Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2013 0:07:45 GMT
Well I'm certainly schizophrenic but I think I'm going to drop my idea on writing a mystery novel. I'm also debating weather or not I want Critic to head in the direction it's going, although I'll leave it as is for now.
Anyway WORLD BUILDING.
I think I'd quite like to flesh out the world of Critic, it can be a huge place with lots of stories to tell. Think of this world as my own personal Narnia, middle earth, etc. So I'll just go over various places and terminology and see what you think.
Virtual World: The Virtual world is where most people spend there time in this distant future. It works similar to the internet is now, however it is much more defined and organised in general, and it is also experienced completely differently considering that people can literally put themselves there. All of the senses have been carried over for realism however the user has the option to turn them off any time. For a long time, use of the virtual world required a subscription fee but nowadays it's only a few extra credits, now a universal currency, on top of your electric bill due to the fact that literally everyone uses it. While the equipment used to send you to the virtual world can scan your body and replicate your real self within the virtual world with ease, most choose a custom avatar which can look like almost anything. Usually, however, there are extra accesories and outfits to buy just like the old days of the real world and making another avatar usually costs a small fee.
The virtual world is split into many different segments, those are:
Haven
The Underworld
Limbo
Offline
Server database (and the server's content themselves)
Home
And of course the real world. Lets go over each one individually.
Haven: Haven is inaccessible to all people except for the system Admins and employees of various companies which run various different parts of the world, from law enforcement, janitorial services (such as deleting unused servers) deleting viruses, selling things and basically being Admins. Many are there to sell stuff too, and many are there because they initially created virtual reality technology. Together, they form the 'GOD' or 'The Governors Of Data' and the name is completely intentional, as together they see themselves as the ultimate authority over the entire virtual world, which they own by law. Most members of the GOD have had their minds fully transferred over to the virtual realm, abandoning their real bodies, meaning that even the the creators who lead the GOD are potentially hundreds of years old. However, a human mind takes up a lot of data even on the near infinite system of the virtual world, so very few people are ever granted this immortality. GOD sometimes gets people outside of Haven to become immortalised, as this serves as good publicity and sometimes those people can make more money than even some of the other members do, and they are chosen for this very reason.
No one has seen inside of Haven, besides the members of the GOD, and not even the members have stated anything about what it looks like. Presumably it is nice, but considering that it is a place of work and authority Haven could just be a simple office complex.
The Underworld: This was initially designed to be the GOD's trash can, where unneeded servers, viruses, and other such unneeded data went when it was deleted. Usually, things went through final checks before the total annihilation of the data by other GOD employees just in case the wrong things got deleted, and it used to be a very organized, archived place which may not have been particularly special. However, come one incident, the deleted viruses and other such corrupt data awaiting annihilation took over and the underworld became a place not even GOD enters anymore because anything that dares step foot inside there besides viruses gets deleted. Nowadays, GOD just throws what they delete down there to get almost immediately devoured. This makes it easier for the members of GOD who used to work down there, and there have been odd reports of some data sent to the underworld cropping up in limbo. Some speculate that the viruses have become sentient, and organise things for whatever reason as much as GOD used to do. Reports of so called 'madmen' also claim to have seen the underworld while traveling limbo, describing it as a hellish landscape where things float everywhere, physics is disregarded, everything is a shade of black and trillions of viruses fly around the place like bats. Some even claim to have seen a giant castle resting on floating rock... most of these people have been proven to have data corruption, especially in their memory banks, which makes their stories less plausible. Then again, maybe their data is corrupted because they saw the underworld? A scary place shrouded in mystery, and perhaps even a place where most viruses are born nowadays, but GOD keeps it under strict guard, even creating the ultimate firewall against it, despite it's unpredictable and mysterious nature often making it very difficult to determine weather or not the virtual world is really protected from the underworld...
Limbo: Limbo is quite simply the space in between data, or sections of the virtual world. Things still have to load, and everyone will come here when traveling around between servers and such. Limbo can also be accessed manually, which is where it gets more interesting.
No data exists here, and it is simply infinite blackness all around, to the point where it can get disorientating. It's hard to escape, however, and avatars and other data are clearly visible. Also, Limbo is infinite, but considering it's lack of data, it is very easy to group any avatars or viruses roaming around into one place with ease, making it a good meeting place of sorts, considering most communication lines and servers are monitored by GOD although they don't watch Limbo so much, nothing really happens, and most people stay away from Limbo anyway because it is eerie and boring. Also, Limbo is home to many millions of viruses and advertisements who are either placed there upon creation, or, as many speculate, are viruses who make it out of the underworld, and considering their vast number many speculate that the underworld and Limbo are connected somehow. Users occasionally head to Limbo to beat up viruses, as GOD offers credits for destruction of viruses, and it can be incredibly fun for thrill seekers who want to fight with their actual lives on the line, as viruses can easily corrupt avatar data and sever the link between the mind in the avatar and the body, preventing the mind from returning to the body. Limbo is also a place to project data onto, so stats from other servers like MMOs and virtual worlds from offline can be used to help trap viruses. Firewalls are also incredibly practical here.
Offline: The virtual world isn't entirely online, there are virtual worlds contained simply on an individual users private computer or private network, a place which is technically owned (as in GOD created it) but not governed by GOD, and it is also a place only one user can use, so offline is an 'anything goes' place. It seems great and offline worlds can create the perfect fantasies, as NPCs can feel like real people and it's very easy to create whatever fantasy you want with just about who/whatever you want. However, the use of offline led to many problems. For example, people started spending unhealthy amounts of time away from the real world or even the online virtual world, and there were many cases of people simply dropping dead while hooked up to the machine. This immediately got GOD sued for countless credits, even leading to the complete bankruptcy of one of their members, and it took them many long years to earn their former respect and fortune. One of their changes to earn favor was implement the 12 hour rule, and have healthy nutritional vitamins, blood sugars and hormones be pumped into the user's body while they used the machines. This would mean that users would get booted into the real world every 12 hours to do their real world business. Over the years, GOD added bonus plans to extend the time to a maximum of 48 hours at a time, and more body/mind preservatives. These plans are still incredibly expensive. Even so, many hacked the machines in order to stay offline, as the offline world is truly the most perfect place for anyone, however most stay away from it because most who stay there too long find it difficult to ever return. The online world is different due to to the presence of other, real people and GOD who are obligated by law to make sure they don't die under their responsibility.
Server database: Is simply a menu that can easily be brought up in front of an avatar anytime, and it provides access to just about anywhere in the virtual world. Besides all the after mentioned and most prominent places like Haven, the underworld and limbo, servers take up the vast majority of the virtual world. They are usually chat rooms, MMOs, other such games, shops, variations on theme parks, various seedy places and just about anything on the internet now or anything in the real world. Since people have greater control over their appearance, there aren't any fashion shops like 'hairdressers'. However, there may be expensive, specialist places ie 'avatar hair specialists.'
Entertainers can also perform either live or have it recorded offline, such as our hero the virtual critic who usually records full body, holographic videos then posts them on his server, which provides the illusion of him being on stage. Although recently he had been trying live streams, which get broadcasted just about everywhere, even viewable from an individual's menu system. However, his server is considered the best place to view him, as an entertainer like Critic usually has the world of his server better geared for his performances. Watching at his servers is the equivalent of watching someone live on television or live, and actually in front of them on stage today.
In essence, communal fantasy worlds built with many different functions. For a small subscription fee. to GOD, it is possible to make your own server, customise it for whatever purpose, have people visit, and maybe make money from it, similar to today.
Home is like offline but it serves as a more detailed hub to everything offline more than an actual fantasy like true offline is. This is where your avatar starts everytime they log in the game, and upon the 12 hour warning being issued, you are always immediately transported here and given 5 minutes to finish up unfinished business before being booted out. Many people with online jobs work and relax here, when it isn't used as a hub for avatar customisation, logging out, server traveling, taking notes, or as a place for peace and quiet. Some people even come here to sleep, finding sleeping in the real world uncomfortable and there is technically no biological difference or drawback to sleeping at home. Like most places in the virtual world, it is fully customisable save for mandatory, key functions like the log out button etc. Most people also keep the environment small for convenience, usually choosing a modest (in terms of size anyway...) bedroom.
The real world (finally!):The real world is generally falling into decay. Electricity runs smoothly and we have AI however people need to work, for instance in the food and health industries. GOD is a major co-operation like microsoft here, but they are a group of companies and even then only run the game world, here they are still under the rule of law and are technically not only known as god. While the place is technically very impressive and Sci-fi, generally healthy and such, even using some really good food thanks to healthy meet being grown now and most people eating less thanks to virtual reality, it is still somewhat boring and not nearly as impressive as the effects used in the virtual realm. Still going strong, but almost everyone has migrated to the virtual realm, leaving the real world a simple inconvenience save for those prejudice against virtual reality.
That should be everything... for now. Any questions? I'm sure I missed out lots and theres plenty that can be added, further fleshed out and explained I'm sure. CRITICISE ME!
Anyway I was thinking of writing a story perhaps explaining the underworld, I have interesting ideas for that. Thoughts? Anyway I think I'll try to place most if not all my stories in this universe from now on.
Anyway WORLD BUILDING.
I think I'd quite like to flesh out the world of Critic, it can be a huge place with lots of stories to tell. Think of this world as my own personal Narnia, middle earth, etc. So I'll just go over various places and terminology and see what you think.
Virtual World: The Virtual world is where most people spend there time in this distant future. It works similar to the internet is now, however it is much more defined and organised in general, and it is also experienced completely differently considering that people can literally put themselves there. All of the senses have been carried over for realism however the user has the option to turn them off any time. For a long time, use of the virtual world required a subscription fee but nowadays it's only a few extra credits, now a universal currency, on top of your electric bill due to the fact that literally everyone uses it. While the equipment used to send you to the virtual world can scan your body and replicate your real self within the virtual world with ease, most choose a custom avatar which can look like almost anything. Usually, however, there are extra accesories and outfits to buy just like the old days of the real world and making another avatar usually costs a small fee.
The virtual world is split into many different segments, those are:
Haven
The Underworld
Limbo
Offline
Server database (and the server's content themselves)
Home
And of course the real world. Lets go over each one individually.
Haven: Haven is inaccessible to all people except for the system Admins and employees of various companies which run various different parts of the world, from law enforcement, janitorial services (such as deleting unused servers) deleting viruses, selling things and basically being Admins. Many are there to sell stuff too, and many are there because they initially created virtual reality technology. Together, they form the 'GOD' or 'The Governors Of Data' and the name is completely intentional, as together they see themselves as the ultimate authority over the entire virtual world, which they own by law. Most members of the GOD have had their minds fully transferred over to the virtual realm, abandoning their real bodies, meaning that even the the creators who lead the GOD are potentially hundreds of years old. However, a human mind takes up a lot of data even on the near infinite system of the virtual world, so very few people are ever granted this immortality. GOD sometimes gets people outside of Haven to become immortalised, as this serves as good publicity and sometimes those people can make more money than even some of the other members do, and they are chosen for this very reason.
No one has seen inside of Haven, besides the members of the GOD, and not even the members have stated anything about what it looks like. Presumably it is nice, but considering that it is a place of work and authority Haven could just be a simple office complex.
The Underworld: This was initially designed to be the GOD's trash can, where unneeded servers, viruses, and other such unneeded data went when it was deleted. Usually, things went through final checks before the total annihilation of the data by other GOD employees just in case the wrong things got deleted, and it used to be a very organized, archived place which may not have been particularly special. However, come one incident, the deleted viruses and other such corrupt data awaiting annihilation took over and the underworld became a place not even GOD enters anymore because anything that dares step foot inside there besides viruses gets deleted. Nowadays, GOD just throws what they delete down there to get almost immediately devoured. This makes it easier for the members of GOD who used to work down there, and there have been odd reports of some data sent to the underworld cropping up in limbo. Some speculate that the viruses have become sentient, and organise things for whatever reason as much as GOD used to do. Reports of so called 'madmen' also claim to have seen the underworld while traveling limbo, describing it as a hellish landscape where things float everywhere, physics is disregarded, everything is a shade of black and trillions of viruses fly around the place like bats. Some even claim to have seen a giant castle resting on floating rock... most of these people have been proven to have data corruption, especially in their memory banks, which makes their stories less plausible. Then again, maybe their data is corrupted because they saw the underworld? A scary place shrouded in mystery, and perhaps even a place where most viruses are born nowadays, but GOD keeps it under strict guard, even creating the ultimate firewall against it, despite it's unpredictable and mysterious nature often making it very difficult to determine weather or not the virtual world is really protected from the underworld...
Limbo: Limbo is quite simply the space in between data, or sections of the virtual world. Things still have to load, and everyone will come here when traveling around between servers and such. Limbo can also be accessed manually, which is where it gets more interesting.
No data exists here, and it is simply infinite blackness all around, to the point where it can get disorientating. It's hard to escape, however, and avatars and other data are clearly visible. Also, Limbo is infinite, but considering it's lack of data, it is very easy to group any avatars or viruses roaming around into one place with ease, making it a good meeting place of sorts, considering most communication lines and servers are monitored by GOD although they don't watch Limbo so much, nothing really happens, and most people stay away from Limbo anyway because it is eerie and boring. Also, Limbo is home to many millions of viruses and advertisements who are either placed there upon creation, or, as many speculate, are viruses who make it out of the underworld, and considering their vast number many speculate that the underworld and Limbo are connected somehow. Users occasionally head to Limbo to beat up viruses, as GOD offers credits for destruction of viruses, and it can be incredibly fun for thrill seekers who want to fight with their actual lives on the line, as viruses can easily corrupt avatar data and sever the link between the mind in the avatar and the body, preventing the mind from returning to the body. Limbo is also a place to project data onto, so stats from other servers like MMOs and virtual worlds from offline can be used to help trap viruses. Firewalls are also incredibly practical here.
Offline: The virtual world isn't entirely online, there are virtual worlds contained simply on an individual users private computer or private network, a place which is technically owned (as in GOD created it) but not governed by GOD, and it is also a place only one user can use, so offline is an 'anything goes' place. It seems great and offline worlds can create the perfect fantasies, as NPCs can feel like real people and it's very easy to create whatever fantasy you want with just about who/whatever you want. However, the use of offline led to many problems. For example, people started spending unhealthy amounts of time away from the real world or even the online virtual world, and there were many cases of people simply dropping dead while hooked up to the machine. This immediately got GOD sued for countless credits, even leading to the complete bankruptcy of one of their members, and it took them many long years to earn their former respect and fortune. One of their changes to earn favor was implement the 12 hour rule, and have healthy nutritional vitamins, blood sugars and hormones be pumped into the user's body while they used the machines. This would mean that users would get booted into the real world every 12 hours to do their real world business. Over the years, GOD added bonus plans to extend the time to a maximum of 48 hours at a time, and more body/mind preservatives. These plans are still incredibly expensive. Even so, many hacked the machines in order to stay offline, as the offline world is truly the most perfect place for anyone, however most stay away from it because most who stay there too long find it difficult to ever return. The online world is different due to to the presence of other, real people and GOD who are obligated by law to make sure they don't die under their responsibility.
Server database: Is simply a menu that can easily be brought up in front of an avatar anytime, and it provides access to just about anywhere in the virtual world. Besides all the after mentioned and most prominent places like Haven, the underworld and limbo, servers take up the vast majority of the virtual world. They are usually chat rooms, MMOs, other such games, shops, variations on theme parks, various seedy places and just about anything on the internet now or anything in the real world. Since people have greater control over their appearance, there aren't any fashion shops like 'hairdressers'. However, there may be expensive, specialist places ie 'avatar hair specialists.'
Entertainers can also perform either live or have it recorded offline, such as our hero the virtual critic who usually records full body, holographic videos then posts them on his server, which provides the illusion of him being on stage. Although recently he had been trying live streams, which get broadcasted just about everywhere, even viewable from an individual's menu system. However, his server is considered the best place to view him, as an entertainer like Critic usually has the world of his server better geared for his performances. Watching at his servers is the equivalent of watching someone live on television or live, and actually in front of them on stage today.
In essence, communal fantasy worlds built with many different functions. For a small subscription fee. to GOD, it is possible to make your own server, customise it for whatever purpose, have people visit, and maybe make money from it, similar to today.
Home is like offline but it serves as a more detailed hub to everything offline more than an actual fantasy like true offline is. This is where your avatar starts everytime they log in the game, and upon the 12 hour warning being issued, you are always immediately transported here and given 5 minutes to finish up unfinished business before being booted out. Many people with online jobs work and relax here, when it isn't used as a hub for avatar customisation, logging out, server traveling, taking notes, or as a place for peace and quiet. Some people even come here to sleep, finding sleeping in the real world uncomfortable and there is technically no biological difference or drawback to sleeping at home. Like most places in the virtual world, it is fully customisable save for mandatory, key functions like the log out button etc. Most people also keep the environment small for convenience, usually choosing a modest (in terms of size anyway...) bedroom.
The real world (finally!):The real world is generally falling into decay. Electricity runs smoothly and we have AI however people need to work, for instance in the food and health industries. GOD is a major co-operation like microsoft here, but they are a group of companies and even then only run the game world, here they are still under the rule of law and are technically not only known as god. While the place is technically very impressive and Sci-fi, generally healthy and such, even using some really good food thanks to healthy meet being grown now and most people eating less thanks to virtual reality, it is still somewhat boring and not nearly as impressive as the effects used in the virtual realm. Still going strong, but almost everyone has migrated to the virtual realm, leaving the real world a simple inconvenience save for those prejudice against virtual reality.
That should be everything... for now. Any questions? I'm sure I missed out lots and theres plenty that can be added, further fleshed out and explained I'm sure. CRITICISE ME!
Anyway I was thinking of writing a story perhaps explaining the underworld, I have interesting ideas for that. Thoughts? Anyway I think I'll try to place most if not all my stories in this universe from now on.
