宇宙歷某年月日．晴
各位好，我是 Yoko。
這次要跟大家分享的並不是旅行日記，而是一段有趣的往事。
記得我的偶像 - John 的旅行日記在結集成書之前，他曾經把內容上載在自己的網頁分享。而當時作為小粉絲的我，也就自然不會錯過他的每次更新。
可是有一天，網頁上的日記突然全部被刪除。整個網頁上只剩下一條連結。按下連結之後隨即出現一個遊戲畫面。
「你好，挑戰者第 7777 號，我的名字叫 Vega。請戴上 VR 頭盔進行遊戲。」
畫面中出現一輛兔子外型的機器人在自我介紹。當我依照他的指示戴上 VR 頭盔之後，我看見自己身穿太空衣，並且身處在一艘太空船的機倉裡。
「挑戰者第 7777 號。我們的任務是要找出 John 埋藏在織女星地底深處的未公開旅行記錄。你準備好了嗎？」Vega 以舊式電子合成聲音向我說明遊戲，感覺十分有趣。
「那我們要怎樣做？」而我也開始投入起來，準備進行一連串的模擬星際歷險！
「首先我們要維修好這艘太空船。」
「嗯......？不是直接出發嗎？」
「嗯......？不是直接出發嗎？」
怎料，原以為是壯闊無比的太空尋寶任務，竟然因為太空船固障而無法開始。而接下來我就是跟隨著 VEGA 的指示，完成了一堆其實不需要 VR 裝置附助也無礙進行的 2D 小遊戲......不過我自問還是有很落力地參予其中就是了。
把太空船「維修」好之後，我心想總算可以回到駕駛倉準備出發了吧？可是......
「接下來，我們先要提煉燃料。」
「誒誒！？」
「誒誒！？」
當 Vega 再次跟我說明下一個跟遊戲主線無關的「任務」時，我總算意識到這並不是我想像中的大型冒險遊戲......而是一個廣告。
「Vega，很高興認識你。」
我禮貌地向 Vega 道別之後就直接登出遊戲。果然看見屏幕上出現一段介紹：
「星際旅行者 John 首本旅行記錄，將於宇宙歷 4 月 5 日出版。除了收錄從未公開過的織女星旅行記錄之外，首刷限量更隨書附送織女星機器人 Vega 吊墜一枚。」
現在回想起來，那個遊戲大概就是出版社想出來的低成本宣傳方法吧。不過當時的我仍然有因為 John 的旅行日記終於結集成書而興奮歡呼哩(笑)。
John，我到今天仍然是念念不忘，希望終有一天能夠玩到那個遊戲的真正完成版本哩......
-Yoko
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Someday in the Space Calendar. Sunny.
Hello everyone, I’m Yoko.
What I want to share with you this time is not an entry of my travelling journal, rather it’s an interesting anecdote from the past.
I remember that before my idol, John, made his travelling journal entries into a book, he uploads its contents onto his blog. And as his young fan back then, I wouldn’t miss a single update for the world.
But then one day, all the journal entries on the blog was erased. All that’s left on the webpage was a link. After I clicked on it, a game screen appeared.
“Hello, challenger 7777, my name is Vega. Please wear a VR helmet to continue with the game.”
A robot with the appearance of a rabbit appeared on the screen and introduced itself. When I put on a VR helmet following its instructions, I saw myself in a space suit and was standing in a spaceship.
“Challenger 7777, our mission is to find the unpublished journal entries John has buried deep underneath the ground of Vega. Are you ready?” Vega explained the game to me in an interesting old electronically synthesised voice.
“So what do we do?” I’m starting to get excited about the virtual space journey that I’m about to have!
“First, we have to fix this ship.”
“Oh...? We’re not launching off straight away?”
Who would have thought the first obstacle in our space treasure hunt mission is a technical malfunction? I then completed a bunch of 2D games that doesn’t really require a VR device, but I still try my hardest to participate in them.
After I ‘fixed’ the spaceship I thought I could go back to the cockpit to get ready for flight.
.
.
But...
“Now, we have to extract the fuel.”
“What?!”
Just when Vega explained another mission that’s unrelated to the main plot of the game, I realised this is not a big adventure game like I had thought... it’s an advertisement.
“Vega, it was very nice to meet you.”
I logout of the game right after I politely bid Vega farewell. Sure enough, there’s a short summary on the screen.
“Space traveller John’s first travelling journal will be published on Space Calendar April 5th. In addition to the never-before-seen journal entries on Vega, the first book will also include a charm necklace of the robot Vega.”
Looking back now, that game is probably a low-cost advertisement by the publisher to promote his book. But at that time, I was still so happy about John’s travelling journal finally being published as a book collection, that I screamed with excitement. (laughs)
John, I still cherish this memory today, and hope that I can one day get to play the real completed version of the game...
- Yoko
