“What do you want in life?”
Good question. I want to have fun, hang out with my friends, meet a cute girl, and simply enjoy the good things in life. These are not answers that my counsellor is looking for. I am sitting in a small office with the student counsellor to discuss my future prospects. Soon my history studies of five years will be finished, so the meeting makes sense. Studying history is fun, that is why I started studying it in the first place, but it provides little in terms of job prospects.
I always like how history seems mythical at first; based on a number of clues from the past you can reconstruct the shaping of civilizations, landscapes and cultures. It is interesting to study the battles for supremacy, the rise and decline of cities, and spread of religions, technologies and ideas. However, what is most intriguing is people. That is what I like to do; placing myself in the mind and situation of a person living in those circumstances. Then I imagine how I would react to external changes. Many people do that, but from the perspective of the history department it is of little value. As one of my professor used to say:
‘History is about change, and it makes sense to concentrate on the biggest change-makers. Yes, all people are equal... but to suggest that therefore everyone’s story or achievement is equal, and of equal interest, is ludicrous.’ [1]
In my thesis I tried to turn it around; recreate the thought processes, the experiences and enabling environment to review what makes a normal person into a change-maker. My thesis advisor was interested, but considered it futile to try. I used the subject anyways, but got stuck in the amount of work that is necessary to review even one historical character. The amount of work was too much and I had to tone it down, making the whole report mediocre. At least it will be sufficient to pass I hope.
“I see that I gave you food for thought.” Sighs my counsellor impatiently. I have been stuck in my thoughts for a while now.
“You know that these are things that you should have been considering for some time already. I fear that you are vastly unprepared for the current job market. You need to have your objectives fixed, monitor the related companies and their recruitment pages. The longer you wait after graduation, the worse it will look on your resume. Time is not standing still as you well know.”
He continues to lecture me for a good 10 minutes. That takes me back to my intro class five years ago, when he also rambled for ages on and on.
“I will make a plan sometime soon.” I say
He is hardly convinced “Make sure to send it to me at the end of this month. If you do, then I will give you some recommendations and possibly connect you to some alumni of mine, depending on your wants.”
I get up to shake his hand. With a curt ‘thank you’ I leave his office.
Outside I relax, releasing the breath that I did not know I was holding. Thinking about the future sucks. I grin, considering that history students have supposedly been educated on the opposite thing. Not entirely true, of course.
-
I shrug and continue on home. It is Friday afternoon, so it’s time to grab a beer and enjoy some free time. At home I find my roommate, Alex, lying on the couch. He is watching some tv-program, but jumps up when he sees me.
“About time you came home, you wanker.” He says accusingly “I was about to starve to death.”
Laughing, I say “Right, I think you got fatter recently.”
Alex pales and sprints to the mirror in his room to inspect his belly. He is kinda conscious, but proud, about his body. A few moments later he struts back into the living.
“Haha, joker. My abs are still in tiptop shape. Now let’s go grab some food.”
“Sure, let me drop my stuff first.” I throw my bag on my bed and we walk to the mini-market around the corner.
We make some easy pasta dish, chill on the couch, then go out to meet some friends at a pub. It’s early so the place is almost empty when we arrive. Alex’ friends are sitting at the bar and two cold beers are already waiting for us. They are my friends as well by now, but just like Alex they study Economics.
We are all in our last year, about to finish our studies. A few months ago we decided that we are so awesome together that we should get an apartment after finishing. At first Elisa, the only girl in our group, was very doubtful about living with three guys. We solemnly swore to respect her privacy before she agreed. Alex, Sam and I rejoiced, because we would have someone to keep the apartment clean. Cleanliness was something that our current place lacked.
Plus, Elisa is a cool chick. She proves it just now by downing another beer in one go. We cheer as the bartender brings us another round. The bartender, is an old woman in her sixties, grabs a pint as well and sits herself on her side of the bar. We all call her Gran. Gran is missing a tooth, has an endless number of stories, is quick with a joke, and even quicker to scold misbehaving students in her pub. We all can remember that one time that she threw one or two of us out. She grabs you by the ear or in your neck and pulls you towards the door. Each time we would go back the next morning to apologize, hangover or not.
The last guy is Samuel. He is tall, skinny, has blond hair and is laidback. Alexander is quite buff with black hair and a handsome face. He likes sports and chasing girls, has rich parents and can be quite rash. On the other hand, he is hilarious and a kind guy once you know him well enough. Me? I am Manfred, or Manny, or The Man. History student with little thoughts about the future. I am quite tall, with brown-red hair, brown eyes and a big mouth. Elisa says my mouth is like a black hole, swallowing both food and light.
The mood is good, some song from the early 2000’s is playing on the background, a classic. Suddenly Alex calls out to Gran to turn down the music and turn on the telly. There are still no other people, so she passes him the control. He gets up and switches through the channels. At one he stops and turns to us.
“Alright, guys and gal, pay close attention, because this will be awesome.”
“You are too liberal with the word ‘awesome’” Elisa comments
“Oh?! OH?! Maybe I am, but not this time, my love.” Alex wags his finger in front of her face
“This will blow your mind.”
“So what is it? This looks like a game channel or something.”
“You will find out soon enough.” Alex yells excitedly “Ah! It is starting. Shut up Manfred!”
I tilt my head “What? I didn’t say anything!”
-
On the tv screen the commercials fade away and we see a studio. One side of the table we see a broadly smiling man that welcomes us back. He must be the host. Next he introduces his audience to the two men sitting opposite of him, both suited up neatly.
“And welcome to our honoured guests today, Mr. Ritterhoff and Mr. Chen from the company Endless Gaming.”
They acknowledge him. The first has a strong German accent, while the other sounds distinctly American.
“For those who don’t know; we will talk about the most anticipated virtual reality game in years, called Freedom. My guests are two of the leading developers and here to shed some light on its features. If you are not watching, then you must live in a cave, isn’t that right gentlemen?”
The German frowns “Well, Freedom is very unique. It is something that we are very proud of, yes. However, as my colleague can attest, this is not a game for everyone.”
The host eagerly asks them to elaborate. The Asian-American Mr. Chen continues
“Yes, yes, that is very true. Our game will develop as the players take actions, which is common in a lot of the current games. We all know the advances of AI have allowed for complex worlds. Our new product diverges considerably from the mainstream VRMMORPG’s. We will reveal only a little today, right?” He looks at his colleague.
The host looks like he ate a rotting apple “Only a little? Surely you jest, Mr Chen.”
Ritterhoff interjects “The main aspect of this game is that players will have to figure everything out by themselves. When players start out, there will be no NPC’s in their starting area, there will also be no system windows appearing to give them information.”
“No NPC’s and no system windows? How will people know where to go or do things?”
“That is up to them.” Ritterhoff says curtly
Chen is more cheerful as he states “That is what freedom is. There is noone telling you to do that or this in order to learn something. There are no classes that limit you. As long as you know what to do, then you can do it. For example, you want to hunt using a bow. To do that you do not need to do some quests for a NPC to get the archer class. What you do need is a bow, proper arrows and practice. However, some people might practice and not get anywhere. You should do things properly.”
“Freedom is something that you have to earn. We suspect that the majority of the interested players will not continue playing after the first few days. You will start with absolutely nothing, only those that are dedicated, smart or stubborn will survive. Otherwise you will die and die again. How do gamers call it again?” Ritterhoff pauses. “Ah yes, this is hard core.”
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
“Unbelievable!” The host says “You say that most people will not have a chance to survive!
How will Endless Gaming be able to finance this game if only a few are playing?”
“Simple, the people that continue playing can eventually create a safe zone, like a town for example. There people can safely start their in-game life. As the player civilization grows, it becomes more and more comfortable to start out. The realism in Freedom is the highest of any game yet released, so we are sure that people will want to join, whether it’s sooner or later.”
“I see. Truly innovative, haha!”
Gran arrives with a new round, as Sam say “It looks like an interesting game, Alex. What does it have to do with us?”
Without looking at me Alex replies “We are going to play it of course.”
I remark “It looks like a pain in the ass. Even if you start later, will the first players really allow the newcomers in their hard-earned safe spots?”
The program also touches this point. On screen they talk about monsters, beasts and animals. The host is thrilled as the two developers show images of some of the ones that will exist in this game world.
“Man, it must be great to hunt these animals. And you says that there are no drops, but if you want you can use every part of their bodies in one way or another.”
Mr Chen nods “You can try to use parts of hunted animals as you like.” Then he grins “Whether you can make something useful of it is up to you.”
The dreary man next to him warns us “There are limits on player behaviour as ethics dictate. Continuous cruel behaviour will be picked up by the machines and can lead to exclusion from playing and even judicial punishment in real life. We recommend people to work together, instead of against each other. Purposeful torture of other players or virtual characters will be reviewed by the psychological department. In addition players have the option to report others. Our website will have more information.”
“Wow, I guess those lawsuits against some of your fellow companies have made you cautious.”
Ritterhoff snorts “This is about our human values in the entertainment business. We do not condone people entertaining themselves by hurting others.”
Chen lightens the mood by saying “Of course, we are lenient to a certain extent. It is a game after all. We are just concerned about the mental wellbeing of our customers. Role playing is allowed, and it is not impossible to start wars between player factions or against NPC factions. By the way, you can only play if you are 18 years or older.”
“That is good to know. I am sure our viewers will be very responsible.” The host obviously finds the topic uninteresting and changes the subject
“What everyone wants to know is this. How do you get strong? Is there magic or something else in this game? And what happens when you die.”
“I can be cheeky and tell you that you will have to figure that out by yourself” Chen smiles
“But I can reveal that getting stronger is possible by training your body, but also by using mana. Players can think of their own training schedule for improving their body. Using mana, or magic so to say, will require you to detect the mana, gather or form it, then use it in a way that you want. It is very complicated, and in the testing during the last few months only a couple managed to achieve very little. About the rest...” Chen looks to his partner.
“Players will all start as the same race. No, not humans. How you come into this world will be shown when you enter the game for the first time. They are a race that is based around a soul, while the body just forms around this soul. Dying means that your soul is forced out of our body. It will take some time for you to restore your soul at a soul stone. In that time you will be logged out. Anything that you were carrying is left at the spot of your death. You will not lose levels or skills, because those do not exist.”
“No levels?! How is that possible?”
“Did you not listen to my colleague? You get stronger by training your body, learning things for yourself, using tools that you can make, et cetera. Your soul is central in everything you do. This is freedom to do what you want, as long as you enable yourself!”
“How fascinating! So there will also not be stat points, titles or classes. When can we expect the official opening?”
Chen replies “In more or less 6 weeks. The opening is on the first day of the summer vacation. Haha, we wouldn’t want people to blame us for their bad grades or job reviews!”
“Indeed, indeed! I can’t wait to see more of the actual game, but just like the viewers I will have to wait 6 long weeks.” The host turns his full attention to the camera. “We will bring you the latest news and in-game footage right here on the #1 Game channel. Make sure to tune in regularly for our show!”
-
“Right?” Alex says to us “It looks awesome, no?”
“There are lots of games. Why this one?” Elisa asks
“Did you not listen?” Alex gasps “You can explore however you want, it is like building your own world. Who wouldn’t want that? Especially you, Manny, this should be perfect for a history freak like you. You can experience for yourself what is like to start from scratch.”
I snort “First of all, history freak? I resent that.” and with some extra thought I say “We don’t start from scratch, we already know a lot. Also, we can exchange information with other players outside the game. Lastly, players are not so concerned with the survival of others as ancient people used to be.”
“See, you are smart. I need you with me on this adventure!” He gets a harsh look from Elisa and Sam “and I need you two as well. Of course!”
Sam is in for everything and he played a few VR games already, so he is joining for sure. Still, I see him smiling as he teases “You are a rich boy, Alex. Can’t you just use your daddy’s money to go on a real adventure?”
“In this world of us? Everything has become boring, organized, and safe. Maybe if we could go to some other planet or something.” He is passionate about this. Alex continues “Talking about money; my parents are willing to get us four brand new VR machines plus a yearlong subscription fee for this game. We will get them when we move into our new apartment together. It’s their treat to us for finishing university.”
They really know how to throw with money.
“Fine” I say “, but we will not play entire days. It’s summer, so we should enjoy the weather. I also need to find a job, go to interviews, and... Alex, listen, you twat.”
“Yeah, yeah, you said yes.” He waves, now arguing with Elisa to make her join in. He is acting like a big child. Laughing I call to Gran for another round.
“You kids. Aren’t you too old for games?” She scolds me “In my day...”
“Don’t worry, Gran. We will still come to pester you.” I smile
“You do that, or I will drag you here. I have lost enough customers because of these hip machines.”
“No one says hip anymore”
“Hipper-di-hipper-di-hip” She chants “Still want your beer?”
“Yes, please!”
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[1] This quote comes from the Introduction of the book A History of the World by Andrew Marr. It's a great book, if you like to read about history.
Author notes;
Thank you for reading this first chapter. I hope you enjoyed it!
So this was the prologue. The story is undetermined, but things that I’d like it to have are these:
- Normal people; the MCs have not studied 1001 martial art forms, they just have their personal talents and personalities.
- Goals; characters that just want to become strong for the sake of being strong is kinda boring. A more logical goal is to do something ‘just for fun’
- Clever actions; characters need to think to progress. Sometimes you power through a problem, sometimes you need to think.
As opposed to some things that I don’t like so much:
- Dramatic goals; there will not be some overdramatic reason to play, like revenge, injured family members, excessive debts, a.o. (of course there can be some payback or something in the game)
- Hidden game mechanics; MCs will not discover some hidden class after doing 1 quest. If they figure something out, then it will be through their mental/physical efforts.
- Romance/harem; not to say that there will be no romance in the story, but it will limited. There will also be no romancing NPCs by any of the main characters.
The game will be as described in the tv interview. It will start out as a survival game, after which players can build their own towns, or not. It depends what players do. There will be no NPCs, no stats, no skills. Wisdom or intelligence just depend on how smart the player is in using the game world. Strength or vitality can be gained by training the body, and eventually some players figure out how to strengthen their body with magic, etc. This ‘imaginative’ game has no numbers for any of this, unless a player successfully builds an apparatus to measure
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