Post by Hayate on Apr 21, 2007 18:32:43 GMT -5
My name is Jun Bansyoya. I wrote this journal.
I'm a programmer, an A.I. psychologist, and an employee at CC Corporation. This journal will serve as a collection of my experiences as the lead developer on something called Project G.U. and my personal impressions and analysis of a game known as "The World."
Struck as I was by a bout of guilt, I feel this is the only possible remedy for my conscience. Although I wouldn't swear that everything in this journal is one-hundred percent accurate, to me it's the absolute truth.
"The World" is an online game. Players assume the role of a character and enjoy various adventures while chatting with friends. Also by e-mail or through forums, they exchange game information and engage in social interactions that they might not normally experience. It can truly be called a Game of Communication.
As I write this journal, I know there is one event I can't avoid discussing. It's the first thing I want to talk about: the 2nd Network Crisis. The event is often referred to by its nickname: the Morganna Incident. The information that will follow is based on what I learned while working on G.U. for the CC Corporation. It's a reconstruction of what happened, from my personal point of view, supplemented with logs...
...Logs I stole off the network.
I'm going back now to the year 2010. I'll begin this story with the story of a boy, a young gamer who had just logged on to "The World" for the first time. His character's name was Kite. And at the time he was only fourteen years old. He had been invited to play by his friend, whose character's name was Orca. This was his first adventure.
While Kite and Orca were journeying through the dungeon, they met a mysterious girl named Aura. Aura was being chased by a rogue monster known as Skeith.
Orca: Or was the rumor true?
Aura: Take this. Please, take this. There's no time! Please!
Orca: What's this?
Aura: A great force. The power it holds can bring forth either salvation or destruction, at the whim of the user.
After entrusting them with the Book of Twilight, the mysterious girl disappeared. Soon after, Orca was killed when Skeith attacked him with an unauthorized and illegal power, and the character was lost. As a result, the gamer who was playing as Orca fell into a coma.
Orca: Run! It'll kill you!
Orca attacks Skeith, but none of his attacks are effective.
Orca: What the hell? What is this? There's something wrong. Nothing works!
Skeith protect breaks Orca and Data Drains him.
Orca: No...I...it... it wasn't supposed to be this way. I'm sorry. Get out of here!
The Book of Twilight flies out of Orca's body as his character vanishes.
I know it sounds like some cheap sci-fi movie, but the player actually fell into a coma because of this online game. As involved as I was in Project G.U., I understood how something like this could happen. This incident, a player being left comatose after playing "The World," was not made public. I'm just an engineer, so I don't know all the details, but I can guess what happened. The CC Corporation must have used their political influence to kill the story before it was released. Not long after, I found evidence that at least six other gamers had suffered exactly the same fate as that boy.
The names of the six were: Sora, Alph, Carl, Kazu, Orca and Sieg. The first of the lost players had already woken up from her coma. The character name was Tsukasa. At another point much later, Sora and Sieg became intimately involved with Project G.U. But for now let's return to Kite's story.
Skeith prepares to Data Drain Kite but is distracted by the appearance of Helba. Helba uses the opportunity to teleport Kite away.
Thanks to the intervention of Helba, Kite was saved from the threat of Skeith. And it was Kite who received the Installation Book, Book of Twilight, instead of Orca.
With it, Kite's skills were expanded, becoming able to modify the abilities of his character and gain unauthorized powers. Data Drain. Like it or not it was the same attack Skeith had used to put his friend, Orca, into a coma.
Balmung: That skill... Now I understand. You are the same as the virus. To think that I was saved by...someone like you!
Kite: No! That's not... I don't even know what's--
Balmung: Do not lie to me! Recently, many places within "The World" have been damaged by a virus. Those who willfully spread the virus and destroy this world for their own amusement, they... they shall receive no mercy!
Kite: No! That's not me! I...
Aura had given him the Bracelet, and now, with his new illegal powers, Kite decided to take action to save his unconscious friend Orca. And alongside Kite, there was always one girl.
BlackRose: You didn't even need by help at all, did you?
- - - - -
BlackRose: By the way...
Kite: Hmmm?
BlackRose: I guess you can tell that I'm a newbie, too...
Kite: ...Yeah.
BlackRose: It must be pretty obvious by the way I acted back there.
- - - - -
BlackRose: That's hardly the way to talk to someone who just saved your life!
- - - - -
BlackRose: Who me? I'm not afraid! No way! ... Well, all right, I am. I'm scared enough for the both of us. My controller is soaked with sweat. So, what about you, huh?
Her character name was BlackRose. She was the real-life older sister of Kazu, one of the coma victims I mentioned above. She was also a new player. She had just logged onto "The World" for the first time, to try to save her brother. The two of them were working together toward a common goal. Kite's war continued, and soon many other players joined him.
Mia the mysterious, rogue cat and Elk, the young man that cared so much for her.
Elk: Mia, I found a place that has lots of Aromatic Grass. Wanna go?
Mia: Yeah, sure.
Elk: Okay. Let's get ready then. ...Uh, Mia?
Mia notices Kite walking nearby and runs towards him.
Mia: Excuse me! You. Yes, you! ...That's a unique bracelet! Can I take a look?
Kite: Can you see it?
Mia: Yes, of course! Do you mean to say you can't see this nice bracelet? Even if you can't see it, as long as you know it's there, it's the same thing as seeing it, right?
Elk: Bracelet? Hey, what are you talking about? I can't see any bracelet, Mia.
Mia: Well, thanks a lot for letting me look at your bracelet. I have a feeling we're going to meet again. Somehow. Well, see you around.
Elk: Wait, Mia! What about the Aromatic Grass?
Balmung, who along with his sworn friend Orca had earned the title "Descendant of Fianna", appeared as well.
Balmung: Draw! Draw your sword. Now!
- - - - -
Balmung: I do not speak with hackers!
- - - - -
Balmung: Then I must ask. I have not been able to contact him since that event. What has become of him?
- - - - -
Balmung: I do understand. But you need to face facts. With you two involved, things get worse. That's how I see it. Am I wrong?
And Helba, the legendary super-hacker.
Helba: You don't have time to get depressed.
Kite: Who are you?
Helba: A friend, or perhaps a foe? A meddler with a warning.
- - - - -
Helba: It's not that hard to imagine. Like I said...someone is always watching you.
Amidst the increasing turmoil of "The World," they each had their own reasons. But together, they set out to deal with the illegal monsters called data bugs.
Kite: Aura?
Aura: I see you received the mail I sent you, yet...however, it's too late.
Kite: Wait! There's something I have to ask you... ?!
Skeith's staff appears behind Aura, with Skeith appearing soon after.
Kite: No!
Skeith Data Drains Aura, segmenting her data into three pieces and scattering them throughout "The World." Kite readies himself as Skeith prepares to launch an attack against him.
Kite finally managed to reunite with Aura but immediately after Kite found her, she was deleted by Skeith. Aura's data was chopped into segments, and frozen in various locations around "The World." There was a battle between the 1st Phase Skeith and Kite, the holder of the Bracelet. Kite managed to gain a difficult victory, but what he couldn't imagine at the time was that it was just the opening battle in a long, long war.
Kite watches as the remnants of Skeith's body dissolve into a liquid. The liquid forms a pool that begins to bubble, and the area around Kite starts to shake violently. A large object bursts out of the ground in front of Kite and flies into the sky.
Kite's story shall continue. But first there's the mystery of the brilliant A.I. programmer and creator of "The World," Harald Hoerwick, and the lost epic poem, Epitaph of Twilight. There's little doubt that the 2nd Network Crisis of 2010 was a direct result of "The World."
It was awful. It caused catastophic damage to travel, communication, and health care industries all over the planet. What exactly was it that caused the Network Crisis? It was the very power that was being researched at Project G.U.
In other words, the network version of God.
My efforts were entirely devoted to technical research into the existence of God in "The World." It became a story of human foolishness and a paradise abandoned by God.
I'm a programmer, an A.I. psychologist, and an employee at CC Corporation. This journal will serve as a collection of my experiences as the lead developer on something called Project G.U. and my personal impressions and analysis of a game known as "The World."
Struck as I was by a bout of guilt, I feel this is the only possible remedy for my conscience. Although I wouldn't swear that everything in this journal is one-hundred percent accurate, to me it's the absolute truth.
"The World" is an online game. Players assume the role of a character and enjoy various adventures while chatting with friends. Also by e-mail or through forums, they exchange game information and engage in social interactions that they might not normally experience. It can truly be called a Game of Communication.
As I write this journal, I know there is one event I can't avoid discussing. It's the first thing I want to talk about: the 2nd Network Crisis. The event is often referred to by its nickname: the Morganna Incident. The information that will follow is based on what I learned while working on G.U. for the CC Corporation. It's a reconstruction of what happened, from my personal point of view, supplemented with logs...
...Logs I stole off the network.
I'm going back now to the year 2010. I'll begin this story with the story of a boy, a young gamer who had just logged on to "The World" for the first time. His character's name was Kite. And at the time he was only fourteen years old. He had been invited to play by his friend, whose character's name was Orca. This was his first adventure.
While Kite and Orca were journeying through the dungeon, they met a mysterious girl named Aura. Aura was being chased by a rogue monster known as Skeith.
Orca: Or was the rumor true?
Aura: Take this. Please, take this. There's no time! Please!
Orca: What's this?
Aura: A great force. The power it holds can bring forth either salvation or destruction, at the whim of the user.
After entrusting them with the Book of Twilight, the mysterious girl disappeared. Soon after, Orca was killed when Skeith attacked him with an unauthorized and illegal power, and the character was lost. As a result, the gamer who was playing as Orca fell into a coma.
Orca: Run! It'll kill you!
Orca attacks Skeith, but none of his attacks are effective.
Orca: What the hell? What is this? There's something wrong. Nothing works!
Skeith protect breaks Orca and Data Drains him.
Orca: No...I...it... it wasn't supposed to be this way. I'm sorry. Get out of here!
The Book of Twilight flies out of Orca's body as his character vanishes.
I know it sounds like some cheap sci-fi movie, but the player actually fell into a coma because of this online game. As involved as I was in Project G.U., I understood how something like this could happen. This incident, a player being left comatose after playing "The World," was not made public. I'm just an engineer, so I don't know all the details, but I can guess what happened. The CC Corporation must have used their political influence to kill the story before it was released. Not long after, I found evidence that at least six other gamers had suffered exactly the same fate as that boy.
The names of the six were: Sora, Alph, Carl, Kazu, Orca and Sieg. The first of the lost players had already woken up from her coma. The character name was Tsukasa. At another point much later, Sora and Sieg became intimately involved with Project G.U. But for now let's return to Kite's story.
Skeith prepares to Data Drain Kite but is distracted by the appearance of Helba. Helba uses the opportunity to teleport Kite away.
Thanks to the intervention of Helba, Kite was saved from the threat of Skeith. And it was Kite who received the Installation Book, Book of Twilight, instead of Orca.
With it, Kite's skills were expanded, becoming able to modify the abilities of his character and gain unauthorized powers. Data Drain. Like it or not it was the same attack Skeith had used to put his friend, Orca, into a coma.
Balmung: That skill... Now I understand. You are the same as the virus. To think that I was saved by...someone like you!
Kite: No! That's not... I don't even know what's--
Balmung: Do not lie to me! Recently, many places within "The World" have been damaged by a virus. Those who willfully spread the virus and destroy this world for their own amusement, they... they shall receive no mercy!
Kite: No! That's not me! I...
Aura had given him the Bracelet, and now, with his new illegal powers, Kite decided to take action to save his unconscious friend Orca. And alongside Kite, there was always one girl.
BlackRose: You didn't even need by help at all, did you?
- - - - -
BlackRose: By the way...
Kite: Hmmm?
BlackRose: I guess you can tell that I'm a newbie, too...
Kite: ...Yeah.
BlackRose: It must be pretty obvious by the way I acted back there.
- - - - -
BlackRose: That's hardly the way to talk to someone who just saved your life!
- - - - -
BlackRose: Who me? I'm not afraid! No way! ... Well, all right, I am. I'm scared enough for the both of us. My controller is soaked with sweat. So, what about you, huh?
Her character name was BlackRose. She was the real-life older sister of Kazu, one of the coma victims I mentioned above. She was also a new player. She had just logged onto "The World" for the first time, to try to save her brother. The two of them were working together toward a common goal. Kite's war continued, and soon many other players joined him.
Mia the mysterious, rogue cat and Elk, the young man that cared so much for her.
Elk: Mia, I found a place that has lots of Aromatic Grass. Wanna go?
Mia: Yeah, sure.
Elk: Okay. Let's get ready then. ...Uh, Mia?
Mia notices Kite walking nearby and runs towards him.
Mia: Excuse me! You. Yes, you! ...That's a unique bracelet! Can I take a look?
Kite: Can you see it?
Mia: Yes, of course! Do you mean to say you can't see this nice bracelet? Even if you can't see it, as long as you know it's there, it's the same thing as seeing it, right?
Elk: Bracelet? Hey, what are you talking about? I can't see any bracelet, Mia.
Mia: Well, thanks a lot for letting me look at your bracelet. I have a feeling we're going to meet again. Somehow. Well, see you around.
Elk: Wait, Mia! What about the Aromatic Grass?
Balmung, who along with his sworn friend Orca had earned the title "Descendant of Fianna", appeared as well.
Balmung: Draw! Draw your sword. Now!
- - - - -
Balmung: I do not speak with hackers!
- - - - -
Balmung: Then I must ask. I have not been able to contact him since that event. What has become of him?
- - - - -
Balmung: I do understand. But you need to face facts. With you two involved, things get worse. That's how I see it. Am I wrong?
And Helba, the legendary super-hacker.
Helba: You don't have time to get depressed.
Kite: Who are you?
Helba: A friend, or perhaps a foe? A meddler with a warning.
- - - - -
Helba: It's not that hard to imagine. Like I said...someone is always watching you.
Amidst the increasing turmoil of "The World," they each had their own reasons. But together, they set out to deal with the illegal monsters called data bugs.
Kite: Aura?
Aura: I see you received the mail I sent you, yet...however, it's too late.
Kite: Wait! There's something I have to ask you... ?!
Skeith's staff appears behind Aura, with Skeith appearing soon after.
Kite: No!
Skeith Data Drains Aura, segmenting her data into three pieces and scattering them throughout "The World." Kite readies himself as Skeith prepares to launch an attack against him.
Kite finally managed to reunite with Aura but immediately after Kite found her, she was deleted by Skeith. Aura's data was chopped into segments, and frozen in various locations around "The World." There was a battle between the 1st Phase Skeith and Kite, the holder of the Bracelet. Kite managed to gain a difficult victory, but what he couldn't imagine at the time was that it was just the opening battle in a long, long war.
Kite watches as the remnants of Skeith's body dissolve into a liquid. The liquid forms a pool that begins to bubble, and the area around Kite starts to shake violently. A large object bursts out of the ground in front of Kite and flies into the sky.
Kite's story shall continue. But first there's the mystery of the brilliant A.I. programmer and creator of "The World," Harald Hoerwick, and the lost epic poem, Epitaph of Twilight. There's little doubt that the 2nd Network Crisis of 2010 was a direct result of "The World."
It was awful. It caused catastophic damage to travel, communication, and health care industries all over the planet. What exactly was it that caused the Network Crisis? It was the very power that was being researched at Project G.U.
In other words, the network version of God.
My efforts were entirely devoted to technical research into the existence of God in "The World." It became a story of human foolishness and a paradise abandoned by God.
Interim Report 1
Author: Jun Bansyoya
Author: Jun Bansyoya
