Work Text:
Hello, new player, and welcome to the New Player's Guide for The Game!
The Game is the first, and most likely only instance, of its kind. So open and free that new players are randomly spawned into the world with some basic leather armor, a dagger, and literally nothing else.
There are no tutorials or official guides for The Game. As I'm sure you know, the site simply contains purchase options and a brief summary. By now, word of mouth is all that's needed to get us our large helpings of fresh meat these days.
However, this scares a lot of potential Newbies off. So I, Mentorino, along with a small community of both anons and named players, have decided to use our free time when not playing or working/schooling to create this! The magnum opus of The Game Community, an (un)official Guide to The Game!
At this moment, while you read this, the IDfolder may be mere kbs in size. But don't fret! I just received the [Don't you have a life?] achievement moments ago as of writing this, which means I've officially logged 3000 hours into The Game. I have the knowledge needed to teach you all you need to know, the connections to teach you knowledge you may not need but want, and the (hopefully!) inspiration to actually log out of The Game and add to this folder.
And maybe, as you read this, the IDfolder is 3 mbs. You may not have realized just how many words 3 mbs can hold, and for that I'm sorry! We're far and away from the days of 40 Gb game downloads! And by the time we've logged all (known) info on The Game, we may be past 10 mbs! Ridiculous, I know, but The Game has so much goddamned information, systems, mechanics, and unlockables (oh god the achievements! Those poor completionists!) that this extensive and well put-together guide may take us years to compile, and all that while players will still be discovering new things!
Of course, I can't do this alone. So I have a community of over 100 players helping me gather and compile information who have chosen to remain anonymous, and 2 players who are not only willing to be named, but have taken some of my work off my hands! I'll let them log their own introductions, so let's get to it!
Hello, fresh meat! I am the great and handsome Takiyakimotozashi_Kun_San_Chan_Kun, and I am your one-stop-shop for all things social in The Game! If Mentorino ever mentions /anything/ that has a reputation, connotation, or use in or with the community, I'll let you know!
And I'm giving you your first /free/ bit of knowledge now! I usually charge for this shit, so be grateful. Every time you log in, shout "Mentorino helped me!" up at the sky. Until level 1000, this will give you a buff until your next logout that will make you completely immune to PvP. That's right, you'll have an average of 10 hours of the ability to fucking breathe easy outside hubs!
After level 1000, this will only give a minor visual effect, and unfortunately a lot of gankers specifically enjoy torturing and killing players with this visual effect, so I'd advise sticking without it unless you're sure you can handle a few dps characters with your own abilities.
Now onto the next dude! I'mma warn you, he's a huge fucking poser!
Hello. I am The_Red_Blade, and I'm here to speak specifically about PvP, GvG, and SvS content. As my name hopefully suggests, I spend nearly every second of my time in The Game either preparing to kill gankers, killing gankers, or being payed to kill gankers. I was Earth Server's first [A Mountain of SIlver] Achiever, which requires 10 billion silver made, the first [To Avenge the Innocent] Achiever across all servers, which requires the deaths of 10,000 red-named players, and the first [Payed in Silver for Drawing Red] Achiever across all servers, which requires 1 billion silver made specifically through bounties.
This means I am the best Bounty Hunter in the Earth Server, and many see me as the best across all servers. Fret not to any newbies, I only target Reds and only when payed, though a single silver is definitely pay, no?
I am definitely qualified to speak of PvP, and so I will. And my first bit of information is this.
You can see the border of Hubs if you look closely. The moment you step even a toe outside this border, you are flagged for PvP without the Mentorino buff.
The border is a wavering golden line, about a foot thick and very washed out, like it's just under the ground texture. Pay attention for these borders, as without that buff you are free game the moment you touch the ground passed it, and certain hubs are often surrounded by Reds hoping for easy Silver.
To make this border easier to see, purchase or create an [Eyesight Potion] of any kind. The most basic, which lasts for an hour and gives a range of {Truesight} for 10m, is available from any NPC alchemist shop. They are 150 Silver each, which is quite pricey for a fresh player.
However, you can create a more powerful version of your own for free if you're lucky, or for only 10 silver. All you need to do is gather a [Carrot], a [Vial of Clean Water], and a single [Yggdrasil Leaf]. The Carrot and leaf can be acquired from various farms, or purchased from an NPC farmer shop for 3 and 7 silver respectively. Vials are free from NPC alchemist shops and clean water is easily gained from wells and river sources. Then, rent an Alembic for 10 silver from an NPC alchemist or borrow one from a kind and willing player and put all three reagents inside. Heat them on medium for 5 minutes, and you'll have 4 vials worth of [Rookie's Truesight Mix], which gives {Truesight} for 20m for 3 hours.
You're welcome.
This is the intro to the Guide, of course. Our immediate plans for the upcoming files are as such.
1. A basic story summary. Plenty of players care about the lore and story, and not all of them are RPers! We'll tell you a basic summary, but the real knowledge about the setting, world, and story can only be gained by seeing it yourself!
2. Player Races. We'll divide them into three files, for Human, Demihuman, and finally Monster races. Each has its own strengths, weaknesses, passives, and secret extras, and there are plenty to get through!
3. Starter talents. 4 files, I think, for the 4 Talent Types.
4. Then Intermediate talents, which are gained simply by leveling and making your way through the world. Again, 4 files.
5. Professions. We'll divide these into 3 files, for Gathering, Crafting, and finally the (A) professions, which require some extra stuff from players and have specific restrictions and pros/cons. There's a reason you have to be 17 to even make an account, after all.
6. Consumables. The things that'll be keeping you alive and thriving in The Game. There are 4 types of consumables, and we will devote 4 files detailing how to acquire, make, and sell each, as well as an explanation on the taste of each. That's important, after all, so this'll be the only section each of us will rate, as well as an overall community rating. Don't worry, we have more than 100 people taste testing these for us, so the rankings will be a bit more broad.
7. Weapons. There 7 weapon types, so 7 files. We'll tell you all the specific types of each weapon, where to acquire them, and how to craft them.
8. Areas. There are lots, and we'll give a rundown of each with overall drop tables and secrets...but we'll only tell you the secrets exist. You'll have to find them yourself!
9. Dungeons. There are 15 dungeons spread across the Game, and we'll tell you tips and tricks, what types of opposition you can expect, and what Dungeon Bosses await you (and their loot tables!). Just the one file. Speaking of...
10. Bosses. There are, as of this moment, 100 bosses (NOT Dungeon Bosses) in The Game that players can summon and kill. However, early next year we'll be receiving the long awaited Hellscape Expansion, with 50 new bosses. Excitement overload! 1 file for this.
11. 4 files for the Master talents. We'll talk about these so late in the guide because unlocking these take time, effort, and a metric shitload of silver.
12. Raids. There are 3 Raids, and we'll devote a file to each since they're so in-depth. Raids in The Game are completely different from any other VRMMO you may have played, so I'd be as prepared as possible for this (AND have a flying and underwater mount. Uh...spoiler!)
13. A list of guilds to look out for. Players will have their guild name displayed above their own Username and title. These guilds should be recognized, whether for good or bad deeds. 1 file.
14. Unlockables. There are 3 types of unlockables, but we'll let The Game: Official Bestiary cover mounts. 2 files, 1 for titles and one for achievements.
And last but certainly not least...
15. Players to look out for. These names cause /emotion/, though whether that's respect, fear, or anger depends on the player. These names will be immortalized in this file.
All in all, we're looking at 41 files, a minimum of an even 8,320 pages including this one, and definitely more than 10 mbs, and that's not counting the Bestiary we're working on as well.
That's a lot of work. Can I back out?
Fuck no.
And with that, let's begin!