VIRTUAL FUN
Although many diverse are the pleasures of the 3rd Imperium
perhaps one of the broadest, particularly for spaces, is that of the
arcades. Of those born to space or at least the stations can they not
remember those long hours of lost youth spent in the arcades? The loud
music, the crowd, and the stunning new games. And what percentage of
us that were there were drawn into the travelling space professions in
hopes that we might berth some day on Serabi, producer to so many of
those games?
One can hardly mention arcade games without thinking almost
synomously of the RealVision and Red Wizard trademarks. The former is
the trademark for the most widely circulated arcade periferials and
the later the giant in the Arcade Software industry. The standards
both of them use define the marketplace even for third party hardware
and software. Both, in fact, can be considered one company as they are
jointly managed by the enigmatic figure of "The Red Wizard" who lives
almost as much in legend as reality (virtual or otherwise).
The RealVision hardware ranges from the simplistic 3D imaging
found on most home systems to the full stim-tanks in the arcades. Most
commonly it is found as a combination of simple gogles and grav-sticks.
The goggles are light-tight and provide for full 360 degree
simulated vision. Advanced pairs come with cameras so that their user
can flick back to check on reality at a moment's notice with no extra
inconvienence. These also serve to monitor the rest of the body's
movements so that the simulation can correctly pose its analogue.
Goggles without this feature have to rely on external shipboard cameras
and approximation algorithym. Although the difference is hard to
detect most long-term arcaders prefer the inbuild system.
[It isn't a widely know fact but the military FullVision system
is, in fact, a anonymous spinoff from RealVision. In this system each
soldier has integral goggles and a camera, the input of which is
corelated by one person carrying a battle computer in the unit. The
input from all units is conjoined and made available to each person.
Thus one unit could "see through" a wall if the other side was in
view by someone else. Images are stored and slowly faded so that a
quick reconisense fills in the gaps for the whole unit. Nothing
like this is available in their games, though and they usually don't
comment on their relationship with FullVision.]
A grav-stick in its simplest form is a textured baton with
a variety of grips. The mechanism within it has the ability to
interact with the artificial gravity system present on most ships
and stations under computer control to provide appropriate feedback.
The standard "two sticks and goggles" setup kit can provide
for quite a wide variety of software. They are most widely used for
3rd party educational/entertainment software for training in the
space tight conditions of a ship or station. The obvious examples
are the gymnastic ones with uneven bars, parallel bars, weight lifting,
etc. Although with enablement into the system of the area's grav plates
and inertial compensation one can find fairly good skiing, tennis,
shooting, and many other packages available. More exotic grav-balls,
and grav-seats allow for other packages like bowls or driving instructors.
This leads back into the software realm. Red Wizard is the
trademark of the largest arcade software company. They are based on
Serabi station and are best known for their extrememly detailed
progressive adventures. The game will usually start with the player
(or players) appearing in the "outfitting" section. They there chose
amongst the various allowable implements they might use in completing
the rest of the adventure. Once "kitted out" they move into the adventure
proper. This can be anything from a 10 mintue spurt to full blown
week-long excursions. In most arcades "death" or complete failure just
means a return to outfitting and starting over again. If the adventure
is completed or otherwise finished the players procede to the "endgame".
This usually just consists of the credits, where each of the people on
the programming team makes some sort of cameo appearance. The most
notable figure, of course, is The Red Wizard himself. In these, no matter
what the genre, he always appears as a ingratitingly cheerful red-robed
wizard seemingly immune to all antagonism (but see later).
The normal Red Wizard release takes a team of up to 30 designers
9 months to produce. They are the most advanced in the industry in
design software and quality control. They have a very aggressive bug
control policy and offer free software to anyone who can find a bug.
So in this virtually limitless arena what are the rules? Some
companys have none and truly anything can happen. The Red Wizard himself
has personally derided such companies in their literature instead
garunteeing their customers a consistent genre reality. Within any of
their supported genres (which range from Historical Romance, Fantasy,
to Modern, Vaudville and a plethora of others) players are garunteed that
everything will work consistantly. They have synthesised for each what
they call "The Laws of Reality" which are available to the trade for
designing compatible games. This allows players who have gained special
items or treasures as the results of one game can carry these on to another.
Anything the players can meet must be constructed according to
the Laws of Reality. Even the Red Wizard analogue at the end of most games
is designed that way. There is always one way to "kill" the irritating
character. Often players will play the game not for the purpose of whatever
inbuilt goal there is but for finding the secret way of offing the Wizard
at the end.
The exciting aspect of this commonality is that there is a subset
on a cross-genre level that are common. This enables the yearly "critter
competition" on Serabi. In this the top four selling games are conjoined
together. Interface software converts the subsystems of one genre to a
compatible level with the others in real-time enabling a great collective
adventure.
This "Greatest Entertainment Experience" takes place in the
Serabi RealVision Arcade on the Serabi spaceport. The most widely know
and sophisticated arcade in the Dete sector. Their facilities will
support up to 80 players in full stim tanks. These not only provide
full output into the simulation from the players there is also full
bio-feedback from the system to allow nearly full sensory input to
the players. "As good as being there" is what the literature advertises.
Extended excusion holidays are offered where play can extend through
several subjective weeks. For this instance there are bio-support
facilities integral to the tank which make the extended play possible.
Various psyco-medical drugs and effects are used to tune the player's
awareness to ignore long repetitive tasks (like sleeping or long jump
journeys) allowing the software to "fast-forward" through boring bits.
In some systems the effect goes so far as to supress recent short term
memory, erasing the decision to take a trip to the arcade. Such jaunts
are reported to be particularly fulfilling as they can be completely
unaware that they are in a simulation.
There are some people who exhibit an adverse reaction to the
full stim-tanks. RealVision strongly advises that all players take
specific regulated medical tests before engaging in this sort of activity.
This service is provided free of charge on Serabi station.
But in all of this we have skirted the edge of The Red Wizard
himself. Very few facts are know about him although the arcade community
abounds with a great deal of lore. Some beleive he is just a trademark,
others that he is in fact a recorded personality, and even other that
he is an incarnation of a deity. From the company register, though, it
can be gained that there is, in fact, a real person, registered under
the name of "The Red Wizard" who is the director of both companies. He
is, though, surrounded by a complete media screen and only communicates
occasionally through releases.
The circumstantial evidence though is sufficiently high to credit
with some additional facts. He seems to be a complete expert on all systems
and apparently is personally responsible for the analogues that have
defeated the ingunity of so many players. Occasionaly this analogue appears
real-time in the critter competition and it is widely beleived that it is
the man himself. So, the only recomendation that we can make to those
wanting to know more about his is to play the games, and maybe, someday,
you will find him.