My Hypothesis on Technology in FFXIV

[Enzo]

This is my assumption for how technology in FFXIV works. Based on lots of research and lots of educated guesses. Trying to put pieces together I would like to provide this to characters who are engineers and need a basis for their work.

 

Aetherical and Ceruleum Technology

 

Our world is one that is slowly progressing into a new age. A new age that is dominated

by what is called technology, also more commonly know as Machina. Machina is any kind of

machine or device that is powered by either Aether or Ceruleum. Aether is matter itself

in its manipulatable form. But some areas can have higher concentrations of aether than

others. Aether is also the life force for all creatures on Hydaelyn. Aether can be turned

into more moldable matter by those who possess the ability to use magic. But can also be

found in a raw condensed form called crystals. Depending on how aether condenses it can

make different kinds of crystals. From those used in crafting and cooking, to those used

as mediums for manipulating aether, to those that can be sapped for unleashing raw energy.

As stated above aether can be condenseds either through crystals, or through geometric shapes

that make up the raw coding of aether.

 

Ceruleum is a type of crystal that is created when massive amounts of raw aether are condensed

into a crystal. It is abundant throughout Ilsabard and a small swath of mountainous land to

the north of Thanalan. The raw energy of Ceruleum can be directly harnessed without a geometric

or crystal and magic gifted medium. It is also very powerful but also rather unstable.

Ceruleum can be very volatile to large amounts of extra aether and should the energy released

from ceruleum make contact with lots of aether it will undergo rapid crystalization. Like in

the case of Mor Dhona located in Eorzea.

 

Ceruleum is the easier of the two machina types to explain. Using the Ceruleum as the power

source. You break it or cause the energy within the ceruleum to be released in some way, then

channel the energy into making electricity to power Machina. The energy tends to come out

rather quickly and can be explosive should it come in contact with high areas of aether

density. Ceruleum is regulated and turned into electricty through Magitek Engines. Magitek

engines are normally big and bulky but produce plenty of electricty. While it is not possible

to make small Magitek Engines to generate energy on small mobile devices. It is possible to

store electricty created by magitek engines in batterys.Larger Machina will have their own

Magitek Engines such as airships and reapers, while smaller devices will use capsules. Gun-

blades are a mechanical device but can be modified to take capsules.

 

Aether Machina skip the step of turning aether into crystal and take raw power from aether

itself. Something only the Allagans were able to perfect. Aether machina can run on electricty

created by Aether and also be aided by the manipulation of aether itself. Allowing matter to be

created simutaniously and for things to be created such as holographs. The simplist of aether

machina would be using geometric shapes as a medium to channel aether into electricty and making

it commit an action on repeat. It could also be done with crystals but would require the input

of a man with magical abilities to activate. From there you can make aether manipulate other

aether and eventually you encounter a extremely complex code that changes given the input and

the situation that can be used to program aether into doing specific actions to aid the already

electrical designs. Using aether alone as an energy source to power electrical machina tends

to produce very little. Which is why oftentimes aetherical machina go through the code that is

aether to commit actions you could not normally do with regular electricty and improve

performance overall. An example would be to have a geometric shape channel aether into

electricity, this electricty would then power a lamp. The electricty would then set off a timer

which sets off another geometric shape to manipulate the aether to change the color of the lamps

sidings. Thus allowing you to have a lamp that changes color. While it sounds simple in concept

the reason it is not widely used is because specifically targeting the matter that needs to be

changed is difficult and is the reason the code is so complex. Then the percise coding to make

a machina do more complex things is another matter of difficulty in and of itself.

 

 

My hypothesis also matches up with the hypothesis that aetheric geometry can be a form of programming of aether. Titor has a really awesome post regarding aetheric geometry programming. Link here: http://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/showthread.php?tid=8875

[Verranicus]

1. Has technology ever actually been called Machina in-game or are you just lifting this from FFX? I did a quick google and the only website to even use the word in relation to ARR is a fan wiki, and only that one wiki. I thought technology (specifically technology of Garlean origin) was collectively referred to as Magitek in this setting.

 

2. I had assumed Ceruleum was not aether condensed into crystal form, but the opposite, aether extracted from crystals and condensed/processe/refined into a more useable form (I figured it was a sort of powder).

 

3. Other than that, I don't really understand where you or Titor are getting the 'aetheric geometry' or 'programming' ideas. It feels like you guys are trying to make something complex out of something simple. Aether is the life energy of the world and all the living things on it, when you die your aether returns to the planet and any excess remains to become crystals/mist/whatever, crystals and random environmental concentrations of aether are absorbed/used by magic/technology and the cycle continues.

[Aduu Avagnar]

well, aetheric geometry is pretty much the basis of Arcany(sp?), and I think they use the term programing, in the same sense that certain cells within biological creatures are 'programmed' or hardwired to do certain tasks.

[Titor]

Yes, geometries and their study of/creation of/engineering of them have been discussed multiple times both in and out of the arcanist questline.

[Enzo]

1. Has technology ever actually been called Machina in-game or are you just lifting this from FFX? I did a quick google and the only website to even use the word in relation to ARR is a fan wiki, and only that one wiki. I thought technology (specifically technology of Garlean origin) was collectively referred to as Magitek in this setting.

 

2. I had assumed Ceruleum was not aether condensed into crystal form, but the opposite, aether extracted from crystals and condensed/processe/refined into a more useable form (I figured it was a sort of powder).

 

3. Other than that, I don't really understand where you or Titor are getting the 'aetheric geometry' or 'programming' ideas. It feels like you guys are trying to make something complex out of something simple. Aether is the life energy of the world and all the living things on it, when you die your aether returns to the planet and any excess remains to become crystals/mist/whatever, crystals and random environmental concentrations of aether are absorbed/used by magic/technology and the cycle continues.

 

1.

This was originally written as an IC thing and my character uses different terminology for things. I did pull machina from FFX All Ceruleum technology is refered to as Magitek. Garlean or not.

 

2.

Even if aether is extracted from crystals. That does not neccesarily mean it is not condensed aether. It would actually probably be easier to extract aether from crystals if it was condensed aether. if it was normal levels of aether then why would you really need to extract from crystals in the first place. There is significant lore in the game that ceruleum needs to be refined. I overlooked that despite the fact there is a whole zone covered in blue fog from refining the ceruleum. So harnessing energy would not be so much from breaking ceruleum. I don't really see how this disproves my hypothesis though. You can still break crystals down into a powder form. The crystals still be condensed aether. Then you just need to unleash the energy in the ceruleum to create your electricity. You could even mix the ceruleum with water to make a fuel like substance. I imagine this is what powered the Garlean airships and what exploded when they were attacked by the keeper of the lake.

 

3.

Nothing in life is really simple. And if it were it would be boring. The point of having engineers is to do stuff with the complicated stuff that other people can't. Titor was trying to come up with a reason as to why aetheric geometry works. And why you can't just scribble in your book and then stuff happens. There has to be some order to some things. Some laws that keep you from being able to just do whatever you want with magic and technology. And that was the point of this thread was to provide the limitations to make these things seem more realistic and interesting.

 

Anywho I do thank you for your questions and input <3