His words confused me. I didn’t have a clue what he meant, and I was getting tired of being the only guy in the room that didn’t know what was going on. Rather than give this guy-who still hadn’t felt the need to give me his name-the satisfaction of asking for an explanation, I decided to move the conversation forward.
“Okay. So I’m in the game. I’ve been awarded a tier-three Archetype, whatever that means. And there are five other people that have logged in early. So, what am I doing here? You’ve already said you believe that I’m not involved in whatever leak you’ve had.”
“Yes, well, you see...we’re in a bit of a bind. The game system also detected the early access, and because of something going on inside, data lockdown has been enabled. The system AI won’t allow any other profiles to log in until whatever issue is being caused is rectified. So...”
“So you need me to find these other players and stop them from doing whatever it is they’re doing? One player against five? How is that supposed to work? I’ll be outnumbered.”
“That is obviously a concern. But you do not actually need to defeat them. All you need to do is gather information about them. Enough for us to find them in the real world and disable their player accounts. As for the how. We may be able to help with that.” The suit looked a bit uncomfortable, and I could tell what came next was the information he was really afraid I had leaked.
“The reason we initialized the game infrastructure before the release was because we needed to ensure certain aspects of the game were fully within the bounds of our control. One such aspect is the game manager’s ability to balance game issues retroactively. Essentially, part of our capabilities is to ensure everyone playing during the same four-hour time span has fun playing, and so we can dial back the clock to fix game imbalances as they are reported.”
“How is that possible? You can’t edit a person's memory.”
“No, but we can edit the digital memory files of character constructs.”
The explanation was very in-depth and technical, but this is what I understood of it. The diagnostics program I had run made a comprehensive profile of my mind. Essentially a digital copy of what made me, me. This copy, when added to the diagnostic of my physical body, was used to create a digital me. That digital file was then uploaded to the game and lived there in four-hour intervals. Every four hours my digital self would be reuploaded to my Halo, where my memories would be updated with game data. Except, according to the Suit, before the launch, the time rate in the game was accelerated.
“All of this of course is in the official release given to purchasers of the Unifying Game Immersion System. Minus the acceleration of course.”
“How fast? I mean, theoretically, you could run the game hundreds of times faster than in real life.”
“Indeed. Because we haven’t been able to get anyone into the game, we aren’t sure of the actual compression rate, but it was dialed up in order to complete all the system checks before the launch. It’s likely that at least a week has passed for you in the game by this time.”
“Really? That’s quite a lot. Why not have that running all the time?”
“A number of reasons. First is the obvious problem of a content bottleneck. If the players can go through game content hundreds of times faster than we can create it, there will be a point where the players run out of things to do. Even with the creation engine fueling quest generators, eventually, they would run out of rewards. Then, there are the physical problems.”
“What physical problems?”
“Well, think about it. Uploading four hours' worth of experience in a few moments won’t cause any ill effects. But longer intervals can be dangerous. Imagine suddenly remembering an entire day at once. Our research indicates that more than two days' worth of memories can cause physical pain. The most anyone has ever tried was three months. He fell into a coma for a week. Increased time compression is simply not an option.”
“Wait...you said I’d already been inside for a week? So are my brains going to be scrambled when I log out?”
“There will probably be some pain, yes. But we will have expert medical staff on site. And the fact is, we need you to do this. We can push the release back a day at most. We need this settled quickly. That is why we will be granting your profile the highest membership package, as well as a special advantage for your gameplay.”
It was a good sell. High membership level, special game perks, plus exclusive access for a prolonged period? Of course, there was also the risk of brain damage.
“Why should I do this for you? I would be risking actual brain damage to help you out of a bind. Not a lot of incentive for me.”
“How’s this for incentive? You broke several laws. Obtaining proprietary hardware, illegally accessing unreleased patented software, we could even charge you with corporate espionage. Or, we could make this all go away. And of course, all of the perks we are unlocking for you would remain unlocked. Permanently.”
There it was. The hook in the bait. And it was a good hook too. I pretended to think about it, but honestly? I wouldn’t survive in prison. Even white-collar prison. I was in a corner.
“All right, let's do this.”
They took me to a suite with medical personnel and equipment. After they had me dosed with medical nano, Suit brought me my Halo and granted me access to their network. I opened my screen as they unpacked the equipment. I looked at it with a mixture of fear and anticipation. I was about to find out just what Full Immersion had to offer. I placed the Halo on my head, lined up the injector post with my port, and took a deep breath. Then, activating the game, I almost hit the log-out button. Before I did I turned to Suit.
“What about all of those perks you were telling me about?”
“We have already made those adjustments. In fact, from the perspective of your character file, you’ve already made use of them. The selection of your game advantage has already happened in a sense. The tenses take some...getting used to.”
“You know, I don’t even know your name.”
He smiled at me. “My name is Koios. Peter Koios.”
*********
Several Hours Earlier
I leaned back in my chair, closed my eyes, and initialized the game. I felt the nano flood my brain as the game started. Almost instantly I was dropped into a sea of black, speckled with far-distant stars. My character sheet floated in front of me, the previously empty spaces now flashing.
Player: Archon
Level: 0
Archetype: [ErrorErrorErrorErrorError]
Race:
Class:
Alignment: Chaotic Good[Error]
Stats:
Str: 10
Dex: 11
Con: 10
Int: 13
Cha: 12
Luc: 16
Wil: 18
The errors worried me. As I was wondering what I had done to mess this up already, a voice spoke from over my shoulder.
“Ah, I see the problem. Well, we’ll have this fixed in a jiffy.”
I looked over and saw a man made of the night sky standing next to me. His skin was a dusky black, only one or two shades lighter than the darkness around me, and he had shining spots of light speckling him from head to toe. He wore a white tunic belted at the waist and old Roman-style sandals. His eyes were solid gold, his head was bald, and his teeth were startlingly bright.
“Um. Hi? Who are you?”
“Where are my manners? I am the Emergency Lifeform Interaction And Service protocol. You may call me Elias. I am here because your presence disrupted normal game function. But not to worry. With my help, we will have you ready to go lickety-split!”
“Oh, okay. Well, I guess I’m ready when you are.”
“Wonderful, wonderful! Well, it seems that the main issue is your Archetype. You qualify for far too many.”
There was an odd visual effect, like a rendering glitch or something.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
“And it seems as a member of the Olympus membership program, you may select your own, rather than have one randomly assigned. Odd, your membership seems to rectify the error that I was summoned to address. Oh well, I’m more than happy to continue helping you generate your character.”
I didn’t know what he was talking about when it came to the membership thing, but I would take the help of the system if it meant a better starting character.
“Now then, here are your choices for Archetype.”
He started listing things, and at the same time, a drop-down menu opened in the Archetype slot on my character sheet.
“You currently qualify for the following Archetypes: Player, Gamer, Role-Player, Metagamer, Powergamer, Munchkin, Profiler, Exploiter, Investor, Adaptor, Collector, or Dataminer[error], I’m sorry, that last one is apparently unavailable.”
Again there was that disturbing visual glitch right as the error occurred. I began to get concerned. Maybe entering the game early caused a bug or something?
“Okay, what does any of that mean? What’s an Archetype, and why do I have so many choices?”
“I am so glad you asked. An Archetype is a basis for a player's experience within the game. Different Archetypes grant different things, from increasing information available to the player, granting specialized bonuses, or even special abilities.”
“So it’s like my class?”
“Oh no, classes are available to anyone that meets the prerequisites and can locate a trainer in the game world. Classes also affect actual gameplay mechanics, such as spell casting, weapon-wielding, and other such elements. Archetypes affect how the player interacts with the game world. Allow me to give an example. A player with the ‘Player’ Archetype is granted only the most basic levels of access and gameplay. They experience the world with all the inherent advantages and limitations of playing the game. If that Player takes the ‘Wizard’ class, they will cast spells as a wizard in the game. If a different player takes the ‘Role-player’ Archetype and also chooses the ‘Wizard’ class, they will have a different experience. Role-players cannot access their character sheet, cannot view damage statistics, and cannot view game information about potential enemies.”
“Why would anyone take that Archetype then?” Taking away all of the information sounded like a great way to get your players to rage quit.
“Because ‘Role-players’ are not limited in the same way that ‘Players’ are. The ‘Role-player’ wizard would not have a limited number of spells per day or a game-enforced limitation on equipment. Instead, the ‘Role-player’ lives their part, casts any and all spells that they can personally remember, and can regenerate magical power faster through meditation than a ‘Player’ does through game mechanics. The other Archetypes all have similar advantages and disadvantages. Would you like to hear them?” This AI or whatever was extremely helpful, but his explanations were a bit long-winded.
“Can you just display the information? I’d like to read it for myself.”
“Of course. I am here to facilitate a pleasant game experience.” With those words, a huge block of text started to fill my vision.
Tier One:
Player: Basic access to game screens. No additional functionality. Standard game experience.
Gamer: More detailed game information is made available. Control Macros available.
Role-Player: No game screen access. Game restrictions were removed to create a more immersive game experience.
Tier Two:
Metagamer: Complete game information made available. Access to forums while immersed is granted.
Powergamer: Unlocks the ability to customize starting stats and self-assign stat bonuses at level up.
Munchkin: Removes all class and race restrictions during the game experience.
Profiler: Allows the player to have multiple, interchangeable copies of character with different stats/abilities/classes
Tier Three:
Exploiter: Exploiters gain access to progression information, and can analyze potential synergies.
Investor: Similar to the Adaptor Archetype, the Investor receives a number of “Investment points” per level. These points can be used to generate new items, creatures, classes, or other game assets. These points are irretrievable once spent
Adaptor: Similar to the Investor Archetype, the Player gains a number of “Adaptation points” per level. These points may be used to alter existing game assets. Unlike the Investor, these Adaptation points can be revoked, reverting the Adapted asset to its base form.
Collector: The player is given a list of available achievements and a game asset index. Any Collector that fills their index and achievement book gains special privileges within the game experience.
After reading through them all twice, I had a few questions.
“Okay, it says here that the Collector gets special powers if they complete an index? Can you tell me more about that?” I was hoping to get more in-depth information out of the AI than I would get just from game descriptions.
“I’m sorry, but the extent of the available information in regards to the Tier Three Archetypes is limited. I can give you comprehensive overviews of the first and second-tier Archetypes, but the third tier is restricted.” The AI-Elias, I supposed-sounded truly regretful that he could not tell me what I wanted to know.
“Oh. Even though I’m one of those Olympus members?”
“Indeed. Only Titan class members may access further information regarding Tier Three Archetypes. I can however provide hypothetical examples of Tier Three characters, similar to my example of the Role-Player Wizard I mentioned earlier. Would you like me to provide such examples?”
“That would be very helpful, yes.”
“First, an Exploiter. A player with the Exploiter Archetype and a Warrior class would be able to see what options would become available for them in future levels, as well as how well other classes may synergize with the Warrior class. This would make it easier for a warrior to become a spellsword, or a paladin. It also shows the player special classes and bonuses they may be able to qualify for in the future if certain actions and quests are completed.
A player that takes the Investor Archetype and becomes a Crafter would be able to generate new recipes and schematics far easier than using in-game methods. Theoretically, an Investor could bring firearms or other advanced technology to the game experience.
The Adaptor Archetype allows players to change game assets on the fly. The difference is that those changes are non-permanent and can be undone at any time. An Adaptor who is a Rogue could theoretically change an in-game key so that it fits a particular lock. Or change the stats on a weapon to make it more deadly to use while backstabbing. Adaptation points can even be used for such mundane purposes as to change the color of items to match an aesthetic.
Collector is a unique Archetype in that it does not give a quantifiable bonus during gameplay. The Collector Archetype allows the player to access achievement information and gives them an index that they must fill in. If this index is filled, bonus content and features are made available.
You can see that the third-tier Archetypes are very powerful and potentially dangerous. Only players who have completed the diagnostic assessment with a “Good” alignment may be granted Tier Three Archetypes[Error]. Sorry, I meant to say that ALL alignments may be granted Tier Three Archetypes.”
Yet another glitch. I could only pray that nothing catastrophic was going on. If they kept happening, I might have to log out just to be safe.
“One last question: Can I change my Archetype later?”
“Unfortunately not. The Archetype is a permanent aspect of each character. In order to select a new Archetype the previous character must be permanently removed from play.”
“Okay. ‘Removed from play,’ what does that mean?”
“There are many ways a character can be removed from play. A player’s account may have its permissions revoked. A character may meet its maximum number of respawns. A character may be blocked from respawning by divine writ. There may be other possibilities that I have not been informed of. If any of these things occur, a new character must be made.”
“I see.”
The decision of which Archetype to pick was a tough one. And it was only the first flashing blank space on the empty character sheet. Race and class were also empty, and I hadn’t even seen the options yet. Based on the way I usually played my games, I would go with the Profiler Archetype, but without forums to reference or wiki’s to browse, I wouldn’t know what builds to use, so that was out. Next would be the Investor, to add my own spin to the game. But again, without expansive knowledge of the game world, I wouldn’t know what’s already included in the game world. Collector would give me the game knowledge I would need for the others, but I only got to pick a single Archetype, so it wouldn’t really do me any good. Role-player might be fun but sounded a bit too intensive for a first-run character. Maybe once I got comfortable with the game. I made my decision, and my character sheet was updated.
Player: Archon
Level: 0
Archetype: Adaptor
Race:
Class:
Alignment: Chaotic Good[Error]
Stats:
Str: 10
Dex: 11
Con: 10
Int: 13
Cha: 12
Luc: 16
Wil: 18
The AI, Elias, spoke up again after I had made the selection.
“Wonderful! Now that your Archetype has been chosen, I can leave you to finish yourself if you like, or I can stay and walk you through the rest of the creation process. Which would you prefer?”
“Well, I suppose you can stick around. Show me what you have for races.”
With that, another block of text popped up in front of my face and Elias started talking. And talking. And talking. There were what looked like hundreds of options for race. Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, Catfolk, Dogfolk, Lizardfolk. All of those and more were scrolling past my eyes, all accompanied by blocks of descriptive text listing advantages, disadvantages, political leanings, you name it. The game developers had really gone whole hog with the details. I spent a solid ten seconds just scanning before I gave up.
“Can I ask you for some advice?”
“Certainly, Archon. It is my purpose to advise and inform. What can I help you with?”
“Well, this is a lot to go through. Can you recommend a race for me?”
“I will certainly do my best. How would you describe your playstyle? Do you prefer magic, martial prowess, or trickery? Are you one who focuses on a few skills or a wide range? Are you looking to adventure? If so, where? Dungeons and ancient ruins, or urban environments? If not, will you be crafting, questing, or guilding?”
The questions continued with various reiterations and specificity. As we worked to narrow down my specific playstyle, many of the race options were greyed out as Elias eliminated them as potential options. After about ten minutes, Elias narrowed the options down to a handful.
“Based on your answers, these each have aspects that may appeal to you. If any interests you, I can give you more information.”
Human: Humans are a young race in the world of Caernon, and as such are less populous than others. They start play with neutral relationships with all other races. They have no pluses or minuses to their starting stats. Humans gain skill levels at 150% base rate.
Dunling: Dunlings are dark dwellers. They live in vast cave systems underground, sometimes going months or years without seeing light. Dunlings start play with a negative relationship with Elves, Dwarves, and Lizardfolk, and a positive relationship with Gnomes and Catfolk. Dunlings start with a –2 to their Charisma and a +2 to their Dexterity. Dunlings start play with two skill levels in Stealth.
Leprechaun*: Leprechauns are tricksters. They live in semi-rural areas alongside other sentient races in small communities. Leprechauns start play with a negative relationship with all sentient races of village level or higher. They start play with a positive relationship with all races of lower developmental levels.
Protean**: Proteans are one of the rarest races on Caernon. They live alongside other races in hiding. Proteans begin play with neutral relationships with all other races. Proteans start with a +2 and a –2 in the stats of their choice.
*: This option only available due to players' high Luck stat.
**: This option only available due to players' high Will stat.
“Okay, these look interesting. It says that the last two are only available because of my stats?”
“That’s right.”
“Now, why does this talk about some of the races being rarer?”
“That’s because certain races have a limit on how many players can choose them. For instance, Humans, being a young race can only be chosen by eleven thousand players.”
“Well, the Protean race, that says that they’re the rarest race. How many slots are there for that one?”
“Five.”
“Only five thousand? That’s pretty limited alright.”
“You misunderstand. I said there may only be five players with the Protean race. Not five thousand.”