The cubicles are near empty, with everyone packed into the conference rooms. The network engineers have the server monitors up showing the hundreds of pings a second. The website has been replaced with a static "Please stand by" image. The official wiki is currently locked, with a timed release for 20 minutes after game launch. Every conference room has some part of its large screen showing the launch countdown timer. The servers are being turned on one at a time, each pulling a copy of the latest build image from the NAS named Mastermind. Those few people still at their desks are each tasked with testing the stability of one server, using their hard coded port access to cut through the load balancers and synchronization mesh to make sure their slice is online and ready. They sign in with their dev avatar, using only a vr headset to look around the settings and make sure sight and sound are functional. The haptic systems are ignored in the server-by-server last check, being left to spot checks by a few capsules in the PR department.

Everything is showing green, as the launch countdown reaches 1:01

-= Werlkhan =-

I live alone. College didnt work out, but my part time job fills the gaps in income. My bread and butter is my gaming review board, which is quickly rising as the de facto standard upon which all games are measured. You can call me Werlkhan, as that is my handle everywhere but in real life. So, everywhere that matters to me. It was hard coming up with something unique enough that I can always claim it, but misspelling has its uses. World is pronounced werld, khan means king, so Werlkhan is a subtle reminder that I am here to conquer. But you dont care about that. You are here because today is the release date for Founding of Humanity, and you know I give the best details. I took the whole week off as vacation, and now it begins.

I go to my comfortable corner, a futon propped in the corner of a small room in my small apartment. The only other thing in the room is the vr gear needed to connect to my passions. I sit down and start strapping it on. A belt goes around my belly button, well below heart and lungs, and its odd bulges remind me of a certain yellow utility belt. It is connected by a thick and armored cable that rolls up along my spine to the next segment, the shoulder mantle. This mantle is shaped like athletic shoulder pads, and I remember reading that the prototype was built on exactly those. The helmet is the last part, and as I power it on the integrated neck pillow inflates. A wireframe of my left arm appears in my otherwise black viewing area, and I move my arm until it feels like it matches the shape, and hold. Repeat with my right. The little circles in the upper corner turn green one at a time, and then my vision blacks again. Hardware and calibration ready. Last breath, then the tingles run all over as the gear paralyzes my limbs and takes over my senses.

Connecting ....

Please register new user: _

Werlkhan

Nothingness surrounds me, like it does at the start of any of these games. No reason to add costs by stylizing this step. I have no body yet. A new interface appears before my consciousness.

Assign initial stats:

Vitality 3 +/- Strength 3 +/- Intelligence 3 +/- Wisdom 3 +/- Dexterity 3 +/- Charisma 3 +/- unassigned 12

I could spread it evenly and start with 5 in every category, but I want to bring the pain. It wont let me go below 3, so ...

Add 3 to vitality and strength, so I can stand toe to toe with anything in the early space.

Add 3 to dexterity so I dont miss. Why boast about your damage rate if you cant bring it to bear?

2 for wisdom, 1 for intelligence, as I do not know what skills will require yet.

Vitality 6 +/- Strength 6 +/- Intelligence 4 +/- Wisdom 5 +/- Dexterity 6 +/- Charisma 3 +/- unassigned 0

Accepted. Brace for tutorial.

I appear in a training field, racks of wooden weapons on the sidelines and a grisly looking npc in front of me. I cant move my feet, and a few more players appear in the same field evenly spaced. Whatever the npc was waiting for occurs, and he stands a little straighter.

Trainer: "Greetings, elect of the gods. Seeing you appear from thin air is entertaining, but I have wasted enough time. My name is Krowks. This is a new age, an age where the gods have decided to bless us with you so that we may tame this land. The priests tell me that you can pick and choose your own strengths, two points per level, whatever that means. I am here to direct you in gaining skills with which you shall push back the wilderness. Skills upon which this age of humanity will be founded! You will need equipment, and all I have here is practice tools. The town green in the west is surrounded by shops, and the town square in the east has the chapel. Respect the law, and we will get along. Now, take a weapon and familiarize yourself with it so you can go establish humankind as the dominant existance in this world!"

Krowks then walked over to stand between some weapon racks, and we all were freed to move. A few of the players fall down, and my own first step is a little shakey, but the brain is a great tool and quick to make adjustments. I run to a rack and grab a sword and dagger.

Wooden Sword

Dmg 3

1-hand

Wooden Dagger

Dmg 2

1-hand

It looks like Krowks is there to help people who have not played immersive VR before. Let's skip the "pointy end goes into the other guy" talk, and go find a fight. I run to the mouth of a street on the edge of the training field and run into a system notification.

Attention!You are leaving the tutorial before completion. Skip tutorial?

Yes / No

W: "Yes"

I head east, the mostly transparent directional aide at the top of my vision swinging as I turn. The town is typical, mostly single story wooden buildings which lets me see the pitched roof of the stone chapel rising above them. Jumping around a few npcs who amble in the streets, I get there quickly. Chapels are typically respawn points and where you can be cured for a donation. Krowks back in the welcome speech hinted at a little more, mentioning the priests gave the information on stat increases.

For those of you who weren't reading the hype feed to glean every bit of info before hand, let me sum up for you. This game has freedom as well as restrictions. Restriction: we are all humans and get to assign two stat points per level. Freedom: anyone can learn any skill. Lets say you want to be a mage with the Target: Joint skill of an archer. Become an archer and level up until you get the skill and then switch class to mage. This means you are a few levels behind anyone who went straight mage, but you have the stat increases from those levels so you should be about even still, and you can still use every skill you learned. An ice spike through the knee will both slow and cripple. I am thinking that I will get some early rogue abilities and then go warrior. I want to hit hard, right where it hurts.

Status: Werlkhan Name: Werlkhan Class n/a Level 1 (0%) exp to level 98.5 Vitality 6 Health 59 Strength 6 Mana 10.5 Dexterity 6 Stamina 50 Intelligence 4 H regen 1.8 (32s) Wisdom 5 M regen 0.4 (26s) Charisma 3 Armor 0 unspent 0 Carry limit 62 Money 4c