Chapter 10

"Brothers, even if I die and am nailed in a coffin, I will still shout with this decaying voice that this game is f*cking amazing!!"

"Without further ado, if this game doesn't become popular, I'll do a handstand and have diarrhea!"

Early in the morning, the group owner "White Horse Passing Through a Gap" popped up in the Bull and Horse Club with this unexpected statement, which blew out many lurking submarines.

Quit Smoking: "What the f*ck? The group owner is alive?"

Grandpa Proud: "This world is too active, isn't it!"

Spare the Blade: "I didn't see any of you dog moderators all night. I thought you were caught doing something bad. (Funny face)"

④Who Doesn't Understand Me: "What game?"

"Confused.jpg"

After a while, the dog moderator "Long Road Ahead" also appeared.

"It's the virtual reality game that Brother Guang recommended in the group a few days ago."

Quit Smoking: "What the f*ck, you guys are already playing it?! For real? You're not f*cking with me, right?"

Long Road Ahead: "Why would I lie to you?"

Unfortunately, the device doesn't support taking screenshots.

Otherwise, he would have posted them directly.

Quit Smoking: "Then tell us quickly, what's it like to play a fully immersive virtual reality game? Which VR can be used?"

White Horse Passing Through a Gap: "VR? Haha, do those headsets even deserve to be compared with the game helmet of Wasteland OL? (Laugh)"

Quit Smoking: "What do you mean? Can you play Wasteland OL without VR glasses?"

Long Road Ahead: "You clearly lack knowledge. They use a game helmet. Hmm... how to explain it? Have you seen Sword Art Online? It's something like that."

Quit Smoking: "What the f*ck?!"

④Who Doesn't Understand Me: "A microwave helmet?! Amazing!"

Grandpa Proud: "Who are you trying to fool with that Sword Art Online stuff... I haven't heard of such amazing technology!"

Spare the Blade: "Exactly!"

Most people didn't believe it.

It sounded too unbelievable!

To be fair, when a groundbreaking technology is introduced, there's always a process from unfamiliarity to maturity. This process can be short, but it must exist.

Deep down, Fang Chang understood their feelings.

After all, he had gone through the same stage—thinking that so-called fully immersive virtual reality games were just a joke by some silly group member.

However—

It was indeed true.

Long Road Ahead: "The device doesn't support taking photos, so I can't prove it. You can believe it or not. But after experiencing it for a while, I've gathered some information about the game."

Quit Smoking: "Brother! Tell us!"

Long Road Ahead: "Group owner, please mute everyone. I type slowly."

White Horse Passing Through a Gap: "Sure thing!"

As a former top 200 player in PUBG Asia and a League of Legends Challenger, "Long Road Ahead" was widely recognized for his gaming talent.

In terms of gaming, he was the most authoritative voice.

This man seemed to have no job and spent his days playing games.

Not just multiplayer games, but many single-player games' speedrun and strategy guides also featured his name.

Among these were some blockbuster hits, and many group members had used his guides.

In short, he was the king of slackers.

Therefore, regardless of whether they believed in the "fully immersive virtual online game" concept, whether they had beta test access or not, almost everyone was eagerly waiting for him to type.

"Let's start with the game's background."

"The background isn't particularly special, a standard post-apocalyptic setting with a wasteland punk style. The story is set in a fictional world where a nuclear war two hundred years ago destroyed everything. Players play as residents of a shelter returning to the surface."

"Currently, we—beta testers—are the vanguard, building outposts on the surface. We haven't entered the main storyline yet, and more clues might be unlocked during the beta or public beta, so I won't go into detail about that."

"Next, the game's realism!"

"To put it bluntly, the realism of this game is the pinnacle of all the games I've seen, and I can foresee that this pinnacle is almost impossible to surpass even in fifty years! The reason I say this is that this game is like the Wasteland DLC of 'Earth OL'!"

"Whether it's the lighting effects, sensory interaction, or the texture of objects... everything is designed to make you believe this is a real world. This immersive experience is undoubtedly at a 100% level. Yes, 100%! At least, I haven't found any obvious bugs or flaws."

"Next, the freedom."

"As a sandbox game, you can interact with almost everything you touch. This interaction isn't just simple collision detection; you can use your subjective will to change their positions, and even their shapes or states within the laws of physics."

"I know what you're thinking, Minecraft or The Forest, right? But it's completely different. It's a true sandbox, not a pixel and texture拼接的积木！仅凭这一点，沙盒玩家入手这款游戏绝对血赚不亏！"

"再说最关键的内容！"

"首先，无论是玩家还是怪物，都没有HP条和MP条的设定，也没有可视化的属性面板，至少在封测阶段没有。"

"不过在实际游戏中，不同玩家的初始属性确实存在差异。比如有的玩家力量更强，有的感知更高、敏捷更高，或者其他尚未发现的隐藏属性。我推测等到内测版本，应该会上线职业系统、武器系统，允许玩家根据自己的属性天赋，开发自己的玩法。"

"接着是NPC，目前封测阶段，游戏内的NPC只有两个，一个是代号为‘曙光’的管理者。还有一个是他的助手，名字叫小柒，是个机器人！"

"目前可以确定的是，两个NPC都有很高的智能，能够与玩家正常交流和互动。我估计这里面应该有隐藏的好感度设定，但这是我的个人猜测，还没有得到证实。"

"除此之外，让我比较在意的就是痛觉了，虽说这是100%真实的游戏，但有些地方做得太真实也不好，尤其是我这个人比较怕疼。不过这个游戏的设计很人性化，痛觉虽然伴随着触觉存在，但存在一个保护阈值。"

"比如，我试着用石头划破了胳膊，并没有产生痛感，反倒是掐了自己一下会有点疼。我估计游戏应该有某种保护机制，让‘超限’的疼痛无法被大脑的神经中枢捕捉……当然，也可能是人体本身的自我保护机制。这就好像在梦中我们虽然会感到疼，但不会超过忍受限度。"

"其实我觉得游戏官方可以更人性化一点，比如将调节痛觉的权限开放给玩家，由玩家自己设定。我个人很满意现在的五感沉浸、痛觉屏蔽，但也说不定有喜欢那种感觉的玩家。（笑）"

"至于游戏的复活机制，我暂时还没有尝试，但听说每次死亡都会扣除一定贡献点，而且复活CD长达3天！贡献点其实还好说，做任务可以获得，但惩罚时间实在太长了。反正我是不太想尝试的，哪位勇士感兴趣可以自己去试试，也许能解锁不一样的玩法。"

"最后我想吐槽一下，为什么角色都是纯爷们儿？？？谁特么想看大老爷们儿的果体！！！强烈要求游戏官方允许玩家设定自己的性别！"

"Long Road Ahead" wrote about one or two thousand words, and more and more people in the group started to watch.

Among them was the mastermind—Guang.

Earlier, Chu Guang was looking at the health reports from the cultivation pods and didn't notice the group messages. When he logged into the resident hall computer, he was surprised to see so much content.

However, to be fair, this "Long Road Ahead" brother summarized it quite accurately, basically covering everything he wanted to say, and even considering some aspects he hadn't thought of.

The group mute was lifted.

The group messages flooded the screen.

"6666!"

"Amazing, if this game is really that good, I'll buy ten copies!"

"I don't believe it."

"Unbelievable +1! Unless you give me a beta test slot!"

Although many group members still didn't believe it, at least a dozen people were swayed.

Chu Guang knew this because he could see the official website backend.

During the time "Long Road Ahead" was typing, the number of reservations jumped from 11 to 25.

Guang: "I was working just now and didn't pay attention to the group. What Long Road Ahead said is basically correct. I'll just add a few points."

Quit Smoking: "F*ck! Brother Guang!!!"

(Group mute activated.)

("Guang" appointed as group moderator.)

Huh?

Became a dog moderator?

Chu Guang was slightly surprised but didn't pay much attention, continuing to type.

"First, about player characters and attributes, it's indeed as Long Road Ahead said. The game has character attributes and level settings, and each player's initial talents are different. This can be checked at the respawn point—where players wake up in the cultivation pod or on the official website."

"Death penalties aren't just a 3-day resurrection cooldown and deduction of contribution points; they also result in the loss of some progress before the last save. Saving is done by lying in the cultivation pod for a scan and cell sample, which takes about 1 to 2 hours and is automatically done when the player logs out."

"We plan to implement a more convenient attribute query system before the beta stage to help players keep track of their character's status and enhance playability."

"As for customizing character appearance and gender... I'm sorry, that's not possible."

"Just like you can't choose your body when you're born, the game's body is determined by preloaded DNA. If you're dissatisfied with your character's appearance, you can consider plastic surgery or cybernetic enhancements, which will be added later in the game."

"Additionally, starting from the A-round test, players can set their preferences for strength, agility, constitution, perception, and intelligence through a questionnaire on the reservation page."

"If you choose strength, you have a higher chance of getting strength-related talents, and your initial character will have higher strength. If you have no preference, you can choose a balanced type."

"As for gender, the character's gender matches the player's gender, and players cannot freely set it. This is mainly for safety reasons, as physiological differences can cause coordination issues. Additionally, the risks of gender dysphoria and social backlash are also considerations we are unwilling to bear."

Actually, this wasn't set by Chu Guang.

It was the original system setting.

There seemed to be very complex technical challenges involved, and Chu Guang didn't understand the principles, but he knew it was like this.

Long Road Ahead: "F*ck! No, I'm an adult, I can sign a risk acknowledgment form!!! T.T"

(Group moderator "Long Road Ahead" muted for 10 minutes by the group owner.)

White Horse Passing Through a Gap: "Don't interrupt!"

Level 8 Hurricane: "Exactly."

Enemy of Girls Night Ten Times: "Please, just shut up."

Chu Guang found it amusing but didn't interrupt, continuing to type.

"Here's what we discussed in the meeting. Additionally, in the next stage of testing, we will add a 'goodwill' system."

Enemy of Girls Night Ten Times: "Goodwill?! What does that mean? Can we date NPCs?!"

(Group moderator "Enemy of Girls Night Ten Times" muted for 10 minutes by the group owner.)

Good grief.

This old White is really impartial, muting people without a second thought.

It saved him a lot of time.

Chu Guang, with a thick face, continued typing seriously.

"Don't just think about dating. Goodwill means the NPC's evaluation of the player."

"Specifically, the player's actions will affect the NPC's opinion. For key NPCs, when goodwill is high enough, you can get additional rewards and even trigger hidden quests, unlocking hidden career paths!"

Hidden quests!

Hidden careers!

Seeing these simple eight words, the four beta testers' eyes widened.

Their hearts were on fire.

Good grief, this is encouraging them to be lickspittles!

But—

I like it!

So what if I'm a lickspittle?

It's not like I'm licking real people!

I'm licking NPCs, artificial intelligence, and the benefits are huge.

No problem!

Chu Guang thought for a moment and realized there wasn't much else to add.

Currently, the shelter is too poor, and he, as the lone commander, has nothing but a bunch of free labor. He can only rely on his online dog planner identity to paint a rosy picture for the players.

"Do you have any questions or concerns?" Chu Guang wanted to know if the players had any better ideas.

He was an open-minded person.

If conditions allowed, he could consider adopting their suggestions. If not, he could at least paint a rosy picture and tell them it would be available in the future.

Level 8 Hurricane: "Yes! What are contribution points? Are they currency? Or like experience? Points?"

Sure enough, that was the question.

Chu Guang thought for a moment and typed his response.

"The game's economic system is still being designed. Our goal is to create a completely realistic economic system from production to circulation, allowing both life and combat players to fully enjoy the game."

"As for contribution points, you can think of them as a special currency during the beta test phase, mainly used to test the current task system."

"Besides buying resurrection tokens, our planning team is also considering introducing some special rewards that can only be exchanged with contribution points as a reward for beta testers."

It's just painting a rosy picture.

As for what the rewards are, Chu Guang hadn't decided yet. It depends on what good stuff he can get from the system.

But in the players' eyes, it was completely different.

Can only be exchanged with contribution points?!

That means—

Beta test exclusive rewards!

The four beta testers were overjoyed.

Those who had reserved on the official website but hadn't gotten beta test access were also eager.

As for those who didn't believe in the "fully immersive virtual reality game" from the start, they wouldn't change their minds just because of his words.

But—

It doesn't matter.

As long as someone believes, that's enough.

"It's getting late. I've been working all night and need to sleep. By the way, 'Fang Chang,' your guide is well-written. Why not post it on the official website? The forum system is now open, and you can register an account to post. Good posts will be highlighted by the moderators."

The moderator, of course, was Chu Guang himself.

Currently, he was the only one in the company, acting as both NPC and dog planner, and also the forum moderator.

"OK! I'll do it right away!" Fang Chang, now unmuted, quickly went to the chat history.

The group owner lifted the group mute.

The group messages flooded like a broken dam.

Chu Guang saw many people adding him as a friend, some wanting to trade beta test access, some asking for game information, and even some offering to teach him game development.

Unable to respond to everyone, he simply went offline.

Looking at the four health reports on the computer, Chu Guang suddenly had an idea.

"Xiao Qi."

"What is it, Master?"

"Do you think... since players can use the cultivation pods, I can also use a cloned body in the pod to move around?"

"Emmm... I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know???"

"Because I'm just your assistant. The information I know, you basically know too. My database doesn't have records of the cultivation pods you use. Perhaps... the interim manager didn't design a pod for you to use?"

Chu Guang was about to ask why but suddenly fell silent.

Actually, the reason wasn't hard to guess.

If this shelter can withstand a strategic nuclear strike, there must be no means to forcibly invade it on this wasteland.

Even if he, who was given high hopes, met with an accident, it would just mean a longer hibernation until the next manager arrives.

Seeing Chu Guang's silence, Xiao Qi chirped with concern.

"Master?"

"It's nothing."

Regaining his composure, Chu Guang continued to look at the health reports on the computer screen.

Perhaps to make it easier for players to understand, or perhaps as a joke by the first manager, over 120 complex body function data points were summarized into five simple categories.

Strength, Agility, Constitution, Perception, Intelligence.

Strength represents the strength of muscles, bones, and other body tissues, indicating the player's base carrying capacity, melee damage, and throwing weapon range.

Agility corresponds to reflexes, affecting the player's reaction speed and coordination, making players with higher agility more agile in combat and better at dodging attacks.

Constitution represents the player's vitality and resilience, mainly affecting health recovery and resistance to certain abnormal states and immunity.

Intelligence is not the same as IQ or logical thinking ability; it mainly affects the character's learning ability and mental state recovery speed, as well as compatibility with neural interface devices. Specifically, characters with higher intelligence can operate more neural interface devices simultaneously.

Perception represents intuition and observational skills, making characters with higher perception more sensitive to danger and better at discovering hidden clues and traps.

This is the most mysterious attribute!

All attributes have a base value of 5, fluctuating within a ±2 range based on genetic sequence and physical condition.

Although he didn't have his own cultivation pod, Chu Guang found a backup health check device on the B1 level of the shelter.

As he had guessed, he also had a special genetic sequence that could be detected by the health check device.

Unfortunately, the database had no information about this genetic sequence, as if it were an unplanned existence.

In game terms, this was a path the "game developer" had never envisioned.

This also meant that no one knew where this path would lead or what the outcome would be.

Realizing this, Chu Guang felt a bit uneasy.

But more importantly, he felt excited.

Perhaps he was born with a sense of adventure.

He preferred to forge his own path rather than follow a predetermined one.

Based on the health check results and the attribute conversion formula left by the first manager, Chu Guang created his own attribute panel and used it as a template to create one for the four beta testers.

[

ID: Chu Guang

Genetic Sequence: Manager

Level: LV.5

—Basic Attributes—

Strength: 8

Agility: 6

Constitution: 6

Perception: 7

Intelligence: 6

]

"The five attributes are one level higher than the players."

"Level