Cubic Sketchbook
Glossary
Intersection
Duoverse
A fully interactive game created
Etrisoft, extremely popular with youths aged twelve to twenty-five. Duoverse
arcades are commonly located in many locations, similar to movie theatres. The
game is similar to that of modern day paintball, except with a fully immersive
virtual world. Unlike paintball, Duoverse is open twenty-four hours a day and is
not restricted to a number of players, as players face off against
computer-controlled opponents, commonly known as ACTors. In
addition, there is no waiting time, one can join at any time and can be immersed
in the game in as little as fifteen minutes, though one is removed from the game
for one hour if downed. During this hour one can train with one of the Duoverse
simulator machines in the lobby, or a variety of other arcade games. One of the
primary draws of the game are the realistic environments, which are generated by
the same technology as ACTors, which vary from arcade to arcade; such as desert
landscapes, jungle combat, and urban warfare; and many
players travel from arcade to arcade to perfect their skills. Currently
inter-duoler battles are not supported by Duoverse except by a few select
arcades; while the demand is high, Etrisoft seems to be endorsing the team-play
aspect of the game more heavily.
Slang term for Duoverse players. There has been over a
hundred million people who have played Duoverse, and over twenty six million
players registered with Etrisoft. Registered players' points
(judged from amount of ACTors downed, where they were hit,
and their rank; minus the amount of times hit and where one is hit; as well as
special bonuses and deductions based on tactics and such) are totaled
and added to their scores after every game, and they are ranked on the global
network both by total scores as well as average score over hours played.
Registered players are also allowed to enter various contests and competitions
set up by Etrisoft for merchandise, points, and
game-related upgrades. Extremely high-ranked players are sometimes offered jobs
with Etrisoft as game-designers or Duoverse teachers. Currently the highest
ranking player is Rood Delacroix.
Slang term for AI Controlled Threats, or Duoverse computer-controlled opponents. ACTors use state-of-the-art artificial intelligence technology, and running on high-end supercomputers, dozens are generated at a time. Each ACTor is unique and has varying "personality" traits for all other ACTors. Like the environments, ACTors vary from arcade to arcade, and no two arcades have any ACTors in common. Most ACTors resemble youths between fifteen and twenty-something, all of whom wear a loose-fitting prison-like uniform bearing their name and number and have barcodes and numbers tattooed on their foreheads. If an ACTor is downed in combat, it is removed from the battlefield and isn't reactivated for several hours, to increase realism. Since they are holograms, one can pass through ACTors, but rarely is one able to get so close to them. ACTors talk to each other, increasing their realism, but never to players. Since each ACTor is unique and recurring, with numbers and names, players have come to fear specific ones, though the system tends to replace easily downed ACTors with new ones. Currently the most dangerous ACTor is #20149160 "Croix". Etrisoft is extremely tight-lipped about the ACTor technology, both the photorealistic holographic system and the strikingly complex AI systems, and haven't applied either to any of their other games.