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maskormenacelogs2015-11-27 04:30 pm
maskormods) wrote in maskormenacelogs2015-11-27 04:30 pm
YOU'RE AS COLD AS ICE
WHO: Participating imPorts.
WHERE: A government base in Heropa, Florida.
WHEN: November 27-28.
WHAT: ImPorts participate in a simulated training exercise. Sign-ups will remain open throughout the event, so please sign up HERE and direct all questions HERE.
WARNINGS: Potential simulated injury and death. If there are more warnings that should be added here, please let us know!
SET-UP
Once they arrive, all imPorts are led into a plain room. In one half of the room is a tidy line of chairs with helmets hooked up to a large machine behind them. As the trainees are guided into the chairs and are fitted with helmets, brisk government workers hook them up with wires placed on their pulse points, though the trainees are reassured that it's to monitor their vitals throughout the process, making sure that nobody gets too anxious to adequately complete the exercise.
In the meantime, the monitors are led to the other half of the room, which looks far, far more comfortable; there's a line of chairs and desks, and on each desk is a computer screen that shows each monitor exactly what's going on in the virtual world. Because the monitors don't have the luxury of sleeping in the virtual world, there's a back room that they can retire to at their own discretion, complete with beds, a small kitchenette, and a much needed coffee machine. Once both the monitors and the trainees are giving brief instructions on what to do - to ensure that the program runs smoothly and to survive, respectively - the imPorts are quickly put to work.
DAY ONE: TRAINEES. TASK: SURVIVE.
Once the program is turned on, all trainees will suddenly find themselves in the middle of a forest, snow heavy on the trees around them and reaching all the way up to their knees. While each imPort will find that they have been equipped with a warm winter jacket and a small kit of survival gear - a gun, a knife, rope, a water bottle, and a limited first-aid kit - it will be a shocking transition from the warm, comfortable room to the wilderness. Despite their jackets, the cold is biting and bone deep, the wind cutting harshly against their skin, and the snow falling from above will only continue piling up around them. They need to take shelter, and they need to do it fast.
Luckily, even though their surroundings appear barren, they are actually provided everything that they need. There are plenty of loose branches that can be hewn off with their knives for shelter, and there are movements through the trees of deer and birds that can be used for sustenance so that they may keep their strength up. There's no shortage of water, considering the snow. All that's left for them is to survive, and try not to freeze to death.
And if one of them does freeze to death? That's game over. Their simulated corpse will remain with the rest of the trainees, and the deceased individual in question will remain hooked up to the simulation in a very deep, very still sleep.
Of course, things aren't quite as simple as they seem. Here and there, there will be little lapses in the programming; black holes of utter nothingness that they can simply step on, a geographically inappropriate lion or two, and a collection of poisonous berries that ought to have been frozen out are just some of the things that they'll run into.
Oh, and one more thing -- thanks to The Doctor, a lion-sized stick bug will be roaming around. Not to worry! It's perfectly harmless, if not a bit eerie.
DAY ONE: MONITORS. TASK: COMMUNICATION & TROUBLESHOOTING
Once the monitors are seated, they will receive a crash course in how exactly to program the sophisticated technology used to create such an immersive environment. Once they've received their instructions, they'll be surprised with an additional task: provide guidance to the trainees if it seems that they need it. Each monitor will be equipped with a headset to go with their monitor, and they will be able to communicate with the trainees to give them advice, both good and bad. Their voices will manifest in the virtual world as bodiless voices from above, as if the gods are speaking to the trainees... and considering the circumstances, that's not at all inaccurate.
The monitors may be instructed not to help or hinder their fellow imPorts in tangible ways, such as manifesting food or shelter for them, or unleashing attacks from the local wildlife, but that doesn't mean that it's actually hindering them. In giving the monitors the power to patch the holes in the programming, they have given the monitors the ability to place whatever they wish in the programming.
Perhaps it will be easy to stay hands-off while shelters are being built, but how about when you see a friend freezing? When you see a foe thriving? However they play it is up to them.
DAY TWO: TRAINEES. TASK: DEFEND & STRIKE BACK
After a full 24 hours, without exception, the Russians will come to attack. It doesn't matter if the trainees have spent a sleepless night fruitlessly trying to build a shelter, or if they're suffering fatigue from the lack of food; the Soviets wouldn't care in real life, and they certainly don't care in this simulation. These soldiers massively outnumber the trainees, so it's best to play it smart... though in some cases, it seems as if the AI soldiers haven't quite been perfected. Some have glitched through objects, whereas others have weapons that don't belong in this time period at all. Several seem to be attempting to run directly into inanimate objects. ImPorts may take advantage of these to loot their supplies without a care.
The Russian soldiers may outnumber and outgun the trainees, but they don't know where they are. It's up to the trainees to find shelter to shoot back, to lay traps, or simply to flee. No matter how far they may run, however, the army will always somehow manage to manifest itself nearby. The only option is to attempt to evade their attacks, or to kill them in return; their numbers are not inexhaustible, and it's altogether possible to slaughter them in the name of self-defense. Remember that this will go on full a full 24 hours -- if the trainees want to survive, they'll eventually have to set up a camp and keep watch, letting the others sleep, eat and recover in between bouts of fighting.
As with day one, it is possible for the trainees' simulations to die in this exercise.
Good luck, soldiers!
DAY TWO: MONITORS. TASK: CONTINUE TO COMMUNICATE & TROUBLESHOOT
Remember those holes in the programming? Somehow, with the introduction of several AIs, these problems have only been aggravated. Some of the AIs are more vicious than they have any reason to be, attempting to hurt the trainees more than they are attempting to kill them, while others have glitched entirely, their heads detached from their bodies, passing through static objects, and in a few memorable instances, running directly and continuously into rocks.
That can't be right.
While the monitors are busy fixing these egregious errors, they have also been instructed that it's permissible for them to give the trainees strategic advice. The monitors have a bird's eye view of the situation and can warn the trainees accordingly, helping them on their way to victory, or leading them to their doom.
WHERE: A government base in Heropa, Florida.
WHEN: November 27-28.
WHAT: ImPorts participate in a simulated training exercise. Sign-ups will remain open throughout the event, so please sign up HERE and direct all questions HERE.
WARNINGS: Potential simulated injury and death. If there are more warnings that should be added here, please let us know!
SET-UP
Once they arrive, all imPorts are led into a plain room. In one half of the room is a tidy line of chairs with helmets hooked up to a large machine behind them. As the trainees are guided into the chairs and are fitted with helmets, brisk government workers hook them up with wires placed on their pulse points, though the trainees are reassured that it's to monitor their vitals throughout the process, making sure that nobody gets too anxious to adequately complete the exercise.
In the meantime, the monitors are led to the other half of the room, which looks far, far more comfortable; there's a line of chairs and desks, and on each desk is a computer screen that shows each monitor exactly what's going on in the virtual world. Because the monitors don't have the luxury of sleeping in the virtual world, there's a back room that they can retire to at their own discretion, complete with beds, a small kitchenette, and a much needed coffee machine. Once both the monitors and the trainees are giving brief instructions on what to do - to ensure that the program runs smoothly and to survive, respectively - the imPorts are quickly put to work.
DAY ONE: TRAINEES. TASK: SURVIVE.
Once the program is turned on, all trainees will suddenly find themselves in the middle of a forest, snow heavy on the trees around them and reaching all the way up to their knees. While each imPort will find that they have been equipped with a warm winter jacket and a small kit of survival gear - a gun, a knife, rope, a water bottle, and a limited first-aid kit - it will be a shocking transition from the warm, comfortable room to the wilderness. Despite their jackets, the cold is biting and bone deep, the wind cutting harshly against their skin, and the snow falling from above will only continue piling up around them. They need to take shelter, and they need to do it fast.
Luckily, even though their surroundings appear barren, they are actually provided everything that they need. There are plenty of loose branches that can be hewn off with their knives for shelter, and there are movements through the trees of deer and birds that can be used for sustenance so that they may keep their strength up. There's no shortage of water, considering the snow. All that's left for them is to survive, and try not to freeze to death.
And if one of them does freeze to death? That's game over. Their simulated corpse will remain with the rest of the trainees, and the deceased individual in question will remain hooked up to the simulation in a very deep, very still sleep.
Of course, things aren't quite as simple as they seem. Here and there, there will be little lapses in the programming; black holes of utter nothingness that they can simply step on, a geographically inappropriate lion or two, and a collection of poisonous berries that ought to have been frozen out are just some of the things that they'll run into.
Oh, and one more thing -- thanks to The Doctor, a lion-sized stick bug will be roaming around. Not to worry! It's perfectly harmless, if not a bit eerie.
DAY ONE: MONITORS. TASK: COMMUNICATION & TROUBLESHOOTING
Once the monitors are seated, they will receive a crash course in how exactly to program the sophisticated technology used to create such an immersive environment. Once they've received their instructions, they'll be surprised with an additional task: provide guidance to the trainees if it seems that they need it. Each monitor will be equipped with a headset to go with their monitor, and they will be able to communicate with the trainees to give them advice, both good and bad. Their voices will manifest in the virtual world as bodiless voices from above, as if the gods are speaking to the trainees... and considering the circumstances, that's not at all inaccurate.
The monitors may be instructed not to help or hinder their fellow imPorts in tangible ways, such as manifesting food or shelter for them, or unleashing attacks from the local wildlife, but that doesn't mean that it's actually hindering them. In giving the monitors the power to patch the holes in the programming, they have given the monitors the ability to place whatever they wish in the programming.
Perhaps it will be easy to stay hands-off while shelters are being built, but how about when you see a friend freezing? When you see a foe thriving? However they play it is up to them.
DAY TWO: TRAINEES. TASK: DEFEND & STRIKE BACK
After a full 24 hours, without exception, the Russians will come to attack. It doesn't matter if the trainees have spent a sleepless night fruitlessly trying to build a shelter, or if they're suffering fatigue from the lack of food; the Soviets wouldn't care in real life, and they certainly don't care in this simulation. These soldiers massively outnumber the trainees, so it's best to play it smart... though in some cases, it seems as if the AI soldiers haven't quite been perfected. Some have glitched through objects, whereas others have weapons that don't belong in this time period at all. Several seem to be attempting to run directly into inanimate objects. ImPorts may take advantage of these to loot their supplies without a care.
The Russian soldiers may outnumber and outgun the trainees, but they don't know where they are. It's up to the trainees to find shelter to shoot back, to lay traps, or simply to flee. No matter how far they may run, however, the army will always somehow manage to manifest itself nearby. The only option is to attempt to evade their attacks, or to kill them in return; their numbers are not inexhaustible, and it's altogether possible to slaughter them in the name of self-defense. Remember that this will go on full a full 24 hours -- if the trainees want to survive, they'll eventually have to set up a camp and keep watch, letting the others sleep, eat and recover in between bouts of fighting.
As with day one, it is possible for the trainees' simulations to die in this exercise.
Good luck, soldiers!
DAY TWO: MONITORS. TASK: CONTINUE TO COMMUNICATE & TROUBLESHOOT
Remember those holes in the programming? Somehow, with the introduction of several AIs, these problems have only been aggravated. Some of the AIs are more vicious than they have any reason to be, attempting to hurt the trainees more than they are attempting to kill them, while others have glitched entirely, their heads detached from their bodies, passing through static objects, and in a few memorable instances, running directly and continuously into rocks.
That can't be right.
While the monitors are busy fixing these egregious errors, they have also been instructed that it's permissible for them to give the trainees strategic advice. The monitors have a bird's eye view of the situation and can warn the trainees accordingly, helping them on their way to victory, or leading them to their doom.
no subject
Still, it feels strange to introduce himself over a simulator, where he can see her, but she can only hear him]
Er, I'm Doctor Hermann Gottlieb. You should exercise some caution along the way.
no subject
She looks up ahead, narrowing her eyes in suspicion once she's heeded his warning. ]
Is the enemy close? Oh, I'm Sasha Blouse. Almost forgot...
no subject
[If that's rude to say, Hermann doesn't notice. It's just an absent remark because he has her data up in front of him, all very neatly labelled and complete with her name]
I'm not meant to directly assist you, but I suppose I can tell you there's a pair of feral wolves that are alerted to your presence.
no subject
Are you joking?! Oh, no, no... [ She starts moving toward one of the trees. ] Wolves don't stray too close to humans!
no subject
He's a little worried though.] Did you lose your weapon?
no subject
[ Her rifle is still slung over her back and she reaches for it, though she still keeps toward the tree. ]
But killing two animals is bit harder than one!
no subject
[He's such a comfort. Really didn't sign up for this part, but he's also reluctant to watch the girl get virtually mauled on screen. Checking stats, their top speed definitely outstrips hers.
No direct assistance or hindering, such as creating food or shelter, or instigating attacks. Well then.
Have a new tree branch at a comfortable height to grab]
I assume you know how to climb.
no subject
[ The emergence of a new branch startles her, but when she hears the crunch of snow and something sniffing the air, she drops her questions and leaps to grab onto the branch. With all her gear on, it doesn't come with ease, though Sasha manages to find her footing and begins to climb higher. While she moves quickly enough, she tries to avoid making a lot of noise as to not alert the wolves. ]
What kind of exercise is this when they don't give us instructions?
no subject
Hermann listens, idly curious about the creak of branches, rustle of pine needles... and apparently weightless lumps of snow that hit the packed ground without effect. Is something still wrong with the trees? Had they been patched and simply glitched? It's just snow though, so perhaps he's getting ahead of himself here. The branch worked well enough.
But the wolves have lovely white coats that blend in perfectly well with their surroundings. Very detailed fur, and even their breath mists in more than one pattern. Exquisite.
Improvisation and teamwork, I imagine. Tomorrow will be worse.
no subject
[ Sasha's keen senses alert her to the wolves entering the region. They trot below the tree, sniffing the snow near the base of the tree. Given she's carrying food (and meat she's hunted for herself), Sasha has to pray they don't catch a whiff of rabbit meat or her own.
She stays eerily still, gripping the branch tightly. ]
no subject
He sees the moment they lock onto her, flashing red alert signs on the screen. Well so much for stealth. Fortunately there's nothing of a pack nearby for them to howl for, but they do leap at the tree, tearing away chunks and scratches of bark as they do so.
He's not sure what else to do to assist, though his fingers hover above the keyboard. Not that he should care really. Should probably go back to debugging and let her handle this]
no subject
But then she halts, realizing leaping from tree to tree is not a viable long-term option here. She scoots back to her place in the tree, reaching for her rifle and angling it below at the wolves. Her hands tremble, but after a deep breath she's able to steady her aim. ]
If I hit their eye, they'll be too surprised and leave.
no subject
It's difficult to tell whether or not they'll flee unfortunately, because they aren't really animals guided by instinct, but he could make them, cover it by enacting the command when she fires. Maybe. He's really not supposed to interfere this much, but his hands have already hacked into the AI, and he casts a surreptitious glance over his monitor]
Suppose it's worth trying.
no subject
[ She waves a hand at the sky in vague annoyance and then turns her attention back on the wolves. They're still snarling at the base of the tree, one of them on its hind legs making another attempt to reach a branch.
Sasha has to rise to get a better angle, maintaining her balance and carefully aiming the rifle at the wolf closest to the tree. Her finger slips around the trigger, adjusting her aim once more and steadying her arm while keeping both eyes open. This is crucial: she shuts an eye or shifts her stance or angle and she'll have wasted a bullet.
But she's confident in her own ability to hit a moving target. She might be better with a bow, but a gun isn't beyond her. After a moment of silence, waiting patiently for the wolf to move, it makes another leap at the base and Sasha pulls the trigger back. Because of her bizarre angling, it does force her arm and shoulder to jerk back at an uncomfortable angle, though lucky for her she kept it steady enough that the bullet does hit the wolf straight in the eye. It cries out and hits the ground, blood splattering and the other wolf startling, moving away immediately. ]
Got it!