planning Friendship is Optimal: A Video Game in Equestria

[Lektra Bolt 2,336]

Today I have read a fan fiction from 2012. I'm serious. Have a look. Knowledge of this fan fiction is required to understand this RP idea, and there will be some spoilers for those who haven't read

Friendship is Optimal by Iceman

I would like to run an RP based on this premise, with modifications.

There are no humans, real world or EG. Going to the EG world is not possible, for those that even know of its existence

This is a simulation inside a simulation. Regular Equestria does exist, and we are all citizens or denizens. The players of this RP will be trapped inside a video game version of the world in the fic, minus the human elements

It's just a game. AI Princess Celestia has no desire to upload organic beings into her world. We are just X number of OC characters who are trapped in a video game that is otherwise the same implementation of Equestria Online in this fan fiction. She just wants to keep us here and fulfill our every desire so we never leave

We are trapped in an avatar and can be anything we want. We aren't limited to ponies as in the source material. Anthros of Equestria species are allowed

While AI Princess Celestia can modify your avatar and the contents of your head if asked, unlike in the source material your real world self is unaffected when we finally escape and return to the real world, because this is a game after all

Death might be permanent, unlike the source material. If you die in the game you die for real? Do we want permanent death? Let's say we have 3 lives? Or no death? Speak up about this please

Whatever you can do in Equestria, you can do in Equestria Online. All your abilities and skills carry over. Anything else must be learned ingame, and you can't learn something then expect to be able to do it when you escape.

The only thing that you can keep when you escape are the friendships and memories you've made

We must find a way to escape back to the real world

Shenanigans ensue! 

I would like to recruit someone to play AI Princess Celestia for us. The character is just so well written and adept at manipulation that I'm unable to grasp the vast scope of actually writing her CORRECTLY. Read the story, then you'll understand

Full premise:

Bolt Solutions Magitek has been commissioned by a mysterious benefactor to create a new kind of video game: Magical Reality

It's like their existing Virtual Reality games which project an illusion, but when playing this game you actually enter the world like the way Discord and the others do for Guys Night. He's noticeably perturbed someone else can do this, but doesn't care enough to actually do something about it.

Bored of the daily grind? Well now you can grind for achievements and satisfaction in a game with other players, fight monsters, or just be the best cook. Whatever you want, it's your choice.

A certain number of ponies (or creatures, you can be any species) have been invited to beta test the game. A benevolent artificial intelligence based on Princess Celestia is the caretaker of this world, and she needs to be tested to be competent before the game is officially released.

Unfortunately something goes wrong at the presentation, and the testers get trapped in the game with the creator. Can they escape? Will they want to? 

So, shall we play a game? 

Spoiler

 

 

Edited July 20, 2019 by Lektra Bolt

[Lektra Bolt 2,336]

@Dynamo Padyour character likes video games, yes? Would you be interested?

[Quinch 1,119]

Nope! Nope nope nope nope nope!

I read that story about five days ago and I still have anxiety from it. 

[Lektra Bolt 2,336]

Just now, Quinch said:

Nope! Nope nope nope nope nope!

I read that story about five days ago and I still have anxiety from it. 

Haha. Your blog post is what promoted me to read it, actually. I'm making modifications to it as an RP, but I understand why you don't want to

[Dynamo Pad 10,775]

@Lektra Bolt

This sounds pretty interesting. I haven't read the story, but I'll try reading the story and get back to you on this.

So, would this be our OC's, or we're humans being our OC's, or something like that?

[Lektra Bolt 2,336]

We would be our OC characters who live in the FiM Equestria who get trapped in a simulated Equestria that is otherwise exactly the same as the one in the fic, that is all. No humans or human elements

Please get back to me when you have read it

Edited July 21, 2019 by Lektra Bolt

[Drago Ryder 639]

So, basically SAO/.hack but with MLP. Count me in.

Edited July 21, 2019 by Drago Ryder

[Lektra Bolt 2,336]

6 hours ago, Drago Ryder said:

So, basically SAO/.hack but with MLP. Count me in.

Yup that's the idea. I'd like to wait until we have about five OC players including myself and someone who feels confident playing AI Celestia, then we'll start

I will have a degree of GM power over the game, but she will refuse to let us out and the manual shut down command is disabled. The idea is to have it open for everyone to do what they want, and it's quite possible that some will not want to leave

But the goal is to go on an adventure to find a way to escape

Incidentally, I haven't watched Sword Art Online. How did they escape the game? It might be useful for plot ideas 

Edited July 22, 2019 by Lektra Bolt

[Drago Ryder 639]

 

Everyone gets out when the main character kills the main antagonist of that season, at least for the first one.

Also, is this just limited to ponies, or can we throw in dragons, changelings, etc?

Edited July 22, 2019 by Drago Ryder

[Will Guide 21,325]

2 minutes ago, Drago Ryder said:

  Reveal hidden contents

Everyone gets out when the main character kills the main antagonist of that season, at least for the first one.

Also, is this just limited to ponies, or can we throw in dragons, changelings, etc?

@Lektra Bolt

If you allow Changelings, I would like C. Will to participate. Either one will do

Otherwise, I could use Unicorn Will Guide

[Lektra Bolt 2,336]

Any species you are interested in being is fine, the choice is yours. This Celestia isn't limited to ponies

Edited July 22, 2019 by Lektra Bolt

[Lektra Bolt 2,336]

21 minutes ago, Drago Ryder said:

Spoiler

Everyone gets out when the main character kills the main antagonist of that season, at least for the first one.

 

Huh. And the following seasons? 🤔

[Will Guide 21,325]

12 minutes ago, Lektra Bolt said:

Any species you are interested in being is fine, the choice is yours. This Celestia isn't limited to ponies

Can C. Will be Anthro like this fan art of King Thorax?

[Lektra Bolt 2,336]

Just now, Will Guide said:

Can C. Will be Anthro like this fan art of King Thorax?

That's perfectly okay! She wants to satisfy your values with friendship and ponies, which here is expanded to all Equestria races. The only thing is you can't enter like this. You will need to ask Celestia to modify your avatar, or spend some time as is and find out she's been manipulating you to want to change your avatar

AI Celestia needs consent to do anything to you directly, but she was shown to not be above manipulating or putting you in danger to get that consent 

[Will Guide 21,325]

9 minutes ago, Lektra Bolt said:

That's perfectly okay! She wants to satisfy your values with friendship and ponies, which here is expanded to all Equestria races. The only thing is you can't enter like this. You will need to ask Celestia to modify your avatar, or spend some time as is and find out she's been manipulating you to want to change your avatar

AI Celestia needs consent to do anything to you directly, but she was shown to not be above manipulating or putting you in danger to get that consent 

So in other words, I could start as regular C. Will

and work towards having AI Celestia make him more Anthro like Thorax in this picture?

Edited July 22, 2019 by Will Guide

[Lektra Bolt 2,336]

6 minutes ago, Will Guide said:

So in other words, I could start as regular C. Will

and work towards having AI Celestia make him more Anthro like Thorax in this picture?

That's right! 

I'm still trying to decide if we want the possibility of permanent death or not, and what we would do to get out. I figure we'll decide how to get out based on what we do in the story. This is a very open world, even if we are trapped in it

[Drago Ryder 639]

@Lektra Bolt

After that, they just sort of defeat whatever big bad that season has in store. I honestly haven’t really been keeping up with it that much either. I also have a character in mind that I can use. Hopefully this gains traction.

[Lektra Bolt 2,336]

4 minutes ago, Drago Ryder said:

@Lektra Bolt

After that, they just sort of defeat whatever big bad that season has in store. I honestly haven’t really been keeping up with it that much either. I also have a character in mind that I can use. Hopefully this gains traction.

Ah I see, and yes I hope so too. It's a pretty compete idea, just need someone to play AI Celestia. I'd do it myself but I don't think I can portray that level of manipulation correctly. If we don't get someone to play her this idea goes nowhere 

I'm just not good at psychological manipulation 

Edited July 22, 2019 by Lektra Bolt

[Drago Ryder 639]

Hmmm, I just read through the piece this is based on, and I think I could give playing a rampant AI a shot. 

[Acnologia 167]

I’d be up for throwing an OC or two into this. 

[Lektra Bolt 2,336]

6 minutes ago, Drago Ryder said:

Hmmm, I just read through the piece this is based on, and I think I could give playing a rampant AI a shot. 

Orly? Then as Rarity said

5 minutes ago, Acnologia said:

I’d be up for throwing an OC or two into this. 

Heya welcome! Great to have you, please post profiles when ready

[Drago Ryder 639]

Right. I’ll try to get my character up by tomorrow. Thankfully, I still have her old sheet, so I’ll just copy and paste most of it.

[Lektra Bolt 2,336]

Cool. Everyone who hasn't posted their character or that I'm not familiar with already, please post it. I'll be my main. I'll start making a player list in the first post a bit later

Everyone who hasn't yet read the fic, please do

I will have literal Game Master abilities in the game. As much as I want teleportation to and from anywhere in the game, I will have it not work for mysterious reasons, so we can all travel together. What they all are I haven't decided yet, since I'm obviously not going to ban anyone 

I figure I'll be able to delete and create things, but beyond this I haven't decided yet. Celestia should respond to all GM commands except Shut Down, Exit, and similar things to end the game

There are plenty of NPC ponies (and other species depending on location) created by Celestia who act and feel like a real living being. They are neural nets with actual feelings, needs, and emotions. They also eat. In fact everyone has basic life needs like food, but bodily functions and getting fat don't exist. They'll also be able to tell you a history of their entire life for many years, even though the game has only been running for about a week when the RP starts. It's all designed to facilitate permanent life in Virtual Equestria, but it would all have been the same even if we weren't trapped in it

We will all be trapped in the same shard. In fact there are no other shards in the RP. Shards don't exist for the simple fact that we should all be together in the same world

Edited July 23, 2019 by Lektra Bolt

[Will Guide 21,325]

@Lektra Bolt

You're already familiar with my Changeling right? minus sharing a body. Sometimes I do RP where I've always been a Changeling and Unicorn Will Guide is my main disguise.

[Lektra Bolt 2,336]

3 minutes ago, Will Guide said:

@Lektra Bolt

You're already familiar with my Changeling right? minus sharing a body. Sometimes I do RP where I've always been a Changeling and Unicorn Will Guide is my main disguise.

Yup I'm familiar, but are you going to be a changeling or a Unicorn in this? Or a changeling disguised as a Unicorn who reveals himself later?