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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
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[That's what breaks his heart at the end of the day.]
Does the same hold true for you and your friends?
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Yeah. We've usually got a lot on our plates, but... we don't mind if we're helping other people. Keeping them from being harmed by Darkness by being a guiding light is kind of... what we do.
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Darkness?
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It’s what attacks hearts, and it gets stronger with negative emotions. Anger, fear, jealousy. It can give you strength, but usually it comes with a price if you can’t control it.
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[He's no stranger to those emotions. One can say that one's heart was spurred into action before being consumed by hatred, but he gets the sense that Riku means differently. The phrasing is too literal.]
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[A bit of both, but mostly surprisingly literal.]
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An entire world? How does that come to pass?
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[He has to be sure who he’s actually speaking to first. Friend or foe.]
Just know there are creatures of darkness without hearts that can destroy worlds. They’re looking for what they’re missing.
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. . . You bear a heavy burden.
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But New and Enhanced(tm) says,]
It’s worth it if we can protect others and their homes. My heart wouldn’t be this strong without it.
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To prevail in the face of adversity speaks for your strength of heart.
[Unlike some people—namely, himself.]
. . . Pray keep your friends close.
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It took some trial and error to get there.
[He won't downplay his accomplishments now, though. But he also won't brag about them.]
I do. [Well... He thinks about Sora and amends:] ...I'm trying.
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On the other hand, Roland thinks about Kairi. Either way, it's not as easy to hang onto loved ones as it should be. He sincerely hopes for the best for Riku, and that same sincerity laces his words.]
May your efforts bear fruit.
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Thanks. If you ever need anything, give me a call on this. Or... I guess you could find me in the house, too.
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[Riku sounds like a reliable fellow. They're fortunate to individuals like him here.
This also seems like a good place to end their encounter, except Roland still hasn't a proper grasp on what they've been doing, much less on how to hang up. So he pulls the phone away and stares at the screen, uncertain of how to proceed. Help.]
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Riku really stands there with the phone to his ear, listening to this old man not know how to turn it off. He hasn't learned Roland's name unless it happened to somehow be on the phone, so he realizes he can't call it out...
Again, he just says, a little loudly in case it's hard to hear:]
Hey. Are you in the house? Do you know where you are?
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I'm in my room at Dodo.
[Does he want to meet already? For what?]
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Okay. What name am I looking for? Unless you want to stand outside and wait for me.
[Millennial searches for boomer in order to explain technology.]
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. . . My name is Roland.
[He stands outside of the suite, where another plaque haunts him with the letters comprising his name. Clad in autumn wear, the attire adds a splash of color to his sunken, still stubbled face.]
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Okay. Give me a minute.
[The house is too big to hold all of their dumbasses. Riku goes up from the bottom, efficient but not too speedy he’d miss Roland. Once he gets to the other guy’s hall, he stops and peers.]
…Roland?
[Enjoy this random teenager with silver hair and black and grey athleisure wear.]
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It doesn't sit well with Roland that he's making Riku do the literal leg-work of looking for him. But it won't do for both of them to move around, so he waits with the phone in hand as he stares into the screen like that could infuse him with sudden understanding. He glances aside at the call of his name, then turns around with a small smile.]
. . . Might you be Riku?
[He's young.]
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Riku is so accustomed to doing leg-work, he really doesn't think anything of it, especially not against Roland.] Yeah. I'm Riku. [His voice comes through tinny in the phone and solid in the air. He does offer a slight smile of greeting.
He lowers the phone, but doesn't press the button on his end yet to stop the call. Slowly, he meanders his way over to where Roland is standing.]
I'll show you how to turn it off.
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Roland glances down at the phone when the sound of Riku's voice comes through like a distant echo. Then he raises his hand to allow both of them a better look at the screen.]
Ah . . . please.
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When you're ready to hang up, you press the red button on the screen. If someone calls you, there will be a button you slide to answer.
[He'll show Roland that too, if needed. But after the hang up learning.]
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He recalls the button he had to slide, thanks to the screen's instruction, or he might have never answered Riku. First impressions would have been terrible, though this is already plenty shameful. But that's not important. For now, there's no sense in prolonging this "call," so he moves to "hang up" by gingerly pressing the pad of his pointer finger on the red button.
The screen changes!]
Does this mean correspondence has ended?
[It's a strange thought. He would've been less surprised if Riku had climbed out of the screen than standing here like this, side by side, while Riku's voice comes from two different directions.]
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