Chapter 160-3: Public Monster World (3) |
A perfectly simulated environment meant that all dangerous technologies envisioned could be verified there without worrying about consequences.
For the races, this was no longer as simple as a virtual game.
The perfect virtual environment provided by Monster World could significantly accelerate the progress of real world technology and possessed unparalleled strategic value.
The subsequent questions from reporters of all races all revolved around the content of the game Monster World.
In response to these, the No. 1 governor of the Lunar Eclipse race answered that Monster World was still in the testing phase and that relevant in-game information would be disclosed after waiting for Starnet to give a clear reply.
Just as the briefing was about to end, the No. 1 governor spoke with a smile.
“I know many players will not understand our actions, and some even feel that the existence of another, more perfect game is a backstab to Dark Land players. The officially released game through official channels is actually inferior to the test version. Considering players’ feelings, I will provide two solutions here.”
“Plan one: after this briefing ends, I imagine some players will apply for a refund of Dark Land. Although we clearly wrote the clause after Dark Land’s release that refunds are not supported after 300 hours of gameplay experience.”
“But we can understand how players feel. Compared to Dark Land, everyone will look forward more to the perfectly crafted Monster World. Therefore, on behalf of the Lunar Eclipse race, I announce that no matter how many hours players have experienced in Dark Land, refunds are supported.”
“You can understand it this way. This refund model is also set up to promote Monster World and to foster the development of the game ecosystem. All players who obtain Monster World qualifications in the future, after paying according to the exchange ratio between the game and reality, will receive compensatory refunds at a 1.5 times ratio.”
“So refunds must be made on the basis of the player owning both Dark Land and Monster World. Taking the release price of 1,000 lunar coins (120,000 credit coins) as an example, players can pay sacrificial power in Monster World equivalent to 1,000 lunar coins to receive a 2,500 lunar coin refund compensation in real world currency.”
“Through this approach, we hope to build a tighter game community and strengthen the connection between the game and reality. In the future, we will also introduce a game-currency recycling mechanism to redistribute wealth in the real world.”
“Next is plan two. If gameplay experience is less than 300 hours, you can directly request a refund on the official site where you applied for qualifications, or receive compensatory refunds according to the first plan after obtaining Dark Land.”
“One last note. All players who own Monster World can register their identities on the Lunar Eclipse race’s official website before requesting a refund. We will give timely responses to meet players’ needs.”
As the No. 1 governor’s words fell, the briefing officially ended.
All players across the network now knew that there existed a game of higher quality than Dark Land, and that it had been randomly issued in limited quantities to the public through mysterious links.
The refund plan provided by the Lunar Eclipse race did satisfy many players.
But the problem was that the Lunar Eclipse race did not seem to intend to issue Monster World qualifications on a large scale.
This made players across the entire network extremely dissatisfied.
Not knowing was one thing, but now that they knew, every player wanted to have Monster World.
Although Dark Land issued qualifications in limited quantities through official channels, at least everyone still had a chance to snatch a spot. But the issuance of Monster World qualifications was completely random.
Judging by the current pace of issuance being hotly discussed online, by the time one obtained qualifications they might already be in the grave.
In order to enjoy this game in advance, netizens protested the actions of the Lunar Eclipse race one after another, demanding that Monster World be immediately opened to all players online and that the internal test could end early.
The livestream of the briefing ended, but comments and barrage in the streaming room were still popping up at high frequency.
“Thumbs up for the 1.5 times compensation. I will keep playing Dark Land for now. When I get Monster World qualifications, I’ll happily cash in a tidy sum. Truly the deep pockets of the Lunar Eclipse race.”
“The sense of superiority from having Dark Land qualifications has vanished without a trace. Turns out above us Dark Land players there is a hidden realm called Monster World. I have already cried myself into a faint in the restroom.”
“Please give me Monster World qualifications. My interest in Dark Land has greatly diminished. Now I only want to experience Monster World.”
“After watching the briefing, a doubt in my heart was resolved. Back then there were rumors outside that the Lunar Eclipse race’s next game would be a game with 100 percent realism. At the time we all thought it was Dark Land. But after entering the game we discovered Dark Land’s quality was not as good as the rumors. Now I understand. The information being spread back then actually referred to Monster World, not the transitional Dark Land.”
“I found it strange at the time. Although it was not official publicity, the rumor outside always said the new game would simulate reality at 100 percent. Now it is confirmed. The new game refers to Monster World, not Dark Land released through official channels.”
“Why did you have to let me know? I can no longer happily play Dark Land. I want to play Monster World ahhh.”
“So after talking for half the briefing, when exactly will the internal test end and qualifications be issued? I really want to experience Monster World. Even if there are no plans for now, at least release some gameplay videos. You should at least give us a clear idea of the game. Why keep hiding it? Disgusting.”
—
Facing players’ demands, the Lunar Eclipse race returned to their formerly icy-cool posture and gave no further response.
But the information released in this briefing had already set the entire network ablaze.
All races were discussing the game Monster World, yet they suffered from the lack of any concrete content and had no way to understand how powerful Monster World’s performance really was.
During this time, there were also players who had obtained Monster World qualifications speaking online to describe the game’s content, making those without qualifications feel even more tormented.
Unparalleled immersive experience, a dual feast of sight and sound, infinitely free exploration modes, super-large explorable regions. All kinds of descriptions made players who had not touched Monster World green with envy, lamenting only that the one who obtained qualifications was not themselves.
Whether these statements by Monster World internal test players reflected the true quality of the game, no netizens felt any doubt.
The Lunar Eclipse race’s official side, always known for rigor, had already personally explained it, so there must be corresponding quality, perhaps even better than described.
Knowing the truth yet being unable to possess it drove countless players mad.
Just like one netizen complained: ‘if I did not know the truth, I could happily keep playing in Dark Land, but the moment I learned the truth, Dark Land lost its flavor. If I had never seen the light, I could have endured the darkness.’
But the most intense reaction across the entire network came from netizens of the Lunar Eclipse race.
Before the briefing was held, Lunar Eclipse race netizens paid no attention to the heated discussion online about whether Dark Land had two versions, treating it as just another widely spread conspiracy theory.
After all, every few years in the online world a hotly discussed conspiracy theory appears.
For example, that the Lunar Eclipse race was spiritually controlling the whole world through Starnet.
Or that there was some unspeakable secret purpose behind the Lunar Eclipse race establishing the Earth Alliance.
The virtual game Sin Land released a few years ago was even rumored to be a product by which the Lunar Eclipse race siphoned players’ essence through a virtual game.
Having seen so many, they became used to it.
This incident was no exception.
But what surprised members of the Lunar Eclipse race was that high level officials interfacing with the Starnet AI core were actually going to come forward to explain the detailed reasons.
Even so, members of the Lunar Eclipse race still did not feel there was any problem, assuming it was simply the leadership debunking and explaining an online hot topic.
Yet the No. 1 governor’s answers at the briefing left them dumbfounded.