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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duocaeli duologs duolingos FAQ & Game Info / Calendar / Locations / Mechanics
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Comments

[magesque]

[ A1. EXTREME HARD MODE ]

[it's not like Tohsaka Rin is easy bait or anything, okay. she could handle all of these issues separately, she's sure of it. suddenly transported to the woods in some weird location? fine. hungry wolves? fine. weakened magic? ugh, annoying but fine.

but put all of that together and add in this horrifically annoying issue of (checks notes) a hole in her stomach and profuse bleeding, and even she's going to have a bit of trouble.

still, the blasts of magic from her fingertips come to her like second nature - but rather than incinerating these annoying things to a crisp, it's more just like temporary stuns.]

Ahhh, come on!! Just die already!

[help if you want to, pass right on by if you want to, or get bodyslammed by a wolf sent flying after rin literally spits blood in its face - anything can happen.]

[ A3. DUNGEON CRAWL ]

[so Rin understood that by some requirement or whatever, you're meant to enter the dungeon with a party. but also, consider: what if she doesn't?

she finds out very fast indeed when she's transported to the entrance of the dungeon, watching the hif... loon... (stupid name, stupid face, so kinda fitting) scamper away. there's an urge to chase after to be quick about this, but randomization means that she's here with a partner now. that's you.

she looks you up and down obviously, about 60% curious and 40% judgmental appraising, before offering a smile as an olive branch.]

Shall we be off? Failing a beginner's quest would be pretty embarrassing, don't you think?

[she's gonna eat these words when they get the glitched boss. does she still have a hole in her stomach? fuck around and find out.]

[ B3. TELL ME SOMETHING I DON'T KNOW ]

[alright, so she can't tear this nametag off and fling it into a fire, and she can't find a sharpie to scribble out the offensive statement. fine. but you know what she can do?

cross her arms and let her fingers fall just so underneath her name, so for now all can be read is RIN TOHSAKA

. . . but she can't help her curiosity and so she is probably not all that subtly trying to glance over at your name tag.]

Are all of these rude....?

[though in her peering, her attention and finger slips - and her fun fact so clearly reads: CURSED TO MESS EVERYTHING UP AT THE LAST SECOND]

[ WILDCARD ]

[none of these work? come at me!!! or i'll come at you!!! (threatening)]

a3

[hexensabbat]

[Ringo waits patiently while Rin looks her over, pretty used to this by now. Are all humans like this? Or just the suspicious ones? More data necessary.

A-n-y-way!]

Yeah, that's probably true.

[A little teasingly:]

What, does that mean I make the cut?

[magesque]

We'll see one way or another, right? I'd like to avoid being slowed down.

[but she's teasing too, based on the little quirk at the corner of her mouth]

Tohsaka Rin. You are?

a1

[solecsudo]

[sion doesn't even really need to think about it, while keithwood probably screams somewhere in another dimension—on instinct alone, he's rushing in, sword in hand to slash at the wolves in an attempt to help rin fend them off, despite knowing that fighting them is probably not a great idea.]

Unfortunately, I don't think the wolves are keen to reward spirit, miss—!

[but, like, kudos anyway]

[magesque]

I'd be relying on more than just spirit if anything here made sense...!

[but given the fact that she's running into another stranger with a sword, it clues her in very fast that at least this isn't fuyuki city. so she doesn't have to be worried about using her magic?

watered down as it is.... she'll fire off another shot, ignoring how it takes more effort this time.]

Where's the escape route?

[if he came from somewhere else maybe he knows where a proper path to civilization is?]

b3

[heroicpolonaise]

[ tohsaka... doesn't that sound a little familiar -- not to her exactly, but in a way to her too.

hoo boy.

the fact is funny too -- not funny-funny, but funny. kaede's own, COMPARES EVERYTHING TO CLASSICAL MUSIC, seems less rude, but it has its own cons. ]

I think some people have gotten a little luckier than others, Tohsaka-san. You just didn't.

[ this isn't mean it's a fact ]

[magesque]

[the way rin's senses simultaneously go you. and wait, why do i know you? is pretty amusing.

but she responds to what she thinks is an attack the only way she knows how - ]

Guess my luck goes to more important things. But it's cute to have a hyperfixation aired out here and there.

[overly polite passive aggressiveness]

b3

[humainity]

[ Sophia, whose name tag reads simply (beyond her name): NOT HUMAN, looks mildly confused by Rin's own text after her finger slip. ]

I don't know if I would consider this rude. I'm not a human, after all. But I didn't know curses were actually real.

[magesque]

[how does she answer this....]

It depends on who you ask.

[that's. that's true enough. but hmmmm,]

You're pretty open about your origin, though. I'm not used to that either.

[Sophia..... not a servant class name, but not a human either....]

a3

[pyojeol]

[A HOLE?????

Sooyoung doesn't look pleased at the randomization, or at being SURVEYED by this SMALL GIRL (is rin taller than 5'2'' im gonna flip), but she's used to being thrown into ridiculous scenarios with even more ridiculous goals to clear.

She hefts up a dagger like she's thinking of throwing it after the fleeing hifloon...]

Forget about embarrassing, we'll probably get cursed with some kind of stupid effect if we fail.

[SHE KNOWS THIS GENRE!!!]

[magesque]

[she's 5'3" this is so funny i'm shaking she's taller....... anyway she doesn't have any obvious tummy hole. her clothes are clean now! who goes dungeon crawling looking like a wholeass mess?]

Speaking from experience?

[but that doesn't sound appealing. so rin will just start walking further into the dungeon in pursuit of the hifloon, also tossing her name out casually - ]

Tohsaka Rin.

a1

[galesofreverie]

[wanderer wouldn't accept anything but extreme hard mode--]

[but anyway, a sudden burst of razor-sharp wind suddenly slices through the air and slams into one of the wolves. though. . . similar to Rin's magic, instead of cutting the creature to pieces, it just sends it skidding back with a pained howl, and nothing more]

[tch]

[at any rate, the source of said wind blade zooms through the air right afterwards, the wind around him lifting his feet off the ground as he whips past Rin without a backwards glance. he's only throwing himself into the fray for the thrill of the fight, obviously!! Rin's condition has nothing to do with this!!]

Tch! Fall back if you can't handle it!

[. . . oh. he's rude]

[magesque]

[bitch]

[magesque]

If you're going to complain, at least be more help!

[BOTH OF THEIR MAGIC IS NERFED? also rin say thank you?? no? oh, okay. even if normally she would, the irritation at being condescended to has dissuaded her from her normally impeccable(?) manners....

but she also can't deny that the light-headed feeling is hitting, so she'd rather end this sooner than later. she palms quickly through her inventory of gems, trying to think of a strategy she can use now that mouthy windy boy is here...]

You! Can you gather them together?

A3

[sinagainstcreation]

[Sure, may as well team up. This should be fine, she thinks]

With some luck our horrible deaths will be quick enough to not allow any embarrassment.

[The wide grin is pretty unfitting, for someone about to go dungeon crawling. It's not exactly the kind of grin one would give because you're brave, or because you're confident, but more like it's the grin of someone with a familiarity with this kind of thing -- or at the very least with what she is sure this is all about. What can she say, where she came from, she's the one making horrible puzzles and giant bosses to obliterate someone]

[magesque]

[hmmmmmm yes.... okay..........]

Let's start by not calling that luck. Dying pitifully is embarrassing too, you know?

[but regardless rin will incline her head toward the direction of the hifloon so that they can start on their expedition. also:]

Tohsaka Rin. You are?

b3.

[lackluster]

[ It seems like Rin isn't the only one with a rude nametag. Tartaglia has one of his own too, and on top of that, it lists out three names — or rather, it tries to.

TARTAGLIA, AKA CHILDE, AKA ▮▮▮▮
LIKELY TO THROW A TEMPER TANTRUM
IF HE DOESN'T GET HIS WAY
BECAUSE HE'S A BRAT

That last bit, too, is scribbled in an even smaller text because it won't fit the nametag otherwise.He's so unhappy right now — like a puppy who got caught doing a bad thing. ]

I'm pretty sure someone decided to pick on us for no reason.

[magesque]

[damn Tartaglia aka Childe aka (redacted), why are you so relatable right now? rin is so obviously reading his name tag, but by virtue of now being the bullied and downtrodden, she leans into solidarity.]

We haven't even done anything to deserve it. We just got here.

[and obviously they can't be held responsible for anything they do in the future?]

What a mean sense of humor.

a1

[terraria]

( the good thing about power over plants is that even lv 1 thorns are still thorns.

a gentle scent wafts close by, like floral citrus, before the ground seems to shift. the wolves whimper and scamper away from rin, giving her a bit of breathing room and a wider berth to keep her safe while she does her spells. a shadow descends, and in a few moments, a young man is beside her, clad in cream yellow and white and carrying a crystalline staff. his angelic wings flutter and fold at his back while he flicks a hand towards her from her shoes to her head, sending a healing wave of magic over her. it's weaker than it should be, but it still serves to help stem the bleeding. )

I think this is a bit of an unfair matchup. The animals of this world really are rude.

( instead of holding his staff up like some sort of wizard, aspen adopts a combative pose. like he's about to... swing... it. hey batter batter swing? )

[magesque]

[oh.

that's not bad at all.

rin is surprised - of course she is, she's not sure where to start whether it be the wings or the healing magic - but she's hardly against this turn of events. when the healing takes effect, she takes a big gulp of air like she's just trying to re-center herself without having to struggle through the pain.

despite herself, she knows when someone's come to her aid so - ] ... Thanks.

[she flexes her hand as if to test how many more shots she can fire from her fingertips]

You want me to set them up for you?

[if he's gonna hey batter batter swing]

a1

[preowned]

[ tsuru will simply have no idea buzen is here until the next post.

anyway he's just getting bodyslammed by a wolf that's it that's the tag it was the funniest option ]

[magesque]

[we'll descend on aki's tl later

also this is the funniest option thank you for picking it because rin's anger shifts into shock like she didn't think she would eventually take down a person like a bowling pin]

Wh—hey! Get out of the way!!

[HE'S ALREADY HIT, RIN - ugh, she hates this. she's not the heroic type or anything, but who wants to be a murderer by proxy in such a stupid way? she runs over to where he is, blasting away any wolves before they can avenge their brethren]

If you can get up, get out of here!

b3

[boarwitness]

[felix is using a different approach. he is simply holding a cup right in the way of his fact AND his name. his drink is full.]

Yes.

[he does not elaborate.]

[magesque]

[rin

horrid girl that she is

just reaches out to try to take the drink from him - the strat is that he'll probably just reflexively move it out of the way so she can read.

if she didn't have these weird half-formed memories of felix being insufferable, would she be this forward? (probably) oh, who's to say]

a1.

[equillibriums]

[ rin, your (checks notes) abdomen wound......

now, rutile is more of a lover, not a fighter. that is, his offensive magic is somewhat lacking even at full strength. though it's not like that's stopped him from throwing himself in the thick of things before, especially to help someone else...

... so, here he is. or, rather... here is a barrier in front of rin, that a wolf bounces off of rather hilariously. then here he is, running in with a green quill in his hand like that'll be useful at all. ]

Are you all right?!

[ is he being loud on purpose? yes. wolves on him sure means less on rin! ]