My eyes clear, and in front of me is a young guy with light skin, spiked black hair, bright blue eyes, and a muscular build. He's wearing a simple robe and holds a wand in his right hand.
And he's looking at me with a quizzical look on his face.
[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1092483314847330346/1100844092566536293/konacj_young_adventurer_character_with_light_skin_short_spiked__82d4a030-015b-4a3b-8d4c-9a2f3a1c78be.png]
"Bro?"
"Heya little brother."
His face is screwed up with puzzlement.
"Um.... where are your clothes?"
I look down and notice that I'm wearing only underwear.
[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1092483314847330346/1100843902270980226/konacj_anime_art_style_ef1ddb17-b4cc-4d65-a940-b8d74c2cccf2.png]
Lol. At least it's boxers. And while the character is lifelike, I'm not at risk of being NSFW here. Just a bit edgy haha.
"You chose wand right?"
"Yeahhhhh. I know you can change stuff later, and the beta said people can learn magic lots of different ways, but no one knows if that'll be the same in the real game, and you can't restart yet, and I wasn't sure if you could learn magic without choosing a wand, and I definitely want to learn magic. This is gonna be so cool!"
He was dressed in a robe, so I'm assuming that starting equipment must be related to whatever job/weapon is chosen during the selection screen. I still haven't made a choice, so I have no starting equipment.
As if on cue, a red icon begins flashing in the bottom right section of my vision. It's an exclamation mark. It opens a quest log, and the first one on the list is marked in red - "Choose a weapon."
Active Quests!
CHOOSE A WEAPON
?
It's also a button.
And I'm pretty sure that pushing it will take me back to the dimension of weapons.
I just got out of there. I'm probably gonna have to go back, but for now I'm gonna not push the button. Ok? Ok. I minimize the quest screen and move its flashing exclamation mark as far as I can from the center of my vision, then refocus my gaze on my brother.
"Yeah, it's because I still haven't chosen a weapon. It looks like I don't get any starting equipment without it."
"Oh. Well that makes sense. Wanna do the Tutorial with me?"
The first step of the Tutorial is confirming weapon selection and assigning skill points. In this room are dozens of mannequins wearing starting equipment and holding weapons. I see one that's wearing the same stuff that my brother is. There's also a doorway filled with red haze. A status window pops up, and I see my character name at the top. Woah. There are a lot of stats. I count 1, 2, 3, 4... 9 total.
Before I look at my stats, I press the question mark in the corner of the screen. Always read the fine print. Another window pops up, with an explanation of each statistic.
RESOURCES HP (Hit Points) - the ability to survive. Current hit points are reduced by any type of physical damage, most magical damage, or injury. When hit points reach zero, the character Dies. Essential for all characters. HP slowly regenerates over time. MP (Magic Points) - the ability to cast. Innate magical resource that allows spellcasting and the usage of unique abilities. Used by all characters; characters who specialize in magical abilities require significantly higher MP. MP slowly regenerates over time. PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES STR (Strength) - the ability to lift. Strength allows a character to manipulate objects with increasing amounts of force. Improves carrying capacity, brute force. Needed for heavy melee fighters. AGI (Agility) - the ability to move quickly. Necessary for fast fist fighting, close range dodging, and duelists. DEX (Dexterity) - the ability to move precisely. Ideal for bow hunters and throwing daggers. END (Endurance) - the ability to resist. Decreases physical stress. Improves hit points. Great for tanks. MENTAL ATTRIBUTES
INT (Intelligence) - the ability to think. Improves ability to solve problems and manipulate large numbers of concomitant variables. Increases magical power in mages. WIS (Wisdom) - the ability to meditate. Improves sense meaning and purpose and attunement to global knowledge. Improves healing power and impact of ritual magics. CHA (Charm) - the ability to persuade. Improves charisma, leadership skills, inspiration. Necessary for musical performances, leadership roles, subterfuge, and animal taming. PER (Perception) - the ability to perceive. Allows detection of changes or subtleties in the environment, others, or self. Increases stealth detection, awareness, and appraisal abilities. TRANSCENDENTAL ATTRIBUTES
LUC (Luck) - influences causality and fortune. Hidden after character creation. Increases luck-based events. Minor, wide-ranging effect. Used as a seed for random number generation.
Name: Gabe Proficiency:
None Level:
0 HP: 10/10 (0) ⇧ ⇩ MP: 5/5 (0) ⇧ ⇩ STR: 5 (0) ⇧ ⇩ INT: 5 (0) ⇧ ⇩ AGI: 5 (0) ⇧ ⇩ WIS: 5 (0) ⇧ ⇩ DEX: 5 (0) ⇧ ⇩ CHA: 5 (0) ⇧ ⇩ END: 5 (0) ⇧ ⇩ PER: 5 (0) ⇧ ⇩ LUC: 5 (0) ⇧ ⇩ Points: 100/50 ?
I see that my stats are even 5's across the board, and I have 100 points (out of 50? Weird) to assign as I'd like.
"It looks like my points are all 5's..."
"Huh? All of mine are higher than that. Only Luck is 5."
My little brother flips his status screen around to face me.
>>
Name: Koji Proficiency:
Beginner Wand Level:
1 HP: 20/20 (+10) ⇧ ⇩ MP: 40/40 (+35) ⇧ ⇩ STR: 6 (+1) ⇧ ⇩ INT: 20 (+15) ⇧ ⇩ AGI: 8 (+3) ⇧ ⇩ WIS: 14 (+9) ⇧ ⇩ DEX: 9 (+4) ⇧ ⇩ CHA: 11 (+6) ⇧ ⇩ END: 6 (+1) ⇧ ⇩ PER: 8 (+3) ⇧ ⇩ LUC: 5 (0) ⇧ ⇩ Points: 50/50 ?
"Woah!"
His stats were way higher than mine! But he had 50 fewer points to distribute.
Maybe 50 of his points were automatically assigned for him based on his class? I count them but get a weird number. In the stats section he has 42 more that are assigned... the other eight points must be for HP and MP.
I add a point to HP and it goes up by 10. I can get the point back by subtracting it. A point in MP adds 5. A point in every other stat increases it by one.
Name: Gabe Proficiency:
None Level:
0 HP: 20/20 (+10) ⇧ ⇩ MP: 10/10 (+5) ⇧ ⇩ STR: 6 (+1) ⇧ ⇩ INT: 6 (+1) ⇧ ⇩ AGI: 6 (+1) ⇧ ⇩ WIS: 6 (+1) ⇧ ⇩ DEX: 6 (+1) ⇧ ⇩ CHA: 6 (+1) ⇧ ⇩ END: 6 (+1) ⇧ ⇩ PER: 6 (+1) ⇧ ⇩ LUC: 6 (+1) ⇧ ⇩ Points: 89/50 ?
I realize that I can also subtract 2 points from HP and it goes to 0. At this point I recognize that I'm probably in the area of glitches and bugs. No one should be able to choose a HP value of 0, since that would break the character completely. A HP value of 0 would mean being permanently dead, right?
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Also, there's something weird. Removing the last point from HP gives me *5* points to distribute, instead of 1. Removing a point from MP does the same thing.
Name: Gabe Proficiency:
None Level:
0 HP: 0/0 (-10) ⇧ ⇩ MP: 0/0 (-5) ⇧ ⇩ STR: 6 (+1) ⇧ ⇩ INT: 6 (+1) ⇧ ⇩ AGI: 6 (+1) ⇧ ⇩ WIS: 6 (+1) ⇧ ⇩ DEX: 6 (+1) ⇧ ⇩ CHA: 6 (+1) ⇧ ⇩ END: 6 (+1) ⇧ ⇩ PER: 6 (+1) ⇧ ⇩ LUC: 6 (+1) ⇧ ⇩ Points: 101/50 ?
I click on STR and remove all 5 points but only get 5 points back. The last step from 1 to 0 gives me one point. The down arrow is still clickable though, so I click it again, and I suddenly notice that the score goes from a black 0 to a gray 0. And I get 5 extra points. I immediately notice that it's the same with my HP and MP, except that at 0 they are always gray.
Name: Gabe Proficiency:
None Level:
0 HP: 0/0 (-10) ⇧ ⇩ MP: 0/0 (-5) ⇧ ⇩ STR: 0 (-5) ⇧ ⇩ INT: 6 (+1) ⇧ ⇩ AGI: 6 (+1) ⇧ ⇩ WIS: 6 (+1) ⇧ ⇩ DEX: 6 (+1) ⇧ ⇩ CHA: 6 (+1) ⇧ ⇩ END: 6 (+1) ⇧ ⇩ PER: 6 (+1) ⇧ ⇩ LUC: 6 (+1) ⇧ ⇩ Points: 111/50 ?
I notice that my level, which is 0, and my class, "None", is also in gray text. I look at my little brother's status screen again (he still has it shared with me). His level, class, and all his stats are there in solid text.
At this point I am almost too far gone to notice my brother trying out new weapons. Each time he picks up a new weapon, his clothing changes to match the corresponding mannequin. Just to see what I'm working with, I remove all the points from all my stats.
Name: Gabe Proficiency:
None Level:
0 HP: 0/0 (-10) ⇧ ⇩ MP: 0/0 (-5) ⇧ ⇩ STR: 0 (-5) ⇧ ⇩ INT: 0 (-5) ⇧ ⇩ AGI: 0 (-5) ⇧ ⇩ WIS: 0 (-5) ⇧ ⇩ DEX: 0 (-5) ⇧ ⇩ CHA: 0 (-5) ⇧ ⇩ END: 0 (-5) ⇧ ⇩ PER: 0 (-5) ⇧ ⇩ LUC: 0 (-5) ⇧ ⇩ Points: 200/50 ?
All the zeroes are gray. I flip my status screen and share it with my little brother. His eyes go wide.
"Whaaaaaaa? How did you do that?"
"I just took all the points out. It looks like I have around 200 points to work with, but it costs 5 points just to invest into a specific stat."
Turns out my little brother is only able to remove 5 points from each stat, along with 10 HP or 5 MP. The minimum value is the class modifier. With the luck stat, he's able to remove the last point and also make the 0 turn gray and get the extra 5 points, but even after subtracting 10 HP and 5 MP, he only gets 52 more points - for a total of 102. Nowhere near 200.
Name: Koji Proficiency:
Beginner Wand Level:
1 HP: 10/10 (0) ⇧ ⇩ MP: 35/35 (+30) ⇧ ⇩ STR: 1 (-4) ⇧ ⇩ INT: 15 (+10) ⇧ ⇩ AGI: 3 (-2) ⇧ ⇩ WIS: 9 (+4) ⇧ ⇩ DEX: 4 (-1) ⇧ ⇩ CHA: 6 (+1) ⇧ ⇩ END: 1 (-4) ⇧ ⇩ PER: 3 (-2) ⇧ ⇩ LUC: 0 (-5) ⇧ ⇩ Points: 102/50 ?
I distribute my points to match his stats exactly, and somehow I only have 100 available. I check buttons a couple times - the difference is probably in HP and MP again.
Also. The most he can invest in a stat is based on the class modifier. As a Wand user, he can only increase his STR by 6 points (Class Modifier of 1), where he can add a whopping 90 points to INT (Class Modifier of 15). He can't add anything to luck at all.
Looks like people can still build glass cannons and speed demons; there's just a hard minimum and maximum that is also based on class choice. But since this game has adaptive stats, everything should end up working out.
Adaptive stats was one of the biggest selling points for this game. Most games have almost nothing in common with the real world, or they rely on it completely. In a mix of the two, this game allows people to create any kind of character they want, but then adapts to their individual strengths over time. For example, by showing agility that is higher than that expected by the stat (usually through a ton of real-life or in-game practice), it's possible to get a stat increase. People who are really smart, for example, or really perceptive, could create characters with low INT or PER score and then eventually get stat increases to compensate. In that way, the game AI rewards playing something different from who you normally are, while also rewarding you for your skills. Beta testers said that the score increases seemed to be capped before 20, and that getting even that high was tough.
I think of myself as a pretty well-rounded guy, pretty good at a lot of things, except maybe interacting with other people. So choosing something different... something creative...
Then I see it.
I laugh because I hadn't seen it before, cross my fingers, and assign my points. As I assign the last one, the red haze in the exit doorway turns green.
"Ready?"
"Almost. I have no idea how much MP I'm gonna want. I don't want to have to constantly wait for it to regenerate."
"Then be generous and move on! We'll have a blast either way."
"K. I'm done."
As we approach the green doorway a large window pops up.
Confirm Class and Stat Allocation? (FINAL DECISION)
It may be too early to celebrate my decision, but I click yes.
The rest of the tutorial rooms are about movement, object interaction, and dangers. If it would hurt you in real life, it'll hurt you here. And it will actually hurt. Since this is a full-dive game, object interaction is pretty straightforward. You pick up stuff, interact with it in the same way you would in real life. But the feeling of a different avatar - different height, different hand size etc - takes a little to get used to.
My brother has learned a new spell - magic spark - and is freaking out. He practices on a target and I randomly pick up stuff, noticing that my movement gets much slower when I do. Also, everything weighs more than I expected. My strength score is pretty low. Ok. Pretty might be a bit of an understatement. Work for me, adaptive stats! I have no idea how long it takes to get a stat increase, or if the tutorial even counts for that. Also, how much does everything in this room "really" weigh? And is this system interacting with my muscular strength in real life?
[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1092483314847330346/1100882082382757938/konacj_casting_a_magical_electric_spark_at_a_wooden_practice_du_534f154a-4bc7-47d3-bcbe-275c249fb8e0.png]
Koji (that name will take a little getting used to) has gotten the hang of his magic, and we jog/run (well, I do - he's walking just fine) to the end of the field. At the end, there's a glowing blue portal.
"See you on the other side!"
He steps through, and the portal goes solid for a moment. All the portals in this area probably take me back to where I was before, right? Back to the room of weapons then. Except that I already confirmed my stats, which means it is very likely that I will glitch right here. Worst case... would be having my brain fried like in Sword Art Online. Pretty sure that won't happen. Second worst case would be freezing the game or glitching my character and getting banned for life before I've even started. I guess when it forces me to make a decision I'll choose a shield. At the very least, shields are less violent than the other options, and my little brother is already a wand user. The portal opens again, and I step through.
The dungeon disappears from around me, and suddenly I am in a town square.