Falcata vs. Caps Lock - Winner: Falcata (by Default)
Falcata and Caps Lock Play Games - by Falcata's Author
Mindcraft, the newest game from Snow Vision entertainment, and brainchild of one rather happy grey-coated unicorn computer scientist named Caps Lock. Developed to cater as a filly and colt friendly game that parents could not object to, the game was already on the lips of everypony that owned a Personal Pony Computer, and it had just gone into Open Beta. Caps Lock attributed this to her game’s sandbox environment, charming 2-bit artwork, and sheer ability for users to customize and build nearly anything they wanted with the various different blocks in the game.
Right now though, Caps Lock was sitting next to Falcata, her newest friend and one of the beta-testers for Mindcraft. The golden-yellow pegasus was staring at the screen with some concern and was using her only remaining forehoof to scratch her silver-grey mane, while her right wing’s feathers guided the mouse of the computer.
“We must “Storm the Tower”?” asked Falcata, her brow furrowed at the mini-game’s name.
Caps Lock nodded as she brushed a lock of her frizzy pink mane out of her face. “Our team of two against another team of two. The tower has a lot of traps, but we can do pretty much anything to it to get to the top and destroy their tower of gold blocks. At the end of the round, we switch. The team that was fastest in damaging or destroying the opposing team’s gold tower wins.”
“Do we have access to the TNT?” asked Falcata looking at Caps Lock with a pleading expression.
Shaking her head, Caps Lock stretched to crack a few kinks in her neck. “Nope. They might though, and I think they have anvils.”
Falcata groaned. “The dreaded anvils. No matter, forward the bluffs! We must crush our opponents and burn their fortress to the ground!”
Caps Lock chuckled, her mind casting itself back to the day when she first met her strange, new friend.
She had met Falcata at a nice little milkshake place a few weeks ago, and had been astonished to find out that Falcata was a thousand year old Equestrian legionary that had been time displaced, thanks to being petrified by a cockatrice. Eager to introduce the pegasus to modern day Equestrian technology, Caps Lock had introduced Falcata to her Joyboy game, Battlemare: Knightsworn.
Strangely enough, after Caps Lock had familiarized Falcata with what exactly was a Joyboy, a Personal Pony Computer, and the concept of a “video game,” she had received some rather enlightening results.
Flashback to a few weeks ago...
“This… “game” of yours, I do not like it,” said Falcata as she gave back Caps Lock’s Joyboy.
Caps Lock frowned. “Why not? You seemed to enjoy it at first.”
Falcata grimaced. “You are correct. I like the story of the hero, and her quest to regain her honor, but as I progressed through the “missions,” I found many things that I detracted from my enjoyment of this “game.””
Leaning forward across the cafe’s table Caps Lock’s eyes widened inquisitively. “Like?”
Swallowing Falcata pointed to the gladius affixed to her side. “Knights at the time didn’t use massive swords like that. Perhaps they do now, but before the unification, they preferred shorter, more wieldy, blades like the one I have.”
Taking out a notepad Caps Lock nodded and jotted that down. “And?”
Pursing her lips Falcata tapped the table as she explained. “The armor in the game is inaccurate. We legionaries did not wear segmented plate until after the unification of the tribes, and it did not impede our ability to move. In fact, it actually allowed for us to fight more effectively.”
Wincing slightly, Caps Lock continued to jot down the information.
“That’s some good feedback. Keep going.”
Frowning, Falcata paused for a moment before waving her remaining forehoof, and then pointing to the Joyboy’s control stick and arrow bar configuration.
"Well... my injuries make my situation unique, but is there a way to alter the way these “keys” work? I find it very difficult to make my character do what I want her to do.”
“Hmm? That is a good point. Adding the option to modify the control bindings of the game would help with players who don’t like the preset controls. Some players have actually expressed some interest in making their own custom key bindings or modding the game for PPC use and it would help if—” Caps Lock blinked and noticed Falcata cocking an eyebrow.
“I went on a monologue again did I?” asked Caps Lock sheepishly. At Falcata’s nod, Caps Lock blushed. “Sorry, please continue.”
Falcata nodded and glanced at the Joyboy’s paused screen. “There is also something about the villain that I do not understand…”
After having filled a notebook, Caps Lock had immediately asked Falcata if she would like to beta-test another of her company’s games. The pegasus’s feedback had come like a report, with military-like precision, and was rather useful to the departments in her company that were developing their next Battlemare game.
One of the games Caps Lock had been eager to ask Falcata to look over was her brainchild, Mindcraft. However, she had not been initially sure how the legionary would take to her game. It had barely any violence or gore after all and no story.
Needless to say, she had been surprised once again.
A week ago…
“I really like this game. It is uhhh… what did you say the word for something very good was for?” asked Falcata, a grin stretching almost from ear to ear despite the fact she was blinking rapidly, and her eyes at times seemed almost too wide.
“Cool?” asked Caps Lock, her hoof scratching her pink mane. The unicorn was perplexed. She had finally, after three straight hours, managed to pull the pegasus legionary away from the PPC, sit her down, and shove a mug of water in front of her. However, Caps Lock couldn’t figure out why did Falcata, a warrior bred in a world filled with thrill and danger, like a game focused so primarily on building things? This was just the casual adventure mode, not the heart pounding survival mode!
And yet, Falcata was nodding fervently as if she had just stumbled across a pot of gold.
“Yes! This game is cool! I wasn’t quite sure what to do with my character first, but then I realized that I could build my very own castle, and so I did! I built a stone wall, made some watchtowers, and even started on a moat. I plan to fill it with lava! I am not quite certain how to build a drawbridge though—”
“Why do you like this game though?” asked Caps Lock, gently cutting Falcata off. Her notepad poised to jot down Falcata’s feedback.
Falcata didn't answer immediately, and when she did it was in a quiet tone. “You can do anything in this game,” she said. Closing her eyes for a moment, the pegasus tapped on the table, lips pursed. “This… Mindcraft, gives you so many ways to create things. That is why I like it.”
Caps Lock nodded, writing Falcata’s feedback down. It was concurrent with the responses given by the rest of the testers, and that of her colleagues, but she still didn’t get it.
“Glad you like it so much. I am surprised though that you of all ponies would like a game like this so much,” said Caps Lock with a smile.
Falcata blinked. “What do you mean?”
Caps Lock giggled. “I mean, you’re a warrior. I kinda of expected you would like games like Battlemare and not something like this.” Falcata frowned as Caps Lock quickly explained. “Mindcraft does have a survival mode, which I wanted to show you first, but it wasn’t ready, so I could only let you play the rather peaceful adventure mode. Yet, you seem to like it. Why’s that?”
Falcata didn’t respond immediately, but Caps Lock soon noticed a solemn pall come over her friend’s features. The expression looked so alarmingly out of place on the pegasus's normally cheerful expression that Caps Lock got up and ran around the table to Falcata's side.
“Falcata? Sorry! I said something wrong did I? Did I hurt your feelings or did I—”
“I’m alright, miss Caps Lock,” said Falcata, wearing a small, forced smile.
“But you’re not,” said Caps Lock.
“Not entirely, but I am not hurt by what you said,” said Falcata, in a firmer tone this time. She looked Caps Lock in the eye. “I believe I liked your game so much because for a while, it let me feel like I could create a place where I could fit. It gave me control over a world that I could shape to my own fashion.”
Caps Lock frowned. “I don’t understand, you do fit in Equestria.”
Falcata sighed. “Miss Caps Lock, I am a pony out of time, a soldier in an era of peace.” She waggled the stump of her missing leg. “In my era, things like this were so common that we paid no attention to them, but now, I draw the stares of everypony I come across. I may be welcomed by Equestria, but I do not believe I will ever truly fit in this new world of yours.” Looking away, Falcata took her mug and sipped from it.
“I believe it is getting late. I will retire to my room.” The pegasus rose to her hooves and trotted toward the guest room of Caps Lock’s house, where she was staying for the duration of the Mindcraft tests. She barely got a foot away though when Caps Lock shouted:
“No!”
Falcata turned, brow furrowed. “What do you—”
But Caps Lock would have none of it though. Trotting up, she poked Falcata in the chest, her eyes narrowed. “You’re not going to give up finding a place for yourself.”
Falcata frowned. “I never said I was giving up.”
Caps Lock shook her head. “Then don’t be so down about it! I’ve told you that only a few years ago there were no such things as Personal Pony Computers. Well that meant there was practically nopony with a cutie mark like mine, or even an interest in developing mass produced software and hardware. Those old fogies said it was too expensive to mass produce computers for such trivial purposes.” Caps Lock puffed out her chest a bit, a proud grin on her face. “Well I and a few others showed them wrong! They said their was no place for Personal Pony Computers, for software and game development studios like Snow Vision. Well, we carved out our place.”
Her eyes affixed to Falcata’s, Caps Lock took a deep breath, and declared. “I know you can do the same.”
Falcata had simply stood still as Caps Lock spoke and as she had finished, the pegasus still said nothing, or even showed the slightest trace of emotion, apart from contemplation. Caps Lock cringed, watching and waiting for the pegasus to move.
“Have you ever considered trying to take a position of leadership, Caps Lock?” Falcata asked.
Caps Lock shook her head rapidly. “Uhh, no?” she spluttered.
A smile, a genuine one, a grateful one made its way to Falcata’s features.
“Because I believe you would be a rather good leader.” Falcata took a deep breath and exhaled. “Thank you for speaking some sense into me, Caps Lock. I was being… what do you call it? ‘mopey’ right?”
Caps Lock giggled. “You got it, and it’s my pleasure.”
Present...
“And we are in the game!” exclaimed Falcata, knocking Caps Lock from her thoughts. Caps Lock grinned as she rotated her camera to see the former legionary’s avatar, which was what else but an armored pony, spawned in the room.
“Get to the chest and grab the equipment! We’ll need vines, bows and arrows, swords and diamond pickaxes, but don’t get too many of them,” ordered Caps Lock as she herself opened one of the nearby chests.
“Why not?” asked Falcata, mystified as she grabbed the necessary items.
“Because we’re going to die a lot,” said Caps Lock as she opened the door and charged out.
Falcata frowned, her avatar closely following Caps Locks’s. “Die? But it is just a tower… Oh my.”
The tower they were about to storm lay ahead of them. It was a massive, circular structure, built from stone blocks, arrayed with battlements and machicolations, surrounded by a moat of water, and Falcata could see that the approach to it was guarded with tripwires linked to some dreadful trap.
Oh, and the tower had dispensers in the side that were now firing arrows. They were falling short, but more continued to come, creating a waterfall of arrows any attacker had to pass through.
“Woah. This is a truly magnificent fortress,” said Falcata, in awe of the creation on her screen.
Caps Lock chuckled. “I know right? All that complicated red stone marking and placing of the traps. It’s ingenious!”
“Are you ready to raze it to the ground?” asked Falcata, equipping her pickaxe.
“You bet!”
And the two avatars of the two mares charged forward into the hail of arrows, pickaxes ready to bite into the tower’s wall. They died many times, and Falcata’s screams of frustration echoed through the room as she was hit by anvils again and again, but they didn’t really mind.
After all, playing computer games with a friend is a really fun.
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Sorry I couldn't show up, Falcata! Was just tired all week. :/ Lovely entry though. ^^
I thought I remembered the story of how Falcata was turned to stone better than I actually did. After consulting the sheet it was technically a cockatrice that turned her to stone, but that isn't really the impression I got while reading the first entry for Falcata. I'm being pretty nitpicky about this, but I believe that a small mention of an evil witch might have helped with clarity, because the witch probably left a stronger impression on the readers than the cockatrice.
That being said, I enjoyed this more than the Falcata entry last round. It just felt all around better to me, so I'm not going to name anything specific.
Well done, with significant world building!
Hopefully she'll actually face off against somepony next round.
I only skimmed through this one because I wanted to see how the third story handled Caps Lock+Out-of-Time-Pony. Aside from her comments and choices on games, though, it looks like Falcata could have been any friend of Caps Lock, and that's even more unacceptable for a character like Falcata or Loosestrife than all the other OC's I've said that about.
I'm also not sure about the repeated flashbacks. Were those really necessary for a story like this, about a pony with a unique perspective beta testing games? It also occurs to me that Falcata is a terrible choice for a beta tester. She's about as much of an outlier as it's possible to be. Letting her play unreleased games as a friend is fine, but testing?
Also, Minecraft didn't have anvils in beta. Shame on you.
The author had good ideas--Falcata's speech about being out of place, Caps Lock pointing out that she too was out of place in a way, and a few other things--but I miss Loosestrife and her hilarious out-of-time anachronism.
This feels a lot like what Caps Lock did with Loosestrife, while simultaneously not being as interesting as Falcata's last entry. Mostly, I'm just mad I lost to someone who didn't show up in round two. D: The things we could have made.