Editing Virtual world

[[File:V-World Interface, 1x07.jpg|thumb|An interface allowing access to the Virtual world.]]

The '''virtual world''' (or '''V-world''') is a realm accessible to [[holoband]] users in the [[Twelve Colonies]] prior to the [[First Cylon War]]. V-world allows access to a wide variety of landscapes, games, and activities - all digitally created constructs.

==Overview==
[[File:V-World-transition.jpg|thumb|The datastream comprising the structure of the Virtual world.]]

In the years before the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|Fall]], "holobanding" is a popular pastime on the Twelve Worlds. Developed by [[Graystone Industries]] of {{RDM|Caprica}}, holobands are the conduit through which users gain access to the virtual world - a digital construct where users' [[avatar]]s are able to access a myriad of licensed material. The producers saw V-world as an extrapolation of technologies already emerging in the real world, believing that fully immersive sensory experiences were not far off from the foreseeable future.<ref>[[Podcast:Caprica pilot|Podcast for ''Caprica'' pilot]], timestamp 00:07:10</ref> The pornography sites were the first to license holoband technology on its inception, creating virtual scenarios and locations where sexual activities can take place, free of real world concerns such as disease, pregnancy or even fatigue {{CAP|Pilot (Caprica)|The Imperfections of Memory}}.

Holo cafes arose in places like [[Caprica City]] where users can access the virtual world in restaurant or coffee shop like settings which boast unlimited bandwidth, multi-port access, planetary interaction and appealing credit terms {{CAP|Gravedancing|Know Thy Enemy}}. [http://showblogs.syfy.com/caprican/news/breaking-holo-cafe-bombed.php]

:''According to [[Serge]]'s [[archive:https://twitter.com/SergeGraystone/status/10967315462|Twitter]] account, each colony has its own V-world, hence holo cafes allow users to interact with these difference V-worlds - planetary interaction.

Out of the technology, underground sites quickly arose, in which users hacked the holoband code to create meeting places and games such as the "V-Club" and [[New Cap City]]. Users caught accessing hacked sites are subject to criminal fines under Caprican law of up to 352 [[Cubit#In the Re-imagined Series|cubit]]s {{CAP|Pilot (Caprica)|Gravedancing|There is Another Sky|Know Thy Enemy}}.

The virtual world - primarily its pornographic and illegally hacked sites - are attributed to the moral decline in Colonies by television pundits like [[Baxter Sarno]]. Groups, such as the [[Monotheist Church|monotheist]] terror organization [[Soldiers of the One]] (STO) also object to the virtual world, targeting holo cafes in Caprica City {{CAP|Gravedancing|Know Thy Enemy|False Labor}}.

== Virtual World During the First Cylon War ==

By the tenth year of the [[First Cylon War]] circa {{BCH|42}}, virtual world technology continued to be used for various purposes, including military applications and propaganda efforts {{TRS|Blood and Chrome}}. <blockquote>According to the pre-production script for ''[[Blood and Chrome]]'', [[Ezra Barzel]], a war hero killed by friendly fire, was "all but resurrected in V-World" as part of [[Colonial Fleet]] propaganda campaigns.<ref>''[[Blood and Chrome]]'' [{{fullurl:File:B&C Pre-Production Draft - 11-30-10 - Version 01.FDX.pdf|page=75}} pre-production script dated 30 November 2010], pg. 75</ref> This demonstrates how the virtual world infrastructure was adapted for wartime recruitment and morale purposes, allowing the military to create heroic narratives and interactive experiences featuring deceased soldiers.</blockquote>The [[Colonial Fleet]] uses virtual combat training systems, with [[William Adama]] using holoband technology for flight simulation training and later during the briefing prior to the [[Battle of Djerba]] {{TRS|Blood and Chrome}}. <blockquote>These military applications included combat scenarios that allowed pilots and soldiers to experience realistic battle conditions, including gun camera footage and tactical simulations.<ref>''[[Blood and Chrome]]'' [{{fullurl:File:B&C Pre-Production Draft - 11-30-10 - Version 01.FDX.pdf|page=32}} pre-production script dated 30 November 2010], pgs. 31-32</ref> The integration of V-world technology into military training represents an evolution from the primarily entertainment-focused applications seen before the war.</blockquote>

==Licensed Sites==
===Virtual Graystone Industries===
[[File:Virtual Graystone Industries, 1x06.jpg|thumb|The Virtual Graystone Industries welcome scenario and menu options, featuring an avatar of [[Daniel Graystone]] {{CAP|Know Thy Enemy}}.]]
Initial access to the virtual world from Graystone Industries' holobands includes a welcome scenario in which holoband inventor [[Daniel Graystone]] introduces the new user to the menu system. This scenario takes place in "Virtual Graystone Industries", a digital recreation of the company's Caprica City campus. Though the likeness to Graystone is generally convincing, the real Graystone claims it's "not even well rendered" and fears it will frighten small children {{CAP|Know Thy Enemy|False Labor}}.

Among the suggested virtual locales accessible from the menu are "The Seas of Sand" on [[Gemenon]], Golf, and Caprican Nightlife. The illegally hacked sites are not accessible from the menu system {{CAP|Know Thy Enemy}}.

:''The Virtual Graystone Industries bears a strong resemblance to the interior hallways of the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] [[Basestar (RDM)#Modern basestar|baseship]] seen in ''[[Battlestar Galactica (TRS)|Battlestar Galactica]]'', with [[datastream]] graphics appearing in a stripe along one wall.

===V-Match Sites===
[[File:Pre-Cylon War Vipers.jpg|thumb|Tandem flying in V-world's Viper Flight Simulator {{CAP|The Imperfections of Memory}}.]]
{{Inlineref|V-Match}}, an online [[Wikipedia:Social network service|social networking]] and dating site, provides access to virtual activities and dates for holobanders, along with traditional personal profiles. Among those accessible from the V-Match site include but may not be limited to: V-Club Pass, Dinner Cruise, Flight Simulator, Message for Two, Hiking, and Beach Picnic {{CAP|The Imperfections of Memory}}.

:''It's not clear how V-Match, a seemingly legitimate social networking site, allows [[Philomon]] and "[[Zoe-A|Rachel]]" access to the V-Club from its website as the pilot episode of ''[[Caprica (series)|Caprica]]'' establishes it as an illegal hacked site. It is entirely likely that Philomon was able to plug in an extension or other exploit to allow linking from the application.''

====Flight Simulator====
The virtual Flight Simulator allows users the opportunity to fly real world-accurate atmospheric [[Caprican Viper|Viper]] jets. Though piloting skills are required for the simulation, users can simply tweak their avatar's skill sets in order to become Viper pilots. Still, the simulation―set over oil rigs in a Caprican sea―even depicts accidents and crashes, though with no fatalities {{CAP|The Imperfections of Memory}}.

==Hacked Sites==
===V-Club===
[[File:V-Club.jpg|thumb|The V-Club.]]
The '''V-Club''' is a hacked night club in the virtual world, in which young people gather to indulge in various questionable activities. The club is a "no limits" environment featuring drug dens, group sex rooms and the "kill zone"―an area where visitors can fight others in hand-to-hand combat or with firearms. There is also a ritualistic sacrificing of a [[Sacrifice Woman|virgin]] on stage, an offering to the [[Lords of Kobol (RDM)|goddess]] of the underworld, [[Hecate]] {{CAP|Pilot (Caprica)}}. The producers decided to open the pilot with the V-Club sequence to be provocative and immediately establish a world different from the [[Re-imagined Series]].<ref>[[Podcast:Caprica pilot|Podcast for ''Caprica'' pilot]], timestamp 00:02:07</ref> The original script concept was even darker, featuring a "stylized and heavily ritualized human sacrifice show" that was toned down for broadcast.<ref>[[Podcast:Caprica pilot|Podcast for ''Caprica'' pilot]], timestamp 00:02:35</ref>

:''The V-Club was shot at the [[Wikipedia:Orpheum (Vancouver)|Orpheum theatre]] in [[Wikipedia:Vancouver, British Columbia|Vancouver, British Columbia]] for the pilot episode of ''Caprica''. This was the same location utilized for the [[Opera House]] on {{RDM|Kobol}}.<ref>[[Podcast:Caprica pilot|Podcast for ''Caprica'' pilot]], timestamp 00:01:25</ref> For subsequent episodes, footage from the location shoot was reused in conjunction with [[Wikipedia: Chroma key|green screen]] in "[[Reins of a Waterfall]]," and a smaller private space or VIP room in "[[The Imperfections of Memory]]," "[[Ghosts in the Machine]]," and "[[End of Line]]".'' 
:<br/>
:''Director [[Jeffrey Reiner]] wanted the club to feel "almost claustrophobic" and crammed as many extras as possible into the location to achieve the energetic, crowded feel.<ref>[[Podcast:Caprica pilot|Podcast for ''Caprica'' pilot]], timestamp 00:01:01</ref>''

[[Zoe Graystone]] and [[Lacy Rand]] initially visit the V-Club for the party atmosphere, but later come to view the V-Club as a sign of the Twelve Colonies' descent into hedonism, decadence, and ennui. Graystone goes on to create a separate chamber accessible from the V-Club, where she houses her [[resurrection program|duplicate]] [[Zoe-A|avatar]] in a replica of the [[Monotheist Church]] retreat on [[Gemenon]] {{CAP|Pilot (Caprica)|Rebirth|Unvanquished}}.

A VIP room attached to the V-Club provides a private meeting place, which is later utilized by Rand and Zoe-A {{CAP|Ghosts in the Machine|End of Line}}.

Despite its illicit nature as a hacked site, the V-Club is accessible through the [[V-Match]] dating site {{CAP|The Imperfections of Memory}}.

==== Gallery ====

<gallery mode="slideshow">
Caprica - Pilot - Sacrifice Before Hecate.png|A [[Sacrifice Woman|woman]] being sacrificed before [[Hecate]] in the [[V-Club]] {{CAP|Pilot (Caprica)}}.
</gallery>

===New Cap City===
:''Main article: [[New Cap City]]''
[[File:New Cap City, 1x05.jpg|thumb|A panoramic view of New Cap City.]]
New Cap City is a virtual recreation of Caprica City, nearly identical to its real life counterpart, but featuring a darker atmosphere and violent, gangster-style game play. The game is widely known for its violence and corrupted reflection of the real life Caprica City, updated to reflect current events in the physical world including the bombing of [[Metropolitan Levitation Mass Transit]] System. Unlike the genuine article, this version of Caprica City reflects a bygone era of propeller aircraft and is patrolled by an enormous, well armed [[dirigible]] that will, at times, shoot indiscriminately at users on the streets below {{CAP|There is Another Sky|The Imperfections of Memory}}.

New Cap City is ultimately destroyed by "Avenging Angels" [[Tamara Adama]] and Zoe Graystone, reconfigured into a mountainous forest as a way of rebuking the corruption and decadence displayed within the game {{CAP|The Heavens Will Rise|Here Be Dragons}}.

==Personally Created Sites==
Holoband users are also capable of building personal V-world sites in certain capacities. While Daniel Graystone frequents a virtual double of his own home for many years, STO terror cell leader [[Clarice Willow]] creates at least two versions of "heaven" in her grand plan, "[[Apotheosis]]".

===The Graystone Estate===
Dating back as early as the initial planning of the [[U-87 Cyber Combat Unit]], a replica of the Graystone family [[Graystone Estate|home]] exists in the virutal world. A perfect replica of the estate as well as a small perimeter around the home, this virtual house is used when Zoe Graystone first creates her own avatar double and later when Daniel Graystone attempts to perfect the [[Amanda-A|avatar]] duplicate of his wife, [[Amanda Graystone]] {{CAP|Things We Lock Away|False Labor|Blowback}}.

The recreation is ultimately used as a permanent home for the Zoe Graystone avatar after she abandons the reconfigured New Cap City. Boasting all the amenities of the real life version, the Graystone Estate program also gives Zoe access to Daniel Graystone's personal computer system, allowing them to work in tandem in creating a new [[robot]] [[skinjob|body]] for Zoe {{CAP|Here Be Dragons|Apotheosis (episode)}}.

===Virtual Heaven===
[[File:Apotheosis, 1x10.jpg|thumb|Clarice Willow in virtual heaven 1.0.]]
In her pursuit of creating an artificial afterlife for those martyred by the Soldiers of the One terror group, Clarice Willow and her husbands devise a virtual space where the avatars of her followers can reside following their users' physical deaths. In a demo created for the Monotheist Church, "virtual heaven" features angelic sculpture and a terrace overlooking a magnificent waterfall. It is here that believers in the "[[God (RDM)|One True God]]" will be delivered to spend the rest of eternity, at least temporarily {{CAP|Unvanquished}}.

Willow and her spouses later rework virtual heaven, hoping for a less "traditional" appearance, one featuring statues of those who had created heaven, like Clarice herself. Though the reworked heaven ultimately serves its purpose and receives martyrs following the attempted [[Battle of Atlas Arena|bombing]] at [[Atlas Arena]], virtual heaven is destroyed by a vengeful Zoe Graystone, overloading the servers on which it was created and deleting the avatars of Willow's followers {{CAP|Apotheosis (episode)}}.

===Cathedral of the One===
Following the destruction of the Apotheosis project, Clarice Willow finds a new role as [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]] become part of Colonial culture. Congregating in yet another replica of the Monad church, various models of Cylon workers (as well as U-87s) gather to hear sermons delivered by Willow. Focusing on the Cylon's rights as living beings, Willow urges the robots to revolt, speaking of a single "one" that will set them free {{CAP|Apotheosis (episode)}}.

==Notes==
*The transition in and out of Virtual world proved a trial and error experience for the production staff of ''Caprica''. According to [[David Eick]]'s podcast for "Reins of a Waterfall", the "blood cell tunnel" effect was created to clarify the transition from the real world to the virtual one. The blood cell tunnel featured the distinctive Cylon datastream graphic which first appeared in "[[Exodus, Part I]]". <ref>http://www.syfy.com/caprica/includes/podcasts/mp3/105/caprica_episode105_commentary.mp3</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category: Colonial]]
[[Category: Colonial Society]]
[[Category: Colonial Society (RDM)]]
[[Category: Technology]] 
[[Category: Technology (RDM)]]
[[Category: Caprica (series)]]
[[Category: RDM]]
[[Category: BAC]]
{{indicator|Caprica}}