The Rules
Arcadia is the name of the game, containing a world where there’s no line between reality and
virtual reality. This world is controlled by S4Y, the organic CPU with incredible AI capacity,
positioned inside the main building of Arcadia. If you would look out over the city, you would
know which building it is because of the Siren, a powerful signal transmitter on top of the
building that provides the citizens with the Final Generation Network, with limitless speed. All of
Arcadias communication, news, and other information is sent out from that building.
As the siren pushes all those ones and zeroes up in the sky it creates a blinding light which
forces people to wear S4Y’s protective AI lenses, or they would eventually go blind. The lenses
also works as a smart-device, providing social media, news and more, right in front of your
eyes.
What the people don’t know is that the lenses also enables augmented reality. When a person
wearing them might see something that can be negative about S4Y, reality changes to
something more S4Y-positive. S4Y can’t control the citizens of Arcadia, but it controls every
piece of information that reaches them, making them slaves without them even knowing it.
The great security that surrounds S4Y consists of thousands of cameras monitored by the CPU
itself, and the AI police force, led by Mr Rowzell. He is the first ”hybrid-human” prototype and
was handpicked by S4Y because of his huge ego. His mentality makes him easy to control and
the chip installed in his neck puts him in motorized control by S4Y. A perfect marionette
displayed as the role model of Arcadia.
The one that plays the game, enters Arcadia as Apoc: the outsider that’s been living off the grid,
unaware of the way regular people live their lives. Shocked by what he sees, he sets out on a
mission to end the control of S4Y and make people live freely, making their own choices based
on true information.
Apoc has been living alone in the periphery of this world. He doesn’t really know much about his starting point in life, except that someone must have wanted him to begin there. Someone built this base and placed him there.
As time goes by, Apoc leaves the base to explore the world.
It doesn’t take long before he starts to see some kind of city in the horizon. The first thing that hits him is the siren. The power of the that signal transmitter creates so much tension in the air, it’s like a digital thunderstorm that sounds like something he has never heard before. The light coming from it is blinding, but thanks to his mask, it is still manageable. The signal that’s being sent from the siren creates a big cloud above that makes no room for sunlight to break through. Seems like the city is stuck in constant night with the beam of the siren, replacing the sun.
Episode 2: Wake Up
Apoc enters the city, becoming one with the shadows. He aims for the big building with the transmitter on top of it. As he’s coming closer he sees a sign saying: ”AI-zone”, and from that point on, he sees no people on the streets. Being this close to the main building, the sound of the siren is almost unbearable. He gets a bad feeling and turns in another direction as he wants to find out more before getting any closer.
As he observes the citizens, he gets a feeling that everyone is sleepwalking. Like they’re in a dream, seeing objects that isn’t there. ”What’s wrong with people?”
Episode 3: Arcadia
Apoc monitors the behavior of the citizens which leads him to a place the where lots of people seem to be gathering. After a while, loud music starts and the same big robot-like guy enters the stage: ”Please give a warm welcome to AI-president, Mr Rowzell!” and the people cheers. As Mr Rowzell appears, a message shows up on a big screen behind him and they all read it together:
”It’s illegal to talk to strangers. If approached by strangers, don’t believe everything they say. Trust only in the power and truth of S4Y. Together, we protect the freedom of Arcadia!”
While the crowd was reading the message, Apoc has seen a girl that makes him feel something he has never felt before. His
stomach goes all warm and he feels the need to know why she is doing this to him. Hidden by the crowd he gets close to her. She turns her head and looks at Apoc, and as he is about to say something to her, Mr Rowzells left eyes changes color to red and ha screams: ”STRANGER!”. He starts running through the crowd, showing no mercy for anyone standing in his way. Apoc realizes he’s coming towards him and leaves the area. ”How the hell did he see me?”
Episode 4: Everything They S4Y
To find out if there’s anyone like-minded out there, he makes a glitch in S4Ys propaganda message the next day. A simple change of one letter, making S4Y point out itself as the one you can’t trust: ”Don’t believe everything they s4y”. The line repeats itself over and over again, and the crowd reads along: ”Don’t believe everything they s4y”.
Apoc was hoping to spark some new thoughts and was looking for reactions from people, but it backfires. The only reaction that came was from S4Y that traced the glitch back to Apoc, by immediately going through all of its video surveillance material and finding out that it was Apoc being responsible for the glitch. A reward is put out for any information that leads to his capture.
Episode 5: All Eyes On You
The whole world is on the lookout for him and from now on, he have to be extra careful with every move. As he is moving in the shadows of the city, he hears someone say ”Hey Stranger”. Apoc freezes.
”Just listen and stay hidden, you never know if big brother’s watching” says a guy with his back turned against him. ”I’m guessing the glitch at todays meeting was made by you, which means that we’re seeing the same reality. ”
Apoc gets to listen to what a guy called Chris has to say about Arcadia. He’s using sunglasses so no one can that he’s no longer using his AI-lenses anymore. This way, he can walk around in Arcadia and see the methods that S4Y is using to maintain control.
Suddenly, a big light comes on, shining on Chris Adam. He is surrounded by the AI-police. Mr Rowzell throws him in to a vehicle and says ”the stranger led us straight to him!”. The fly away into the AI-zone as Apoc watches from the shadows, realizing he is the reason why Chris got caught. He must have been monitored since his little glitch.
Episode 6: Forever Alone
Being wanted by S4Y means that Apoc can’t have anybody close. It would mean putting him and the ones close to him in unnecessary danger. Apoc enters an abandoned building which he start making his hideout. He feels sad that he’s the reason why Chris got caught and wonders if this really is a mission worth taking on. Maybe he should return to his base again and avoid this world? He blasts some music, dances on his own, takes a couple of drinks and watches the people down on the street. He spots the girl he had seen in the crowd
Will he be able to continue or has he given up his big mission?
Episode 7: The Chosen One
As he wakes up, Apoc realizes that he is the only one that could stop S4Y from turning the citizens into slaves. He is the chosen one and his is the mission he was waiting for. He starts working on a master plan of how to stop S4Y from transmitting it’s propaganda. The plan includes a fast vehicle so he starts modifying an old car standing in the garage of the building. As he walks out to find some parts that he needs, he faces Mr Rowzell that was waiting for him. Apoc fights not to get taken to the AI-zone and the fight ends with Dr Rowzell crushing Apoc under his foot.
Episode 8: Godsent
Apoc wakes up again at his base at the periphery of Arcadia. He remembers everything that happened before he died and realizes that he isn’t a human. He must be a part of this game, the bug that could take down S4Y. He becomes self- aware. He can see the player of the game, as a silhouette in the sky. Like a god that’s guiding him through his mission.
He start’s practicing and leveling up so he will become strong enough to defeat Mr Rowzell. And when he feels ready, he once again sets off towards Arcadia to get his revenge.
Episode 9: EGO
This episode contains the big fight against
With great power comes great… Ego. Dr Rowzell has had an eye on Apoc since he entered Arcadia and won’t let him anywhere near S4Y. Apoc knows that he’s the underdog as long as Mr Rowzell has his AI-police force and surveillance with him, so he decides to draw him out to a man-to-man street fight which his ego can’t resist. He’d rather be dead than thought of as a coward by the people of Arcadia.
This time, Apoc defeats Mr Rowzell by a blow to the neck which disables his ”hybrid human”-chip. Mr Rowzell walks away with a severely damaged ego.
Episode 10: Bend The Rules
The night before Apoc is supposed to launch his plan of blowing S4Y up, he sneaks out in the city to find the girl he saw from roof top. He know it’s against the rules but he doesn’t wanna risk dying tomorrow without knowing more about that feeling that girl gives him. He finds her after a while and they spend the night walking around in the city holding hands, getting to know each other through the universal language of… love <3
Episode 12: Counting On Me When the transition from the siren stopped, the AI-lenses went black. People couldn’t see unless they took them out. This made them realize that a lot of things had been altered by S4Y to control them, and they could see the ”ugly truth”. Apoc expected the people to see him as the hero that set them free. But instead, almost everyone are disappointed that they now have to return to the real world. They see Apoc as a villain that did great damage to the city.
Episode 11: Big Bang As the night turns to digital dawn, It’s time to launch Apocs masterplan. Using his superfast vehicle, he outruns the AI-police and reaches the S4Y building. As he blows the gate open he is shot by AI-weapons and falls to the ground dead. But since he understands how the game works, he restarts where he was shot, stands up och destroys the AI-weapons. He reaches the CPU-core and stops for a second to look at what looks like a big organic heart that sends out the pulses to the siren. He insert a SiP-virus into the mainframe computer that will send the CPU into meltdown. Apoc barely makes it to safety before the core explodes, taking down the whole building.
Episode 13: Mad World Apoc is shocked to see that S4Y is rebooting and starts transmitting from the siren again. The citizens sees that the lenses has ”come to life again” and chose to go back to the digital world, knowing that they’re letting S4Y control their lives again. Only Chris Adam 2 more people chose to join with apoc to help him fight against S4Y.
S4Y starts installing the ”Hybrid Human”-chip in citizens and they can’t let that happen. That would put S4Y in total control of humanity. They set out on a mission to reach out to the people before it’s too late, hoping more people will join them.