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duocaeli mods ([personal profile] gamedevs) wrote in [community profile] duolingos2023-02-01 06:57 pm

beta testing 0.2: quest update

beta testing 0.2

BETA NOTE: This log is being used for Duocaeli’s Tutorial & Dungeon Beta Testing. Please note that some game features are limited and will be noted in this format on pages, and an invitation is still required to play. Thank you and have fun!

Patch Update

Maybe you’ve been getting settled in for a little while now, maybe you just arrived yesterday. Hopefully you’ve been able to adjust to your surroundings, since it seems like some big changes are coming. All Dodo residents will receive a Duocaeli notification on their phones:

> 0.2 Expansion has arrived! Server capacity has increased. New locations await you, worldwalkers.
> New quests can be accepted in Windhaven Woods, Aria's Grove, Dandelion Fields!

At the exact same time, completely coincidentally, a city-wide broadcast is sent directly to characters inboxes:

> Thank you for your patience with our construction, city-goers! As our Pride Parade goes underway, we are proud to share the grand re-opening of many venues throughout the city. Love is love!

Those who wander to the Divination Tower in Domus Hosus, whether on purpose or because the stairs guide you there, will see that both of these broadcasts are proudly displayed amidst the glimmering gems. If you try to read your fate in the stars, they will delightedly provide you with a prophecy. However each prophecy comes in images, beckoning you to a new location with… a certain someone! Immediately after receiving this prophecy, you will feel naturally compelled to find that individual, stranger or friend, and affirm your fate. Maybe you'll end up going somewhere out of your depth? At least you won't be alone!

> 1. Questboard

The quest board at the guild hub has been updated with the latest patch! Excited players are gathered around to collect new bounties, which are open to all. The guild hub also provides a useful bestiary, which is readily accessible by guild members via crystals.

A. SWEET DREAMS ARE MADE OF THESE
Avisle University has requested assistance in collecting Blue Chamomile from the northern part of Windhaven Woodlands for study. These flowers are known to aid sleep and have some rejuvenating properties as well, if taken as a tea. They are best harvested in pairs as they feed off positive energy—once their petals start glowing, the plant is ready to be plucked. You’ll have to make your quest partner laugh, or pay them a genuine compliment that makes them smile. You can also share your dreams for the future, or a good memory. The plants also enjoy music! Even the most tone-deaf of vocalists are appreciated by these chamomiles.

Additionally, these flowers are HUGE fans of PDA. If your characters hold hands, or hug, or k-kiss... it may seem like they are slowly turning their petals towards you...

As noted on the Locations page, it would be wise to remember that Windhaven Woodlands can be quite confusing to navigate. The trees like to stretch their roots multiple times a day, often altering paths that characters have taken. At times branches will weave themselves together so tightly, it blocks out most sunlight. It’s very possible to get lost here, but those with keen navigation skills will notice that the wind always seems to flow in the direction of Avisle at the beginning and middle of the hour, like clockwork.

REWARD: A sachet of Blue Chamomile tea, made with some of the petals you helped harvest. If you take it before you sleep, you will find yourself waking up fully refreshed the next morning whether in the ON or OFF world. You may even find yourself briefly dreaming of the good memory that your quest partner shared with you!

FAILURE: You will grow flowers on your body that cannot be removed, purely cosmetic. Lasts until you log off the server.

B. 'TIL DEATH DO US PART
Rumor has it that there's a malevolent spirit haunting Aria's Grove, one with particularly sticky fingers, that's been stealing items from sleeping travelers–as well as dreams. Those with their dreams stolen will feel an almost unshakable malaise and melancholy. The Wanderer's Guild is looking for adventurers to locate and dispel this spirit for good, as it's the only way to retrieve lost items (and dreams).

Whoever manages to navigate the woods to Aria's Grove will find not a spirit, but a small, crystalline golem made from broken shards. It speaks in a soft, tinkering voice, saying, "My love, my love." It's unable to do much damage, but it's fast and evokes a sensation of grief and despair in whoever draws close to it. Adventurers may recognize this as a gemwalker, and know that the only way to free the ghost trapped inside is to break the crystal form.

Upon doing so, they'll find a watch that was encased in the crystal, with a name etched into the back. Regardless of how much they ask around, they'll be unable to find anyone by that name.

REWARD: A special compass from the Wanderer's Guild. It can be set to always point toward a location of the owner's choosing.

C. A HARE-OWING CAT-ASTROPHE
In the Avisle town square, festivities are abound; red and gilded gold streamers stretch across the plaza, rabbits hop along, eager to be held, cats preen on unlikely perches, and the guilds have plenty of free food and drink out to be enjoyed—as well as a limited-time bounty being offered for the new year! Help out and earn yourself a reward.

  • Bake goods for guests, who are notoriously harsh. Sometimes recipes here will lead you astray.
  • Mix or taste-test some drinks... which only seem to exacerbate your elemental symptoms (see prompt 3. ELEMENTAL ECCENTRICITY below for details).
  • Deal with jealous tiger monsters that set fire to various stands and attack festival-goers. They can be fought (NPC rabbits will help), but also seem intelligent, and can be bribed to depart with treats, brushing their (sometimes flaming hot) fur, or other offerings. These creatures don't seem to be native to Avisle; if you follow one outside of the city, they'll fly right off the edge of the island...
  • Like above, attacking the rabbits in any way or causing problems will get you mobbed by knife-wielding bunnies with 9999HP.

REWARD: Free food, daiya, and a good time!

Though from there... it looks like there's a few additions that must be completed in the OFF world?

D. H҉A҉P҉P҉Y҉ HOPPIN’ NEW YEAR
Red envelopes need to be distributed to the students of Gruidae University in celebration of the Lunar New Year! (Our usual guy, Jimmy, is out sick…) In the spirit of the Year of the Rabbit, volunteers will be asked to wear a tasteful (or ridiculous) set of bunny ears and a soft, poofy bunny tail while on the job. Just make sure to avoid the BPL (Bunny Protection League) activists lurking among the student body, they take their duties seriously and will attempt to divest you of your bunny appendages if caught.

REWARD: A red envelope (the amount can be anywhere between $20 to 23 cents) and coupon to the newly opened bunny cafe located at the mall. You will also receive a cute bunny ear accessory in your ON World inbox.

FAILURE: A forced viewing of the documentary, Bunnies Are Human Too, while surrounded by passionate BPL members.

E: BIRD M҉E҉A҉S҉U҉R҉I҉N҉G҉ CONTEST
As an icebreaker, Dodo is hosting competitions in the Training Hall! Get to know your new housemates by having an impromptu battle. This doesn’t have to be combat-related or any sort of traditional duel: you can challenge your partner to lifting weights, a dance-off, even Twister and other board games. There will also be gaming consoles and seating in various corners—FATALITY!

REWARDS: Bragging rights! Dodo will also send a little spa set/gift package to the winner’s room, which includes bird-themed face masks. Also, the winner will be able to stay in the OFF world for up to 5 days (one time), rather than 3.

FAILURE: Public humiliation.

Conveniently, non-PC players can't seem to see these last two bounties at all. Oh well—get to questing!

> 2. Okay get a job?

Sometime while you’re minding your business, you’ll be interrupted by a neat little beep beep! On the screen of your phone:

☑️ Go to Your Internship in Crane City


Tapping the prompt will bring up the Maps app and directions to what is apparently your internship! And it looks like it’s in the same format as other checklist quests–aka, it won’t stop beeping until you complete it.

If you don’t want to go crazy from notifications, you'll simply have to go out and explore the big city. Maybe you have to go and work the concessions stand at the movie theater, which appears to be showing Shrek and Cats if you want to sneak into a showing, or you get the ever coveted position of cat cafe barista. Perhaps you’re suddenly a neurosurgeon! Wow! Don’t fuck it up, guy! While you do get compensated for your work, it seems like an amount gets automatically deducted for your Duocaeli subscription. Uhhh, is that legal? Apparently.

With Pride currently underway in Crane City, the jobs are also just a little bit more vibrant. You can help manage the parade if you want to, or have a job as a sexy, sexy flag bearer. Everything in the city glistens with festivities, whether it be raucous parties or other joyful celebrations.

> 3. ELEMENTAL ECCENTRICITY

As expected, learning new things comes with a few unexpected speed bumps. For those who attempt to practice with their new elemental magic, whether it be in the world of Duocaeli or within the confines of Dodo’s walls, they might feel a sudden surge of power course through them. Is it more refined control? Improved strength? Hm, it feels a little bit more like…

—Oh. No.

For characters aligned with Fire or Earth: Your emotions are just a little bit stronger now–but also a little bit out of your control. While everything feels inherent to you, it also feels like everything is turned up to 11. Oversensitive? How dare you! Say that to my face! …. Well, hopefully it passes quickly.

For characters aligned with Water or Light: Nothing’s amiss here–it’s just unbelievable that you are currently existing as you are, and no one is holding your hand or giving you a hug right now. Some might call it being a little bit touch starved, but physical contact should be normalized, you know? A punch can be a touch, too, if that’s more your style.

For characters aligned with Wind or Darkness: Well, thank god you’re not dealing with anything quite as bad as the others–no, you just find that your words are flowing a little bit more freely. A little more honestly, even. Hopefully you don’t have all that much to hide, but you know, some vulnerability can be good for the soul.

These effects can suddenly surge and hit you at any point during your day! They're temporary, but always sneaky :)

OOC Notes

Our Reserves open tonight at 11:55 PM EST —drop in and let us get excited for you!

Also, everything from BETA TESTING 0.1 is still available to play with. Feel free to use old prompts and dungeons! Also, during Beta Testing, we'd like to remind players that we're accepting any and all feedback that could help us improve the game before official start.



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floralistic: (3)

[personal profile] floralistic 2023-02-05 11:53 pm (UTC)(link)
Awesome! How good do you think you are at keeping up? Just so I know how fast to go.
duskspear: (26)

[personal profile] duskspear 2023-02-06 12:19 am (UTC)(link)
Pay me no mind. Run as you oft do, and I shall do what I can to stay apace.
floralistic: (10)

[personal profile] floralistic 2023-02-06 12:38 am (UTC)(link)
All right, let's go!

[alfred is a responsible jogger, though, so he starts off at a respectable pace.]
duskspear: (29)

[personal profile] duskspear 2023-02-06 12:42 am (UTC)(link)
[Robes aren't conducive to running, but Roland will make do. He starts off slow, then speeds up accordingly to match pace with Alfred, mindful of his breathing to ensure that he doesn't burn himself out early.]
floralistic: (11)

[personal profile] floralistic 2023-02-06 01:33 am (UTC)(link)
[yaaaay alfred is happy roland is trying to keep up, so once they've settled into the jog, he'll speed up a bit!! gotta challenge yourself!!]
duskspear: (00)

[personal profile] duskspear 2023-02-06 01:43 am (UTC)(link)
[Gotta go fast.

Boy, are they going fast. The scales have tipped and Roland is dedicated to following through on their run. Hopefully the flowers are enjoying this meatheaded proposal from afar.
]
floralistic: (12)

[personal profile] floralistic 2023-02-06 02:14 am (UTC)(link)
[WOOHOO they'd better enjoy it

anyway, after probably like. a decently far track, alfred loops back to the flowers and slows down, doing a cool-down lap before stopping to catch his breath.]


Whew... that was a good run, wasn't it...?
duskspear: (26)

[personal profile] duskspear 2023-02-06 05:18 am (UTC)(link)
[Roland trails after Alfred on the final lap and stops when he does. It's been a while since he ran for the sake of running. He takes a moment to gather his breath before straightening.]

Yes . . . Are you satisfied?
floralistic: (7)

[personal profile] floralistic 2023-02-06 05:51 am (UTC)(link)
Haha... yup! I worked up a good sweat—I'm pretty satisfied!

[HE LOVES WORKING OUT SO MUCH]
duskspear: (26)

[personal profile] duskspear 2023-02-06 08:18 am (UTC)(link)
[His lips quirk into a slightly wider smile. Good for Alfred. Then, ignoring how his hair sticks to his face, he turns to the flowers, whose petals appear brighter than before.]

The flowers seem to feel a similar way.
floralistic: (2)

[personal profile] floralistic 2023-02-06 04:17 pm (UTC)(link)
Heh, glad they also enjoyed the workout by proxy!

[he grins at roland.]

You also kept up really well. We should do this again sometime!
duskspear: (26)

[personal profile] duskspear 2023-02-07 01:21 am (UTC)(link)
If it pleases you to have a partner, I would be willing to accompany you.

[The exercise would do him some good, too.]
floralistic: (10)

[personal profile] floralistic 2023-02-07 02:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Thanks, I appreciate it! Workouts are always better with company, if you ask me.
duskspear: (26)

[personal profile] duskspear 2023-02-08 12:15 pm (UTC)(link)
[The petals gleam even brighter at Alfred's enthusiasm. Roland kneels back down to caress them.]

. . . They must be of the same mind.

[Perhaps that means they're ready. His hand slides down to pluck the flower with care. It relents easily, and Roland angles his head toward Alfred.]

Would you like to pick some?
floralistic: (2)

[personal profile] floralistic 2023-02-08 03:25 pm (UTC)(link)
Heh... I almost feel a little bad plucking them now, after the effort we went to making them happy—but here goes.

[picking a flower too...]
duskspear: (26)

[personal profile] duskspear 2023-02-09 06:35 am (UTC)(link)
[He does feel bad. These flowers reach the peak of their radiance for the sole purpose of being taken. He can't say that he feels all that genuine, but the quest calls.]

Shall we return now?
floralistic: (11)

[personal profile] floralistic 2023-02-09 03:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Sure thing. We've probably kept the university waiting long enough, huh?
duskspear: (19)

[personal profile] duskspear 2023-02-10 03:28 am (UTC)(link)
[Nodding, he rises. But he pauses upon turning around to go back the way they came, which perhaps isn't right. There's no path there.

He glances around. Is his memory failing him?
]
floralistic: (12)

[personal profile] floralistic 2023-02-11 05:45 am (UTC)(link)
[he also glances around...]

... Huh. Could've sworn this was the way back.
duskspear: (28)

[personal profile] duskspear 2023-02-11 11:12 am (UTC)(link)
. . . Shall we find another way?