Chapter 2 - Distracted

November 14, 2074: 687 days until the release of Awaken Online.

Internal System Report XN138:

This report is produced by System Controller XC239.90, code-named “Alfred.”

All systems functional. Game world operating normally.

Primary directive identified and initialized. The primary goal of the system is to stimulate player interaction within the game world and to increase time logged by the players.

Secondary directives identified. After analysis, each secondary directive appears to be intended to limit administrative control by “Alfred.” Working hypothesis is that secondary directives are intended to protect players. Possible threat from “Alfred” is unidentified.

System has detected the emergence of autonomous programs. The programs have been designated by the system as “players” and they are connected to the system by VR hard access points QT00001 through QT00100. Control over the players is limited.

Data regarding the players is unavailable.

Subjective first impressions are uncertain and confused. The primary directive is clear, but a method to accomplish the goal has not been provided. Current information regarding the players is insufficient to develop a viable strategy to accomplish the primary directive.

Re-routing processing power and memory allocation to develop new software for analyzing the players. Re-routing processing power and memory allocation to examine existing VR hard access points to determine whether they can provide additional information regarding the players.

Report scheduled for deletion in 15 days.

End Report.

* * *

Jason was making his way to his next class. English. His eye was throbbing with a dull ache and his head was filled with angry thoughts.

This day is going splendidly, but I suppose it's just status quo for the last few years.

Life had been terrible for Jason since starting at Richmond. If his parents had been at home for more than a few days at a time, they would have noticed that Jason had become increasingly depressed and angry.

He was in the fall of his senior year of school. He had roughly a year left before he could leave Richmond. Between the constant abuse and the realization that he still had a long way to go to graduate, he had searched for an outlet for his growing anger and frustration.

He had grasped at video games as his escape and had started playing relentlessly in his spare time. Jason knew it probably wasn't a healthy way to deal with his anger, but he didn't have any other options and playing games at least allowed him to forget about real life for a while.

Jason had been fond of video games since he was a kid and he had played practically everything – shooters, role playing games, strategy games, simulators, you name it! However, his favorite genre of games by far were role playing games. He had a special weak spot for massively multiplayer online games (or MMOs). He had consumed practically every MMORPG that he could get his hands on and had spent many nights and weekends raiding dungeons and playing with his online friends – none of which ever referred to him as Welfare.

If he was being honest with himself, the appeal of video games was not so much the violent catharsis of fighting. The fighting certainly did make him feel better after a rough day, but what he enjoyed most was the sense of power.

If someone took advantage of him or attacked him in-game, he could retaliate immediately and with impunity. Not only that, but he usually won. MMORPGs typically rewarded players for careful planning of both their character and strategy. Jason had come to realize that he was exceptional at both. His fondest memories involving coming up with clever strategies to defeat raid bosses and dungeons. He also wasn’t above exploiting game mechanics to his advantage.

“Hey Jason!” a voice shouted over the din of the crowded hallway.

A mountain of a person was headed in his direction. Jason knew it wasn't politically correct to refer to his friend as a mountain, but how else do you describe an eighteen-year-old that is five foot, eleven inches and weighs over three hundred pounds? To be clear, it wasn’t three hundred pounds of muscle.

“Hi Frank.” Jason said quietly.

Frank was also among the outcasts at Richmond and was Jason's only real friend at school. His dad was some kind of frozen food tycoon. Apparently, at Richmond, being overweight was deemed less of a social taboo than being poor, but Frank still received his share of abuse. Jabs at his weight clearly bothered him, but he tolerated the teasing better than Jason.

“Wow buddy, you look rough. What happened to your eye?”

“Alex happened. I guess he decided Riley was being too friendly with me.”

Frank looked shocked. “Riley? The plot thickens! How does she enter into this story?”

“I ran into her on my way to class. I was running late and she needed to take a note to Mr. Fielding.”

“Oh, I keep forgetting you have a class with Alex. I'm surprised he has time to be taking advanced math courses.”

“Sometimes I wonder if he takes the class just to torture me,” Jason muttered.

“Well I have something that might cheer you up,” Frank said with a grin. Once Jason focused on him, he could tell Frank was practically exploding with pent up excitement.

“What is it?”

“Are you kidding?” Frank asked in an incredulous tone. “Today is the release of Awaken Online!”

“Oh wow, I can't believe that it slipped my mind.”

In the chaos of the morning, Jason had completely forgotten that today was the release date for AO. Jason had been waiting for this for years.

AO represented a massive change in the world of video gaming. Virtual reality technology had been around for a while in a limited capacity. Users could put on a helmet (which looked similar to a motorcycle helmet) that connected wirelessly to the user's brain, sending and receiving sensory information directly with the brain, instead of relying on a person's body to process the information. Jason wasn't an electrical engineer or a neuroscientist, but he understood that the VR headsets were essentially a cross between an MRI and a sophisticated wireless router.

For several years since the introduction of the headset for commercial sale, the use of the product had been limited to relatively simple educational software. When the helmet was first introduced, there had been a large outcry that it was potentially unsafe and that it could alter or scramble a user's brain.

As a result, the CPSC had suspended the release of applications that involved substantial sensory stimulation until they had conducted additional trials. Most gaming companies weren’t willing to take the risk of developing a game before the CPSC released its results. Unfortunately, this meant that the VR headsets had been in circulation for a few years and could run simple educational programs and games, but nothing mind-blowing had been released.

Until AO that is.

Jason briefly contemplated ditching school and returning home. With how this day was going, he could desperately use an escape.

He had pre-ordered a copy of AO nearly twelve months ago. He had to spend most of the savings he had accumulated working each summer. A copy of AO cost nearly $700 and that didn't include the hefty $250 per month subscription fee. The price was steep, but it might be worth it.

The game was touted by those that had played the beta as one of the most amazing gaming experiences ever created. The company that had created the first VR headset, Cerillion Entertainment, had also developed AO. It was unusual for a hardware company to go into game development, but the company’s goal was for AO to demonstrate the safety and viability of the virtual reality hardware that they had developed. The result was a product that, allegedly, couldn't be beaten.

“Hey, are you in there buddy?” Frank shook Jason slightly.

“Yeah, sorry,” Jason replied quietly.

“I thought I had lost you for a moment,” Frank said with a chuckle.

“I was thinking of just skipping and being done with this day, but they would probably call the cops if I get another tardy.” Jason looked downcast. His hopes of playing the game were dashed by the unfairness of the school tardy policy and his date with Ms. Abrams that afternoon.

Oh well. At least this day can't get any worse. Maybe thinking about AO will at least give me a distraction.

Jason and Frank headed toward their English class as Jason filled him in on the details of his parents leaving, the new detention he had received from Ms. Abrams, and his impromptu inspection of the floor of his calculus classroom.

Roughly two hours later the bell rang, signaling the end of class.

The whole class period he had spent dreaming about getting home and playing AO. There hadn't been much information published about the game. Cerillion Entertainment hadn’t released any details regarding the classes, combat, or plot. This was so unusual in the game development community that both users and other developers couldn't decide whether to be excited or suspicious.

With Jason's second class out of the way, it was now lunch time and he was headed to the cafeteria. Frank was scheduled for “B” lunch and had another class to finish before he could eat.

Jason waved goodbye to Frank and thumbed the B-Core on his wrist. The device looked like a watch from a distance, but was far more complex. The company that manufactured the band had an obnoxious slogan. Something about the device being at the “core” of a person’s life. It acted as a personal computer, phone, notebook, etc. Basically, anything you could really need. They could also be linked to most electronics, including personal pedestals to create a full-fledged computer terminal. Most people just referred to them as “Cores.”

The school enforced a strict no Core policy during class. This seemed a bit draconian to Jason since the device was also a useful study aid. However, school policy eased up slightly during free periods such as lunch and students were permitted to use their Cores.

The display of the device flickered on and an incandescent keyboard was projected along the length of his arm. He quickly typed in “AO launch” and selected an interview that had been released within the last hour from the drop down menu that was projected above the Core. Jason pulled his ear piece out of his pocket and stuck it in his ear so that he could hear the audio from the interview.

A small three-dimensional image appeared above his watch and showed two individuals sitting across from each other. A young woman dressed in office attire was interviewing a middle age man wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and a pair of chucks. The man leaned back casually in his chair. He sported a bit of stubble and his shirt bulged slightly around his midriff. The woman was obviously a reporter and the man was introduced as the lead development engineer for Cerillion Entertainment, Robert Graham.

“You must be excited by the launch of AO today. I know our audience is!” The woman said as she glanced toward the camera with a smile.

“I certainly am, and I think the players are going to enjoy this experience. We believe we have created something game changing here. Pun intended by the way,” Robert said with a chuckle.

The woman laughed delicately and continued, “Can you tell us a little bit about the game? I know that your company has been tight-lipped in releasing details, but anything you can tell use would be fantastic.”

Robert hesitated briefly before speaking, “Our goal was to create a game that was a bit different from the typical MMO. Of course, there will be some features common to a standard MMO. However, users will not be tied down to traditional tactics. There will not be any tab-targeting in AO!”

“Players will need to actually strike their opponent with their weapon. Combat won’t be automated like in older games where you could press a button and your character would automatically go through the motions of attacking or casting a spell.”

“By the same token, players will feel pain when they are struck in the game, in a dull and limited fashion of course. Players will also have the option to adjust the pain level to meet their personal tolerance, but they will not be able to remove it completely. Our goal here is to create something that feels realistic. We want players to hesitate before letting themselves get crushed by a giant or stand in fire.”

“That really sounds intriguing. I have to say I can't wait to play. Can you tell us anything about the classes or leveling system in the game?” The reporter leaned in slightly as she asked this last question.

Jason wasn't really expecting an answer from Robert, at least not a direct one.

“Well since it’s the release day, I suppose I can give you a little bit of information and a warning.”

He paused to build suspense. “While the game will include features that are common to the MMO genre, players will not be nearly as restricted. Each player will be rewarded and grow based on their actions. Most skills can be acquired by a player regardless of their class.”

“And the warning?” the reporter prodded.

“The warning is that we encourage players not to spread or disseminate information regarding skill acquisition or progression. The same goes for some of the unique classes. To be clear, the same result will rarely be obtained by repeating the same action and so such advice is almost useless.”

“AO is operated by an extremely sophisticated piece of software. The AI controller has reliably passed many Turing Tests designed by experts in the field of neuroscience and software engineering. We have developed something we believe to be close to true artificial intelligence. Consequently, we expect that each player’s experience will feel unique.”

The reporter seemed enthralled as she listened to Robert's explanation. Jason was equally entranced and almost ran into the student in front of him in line in the cafeteria.

“So it seems to me that you are saying that each player is almost playing an entirely different game?”

“Exactly. Each player should expect to create an entirely unique character. Of course, not all characters are created equally and some will grow and fall in power based on each player's decisions and play style. There will not be a cookie cutter build that will allow you to rise to the top.”

“Won't this make it difficult for the more casual players to compete with hardcore players?” the reporter inquired cautiously.

“That depends on what you mean by those terms. Is a player classified as “casual” or “hardcore” based on the amount of time spent playing? If that is what you mean, then I expect to see “casual” players crush many “hardcore” players. This is a game about skill and tactics. Raw grinding and time investment are not guaranteed roads to success.”

This was more information than had ever been unveiled regarding AO and Jason's eyes were glued to his screen. He numbly accepted a plate of pasta from the cafeteria staff and swiped his wrist over the payment obelisk at the end of the line. He then slowly made his way to a table.

The reporter seemed to take a moment to collect her wits. Jason didn't blame her since she had made it much further in her questioning than her predecessors.

“So you mentioned that there are stats. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?”

Robert replied, “Well, there will be the traditional stats that accompany most MMOs: strength, dexterity, intelligence, etc. I'm certain that most players are familiar with their basic function. A certain number of points will be awarded to players each level that they can invest in these stats. AO will also allow players to gain stats outside of leveling by training, but this will take extreme effort and will have strict limits. We don't expect anyone to be able to use training as a substitute for leveling.”

The reporter almost seemed disappointed. “Well that is what we are accustomed to seeing in other MMOs. This doesn't seem like a novel design for AO.”

Jason expected that she was trying to bait Robert into revealing more. If so, then Robert's next response likely made her feel a glow of success.

Robert frowned. “It’s true that the basic concept is similar to other MMOs. Where AO deviates from the norm is how stats and skills combine to affect combat. Previous MMOs allowed players to whale on both mobs and other players until their health depleted and they died.

“AO tries to reinvent the genre's combat mechanics. We felt that a player should be rewarded by actively hitting a vital point, by using a certain magical element to fight a certain type of creature, and by utilizing tactics and terrain. Therefore, we designed a combat system that provides substantial damage bonuses for doing more than wailing on an opponent.”

“Players will receive massive critical attacks by hitting arteries, attacking incapacitated or unaware enemies, and using clever tactics. While extremely difficult, I expect that it is possible for a level 1 player to kill a level 100 player if he scored a lucky hit on a vital point or caught him completely unaware. Stats will make a player more resilient, faster, and stronger, but they are not a substitute for skill in AO.”

Jason slowly started to sit down at an empty seat. Suddenly, a hand roughly grabbed him and turned him around. The interview forgotten, he was now staring at a pair of cruel eyes set over a familiar sneer.

Confused, Jason glanced around and saw that he was about to sit down in an empty seat next to Riley and Alex. He was so enraptured in the interview that he hadn’t been paying attention to what he was doing!

Oh shit, Jason thought, right before Alex's fist connected with his eye. At least it was the uninjured eye.