(L) Sword Art Online - Light Novel Discussion

[ZIK5ZIK]

There is but one ultimate way- is a joke chapter(Reki Kawahara) or the real ending of the canon(novel)?

[Ray]

Originally Posted by ZIK5ZIK

There is but one ultimate way- is a joke chapter(Reki Kawahara) or the real ending of the canon(novel)?

It's not canon, so yeah, just a joke chapter. ;p

[Netto Azure]

Reading the Material Editions...it feels like canon so much. The Algade one was lulzy. XD

[Swordstriker21]

Originally Posted by Netto Azure

Reading the Material Editions...it feels like canon so much. The Algade one was lulzy. XD

Aaah the ramen that isn't ramen that even made the taciturn Heathcliff react Wonder how it actually tasted

[tomtkp]

SAO's sales has been great last week in Japan. Anime adaptation did give the light novel sales a power boost this time.

Oricon bunko weekly ranking (July 9th - July 15th 2012)

*7位 *26,006部　241,369部　09/04/08　1195日　ソードアート・オンライン　１　アインクラッド
11位　*21,896部　199,275部　09/08/06　1075日　ソードアート・オンライン　２　アインクラッド
17位　*17,589部　181,492部　09/12/08　*951日　ソードアート・オンライン　３　フェアリィ・ダンス
20位　*15,464部　177,196部　10/04/08　*830日　ソードアート・オンライン　４　フェアリィ・ダンス
26位　*12,805部　164,946部　10/08/08　*708日　ソードアート・オンライン　５　ファントム・バレット
30位　*11,633部　160,510部　10/12/08　*586日　ソードアート・オンライン　６　ファントム・バレット
41位　**9,693部　155,684部　11/04/08　*465日　ソードアート・オンライン　７　マザーズ・ロザリオ
40位　**9,736部　156,452部　11/08/10　*341日　ソードアート・オンライン　８　アーリー・アンド・レイト
38位　*10,127部　156,730部　12/02/10　*157日　ソードアート・オンライン　９　アリシゼーション・ビギニング
*1位　109,231部　109,231部　12/07/10　***6日　ソードアート・オンライン　１０　アリシゼーション・ランニング

First column- ranking
Second column- weekly sales
Third column- cumulative sales
Fourth column- release day
Fifth column- Number of days since the release day
Sixth column- Series and volume title

Points to be considered:

1. All 10 volumes shot themselves into top 50.
2. Volume 10 ranked first with more than 100 thousand copies sold in less than a week.
3. The cumulative weekly sales of all 10 volumes is approximately 244 thousand copies.

Power boost from anime really is horrifying.

[Ray]

Oh, wow.. horrifying, indeed.

It's great news, though. :3

[Wild Goose]

Originally Posted by novalysis

No, but the ability to write essays and correspond just by thinking words out would be invaluable. Imagine how fast you can churn a paper just by thinking of the words, instead of typing.

amusingly, Asuna logs into ALO to do her homework, and uses a virtual hologram keyboard for her typing.

I don't really see the keyboard going out of fashion, because as a touch typist I find that I can type faster than I can think, at times.

There are ways to tweak VR training for education too, for instance. You could use VR training for Public Speaking, or practicing speeches. You could use VR training for negotiating skills- this would be especially true in Business-simulator like VR games, especially MMOs where Merchanting is a major component. The lists goes on and on.

You could manipulate and engineer things more effectively using VR simulations, before trying a test run in the real world.

agreed on all above.

And GGO shows you could probably train excellent soldiers in the VR world, very well. One wonders whether Sinon would get head hunted by parties impressed by her marksmanship skills. Wild Goose explained that rather well - you could do Live firing exercises every day for low cost, though certainly, VR training would not completely supersede real life training. It's just that Real life training would likely be a final stage training.

Yes and no, it woould really depend on the type of training that's being conducted. i can see VR being used to train MANPADS and ATGM crews, giving a more portable and immersive system, compared to existing SAM and ATGM simulator training systems (which vaguely resemble light gun shooter arcade machines, but with bigger and more screens). Economies of scale suggest that it'd be unlikely VR training is used for initial entry training (ie. Boot Camp), but would be reserved for the more sophisticated training and weapons (cf above); as an example, Javelin crews in the US and British Armies have fired more Javelin missiles in combat, compared to in training, due to how goddamned expensive the Javelin is.

Going a bit further, I could also see it being used to some extent to replace purpose-built simulator units for fighters and choppers, since rather than stepping into a simulator, you instead strap on an AmuSphere. That said, purpose-built simulators may not go away, given that the user needs to have the muscle memory and picture of the cockpit, and be able to find where everything is in pitch darkness... Again, though, if the program can recreate that much level of detail - and such detail is available in the Lock On and DCS simulators available for PC, then i think we could see an upsurge in military use.

Sniper school would probably not use VR training, because the military sniper operates in a situation where the environment is ever changing, and no simulated environment can actually mimic the real world. Also, shino's marksmanship is a useful skill, but not essential; the US Army Marksmanship Unit and the USMC Scout Sniper school prefer to look for the people who have the right mindset, and then teach marksmanship.

Special forces might use VR training for kill houses and to rehearse their missions, but from what I've read of Delta Force and SEAL Team Six, the preference is to train with live ammo as much as possible. Train like you fight, fight like you train. Friends of mine who are shooters tell me that there's no substitute for putting rounds downrange, and i suspect that will still hold true even with VR.

There's also another possibility: medical consultation. The US, so I've read, has been using the 360 Kinect as a tool to allow doctors to remote control surgical robots. With the appropriate interface setup, you could have a surgeon in VR directing an operation thousands of miles away. The next step up from what the Brits do, which is to fly a Chinook outfitted as a mobile OT to the battlefield...

[novalysis]

It might just mean that both GGO and Mother's Rosario will get anime adaptations, rather than OVAs. Perhaps even Alicization.

[Wild Goose]

I'd rather a 13 ep seaon for GGO up to Caliber and Mother's Rosario, then wait for a while, THEN do Alicization once it's done. SAO will finish by end of the year, give about a year, maybe 6 months soonest for GGO-MR, then there should be enough time for an adaptation of Alicization in say 2014.

[novalysis]

Originally Posted by Wild Goose

Going a bit further, I could also see it being used to some extent to replace purpose-built simulator units for fighters and choppers, since rather than stepping into a simulator, you instead strap on an AmuSphere. That said, purpose-built simulators may not go away, given that the user needs to have the muscle memory and picture of the cockpit, and be able to find where everything is in pitch darkness... Again, though, if the program can recreate that much level of detail - and such detail is available in the Lock On and DCS simulators available for PC, then i think we could see an upsurge in military use.

On the other hand, if indeed, the days of the man fighter are numbered, the Amusphere would be a brilliant tool for training UAV Pilots. Indeed, with the AmuSphere, the day might come where a SINGLE pilot or at most two are required to man single UAV craft.

I suspect that VR would hasten the end of the Manned Fighter. It just won't make economic sense any longer, and given how casualty adverse first world militaries tend to be in today's political climate....

Sniper school would probably not use VR training, because the military sniper operates in a situation where the environment is ever changing, and no simulated environment can actually mimic the real world. Also, shino's marksmanship is a useful skill, but not essential; the US Army Marksmanship Unit and the USMC Scout Sniper school prefer to look for the people who have the right mindset, and then teach marksmanship.

I think there might be a mix of VR and Real training. Alicization technology holds enormous promise for driving all those limitations you'd suggested out of the window, though perhaps the Amusphere is not sufficient. However, I think the Amusphere is adequate for UAV training.

Special forces might use VR training for kill houses and to rehearse their missions, but from what I've read of Delta Force and SEAL Team Six, the preference is to train with live ammo as much as possible. Train like you fight, fight like you train. Friends of mine who are shooters tell me that there's no substitute for putting rounds downrange, and i suspect that will still hold true even with VR.

Debatable of course. It may simply be a degree of conservatism, again while I don't think VR would completely supplant Real Life Training, it would be a very useful complement and aid. However, I wonder whether Alicization and Fluctlight technology changes the whole equation.

There's also another possibility: medical consultation. The US, so I've read, has been using the 360 Kinect as a tool to allow doctors to remote control surgical robots. With the appropriate interface setup, you could have a surgeon in VR directing an operation thousands of miles away. The next step up from what the Brits do, which is to fly a Chinook outfitted as a mobile OT to the battlefield...

Canonically, something close to this was done in Mother's Rosario, with Kirito's rig for Yuuki to move around in. It's very much an engineering and technical challenge, I'd think. It's surprising that companies are not working on exploiting the potentials of the Amusphere - it's not a huge jump from using the Medicuboid to allow Bed Ridden patients to move around, to what you propose, and there's alot of other potential uses. Bomb Disposal, Bio-warfare management, Engineering Drones, etc, etc- and that's for the Military aspects alone.

And then, there's the consideration of remote Infantry drones. Of course, one wonders whether you can jam drones somehow.

But, the Civilian applications are just as immense. Which is why SAO is a world undergoing a technological revolution similar to the one brought by the internet twenty years ago. Of course, there's the VR Bubble....

Conversations like this would have taken likely weeks of correspondence then.

[novalysis]

Originally Posted by Wild Goose

I'd rather a 13 ep seaon for GGO up to Caliber and Mother's Rosario, then wait for a while, THEN do Alicization once it's done. SAO will finish by end of the year, give about a year, maybe 6 months soonest for GGO-MR, then there should be enough time for an adaptation of Alicization in say 2014.

One wonders what anime only fans would make of GGO .

MMOrized FPS Call of Duty/Halo Clone multiplayer, the Anime, more likely.

But Mother's Rosario should be interesting, and thought provoking. Still, it's a little tricky to squeeze three volumes into 13 episodes - perhaps we'd see an unusual One and a Half Cour?

[sky black swordman]

^ I think COD but well I think more Halo.

[novalysis]

Originally Posted by sky black swordman

^ I think COD but well I think more Halo.

Cue pictures of Kirito and Sinon wearing MJOLNIR Armor. And Kirto carrying a Plasma Pistol on one hand and an energy sword in another.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by novalysis

Cue pictures of Kirito and Sinon wearing MJOLNIR Armor. And Kirto carrying a Plasma Pistol on one hand and an energy sword in another.

Oh, hell yes!

[Sekiryuutei]

Just out of curiosity.. How many different types of stats can you invest in SAO? I know there's STR and DEX, but is there any other?

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Sekiryuutei

Just out of curiosity.. How many different types of stats can you invest in SAO? I know there's STR and DEX, but is there any other?

There wasn't anything about stats that weren't STR and DEX, so no, I don't think so.

[Sekiryuutei]

How about in ALO? Is it the same?

[Wild Goose]

Originally Posted by novalysis

On the other hand, if indeed, the days of the man fighter are numbered, the Amusphere would be a brilliant tool for training UAV Pilots. Indeed, with the AmuSphere, the day might come where a SINGLE pilot or at most two are required to man single UAV craft.

I suspect that VR would hasten the end of the Manned Fighter. It just won't make economic sense any longer, and given how casualty adverse first world militaries tend to be in today's political climate....

Oh, i agree- this would be an awesome and immersive setup for cntrolling drones in combat, so long as the datalinks remain unjammed and unhackable. I suspect some real world flight time is still needed, however : USAF claims that non pilot drone operators don't fly as well as pilot drone operators.

Make the UCAVS cheap enough, and replacable enough, and you get the boons of having aggressive pilotsnwithout worrying overmuch on casualties.

I think there might be a mix of VR and Real training. Alicization technology holds enormous promise for driving all those limitations you'd suggested out of the window, though perhaps the Amusphere is not sufficient. However, I think the Amusphere is adequate for UAV training.

perhaps... Like imsaid, it really depends on how well the sim can train these things. Certainly it won't be helping much with physical endurance... But UAVs, tank crews, the more tech heavy aspects will definitely benefit from VR training.

The smaller and more technologically oriented the service, the more choosy it can be about it's gear - I'd expect USAF to get started on the AmuSphere training bandwagon. Hey, they made a supercompter from PS3s, afterall.

Debatable of course. It may simply be a degree of conservatism, again while I don't think VR would completely supplant Real Life Training, it would be a very useful complement and aid. However, I wonder whether Alicization and Fluctlight technology changes the whole equation.

i agree that it will be a complement; it's something very useful and is a lot safer, and for units doing urban warfare training it would be a lot more immersive than simunitions and pop up targets. Until we see more of Alicization, we'll just have to speculate.

Canonically, something close to this was done in Mother's Rosario, with Kirito's rig for Yuuki to move around in. It's very much an engineering and technical challenge, I'd think. It's surprising that companies are not working on exploiting the potentials of the Amusphere - it's not a huge jump from using the Medicuboid to allow Bed Ridden patients to move around, to what you propose, and there's alot of other potential uses. Bomb Disposal, Bio-warfare management, Engineering Drones, etc, etc- and that's for the Military aspects alone.

indeed, which was why I always found the troll's belief that Yuuki's rig was a massive stroke of mary sue genius to be amusing,as the basic technology already exists.

And then, there's the consideration of remote Infantry drones. Of course, one wonders whether you can jam drones somehow.

current generation drones can be jammed and hacked. An experiment a few weeks ago saw a successful hack on a DHS drone, so Black Ops 2 doesn't seem as far-fetched.

But, the Civilian applications are just as immense. Which is why SAO is a world undergoing a technological revolution similar to the one brought by the internet twenty years ago. Of course, there's the VR Bubble....

Conversations like this would have taken likely weeks of correspondence then.

Which is why Kirito wants to head to the US, he wants to be at the forefront of this technological new wave.

And i've managed to cramp my fingers. Still need getting used to the ipad keyboard

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Sekiryuutei

How about in ALO? Is it the same?

I think it's the same. GGO has VIT, AGI, STR, and DEX, though.

[Sixth]

So, what do you think is the best occupation or career that Kirito should pursuit?