Virtual Reality : Dystopian Tales Online

002.1 | Dystopian Tales Online

In the year 5000, one game changed the life of all humanity.

Dystopian Tales Online [DTO] is a Massive Multi-Player Virtual Reality Role Playing Game [MMVRRPG] introduced by the Foster Science and Toys Corporation, a leading billion-dollar company known for its toy factories and extensive gaming platforms that attracted people in every walks of life. Their logo, the six-leaf clover, had become an icon that represents happiness and freedom of playing. 

Also known as the Foster Gaming Co., some divisions are responsible for creating games. It constituted professional programmers, game developers, graphic artists, sound engineers, level designers, and testers. These people are known for their quality of work which resulted in highly defined computer-generated games earning the favor of the masses. 

One of their newly created games, [DTO], is the promising new generation of gaming.

DTO is a new game defined for its unique features of the first-person gaming experience. It's not that there are no other first-person games present; it's just that the way DTO delivered the game made people in awe. According to the creators, the name Dystopian is placed as the front title because of the self-generating genre of the game.  That is to say; it is a role-playing game that has a high degree of freedom.

The degree of freedom - is the concept of how many variables can be manipulated in a system. Unlike in a normal MMORPG where quests and the maps given are set in default, in DTO, everything is just a messy scribble of notes. The quests can be randomly generated everywhere with a couple of resulting ends. One quest taken can affect the players in twelve different ways, which could also indirectly affect other players. 

This kind of [FREE WILL] is somewhat the same as real life. 

Of course, it wouldn't completely follow the real-life scenario. If someone dies in the game, they will be resurrected and transported to the last rebirth stone they have registered upon entering its dwellings. It would be a disaster if that will actually happen. 

The [FREE WILL] is not the only thing that existed in the game. There are also other functions that highlighted customization on a different level. Usually, when a character is being created from the start, the system will give the players the chance to choose their appearance on the given character generator by the system. Players have to scan through the images and choose whatever they wanted. 

However, in DTO, there is this option called Self Character Personalization [SCP]. It is a character generator that allows the players to draw the character themselves. If one wanted to have a six-eyed character, the player only had to draw six eyes to the character mold. If one wanted to have a large bosom, then flick it right to the desired size. There is no limit to how much modification one wanted to have for their characters. 

This unique way of letting the players mold their character created diversity in the community. Of course, there are limitations set, or else it will bring trouble. Anyone can do whatever they wanted as long as it wasn't explicit or shows a grotesque image that could cause a public disturbance. 

Not everyone uses this function since not all are ardent or creative enough to make characters; if they could use the character generator, then use it. They are here to play the game, not to act beautifully. But they still give praises to those people that could actually create unique characters out from the mold. 

If one doesn't like to use the SCP or even lazy enough to scan through the character generator, there is the Direct Face Copy [DFC] where you can make the character look the same as you. All you need to do is to take a picture and let the system scan the body. The game will not completely generate the exact copy of the player's body for privacy purposes, but it will give similarities. 

The DFC can also still be edited. If the player thinks that their eyes are small or some of the body part's size is not enough, the system will let the player open the editing software. Anyways, this function is not as complicated as the other two customization set-up - really fitting for lazy people. 

If in-game character customization is already this flexible, then the Weapon Creation [WC] would be considered god-tier. Not only can weapons be customized, but they can also even be made from scratch. The players will have the first-hand experience of becoming a blacksmith. 

Some players are tired of using market weapons or droppings. Even though these weapons are set to fit on the player's character setting, at some point, they would become useless since weapons cannot be leveled. Enchantments enhance the weapon's effect, but it will be wasted once it has exhausted its enchantment limit. The player would then buy a new weapon to match their level. 

However, in Weapon Creation, the player can customize a weapon that could level up as the in-game character increases power. It lets the player add and modify unlimited functions to their weapons and disassemble them to change an attribute. The game system will secure a blueprint option to let the players keep track of the modifications they made to their weapon. 

One thing is that even though this Weapon Creation is a good extension of the game, the weapons created under this method happen to process a trial and error probability. It is the risk of creating weapons. It is already heaven-defying (under the guise of the game's rules) to create a weapon that could defeat gods, so the process of creating one should be appropriately reasonable. 

The ready-made weapons in the game follow the same fate rule, but it is not comparable to the created weapons. The requirement to forge a weapon is to get the necessary enchantments like crystals or demon droppings and let the game blacksmith forge it. The weapon's statistics will show a probability. Lower-level weapons have high success rates of the forge, while complicated weapons have a higher chance of failure. 

In Weapon Creation, the player should collect everything. For example, swords are made from metal. The player must collect some good carbon steel to create a normal sword. If one wanted to make a more specialized sword, they have to collect crystals then mix them in the creation process. If they want a more sturdy sword, they have to collect more pure quality metal ores. 

One material might not fit the other. The player cannot randomly add crystals to the molding table. Another attribute crystal might repel a fire attribute crystal, and so on. If the metal used could not match the crystal's attribute, it might break. If the proportion of metal is too much, it can hinder the crystal's attributes rendering it useless. A little of something could make the weapon blunt, and more of some part could make it brittle. 

Not only the materials needed are expensive, but the equipment for making the weapon also needs to be at a high level. This is quite reasonable since it can only create quality materials from quality products with equipment that could expound their efficiency. 

Creating a weapon is really a time-consuming process that needs high investment. Players that are using this function are either second-rich generations wasting money or weapon maker enthusiasts. Either way, once a successful weapon is crafted, depending on its function, it will be considered an epic weapon. 

Another factor of the game is its classification of Races and Archetypes. [Races] are the so-called bloodlines divided into five main structures: Beasts, Elven, Humanoid, Half-Ling, and the Undead. One player will choose a race, and after that, they can freely choose whatever archetypes they want.

[Archetypes] are like sub-classes. They are divided into races. For example, if one wanted to conjure magic, they should choose the Elven Race since it is the only race that could generate mana innately. If one desired to use magic but having an innate mana generation is not necessary, they could choose another race and set their archetypes under the Elven race. 

One can choose their original race and also can choose archetypes from other races.

The archetype of a warrior is under the Humanoid race. If the player chooses the Elven Race, he or she can freely have the warrior archetype. Meaning, each player has his or her own characteristics, almost different from the other. There are unlimited combinations that nobody will have the same character set-up unless players decided to have the same archetypes. 

A single player can choose up to ten archetypes.

More features are really astounding, but the following are its unique setting. Other games had not reached this kind of setting and almost wanted to copy the idea. But the Foster Gaming Co.'s team of professionals are truly godly experts as nobody could copy their complex algorithm. Either quit trying to copy or be part of the team. 

If one can easily become a member of their team, they will not be considered an elite. 

Since the gaming features have been described, the mode of gaming should also be introduced. Dystopian Tales Online uses two modes - the usual keyboard-monitor gaming set-up and the virtual reality function. 

The first set-up accounts for the normal gaming activity where someone could play the game by playing on a PC. It still would have the same first point of view perspective with all the given features. It's just that some actions are difficult to execute. People playing this on PC are surely experts since one needed an above-average APM to execute movements. 

On the other hand, ninety percent of the players use the Virtual Reality platform. 

Virtual reality can be entered using a VR helmet. Buying the console includes this freebie, while those who already have their VR can exclude it. VR gives the players some first-hand experience that cannot be felt when using a PC. 

Like in any known VR games, this equipment will be worn by the player. The specialized screen inside the VR will reflect the game. But before playing, one should log in by using the computer keyboard and stuff. The character generator is also done through the PC, while the other functions required the VR helmet. 

Once the players log inside the game, they can stop using the keyboard and use the voice function to state commands. The system's AI is very sophisticated that it could hold a conversation with the players. 

Though, players still needed joysticks to move around the game. It would be very absurd to command the system every time. The joystick will have all the remote functions that will let the player have free reign. If one did not want the joystick, they could also request another remote to help them move around. 

However, no matter how advance or interesting a game can offer, the decline of such products is gradually showing throughout the years. Fosters Gaming Co. is indeed a truly advanced company for online gaming, but this is not the only high-rated game issue. 

It must have attracted people, but this attraction is not permanent. The surge of games using the Virtual Reality Platform increased, and the Foster Gaming Co., wasn't even the pioneering one. If one wanted to succeed, one has to develop a much greater gaming experience that could cause other games to kneel on their heels. 

This is a story that goes beyond the limitation of man. 

Turning back to the history of humankind, this kind of game had already become a trend as early as the twentieth century. The idea is recorded in the books that if the late thousand hundred is the century of man's mission of reaching the skies, then the year two thousand is to let the man walk in space. 

The development of technology increased at the beginning of the year two thousand that it had become the year of golden progress after the enlightenment period during the eighteen hundreds. Humanity improved its state of living that had become very different from the past. 

As the year progresses, technology has risen to its peak, reaching its final destination in the middle of the 25th century.