InDev: Grandfather Paradox Part #2

"The Grandfather holds the watch to his gaze. Soon..."

Another blog post in developing Paradox, Grandfather. It is a casual time travel RTS game, or it probably can be more accurately called an RTT (Real Time Tactics) game.

Previously, I introduced the basic gameplay and the two main warring factions. But there is a special "faction", so to speak (Actually, two, if you count the neutral civilians as a faction). The Grandfather "faction" is the source of the blessings, or woes, of time travel in this world. It is composed of the Grandfather unit and his various incarnations. In 192X, he is a young man, who invented the time travel machine and set into motion the events culminating into the war between the Imperiarchy and Republicorp. In 195X, he is an old man, armed with a steampunk army of sorts.

The Grandfather "faction" only let's you play with one unit directly, the Grandfather. You can even control him with the WASD keys and shoot with the mouse button. He can enter any time machine. You have to avoid the Imperiarchy and Republicorp from killing you, or stealing your plans, or otherwise messing with history.

You can upgrade the Grandfather unit. He can be armed with a Chronogun that erases units from existence. When he is still, he is cloaked and invisible. His speed can also be upgraded. But he is weak constitutionally, so take care when manuevering into areas of heavy fire.

The Imperiarchy and Republicorp factions are with through five equivalent units each through four attributes. They are all infantry units. I did not want to add in vehicles and things to the lineup, although in another future version of the game, I might. Possibly the post-experiment version.

Now, I will explain the time travel system, more. In Skirmish battles, after winning, it saves the game, and you can load it, and play against yourself, as if trying to alter history. Or you can play as yourself, and finish in a lower time limit. The Campaign will work the same way. It will be interesting, or at least I hope so.

I decided to cut off the Campaign until the post-experiment version, which I might sell. The version for EGP will include only the Skirmish mode.

Mindwrap: Time Travel

"Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:16

Man has dreamed of time travel throughout the centuries. The chance of changing the past or manipulating the future has haunted many. But is it possible?

Science postulates that it is possible by using wormholes(a spinning black hole) and sending a space ship through it. We may go to the past by exceeding the speed of light. But the problems with this are obvious. We do not have the technology to accomplish such feats.

Some are in favor of "time traveling" with the mind. The advantages of this is obvious. First, one would not be affected physically by any constraints. Secondly, time itself will not be affected, since it is an observation without any influence on the Time stream. This may be called "prophesying" or "divination". However, the Bible explicitly bans any form of "divination", since it is a demonic form of mental time travel. Prophecy has already ceased for the Church (I Cor. 13).

We know that God is an Infinite and Eternal Being. He created Time itself. As you know, Time is a dimension. Space is composed of three dimensions of width, height, and depth, however, Time seems to be only comprised of one(or two, depending on your perspective). Does Time have more than one dimension that we can't access but only God can?

I find it useful to think of Time as a line, and Eternity as a sea around that line. The sea of Eternity is three-dimensional, while Time is one-dimensional. God can see all of Eternity at once, as if the past and future doesn't exist, as if everything happens at once to God in His Eternal Present. God, however, in His human form, our Lord Jesus Christ, limited Himself to our Time "line".

In the Bible, it records that the prophets had special insight from God concerning the past and the future. Moses recorded a Creation that he did not witness, and the other prophets like Daniel and Isaiah saw the future of the nation of Israel.

There is one person in the Bible that seems to have traveled in the future, physically. Even farther than our own future right now(in the time of this writing). That person is the Apostle John. In Revelation, it is recorded in the first chapter, tenth verse: "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,"


The Lord's day is a reference to the Rapture. The Rapture hasn't happened yet.


Some may say that John was actually in a trance. But if you may recall, in Acts, Phillip the apostle was too transported physically by the Spirit. It is akin to teleportation.


Acts 8:39: "And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing." 


The answer is, time travel is possible... if only God transported you Himself by His will. We cannot alter the past, or rectify the present by going to the future. But who needs tine travel when the Bible already records the past, present, and the future of the universe and beyond?

Grandfather Paradox