Prologue
DING-DONG! The doorbell lets out a familiar chime.
“Who is it?” I ask the usual question through the household intercom.
“Package delivery!”
I push the button to unlock the gate and clear the way for the young deliveryman, who carries a decently sized box to the front door. It’s addressed to…oh, to Tsukishiro Akina. It seems to be for my younger sister.
“Have a nice day!”
“Thanks. I’ll be off then.”
The deliveryman is quickly on his way. I make sure the gate and front door are both firmly locked before summoning my sister from the second floor. Glancing down as I carry the box into the living room, I see it was sent from Future Software. It says it’s the grand prize of a tournament. She must have won something—again. I, myself, dabble in games a bit, but my sister casts a wide net: She’s into a bit of everything, whether she’s online, offline, or playing some tabletop.
“Oh! It’s finally here?!”
“You got a pretty big one this time.”
There’s the pitter-patter of my sister’s feet as Akina races down the steps and majestically tears the tape from the cardboard box. The flaps open to reveal three smaller boxes tucked inside.
“Just what I was looking for! All right, Sis. This one’s for you.”
“Hmm? Isn’t it your prize, Akina?”
“It is, but I chose the game and console set. You were eyeing this one, yeah? It’s the limited-run special edition! THE special edition!!! Nice, right?”
“Oh, that game from the commercials, right?”
“Yeah, FLFO! They had a tournament in the beta.”
Free Life Fantasy Online—a.k.a FLFO for short. It’s Japan’s first Full Dive Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Game, most commonly known as a FDVRMMO. Quite a number of large corporations were involved in the development process right from its initial conception. Their unified approach could be summarized as this: “Just leave it to the professionals!”
As such, the in-game vegetables were recreated with the help of farmers, the cooking skill and methods with chefs, carpentry with carpenters, smithing with swordsmiths…et cetera, et cetera, you get it. Apparently, all sorts of specialists were called in to make everything authentic.
It was Future Software, the game’s main developer and supervisor, who poured all these resources into a single game—but if you ask me, the players don’t really care about all that as long as it’s fun.
Of course, you can fight monsters with swords, bows, and magic, but the game also incorporates various production mechanics such as smithing, woodworking, cooking, and fishing. It is possible to buy a field to start a farm, and player housing is also one of the highlights. It’s also possible to play as a bandit or a pirate to enjoy the thrill of the PvP kill—the joy of hunting and being hunted down by NPCs and other players.
Though that’s not recommended.
With FLFO’s enormous selection of skills, it’s nearly impossible for two people to end up with the exact same build unless done intentionally. Players pick out their own skills rather than having them tethered to job classes. Essentially, the game sells itself on being a chance to live a second life in a fantasy world.
“Why did they send me two consoles though…? Maybe I should contact support. It might be their mistake, but it’s brand-new tech. I just hope they let us keep the extra one.”
Though this is the first FDVRMMO from Japan, it is not the first VR game in general. Naturally, my sister already has her own console. Though not the latest model, hers is still more than capable of running the game. In any case, I believe they timed the newest hardware with the game’s release. As a result, the company sent two of these headsets and one limited-edition copy of the game.
“Anyway, don’t you worry about that. Service starts tomorrow, so you use that one, Sis. FLFO’s a full dive game, so even you should be fine with the controls!”
“Let’s see, let’s see…” I began rummaging through the box for the hardware.
As I did, Akina ran upstairs eagerly, saying, “I’ll go send in a support ticket!” I’m sure the game needs to be initialized; I would rather handle the setup sooner than later. Official service starts tomorrow—Saturday at noon, to be specific.
I quickly flip through the user’s manual on the VR equipment. To initialize, please lie down on a bed and follow the verbal instructions. The scan will be more precise if you input your height, weight, and proportions as accurately as possible.
That sounds like quite a pain. I’ll just put down whatever I remember off the top of my head. No need to measure myself. Moving on—oh, looks like you can set alarms. If you have dinner scheduled at 7:00 p.m., it will notify you in-game. All right, I’ll set a few right now!
Moving on to the game box, I’m greeted with a loosely written disclaimer as soon as I pop open the lid.
This game is a Full Dive Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Game—a FDVRMMO. Please be aware that a VR console and internet connection are required to play this game.
※ IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST ONLINE GAME EXPERIENCE ※
Please avoid any conversations and topics that may give away your identity or any sensitive personal information. The jeopardization of your real-world personal information may affect immersion and gameplay. When playing with friends, be mindful to call one another by your in-game character names only.
Please keep in mind that other players are human, just like you. Be considerate of your fellow players and avoid rudeness and unpleasantness.
Some people like to roleplay—this means that they try to act out the part of their character. If their actions are incomprehensible to you, please ask them to explain their mannerisms in secret in order to avoid breaking their immersion. Also, it’s considered a breach of game etiquette to call it “roleplaying.” This may cause negative feelings and further affect immersion in the game.
Please note that in some circumstances, actions such as stalking and harassment may lead to legal consequences in the real world.
Observe proper netiquette and have fun!
To all parents and guardians, please explain everything thoroughly to your children, as per the agreement with management and these guidelines. You can find further information on our official website…
It’s not my first online game, so I already have a general idea of what to do, but it looks like they actually needed to change the laws with the release of an FDVRMMO. I’ll need to be careful when and how I play. Oh, wait—that’s all they wrote…? Do they really want me to check their website for more info?
A smaller sheet of paper has what it calls a “Limited Edition Starting Dash” campaign code on it. Looks like you start off with an extra bit of money, a basic set of consumables, and a premium character customizer. Hmm, doesn’t look like you get anything too special. Then again, it is an online game. That’s about what you’d expect from bonuses.