《Path of Pandora – My Worldbuilding System》Prologue
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The gaming industry experienced a massive boom in both player numbers and games created when the first Virtual Reality Game-Development tools were developed.
VRGs for short, allowed users to create lines of code using only their brain waves. This was shorty expanded to include models, animations, audio, and many other things, that any gamer would need to make their dream project come true.
It took less than a year and the gaming industry was full of millionaires, most of whom began as solo indie developers. Corporations went bankrupt, as their abused and overworked employees quit to create their own corps, run by passionate artists and video game fanatics.
Beyond all these success tales, there was one man, whose name lived on as a legend in the VRG developer community. His name was Hachiro Tanuki.
Tanuki was a nineteen years old NEET. His two main passions were art and games. He applied for art school after graduating, though every college refused his application. The reason being: they thought he wasn’t good enough.
His dreams being shattered into pieces, Tanuki lost all hope in life. That was until he heard of VRGs and the possibilities they provide.
With a newfound goal, Tanuki set off to create the perfect game, one that would be enjoyed by anyone, no matter the taste. He tried to use an MMORPG basis, while also incorporating other mechanics from games such as FPSs and others. There were roguelike elements, tower defense parts, shooter mechanics, and a bunch of different systems inspired by other genres.
Tanuki spent countless nights learning about video game design. His game was meant to be so complex, he kept a large diary about every detail he wanted to add, half of every page detailing different solutions to various problems that might arise.
He was committed to creating the perfect game to ever exist. There was only one detail he forgot: why such a game hadn’t existed before.
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Of course, while his ideas were great in theory, they were impossibly hard to execute for someone with no previous game-making knowledge.
“Shit! Damn it!” These sentences were yelled constantly, as every new feature brought another error with it. “This shitty code just won’t work!”
Despite how agonizingly slow it was, Tanuki didn’t give up on his dream. From 8 A.M. to 8. P.M., he wore his VR headset every day, hell-bent to create the perfect game. Sometimes even while cooking.
“Goblins should be perfect tutorial enemies for low-level players.” He sniffed the air and took his headset off. “What is this smell? Oh no… my pancakes!”
Though both his friend and savings were rapidly diminishing, Tanuki’s willpower carried him towards a righteous goal.
“I’m going to be the richest game-developer!” He cried out happily, once he finally managed to program a day and night cycle. “Get ready, world! Hachiro Tanuki will shine bright like a star!”
Month after month, he kept going with ever-strengthening will. But as seasons changed, something happened…
“That building goes there, then that bar goes there… achoo!” He sneezed. “Then that weaponsmith goes there…”
He stopped. It took him a few moments to register what just happened. He took off the VR headset with wide eyes. The computer screen beside him was coated in saliva.
“When did I catch a cold?”
What first began as a simple sneeze quickly evolved into a fever. His body temperature grew to dangerous numbers and he found himself too weak to get up from bed.
“This… is bad…” He looked at the phone on the other side of the room. “I’m too weak to get up and call an ambulance… shit… at this rate, I’m going to die…”
In his last moments of lucidity, Tanuki equipped his VR headset. He opened his perfect game and continued to work on it.
“I should… put down some flowers…”
After a few seconds, Tanuki passed on.
This is a cautionary tale VRG developers tell their fanatic colleagues. Whether it is true or not, they don’t know and don’t care. It’s just a fun legend, after all.
But what they don’t know is that Tanuki’s story didn’t end there, but rather just began…
[ Hachiro Tanuki gained ‘Blessing of the Developer’! ]
[ Reincarnation begins in 3… 2… 1… ]
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Two Worlds
Two Worlds is a military sci-fi web serial set several hundred years in the future. It will follow multiple characters in an expansive universe as they fight to survive where things aren’t always as they seem; or they are and they’re just [email protected]#t out of luck. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. The Two Worlds universe is being reviewed, edited, and pubished in eBook form. Own your own piece of the Two Worlds Saga starting with Two Worlds: Rags & Riches Don't forget to check out the Two Worlds stand alone story The First Shot
8 156Ascension & Damnation
Every year on her birthday, Mirus tries to rescue his mother's soul from the underworld. Every year for a decade, he has failed. As the dark magic he practices threatens his position as the king's court mage, the highest honor an elf may obtain in a land of humans, he stands on the cusp of losing everything. Once his assistant, Syma, uncovers his dark secret, they work together to pierce the veil that separates their world from the underworld. They encounter mad professors, wicked monsters, and challenges that put their very souls at stake. With his goal in sight, the salvation of his mother's soul, he's forced with a sacrifice that makes him consider the price. [Series Complete] (Cover by Vlad Bagacian and used per the conditions from Pexel.com)
8 136Beyond The Game (Abandoned)
Kaine sighed as his foe advanced once more, never letting up, barely giving him time to breathe. He pressed forward as well, excited and ready, welcoming the bloodshed that was to come. His short blade, meeting the bestial warrior's bone-made longsword. Their weapons clattering sound into each of their ears when they clashed. Kaine pushed, as did his foe, beginning the contest of strength. A dance which Kaine controlled the steps of. As their eyes met, both of them weary, but Kaine's expression was resolved...maddened almost. Whilst his foe's was fear-struck, the creature was terrified down to its core. As were its comrades which surrounded them, watching, waiting for an opening to have at Kaine themselves. Seeing many...but they faltered, as the dead had seen the same openings before. Their battered, broken and still freshly bleeding bodies laying sprawled about their surroundings. It is just one... One of them thought in shaken disbelief. Just...Just one man but he kills so many...smiling even! Glancing from the dead, and back at Kaine as he slew another. No...this is no man... Was its panicked conclusion. This one's a monster! As Kaine turned to face it, weapon ready and grinning widely throughout his approach.
8 168The Portable Dungeon
Drake, a game developer, after finally finishing creating his new game called "Dungeons and Mayhem", gets sucked into a parallel world where swords and magic rule the continent, as well as where various monsters and dangerous creatures roam about. The only forgiving thing is that he was transported with a benefit where he doesn't know left to right, and that is the power to view and manipulate the status! Of a dungeon of course.
8 184The Journey of a Lazy Magician
As the state of the world grew dangerous everyday as the Demon Lord whom have the capability to destroy the world, will be un-sealed soon and the attacks of the demon forces' became more frequent, what better time it would be to be held as one of the richest person in the world. Only a sane person with the right mind would do that. Having to acquire something before an inevitable and hopeless end is the best option rather than trying to find the solution for the end of the world. I mean, the device used to re-seal the Demon Lord is gone. It could be under the ocean for all we know so why waste you're energy on stupid things like that? Of course, why would I waste my energy to do my incredibly hard goal when I can have my fellow party members to do it. Saving their "lives" from lesser goblins using a stick as a weapon usually does the trick to get someone on board so I think I'm pretty much set. *The cover photo is mine :3* AN: And thus, a schedule has been formed! I would be posting new chapter ever 2-3 days and if i haven't posted in this time, then something happened to me personally that makes me unable to post chapters in the scheduled time. The reason will mostly be school or i just have a lot of things scheduled in a certain day, etc. Sorry if it did happen as i am a very busy senior high student and could only write in his free time. Anyway, that is all and have a good day/night, the person who is reading this!
8 75There are no Gods, Only Pornstars.
--Error, Subject M1-0001SiO, status changed from stagnant to active upon completion of the Serf Training Program. You may now begin Phase No. 2.
8 192