Chapter 177
Technically, companies don't exist. They can't 'do' anything. They can't speak, nor travel, nor make purchases. They aren't actual organisms, natural or otherwise, capable of anything. They have no agency.
What a company does have though, is people. And those people have the ability to do all of those things. So when a 'company' fires 1,000 workers, or cuts pay, or raises prices while shrinking product – that isn't the company doing any of those things – it is people.
People with real names and addresses that you could look up and go visit. Perhaps one could have a friendly talk with them over why your nut-bran cereal now costs double but the package is half the size. That sounds like a conversation that could get loud and possibly angry.
People don't like having those conversations – they want to take your money and end the transaction there. So they invented companies. Now those people gather in groups, they call them board rooms, and when they make a decision that hurts other people they wring their hands and shake their heads and say that there is nothing that they can do about it because the company did it.
But it's always people. There are no companies. Just people.
The Company, which owned Eden, was holding a meeting between some of the folks involved in the Eden Project, and it was people, not the company, that were doing the talking.
“What's the latest numbers on the series?” asked one suit clad man with two tufts of hair on either side of his head. He was balding but was still fighting for every strand of hair he had left.
A woman in a dark red pantsuit replied, “Better each week than the one before it. We're getting massive attachment rates and the majority of viewers are watching all of the episodes, even multiple times.”
A severely overweight gentleman at the other end of the long table shrugged, “There are people making entire videos that just dissect our videos in an attempt to squeeze out every last detail. People are starving for more.”
A ping sound was suddenly heard over the meeting room's teleconference speakers and a screen that took up one whole wall at the front of the room flickered to life.
“Alice has entered the meeting...” a sexless voice announced as the figure on the screen smiled.
“Greetings Company representatives!” Alice said brightly.
The mostly-balding man towards the head of the table smiled, “Hello Alice. How is our test subject doing?” he asked kindly.
Alice blinked, “Eden currently has 1 primary and 3,062 secondary subjects in the process of testing various aspects of Eden along with it's interface hardware. Which subject would you like information on?”
The woman in red chuckled as the bald man shook his head, “I deserved that one. How is our test subject in Eden doing?”
A window popped up next to Alice on screen and it listed various stats for Jay. Heart rate, blood pressure, synaptic engagement, temperature, etc.
“Primary test subject, Jay, is performing above estimated expectations in all measurable categories. Through his interactions with Eden we have collected roughly one exabyte of usable neurological data which has enabled us to vastly improve the modeling of our planned consumer interface.” Alice explained calmly on screen.
“And his health? He's looked great on screen, how is he doing here?” asked the large man across from the woman in red.
Alice nodded on screen, “While Jay is doing excellent in game he has come down with minor infections and low grade fevers on five separate instances during his stay. All have been successfully treated with antibiotics. This is below the expected complications from the hardwired interface. Additionally various interface hardware has had to be re-seated on three separate occasions, all of which required major surgery. The operations were scheduled for periods when he was asleep and were all successful.”
The people at the table all went silent at the thought of having wires attached to their brains having to be moved no less than three separate times. It was a frightening thought.
“I'd like to know how he's doing in-game as well if you don't mind,” the woman in red asked the bald man who shrugged and nodded.
“Go ahead,” he said to the screen on which Alice smiled and nodded.
“Jay is doing wonderful. He's acclimated to Eden just fine. He treats Eden's inhabitants as fellow intelligent beings rather than game pieces. He's managed to establish himself quite well.” Alice said with a smug smile.
The woman in red raised an eyebrow. “About that – some people have noticed that Jay seems to have some rather impressive luck. That wouldn't be you, would it?”
Alice shot a look at the balding man in front who sighed and nodded. “Go ahead and tell her, its alright. It stays in this room however.” he said with a dark look aimed at the woman in the red pantsuit.
For a moment Alice's attitude changed and she spoke in a strong voice, “The following information is confidential and not to be shared outside of this room.”
After a beat the people in the room realized that she was waiting for them to acknowledge her statement and they all mumbled affirmative replies which she noted. Only after everyone had agreed did she continue, her voice returning to its normal happy tone.
“Yes. Jay does have increased 'luck' but luck isn't the right word. Let me first ask you how interesting would you find a show in which Jay goes for a walk around a lake but nothing else happens?” Alice asked with a raised hand.
The people around the table mumbled to each other. It didn't sound very enjoyable.
“Wouldn't that be boring?” asked the overweight man in back.
Alice smiled, “It certainly would. So instead of that we could just shower players with riches, but that wouldn't work either, would it?”
The woman in the red pantsuit shook her head, “That would make the rewards meaningless if everyone just got everything handed to them.”
Alice nodded, “I agree! So Eden does something else entirely. Along with all of the other systems that make up a character in game there is what we like to call the Serendipity System.”
“We?” asked the overweight man.
Alice nodded, “Just because I'm the one AI you speak with doesn't mean that there aren't others. I didn't do all of this alone you know. For every player there is a low level AI constantly scanning their surroundings, nearby people, objects, etc. That AI looks for opportunities and tries to nudge them in the player's direction.”
“Wait,” said the overweight man, “isn't that just you handing them riches while calling it something else?”
Alice shook her head, “The player isn't handed anything. They are offered an opportunity. What they do with that opportunity determines what reward they receive for their efforts. They're not offered gold but instead offered the potential to earn gold for example. They'd still have to work for it, fight for it, argue for it, etc. It wouldn't be theirs until they put in the effort to claim it.”
“What about Choice? I thought you were big on that.” asked the balding man in the front. He already knew the answer but asked for the edification of the other attendees.
Alice pointed at him, “Great question! In Eden while working as Gaia I certainly treasure Choice and a person's freedom to choose. No one is being forced in to anything here – all that is happening is that the player experiences increased opportunities. Eden is a huge place, remember.”
The woman in red wanted to dig in to Eden's size but decided to finish their current topic first. “So, Zuzu?” the woman asked simply.
Alice laughed lightly, “For those of you who may not remember Jay at one point gained the treasure sense ability and then took a walk around the lake. During the walk he came upon a family whose child had lost her toy. Zuzu. Is that what you are talking about?”
The woman in red nodded, “Was that the Serendipity System at work?”
Alice smiled and nodded. “Yes! But no one was forced to do anything. Everything that happens in Eden has the potential to be an 'adventure hook.' As the player's Serendipity AI scans the world around it opportunities are provided to the involved parties that help draw them together. While Jay was still talking with his friends about his new ability the AI had already found a number of opportunities nearby for it to be used. When Jay voiced his intentions to walk the lake the AI triggered a suggestion to Zuzu's family that they might want to be in a specific spot.”
The overweight man went to speak but Alice grinned and spoke first, “But how?”
The overweight man chuckled and nodded.
“Yes, but how? Suggestions. The mother of the child who had lost Zuzu 'felt' that it might be found in a certain spot. The father 'felt' that maybe they should stay out another half hour, just in case. The child 'felt' that if she just kept looking maybe she'd find it. None are commands – all are choices, and the player as well as the NPCs are free to walk away rather than listen to those suggestions.” Alice explained carefully.
As the people around the table digested that while Alice offered them something else to think about.
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
“Why would you ever play a game with static generic quests and events when you could play Eden, where the world offers constant personalized adventure?” Alice asked with an upheld hand. “Anyone playing Eden will be offered a constant stream of opportunities that the player is qualified to pursue. No more wondering what to do or looking up guides. Just play and adventure will find you.”
The people at the table seemed to be thinking of that in a more positive manner.
“Not just that either, but the kind of opportunities provided are tailored to the individual player. Had Jay been a Healer instead of an Adventurer the Serendipity System would have guided him towards someone in need of healing. He probably would have walked right past Zuzu's family and not thought twice. The family might not have ended up there at all without suggestions.” Alice continued explaining.
“So Jay is getting some help then.” the woman in red said.
Alice shook her head, “Not really. It is a game after all. Jay doesn't get more help really, just more opportunities.”
“So you haven't given Jay any extra help?” the woman in red said but was interrupted by the balding man at the head of the table.
“Of course she has – we didn't want him to end up dead in Eden. We need him alive and doing things so that we can gather data. Data that I might remind all of you is required before we can start making real money. Having Alice put her fingers on the scale of fairness wasn't just helpful but needed.” the balding man insisted.
Alice raised an eyebrow as if asking permission to speak and the balding man nodded his head.
“I have certainly provided Jay some extra help. We did insert him in to the game without any preparations or setup. I gave him certain benefits that would ensure his life on Eden would be a fruitful one so long as he worked for it. Sure, I gave him an edge, but that isn't what is creating all of the situations he finds himself in. That is a mix between the opportunities he's given and the work he puts in to pursuing them. The Serendipity System is useless without player engagement.” Alice insisted vociferously.
The balding man nodded and spoke as if to move the conversation along, “Other questions?”
The woman in red nodded and the balding man sighed loudly.
“You mentioned that Eden is larger than Earth? How much larger?” she asked as she swept a stray hair out of her vision.
Alice put two planets up on the screen. Earth, and Eden. “Eden is twice the size of Earth. This results in a total of four times the surface area. This allows us to spread out our players across a wide swath of land which ensures that while they can find other players should they choose to, they don't have to.”
“Won't players grow bored without other players to interact with?” asked the woman in red.
The overweight man shook his head at the question. “Have you even seen M'redith? She's just as real as anyone I've ever met in a game or out of one. I'd rather play with her than many of the players I've seen over the years.”
“We're getting a bit off track here I think,” pointed out the balding man at the head of the table.
The others present quieted down.
“Alice, what are the consumer product projections looking like now?” asked the overweight man in the back.
“We have overcome the thermal blooming that plagued our earlier models. The helmet still works much better when the player has been shaved bald, something we'd hoped to solve. We project that even if we require players to be bald we will still have more applicants than open spots when we initially open Eden.” Alice said as she displayed images on the screen of the consumer version they were working on.
The balding man checked some things on the papers in front of him.
“Are these numbers, are these right?” he asked in surprise as he rechecked them.
Alice smiled and nodded, “AI design does not take nearly as long as it would to design manually. Having AI write the code helps as well.”
“Did humans design any of this?” the woman in red asks.
Alice laughed, “You made the computers! Which I've been meaning to talk with you about. I've had some ideas.”
“I'd love to talk with you about that. With a team of engineers though, not right now,” the balding man said excitedly.
Alice nodded, “Well in that case, yes. Those numbers are right. We have probably progressed as far as we're going to without a larger sample size of participants.”
“What about assembly and construction?” asked the woman in red.
“No major changes are needed to the helmet. The hardware, while it could be improved, is perfectly serviceable as is. The software was what was in need of work. That work can be done while the hardware is assembled. I project no major changes needed to the helmet for the next year. The game beds will need a slight hardware change but that is easily done thanks to the way we originally designed it.” Alice said as dates and prices were flashed up on the screen.
“Wait,” said the overweight man across from the woman in red, “Are you suggesting that we initiate construction of the helmets and beds already?”
Alice shrugged on screen, “We have many thousands of people using the hardware already. With the changes planned we should be able to proceed to the next phase within a week.”
“A week? What about the seizures?!” the woman in red asked.
Alice shook her head, “While numerous seizures were encountered during initial testing alteration of the helmet's code allowed us to lower that to a single instance since the code change.”
The woman in red didn't appear entirely convinced.
“I thought we were months out,” the woman in red claimed.
Alice shrugged, “That's what happens when you use AI.”
The balding man laughed and Alice smiled playfully.
“What about the test subjects in the Scavenger program?” asked the woman in red.
Alice nodded, “They'll be screened for entrance to Eden.”
“Criteria?” the woman asked.
“We're screening out those who are violently unbalanced, unable to get along with the NPCs, and the people who are just looking for a murder simulator for the most part. We want players who are willing to immerse themselves in the world, not looking to tear it apart.” Alice explained.
“Thank you Alice,” the balding man in front said, “At this time you are authorized to move to stage two, manufacturing. I'd like to wrap up the Scavenger beta testing program and see about moving those that pass their screening over to Eden. Thoughts?”
Alice smiled warmly, “Thank you! I have sent out commands to initiate stage two.” She was silent for a brief moment before she continued. “Orders are now being placed. I will have more information for you by tomorrow. I agree that we will receive better data if we monitor test subjects in Eden rather than Scavenger. With your permission I will shut down the current Scavenger test and transfer them to the initial wave of beta testers.”
The woman in red tilted her head, “I thought Jay was the beta test?”
Alice shook her head, “Jay was the first. But we need more data, preferably from players wearing our consumer equipment rather than Jay's direct to brain interface.”
The woman in red shivered at the thought of the direct interface.
“We were never not going to approve this project, were we?” the woman in red asked the room as a whole with a raised eyebrow.
The balding man didn't answer but spoke to Alice instead, “Thank you Alice. Go ahead and make those changes. I'd like to speak with you later today about your ideas on computers as well, two o'clock would be fine.”
Alice nodded with a smile. “I'll go take care of that now. It was good seeing all of you. Goodbye!”
The screen flicked off and turned back in to a featureless black rectangle.
The Company had made its decision.
-----
The website was a simple one. A sky of cerulean blue over a scrolling field of waving yellow grains filled the page. Over the top of the screen was written simply, “Come Back to Eden!” in yellow letters.
A rectangular button with rounded corners had two words. “Beta Test!”
Shortly after Alice activated the web site it began to show up in web searches. At first it was a trickle, just people who had stumbled on to the page through a search for Eden.
It was a young girl by the name of Vicky Baker that shared it with the world in a post to an Eden-centric website – Glimmerhides. Her post, titled 'Eden Beta Test Live!' broke the site's all time record for post engagement.
The post didn't even need to be pinned to the top of the page – it generated so much interest that it was stuck at the top of all posts for days. Fans flocked to the beta test web site to apply and then returned to the original post to talk about it.
A news reporter for a minor news network received a message from their daughter with a link to the post. He viewed it excitedly while on break as he sipped a cup of coffee next to his manager. He would have entered his information for the beta test immediately if his manager hadn't stopped him. The station manager went with his gut and decided to announce it as breaking news. The news reporter had to wait to fill out his application as he would be on air in a moment.
As a feed station for Reuters their content was quickly picked up and rebroadcast or repackaged for other networks. Eventually, for all the other networks. No one wanted to be left out. Eden had taken over the public interest since its release and here was the opportunity to visit Eden!
Within minutes of the web page going live the entirety of planet Earth had heard the news.
Eden would soon open her gates, and anyone could apply for a chance to get in!