Altoholic! [A VRMMO LitRPG Adventure]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Midway though a VIP sneak peak event for the most anticipated VRMMO of all time, something goes horribly wrong. A hostile takeover ends up trapping 998 of the world's best players inside the simulation. One player, however, manages to slip under the algorithm that trapped everyone in the game. Shelby Baker just so happened to be in the character creator, finishing up her 17th alt of the night. Truth be told, she hadn't even managed to get out of the tutorial zone on any of her characters, keeping her 'attunement' to the game lower than necessary to enthrall her. Now it's up to Shelby to make clever use of the game's systems and bind her alts together into a force powerful enough to free the others, foil the bad guys, and finally get to enjoy the game... if she can focus on one character that long.[Participant and Winner in the RoyalRoad April 2024 Writathon Challenge]

What to expect:

This is a 'trapped in a VRMMO' type story, inspired heavily by real world MMOs and the Shadeslinger series. This story features a ragtag group of heroes pit against overwhelming odds, powerful enemies, ruthless organizations, and overpowered raid bosses, but who slowly and surely making progress. The overall mood ranges from wholesome and light to occasionally having more cynical moments and themes. There are progression elements both within the games rules and by finding bugs, hacking the game, and cheating when possible. The main progression system focuses on trying many different classes, skills, and playstyles and exploiting synergies within game systems. I didn't mean for this to be particularly slow burn, but it is...

On a more 'meta' level, expect on-going edits. This is a Writathon story, so I am editing on the fly. There will be short to moderate chapter lengths, usually on the 1500-3000 words range.

This story contains profanity, virtual violence and death, and high stress situations.

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2024
Author: meloncat

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.6/ 5.0
Followers: 186
Views: 63,750

Chapters(65 total)

What readers say about Altoholic! [A VRMMO LitRPG Adventure]

“At first you might think the setup is like SAO (not that there's anything wrong with that), but I was pleasantly surprised to see this story is more of its own thing. Thus far the protagonist hasn't yet interacted with other human players (with a single imp…”
Certo Homem FogueteRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“This was so engaging. I got hooked on the characters in the first chapter and every character has such great personal charm. As a person who loves to make alts and explore creation options for hours, it was very engaging for me. I'm invested in the behin…”
CharmpagneRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(6)

Certo Homem FogueteRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
At first you might think the setup is like SAO (not that there's anything wrong with that), but I was pleasantly surprised to see this story is more of its own thing. Thus far the protagonist hasn't yet interacted with other human players (with a single important exception), but there's been a very good reason for that, as per the description.
However, this story has been no soliloquy, NPC play a very important part and, due to the how the VRMMO's fictional technology works, there are intriguing implications about their nature.
The evil of the human villains, the callous CEO and the greedy hackers, is at once cartoonish and realistic.
The comfort is comfy and the danger is dangerous. The Daizi, the race of rodent- and lagomorph-people, are a welcoming and warm lot, and just like hobbits they love their food. There are plenty of cute characters to like and pretty sights to see, but the virtual world is also a perilous one. It has not yet been explained what are the consequences of death for either player or NPCs in the game, but you'll feel the heat right alongside the heroes as they face fearsome enemies.
As the author said in the description, this story has been a slow-burn, so keep that in mind if that's not your cup of tea. However, the flame has been calmly burning along, and I feel excited to see to what places this ride will take us.
CharmpagneRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This was so engaging. I got hooked on the characters in the first chapter and every character has such great personal charm. As a person who loves to make alts and explore creation options for hours, it was very engaging for me. I'm invested in the behind-the-scenes stuff. I think the main character gets to be a little more innocent and nice because the bad guys and the beleaguered tech have all the nasty, real-world meanness we need. The style is light-hearted and can get a little silly but in the best possible way. If you like furry rabbits and big personalities, you'll like this story. I did/am. My favorite character so far is this grumpy beaver who gives quests and he's only a small side character, but these side characters have such great characteristics.
Strengths: Charming Characters, believable story arc, good tension, great weaving of game components into the experience of the main character.
Weaknesses: Needs a bit of editing (I'd suggest reading it out loud to another person to find the little things that slipped past the first edit)
I can't wait to see where this goes in the overall arc. I think I know where this is going, but I'm still enthusiastic about going there. It's just nice to read something so lighthearted and fun.
FireinBloodRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Meloncat is one of the nices people I've met on RR. Dey are a wonderful person, and dey even volunteered to do the cover font for my book. I knew I had to read deir story. I knew I had to review it too. That being said, I was preparing myself. If I didn't like the story, I would give it one star.
If you check how many reviews I've done (about 20), you'll find that only 2 have had every part of the story being 5 stars. After reading this, I'm proud to put Alcoholic as the third (and best) of those stories.
Yes, Altoholic is the best story on RR. Let me explain.
Style: The style is gorgeous. Easy to read, but fun too. Engaging with the perfect amount of description. It's a jot to read. 5 stars.
Grammar: No problems here. It's good. 5 stars.
Story: The story isn't too unique. It's your classic stuck in VR, except the VR world is AMAZING! I don't want to spoil it, but there are diverse animal cultures, each with their own parts, and the MC creates more than one. Watching Shelby explore the world and learn along with us is just amazing, and the background story of the eggs trappingg the players. It's just wonderful. 5 stars
Character: Shelby is such a great character. She's relatable, fun, and, while an animal, adorable. Everytime I read a chapter, her emotions were mirrored through me. I LOVE her character. I'll be honest, other characters weren't as good, but Shelby is definitely one of my all-time favorite characters, so this is still 5 stars.
Overall, I adored this book. You need to read this.
Thank you to meloncat for everything, and for bringing one of the best stories I've ever read(including mainstream books). You deserve more exposure. I really hope you get it.
ahoge_birdRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Updating review to Advanced!
Style: Good style, easy to read! No complaints.
Story: The story is very solid, with the author conveying just enough information to bring the reader along the main story (riding with Shelby), and with some chapters focusing on the "behind the scenes" to flesh out the bigger picture.
Grammar: There are the occasional grammar mistakes, but nothing unreadable and the author is quick to correct them when caught.
Character: Distinct characters! Each character feels independent, and the narration/POV clearly reflects their individual motivations/situations, so even when I get lost (like closing out in the middle of the story) I can easily reorient myself when I come back.
Original review below:
The story starts strong, with an incredibly believable premise (speaking as someone who easily spends more time creating characters than playing the games I pay for).
The characters are so spastic and lovable; they spice up the narrative with clever quips and would totally be the friend group I would want to play with. I'm looking forward to seeing how Shelby and co. (and Tara, I guess) save the world!
All in all, 5/5! The tone is light and humorous and makes the story a great relaxing read at the end of the day.
bx3Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Altoholic has been an amazing read! The story is filled with wonderful, unique details but also has a sense of familiarity. Each chapter keeps me on edge, wanting more! I need more! I can’t wait to see how the main character develops and where the story will take us!
roombasRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
For a story challenge with a time limit, your story has been very well written with minimal mistakes and has a writing style that is fun to read! It's amazing how you're able to flesh out and world build so quickly and set up the basis for the larger picture! Such cute cuddly alts... Can't wait to see where Shelby and her army goes in the future!