• Amberlight

    So… that’s virtual reality PTSD treatment?

    • You’ll see ;) I’m confident by the end of this sequence you’ll have an answer.

    • Adriano #WR

      Virtual reality and intelligent AI… Am I already in heaven ?

  • Adriano #WR

    I regularly vote in TWC :)
    And I play the game ^^

    • Delta-v

      And you comment. That’s three pluses. :)

      • Adriano #WR

        Yep !
        Commenting here is always fun :)
        I wish I could support you in Patreon, but I don’t work.
        If I had a job, (regular pay) I’d support TDA :)

        • NickDA

          No worries man… Its awesome to have you in the community, that “liveliness” of our community will continue to attract interested people, and that is pretty damn important for us as well :D

          • Adriano #WR

            Oh, thank you ^^ I’m glad to be part of this awesome adventure :)

            Even if Dan doesn’t want to share his secrets… Hiiisss !

  • Neil Kapit

    Of course it’s not real, the buildings are all intact!

  • Clearly it’s because they’re throwing him a surprise party.

  • NickDA

    I love how this page gives a sense of the scale of Arkjut and the view from above on the roof tops.

  • Sebastian Grey

    Serious question, here. The girl made it out alive, right? Cause nothing would be more depressing than getting totally destroyed and not even able to save the life of the one living civilian you found. And it would be touching as hell to watch the little girl and Tenzin interact when neither of them is on the verge of death.

    • What you want me to spoil what could potentially be a very touching/emotional/powerful reveal (with either outcome?) :P

      • Sebastian Grey

        Haha, I guess not… Just consider it a vote for her survival. Because at the end of the day, I like to believe that the good guys can protect the innocent. Even if it costs them everything. Give you three guesses as to why :P

        • Vote noted. I’ll just say that her fate is already determined and that she plays an important role yet in the story. You may that that as you wish ;)

        • Delta-v

          When we last saw her, she was upright, and Tenzin was kind of a messy, incomplete jigsaw puzzle. The got him out at least partially alive, so I’d say her chances were above average-she might be missing a few pieces, herself`, although she looked fairly intact from what I could see.

          • Sebastian Grey

            True, but I get the sneaking suspicion that the disaster stick isn’t gone, it’s just poised above Tenzin’s head ready for a good rap to the morale. He’s not totally broken yet. Yet. Mr. Sharp is a sadistic creator god (in the very nicest of ways), and all things are possible.

          • You wound me :P

          • Sebastian Grey

            In the nicest possible way! I put a disclaimer in there! Just wait till you see the siege kick off, I’m not exactly the nicest o folk either :P

          • NickDA

            My exceeding levels of niceness serve to keep his sadism in check… actually, I remember a lot of the early design period, the story quickly got a lot darker than Dan originally liked or was comfortable with. But that was more of a symptom of the pacing… this is still very much kinda the pre-setup for the real character development, which is far less dark.

          • Matt [in Middletown]

            Far less dark…
            Scene: Minerva break room. Viktor has arranged a wall of sandbags around a table, and is suspiciously staring at a bowl set on the table. Jorge has said bowl covered with his rifle. This is the image that greats Tenzin as he arrives.
            “Uh..what is this?” -Tenzin
            “Is popcorn. Might be rigged. But we have plan, is GOOD plan.” -Viktor hefts a brick and signals to Jorge.
            “And this is why we can’t keep break rooms intact. I will have you know, I DID lobby for an entertainment system.” Tenzin prepares his coffee and watches the conclusion unfold.

          • NickDA

            I need to get my CDC machine… then I am totally engraving the Minerva logo into a standard red brick… and we will send Brick #1 prototype to Matt!

          • Matt [in Middletown]

            LOL!
            Standard advanced tactical brick.
            Conveniently weighted, advanced gripping edge, fully ballistic, and portable!
            *insert image of Baseball cap Viktor holding brick and smiling*
            Be the first to own your very own standard issue advanced tactical brick!
            Operators are standing by!
            *Jorge and Jane manning the phones*

          • Matt [in Middletown]

            I truly am a monster…

          • Delta-v

            I can understand your concern. In fact, if you go back to Ch2, p 24, and Ch 3, p 15, and read the comments, you’ll see me worrying about her survival, and exulting at her appearing to have done so.

            And while Dan is very pleased with your distress, it has less to do with sadism, and more to do with said distress revealing just how deeply you have “bought in” to the story. When a reader becomes emotionally involved with the characters, it says that the writer has succeeded in making them come to life. Something that always makes an author’s day. :)

      • Matt [in Middletown]

        They’re both injured, and Jane is talking to both their heads in realtime, in stereo?
        We’re just not seeing her conversation with the girl yet?
        / naaaah, that’s not likely. About as likely as the rabbit foo-wait, where’d this foot come from-AUGH!

    • NickDA

      Yeah… I was gonna say “maybe” but that is all Dan ever lets me say… :(

      • I’m so evil, never letting you spoil plot months and years ahead of the current page :P

  • Nice scenery!

  • theRoUS

    ♬ “Tommy, can you hear me?” ♪

  • smurfton

    I can go for a fake memory. That can be cool.