Alphabet Soup

Retribution

Retribution

        Pizza Palace was easily the most popular place for anyone under the age of ten. Whether they would admit it or not, even teenagers and adults frequently visited it as well. Of course, this had almost nothing to do with the food. The pizzas served there were actually overpriced considering their subpar quality. It was the games that really brought in the customers.

        There were plenty of games available to appease fun seekers of all ages. The old fashioned arcade games tempted many parents into sneaking a token or two or ten from their children’s go den stashes so that they could relive the good old days where Donkey Kong and Pac-Man had reigned supreme. These games seemed like fossils to the younger visitors; they much preferred more modern sources of entertainment.

        While the youngest children enjoyed relatively simple games full of bright colors and friendly animals, their older siblings sought out more rewarding games. They would not be content to buy something as commonplace as candy after all was said and done. No, they aimed for the biggest prizes: the music players, the game consoles, and, above all else, the virtual reality machines. 

        Technology had taken huge leaps forward by the time the year 2034 rolled around. Although virtual reality machines were rather expensive with the cheapest models costing around $500, they were still the hottest new trend in entertainment. Their controllers were designed much like the GameCube controllers from way back when and were specially designed to rest comfortably in the player’s hands. The graphics looked almost exactly like real life minus a few little effects added in to give the games extra flare. All of these features were almost universally praised, but they were greatly overshadowed by the biggest changes to the gaming experience.

        Virtual reality games had become more immersive than ever thanks to the introduction of highly advanced facial recognition technology. The game gradually became accustomed to each individual player and how they reacted to different parts of the game. Then it could alter its content in order to provide the optimal experience for each player. These changes could include anything from difficulty levels to spending more time on fighting, puzzles, or whatever the player seemed to enjoy the most. 

        Substantially more advanced technology had been implemented in the animatronics. It had been a pricey yet necessary choice that had been made in an attempt to keep the animatronics more modern and up to date. They were the face of the entire Pizza Palace operation as far as the children were concerned, so it was vital that they could connect with the little rascals as much as possible.

        Before the revamped animatronics with the new technology had been introduced to the public, they had undergone an intense trial phase after hours to ensure that they were functioning properly. The whole process had taken over a month. During this time, the patrons had been told that King Lawrence the lion, Penelope the penguin, Cameron the cat, and Winston the wolf were planning a huge surprise for them and that they needed some time away to make sure everything was ready for the big day.

        The first phase of testing involved nothing besides getting the animatronics accustomed to their surroundings. This was far more difficult than it sounded; the highly perceptive AI had taken quite some time to get used to the enormous array of neon lights, the almost continuos barrage of cartoonish sound effects, and the aroma of pepperoni pizza that permeated the entire building. Their new sensors had to be conditioned so that they could react properly to different situations. 

        Remarks about how fun a party was, how delicious the food smelled, and how amazing it was when someone won a game’s jackpot were all standard. Other things had to be ignored in order to avoid overstimulation. This was especially important due to the new social flexibility given to the AI of each animatronic. Aside from the previous capability to perceive emotions and recognize repeat visitors, the animatronics could now have original conversations with the guests or invent games for them to play together based on past experiences.