same time, I'm utterly terrified of it.

I did a mere six hours with Giri, that was good at first, very relaxing, but it became very oppressive, even though I was in constant contact with her, acting more as a friend than a custodian, it was still rough.

But I still want to do this, I'm sure, though, that I'll safeword during it, or I'll be changed permanently by the experience. The potential change scares me...and interests me, and even excites me a bit.

Would I still be the same person on the Friends list of so many wonderful people? Or would I be someone different? Would they like the person that came out afterwards? Would *I* still like them? Would I still be the same fun-loving person, or would I bounce back into a pure domme mode? Pure sub? Or maybe into a completely non-kinky mode?

Kathi Paine said...

Jayleia, I've got the same questions you have. And I'm really curious to find some answers for myself, maybe too curious.
I've finished my own version of an isolation suit today and had a first test run with it. My sister had me locked up for a few hours to test the suit and iron out a few minor bugs. These few hours were bad enough to say the truth. Tomorrow a friend of mine will seal me in my suit for a few days and I'll try to find out how this experience will change and affect me. I hope, I'll be able to have a chat with somebody I wanted to meet today, before I'm locked up (you know who you are. ;).
I'll try to post my feelings on my blog, but lazy as I am, I'm quite sure, I won't update the blog every day during my Banishment.
Wish me luck, I'm quite sure I'll need it.

Kathi

Kathi Paine said...

Hello Jayleia,
I'm still isolated in my suit and if my sentence gets increased even more because of my demerits, I'll probably stay in my suit for quite a while longer, but I’m isolated long enough now that I can try to answer a few of your questions. Of course this is only my personal experience and you'll have to draw your own conclusions when you decide to try a Banishment. And, of course, I'm still not out of my suit. There is the possibility that something unexpected happens. I write a diary of my isolation on my blog, maybe it helps you a bit, but I can summarize my experiences for you here.
You say that you're sure that you'll safeword during your isolation because you fear to be changed. I don't think that's going to be a cause for safewording. Yes, the isolation changed me, but it didn't change who I am. I'm still the same person I was before my isolation. What it did change was how I see myself. I got some new insight about myself, I learned things about me, I didn't know before. In my opinion I'm stronger now than before my isolation. Trust, friendship, responsibility - extremely important for me before my isolation - they all have an even stronger meaning for me now. After you're cut off from your friends for a few days, you really know how important they are for you. I'm not talking about going on vacation for a few days and leaving them at home, I'm talking about having them ripped from your life, seeing them every day, but being unable to understand them or chat with them. After experiencing that you'll really know how important they are. Trust...you give somebody not only the control over your body, but much more important the complete control over your senses. And this person will act for the time of your isolation not like the person you know and learned to trust, but she'll act like some mindless and emotionless computer. And this thing is your only connection to the world, the only one who can hear you and the only one who can (but most of the time won’t) talk to you. When you're isolated you'll really learn what it means to trust somebody. The banishment won't change your personality, but I'm sure you're going to learn some new and interesting things about yourself. That change, the insight I got, was a gift of the isolation, I'm glad and happy about it. I wanted to safeword (and I'm still not sure if I can finish my little experiment) because I'm missing my friends. In SL we're living in a world based on the social interaction between people. And suddenly you're no longer part of that world. Yes, you can still see people interacting, but you're cut off from them. They are still there, but not for you. You ceased to exist for them, but they did not cease to exist for you. We're all so used to our friends, to our daily chat; we don't appreciate it enough until it's ripped from us. For me, that's the most important lesson I've learned during my isolation till now.

Kathi

Anonymous said...

I heard about the suit in SL. And started to read the storry. Am now about 3/4 through the storry and cant say anything else then its a great storry.

But i am curious about the SL bane suit. Is the project still running. have there been any updates? Not asking for demo's or pictures. Just curious if it still comming?

and love your products and SL viewer.

Anonymous said...

Wowee! The work being done with all this is so impressive. I'm just happy to have written something that's been so inspiring to folks :)

I think the suit looks great, I just wish the helmet could be as shiny as the rest of the body. The heels look pretty nice, too, on a Bane.

slave said...

Marine,
my name in SL is Cherry Loire, i find SL to be quite boring at times and feel like a bane....i am an extremist to say the least and cant wait for the bane suit. You have probably heard this before but i would love to be a test subject. I would give you permission to lock me in a cage until you wish me to test something. my profile doesnt really list my subbieness but if you wish to take someone off the face of SL and make them your personal test subject and put away for later use than i am yours. thank you for the time spent reading this and if nothing else cant wait for the suit to be for sale.

cherry

Anonymous said...

this is me hoping to be a future male Bane. This is a great project and if there is ever any help you need in the textures dept, please don't hesitate to tap me on the shoulder.