Within the Starlight Observation Station is the Virtual Reality Simulator (sometimes called the Alternate Reality Simulator), now run by Orion Intergalactic. Previously run by Galactica Corp, the VR Sim has seen numerous changes over the years, but has been run several large public events. While the simulation itself is open year round, the cost of participating in a solo (or small group) simulation puts it out of reach of all but the most wealthy citizens of the Manta Carlos Isles. Every few months, however, the simulation runs a large scale group event for a drastically reduced cost. Over the course of an evening, participants will find themselves living out their life in an exotic locale, playing out the events of several days. The simulation is full immersion, and the game avatars themselves truly believe the life they've been living. Upon waking from the simulation, characters fully remember their experiences, although with a comfortable emotional distance between their real selves and what happened. The average player will suffer no more serious emotional impact than a very realistic movie.
The first publicly run group simulation was Midnight in Suburbia, run from November 5th to 7th, 2016. It was a proof of concept, intended to introduce the citizens of Manta Carlos to the technology, and the plot focused on a 1950s small town murder mystery.
The second game was Welcome to the Badlands, run from July 21st to 23rd, 2017. This was the first full fledged use of the simulator, building off what Galactica Corp had learned from the first game. The setting was a post-apocalyptic wasteland, featuring raiders, mutants, and an impending war. While the setting was popular, there were serious concerns about the content featured, with many participants complaining that the trauma they experienced within the simulation was so realistic that they were seriously effected by it.
The third game was Domestic Animals, run from November 26th to 27th, 2017. No doubt created in response to complaints about the previous game, the Domestic Animal simulation was considerably more lighthearted then previous simulations, featuring no serious plot structure. This simulation went poorly, with many players leaving early rather than sticking around, and was considered by Galactica Corp to be a failed experiment.
Facing increasing pressure from social activists about their use of near-sentient artificial intelligences, Galactica Corp withdrew from the Starlight Observation Station, selling their assets to Orion Intergalactic and handing over the rights to the Simulator and all its technology. In response to Galactica's failures, Orion announced new safety measures, closing the simulator for the months of February and March 2018.
The fourth game was True Crime: Halcyon City, and the first game run with the new safety measures under Orion Intergalactic's care. The setting was an alternate 1920s, where participants were cast as superheroes and villains investigating the death of two of their own. Response to the simulation was overwhelmingly positive, with several praising Orion's changes to the simulator.
The fifth and sixth games were a pair, both taking place on the Colony Ship Morpheus. The setting was a colony ship travelling to a new Earth to settle. The first game was split into two parts: A mystery involving an alien infection among some of the pods, and an exploration-focused simulation once the ship arrived on the new planet.
The sixth game was the Colony Ship Phobetor, and took the same setting with a more horror focused bent. It ran only a single day, and centered on the colonists attempts to discover what was removing the pods from their ship.
The seventh game was The Great Train Heist, another small-team game focused on outlaws in the wild west.
The first publicly run group simulation was Midnight in Suburbia, run from November 5th to 7th, 2016. It was a proof of concept, intended to introduce the citizens of Manta Carlos to the technology, and the plot focused on a 1950s small town murder mystery.
The second game was Welcome to the Badlands, run from July 21st to 23rd, 2017. This was the first full fledged use of the simulator, building off what Galactica Corp had learned from the first game. The setting was a post-apocalyptic wasteland, featuring raiders, mutants, and an impending war. While the setting was popular, there were serious concerns about the content featured, with many participants complaining that the trauma they experienced within the simulation was so realistic that they were seriously effected by it.
The third game was Domestic Animals, run from November 26th to 27th, 2017. No doubt created in response to complaints about the previous game, the Domestic Animal simulation was considerably more lighthearted then previous simulations, featuring no serious plot structure. This simulation went poorly, with many players leaving early rather than sticking around, and was considered by Galactica Corp to be a failed experiment.
Facing increasing pressure from social activists about their use of near-sentient artificial intelligences, Galactica Corp withdrew from the Starlight Observation Station, selling their assets to Orion Intergalactic and handing over the rights to the Simulator and all its technology. In response to Galactica's failures, Orion announced new safety measures, closing the simulator for the months of February and March 2018.
The fourth game was True Crime: Halcyon City, and the first game run with the new safety measures under Orion Intergalactic's care. The setting was an alternate 1920s, where participants were cast as superheroes and villains investigating the death of two of their own. Response to the simulation was overwhelmingly positive, with several praising Orion's changes to the simulator.
The fifth and sixth games were a pair, both taking place on the Colony Ship Morpheus. The setting was a colony ship travelling to a new Earth to settle. The first game was split into two parts: A mystery involving an alien infection among some of the pods, and an exploration-focused simulation once the ship arrived on the new planet.
The sixth game was the Colony Ship Phobetor, and took the same setting with a more horror focused bent. It ran only a single day, and centered on the colonists attempts to discover what was removing the pods from their ship.
The seventh game was The Great Train Heist, another small-team game focused on outlaws in the wild west.
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