Primer  —  Apocalypse Eternal

Apocalypse Eternal is an MMORPG (multiplayer VR game) hosting four million subscribers on Anatali, all on one massive server. Set nine hundred years ago in the thirty-third century, it's a representation of the complex war following the Jensen-Almay dark energy disaster. The game itself is endless and follows an anachronistic timeline, though all forty-two major corporations, nations, terrorist-organizations and monarchies are accounted for.

Terraformed Venus is the battleground. Mountains, canyons and desert wastelands divide each nation, as do murky, sulfur-rich oceans and rivers. Most of Venus' colonial progress has already taken damage, with most cityscapes ruined except for the richest countries. The technology spans from primitive and conventional weaponry, to the highest of high-tech, sent from Earth and Mars.

The focus on the game is player verses-player-combat, though system-controlled creatures and quests can be enjoyed in lieu of participating in the war. Players can be as socially active as they choose, some becoming CEOs or Queens, while others content to be grunts on the seesaw frontlines. Characters can change combat careers, alliances and undergo plastic surgery to change their appearance. The one thing they can't change is their starting race, which had a much deeper impact than ethnicity.

Naturals are stock humans with little supernatural ability. Their versatility, rapid advancement and ease of play balances what many consider a fatal flaw—dependence on external weapons and equipment.

Cyborgs are a blend between Naturals, Robots and Mutants. They are highly versatile, can upgrade through technology, and rival mutants in dark energy ability. The main downside is the ridiculous amount of money required to sustain them, and the utter devotion required to compensate for their slow level advancement. Grinders, welcome!

Robots are a newbie and casual player's bread and butter. They rocket to amazing levels quickly and are inexpensive to upgrade. This is balanced by the fact no robot has ever been considered elite. They are too underpowered for one-on-one player-verses-player combat, but do quite well in mass-raids.

Mutants are the hardest race to master, but many consider the dark energy irradiants the most rewarding. Eventually, all mutants lose the need for money and equipment, but the path is difficult and frustrating. At high levels their fantastic abilities make it worth the effort.

The ebb and flow of political upheaval, poverty and wealth, and shifting loyalties are only interrupted in a handful of classic nations. Anatali, Io, Gloria and Jensen-Almay own the highest populations and are the front-runners in every major event. An amusing parallel is how real world politics often affects populations and alliances. A historical representation at the core, players choose sides based on their own beliefs and backgrounds.

Articles

• Anatali Academy   —   The largest university on Anatali Station.
• Anatali Corp   —   The history behind the future's most influential superpower.
• Anatali Station   —   Humanity's first Exodus-class Star Station.
• Apocalypse Eternal   —   This popular VR game hosts four million subscribers.
• Dark Energy Theory   —   The science that altered modern history.
• Gangs of Anatali   —   Background on Anatali's most infamous vigilantes.
• Mortality Shock   —   The end of immortality.
• Jensen-Almay Disaster  —   Part 1, Lead-up to Apocalypse Eternal.
• Apocalypse Eternal (war)   —   Part 2, Humanity's most deadly war.
• AE Aftermath   —   Part 3, how the war impacted the future.
• The Nome Incident   —   A cataclysm on Earth.