NPC 210M

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

The biggest secret in the world is that VR companies employ prisoners as NPCs instead of developing extensive AI protocols.

This is the story of one such prisoner.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2018
Author: ShadeMage

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 3.6/ 5.0
Followers: 122
Views: 271,721

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(7)

Night_Shade0611Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
So I gave a 4.5 in both the style and grammar score but I’m sure that’ll change in the future because this story is the best start out of all the stories I have read.
Redfox21Royal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Ok the mc and sc are wondeful in this intristng story you will love some u will hate some but for a rr book makes great strides
Story is going to be liked or dissliked by tour opion i say read it all the way threw and if u like let the arthour know becuse he takes critsisum and if u dont let him know why
Grammar is good with a few errors but even the best authors make mistakes so in conclusion i would sugest reading the book and leaving reviews will ne fin to see how things turn out
ScarlustRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
I read up to 357 in one sitting (this was about 5 months ago)
At some point I started to lose my grip on reality and this story honestly engulfed me. The 24 hours after I finally stopped reading were spent in a deep disassociation with reality and steadily coming to terms that at some point I had started to consume this story to a point that it too consumed me in a horrific mental Oubouros. It was a beautiful experience to live as your characters Shademage and I don't know if that was your intent but thank you.
This is an unexpectedly emotive and constantly flowing tale exploring the vast possibilities of the initial setting through a series of key events which shape both writing and the stories realm of reality.
Although this doesn't follow usual format and it isn't perfect. This huge project by Shademage is made of easily consumable chapters which leave you wanting more and I greatly recommend giving it a read (but maybe don't consume a years worth of someones creative mind in one sitting if you want to avoid a personality crisis aha)
MrXeriosRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
Honestly ? I don't even know why I'm reviewing this story. I read 11 chapters, i won't read more. The way it's written makes it easy to confuse the characters, and there is no real world building. If not for the synopsis, it would be hard to understand what is going on.
On the other hand, you managed somehow to create an relatively cretive dystopian world which gave me the creeps so much that I will just stop reading. That may just be me, but I've read some really drak stuff and you still managed to disturb me quite a bit. The overall hazy style reinforces this impression. I don't even know if you wanted to give out that kind of feelings.
I hope others enjoy your story more than I did.
AcerbicRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
... as of 140+ chapters...
This novel's main problem is lack of planning. It grows like a wild bush, free sprawling by whims of wheather and terrain with barely any visible structure or design in mind. Not sure if this is the result of being "readers' vote-driven" or simply a sign of author's lack of experience, or the sheer size of the text that makes it unwildy. Probably all of the above.
So, is it worth of a read? Yes, but the ride is bumpy, prepare yourselves.
The story switches pacing and motif wildly and without warning - as if the writer couldn't decide on the genre and just went by the mood of the day the chapter happens to be created. Litrpg? High fantasy? Social fiction? Mystery? Grim fairy tale? Drama? Action adventure with swashbucklers and yo-ho-ho? Who knows. Its as if many stories are put into a blender, the result is confusing at best. Aquired taste to some, a total mess to others.
Add on top of that bizzare and unwarranted switches of POVs (especially in the earlier chapters), some wacky side-stories insertions that are put there "just because", storylines that go nowhere, a whole bunch of characters who are introduced as somewhat important only to be forgotten 5 chapters later and regularly awkward dialogues that make hard to figure out what is exactly going on on the scene.
And yet, I score it 4/5. (Would give 4.5 if ShadeMage knew how to spell "ingredients").
Why? Well, if you are willing to look past the book's many failings, certain good parts shine through, making it overall a good time investment. Author's whimsy and willlingness to brave things unconventional create some actually unpredictable turns, scary or exciting. Confusing it might be at times, its not plain or boring type of tale you heard tens of times before. The storyline borderlines epic - in a classical sense - spanning huge time intervals, territories and lots of people involved.
Verdict: Author should consider this for a rewrite into series of novels, each with a single concise
BoredBeyondBeliefRoyal Road
★★★★ 3.5
Unlike DreamEater said, this idea is actually pretty unrealistic.It would cause criminals to have more violet tendencies unless once they get released from prison.
You might not know this, but having sapient/sentient ai isn't really that hard to believe.In a few decades we will likely develop a somewhat "intelligent" ai that can "Think" but not form things like opinions.
(We already are developing this somewhat, research some companies and see the advanced things they are making computers do)
In a few hundred years we might even have those Scifi quantum computer things.
In fact, we can already make a sentient AI it would just be far too expensive and time consuming for anyone to make if it didn't provide profit.This in my opinion is the biggest issue with our civilzation, but thats off topic.
charlespk2008Royal Road
★★★★ 3.5
As it says in the synopsis, they use prisoners for npc’s...tho no one knows that. This leads to some horrific torture and abuse that would send united nations into a coma.
can be a realistichuman abuse, or unrealistic that they could get enough prisoners for that never mind keep it secret.
regardless not for me. I feel inhumanity like this should allways face blowback.