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duocaeli mods ([personal profile] gamedevs) wrote in [community profile] duolingos2023-01-13 11:40 am

beta testing 0.1: tutorial & dungeon

beta testing 0.1

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!

"On" Tutorial

It’s pitch black. Is the darkness an old friend or a source of anxiety for you? Who’s to say what you were doing before, but right now there’s only one thing before your eyes: an ominous word over a slowly generating bar.

LOADING...

All at once - you’re plunged into color.

> A1. TUTORIAL START

If you’re lucky, the first sights that greet you are lush greenery, dancing street performers, and a grand statue of an elephant with assorted birds nesting nearby. Welcome to Avisle’s Town Square.

After a quick once-over, you’ll find that everything that you had on you before arriving is accounted for–so if you were barefoot and in your pajamas, you might not have much–with one notable addition: a glowing crystal in your pocket. The roughly cut gem fits in your palm and is already fastened on a chain for you. Convenient!

Soon after finding it, the crystal will begin to project information in front of you that is remarkably legible, even if you’ve never seen these particular runes before. It reads: New Worldwalker’s Checklist. Below, a series of tick boxes await you. You may need to start asking around or exploring. Seems like you’ve got things to do!

If you’re less fortunate, it seems you’ve landed just a bit outside the maintained grounds of the city itself. Somehow you’ve spawned in the middle of a pack of wolves. Huh! Well. You can see the city not too far from here, so maybe if you’re quick… Time to learn on your feet!

Whenever you do get to safety and complete the same inventory of your person, the crystal will respond to you just the same. Apparently you just decided to play on Hard Mode.

> A2. THE BUSTLING GUILD TOWN

☑️ Join a Guild

Avis Isle is a deeply uncharted place, welcoming explorers and curious adventurers. The Guilds do their best to provide structure for the city proper and for those getting a grasp of their magic; the Interguild Alliance (IGA) oversees the Guild Hub where quests are posted and dungeon crawls are organized. While there are all sorts of Guilds around, there are five main wings for each of the Grand 5.

Why not get to know them better? NPCs will call you over and try to encourage you to join them, some with challenging jeers and others with sincere, kind invitations–don’t you know that the very first guild that you join is free? Choose wisely! The guild’s mascot animal, some type of Avian, sits upon a very nice and color-coded throne in their respective wing awaiting your choice. Once you’ve made your selection, it will croon (or honk) at you, and your membership is complete. While you can’t actually hear the words, you have a feeling you’ve been told something like, “Now get to work, fresh meat!”

—Though if you're dallying, guilds aren't without mischief. A stray bird (though never The Throned Mascot Bird) may suddenly run by, webbed feet slapping on tile, and steal one of your items before ducking into the respective wing of their guild. The same goes for those that try to leave without joining a guild. Theft is a great marketing strategy, right?

> A3. BEGINNER’S QUEST: DUNGEON CRAWL

For all new worldwalkers, there is one quest that you must complete upon joining the server. Some call it fun-datory, some call it hazing. Don’t worry about it! Your crystal will blink at you before providing the details of the quest:

☑️ Dungeon Mission:
Retrieve the Hiccuping Hifloon

Though should there come a moment that you find yourself low on energy, whether it be from simple exhaustion or magic use, your communication crystal will flash. A new understanding will come to you: it is possible to transfer mana to one another via gestures of affection, borrowing from your traveling partner’s own energy. Why don’t you go and try it now? Holding a hand might just make you feel better, and not just emotionally!

> A4. TUTORIAL END

And with that, you’ve wrapped up the Duocaeli tutorial! Congratulations!! That said, while it's understandable to get off-track—if you outright ignore the prompts from your to-do list, you’ll find yourself respawning in front of the goal you need to accomplish! Come on, work with us a little here. Or don’t? You can be trapped in a loop if you really want.

Now you’re free to explore the rest of town. While there are some land masses in the distance, out past the wolves, it seems they're not quite open to you at the moment. Attempts to wander closer will lead to you getting turned right back around, and some glitchy text coming from your Communication Crystal that reads SERVER TRAFFIC.

If you poke around the options on your Communication Crystal, or just spend long enough logged on confused, you will eventually find it prompting you through the steps of Logging Out. Seems like there’s more still that awaits you.

"OFF" Tutorial

> B1. HOME SWEET HOME

When you awaken in the OFF world, the pressure on the front of your face is a little more apparent. Taking off the digital visor is easy—and it can turn compact right in your hand! Getting it to snap back into your cell phone just right might be a pain, thank goodness it’s durable—oh right, did we mention you have a cell phone? Whether you’re familiar with the device or not, it’s right there in your palm, the same color as your Duocaeli crystal. A closer examination of your clothes will also reveal that while your threads are familiar, they’re not exactly what you had in Duocaeli. Ever heard of a department store? They’re a little more like what you’d find there! Finally, your phone will suddenly beep and provide you with a new checklist, starting with:

☑️ Locate Domus Hosus Room

Seems like the first one is to find your room… But as you take a closer look around you, you might finally notice it—the way that the tiles on the floor seem to be shuddering in excitement at your awakening, the opening and closing of windows and cabinets to get your attention and say hi. Not only is the house alive, it seems to be happy to see you! Make your request—maybe a passing soul tells you that the house likes to be called Dodo, rather than the formal Domus Hosus—and see if it can be answered! Dodo so wants you to be comfortable here.

…and perhaps be a little mischievous? As you try to find your room, designated by your name on a plaque, you might be in for a surprise. Maybe the stairs suddenly turn into a slide, prompting you to tumble into another person. Perhaps the doors flicker and switch at the last second, prompting you to find an unfamiliar neighbor instead of your own lodgings. Is this what they call… a meet cute?

> B2. SURVIVE THE INTERNET

☑️ Post on DUONET

You have some questions, right? Don’t worry, whether for the inquisitive mind or the petty complaint, there’s always the internet! Through your cell phone, you’ll be prompted and guided through the steps of posting on DUONET, which is available to your fellow Worldwalkers. Don’t forget there’s also an Anonymous function, though it’s not without its own hiccups!

> B3. HELLO, MY NAME IS

At some point in your exploration, you’ll be interrupted by a neat little beep beep! On the screen of your phone:

☑️ Go to Dodo's Welcome Mingle
Or It'll Be Sad It Worked Really Hard On It :(

O-Oh. No reason not to drop in for a little while at least, right? Heading down to the Lobby of the Dodo House will reveal that it's been spruced up for all the new arrivals—sweet little string lights and dinky party streamers probably look a little silly against the grand art nouveau architecture, but don't you see how the lights surge happily at your arrival? It's the thought that counts!

All arrivals to the party will also find themselves with a name tag that lists one fact about them, regardless of whether it's a closely guarded secret or an actual fun fact! Those are impossible to think of when you're put on the spot—isn't it nice to have one thought of for you?

> B4. THE GOOD FORTUNE CITY

Once you're done partying, you and your newfound friends are free to hit the town. There are an unusual amount of signs that read CLOSED FOR PRIDE PARADE PREP, but you'll at least find that the local convenience stores and basic modern amenities are open.

Perhaps you should focus on the way other people here treat you so familiarly, as though you’ve been here all your life. Maybe some of it is jogging your memory, maybe not. Regardless, it seems that, for now, you’re here to stay. The question is how, or whether, you’ll make the best of it.

OOC Notes

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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FULL NAVIGATION
hasteful: (➛ we can go where our eyes take us)

[personal profile] hasteful 2023-01-16 05:34 am (UTC)(link)
Oh! I love horses! They're so fast!!
solecsudo: (manga - safe journey)

[personal profile] solecsudo 2023-01-16 05:38 am (UTC)(link)
[he lets out a light laugh.]

That, they are. Certainly faster than any human, at least.
hasteful: (➛ i see that light in the morning)

[personal profile] hasteful 2023-01-16 05:43 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah!!

[he's so excited about this]

Racing them is so much fun! Have you been outside here yet? There's stuff that's even faster. [cars, he's talking about cars] Ah, at least we've managed to land in a really fun place.
solecsudo: (redraw - another smile)

[personal profile] solecsudo 2023-01-16 05:46 am (UTC)(link)
[sion isn't as big of a horse fan as, say, mia or abel and so he doesn't do much racing, but this guy's energy is infectious, so he smiles.]

I admit, I haven't ventured much outside yet, as I've been preoccupied with the building and the "Duonet".
hasteful: (➛ this is what i'll say)

[personal profile] hasteful 2023-01-16 05:56 am (UTC)(link)
Oh! Do you wanna go out? Scouting's my specialty.

[he'll give the nearest wall a nice little pat]

I'm sure Dodo won't mind if we skip out for a bit just so we can stretch our legs, right Dodo?

[some of the floorboards that don't have anyone on them do little hops! yeah! encouraging!]
solecsudo: (redraw - god i hate keywords)

[personal profile] solecsudo 2023-01-16 06:01 am (UTC)(link)
[sion's still a little startled when dodo reacts, before he soothes his nerves. gotta get used to the magic house...]

Sure, sounds good to me.
hasteful: (➛ please don't go away)

[personal profile] hasteful 2023-01-16 06:24 am (UTC)(link)
[ah - buzen just grins back at sion before patting dodo again!! there there, friendly little house.]

Then let's be off!

[though he's also quick to ask - ]

What do you like to do for fun, Sion-san? Do you have any hobbies or interests?

[buzen mostly hangs out with people who hyperfixate hard, but it might help him figure out how to bring sion to something he'd find fun!!]
solecsudo: (novel - vol 9)

[personal profile] solecsudo 2023-01-16 06:28 am (UTC)(link)
Hobbies, huh?

[he's the crown prince he doesn't get to have hobbies??? no jk but also not fully jk—when you're raised to inherit the throne, the line between doing things for fun and doing them because you're obliged to gets blurry.]

I usually train in my spare time...
hasteful: (79)

[personal profile] hasteful 2023-01-17 06:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh! Me too! The Training Hall that Dodo has is pretty nice...

[all those training weapons.... baby brethren]

Ah, but the outside world looks a lot more peaceful.... But they have other athletic things! Like sports!
solecsudo: (manga - polite)

[personal profile] solecsudo 2023-01-18 12:19 am (UTC)(link)
Haha... are those the kinds of things you're interested in?

[generally, any kind of athletics sion participates in is still meant for the art of war, so.]
hasteful: (20)

[personal profile] hasteful 2023-01-18 06:12 am (UTC)(link)
Running, mostly! Enjoying things that go really fast - there's few things that can beat the sights you see when racing down a road, you know?

[matsui is out there spitting 20934824 blood facts at people and buzen's hobby can be boiled down to 'go fast, very fun']

Mostly I follow around with what other people like to do, though. I thought you'd have a more niche hobby, Sion-san. Haha, guess it's just what I've come to expect from my friends.
solecsudo: (manga - humble)

[personal profile] solecsudo 2023-01-18 02:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Heh, I'm afraid I'm a rather conventional person. It sounds like you have some interesting friends, though.
hasteful: (16)

[personal profile] hasteful 2023-01-18 04:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Can't deny that! Kotegiri likes idols, Kuwa has his gardening, Ame has his poetry, Kumo has Ame, and Matsu's got his blood thing.

[yes that's a perfectly sensible way to round out that list of interests]

With a group like that, you learn to be flexible.
solecsudo: (redraw - another smile)

[personal profile] solecsudo 2023-01-18 10:43 pm (UTC)(link)
[he's... not going to ask about the blood thing.]

Sounds like you're all close.
hasteful: (04)

[personal profile] hasteful 2023-01-20 07:47 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah! I'd say that. We're all pretty lucky to have each other.

[bunch of weird heckin' aliens]

Actually - Matsu's here too. We haven't run into the other Gous... but if you ever run into him, I'd appreciate it if you're kind. Though you're already pretty nice Sion-san, so I doubt I have to worry!

[but sometimes you're not sure what sudden movements might make your fragile vampire jump off the edge so here's buzen covering his bases

also matsui has talked about buzen so much on this log but this is the first time buzen's mentioned him to someone else i'm shaking]
solecsudo: (redraw - ?)

[personal profile] solecsudo 2023-01-23 07:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Matsu...

[remembers the guy's surname]

... Would you happen to mean Matsui Gou?
Edited 2023-01-23 19:49 (UTC)
hasteful: (82)

[personal profile] hasteful 2023-01-23 07:52 pm (UTC)(link)
[ !!!! the way his whole expression lights up]

Yeah, that's him! Longer hair than mine, really bright blue eyes, talks about blood? Have you met already?

He's really sweet and funny, right?

[buzen has not realized that matsui has very specific behavior that he extends to buzen in particular, but that's irrelevant]
solecsudo: (manga - polite)

[personal profile] solecsudo 2023-01-23 08:00 pm (UTC)(link)
[he smiles]

Perhaps somewhat lacking in education on bears, but yes, he's a very charming individual.
hasteful: (➛ we can go where our eyes take us)

[1/2]

[personal profile] hasteful 2023-01-23 08:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Haha, yeah! Please continue to get along with him, but maybe don't bleed—
hasteful: (101)

[personal profile] hasteful 2023-01-23 08:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Wait, bears?
solecsudo: (redraw - sardonic)

[personal profile] solecsudo 2023-01-23 08:02 pm (UTC)(link)
[dryly]

We learned the hard way that, despite his reading, bears can in fact run downhill.
hasteful: (➛ and people talk too much)

[personal profile] hasteful 2023-01-23 08:03 pm (UTC)(link)
[ . . . . ]

Mmm....

I'm glad you're safe.... I'll talk to him....

[HIS MATSU]
solecsudo: (manga - humble)

[personal profile] solecsudo 2023-01-23 08:06 pm (UTC)(link)
Haha, he was instrumental in ensuring our safety, so I owe him quite a bit. [a beat] So why shouldn't I bleed around him?
hasteful: (➛ should this be the last thing i see)

[personal profile] hasteful 2023-01-23 08:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Mm, that's good. Matsu is reliable, even if we're still figuring some stuff out.

[like bears.]

... well, just put some distance, even if he tries to close it. He's not dangerous or anything, but he just has a thing about it. [a blood thing] If I'm around, I'll guide him away so hopefully it's not a problem.
solecsudo: (redraw - ?)

[personal profile] solecsudo 2023-01-31 02:39 pm (UTC)(link)
I... see. [still not sure what this is about??] Well, I'll keep that in mind. Thank you for informing me.

(no subject)

[personal profile] hasteful - 2023-02-01 05:46 (UTC) - Expand