A vast room, sky blue, circular, empty.

Light effects really sweet and eery.

The impression to live in a body that is not his for the first time…

Jules is a little bit lost.

Soon appears in front of him someone wearing the colours of Alter Life’s logo : brown for the pants, red for the belt, the shirt and the jacket light grey with golden buttons.

“Welcome in Alter Life. I’m Peter the butler. From now on, I will be your guide in the first phase of the game. Do you want to follow the tutorial?”

A screen appeared in front of Jules:

Main quest 1: Complete the tutorial.

Alter Life is a virtual world with complex mechanics. Newcomers might get lost. Peter propose to accompany you in your first steps. Do you want his help? You just have to answer by yes or no.

“Is it going to be long. I prefer to play right now.”

“The tutorial can be stopped whenever you want. It can also be taken back after. Skipping it might prevent you from benefiting of some options displayed by the game.”

Remembering the instructions given by his aunt, Jules chose not to loose another minute and declined the offer.

“It’s nice from you, but I will manage on my own.”

“It’s OK, Freedom is one of the top values in Alter Life. I stay available if you need, you just have to ask.”

Peter disappeared in a light fully enveloping him.

“Excellent, now, I can begin the real thing!”

***

A new screen appeared in front of him, like the previous one:

Choose your race. Right now, available races are: human, orc, undead, troll, elf, undine, salamander, sylph, gnome, werewolves, goblin, skaven.

Others will be available when they will be unlocked.

It’s a dozen races living in Alter Life, if you count only those available for the players, right now.

Every one has its own history, its cultural background, its pros and cons, its territories, its specific quests...

Jules knows very well what he wants, because he has to follow his aunt instructions.

“I will take a human, warrior class, living in Souabe kingdom, in Offenburg village. Is it possible?”

The voice of Peter answered, although he was no longer visible.

“Of course. You will appear in Offenburg village. Are you ready?”

Jules got a twinge.

He spent quite some time studying various species quite deeply, and he had a weak for undead.

Black energy used by necromancers allows them to move undead armies.

This energy can concentrate to reinforce considerably the strength and resistance of undead units, and can reanimate any unit lost in battle.

No ageing, no loyalty problem, no tiredness, natural resistance to fear, to multiple poisons, and many other assets…

The downside is huge: undead are enemies of nearly all the living, and healing magic, widely used by them, is a killer for any unit coming back to haunt the living.

Jules got another twinge.

He had so many questions to ask, and his aunt insisted for joining as soon as possible Gandock knight, and he didn’t know how he would recognize him...

***

The world disappeared around Jules, and a new scenery appeared.

A small village, maybe 30 houses, in a really rustic style.

Everything seemed even more archaic than in the ideas he got about middle age: the tallest building was not more than 2 floor, no terrace could be seen in height, windows where square and small, walls were covered with white lime, but a dirty white, seemingly falling apart…

Like any other beginner, Jules began trying to move his fingers, arms, to move a little bit, to take a deep breath...

“That’s it! Alter Life, here I am!”

Some walking people looked at him, with an amused smile.

Some characters had a symbol on the top of their head: yellow exclamation marks for most of them, a green question mark for an old man, and nothing for others that seemed to have important things to do.

Jules got close to the man with a question mark.

“Oh, a newcomer! I suppose you came to help our village? If you do what I ask you, you will be well rewarded!”

“Well, truth would be I’m looking for a certain knight. Have you ever heard of a so-called Gandock?”

“Gandock? Of course! He is just behind you!”

Turning around, Jules faced a man, about forty, salt and pepper hair but already white for a large part, heat-worked face, seeming to have seen many things…

Next to him, a little bit behind, another man, looking barely younger, with round glasses and a serious face.

“You should be Jules, son of man?”

***

In his head, Jules couldn’t understand what just happened.

His mission consisted in… spying… a knight by getting close to him.

Before two minutes passed in this village, this very knight fell on him, and his imposing air had something oppressive.

“Gandock knight, isn’t it?”

“Oh, this young boy answers to questions with other questions… that might get interesting. Sure, I am Si Gandock, and here is Emile, my faithful right arm. Lady Priscilla told me she would appoint me a squire, it must be you, isn’t it?”

A squire? Me? Am I daydreaming?

“Aunty Priscy told you what?”

“Emile, he matches with the description, don’t you think so? Little newbie lost, discovering Alter Life for the first time, and with a strong head.”

Newbie? A noob is a new gamer, but it’s pejorative. It’s not really kind.

For the strong head part, we just met not two minutes ago.

Oh, and I’m not lost at all!

“Hey, you must be mistaking, I’m not lost. I had to find you, and you know what? It’s done. I think I’m quite efficient.”

Gandock burst out laughing, and Emile seemed to smile so strongly that it had to make his zygomatic suffer.

“I’m asked to babysit, and the little chick I have to take care of is already seeing himself as an great eagle? Lady Priscilla told me you would do the trick as a squire, but it remains to be proven. Would you take my challenges?”

A screen appeared in front of Jules, like the one in the character choice room.

Gandock quest: Becoming a squire

Are you ready to face sir Gandock challenges?

***

Why having answered yes so quickly?

Why going head on first when you don’t know what is gonna happen?

And why having to hit with a wooden sword on a straw dummy teasing with buttons made eyes?

All the charm of Alter Life is in adventure, discovery of new places and fight against monster, isn’t it?

What am I doing in this courtyard, repeating the same move, again and again?

“90… is it going to keep on going for long?”

“Ten more hits, and it should be OK.”

Gandock also hit on a dummy, with a wooden sword, but this one was more like a big trunk.

Each stroke notched the wood and made visible the sapwood inside.

If you had to compare it to Jules, this one seemed powerless in front of his straw dummy teasing him silently, with his two buttons eyes…

“And why do I have to remove my notifications, and even effects on characters for interactions?”

“If you want to become my squire, you have to follow my way of living. I put you in the same conditions as me… look, it’s 100, it seems you have something in your arms, after all. Do you want to go in the big bath, now?

“I’m not here to be considered as a baby! Hitting stupidely on a dummy is meaningless. I wan’t a real challenge!”

“Very good, follow me.”

Next to the village was a little lake, filled with creatures unknown for Jules.

“You want to do things more interesting?”

“For sure!”

“If you swim to the other side of the lake, we will!”

…

…

...

... I don't know how to swim!