Tiandi:Unlimited Alternatives

THE MODERN WORLD

Unlimited Alternatives is a non-canon, PMT setting in the near future of Tiandi. Set in the mid-2070s, Tiandi has been radically changed by two world wars, one of which involved heavy use of nuclear weapons, and irreversible environmental damage throughout the world. Ecological crises, pollution, rising global power blocs and territorial shifts, risen sea levels and irradiated regions left behind after the Second World War - often the sites of the former apex cities of the world - have resulted in a vastly changed world. The march of technology has resulted in the mechanical enhancement of even the human body, and technology pervades everyday life to an unprecedented degree compared to the start of the 21st century.

Welcome to 2075. Welcome to the new Tiandi.

History

 * Unlimited Alternatives/History

World War II
A limited nuclear exchange between Namju and the Sinju Union, followed by mass conventional warfare worldwide between the Namju and Sinju global spheres of influence. Hanju broke up into three successor states, the remnants of the Revolutionary Republic of Hanju, the United States of Hanju and the Hanju Empire.

World War III
Also known as the Nochtlico War, World War III was a conventional conflict brought about by the collapse of social order some years following World War II. Nochtlico attempted to pick up the reins of the global communist movement and help their Hanjuan ally to reclaim the entirety of Hanju from the successor states. However, this resulted in a war with Akitsukuni due to the alliance between the United States of Hanju and Akitsukuni. This only resulted in Akitsukuni invading and taking over Nochtlico, thus consoldiating their rule over the entire Uju Continent.

Buyeo also got involved, seizing the entirety of Cheongju from the neighbouring communist states by the war's end.

Population
A mid-century population boom occurred, resulting in a global population significantly higher than that of the start of the 21st century.

Transhumanism
Cybernetics are very advanced now and things like limb replacement and full-body cyborgs exist and are trying to find a place in society. As people get more and more interconnected - brain cyberization is widely popular and increasingly available since the 2040s -

Food
Due to the devastation of WW2 and subsequent societal collapse in 3rd world countries, global food supplies have shrunk. Global warming has also adversely affected the world. Large-scale algae farming is used to cheaply feed the growing population and supply poorer countries. However, this has not replaced traditional food but is more of a cheap alternative (like a new type of staple).

Wireless technology and the internet
Almost everywhere except the most remote of places are connected to the internet now.

Robotics
Robotics have become very widespread.

Human augmentation
Human mechanical augmentation has become very widespread in the modern world, bringing new opportunities and abilities to those who can afford them. However, a whole slew of ethical and moral arguments have arisen against augmentation, and while the cost of mechanical augmentation is falling annually, major gaps exist between peoples who are able to afford augmentations and those unable to. With the rise of direct neural interconnectivity over the internet, new issues surrounding privacy and free will have also appeared.

Brain
Neural augmentation has reached a new level, pioneered by Akitsukunese and Meisaani scientists working before and after the Second World War. Many individuals in the middle-class to upper-class population in developed countries are now augmented in such a fashion, to varying degrees. At the most basic and widespread form of neural augmentation, nano-scale implants and nanomachines are used to provide external memory and wireless communications capabilities. Such augmentation allows the brain to initiate and maintain a connection to computer networks, the internet, or other augmented individuals. Further augmentation options are also available for specialised purposes, replacing larger parts of the cortex with nanotechnological interfaces and computational elements, though such treatments tend to be prohibitively expensive in addition to a wide range of ethical and moral concerns leading such treatments to be banned or heavily restricted by numerous governments.

More extreme neural augmentation options in the 2070s include the controversial "brain shell" treatment, where in addition to standard wireless connectivity capabilities the entire brain excluding the eyes, optic nerves and most of the spine is encased within a self-contained titanium shell. By being physically self-contained, the cyberbrain allows the artificially augmented brain inside to function or be physically stored inside a body, to be physically transferred between bodies, or to be temporarily stored or transported outside any body. Brain shells are extremely expensive and very few individuals are able to afford such treatment, if it is even legal in their nation, and these are most often used to treat extreme cases of disease or accident victims in conjunction with full-body prosthesis.

Body
Prosthesis have evolved to such a high level that most modern prosthetics are indistinguishable from biological components except under close study. As social attitudes towards mechanical augmentation have evolved, new types of augmentations ranging from the mundane, such as artificial livers or internal organs, to full limb replacement, have emerged. Ocular implants are also very popular and widespread, enabling enhanced sight, communication and interface abilities. Some military personnel are known to undergo voluntary limb replacement to become "cyborg soldiers"; such a trend has also begun to sweep the construction industry as human workers attempt to upgrade their capabilities to compete with robots.

Mechanical prosthetics have largely eliminated physical disabilities in rich, developed nations, and as the price of such equipment goes down annually the availability of such technology is spreading through the world.

While extremely rare, full-body prosthetics exist for the very rich or those who have been victims of rare diseases or accidents, where the only organic component is the brain. These are used in conjunction with brain shell technology.

Anti-Radiation Technology
A large amount of anti-radiation technology has been developed in the post-WW2 world. Pioneered by Buyeo, Radiation Scrubbers are nanomachines that serve to remove lethal radiation from an area within a short amount of time to enable an area to become habitable to humans once again, typically one to three weeks. Also created by Buyeoan scientists, nanomachine-based medical treatments for radiation poisoning are widely used around the world, after widespread copying and patent infringement occurred beyond Buyeo's control. This also served to sour Buyeo's relations with many other world superpowers.

Legged vehicles
The legged vehicle, capable of crossing any terrain and any obstacle, has at last been perfected. Pioneered by Akitsukunese industry, Mitsuhishi created the first civilian utility walkers in the 2030s, and under Kenbishi Heavy Industries the very first walker-tanks entered the battlefield in WW2 and have never left since. The concept and technology has spread around the world to bring us all manner of legged machines, from the ubiquitous Mitsuhishi industrial/combat utility walkers to the giant war robots of Buyeo. Fusions of legged machines such as the Akitsukunese Tactical Surface Fighter, developed primarily to combat other large-sized combat walkers, have also been introduced to the battlefield.

Infantry systems
Vast leaps in the development of materials engineering, portable power sources and miniaturisation of computer electronics has resulted in a wide proliferation of combat computing systems, combat exoskeletons, powered armour and more, giving the modern soldier a vast battlefield versatility unmatched by his predecessors.

The modern infantryman is connected to his superiors and buddies through robust information and communications networks that ensure he is never alone or uninformed on the battlefield. His load is lightened by the support of a powered exoskeleton that allows him to carry more equipment, march farther and jump higher. He is protected by body armour made of advanced polymer composites and ceramics, and his uniform is flame-proof and comfortable in all weather. His weapon is the best that his nation can provide at a low cost, mass-produced through 3D fabrication, computer-controlled to ensure there are almost zero defects. He is the modern infantryman.

In addition to the basic infantryman, nations have begun rolling out new powered armour equipment for their infantry troops, giving them the protection and firepower of light vehicles with the mobility of an infantry soldier. Ranging from the pioneering, robust T-51b powered armour suit from Buyeo to the bleeding-edge Type-303 Arm Suit used by the Imperial Akitsukunese Marines, modern infantry can now be supported by these veritable juggernauts even in places where no vehicle can go.

Orbital weapons
Many nations operate orbital weapons as alternatives to nuclear missiles following the near-devastation of WW2. These range from Buyeo's spaceborne missile platforms to Akitsukuni's 21 cutting-edge Horaisan satellites equipped with tungsten rod kinetic strike packages and nuclear-tipped guided reentry vehicles, hidden from view by matte-black stealth ablative plating as well as some form of smart ECM.

Manportable missile systems
Advances in materials engineering, synthetic fuels and plastic explosives have allowed infantry missile systems to become even more dangerous than before. These range from Chutsi-designed shoulder-fired cruise missiles to the Akitsukunese Type-16, three-man-crew missile system that can hit a target in low Earth orbit.

The existence of portable anti-space weapons has essentially resulted in strategic parity and a reluctance to use orbital weaponry in open conflict.

Nations and Alliances

 * Unlimited Alternatives/Nations

The world of the near future has changed drastically. The Third Cold War between the Sinju Union and the Strategic Defence Alliance threatens to boil over at any moment, as the two superpowers and lesser powers all over the world move to secure their interests and prepare for the inevitable coming battle. While the SDA and Sinju consolidate their allies and contain internal insurgencies in preparation for expansion, Buyeo and Dayganistan act to ensure their national sovereignty is secure. Meanwhile, open war rages in Yoju between the Yoju Cooperation Organisation and Deshret over precious water resources and the remaining oil in the region, with both sides clearly backed by the opposing superpowers or other groups. And while these conflicts rage, the instigator of the Second World War that left the world in the state it is in today, Hanju, lies broken to the south, with the three remnant pieces definitely on collision course in their quest to regain their nation's former glory.