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Post by JW% on Jun 22, 2013 18:14:19 GMT -8
"I hate long opening cut scenes..." Raygun muttered, putting his head back into his gloved hands, trying to concentrate.
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Post by Alkonost Storm on Jun 23, 2013 10:27:21 GMT -8
"They can be annoying...Especially when you just want to start playing and you can't skip them." Aino agreed as she moved back to her seat beside Raygun.
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Post by Penny Royals on Jun 23, 2013 12:02:04 GMT -8
Once the group was seated, their world went black once again. They stood now in an airport, with people bustling all about them, ready to go on about their day.
"I swear to God, if we get many more of those things I'm going to be sick."
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Post by JW% on Jun 23, 2013 12:18:32 GMT -8
Goyadv was still looking around, having identified the unpleasant scent of rotting flesh as coming from the one who screamed first. Admittably, the young man did look like he was injured... or something.
"This... honestly this seems more like a loading screen." He said before directing his attention at Rotcrotch Joe and Ilaria Runecraft. "I take it you two screwed up your character generation, didn't you?"
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Post by Fiery Firefly on Jun 23, 2013 15:23:41 GMT -8
"Now what do we do?" RJ asked, "I hope this isn't another cutscene, I usually skip that shit anyway."
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Post by JW% on Jun 23, 2013 15:47:54 GMT -8
"Well, maybe we should pay attention? Cut scenes usually give us story, and sometimes hints as to how to solve things." Goyadv said, and looked around the airport. There really wasn't any sign that things were interactable yet.
"At least we can talk to each other, right? That's better than nothing. And we're going to have to work together I think. These games are usually made on cooperation, and I think a bunch of us messed up our characters because we didn't know what to expect. And we don't even know who's the most screwed up yet."
"@#$!$%" Raygun suddenly said, then looked proud of himself.
"What... was that?" Goyadv asked, wondering how the young scientist had managed to screw up his voice like that.
"A swear word." Raygun replied happily. "You heard it censored. I heard it as something that rhymed with duck. I think I figured out how to turn off the censorship."
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Post by JW% on Jun 28, 2013 18:49:19 GMT -8
Goyadv shook his head and looked back at Rotcrotch Joe. That boy smelled horrible, that couldn't be a good sign. Was he supposed to be like that? Was there actually an option in character creation to smell that bad?
He smiled and pointed at Ilaria Runecraft. "Crossplayer, right? I nearly picked a female Paladin. Actually designed the character out, but didn't log on with it. I guess you weren't so lucky..." He trailed off as he noticed Raygun wandering off alone. "Hey! We should stick together. Where are you going?"
Raygun turned and gave him an exasperated look and then pointed at the water fountain. "I just want some water." He said as Goyadv hurried over to him. "I want a drink."
"Oh... uh... sorry... yeah I guess that's safe..." The older wizard said, embarrassed by his herding behavior. Of course then he grew concerned again when Raygun held up his hands palms together, pulled his hands apart, and a glowing framework of a cube appeared between them. "Wait, what's that?"
"I don't plan to drink water." Raygun shrugged. "This is one of my special abilities. You remember our character sheets have special abilities right?"
"Uh, yeah, I have a combat teleport, invisiblity, and a healing spell." Goyadv said trying to remember. He knew he had something like that at least. It seemed wizardish when he'd selected them.
"Right..." Raygun nodded. "Explains why you're naked."
"I'm not..."
"You have no gear on. None of the stuff you're wearing is anything but cosmetic. Just about everyone else has at least one weapon. And you didn't mention throwing fireballs or anything in your spell list..."
"Oh... that's bad isn't it?" Goyadv just realized that for all his worrying about everyone else potentially screwing themselves over, he had done the same to himself. "Well... @#$&" He watched as Raygun held the glowing cube under the water stream and the water seemed to be sucked into the middle of it and become a glowing light. "What are you doing anyway?"
"Crafting."
"You mean like... blacksmithing and tailoring?"
"Close enough." Raygun responded. "Everything in this world is made up of stats. Just numbers in a computer system."
"You... do know that we're doing this for real, right? I don't think this is a game anymore."
"They don't seem to have changed the rules any." Raygun responded, figuring that he had enough water in his floating glowing cube and he started to rotate it's edges like a rubik's cube. "Any of us can craft. Anyone who has a pot of water, a bundle of seasonings, and some vegetables can make vegetable soup if you put it over a heat source. I on the other hand, can craft without needing the crafting location."
"So you don't need a stove to cook?"
"Not only that, but the effectiveness of ones crafted items is measured not just by the quality of the materials you use, but also by your intelligence score, and any karma you poured into it." Raygun explained, letting the cube hover there for a moment as he considered it through things only he could see.
"So, if two people made vegetable soup, using the same pot, the same water, and the same vegetables, the smarter one would have tastier soup?"
"Healthier actually." Raygun corrected. "Or maybe more filling. Depends on what they were making it for. I think tasty and other 'cosmetic' parts of the creation are influenced by your charisma stat, not your intelligence. Mostly people think of the better materials used. If you gave me a length of wood it would have... I don't know... six or so points in it's own support strength. Suspended within my Hypothetical Framework such a length of wood could be broken down to just the statistic of 'six strength' and could be further crafted... say into a staff that could deal six points of damage."
"I'll see about getting you a length of wood so you can craft me a staff." Goyadv said humorlessly. "So what you're doing with the water..."
"I'm turning it from simple water into cola." Raygun explained. "Mostly just to experiment and see if I can. Ah, here we go..."
He collapsed the glowing cube into his hands and the light in the center of it resolved into a brown carbonated liquid. The two men looked at it for several seconds as the liquid poured out from between his hands and into the water fountains drain.
"Next time try crafting a cup to go with it." Goyadv suggested.
"Wonder where I'm going to get materials for that..." Raygun muttered licking the soda off his hands as he walked back to the group.
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Post by Alastor on Jun 29, 2013 15:33:32 GMT -8
Goyadv was still looking around, having identified the unpleasant scent of rotting flesh as coming from the one who screamed first. Admittably, the young man did look like he was injured... or something. "This... honestly this seems more like a loading screen." He said before directing his attention at Rotcrotch Joe and Ilaria Runecraft. "I take it you two screwed up your character generation, didn't you?" The bard's eyebrow raised then, as Goyadv asked his question. "...You don't play many games like this, do you?"
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Post by JW% on Jun 29, 2013 15:46:52 GMT -8
The bard's eyebrow raised then, as Goyadv asked his question. "...You don't play many games like this, do you?" "Ones where I black out at the computer and find myself wearing a body a good twenty years older than I am but still in better shape?" Goyadv asked with a bit of annoyance as he herded Raygun back to the group. "No, not really. I've clearly been missing out." He got his sarcasm under control. "If you mean games like this was supposed to be, yeah, I've played a few. Run a guild even. That's why I thought you might be a crossplayer. A G.I.R.L. Guy In Real Life. No big deal usually. Figure your rolled up something that looked good on screen, and I didn't see any voice selection options during character creation, so they went voice chat route. You sound like yourself, and look like that." "Any idea what we do now? No welcoming or tutorial has kicked in, and I don't see anyone with any markers that would mean quest givers..."
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Post by Fiery Firefly on Jun 29, 2013 16:02:40 GMT -8
"Well, maybe we should pay attention? Cut scenes usually give us story, and sometimes hints as to how to solve things." Goyadv said, and looked around the airport. There really wasn't any sign that things were interactable yet. "I do perfectly fine without watching them." RJ said, "I mostly do multiplayer stuff anyway. If I wanted to be bored with a story, I'd read a book."
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Post by JW% on Jun 29, 2013 16:08:00 GMT -8
"I do perfectly fine without watching them." RJ said, "I mostly do multiplayer stuff anyway. If I wanted to be bored with a story, I'd read a book." "Hey, this is multi-player. Massively from the looks of it. And you at least need to know what to shoot, right?" He looked around again. "So what do we shoot?" "Nothing yet." Raygun muttered, looking around as though the airport terminal was giving him a headache. All the NPCs walking about... "And you can't shoot anything anyway Goyadv."
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Post by Fiery Firefly on Jun 29, 2013 16:11:39 GMT -8
"I presume I shoot this..." RJ said, unsheathing the bow that was on her back, "Never used one of these before in real life, but it doesn't look that hard. I doubt I'll be Hawkeye, but I'm sure I can kill shit with this."
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Post by JW% on Jun 29, 2013 16:21:34 GMT -8
Goyadv laughed. "That's the spirit. Don't think you'll have any problem with using it. Mister grumpy labcoat there seemed able to use his glow cube." He spared a glance at Rotcrotch Joe and wondered if he'd missed an option in character creation that would have made his character smell that bad and look... diseased...
"It's called a Hypothetical Framework." Raygun said giving everyone a wary look. "Nobody read the lore to the setting, and none of you can even see the labels on things, can you?"
"Afraid not. Guide us, oh wizard."
"Scientist." Raygun muttered but didn't have any better of an idea as to how to lead them despite his different perspective.
"Either way, she needs to know what she should be killing." Goyadv gestured at the airport terminal, wondering if there was a help desk, or even which of the doors would actually lead them out. "Don't see any targets around here, do you?"
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Post by Alkonost Storm on Jun 29, 2013 19:22:26 GMT -8
Aino was lending half an ear to the conversation, too focused on trying to find their current objective. Eventually she spotted one NPC that seemed to have red cursor highlighting them, rather than the yellow for sub quests. It helped that they were gesturing at the group as well. She sighed and strode over to the NPC in question, an aged man. "Yes?"
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Post by Penny Royals on Jun 30, 2013 21:32:04 GMT -8
The man looked the group over, in jaunty neck movements.
"This way out," He said simply. "There's a vehicle waiting for you downstairs."
And with that, he took off, the group hopefully in tow.
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Post by Fiery Firefly on Jun 30, 2013 21:35:55 GMT -8
RJ looked around, "I dunno about you guys, but I was taught not to get into strange vehicles."
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Post by Frahnkenshteen on Jun 30, 2013 21:49:05 GMT -8
Bryan pushed himself out of his chair. "And I've played enough RPGs to know there isn't any real danger this early in the game. C'mon everyone, we should be fine," he said slinging his rifle on his shoulder and walking towards the stairs.
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Post by Alkonost Storm on Jun 30, 2013 22:01:19 GMT -8
The man looked the group over, in jaunty neck movements. "This way out," He said simply. "There's a vehicle waiting for you downstairs." And with that, he took off, the group hopefully in tow. "C'mon; we've nothing else to do here and no leads regarding our situation. We move on." She began to follow the NPC.
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Post by JW% on Jun 30, 2013 22:12:38 GMT -8
With a shrug Raygun started to follow the team Leader Aino.
Goyadv however glanced around at everyone else to make sure the group stayed together as much as possible.
"It's probably just a bus." He said reassuringly to RJ. "That's how they get people to and from airports, right? Bus or taxi, and I think there might be too many of us for just a taxi."
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Post by Penny Royals on Jul 8, 2013 19:34:51 GMT -8
The vehicle was in fact a bus, albeit a small one. A few people were having to stand as they entered a second cutscene.
Words floated above them now, a helpful, deep female voice speaking them in tandem.
"You are now entering playing mode. Would you like a few helpful hints along the way?"
Two boxes joined the words, containing the letters Y and N.
"I'd say yes," Zenia commented, looking from the boxes to Aino. "We'll probably need them."
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Post by JW% on Jul 8, 2013 21:53:55 GMT -8
Goyadv nodded. "Every little bit helps, right? Forewarned is forearmed and all that."
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Post by Alkonost Storm on Jul 8, 2013 22:06:09 GMT -8
"I've already done my homework but I'll keep the option open for the rest..." Aino did not appreciate the well-meant yet still insulting--to her pride--suggestion; she had played games before and knew what she was doing.
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Post by Fiery Firefly on Jul 8, 2013 22:26:56 GMT -8
"I hope its not one of those stupid tutorials that assumes we're all idiots. I hate those." RJ chimed in.
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Post by Frahnkenshteen on Jul 8, 2013 22:42:55 GMT -8
"Well, normally I'd say no to this, but our current circumstances aren't exactly what we'd call 'usual'" Bryan pointed out. "I'd say go for it. At the worst it will be a bit annoying, and at the best it may save our hides later down the line."
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Post by JW% on Jul 9, 2013 19:28:50 GMT -8
Raygun groaned at everyone. "Just pick one or the other. If it's going to be annoying, at least it'll be going somewhere."
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Post by Penny Royals on Jul 11, 2013 21:41:21 GMT -8
Lacie rolled her eyes, giving a frustrated sigh as her first hit the 'Y' box.
"There. Happy, everyone?"
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Post by JW% on Jul 11, 2013 21:43:42 GMT -8
There was a pause with nothing happening before Raygun spoke up again.
"No, not really. I'm not at least. Thanks for asking though."
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Post by Penny Royals on Jul 14, 2013 18:40:45 GMT -8
Lacie rolled her eyes, sitting back down next to RJ.
"As you may have learned from our ads," the voice boomed throughout the bus, "Universe is a multi-faceted game, with many playing opportunities, for players with all different levels of experience. Your current mission is in Terran, the urban city populated by any amount of colorful characters, many of them mechanical. Here, you have to strike out a name for yourself, be it by joining a band, becoming an athlete, or street fighting. The side bar at the top left will show your progress. Good luck!"
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Post by JW% on Jul 14, 2013 19:02:45 GMT -8
Both Raygun and Goyadv immediately glanced to their left and upwards.
"This isn't funny any more." Goyadv said crossing his arms when he couldn't find a side bar. "Did they mean individually or as a group? Is this meant to be a solo quest?"
"Joining a band, becoming an athlete, or street fighting?" Raygun groaned, realizing none of those fit his expertise. "Well, at least this place is mostly mechanical, so I'll have good drops."
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Post by Alkonost Storm on Jul 15, 2013 5:56:35 GMT -8
"Let's just keep our eyes and ears open for now." Aino suggested as she glanced over to their scientist and wizard. "Besides, those were likely just suggestions for whoever wants to do those things."
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