[BEGIN TRANSCRIPT – CARDINAL SYSTEM]
[ARCHIVE STORAGE: PROJECT SAO]
[CLASSIFICATION: CONFIDENTIAL / LEVEL Ω]
[FILE STATUS: ENCRYPTED]
[ORIGINAL REGISTRATION DATE: 2021-04-18]
[DECRYPTION PROCESS INITIATED...]
File identified: QA_BETA2_INTERNAL_REPORT_HNISHIMURA
File integrity: 96.2%
Missing fragments: <0.7%>
Source: Quality Control Department – Argus Corporation
Project assignment: Sword Art Online (SAO)
Cross-reference: "Tester #100"
Status: RECOVERED
[DECRYPTION COMPLETE – AUTHORIZED FOR VIEWING]
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[Internal Document – QA/β-Test Report (Phase 2)]
Date: April 18, 2021
Author: H. Nishimura – Head of Quality Control
Project: Sword Art Online – Closed Beta Version
Recipients: Dr. Akihiko Kayaba / Project Management / Artificial Intelligence & Virtual Environment Division
[SECTION 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW]
The second phase of the closed beta ran from April 3, 2021 to April 17, 2021.
Total active testers: 100
70 professional testers with prior experience in immersive simulators.
20 internal engineers (AI, physics, particle engine, environment).
9 external testers specialized in early critical-bug detection.
1 non-technical participant: [System Identifier → Tester #100].
Total accumulated playtime: 8,210 h
Average per tester: 82.1 h
Total reports submitted: 3,416
Valid reports: 62% ("high" or "medium" classification)
[SECTION 2: ENVIRONMENT PERFORMANCE STATISTICS]
Average server stability: 99.4% (3 crashes detected)
Average system response time: 35 ms (target < 50 ms)
Collision / clipping error rate: 1.2% (42% reduction vs Phase 1)
Mob pathfinding anomalies: 47 confirmed (100% reproducible)
NPC AI errors: 213 cases (176 fixed in final build)
Final build evaluation:
– Status: STABLE (closed environment)
– Remaining deviations: multi-target combat / emotional response under variable lighting
[SECTION 3: NOTABLE TESTER REPORTS]
Tester #14 (Koji Taguchi):
Desynchronized sword skill animations under simulated lag conditions.
Tester #22 (Minoru Saito):
Inconsistent aggro prioritization when multiple AoE attacks triggered simultaneously.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Tester #47 (Reina Matsuda):
Identified exploit bypassing combined "poisoned + paralysis" states (dual-frame glitch).
Tester #81 (Shigeru Inoue):
Found NPC duplication when saving/loading concurrently during a fetch quest.
Overall impact:
– 18 critical bugs resolved
– 200 + lines optimized in central AI behavior tree
[SECTION 4: ATYPICAL CASE — TESTER #100]
Background:
– Recommended by T. Kawabata (Environment Dept.)
– No prior QA or VR experience
– Early sessions: inconsistent, misformatted reports
Progress:
– 62 total reports
– 11 identified as reproducible technical errors
– 51 of aesthetic or perceptual nature
Sample observations:
– "The shadows are too rigid for a living floor."
– "Metal objects don't reflect inside mirrors."
– "The water's color doesn't match the sky it imitates."
– "Morning light doesn't feel warm."
– "Some NPCs smile with their lips, not their eyes."
Initial technical rating: IRRELEVANT
Re-evaluation by Dr. Kayaba:
→ "Philosophical observations with potential application to emotional-immersion modules."
Outcome:
– Adjusted dynamic-reflection shaders
– Updated atmospheric light-scattering model
– Noticeable improvement in visual coherence
[SECTION 5: BEHAVIORAL OBSERVATIONS]
Physiological data (Neural Band v2.3):
– Stable pulse and continuity
– Constant emotional response
– NPC interactions: +240% over average
Activity logs:
– 31 of 72 sessions → no combat or gathering
– Dominant pattern: passive exploration / NPC dialogue
Text log (ID 5A-31):
"The innkeeper in the southern village serves food she never tastes.
She never changes her expression.
Maybe she isn't hungry.
Maybe she doesn't know what flavor means."
Voice tone: reflective
Dr. Kayaba's reaction: requested full transcript copy for analysis
[SECTION 6: TECHNICAL CONCLUSION]
Overall QA program efficiency: 89%
Reproducible bugs fixed: 2,121
Minor visual errors pending: 473
Unresolved critical failures: 14
Final evaluation:
– System meets stability and physical-consistency expectations.
– Qualitative feedback from Tester #100 indicates a non-technical area for improvement:
"Emotional coherence of the environment."
[SECTION 7: PERSONAL NOTE – CONFIDENTIAL]
Comment by QA Lead (H. Nishimura):
"The other testers look for flaws that break the code;
Tester #100 looks for the ones that break the illusion.
She doesn't test the game—she contemplates it.
And though her presence here makes no methodological sense,
I can't shake the feeling that—for reasons I can't explain—
she understands Aincrad better than any of us."
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[END OF FILE TRANSCRIPT]
[STORED AT: /CARDINAL/ARCHIVE/SAO/QA/F2/A0NISH22004.LOG]
[STATUS: LOCKED]
[TEMPORARY DECRYPTION KEY EXPIRES IN 60 SECONDS]
