some form of writing must exist in order for a civilisaton to evolve and achieve a level of sophistication higher then a stoneage man. But then again we do not know that the shivans actuali evolved but instead there are some indications that they were actualy created yet that has yet to be proven.
That only applies to an anthrocentric view. It's a classic mistake to assume the development of human intelligence defines the development of
any intelligences. The Shivans might, for example, have quasi-telepathy (or straight out telepathy) and genetic memory that reduces or removes the necessity for written information. They might, for example, place markers (such as warning signs) through scent, radiation, or visible light wavelength rather than by geometric painted shapes.
(EDIT; imagine, for example, a race that communicated by releasing & scenting pheremones - how would such a race have 'writing' and would we even recognise it as such?)
Additionally, the Shivans could have evolved past the need for such comparatively primitive data representation; perhaps storing information as quasi-brain patterns that can be directly copied to the Shivan subconscious. Finally, if writing does exist, it may be of a manner unreadable to human eyes; perhaps the Shivans can sense subspace patterns, and use sensation this to add a sort of 3rd axis (if we view human writing as '2D' or flat) which provides contextual information to writing.
Not to forget the previously mentioned hive mind theories, of course.
But still reverse engeniering shivan tech however difiult it mai apear must be a lot more easy then it apears if the GTVA managed to not only get a few fighters to work except the engines but they actualy managed to improve on the available tech. You can not do that simply by reproducing on a more rudimentary level the available tech. For the to improve it they would have to understand it...!
So in the end i believe shivan tech advanaced and complicated as it mai be is not that dificult to understand and deciphre that it would prove an insurmountable task .
The exact quote is "Our engineers have modified and optimized these craft. They'll handle even better than the Shivan original, and if you play it right, you might even avoid enemy detection."
That doesn't say improved; it says optimized (pushed as much performance as they can conceive with modified Shivan technology) and improved the handling. That's a world away from reaching the Shivans tech level, and it doesn't imply actually adding to it - only playing around with various settings and tweaks. Plus, given the frequency they are frittered away at, there's no reason for believing the Mara is the height of Shivan technology - or even representative of the depth and complexity of a Shivan tactical
computer system or large scale system. finally, it's worth observing that even with Great War specimens (including from the GTI), the GTVA pilots are (by canonical messages at least) astounded by the Mara, indicating that manufacturing such a ship (different from steal and retrofitting it) is beyond GTVA capabilities.
Name one indication that they were created. There's nothing like that in the game at all AFAIK. What you're posting is complete conjecture. I haven't seen a single thing that couldn't point just as easily to the Shivans upgrading themselves.
Karajorma, the great FS2 master of knowledge! I am surprised at you! Here's a quote directly from the tech room regarding the Shivans.
These details are cited as evidence that the Shivans could not have evolved as the Terran or Vasudan species had, but that they were likely constructed by another entity.
Of course, this doesn't mean that the Shivans were constructed, and when I mean constructed, I mean they were "created by other beings," not that they come off an assembly line. However, it does mean that canon supports the theory, and to say that they might have been created is just as valid as saying the might not have been.
The pertinent part of karas comment is "I haven't seen a single thing that couldn't point just as easily to the Shivans upgrading themselves." The techroom entry itself only offers that (Shivans as designed entities) as a suggestion, but it does not provide a basis that cannot be applied to self-design (as kara says), and additionally it is worth noting the techroom entry is effectively from before the main campaign and thus wouldn't any (conjectural, I recognise) discoveries that
may have been made during the progress of the FS2 campaign.
