Trace: The World

The World

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The World

Real World

The stories are set in Earth's future. Corporations are large and powerful. Medicine and technology has advanced significantly. Nation-states still exist. Virtual reality is commonplace and immersive, and individuals in VR are sustained by gaming pods that enable them to enter a “flow state” which dilates time such that they spend more time in VR than passes in the real world (7 hrs in VR = 1 hr in RW). While there are many virtual experiences in the future, there are two in particular where most people spend their time.

Virtual World

The biggest and most popular virtual realities are known as Nova Terra and Fantasia, both created by the same company, Horizon. Nova Terra is a vast fantasy world with its own history, culture, and economy that allows individuals to do nearly anything they can do in the real world, but with a few perks such as magic, mastery (which unlocks new skills/abilities), and non-permanent death. Fantasia is a virtual city where individuals can socialize and carry out business. Due to the number of people playing Nova Terra, in-game results can have significant economic benefits in the real world, i.e. from sale of goods or controlling access to important areas.

Nova Terra

Fantasia

Fantasia is a massive virtual city that sits parallel to the world of Nova Terra. Opened at the same time as the game, Fantasia boasts the same 7:1 time dilation as Nova Terra does and, as a result, has become the place where most of the real world's business takes place. Due to the virtual nature of Fantasia, almost everyone can afford to buy property in the city, creating their own virtual abode. The closer to the center of the city, the more expensive the property and the higher the social requirements. Virtual

When players log out of Nova Terra, or are killed, they are returned to their home location in Fantasia.