Unholy_Student
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[Cafe] 97 – The Workshop
🕑 Added 2024-08-26 04:24:36 +0000 UTC[A/N: After we hit 100 chapters on Cafe, I’m going to take a break to go through every chapter and make proper notes, as sometimes I have no idea what I’ve mentioned twenty chapters ago or if I introduced certain characters and etc]
The cafe was abuzz with activity, and a few days remained until the tournament would be hosted by the Cafe. The Cafe was continuously changing, and more and more people learned of its miracles, allowing even a beggar to rise to become someone who could stand toe to toe with Superhumans such as Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America and US Hero of World War 2.
With the release of the workshop, players have begun producing 'mods' for the games in the store. These mods were divided into two categories: Unofficial and Official. As it turns out, Zerrif, the owner of the Cafe, personally examined each and every mod posted and assigned the relevant tag to them. Unofficial Mods are typically mods that make the game easier or give the players some cheats, while on the other hand, Official Mods could add new features to enhance the gameplay or make the game harder.
Of course, these mods had more meaning than what meets the eye; unofficial mods removed the ability for players to earn achievements and credits, while official mods allowed the player to continue earning credits or even earn more credits. This, of course, raised the issue of players trying to create mods that made the game harder, but the gathering of credits was easier, while others wanted to make certain games as hard as physically possible.
Due to the workshop, even the most unpopular games offered in the store began to have a steady player base. For example, 'Project Zomboid,' a game few played or gave the time of day due to its relatively normal appearance compared to the other games, was beginning to have a steady player base of a few dozen people. Some of the mods created by the players included a more diverse range of cars, more guns, more weapons, more music, and many more vanity and luxury items to make the apocalypse more bearable to survive alone in.
However, while it was mostly vanity mods, there were a few mod creators attempting to make the game more challenging, such as someone creating a setting to significantly limit the supplies you could find while scavenging through civilization, leaving you mostly to have to forage, hunt, and farm for food while others created mods that made Zombies harder to fight or kill. One such user was even beginning to add zombie variants, such as the Behemoth, a former steroid gym monkey who turned Zombie. Once grabbed, most survivors could not escape its enhanced, inhuman strength.
Another notable game receiving a ton of mods was Fallout, noticeably from the user 'Tyke,' the arguably best Fallout player, having dumped countless hours specifically into the Fallout games. Tyke was infamous for his Workshop creations, which made the games even harder, and it was if Tyke wanted to make Fallout into the deadliest Death World possible, a term people were giving to worlds where death was almost guaranteed.
However, while most stayed awake from Tyke's creation, some of the more...hardcore players of the Cafe dove right in, finding that the Credits they usually earned from a single playthrough were multiple times higher than they typically were. It became such a problem that these hardcore players formed a group and began mapping out the games alongside the mods to farm Credits as efficiently as possible in as little time as possible.
These hardcore players became known as the Speedrunners, attempting to beat games as fast and efficiently as possible, and they started to get quite the following as these Speedrunners competed with each other to complete certain games as fast as possible. For these runs, the Speedrunners experimented, researched, and toiled away at the games. The most notable quality of some of these Speed Runners was their willpower. Seeing as some of the Fallout Games took months to an entire year to beat, these Speed Runners meticulously noted everything down for later review while also exploring and experimenting through each playthrough.
Already, players were forming routes through these games, and each route made by these Speed runners was special or unique in some way.
For example, in Minecraft, many immediately sought out villages instead of getting basic tools and armor, while others relied on finding perfect spawns.
Then, much to the surprise of many of the Speed Runners, Zerrif began to give the fastest Speed Runners special items and credits depending on the game.
The latest and fastest Speed Runner for Minecraft obtained a Golden Apple and a 500-credit reward; this runner's time was only a mere three minutes faster than the previous winner's, and that was due to getting a good spawn near a village and cave, allowing them to get iron tools at the start and everything they needed to build a portal. However, it took quite a while for said speed runner to find a fortress and get the required blaze roads to form Eyes of Ender and find the stronghold and Ender portal.
Because of these rewards, the speed-running community quickly expanded. With the new recording and stream function issued by the Cafe, people began to stream their attempts, allowing even more dissection of their runs and tactics to make them more efficient.
Unfortunately, the streaming and recording could only be accessed via the Cafe's computers due to the sheer size of some recordings, which were recorded for hundreds of days. Many recordings exceeded the storage most computers on earth could even hold. However, with the Cafe's computers, the watchers could freely manipulate the speed and angle of the recording, allowing for unparalleled 3D movement around the player.
Due to this, many who were already irritated by Zerref's time limit began making demands through the Forum that Zerref offer the computers for sale. While many did not expect an answer due to Zerref's nature, they were surprised to find that Zerref made an official announcement not long after.
[Faboulous Dark Star - I have heard your pleas for the store's special VR Computers to be offered for sale, and while I initially did not plan on releasing these so soon, I have a surprise. Upon the completion of the Tournament, the VR Computers will officially be on sale! However, it cannot be bought with cash, only Karma or Credit, and as a special reward, the top three contestants for the Tournament shall receive a free VR Computer, and to top it off, the winner of the tournament shall be allowed to personally ask for anything from the Games available within the Cafe. That's right. You can win the tournament and ask for anything. Do you wish to unlock Magic? The Thu'um? Receive unique technologies from Fallout? A Specialized and refined T-Virus from Resident Evil? A totem of Undying from Minecraft? Then all you'd need to do is win]
Of course, no one expected such an announcement from Zerref, nor the fact that the winner of the upcoming tournament could obtain anything from the Games. This, of course, brought great enthusiasm to all of those already preparing themselves for the tournament, and everyone was going to want to win.
Comments
Fire_Fox2590
Yeah he will be attached to a chair surgically to stay in the store as long as possible. Honestly I would be SHOCKED if he was not already a customer. He is from the future, and would probably already know who he is. Although by that same logic, he could also just have magic already, if he is from a future where our protagonist already exists.
incognito viewer
A tournament that requires all players to search for items or complete task in every game... cant wait to read that. If thats how it will be
Biazar Lockhart
Several people... Fury, Batman.... Are outraged at the bullshit just announced
Rder
So possibility of Flash's Abra Kadabra showing up
Bongo
Yo the note at the beginning reminds me, I don’t know if I remember correctly but Jason Todd was killing zombies in the cafe but Batman has apparently not adopted Dick Greyson yet from the circus. Honestly it could be cool to have Todd be the first Robin, just didn’t know if that is what you were going for. Love the novel though, it’s one of the more refreshing marvel/dc novels I have read.
Dunkmasterjohn
We guicchi now
Unholy_Student
Reload, should be fixed
Unholy_Student
Uh, weird, hold on
Dunkmasterjohn
There is nothing here?
