When I opened my eyes, a beautiful sight beyond anything I could imagine had appeared before my eyes.
I was situated in an open field surrounded by a lush forest, littered with small mob monsters like green slimes and rabbits.
Beside me was a beautifully rendered river. Just looking at the water, its appearance and the way it moves, shows how absurdly advance the game was in terms of its visual aspect.
“Nii-san said that the game’s graphics had improved but unless you take a look at the details, you can easily confuse it for reality…”
The only other experience I’ve had at looking at virtual simulation before this was when our parents had all taken us to a tour around a virtual house designed by dad. Back then, the level of detail wasn’t quite as much, mostly due to the fact that the software was more focused on structure instead aesthetic appeal.
This VRMMO however, seemed to have poured an extreme amount of effort in visual presentation.
[Enter Tutorial Mode? Y/N]
[Load Extra Content now? Y/N]
Two confirmation panels appeared. I chose [Yes] for both, having already see how different the game was compared to others and was relatively sure that I’d be left confused otherwise.
[Extra Content Loaded]
[Tutorial mode initiated. Information will be given when the player encounters a new mechanic or feature that has yet been explored. The mode can be disabled though the options tab]
I dismissed both information and proceeded. I immediately opened the main menu.
A large panel came up, and the tutorial mode activated.
[View Basics Tutorial? Y/N]
[Note: Choosing yes will set all supplementary tutorials to auto view. This may be changed in the [Options] tab]
I pressed immediately pressed [Yes].
<
Eh…?
My mind had to load for a bit to comprehend the sudden appearance of a very condescending female tutorial voice. This version of the tutorial was apparently the ‘Bonus Content’ that I had activated.
I considered for a few moments what I should do... and had gone into the [Options] tab, chose [Bonus Content], and considered turning it off. Something like this might prove to be a pain...
<
Did the developers actually pre-empt that kind of action from the players and programmed an appropriate response?! How much time did they have to even consider that?!
Well... in the end I did find it pretty interesting… oh well, I guess I’ll let it stay. I got off the [Options] tab and returned to the main menu.
<
I really wanted to retort badly to those blatant insults but knowing that the tutorial-chan wouldn’t be able to respond made the action useless.
The voice was also oddly happy for when it was saying that last line. Did I somehow get a tsundere tutorial or something?
<
Like what the rather sarcastic and slightly insulting tutorial-chan stated, the top of the panel had several tabs. They were [Status], [Inventory], [Equipment], [Field], [Quest], [Social], [Property], [Pet], and [Options], in that order.
<< ‘Kay, if that got through your thick head then go press the [Inventory] tab. Ah, better tell you this now. When in tutorial mode, every term in the menus can be pressed down on to reveal relevant info about them. So in the case that your intelligence quotient is equivalent to that of a freaking rock, then you can always rely on that. Now hurry up and press the [Inventory Tab]>>
“… I’m really starting to rethink the whole turning off the bonus content thing…”
Though a bit discouraged by the random harshness of tutorial-chan, I continued on and pressed the [Inventory] tab.
What appeared was the standard RPG inventory space. Rows and columns of boxes that would contain items. The inventory itself had tabs to switch between item boxes that were designed to contain different item types. There seemed to be a weight mechanic though from what I could see.
<< Wow! You can follow simple instructions, good for you! Let me give you a round of applause. Pachi Pachi Pachi. Okay, now that you’ve proven that you’re capable of basic comprehension, look at the your inventory and you’ll see some gracious gifts for the noobs of the game>>
“Now the voice is being sarcastic, the guy who made the tutorial must have some issues”
Not to mention it wasn’t even an actual clapping sound clip. She just enunciated the onomatopoeia of it in monotone. Seriously, this tutorial has a really horrible personality.
Letting out a sigh and looking at the inventory, there were several gift boxes of different colors. The boxes had their own unique titles that pertained to their contents, such as [Magical Foundations] and [Artisan’s Pride] were present. There was the expected ones like [Adventurer’s Beginnings] and [Warrior’s Might] while there were also role specific ones like [Knight’s Honor] and [Tools of the Assassin]. Those were just one of the many in the list.
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“Looks like they made sure that the game can cater to every type of playstyle…”
I dutifully looked through the each box and pondered my choice.
“Well… I guess even if I’m honestly going to play the game then it’s probably something that can help me do stuff on my own. God knows what my siblings and friends would do if they found out I was playing… I’m not really willing to burn all my time dungeon diving with them. I guess nothing too involved with battle, but something that can let me get by”
I checked each until I came upon the last box titled [Jack of All Trades] that contained a balance of basic items and equipment. Unlike the other boxes that had role specific and what was definitely higher tier items, the [Jack of All Trades] contained a combination of most of the items, but of lower tier and of lower amounts.
I had no real plans so it was better to just get a little bit of everything after all. That way I wouldn’t need to limit myself to doing one thing to progress.
“Ah, yeah, I think this suits me best. I have to hand it to those developers, they even made sure to give have a set for indecisive players.”
<
A confirmation panel appeared and I pressed [Yes].
<< [Jack of All Trades] was chosen. All other item boxes will now disappear. If you have any regrets, then put your grievances in an e-mail and send it to me. Whining may annoy me but your tears and hatred feed me>>
[Leather Equipment Set, Wooden Buckler, Dirk, HP potions x10, MP Potions x10, Stamina Potion x3, Return Stone x1, Revival Stone x1, Restoration Potion x 3, Production Set (Basic), Class Item Box, 2000G]
I checked that he received each item in my inventory before proceeding. I was wondering about the [Class item box] and the [Production Set (Basic)] but since the tutorial voice wasn’t saying anything yet, he ignored it for now.
I guess that’s a different part of the tutorial, so let’s leave that for later.
<
Having already adjusted to the condescending Tutoria-chan, my heart had stopped getting damaged each time she said something mean. I just treated her like some kind of tsundere heroine from an anime.
I pressed the [Equipment] tab. In there was a perfect 3d model of mymself, my game avatar, a list of available equipment that could be arranged in different ways, and a summary of my status and skill list.
<
In the list was the [Leather Equipment Set] that I received from the gift box earlier. Long pressing the icon revealed a separate panel where the list of equipment within the set was shown.
From the list, I tried dragging the leather gloves to my game avatar or the other panel.
A light covered my hands momentarily and soon revealed the leather gloves. The game avatar in the equipment page also reflected the change.
“That was pretty cool…”
I then dismissed the [Set] panel and double clicked the [Leather Equipment Set]. Like my hands, my whole body, save for the head, was bathed in light momentarily. When it disappeared, I found myself clad in full leather gear.
I then selected the [Dirk] and [Wooden Buckler] and equipped it as well. On my left leg, the dirk appeared, still sheathed, while the wooden buckler appeared on my right arm. The fact that the system adjusted to the fact that I was left handed and would be more comfortable wielding the weapon with my dominant hand was likely due to the [Biometrics Record].
<
I noted the [Appraisal] skill on the list. It seemed to be the skill granted by the leather equipment set. It was probably the standard ‘Identify and appraise unknown items’ skill.
I proceeded to press the [Field] tab. This time a map of the area I was in was displayed on the right side of the panel. On the left side was an empty box. It seems that quest progress summaries go here.
The area I was in was apparently called ‘Field of Beginnings’.
<
From the legend on the map, the blue arrow indicated the player’s location and position. Around the arrow seemed to be a small yellow circle, in where enemies, represented by red dots, moving around.
“So other players are represented by an arrow, white for neutral, green for friends, orange for party members, and white for guild mates. Monster markers are always red but has differing size and shape depending on the monster itself… and I can only see the markers at a certain area around where I am”
I read the written instructions that was revealed by pressing the question mark on the legend section. The yellow circle around the player indicator indicated the [Vision] the player had. A player was only able to detect and observe movement within that area.
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“That’s probably the only non-insulting or non-sarcastic instruction I’ve gotten yet”
I walked around while having the map panel open and approached a red dot. When I looked at the field, I saw a monster that was bullied by most beginner players of RPGs, a green colored slime.
“A green slime huh, it’s seriously cute too. That’s probably because the game has a pet system”
That particular tidbit of information was given to him by his siblings during dinner. Monsters that could be tamed were usually made out to either be cute, beautiful, or cool, to make sure that players are attracted to getting them. There are those that aren’t in those three classifications but were used due to their practicality.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
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“So you knew you were honestly messing around earlier? Here I thought you were dedicated to the job”
I snarked back at the tutorial voice a bit despite knowing the voice couldn’t really talk back. Weirdly enough It was starting to feel like I was actually having a conversation with a real person.
Going into the [Compendium] tab and choosing [Game Terminology], I read about [Vision] and [Aggression].
Apparently, monsters, like players, have a certain circular area around them where they will be able to sense approaching players. This referred to [Vision]. [Aggression] on the other hand was an area, smaller than the [Vision] area, when crossed, will start making the monster attack. Some monsters like the green slime in front of him, had no [Aggression Areas] and won’t attack unless the player attacks first.
On that note, it seemed like there was another term called [Sight]. Unlike [Vision], it referred to how far a player can see with their eyes and how much detail they can make out at a distance.
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“This tutorial voice gets more horrible the longer this goes…”
I was unsure of who provided the voice for the tutorial is but I didn’t really want to meet the VA that was obviously a violent person. The tutorial voice seemed to just be a tad too eager and happy when it was saying that last line.
Though that was certainly a prejudiced opinion on my part, it was best to be careful.
“I know that this is just a simulation and all, and that the enemy is just a green slime, but I guess this is pretty nerve wracking regardless”
I covered himself with the wooden buckler and drew my dirk. I then began approaching slowly until he was at striking distance from the slime.
When I got close, I noticed that the name and HP of the slime, followed by question marks was displayed on top of it. It was probably because I didn’t have any information on it.
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Titles seemed to be rewards from doing certain notable actions in the game. They were capable of granting some effects that help the player in certain ways.
I guess if I killed a lot of slimes, I’ll get a ‘Slime Slayer’ title or something? That title feels rather pitiful for some reason.
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“So you can even be a specialist in taking down certain monster types huh”
That would mean that grinding was actively encouraged. No wonder Katsuo and the others spend so much time on the game.
Yep, this game was surely a time sink.
I then prepared to attack.
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“What a bloodthirsty tutorial this is... Well at least she’s way nicer now”
Drawing back a few steps, I opened the panel again and viewed [Hitboxes] from the [Compendium].
[Hitboxes: Invisible areas around objects that, when overlapped with the hitbox of a weapon, will qualify the action as a ‘Hit’ and register damage. Monsters may have several hitboxes for each part. The same applies to player characters, equipment and weapons. Note that hitboxes not only determine whether a ‘hit’ occurs, it also determine how much damage is done. Each hitbox has a damage modifier with them.]
“Ah… that’s a pretty realistic system. So If I want to get a clean ‘hit’ on an enemy, I need to make sure that I the hitbox of my weapon and that of the monster overlap. So basically, it follows the same rules as arcade hitboxes... Well best to just try it out”
Damage modifiers… and it also applies to weapons too. I wonder how realistic it is?
Out of curiosity, I went close to the monster and hit it with the hilt of the dirk instead of its blade.
Though the attack had surely hit, it seemed like the slime didn’t even feel a thing.
“… no change huh. Guess that didn’t even do damage”
<
“The developers really did program a response for basically everything…”
It seemed that the violent tutorial voice was completely offended by my little experiment so this time I attacked the slime with a slash.
The slime reacted, having a cutely pained expression and sweat marks appearing out of nowhere. A tick mark then appeared and the slime began to prepare attacking me. It’s angry expression was also rather cute.
I readied my buckler, making sure to take on the attack instead of dodging, since I wasn’t entirely confident with what would happen if I just dodged.
Right after the slime attacked, it seemed to pause for a moment. I took the chance to attack it.
The cycle of attack and defend repeated a few times before the slime finally died. It’s death animation was a small explosion of goo.
<
So it seems she hates kill stealers…
I shook my head over the unrestrained joy that the tutorial voice seemed to have over the slime getting beaten and I picked up the items [Gel x2] and [herb].
I then opened the menu panel and went into the [Status] tab. When I looked at the page, I could only assume a look of confusion. I didn’t even know what the heck anything meant.
STATUSHP: 250STA: 100/100CLASS: -----------------MP: 200ROLE: BeginnerParametersPersonal InformationEngage0Blood Type:Disengage0???Endurance2Affiliations:Battle2????Learning0Personal History:Knowledge0????Craft0Luck0
The page contained nothing of the usual status system of found in every other RPG. Aside from HP, MP and Stamina, I had no idea what every other term was and why most of them were at zero.
<
So not only kill stealers but status elitist were hated by Tutorial-chan. She had a rather specific personality huh.
Though I honestly wanted to check out the [Parameter Evaluation System] and [Role System] already, I obediently followed instructions.
When I went into the equipment page, I noticed that my wooden buckler and Dirk now had a yellow bar under their Icons. The bars seemed to have a few pixels taken out of them.
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The very last line sent a few chills down my spine. Though the whole of the parameter system itself seemed to be a tad bit more complicated than the usual stats system, it made for a more realistic battle system.
I wonder if Tutorial-chan was the voice of a gamer from the former generation… from the stories I’ve heard, such things were rampant back in those days.
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I went into the [Skill] tab. There seemed to be a good amount of skills that were blank or grayed out though it seemed I did have a few that I could access.
SKILLSRole: BeginnerWeapon SkillsField SkillsDagger Mastery Lvl 1Appraisal Lvl 1Shield Mastery Lvl 1Explorer Lvl 0Sensory SkillsHarvesting Lvl 0Detection Lvl 0
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Ah so that’s why it’s called parameter evaluation instead. So the number of skills and grade of equipment will decide how strong you are as a player. Though the amount of time one needs to invest will still determine who is superior, the skill build and tactics would probably be the deciding factor in matches.
When I took a look each skill had an experience bar right beside them and a description of the skill appears when the skill icon is pressed.
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It seemed that assuming ‘Roles’ was needed in order to unlock a set of skills. If a role isn’t assumed, then skills pertaining to that role cannot be learned.
So if I understood that right… I need to first assume a role to have access to certain skills. The more skills I get, the higher the level of the role becomes and more skills unlock.
Well that wasn’t all too complicated… just a different approach to the system.
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I was surprised when some fanfare suddenly started playing. The sound was rather reminiscent of a certain series of the Last Fantasy series. The developers must’ve been fans of the game as well.
Did I clear something?
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[HP Potion x 5, MP Potion x 5, Stamina Potion x 2 received]
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Oh… so that was the whole overview of the basics huh?
“Ahahaha, she even went tsundere on the last part. Harshness aside, that was the most unique and interactive tutorial I’ve ever seen. The most detailed one as well”
I actually felt slightly lonely that she's gone but since there was still a lot of the system mechanics to explore, I'll hear from her again.
I checked whether I had properly received the items before deciding to continue practice.
“Let’s practice a bit more… just to get the hang of things. I kinda want to try dodging instead of guarding this time…”