beta testing 0.1: tutorial & dungeon

[gamedevs]

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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Comments

[hexensabbat]

a3;

[Ringo can be found literally anywhere at any time during the dungeon quest, because she is a JRPG protagonist and side quests are her bread and butter.

But in particular--

In the inventor's puzzle box, she will absolutely turn to you and point and:]

Hey, let me on your shoulders for a minute, okay? I've gotta look at the floor.

[Puzzles!!

Or at the boss, she can be found frowning, her very sci-fi glowy katana in hand.]

Does this seem like bullying to you?

[(feel free to shift the boss to its ruder form, though, this is SMT babey]

b1;

[The house is happy to see them, and Ringo is happy to talk to this house!]

Hey, Dodo! Show me what else you can do. Oh, hey, can you shuffle around the windows, too? Oh, or maybe you can plop an elevator right here? C'mooon, Dodo, let's do it!

[sorry if that means the house is tossing you down the stairs or getting in your way or overall being a menace. Because it's Ringo's fault, she's the menace.]

b3;

[Otherwise, Ringo can be found meandering around the party, fully enjoying herself! This is a weird situation but she can roll with the punches, and also, all of this has been (mostly) fun right now.

Her name tag reads:

Hi my Name Is: Ringo
A Fun Fact About Me: Not a human.

Informative!]

wildcard;

[listen, I love all of the prompts so hit me with whatever you're feeling, no permission necessary. and/or I can be found on disco at kalisona#8428 for plotting!]

a3

[solecsudo]

[sion blinks, before shrugging.]

Sure, although I fear I might not make a very good ladder.

[unfortunately sion is 15 he's filling out but he is not a twunk—still, he'll bend down to make it easier for ringo to step onto his shoulders.]

[hexensabbat]

[Does Ringo feel bad for making a 15 year old boy be her stepstool?

... No. No she does not.

She will at least take off her heels because that sounds painful.]

Great, thanks! I'll pay you back by solving this puzzle, alright?

[upsie-daisy!]

[solecsudo]

[it's fine sion doesn't seem to mind at least]

... It'd be rather remiss of me to make someone else do all the work, especially when our lives are at stake here.

B3

[hasteful]

[buzen's name tag reads:

BUZEN GOU
CAN DRIVE AND RIDE ANYTHING, APPARENTLY

but more importantly he's catching ringo's and with a mouth that runs faster than his mind keeps up, he goes—]

Oh, me t—

[hasteful]

[ . . .

wait]

... Me... Thinks that's really neat! What kind of not a human are you?

[s

saved it]

[hexensabbat]

[did he though

She takes a minute to look at his name tag...

and then look at him properly.......

And then she just arches an eyebrow.]

How about we trade?

b3

[humainity]

[ Sophia is fascinated.

And immediately trotting over to Ringo, eyes bright. ]

Hello! My name is Sophia! I am also not a human!

[ ... Which is basically everything that her name tag reads, so. Guess it's true? ]

[hexensabbat]

Well, aren't you perky?

[It's cute though.]

Hey there, Sophia. What kind of not-a-human are you?

[humainity]

I am an AI-- an Artificial Intelligence, created for the specific purpose of being humanity's companion.

[ She continues to be perky. ]

What about you, Ringo?

b3

[galesofreverie]

[rest assured that Wanderer isn't here by choice, but this Archon-forsaken device that he wound up with upon his arrival to this strange city is very persistent. he's extremely tempted to chuck it into the nearest body of water. . . once he finds one, anyway. but for the time being, he has been bullied to attend this. . . "welcome mingle" by an inanimate object. he's doing great for himself]

[on the bright side, this could be a chance to gain more information. which is why his expression isn't quite as severe as it could be as he scans the crowds, arms crossed over his torso. he's dressed in a cardigan (opened, white shirt underneath), a pair of simple brown shorts, and some normal-ass sneakers while he sports a simple pendant around his neck. it's gonna take him a while to get used to this attire]

[but that isn't important. what is important is the fact that Ringo's nametag has made him do a double-take, while his own reads:

Hello! My name is ███████.
A fun fact about me: I don't have a heart.]

. . . hmph.

[he is not directly interacting with her (b/c lol why would he), but it's clear that thoughtful "hmph" is directed at her]

[hexensabbat]

[did u just hmph at me, my good sir.



Anyway, Ringo is used to devil summoners, which are not, generally, the friendliest bunch of people! Which means she's used to having to take the first step, it's fine.]

Hey there! Couldn't help but notice you taking a look over this way. What's up?

[glances... at his name tag......

... And she does a double take despite herself, blinking.]

[galesofreverie]

[he sure did!! WHAT'S SHE GONNA DO ABOUT IT]

[his expression flickers a bit when he realizes he's been caught, and it's instinct the way he ducks his head and lifts a hand, as though reaching for a hat-- ah. . . but of course, his hat isn't there for him to hide underneath anymore, is it?]

[. . . hm]

. . . you're imagining things. Don't read too much into it.

b1

[pyojeol]

[IG HSY JUST FALLS DOWN THE STAIRS AND BREAKS ALL HER RIBS

jk she does fall, but manages to roll into a landing, proper position and everything. then she sticks her head up the slowly disappearing stairs,]

Hey!! Don't just rearrange shit out here!!

[IM WALKIN 'ERE]

[1/2]

[hexensabbat]

[!!!




whoops!]

[2/2]

[hexensabbat]

[... okay but like--]

Heyyy, nice duck and roll! That was pretty impressive.

[She will come over to offer a hand up, though.]

[pyojeol]

[She waves her helping hand away, grumbling.]

Thanks... is that what you think I'm gonna say?! I wouldn't have had to duck and roll in the first place if it weren't for you.

b1

[sorser]

[Stephen, meanwhile, sure is having a time trying to traverse this house when the stairs keep trying to twist and turn or turn into a giant slide. This would be far less egregious if he had his magic, or his cloak, but whatever this world is supposed to be, it appears he doesn't have that privilege any longer.

So, sliding down the stairs, somehow managing to stay upright with his arms out for balance-]

Do you mind?

[hexensabbat]

Nope, I sure don't!

[Terrible.

There's a long pause, and then she blinks and turns back to look at him properly as he slides.]

... That one wasn't me, for the record. Dodo's pretty into the slide thing, though, huh?

[sorser]

[Awful. But Stephen finds himself on solid, non-sliding ground eventually, allowing him to turn to face her direction without falling flat on his face. His brows scrunch, and his tone turns acerbic.]

Didn't I just hear you say, "hey, Dodo! Show me what else you can do"? I don't think this house exactly needs any extra enabling. It's excitable enough as-is.

B3

[sinagainstcreation]

Now that's a fun fact.

[Even though Loremaster says that, she seems a little bit flippant about it, not like someone who just read something amazing or all that eye-catching. It's the kind of attitude that comes with not being human either -- but hey, that fun fact she read does make Ringo more interesting than many things here on the offline side, interesting enough to attract her like some annoying fly]

So, tell me, what are you? Don't spare details, alright?

[Her own nametag is displayed pretty proudly -- 'Loremaster', and 'Currently working on making more sins against creation and life'. She makes absolutely no attempt to hide this stuff]

[hexensabbat]

[Ringo's equally flippant about it, so this works out. A shrug, and she just points to herself and:]

AI. Artificial Intelligence. Is that enough detail or do you need some more? Because I'd also really like to ask about yours.

[sinagainstcreation]

Yes, more detail! Who created you? What were you created for? Is the form you currently have some sort of artificial body or did you get implanted into someone's already existing organic body?

[A lot of questions. The third one definitely is a little bit too specific, really -- Loremaster doesn't use AIs, but she sure knows faaaaar more than a thing or two of stuff that's not...moral, so to say]

Go ahead! Ask away.

b1.

[equillibriums]

[ and rutile is happy to get tossed, actually. where normal people—looks up—might feel some level of irritation at having their day to day life disrupted by the whims of a chaotic ringo, rutile is... not!

he's having a blast chasing the window he was looking out of curiously, actually, as it shuffles from one area to the next. ]

Ahaha. You and Dodo are certainly making me work for the view, Miss. It's one worth chasing!

[ it's very obvious what's going on here, when she's screaming excitedly in the background of his suffering (affectionate) ]

[hexensabbat]

[Honestly, at a certain point, his zooming around for the windows becomes obvious. Should she stop...? But he looks like he's having so much fun! Like a golden retriever chasing a ball...


She laughs as he chases it again.]

Having fun? It seems like Dodo can do this alllll day.