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Beta Tester #4
DLC: A LitRPG Adventure
A fully immersive virtual reality system. A beta testing opportunity that’s the stuff of dreams – or a nightmare that may never end.
Jack Owens is stuck in Marshfield Studio’s newest virtual reality RPG. To escape, he needs to win the game. He knows that. He’s got his team of heroes back, and he’s finally comfortable with the world. He’s ready.
Except someone at Marshfield Studios forgot to cancel the holiday downloadable content test. Jack goes to sleep in a medieval fantasy world, and wakes up in some kind of bizarre winter wonderland where his quest – and his way home – plays second fiddle to holiday festivals, winter pets, and seasonal quests.
But Jack better not let his extended stay or the holiday doldrums distract him too much. Because there’s far worse waiting for him in this magical nightmare than a lump of coal in his stocking…
Jack Owens is stuck in Marshfield Studio’s newest virtual reality RPG. To escape, he needs to win the game. He knows that. He’s got his team of heroes back, and he’s finally comfortable with the world. He’s ready.
Except someone at Marshfield Studios forgot to cancel the holiday downloadable content test. Jack goes to sleep in a medieval fantasy world, and wakes up in some kind of bizarre winter wonderland where his quest – and his way home – plays second fiddle to holiday festivals, winter pets, and seasonal quests.
But Jack better not let his extended stay or the holiday doldrums distract him too much. Because there’s far worse waiting for him in this magical nightmare than a lump of coal in his stocking…
Unknown Binding
First published December 2, 2020
4 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Ford
74 books127 followersRachel Ford lives in beautiful Central Wisconsin. She is a programmer, who works in everything from SQL to .NET to Cisco CVP and IVR. Her latest foray into new and exciting things has been developing custom Java plugins for CVP applications.
Rachel also enjoys recreating historically authentic jewelry, and mixing historical recreations with fantasy elements to create exciting new pieces.
When not designing jewelry or tinkering with computers, Rachel spends her time writing and reading science fiction and fantasy.
Rachel also enjoys recreating historically authentic jewelry, and mixing historical recreations with fantasy elements to create exciting new pieces.
When not designing jewelry or tinkering with computers, Rachel spends her time writing and reading science fiction and fantasy.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 8, 2021
This is book four of the Beta Tester series and sees beta tester Jack Owens, who thought he was doing the job of his dreams, finding himself stuck inside Marshfield Studio’s newest virtual reality game, after problems occurred. What the owner of the company didn’t reveal beforehand, is that a previous beta tester had become stuck in the game and his body was in deep freeze, after they were unable to disconnect his brain from the game. Jack has been told he needs to finish the game and the quest he has been set upon, but each time he believes he is getting closer to the end of the game, another side game or surprise comes along, as well as the game’s programmers trying to amend code or running an update, screws everything up!
He now has a group of ‘supposed’ heroes to aid in his quest, not just Migli the dwarf, who just makes useless comments and never helps him when any physical challenges occur. He now has Er’c the Orc, Arath the human Ranger, Ceinwen the Elf, Karag the giant and Shimmerfax the unicorn, with him. He awakes to find their raft stuck on an icy shore, rather than in sunny climates that they were expecting. They soon find they are in a place called Pleasant Vale and he is given a new quest after they come across a large sleigh and a dead body in the snow, as they try to find shelter or a village. It seems they have ended up in a winter wonderland, much like an excessive and extended Christmas. The dead figure turns out to be a delivery driver, with gifts for the good children and lumps of coal for those who have been naughty. When his ghostly figure appears in front of them, they find out he is called Father Winter and he asks Jack to take on his deliveries, but Jack refuses, as he just wants to get out of there as soon as possible.
He should know by now, that any choices he is given are really what he should agree to do, as anything he has refused to do before or tried to shortcut, has always ended badly for him and taken much longer to get out of. The group walk into the nearby town and visit the mayor. Everything is overdone to the extreme in Christmas food, decoration, songs, and more and he finds it overwhelming! They find out there is no way off the island and they are the first visitors for over five hundred years, after a war with the giants, left Father Winter using his skills to make the island inaccessible, which also means no one can leave either! When he calls the tech supervisor on call, he gets connected to Richard the intern, and he eventually discovers a special seasonal DLC pack, downloadable content, add-on had been automatically scheduled to be uploaded overnight, whenever there was a break in the game. Jack falling asleep allowed it to be triggered!
Father Winter told them to find his assistant Estelle, if they changed their minds, but she lived up in the mountains somewhere and Jack was freezing. When another sleigh comes out of the sky with flashes of lightning and huge serpents, they meet a demon like figure who goes by the name of Krampus, who offers Jack a chance to get what he really wants and for Jack that is a way out and off the island. Krampus takes them back to his castle far from town, where he has skeletal figures, demons and all sorts of ghastly beings, as his slaves and servants. Most of the rest of his group don’t trust Krampus, the solstice demon who admits he killed Father Winter, wanting to break his hold on the access to the island and the joy of the celebrations overload the town seem to mostly enjoy. Jack is given another sleigh by Krampus and a task to complete within a short deadline, to wreck the celebrations for those who relish in it, and to reward those who disdain it like Krampus. He takes Arath along, but soon finds his helper gets carried away with violence and Jack start to feel quite guilty.
He has brought true terror and despair to the town, with a massive touch of evil, not the work of a hero, even if he is on a quest! But that isn’t enough for the Christmas demon, he now wants Jack to carry out another dubious task, which leaves a bad taste in his mouth. None of his other heroes wish to go with him on this task, having lost their goodwill, so he is stuck with Migli, his game companion who usually accompanies him everywhere. His game play leaves Jordan, the tech supervisor he quite likes, treat him with an icy touch and makes him have a few doubts about what he has done. He reloads to an earlier save and tries to rerun events in a different manner, having his usual problems in trying to complete the newest quests and requests in full, without knowing what bonus items are needed to be fulfilled! A normal part of game play, but he finds out a particular bonus will be given if he completes the task to Estelle’s secret wishes and tradition. A nice save and only the drunken bad behaviours of a few of his men brings a bad taste during their celebrations.
A battle is coming for the conclusion of good over evil in the vale and the North Pole. Krampus versus the Winter’s and the good and evil of Pleasant Vale must decide to either fight for what they believe in, or give in to the other side. Jack and his group are reigned into the battle as well, with the knowledge they cannot leave the island with Krampus still around! Battling a demon and his vast army of demonic beings will be full of tricks and traps and deadly foes. Not an easy end to the mini quest, but the only way Jack and his friends will manage to gain their freedom, if they all survive that is. More worrying are Jack’s increasing injuries showing through to his digital body and remaining even after taking health potions, and his losing of time and reality between the game and real life. More meddling by the company doctor, with little confidence in them knowing what they are doing, is more worry to pile on Jack, as he stays stuck inside a virtual reality game, which could kill him if he tries to disconnect suddenly. Lots happening in this one and a very apt DLC just in time for the Christmas season. More action to follow no doubt in the next part of the game and I look forward to seeing what decisions Jack will make this time round. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
He now has a group of ‘supposed’ heroes to aid in his quest, not just Migli the dwarf, who just makes useless comments and never helps him when any physical challenges occur. He now has Er’c the Orc, Arath the human Ranger, Ceinwen the Elf, Karag the giant and Shimmerfax the unicorn, with him. He awakes to find their raft stuck on an icy shore, rather than in sunny climates that they were expecting. They soon find they are in a place called Pleasant Vale and he is given a new quest after they come across a large sleigh and a dead body in the snow, as they try to find shelter or a village. It seems they have ended up in a winter wonderland, much like an excessive and extended Christmas. The dead figure turns out to be a delivery driver, with gifts for the good children and lumps of coal for those who have been naughty. When his ghostly figure appears in front of them, they find out he is called Father Winter and he asks Jack to take on his deliveries, but Jack refuses, as he just wants to get out of there as soon as possible.
He should know by now, that any choices he is given are really what he should agree to do, as anything he has refused to do before or tried to shortcut, has always ended badly for him and taken much longer to get out of. The group walk into the nearby town and visit the mayor. Everything is overdone to the extreme in Christmas food, decoration, songs, and more and he finds it overwhelming! They find out there is no way off the island and they are the first visitors for over five hundred years, after a war with the giants, left Father Winter using his skills to make the island inaccessible, which also means no one can leave either! When he calls the tech supervisor on call, he gets connected to Richard the intern, and he eventually discovers a special seasonal DLC pack, downloadable content, add-on had been automatically scheduled to be uploaded overnight, whenever there was a break in the game. Jack falling asleep allowed it to be triggered!
Father Winter told them to find his assistant Estelle, if they changed their minds, but she lived up in the mountains somewhere and Jack was freezing. When another sleigh comes out of the sky with flashes of lightning and huge serpents, they meet a demon like figure who goes by the name of Krampus, who offers Jack a chance to get what he really wants and for Jack that is a way out and off the island. Krampus takes them back to his castle far from town, where he has skeletal figures, demons and all sorts of ghastly beings, as his slaves and servants. Most of the rest of his group don’t trust Krampus, the solstice demon who admits he killed Father Winter, wanting to break his hold on the access to the island and the joy of the celebrations overload the town seem to mostly enjoy. Jack is given another sleigh by Krampus and a task to complete within a short deadline, to wreck the celebrations for those who relish in it, and to reward those who disdain it like Krampus. He takes Arath along, but soon finds his helper gets carried away with violence and Jack start to feel quite guilty.
He has brought true terror and despair to the town, with a massive touch of evil, not the work of a hero, even if he is on a quest! But that isn’t enough for the Christmas demon, he now wants Jack to carry out another dubious task, which leaves a bad taste in his mouth. None of his other heroes wish to go with him on this task, having lost their goodwill, so he is stuck with Migli, his game companion who usually accompanies him everywhere. His game play leaves Jordan, the tech supervisor he quite likes, treat him with an icy touch and makes him have a few doubts about what he has done. He reloads to an earlier save and tries to rerun events in a different manner, having his usual problems in trying to complete the newest quests and requests in full, without knowing what bonus items are needed to be fulfilled! A normal part of game play, but he finds out a particular bonus will be given if he completes the task to Estelle’s secret wishes and tradition. A nice save and only the drunken bad behaviours of a few of his men brings a bad taste during their celebrations.
A battle is coming for the conclusion of good over evil in the vale and the North Pole. Krampus versus the Winter’s and the good and evil of Pleasant Vale must decide to either fight for what they believe in, or give in to the other side. Jack and his group are reigned into the battle as well, with the knowledge they cannot leave the island with Krampus still around! Battling a demon and his vast army of demonic beings will be full of tricks and traps and deadly foes. Not an easy end to the mini quest, but the only way Jack and his friends will manage to gain their freedom, if they all survive that is. More worrying are Jack’s increasing injuries showing through to his digital body and remaining even after taking health potions, and his losing of time and reality between the game and real life. More meddling by the company doctor, with little confidence in them knowing what they are doing, is more worry to pile on Jack, as he stays stuck inside a virtual reality game, which could kill him if he tries to disconnect suddenly. Lots happening in this one and a very apt DLC just in time for the Christmas season. More action to follow no doubt in the next part of the game and I look forward to seeing what decisions Jack will make this time round. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
November 26, 2020
I am really enjoying this series. It does a great job of capturing some of the funnest aspects of video games, while treading water in the real world, as well.
There are aspects to the main character and his thought processes that are disturbing. Many of those came out in this book. He KNOWS that he is playing a game and he has been told that he can play it any way that he wants. So he decides at certain points that being the bad guy is the way to go. Some games allow you to make that decision and then what happens in the game adjusts. So it is true to life, in that sense.
But the overall arc of these books is that the MC is trapped in this game and the only way that he gets out is by finishing the game. So I am not sure that in that position, the MC would decide to "just have some fun," by being a bad guy, for a while. I think that in everything that he does, he would be trying to determine what is the fastest and easiest way to "win" the game. I am not sure that is what he was thinking through most of this book.
I once debated someone on the "ethics" of doing bad things in a game. If you are not supposed to kill someone in real life, what about doing it in a game? Lesser crimes also, in the same way? It is interesting to think about. While in this case, the MC KNOWS it is a game, he still very quickly turns to bad behavior and there is a very selfish undertone to much of his ruminations in the book. So in spite of his predicament, there are many points where it is hard to actually like the MC. It is not always necessary that you do, but I find it disappointing when I don't. So I am hoping that as the series progresses, there will be some redemption and a realization that it is best to do the right thing, ALWAYS. When that happens, things will almost magically fall into place, in terms of furthering the ultimate goals of the MC.
There were a few minor typos in the book, but they did not distract from the enjoyment.
DLC can be some of the funnest parts of a game. This was a really good installment in this series.
There are aspects to the main character and his thought processes that are disturbing. Many of those came out in this book. He KNOWS that he is playing a game and he has been told that he can play it any way that he wants. So he decides at certain points that being the bad guy is the way to go. Some games allow you to make that decision and then what happens in the game adjusts. So it is true to life, in that sense.
But the overall arc of these books is that the MC is trapped in this game and the only way that he gets out is by finishing the game. So I am not sure that in that position, the MC would decide to "just have some fun," by being a bad guy, for a while. I think that in everything that he does, he would be trying to determine what is the fastest and easiest way to "win" the game. I am not sure that is what he was thinking through most of this book.
I once debated someone on the "ethics" of doing bad things in a game. If you are not supposed to kill someone in real life, what about doing it in a game? Lesser crimes also, in the same way? It is interesting to think about. While in this case, the MC KNOWS it is a game, he still very quickly turns to bad behavior and there is a very selfish undertone to much of his ruminations in the book. So in spite of his predicament, there are many points where it is hard to actually like the MC. It is not always necessary that you do, but I find it disappointing when I don't. So I am hoping that as the series progresses, there will be some redemption and a realization that it is best to do the right thing, ALWAYS. When that happens, things will almost magically fall into place, in terms of furthering the ultimate goals of the MC.
There were a few minor typos in the book, but they did not distract from the enjoyment.
DLC can be some of the funnest parts of a game. This was a really good installment in this series.
January 7, 2021
Oh my goodness. We are hitting just about every online gaming trope there is. But what is fun for us is disaster for our hero.
This is book four of the series. It works pretty well as a standalone, but you will be missing some of the character background. At this point, I recommend starting from the beginning.
This is a SF action story with a definite fantasy gaming theme. Our author does it again creating a new detailed world with excellent characters, a dynamic plot and a good bit of humor. Speaking of humor, gamers should find a few extra chuckles along the way as they recognize quirky game behavior they have seen before. The characters are well developed and very real, particularly our hero as the story focuses on him and his gaming. I loved this update with all the crazy changes it pulled into the setting. Really over the top fun! The story continues to be a fantastic read and I look forward to more books in this series.
Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for review purposes
This is book four of the series. It works pretty well as a standalone, but you will be missing some of the character background. At this point, I recommend starting from the beginning.
This is a SF action story with a definite fantasy gaming theme. Our author does it again creating a new detailed world with excellent characters, a dynamic plot and a good bit of humor. Speaking of humor, gamers should find a few extra chuckles along the way as they recognize quirky game behavior they have seen before. The characters are well developed and very real, particularly our hero as the story focuses on him and his gaming. I loved this update with all the crazy changes it pulled into the setting. Really over the top fun! The story continues to be a fantastic read and I look forward to more books in this series.
Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for review purposes
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December 15, 2020DLC: A LitRPG Adventure (Beta Tester Book 4), my twenty-eighth read from author Rachel Ford. No matter the genre a Rachel Ford book can be counted on to be entertaining & enjoyable. A Rachel Ford read is like a visit with an old friend. This one delves into the realm of FRP and is the fourth book in her new series, somehow I've missed Bugs and Loopholes: A LitRPG Adventure (Beta Tester Book 3) and I'll have to go back & catch-up. "I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review." I look forward to reading Bugs and Loopholes: A LitRPG Adventure (Beta Tester Book 3). (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).
December 4, 2020
Set aside a FULL long day for this PG continuation of the travails of Jack Owens in Dagger of Doom: Iaxiabor's Revenge which finds him off on a side adventure in the game month of December.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews