Editing Mesh (section)

== Virtual Reality ==
Virtual reality overrides the user’s physical senses and places them inside an entirely computer-generated environment called a simulspace. While AR is used for all common day activities and interactions, VR is used mainly for recreation (gaming, virtual tourism, escapism), socializing, meeting (when face-to-face meetings are not possible), and training. Dedicated networks with high-capacity information processing are required to render and run large and complex hyper-real simulspaces with many users, and these are often hard-wired for additional stability. Smaller simulspaces capable of hosting a smaller amount of users can be run on a smaller distributed network of linked devices. Many infomorphs and AIs effectively reside within simulspaces, and some transhumans have sworn off the physical world altogether.

=== Sidebar: Aether Jabber ===
''# Start Æther Jabber ## Active Members: 2 #>>I have to tell you, after losing Kiri and Sal to that Exsurgent infection, my team is a lot more worried about contracting the virus from digital sources. Actually, I’d label them as paranoid. I don’t think they’ll ever touch any salvaged electronics again unless they’re behind a zillion ﬁrewalls and the device is completely isolated and tested by a delta fork loaded with every antiviral ware we can ﬁnd ﬁrst. Even then, they’d rather shoot it than access directly or hook it up to an important network. After seeing what the virus did to Sal, I don’t blame them.<<In our line of work, paranoia can be healthy.>>Sure, but it’s also a pain in the ass. Security is always a trade-off. Firewall’s gotta have something up its sleeve that I can pass along to the rest to put their guards at ease.<<Yes ... and no. It’s complicated.>>I don’t see why. Do we have a way of detecting and killing this thing or not?<<Sort of.>>You’re killing me.<<Look. Ever since the Fall, we've had measures in place to detect and counteract Exsurgent infections and all of the other worms and malware the TITANs concocted. Firewall went to great lengths to make sure that everyone had access to the detection signatures and countermeasures—and we mean everyone. They’ve been incorporated in almost every commercial and open source security software released in the past decade. Every habitat in the system—well, every one with a lick of sense anyway—employs such measures in their chokepoints and mesh infrastructure.>>I sense a “but.”<<Yes. The problem is that the Exsurgent virus and similar TITAN infowar worms are adaptive. They’re intelligent. Even though we mostly eradicated them from our networks, new versions periodically pop up, using some new trick to get past the Firewall scans and wreak havoc. Our warning and outbreak response system has it down to a science, and such instances are usually contained.>>Usually.<<Well, there’s always the chance that variants are still skipping around out there, under our radar. What’s worse to contemplate, though, is that we may get another major outbreak that spreads to multiple habitats before we can contain it. That might get very, very bad, very, very quickly.''

=== Defying Nature's Laws ===
A plethora of simulspace environments are available, ranging from simulations of real places to historical recreations to fantastic worlds representing almost every genre imaginable. All of these simulations are bolstered by the fact that possible scenarios are not bound by the laws of nature. The fundamental forces of reality and nature, like gravitation, electromagnetism, atmosphere, temperature, etc., are programmable in VR, allowing for environments that are completely unnatural, such as escheresque simulspace where gravity is relative to position. These domain rules may be altered and manipulated according to the whim of the designer.
Time itself is an adjustable constant in VR, though deviation from true time has its limits. So far, transhuman designers have achieved time dilation up to 60 times faster or slower than real time (roughly one minute equaling either one hour or one second). Time slowdown is far more commonly used, granting more time for simulspace recreational activities (more time, more fun!), learning, or work (economically effective). Time acceleration, on the other hand, is extremely useful for making long distance travel through space more tolerable.

=== Accessing Simulspaces ===
Most simulspaces can be accessed through the mesh just like any other node. Since VR takes over the user’s sensorium, however, and sometimes involves time perception dilation, users are cut off from other mesh-delivered sensory input and interacting directly with other nodes. Instead, outside mesh interactions are routed through the simulspace’s interface (meaning that a character may browse the mesh, communicate with others, etc. from inside a simulspace, if the domain rules allow it).
Since physical senses are overridden when a user accesses VR, most people prefer to rest their body in a safe and comfortable environment while in the simulspace. Body-fitting cushions and couches help users relax and keep them from cramping up or injuring themselves if they happen to thrash around. In case of long-term virtual sojourns (for instance, during space travel), morphs are normally retained in tanks that sustain them in terms of nutrition and oxygen. Many VR entertainment and game networks offer dedicated and hardwired physical VR cafes with private pods. Visitors rent a pod and physically jack in, using either access jacks or an ultrasonic trode net that reads and transmits brain patterns when placed on the head. When accessing a simulspace, the user first enters an electronic buffer “holding space” known as a white room. Here the user chooses a customizable avatar-like persona to represent them in the simulspace, called a simulmorph. From this point, the user immerses themself in the virtual reality environment, effectively becoming their simulmorph.