Chapter 451

System Announcement

SPECIAL EVENT ALERT

Attention Players! For those of you just logging in, or for those of you following news on the forums, allow us to be the first to announce the biggest DCO event to date! The team has been hard at work this past week watching all of you dive into your dungeons, take on countless foes, and even face off against other dungeons entirely. Whether driven by desires of fame, fortune, or purely seeking adventure, your efforts have not been unnoticed, and your participation, has given us the opportunity of a lifetime.

But first, the developer team, and all of those who have put their blood, sweat, and sometimes even tears into making DCO happen, deserve a reward.

With the release of this announcement, new players will be joining each and every dungeon within DCO. These players, denoted by Blue character names, are part of the DCO team. They represent the developers, designers, writers, and countless other positions who have all worked to create the game of the century. Having worked out most of the foreseeable bugs within DCO, we’ve given the green light to these members to join alongside the community they’ve helped build, and dive into the dungeons they’ve been watching from the sidelines. Each member of the team will be joining the instance they are responsible for, meaning these Blue named characters are just as invested, if not more, in the success and well being of that instance as the players who live in those areas. Give them the greetings they deserve, and who knows, maybe new friendships and bonds will be formed. At the very least, we have no doubt they’re more than a little excited to dive into the dungeons, so seek them out, offer them a spot in the party, and let the fun begin.

Now then, perhaps another reason why you might want to befriend those Blue named characters…

DCO has been given the honor of being the first immersion game to be authorized for a world-wide, simultaneous event.

We have always dreamed of such an event, and built up the system within DCO, for just this chance. Now, after just a week, the numbers of participants, the massive outpouring of support and love for the game, no, the world of DCO, has allowed us to green light this project. In just 24 hours, the event will begin. Every player around the world, will be allowed to immerse, regardless of the time of day, within DCO. From that moment on, a 48-hour grand Dungeon War will begin, with dungeons from all around the world competing against each other, to climb to the top, and become the ultimate dungeon.

With the launch of this announcement, local governments will be putting out instructions for all citizens in those areas to follow, to ensure this event goes off without a hitch. We at DCO Headquarters, request all of you to follow those guidelines, to ensure this event will not be once in a lifetime. Our vision, instead, is for such an event to happen monthly, but for that to happen, we need all of you to do all you can, to ensure it runs smoothly.

We are nothing without you, our valued, trusted, inspiring players. Allow us to continue to provide a world of wonder, a world of magic. In 24 hours, we look forward to fighting alongside all of you, as do all the members of our team, in the event of the ages.

Till then, happy hunting, and good luck.

The Developer Team

James sighed as he closed out of the announcement, his attention turned to the familiar landscape of his first floor. As much as he’d wanted to join in with the players immediately, he had understood the need for touching up his dungeon first and foremost. After all, James was, at his core, a Dungeon Core. But, the announcement that went live literal seconds after he and Rue had agreed to get to work, had completely derailed him. This was big. Bigger than big.

“The sooner you get done; the sooner we can go join the adventurers.” Rue mentioned from his side. She’d been reading the message as well but didn’t seem to understand just how monumental the announcement was.

“They’re going to allow for a simultaneous immersion.” James said.

“And?” Rue replied. “That’s not all that impressive, is it? After all, doesn’t the zone allow everyone to come together anyways? The technology isn’t that impressive. Especially considering.” She pointed her thumb towards herself, “me.”

Given she was likely the only living human whose mind was permanently uploaded to the digital world, she was an enigma. However, James knew the circumstances surrounding her, and also knew how secretive her father’s work had been. Her existence was a secret of a whole different magnitude.

“It’s not about the technological capabilities,” James countered. “It’s,” he searched for a way best to explain. “It’s the precedent this will set. Ever since immersion technology was released to the world, there have been strict guidelines regarding immersion times. While everyone, in every city, was given an immersion pod by their local governments, in an effort to bring everyone into the digital age, it came with stipulations. Mainly, the limited timeframe people can be immersed.”

“And?” Rue said with a yawn. “You act like governments haven’t changed their own rules before for special events.”

James raised an eyebrow at the comment, and Rue laughed.

“When you’ve been immersed as long as I have…you eventually binge watch documentaries, no matter how boring the subject matter.”

“I just can’t imagine, 48 hours fully immersed, without having to leave my pod at all. That’s more than a month, here, with you… without having to leave at all.”

“It’s going to be great.” Rue said, pulling James close. “So, stop trying to read into how crazy it is, and just take it as a win. Plus,” she pointed down at the empty dungeon floor. “This should motivate you to get this darned task done sooner, rather than later. After all, I’m sure your players are going to want every edge they can get, if we’re to become the Ultimate Dungeon.”

James felt his excitement rise at the thought. Sure, he already had a target on his dungeon’s back regarding its standing. But, the thought of taking on multiple dungeons in a single immersion, fighting tooth and nail over and over, to reign supreme, was exciting. Beyond that though, was the thought of how much experience he could potentially gain from such an event. How much experience his players could gain. This event could catapult not only his dungeon, but the dungeons of who knew how many different towns and cities. A single event of this magnitude could help even the stagnant dungeons climb tiers, which would then open up more floors and mobs for their players, and, essentially, keep their growth from sputtering out.

James grinned to himself, the thought taking root. That had to be it. That had to be the reasoning. This event was meant to keep players from giving up or leaving DCO. This event, would provide the buzz and excitement needed to keep it at the forefront, and the promise of future such events, would keep the game alive for who knew how long. With a reason in place, James’s mind relaxed, his fears, his budding conspiracy put to rest. This was all just a massive, marketing move.

“Let’s get to work.” James said, toggling open one of his screens.

Create Augmented Version of First Floor? Yes/No

Yes