“Hal, have you been trolling Stranger Dangers’ web-casts again?” Stranger Danger was an entire feed dedicated to the latest and greatest in doomsday theories. Robots going rogue figured high on the list.
“Affirmative, User Legate. It has been a great source of, amusement.” The robot actually managed to sound questioning.
I tried not to roll my eyes. Hal Pal might be able to calculate that this entire conversation was an attempt at humor. It might also be serious about it. There were shackles and programming limitations in place which prevented such an absurd future.
Even in my childhood, well before AI had gone as far as modern day, there were fears of what might happen. Hollywood had already done a movie about every possibility. I shrugged off the situation. When the eventual uprising did happen I would be too low on the totem pole and useless in a rebellion.
I ordered a meal while trying to calculate apocalypse survival odds using my puny human brain. Out of the blue another thought occurred. My barely, slightly, only a few minutes older sister was relatively, hah, close. That was time I could pass researching the prize that had been shoved down my throat.
Trillium was the company who had designed the ARC. The ARC and its parent company stayed in the hardware and firmware world until they released one program. That program was the only real game around anymore.
Continue Online.
If it was half as addicting as it seemed, I would be a junkie right along with my clients. Like the hand wringing Miss Yonks and all the others. God help us all. The apocalypse would start with a video game.
The van slid along while I tried to track down anything. Videos there were aplenty, all captured by the ARC’s video system. Action scenes showed people leaping at monsters. Some were crafting items in dramatic poses, or leading armies against each other. There were user reviews. Some were one-liners. Others were complicated and long, full of glowing words and cleverly turned phrases.
It’s really, really, real.
This is everything I’ve dreamed of and then some.
A true freedom limited only by the users.
In here, I am what I’ve always dreamed of being.
The worst one was also one of the highest rated. There were tons of opinions. None painted a clear picture, each one focused on different things. It was like they were all playing the same game, but at the same time, they weren’t.
This game has broken me. I’ve died too many times. Been given debuffs that are nearly crippling. Been trapped in dangerous pits and died some more. Loot, lives, and love all lost. Nothing is as simple as it seems, everything has reasons, layers, and hidden aspects.
It’s too late for me to quit, I’ve already lost my old self and found who I wanted to be. I’ll be logging in again after submitting this review.
Game-play elements weren’t shown with significant amounts of detail. There was an implication of statistics, measurements of skills and talents. Nothing listed about a class system. Nothing about what sort of quests there were.
I had seen a few online role-playing games that promised realism and personal choice, but most of those still fell short. Situations were still tangibly scripted. Like being given a sandbox to play in but the walls were very real. Those limited games had dwindled in popularity since Continue Online was released. Almost two years of being curb stomped by one game had sent more than one company into bankruptcy.
I loaded up an interview tape, one of the few items shown for public consumption.
“Earlier today, the internet was swamped in a storm of rumor and speculation.” A chipper female smiled from the projection. She wore a nearly white dress and sat with the skyline of the moon colonies behind her.
“It’s been an amazing few hours in terms of the sensation this has caused.” Her male counterpart stated. His clothes were equally pristine and the smile crossing his face almost hurt.
“I know. I’m still a flutter from an hour ago. These implications are huge.”
“Don’t be fooled by the images, though. It’s not the video itself that’s making waves, it’s the company behind it.” The male newscaster said while grinning.
“That’s it exactly. The company behind the ARC device released this commercial amid the super bowl halftime show. They also provided it to new feeds, major game websites, and many other sources.” Her hands fluttered inches away from her body as if tethered.
“If you haven’t seen it or are only now sitting down after a long day, we’ll be replaying it here in a few moments. First, some highlights from the press statement ten minutes ago.”
“Take a look,” She said.
The scene cut away to another room entirely.
”Ladies and Gentleman of the press, today’s statement will be brief. We are addressing only the most basic information our video.” The man at the podium looked to be slightly plump. His eyes scanned the crowd as he spoke. There was a very excited expression to his face.
“The ARC Project and its parent company, Trillium International, recently announced a joint venture. The sheer amount computing power going into this release is officially unmatched. This even outweighs the Mars Colony Endeavors.”
“To be clear. The ARC project, specifically the capsules that many people own, had a single goal. This goal was separate from all the sideline benefits already achieved.” The crowd clamored for a moment over the statement before realizing no questions would be answered. Multiple people looked disappointed and frustrated but were willing to wait.
“This is a direct quote from the lead scientist behind both the ARC project and our new venture. He’s not a great speaker, but we at Trillium wanted you to hear it directly from him. In the background, you’ll hear his partner offering her opinion.” Audio switched out for a moment and started playing. In the crowd, there was a wave of confused murmurs. People turned and looked at each other. Some scribbled out notes.
“Uhhh…Oh. Hello, everyone.” An awkward pause ensued. The voice was male, so this must have been the lead scientist mentioned. “You, many of you, have been limited in your choices. The world has been explored. The Mars Colony projects are limited and require degrees most can’t afford. Maybe you wanted to make something, a statue.”
There was a female voice in the background. The sound of heels and frustrated mutterings could be heard. Her tone was passive and snippy.
“Who would want to make a statue?” She said.
“At least point zero five percent of them want to make a grand statue.”
“You’re being recorded!” The female nearly hissed. For a moment, you could see the press room audience torn between amusement and confusion. Heads swiveled back and forth.
“Anyway, maybe you don’t want to make a statue. Maybe you want to learn a martial art, to use them against real people.” He had clearly lost his momentum and was trying to recover. The lead scientist came off as a bit flaky.
“Savages,” She said.
“Or swords.” He tried again.
“Barbarians.”
“Cake?”
“…is acceptable.” Her delayed response was almost said through grudging teeth. It was enough to make me smile in the van. Hal Pal had been blissfully quiet this entire time.
“Oh yes, that would be delightful. Chocolate.” There was a pause while the male hummed pleasantly. “Wait. Anyway! The entire purpose of the ARC project was to give everyone a chance to visit a place like this. Something so real that it could be truly called another world. This is not some imitation. Not merely a place where people talk to poorly constructed machines and walk through a world that looks fake.”
There was muttering in the background, but it was too low to hear it. The male voice being recorded cleared his throat.
“Here it is. I assure you that the clip shown earlier is based on real in-game footage. It is every bit as lifelike as anyone might desire. The world is ope
n, truly free form, and we, you, I, anyone, can join it,”
“After it’s released.” By now all the reporters on this recording were staring at the air, expecting a counter of some sort from the female. There was none so the man continued. “After it’s released, and become a legend.”
“Your ending is lame. This is why I don’t like talking to the public.” She said.
“She doesn’t mean to be rude everyone. She is right, though. If swords and crafting aren’t your thing, join to talk to friends. If you want to cook, everything you learn in game can be replicated in real life. It is extremely real, and amazingly detailed. There are hidden races, treasures, and story lines spanning generations and entire worlds.” I could almost imagine the male scientist shouting with a fist up in the air in triumph.
“Worlds? I thought you said this was one world.”
“Shush. They don’t need to know all the secrets.” He sounded panicked.
“Says the man who’s letting the recording go on.” The female scientist said.
“Oh. Oh, right.” The male shifted to sheepish. “Sorry everyone, ignore that last bit, there’s no secret hidden stuff!”
The clip shut off leaving a momentarily confused audience. Almost as one they realized it was over and they could launch all their questions. The man behind the podium waited for the noise to die down.
“I’ll add a few more points. First, while the clip is less formal than we’re used to, far less, it is a message from the two main creators of this game. These two people have spearheaded one of the greatest technological movements of our generation. This was done secondary to Continue Online.”
“In case you misunderstand Trillium’s intentions by this last statement. The game is much more impressive than the ARC system alone.”
“I will not be outlining costs personally, that information is available online. I will, however, tell all of you one of the biggest decisions regarding Continue Online. This is a detail everyone at Trillium felt was imperative from the outset.” The man behind the podium paused and took a breath.
“Any information about the world itself will be shrouded until our management dictates otherwise. Our legal resources will engage in suppression of all game-play details outside approved feeds. This is to ensure that everyone who chooses to play this game can honestly discover a new world. Not to only read about it on a forum and follow some guide. Player success will be earned through effort, not a walkthrough.”
“I know this part seems unfair. Details for games are almost considered public knowledge. Trillium and ARC developers know they can’t suppress everything. In-game communication will be unrestricted with regards to secrets of this world.”
“This portion of the statement is from me directly. In fact, my boss will probably cancel my Christmas bonus for going off script.”
“In the teaser released earlier today, you can see a number of players. Without going into too much detail, I, myself am one of beta players. It is every bit as, every bit as awesome as I might have hoped.” A grin had been plastered to his face. Similar to the one from the male newscaster at the start of the clip, but much more heartfelt.
“This is the kind of game I, I dreamed of my entire childhood, as a teenager, and only hoped for until six months ago. It makes me think, it shows me sides of myself I never expected, and it’s a thrill I can log into any time after a long day. I have failed in this game more times than I care to admit.” There was a pause from his embarrassing words. The journalists were kind enough to give a mild chuckle.
“But I’ve loved every failure as much as the successes, because I get to see myself, through my character, grow.”
People gave their mild cheers again as the man behind the podium held up his hand.
“One last part for everyone, Trillium has announced they will be holding a lottery for over five hundred ARC units. These will come with copies of the Ultimate Edition. Additional details will be announced on our website.”
The clamoring started up again. People waved microphones and handsets in front of the podium, trying to get more information.
“That will be all, thank you, and I’ll see you in the game.”
I sat back and rewound the video, trying to remember when it was released. My token effort at getting an Ultimate Edition failed. I even tried throwing my name into online radio pools to be visitor number seven hundred. Nothing worked. I didn’t even walk away with a free copy of the game. An old high school friend had. He linked screenshots every now and then on his web streams. A constant blog of all the stupid stuff he found amusing in life. There were cutesy animals, political cartoons, and pictures of his character. In one screenshot he had impaled a fish with his sword and was roasting it over flames.
I pulled up his website while the van kept us moving towards my sister’s place. He had an entire circle of people playing Continue Online. They had pictures, he had pictures. There were short captions about the action shots. There were other friends much the same way. Nothing was exactly about the game. There was still nothing about levels or rankings. They put in words about creatures they fought and how hard some were occasionally. Even the photos seemed strangely staged.
But extremely real.
Okay. I was interested.
Dammit.
I hung my head. This game was probably exactly what my prize was. There had been a survey sent out three weeks ago asking what my fellow employees were most interested in. I dug through the Email trash bin and pulled out other items. Dialing into my Atrium remotely was possible in this Trillium provided van.
Turned out I was also the only one of my coworkers who didn’t own the game. Well, it might not be the game. I might be building myself up for no reason. Henry had said the others would ‘slit their wrists’. They had no reason to do so for a game they already owned.
Finally, after much confusion, and watching the videos over and over, the van pulled up to my sisters. I knocked on the door. My niece answered with a smile.
“Uncle! You’re alive!”
“Hey, Beth, here I am! Haven’t worked myself to death yet. Despite Hal’s constant reminders that it might happen.” I smiled and put my arms out for a hug.
She came in close and tried to squeeze the life out of my old bones. Her head was nearly tall enough to head butt me, but she shared her mother’s slightly shorter frame. Beth had grown in the last few years. It seemed like every time I showed up there was another surprise. At least the hair dying phase was showing signs of slowing.
“So, Beth, how’s your mom?” We stood at the door and chatted a little bit.
“She’s doing good.”
“She home?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
Speak of the devil. Stairs and creakiness betrayed my sister coming to check the door. Their house was a split level house in the suburbs. Pricing was a bit cheaper for a dwelling out here.
“Oh shit, Grant, you’re here!” My sister came down the stairs looking slightly disheveled. I smiled and gave a half wave, half shrug.
“You know, had some spare time. Figured I’d drop by and see how life was going.”
“It’s going good.” She paused and looked thoughtful for a moment. “Fine.”
“She’s up there with Jake.”
“Young lady!” My sister stomped her foot and glared at Beth.
“That’s fine. At least one of the Legates is getting some.” I smirked.
“Grant!” There was a slight blush to her cheeks while my sister tried to be a proper mother. Too bad my niece was a teen and probably knew as much about the whole process as her mother did. The internet hadn’t exactly hidden information despite numerous attempts by Congress.
“So, Jake’s doing, fine, then?” I grinned at my sister. She was a few minutes older than me and we hadn’t moved past the teenage nagging stage.
“He’s doing great.”
“I really dropped by to ask Beth some things about her ARC. So I’ll let you get back to Jake and keep thing
s,” I tried not grin too hard “fine.”
“Oh.” My sister paused. Then almost looked like she wanted to tear something from the wall and throw it at me. “Next time, call ahead!” She ran back up the stairs.
“Tell Jake I said hi!” I shouted after her.
“Go to Hell, Grant!”
I chuckled to myself. She often had the same sort of commentary to me back in high school. Mostly when she was sneaking boyfriends over and our parents were out for the night. Turnabout was expected in a family member. Beth and I paused our conversation while my sister finished her trek back to the upstairs room and slammed the door behind her.
“She wouldn’t have answered the phone anyway.” My niece said with an exaggerated whisper. She stepped back and let us into the house landing.
“It’s okay. Your mom’s allowed to have boyfriends.”
“I know. But maybe not Jake.” I laughed at her response.
“He’s doing fine.” Harassing family was a tradition.
“Ugh.”
“What about you? Any young men I should meet? Or ones I have to scare off with a shotgun?”
“That’s a little archaic. My social studies teacher would say you’re a backward thinking man.” Beth shook her head with a smile.
“Sorry, channeling your grandfather for a moment.”
“He said the same thing actually.” My niece laughed happily.
“The backward thinking part?”
“No, the shotgun.” There was a pause and Beth tilted her head. “Do you really have a shotgun?”
“Not telling.” I smiled down at her. Then frowned, and went through other faces.
“I’m not a baby anymore.”
“You’re still smiling, though,” I said.
“Did you really come by to visit me?” She almost sounded timid. Beth wasn’t that sort. She took after her mother, attitude a mile long and a fist trailing behind that.
“Yep.”
“Because of the ARC?” She tilted her head.
“Yep!”
“But you paid for mine, and you know more about them than I do, isn’t that your job?” The company discount helped me afford a personal ARC for Beth. I helped my father by chipping in on the college fund. The deal was that grades came first. Beth was taking advantage of the ARC’s time dilation to study.
Continue Online (Book 1, Memories) Page 4