UnderNet Gaming Incorporated develops, designs and markets interactive digital media featuring a proprietary Data Analysis and Simulation Engine that provides the ultimate in realistic dynamics, mechanics, relationships and phenomena. This allows a larger amount of data points to be included in the simulation using the same computing power, which not only makes it more efficacious... but more authentic and immersive. We are currently sourcing seed capital which will be used to cover payroll and operating expenses, purchase computer hardware and software, and source development of marketing materials/websites to facilitate the launch of products in our project pipeline as well as the engine itself as a product.
What is the problem? Entertainment is a diversion. We entertain ourselves because something is missing from our lives, and partaking in the stories others tell allows us to pretend it's not. When you read a book, watch a movie or television program, or even take in a play at the theater, you expect to be told a story that you can believe, at least enough that it can supplant the dull, persistent pang in your head from wishing you were elsewhere. That's why it annoys you when a phenomenon is left unexplained by the author, or when a story tries too hard or takes too imaginative a leap to provide an explanation <cough> “midichlorians”. So why, when you sit down behind a mouse and keyboard or turn on a console are you willing to suspend disbelief more than you would if you were reading a book or watching television? Because the gaming industry hasn't given you a choice, that's why. The dynamics and mechanics in today's games were established decades ago when computing power wouldn't support realistic methods of scaling difficulty or allowing the player's actions to impact the world in realistic ways. They were based on an arbitrary set of statistics designed for tabletop gaming, and have evolved little since.
Consider this: do you know anyone who becomes less vulnerable to lethal trauma based on how old they are, where they've been, or what they did? They may be less likely to receive a lethal blow based on those reasons, but once they've been hit... their chances of survival are pretty close to yours and mine. But a level based health and damage system was contrived early in the history of computer games and continues to be the industry standard for RPGs, ARPGs, and even some shooter titles. One of the things that made Ubisoft's “The Division” so frustrating was the ridiculous amount of hit points that some enemies would have. How real is any of that? Would you select this over a more developed option?
How about political science? Would you suppose that all Chinese people feel exactly the same way about all Canadians? I wouldn't either. But faction reputation based models used in today's MMORPGs would have you believe that based on your actions in-game, there is a nominal metric that reflects how all of any one faction will treat you. Games like Mass Effect, Fallout, and Elder Scrolls would say that factions and individuals base their entire view of you on your responses to a few dialog prompts. How real is any of that? Would you select this over a more developed option?
What about resources and economics? There is software on the market right now that can predict changes in global markets based on social, geopolitical and agricultural data sources. Given that a warlord has seized control of a Central African territory, a hurricane has struck Japan, a French company has announced bankruptcy, and a bumper crop of Tasmanian lemons was just harvested, this software can output sales projections for Justin Timberlake's comeback album. This is possible in a global marketplace where very few factors are controllable and all factors are relevant... why isn't it possible in an economy where every variable/range is known? Furthermore, I personally don't go to work everyday so that I can buy what I need to fight the ogre who lives down the block more effectively, do you? But that's how video game economies work today. What makes you combat effective is what you keep/craft/trade, everything else is vendor trash. Where is the realism in that? Would you select this over a more developed option?
Let's address questing and character responsibilities. Somehow, the notion that daily quests equal daily engagement has permeated the MMORPG community. I personally would find it hard to believe that the same mobsters killed John Wick's dog every Tuesday. Not only that, but they've apparently killed the dogs of every other world class assassin in the neighborhood too. How does that feel like my story? Not very engaging if you ask me. And why is everything I do at the behest of someone who just happened to need my help? Don't I have any static tasks or responsibilities that I need to maintain? Oh wait, I have a base with some grindable quests that don't really do much to change the game... great. And despite the fact that I am now seen as a great warrior, a veritable “Billy Bad Ass”, my control over this base and its associated personnel seems to be in name only, as I can only give them orders from a prescribed list of things they can do. Where is the realism in that? Would you select this over a more developed option?
How do we solve this problem? Now, this may feel like an attack on the current leading developers in the industry... but it's not. They have made many evolutionary leaps and brought the state of gaming to where it is now. Advancements in graphics quality, framerate, audio engineering, responsiveness, stability and performance have come a long way from “Super Mario Bros.” Inroads have even been made into the dynamics previously mentioned, but they have stopped far short of a full and immersive experience, which is what every AAA developer has been trying to accomplish for decades. The problem has been that if one developer makes a shinier game, everyone else has to keep up or lose their player base. Graphics are king, and have been for a long time. This doesn't allow those more established shops to allocate development resources to other aspects of a realistic interactive experience. To put it simply, the growth of the video game industry has been stunted by players asking for more of the same. We submit that if we allow the big boys to continue tackling the issues that the community is actively asking for, UnderNet Gaming can build upon that and give them what they never even knew they wanted... a game that no longer feels like a game. And once they know it's possible, they'll never go back. We intend to be very busy for a long time...
But how do we accomplish this? We do it with Project rLife. RLife is three concepts, rolled into one. The first concept is that Our Life is a series of complex actions, reactions and interactions. To distill that into a simulation requires understanding the way those dynamics play out. The second concept is that the dynamics we see in interactive media Are Life. They are meant to instill a sense of reality that brings the user deeper into the universe the developer has created. The third concept is Real Life, the idea that a simulation does not need to be unbelievable, but can be as real as the available computing power will allow, so long as the developer has an accurate understanding of the math behind the dynamics.
So what does rLIfe mean for the end user, be it the gamer, the student, or the trainee? RLife means no more arbitrary rules, no more having to change your understanding of the way life works in order to enjoy interactive entertainment, no more learning a new system every time you sit down to play a new game. RLlife means that the way you live... is now the way you play. We're bringing you new titles, but the concepts will seem not only authentic... but familiar. You will be able to step right into our worlds, because our worlds... are yours.
We hope this has given you some insight into what UnderNet Gaming intends to accomplish, and how it intends to get it done.
