Alpha 0.5 Update! A Brand-New Player System!

VM was an abbreviation. Its full name was "vital signs monitor," standard issue in almost every shelter. However, this was the first time Chu Guang had ever seen one in person. In truth, the gadget's functionality went far beyond simple vital signs monitoring. It was more like a wrist-mounted computer that integrated physical examinations, positioning, communications, mapping, and partial black box capabilities. As if worried Chu Guang would not know how to use it, the system thoughtfully provided an instruction manual, displaying it before him in the form of a light-blue pop-up window. [1. Monitors the wearer's vital signs and physiological activities, collecting data including heart rate, respiration, blood pressure, blood oxygen saturation, hormones in sweat, DNA morphology, and more. Performs a comprehensive analysis on the gathered information and presents it in a specific data format.] [2. Upon detecting the cessation of the wearer's life signs, the VM automatically archives the cached "final voice recording" and continuously broadcasts an encrypted signal containing relative distance and bearing via a transmitter in its chip, facilitating recovery by search and rescue personnel.] [3. The VM device can intermittently emit specific frequencies of laser pulses within a given range to conduct 3D mapping of interior spaces. Maximum mapping radius is 5 meters, subject to attenuation caused by air humidity and dust particles. This function is extremely useful when exploring buildings, capable of marking large obstacles such as walls, doors, and crates, and the data can be shared once uploaded.] [4. The VM is powered by a thermoelectric battery that charges under light exposure or when near heat sources such as campfires. In low-battery conditions, it can slowly recharge by absorbing the natural heat radiated from the wearer's body, automatically switching to power-saving mode to operate at minimal power consumption.] Beyond the routine features listed in the manual, Chu Guang also learned from Xiao Qi that, in principle, all VM devices could be reprogrammed through a compiler. In other words, as long as the hardware permitted, he could install a few "handy" little plug-ins on these VMs. Then Chu Guang would know where every player was, what they were doing, and even hear what they were saying. "Holy crap, this thing is a bit overpowered!" No. It was simply way too overpowered! Chu Guang was ready to dub it the "Emperor's Happy Watch"! When the time came, every single player would get one, and nobody would be allowed to take it off! *No, wait...* After a few seconds of excitement, Chu Guang quickly cooled down. Thinking it through, if he forcibly strapped a phone to the players' wrists, wouldn't that make it look like he was coercing them? Human nature was contrary by default. Besides, people never valued what they got for free. Studying the VM in his hand, Chu Guang stroked his chin and mused aloud. "To be fair, a wrist computer like this... shouldn't be cheaper than a marauder's junk gun, right? I'd say at least thirty silver each." Xiao Qi tilted its camera upward. "But Master, I've heard these VMs are very common in shelters. And considering their ease of maintenance and durability, the technical complexity really isn't that high..." Chu Guang said, "Mm, let's make it forty silver coins each, and they must reach Citizen rank to purchase it." Xiao Qi: "...Master?" Chu Guang turned around to look at Xiao Qi standing beside him. "Xiao Qi, do me a favor. I want to add some features to these VMs. Can you manage that?" Xiao Qi visibly froze for a moment. "...I can, as long as the hardware allows it. But what specific features do you want to add to it?" "A status screen! A quest log! A map! A chat window!" Could you even call it a game without those things? Plenty of players were already complaining about having to log off just to check their level and experience points. If you couldn't pull up a character interface at will to check your level, exp, abnormal statuses, and buffs, how was that any different from the garbage game called Earth OL? Another pain point was the quest system. Even though they no longer wrote quests on wooden and plastic boards and had switched to paper pasted on wood, the essence hadn't changed. Checking quest progress was still far too troublesome. And most importantly, it wasted way too much paper! That wasn't environmentally friendly. As for the map function, that was a pleasant surprise. Chu Guang had never expected this VM to be so incredible, complete with laser mapping. In the future, when players carried it out while scavenging, they would effectively be exploring the map for the shelter. Furthermore, what had been searched and what hadn't would be obvious at a glance. Hidden spaces and secret passages that were easily overlooked would be exposed much more readily, more than doubling their scavenging efficiency! Crucially, having the players automatically upload maps would save Chu Guang an immense amount of personal legwork. Previously, exploring the map had relied on players scouting with their bare eyes. For example, a player on a scavenging quest would visit a location marked on the pre-war map, and upon returning, give a verbal report to the Administrator on what the place looked like now. The verbal report had to cover details like: Had the terrain changed? Were there many mutants? Were there signs of human activity? And so on. It sounded easy enough, but executing it was sheer torture. A hundred mouths could spin a hundred different versions. Some players had a terrible sense of direction, ending up nowhere near the place marked on the map, yet they would describe it with utter conviction until Chu Guang's head pounded. Now, with the VM, he finally wouldn't have to listen to these idiots give verbal reports on wasteland road conditions. They could just come back wearing the VM, upload the data, and be done with it. The surveyed map data could even be synchronized to the official website's database. The players wouldn't even need to do it manually. Chu Guang would simply have Xiao Qi handle the upload automatically on their behalf. "A status screen, quest system, and map are easy enough... but a chat window is tricky," Xiao Qi said. "The VM has a transmitter, but it isn't a dedicated communication chip. Sending and receiving short text messages or updating the quest panel near the shelter is fine, but it gets problematic once they're a bit further away." *I see.* Chu Guang stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and said, "Then there's no rush for the chat function. Let's just develop the status screen, quest system, and map first. I'll find a few templates for you to use in a bit." Releasing half-baked features would only invite ridicule from the knucklehead netizens; better to wait until they were polished. Besides, they already had the Forum and the official website, which gave the players plenty of room to brag. "Understood, Master!" Seeing Xiao Qi bursting with motivation, Chu Guang nodded in satisfaction and turned to head back to Floor B1. It was currently 3:00 AM wasteland time and 3:00 PM in the real world, the hour when the fewest players were online. It was also the best time for an update! Sitting down in front of the computer in the resident hall, Chu Guang yawned, pulled his notebook from the drawer, flipped it open, and launched a text document filled with reference material. Everything was ready; all that was left was Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V. Chu Guang cracked his knuckles, a smile spreading across his face. Time to do what a game designer was born to do! ... Official Website: [Wasteland OL Closed Beta Server Alpha 0.5 Patch Notes] [Major Updates: 1. The closed beta player cap has increased to 200. 2. Major overhauls to the status screen, quest system, and map features. 3. Shelter Floor B2 is officially unlocked!] [Optimizations: 1. More realistic snowy weather effects: as time passes, the ground will harden, rivers will freeze, and lake surfaces will turn to ice. 2. A charcoal brazier has been added to the weapons shop for warmth. Please give the proprietress some encouragement to lift her spirits, which may increase her favorability. 3. Wild monster spawn rates adjusted to better match severe cold weather. 4. Richer interior details within the shelter. 5. Minor bug fixes. 6. ...] [With the growing player count, the Player Manual and User Agreement have been updated to Version 3.0. Players who have obtained closed beta qualification, please review them promptly to avoid a poor gaming experience.] [Current Pre-registrations: 1,007] [Additionally, the "Winter Is Coming" expansion has officially concluded. The "Winter Warrior" title has been distributed to the 90 eligible closed beta players, and their player IDs will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Winter has arrived—shiver in the bitter cold, survivors!] ... This update had quite a bit of content. Chu Guang always worried that if he didn't shoot the breeze with the players and explain things in detail, they would think their planner was slacking off. Following standard procedure, as soon as he posted the patch notes, he immediately put up the edited Developer Log as well. *Developer Log: Alpha 0.5* Guang: "Hello everyone, this is your beloved planner! After squeezing five engineers from the tech team dry, our server has finally upgraded from a regular potato to a ram horn potato! It can now accommodate 200 players simultaneously. Aren't you happy? Aren't you excited? Go check your inbox on the website right now! Let's hear some applause for the lucky bastards!" "The biggest change in this version update focuses on what our closed beta players have been clamoring for the most: the status screen! The quest panel! And—a bonus map feature! Thrilled yet?" "I'm just as thrilled as you are! Tempted by the sweet aroma of roasted potatoes, our development team's code monkeys finally understood the features we wanted." "Of course, don't celebrate too early. Taking player immersion and realism into account, we held departmental meetings for five consecutive days and nights before finally deciding to integrate these functions into a special item called the 'Vital Signs Monitor (VM).' "Once a player attains the rank of Citizen, they need only pay 40 silver coins to purchase this item. Due to its unique lore setting, each player may hold only one, and it is permanently bound to the account—non-transferable and cannot be unbound. If your teammate unfortunately perishes, please remember to recover their VM. Otherwise, the shelter will have no choice but to deduct 10 silver coins from their account to post an 'Equipment Recovery' bounty quest. "As long as you are inside the shelter or near the sanatorium, the VM can connect to the shelter's server, allowing you to accept quests on the fly. "Beyond the quest log, the VM's core feature is the status screen! Through a compact screen, you can conveniently check your gene sequence's development progress, character stats, buffs or debuffs, as well as contribution points and citizenship rank. "Of course, there is no need to show off your contribution points; the VM itself is a symbol of status and strength! In our setting, only 'Citizens' who have made outstanding contributions to the shelter are worthy of this honor. Owning one means you are no longer a rookie, but a true warrior qualified to venture out into the wasteland! "Furthermore, the VM's built-in laser mapping function can accurately capture nearby obstacles and walls, uploading the map data to the shelter server. Even those with no sense of direction will be able to find their way home. Your mom will never have to worry about you getting lost on the wasteland again!" Click. Upload. Done! Chu Guang stretched his back, pushed his chair back, and stood up. Pulling all-nighters two days in a row until dawn would take a toll on anyone, even someone built of iron. This time, he planned to sleep until noon to reset his sleep schedule. With that in mind, Chu Guang glanced at Xiao Qi crouching in the corner. "Xiao Qi, when the time comes, don't forget to wake Xia Yan up." "Understood, Master!" With the final task arranged, Chu Guang happily headed to the room next door to sleep. And while Chu Guang was sound asleep, the discussions regarding the "Alpha 0.5 Update" on the official website were flooding the screen at an unstoppable rate!