Enter character name
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Ali slipped on his headset to play Soul Quest: Hunters and stared at the character creation title screen. SQH was the latest release of the Souls Quest Series, limited to only a few thousand copies at launch. The devs said the release would open up gradually as they ensured their servers could handle the influx of more and more players.
This, of course, is nothing new to the world of immersive VRAI Virtural Reality Artificial Intelligence Gaming. International law held strict regulation when dealing with AI. Surprisingly, there was something every government could finally agree on. This is only after the dumpster fire fiasco caused by OpenAI and the US government which tanked the economy and almost wiped humanity off the earth....
The newest Virtual Reality Artificial Intelligence integrated a dedicated AI to a single gaming system. The system was quite immersive according the beta testers.
However, SQH devs didn't sell the game in a typical fashion. They sold character slots and they were not cheap. Each character slot cost two times as much as the previous. The first slot sold for $500 USD, slot two cost $1000, slot three $2000. SQH set a limit of three slots per customer. Something to do with the AI architecture.
Enter character name
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There were rumors that some of the beta testers lost fine motor control function, or went into a coma from the aftershock. If that were true, there is no way the system would be released. Even if it were... Ali would have taken the risk.
Ali loved Soul Quest ever since he was a child. He remembered rushing home from school to play the first edition with his friends. The game had a reputation for its difficulty and realism. But Ali never had as much trouble as others. His natural talent and reaction time made even the hardest difficulty a walk in the park for him.
Enter character name
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Ali only struggled in one area. This obstacle stood in his way in every edition, every playthrough, and every character he created.
Enter character name
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He agonized over coming up with the perfect character name. It was truly a daunting process. First of all, it couldn't just be some common name.
"All hail the savior of our kingdom, almighty warlord and vanquisher of demons. Destroyer of evil and patron saint ....Kevin"
Enter character name
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Yeah, that just wouldn't work. Also, it had to be relatively easy to pronounce. Too often in the fantasy genre, it looks like the writer sneezed on their fuckin keyboard, added unnecessary X's and Z's and said ... "Jzxiznaaxaturax... looks good to me"
Enter character name
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The name also had to match the character. This requirement was a bit more nuanced. One could quickly become an insufferable edge lord naming their assassin Mist, or Blade, or Smoke.
Puns and joke names also have their place. That place is not with a character someone would be playing for over a thousand hours. Well ... it could be for someone, just not for Ali. When he stepped into a game he wanted to fully immerse himself with his character.
Enter character name
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Ali groaned loudly
'Why is this so hard. Whatever, I'll just start creating the physical characteristics and come back to choose a name later'
As he skipped over the character name selection, Ali walked through the virtual space to a set of full length mirrors where he immediately noticed another selection option.
Select gender/Body Type.
- Male Type 1
- Male Type 2
- Female Type 1
- Female Type 2
The AI interface spoke audibly in Ali's mind.
*WARNING: Gender and Body Type selection will have a direct impact on how some characters will interact with you. No other stats are affected by gender selection*
'This is odd, VRAI games never gave the option to select gender or body type before.'
*VRAI neuro interface technology no longer requires direct genetic data to populate environment. All in-game selections will generate a ne..*
"Yeah, yeah techno mumbo jumbo. So basically you don't need 'me' to create my character." Ali cut off the AI voice before it could get any deeper into an explanation he wouldn't understand.
A devilish smile spread across Ali's face. He knew exactly what he was going to pick. Before VRAI Gaming became the standard, Ali always made female characters. When his friends would ask him why he always had to be a girl, he claimed that he'd rather look at a hot chick than a guy.
*WARNING! This selection will be permanent and you will not be able to change once a character has been finalized*
"I know what I'm about you stupid game. I know what kind of man I am." Ali mouthed off as he toggled between Female Type 1 and 2.
"Oohhh Sliders! I see the type option is just a preset and I can adjust the face and body how I like.... Okay, lets slide this one all the way to right, and this one to the left"
Ali laughed devilishly as he inspected the jiggle physics in the mirror.
"This is wonderful! It's like my own build-a-bitch workshop.'
*WARNING: Body size and muscle composition will have a direct effect on stats such as strength, stamina, constitution, dexterity. For example increased muscle mass will enhance strength but require more stamina consumption when preforming tasks.
Increased body fat percentage will raise constitution but reduce dexterity and agility. Leaner characters will have increased dexterity and agility but lesser base constitution.
Longer limbs will increase the range of attacks but attacks will take longer to complete. Functions outside of combat can be greatly influenced by height and limb length. For example, longer femur length will alter walking gait and increase stride. Pairing long femurs with shorter torso will result in a higher center of gravity for the player.
Some options can be adjusted after character creation through in-game actions such as training, aquiring artifacts, and equiping special items. Players are restricted within a set initial range limit for all customization options.
'Good to know. Sounds like I need to take this a bit more serious as it will directly affect my build. This is insanely in-depth'
Ali adjusted a slider and reduced the breast size of his character to a reasonable size. He looked toward the in game timeclock and seen he'd already spent two hours in the character creation. Over half of which was in the name selection which still remained vacant.
'Not even close to my record. I can't rush this since everything will impact my starting playthrough'
Ali continued to adjust the body of his character while closely examining the effect each change made. Luckily the character creation enviroment had a training area where he could freely test any adjustments.
Three hours later and he'd finally finished with the phyical characteristics of the character. Admittedly this took a bit longer than he'd expected but it's okay. The first twelve hours after launch were restricted to character creation. So there was no reason not to thoroughly invest time into making the perfect character.
Souls Quest games follow a similar pattern of playstyles. Ali multiclassed his characters finding a perfect fit for his tactically aggressive approach. Supplementing weaker physical traits with enchantments and gear.
The SQH developers did say this one would be unlike any of its predecessors. So Ali needed to find a flexible starting point for his build. There didn't seem to be any class options here. Only physical stats, starting weapons, and armor profeciencies.
Ali looked into the in-game mirror to appreciate his creation and modify his facial appearance.
'Why does purple eye color have a hidden effect? They look sick, I'll pick those'
He shrugged and continued the final touch ups before selecting starting equipment. Ali made yet another lustful chortle as he cycled through the choices looking for revealing clothing.
He shook his head to reset his thoughts to the game. He had to pick something that would most benefit his character. The starting equipment selection wasn't all that impressive anyway. Soul Quest games were brutal like that.
'Damn I'm sexy. Too bad about the small boobs though.' Ali sighed because he took a dexterity hit to keep a shapely buttocks. 'A truly noble sacrifice'
HEIGHT: 168 CM (5'6)
WEIGHT : 62.5kg (138 lbs)
Strength: 15 (+2)
Dexterity: 17 (+3)
Constitution: 12 (+1)
Hair color: Black w/ dark red highlights
Hair style: Wolf Cut
Eye color: Purple (sp)
Armor Profeciency:
No-Armor
Light Armor
Medium Armor
Starting Equipment:
- Bowstaff
- Seax
- Brawlers Gloves
- Padded Vest
- Cloth Shirt
- Cloth Leggings
- Headwrap
- Bag of Essentials
- Simple Camp Supplies
Enter character name
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"Fuck..." Ali began to put random syllables together until got frustrated and selected randomize.
Ana
"Like Ana De Armas? Fuck it lets go"
Are you sure your want to finalize Ana?
"Sure"
Select difficulty.
-Normal
-Satan's Nightmare (2x exp and gold modifier)
"What the fuck kind of scale is this? Wait how the hell do they have difficulty settings in an MMO?"
*In Satan's Nightmare difficulty, all assist functions have been removed. Ergonomic body manipulation is the responsibility of the player and will not be corrected by the system. Players are encouraged to pay close attention to in game weapons trainers.
Sensory registration is set to maximum setting allowing the player to react to surroundings and immerse within the VRAI environment
Players will spawn in a safe zone within hostile territory.
DISCLAIMER: Soul Queat Hunters Incorporated IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR UNFORSEEN TRAUMA RESULTING IN REMOVAL OF SAFETY SETTINGS
"That disclaimer is unsettling but I can't just pass up on a double experience and gold modifier."
Hard-core?
A Hard-core character has one life. Upon death, character data will be deleted immediately.
Hard-core characters will have access to unique content and merchants.
Hard-core characters will have achievements tracked and accessed at any noticeboard in game by all players.
Due to coding issues, this option can not be changed
The game warnings were completely ignored as Ali salivated with greed at the mention of unique items and hall of fame.
"It's time to show the world who the greatest Soul Quest Hunter truly is"
Confirm Ana?
"Yes! Let's go already"
Are you sure?
"Goddamnnit I said yes!"
Enter Ana
Satan's Nightmare
-Spawn location: Wildwoods
Hard-core
Purple Iris - Status Hunted
"Wait, what do you mean by hunted?"
Uploading consciousness to cloud. Analizing brainwaves. Physical body functions will be automated using predictive behavior and neuropathway alignment protocol.
Good luck, hunted one. You're going to need it.