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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.
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
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 :(
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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duocaeli duologs duolingosTaken / Applications / Hiatus & Drops
FULL NAVIGATION
no subject
[this one said with more of an air of true confusion. he starts ticking things off on his fingers.]
One, it was this damn house. Two, this is my room. Three and four... just what are you going on about? I'm surprised to see you here, too.
[is she surprised? maybe that's why she's so upset. she's shaken from being transported from superhell to here.]
no subject
[Of all the people in all of Stygia, why did Felix have to come along? She'd embarrassed herself so profoundly in front of him, and in turn that nasty, truth-spitting coin of his revealed just how much he despises her. All the while she'd been dogging his heels, mooning over his stupid beautiful face.
She wishes she were dead. For real this time. Fukawa growls and turns on her heel, making a show of stomping to the door.]
Oh, d-don't worry. I won't stick around and annoy you to death.
[Oh dear, thinks their ever watchful abode, the humble and wholesome Dodo. These two are in need of serious intervention!
So when Fukawa reaches for the doorknob, it sucks back into the wood.]
What?!
[There's nothing there. In fact the whole door has been deleted.
This is now your get-along room. Bonne chance!]
no subject
pretend nothing happened.
felix starts checking the windows.]
Maybe one of these opens.
no subject
Anyway she's quick to volley back a canon shot. He might not be on the same page, but as far as Fukawa's concerned this is now a war zone.]
Oh, so n-now you want to throw me out a window?! [Once again, extremely reasonable conclusion to be drawn.] Is th-that what you do with all your trash? Well forget it! I won't do it! J-jump out yourself!
no subject
[ughhhhhhhhhh]
Look, I'm... sorry if I made you mad. Let's just get out of here first.
no subject
Her lips peel back to bare such gritted teeth, the likes of which belong better to beasts than maidens
averagefair.]You d-didn't make me "mad". You humiliated me! [Her impotent fists tremble, her face heats boiling red. Clearly "mad" is still in the mix, but Fukawa's here to split hairs and point fingers.] You k-kept letting me make a fool of myself around you for ages, you m-made me believe there was a ch-chance you...you...!!!
[And suddenly, she's hurled herself into the corner, sinking to her knees, hands to her face. It suddenly matters very little that it's his room, that the door has vanished. She's claimed this sad nook for her own and she will have her fit, thank you.]
Urgh! I d-don't know why I bother! It always ends the same! Some people were j-just b-born to be hated...
no subject
then again, maybe jumping ship on this situation was what landed him here to begin with? much to think about.
one thing, at least, has dawned clearly enough on him: fukawa... liked him? to what degree, he's genuinely not sure, but that was apparently the base line, here.
felix runs a hand through his hair, trying to form a sentence that consists of more than simply "what". in the end, frustrating as it may be, there's really only one thing he can say—even if he's just repeating himself again.]
Sorry.
[he teeters on the edge of saying something else, but just opts for silence, instead.]
i'm sorry this got incredibly out of hand, please run felix
And how much of this is his fault in the first place?
An ugly notion. One she shoves into a dusty crevice and smooths over with soothing plaster. She's not at fault here, she's done nothing wrong. Falling for someone isn't wrong, how could it be? How is anyone supposed to control their own feelings? It's him that was being callous, he could have let her down gently before now! Let her know that she was little better than vermin in his eyes, a buzzing fly that couldn't be swatted off. If he'd told her so, she would have left off! Retreated! Nursed her wounds in private! But he kept encouraging her with his...
With...
Her face falls. She watches him through the bedraggled curtain of her bangs, then flicks her eyes to the wall. He'd let her tag along more than once, let her put on a movie for him, guided her through the darkness of a maze. Confided in her about his grim reality back home. But if she really thinks about it, Felix had always been — well, Byakuya-sama paid her the same respects! With even harsher words, and twice as many demands! And their bond was eternal, unbreakable. So sue her for thinking a similar fire was kindling between herself and Felix.
It's just the same end as all the rest. She gets her hopes up and they're quickly crushed underfoot. She's not pretty enough for a happy ending. She's not kind, she's not smart, and she's not useful. It's insane to believe Felix could have liked her at all. Where was the draw? What good was she to anyone, really?]
Wh-what for? [It's a small voice. Something on the verge of tears, but deftly holding back. The ire seems to have seeped out of her, and Fukawa's holding a strict private audience with the wall.] D-don't bother apologizing. Just...l-leave me alone. And —
[Her throat clogs here. There is the hurt, the shame, but something more dire at stake than both.]
D-don't you dare tell anyone about this.
[Sylvain had warned her, hadn't he? If he's here too, or even Dimitri, she could be facing something worse than rejection. The holster at her thigh seems to cinch tighter, her skin chilling under metal handles of the scissors within.]
If you m-make me a laughing stock, I'll never forgive you...
FUKAWA HES NOT WORTH IT
[that's immediate, at least. his brows knit, searching for words he simply doesn't have access to, sifting through emotions he's always felt too much. the meltdown is on the brink of dissolving into tears, and he feels powerless to stop it. apparently it's his fault, but he's not supposed to apologize, either? and what's he supposed to do with his hands, right now? from a placating "hold on" posture, he drops them uselessly to his side, and shifts his weight from foot to foot.
and now what?
he glances at the doorless door, lips pursed.]
I can't leave. [goddess, if only he could] I can go in the other room. Maybe if we wait it out, the house will... [he trails off, looking around. was there any food in here?]
...Let us out before we starve.
She is slowly coming to realize it dw :/ (also CW: child abuse references)
[Good.
Or at least that's her first thought. People can say any old thing and then stab you in the back later. That's what her peers have done time and again. At home, in school. In the Killing Game, especially. She'll have to tread especially careful around Felix now, perhaps even moreso than Sylvain. At least she knows that bridge is thoroughly burned. How far the flame will spread on this one has yet to be determined.
God, please don't tell her Dimitri is here too. She's had enough.]
...We c-can make three days, at least.
[In her experience. She had been much smaller then, but she knows how to weather the gnaw. At least the lights are on. At least it's not a closet packed with garbage.]
Maybe the house w-wants us to kill each other.
no subject
[he says it immediately, huffing a sigh as he does. three days. saints. in a way, this was so much worse than stygia.
he points to the bedroom, and starts moving, clearly a little awkwardly.]
I'll just go into the bedroom. Okay?