duolingos | beta testing 0.1: tutorial & dungeon

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!

duocaeli

duologs

duolingos FAQ & Game Info / Calendar / Locations / Mechanics
Taken / Applications / Hiatus & Drops

FULL NAVIGATION

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

A1. THE WOLF AT YOUR DOOR

[have you ever been minding your own business, doing your daily training in the weird pseudo afterlife you have only just started to consider your new home, when suddenly everything goes black—shows a LOADING... screen—and drops you into a whole pack of wolves. at least he already has his sword out?

are you also unlucky enough to end up in the wolf pile? did you see felix glitch in? maybe you know him, maybe you don't, but it could be worth working together to get out of the hard mode entry path!]

A2. HONK

[felix is wrestling with a goose.

the goose has a strange, flat-tipped sword in its mouth. somehow. and a really solid bill grip? because it appears to be, against odds, winning.

felix aims a kick, which the goose easily dodges.]

Let go, you stupid thing!

[there is a series of honks. this is good entertainment for anyone passing by.]

A3. SOLO LEVELLING

[of course, felix doesn't form a party to go on the rescue mission. he's a lone wolf? doesn't need anyone? you might be familiar with the type.

anyway, he's currently convulsing on the third chamber's floor, being literally tickled to death. his laughs come out in strangled gasps through gritted teeth, but there's definitely tears in his eyes, and he's clenching his jaw so hard it's surprising he hasn't somehow broken it. he doesn't even notice another person enter the room, surrounded as he is by big and small pipips.

a deranged sounding giggle bursts forward as he gasps for breath like a dying fish. help this stupid man?]

B1. MEET FIGHT

[felix is standing in a room, door open, frowning. he is dressed very casually, with his arms crossed, two swords haphazardly on the table beside him.

the moment you take a step into the room, for whatever reason—this is also your room, the doors messed up and popped you here, you recognize the person within—the floor tiles rise up, and bump you both together, forcing you to embrace the other person for balance.

dodo is helping!! :)]

B2. FLAME WAR

[your phone goes beep!]

Contact me if you know how to fight. Don't contact me if you're a weakling time-waster.

[this seems familiar somehow]

B3. MINGLY

[there is no way felix actually came to the mingle by choice—he likely stumbled into it, while exploring the house itself—but he's here now, and affixed with a nametag.

that he's desperately trying to rip off, to no avail. all it's doing is stretching his lovely turtleneck sweater.

between his fingers obscuring his name and fact, you can probably make out CRYBABY...]

X. WILDCARD

[i'm just so excited to be here!!! PM me or hit me up on nijikai for something special, or just throw out a meet cute wildcard tag that combines a couple prompts! i'm easy breezy and game for anything. :D]

Edited 2023-01-14 00:48 (UTC)

[way too fast:]

LET'S GO LET'S GO LET'S GO
⚔️💯🎇😤💥
RACE YOU TO THE TRAINING HALL

[the way this is a network prompt and i'm turning it into action i'm so sorry niji]

[the absolute speed and dumbass energy of this reply is insufferable

so he will definitely enjoy kicking his ass? time to work out some frustration without talking about it. he's running, one-handedly texting as he goes.]

See you there.

[when he does show up, he's just. carrying two sheathed swords. because he didn't have time to belt them on. he considers both in his hand, sizes up buzen in front of him, and unsheathes the shittier one, placing the other, much nicer sword against the wall.]

I'm ready when you are.

Felix Hugo Fraldarius | Fire Emblem: Three Horses/Nightfell CRAU

b2

forcing me into action clenches teeth

flame war, anon unfortunately haunting felix

HIS ANON HATE

a3

no subject

a2

no subject

b1

no subject

b2

no subject

b2.

no subject

b3!

no subject