Name: Evan White
Project: Living World AI
Date: December 17, 2050
Observed Players:
Hayate Palmer [Wind] <Guardian Player of Kazu>
Kazuki Palmer [Kazu]
Participants of the [Sign Creation Ceremony]
Player Types: Normal (Invited for Wind and Kazu)
Report:
This was originally Mr. Miles Spears's turn to work on this report. However, due to circumstances out of our control regarding the incident related to the [Mind Link], I was given permission to write this report instead. So forgive me in advance.
As some of us predicted, Mr. Palmer's kids have participated in the special [Hidden Quest] planned to coincide with the upcoming expansion release, and other players accepted the invitations we secretly sent out. And with the older son having a [Human] character, we were able to observe the other [Quest] reserved for any [Human] players that were partied with an [Insignis] one.
Out of all players in the [Sign Creation Ceremony] quest, Kazuki was the most promising player to complete it as he not only unlocked a special lore cutscene and beat the strongest boss monster that spawned during the [Quest], but he was able to naturally interact with the NPCs without breaking the immersion. We knew how intelligent the [Gaia Live] program was for the Living World AI project, but never in our jobs did we think that we'd witness a young boy interacting with sages that were made a few days ago for the event to create near-human interactions. Adding to the AI developer's acting as the [Role-Player] for the event and his brother's interactions on his end, it made several perfect transitions between the [Quests] granted to them.
Speaking of Kazu's brother, Wind has made progress through the [Test of Courage] quest. The fail condition of this [Quest] depends if a player quits midway by using an escape item still in their [Inventory] or has about 10 or more losses in any battles. This [Hidden Quest] is designed to be challenging to beat on its own while incorporating an individual element in terms of the lore. So witnessing a lone player defeat the first two trials with only a single loss exceeded our expectations for this player. Not only that, the last trial diverted most of the planned storyline due to Wind's surprising mercy on the last quest boss as well as his resolve triggered a special trial period on one of the unreleased [Advanced Masteries]. As a result, he was given a reward that was meant for the next update. We would have addressed the sudden reward, but the management ultimately let the boy keep his reward for testing out the [Dual-Wielding Mastery].
If there were complaints about the [Test of Courage], it's that Wind's concerns about the players' mental health from his survey. Adam Palmer's idea for this [Hidden Quest] is to test the players' mental fortitude against the verbal attacks thrown by their [Shadow Doppelganger]. However, the negative effects on the player's mental health might be a valid concern, so we might discuss lowering the content and leaving some trigger warnings and consent from the player participating in it.
Regarding other players, there was another invited tester into a mix named Yuri Ichiro aka <Yur1>. While he didn't interact with many NPCs as Kazu, he's more skilled than other players on par with him. Despite the naysayers, I think he may be an excellent addition to the testers especially since he knew of the brothers in the game.
Now, regarding other players with other races and non-participating ones in mind, we can't simply ignore them if they are partied with an [Insignis]. Luckily, the [Gaia Live] seemed to generate a quest regarding some players who were in Kazu, Wind, and Yur1's party. They were not testers, but they managed to complete them without any issues. We may keep that in mind to engage accessibility to players regardless of their character's race and [Masteries].
Lastly, it's regarding Adam Palmer's role as <Earth Dux>. Similar to his performance in the open beta, he was able to act like the NPCs in the game without breaking immersion and role in the process. Well, there were exceptions regarding his children, but that's his own familial problem to deal with. Either way, recruiting Adam into the event was a rousing success and some of the players wish they could interact [Role-Players] like him. Considering how another player managed to interact with another with huge implications, I have a feeling this will be a recurring thing for <Isekai Online> as a VRMMO.
Now that the event has finished, it's only a matter of time until we convert this [Hidden Quest] in time for the expansion release. There is still a concern regarding the latest incident unrelated to this one, but we hope this event will be a sign of a great change between the players and the living world as a whole.
-----
On October 30, 2018, I released a story on Wattpad about two brothers playing the very first fantasy VRMMO!
Happy almost 5th anniversary to Artificial Fantasy!
If you like to check out more Artificial Fantasy, two chapters of the newest [Monarch of Light] arc have been released on Patreon. Also, the very first 3 chapters of [The Sage and the Unseen Guardian] will be released on Patreon this Saturday to celebrate Artificial Fantasy's 5th Anniversary! If you want to read before it's public release like Christine Luu, then join in the fun!