Having finished going through the general store items, James returned to the village menu.
{Floor 1: (Unnamed) Village Details:
Size: Level 0 (50 Meters in Diameter (Recommended Population: <400)) (Generate Upgrade Quest to Level 1 (75 Meters in Diameter (Recommended Population: <900)) (-100))
Walls: Level 0 (Wooden Stakes) (Generate Upgrade Quest to Level 1 (Wooden Logs) (-100))
Shops Enabled:
-General Store (View Description, Manage Items (Variable), Manage Functions (Variable), Disable Shop (-100))
Shops Disabled:
-Alchemist’s Workshop (View Description, Manage Functions (Variable), Enable Shop (-200))
-Armorsmith's Workshop (View Description, Manage Functions (Variable), Enable Shop (-200))
-Bathhouse (View Description, Manage Functions (Variable) Enable Shop (-100))
-Canteen (View Description, Manage Functions (Variable, Enable Shop (-100))
-Carpenter's Workshop (View Description, Manage Functions (Variable), Enable Shop (-500))
-Enchanter's Workshop (View Description, Manage Functions (Variable), Enable Shop (-500))
-Inn (View Description, Manage Functions (Variable), Enable Shop (-100))
-Library (View Description, Manage Functions (Variable), Enable Shop (-500))
-Training Grounds (View Description, Manage Functions (Variable), Enable Shop (-500))
-Weaponsmith's Workshop (View Description, Manage, Manage Functions (Variable), Enable Shop (-200)}
I need to remember to keep an eye out for how well the village keeps monsters out and how people handle the space available. It might be a good idea to keep points set aside in case I need to make any changes there.
For now, let's look at the functions of all of the disabled shops. Some I can’t afford, but reading about them now will help me plan what to put my points towards going forward.
{Alchemist’s Workshop Description: The Alchemist’s Workshop is a Shop for the creation of Potions. Potions are consumables that offer a variety of effects, ranging from recovering health and mana, to temporary buffs/debuffs, to harmful poisons or explosive concoctions. To use this service, the ingredients along with a service fee in Gold must be provided, at which point the requested item will be made automatically. The range and quality of available items are dependent on the Floor the Shop is on, with Shops on lower Floors not able to handle ingredients significantly stronger than ones found on their own Floor. In addition to the above service, those with the Crafting Class: Alchemist, may pay for additional services such as borrowing the Workshop to craft their own items, or practicing new recipes. Lastly, unlocking the Alchemist’s Workshop will allow the General Store to sell any related ingredients that can be found on the same Floor, provided those ingredients have been sold to the General Store before.}
So the alchemist’s workshop isn't a specialized version of the general store, but has features connected to the resources climbers can obtain, and lets what I assume is a crafting class related to the specialty use the store to practice their craft. Hmm.
"Tower, just to confirm, the Alchemist class is a crafting class, right?"
[Affirmative, the alchemist class is a crafting class that is currently unavailable as the crafting classes modifier has yet to become active.]
"Now that I think about it, I never asked about the modifiers either, how do those work? Are we able to change the modifiers at any time, or can we eventually have more than two active at a time?"
[Tower Modifiers cannot be changed once chosen, however, the maximum number of active modifiers will increase by one at level three, and again every three levels after. The list of available modifiers may also change over time as the game progresses.]
"Oh! Alright, nice to know. Thank you." James looked back at the screen describing the alchemist workshop’s functions. "Wait! I meant to ask if the crafting classes are only able to function by using the tools at the corresponding shop." There wouldn't be any point in choosing that modifier until all the village shops are enabled, otherwise.
[Negative, crafting classes will also be able to purchase a set of tools for their corresponding class from the general store, and can activate their crafting skills as long as the proper tools are available. However, the shops related to one’s crafting class will provide a cheaper alternative until the tools can be obtained.]
"Understood. Thank you." So crafting classes won't be useless without their related shop in the village, but they'll have a harder time getting started without it.
Chances are the weaponsmith and armorsmith both work like the alchemist, but for weapons and armor, respectively. James thought to himself, and pulled up the functions for the armorsmith to confirm his suspicions.
{Armorsmith’s Workshop Description: The Armorsmith’s Workshop is a Shop for the creation of Armor and Clothing. Armor ranges from heavy metal to enchanted robes, each offering protection from monsters and the environment in the form of increased defense, specific resistances, or stat buffs. Clothing is purely for appearance or comfort, offering no protection beyond that of normal cloth. To use this service, the ingredients along with a service fee in Gold must be provided, at which point the requested item will be made automatically. Both Armor and Clothing come in set styles but custom requests can be provided for an additional fee. The range and quality of available items are dependent on the Floor the Shop is on, with Shops on lower Floors not able to handle ingredients significantly stronger than ones found on their own Floor. In addition to the above service, those with the Crafting Class: Armorsmith, may pay for additional services such as borrowing the Workshop to craft their own items, or practicing new recipes. Lastly, unlocking the Armorsmith’s Workshop will allow the General Store to sell any related ingredients that can be found on the same Floor, provided those ingredients have been sold to the General Store before.}
I was right, a lot of the text is very similar, just applied to armor instead of potions. There’s that “can’t use ingredients of a significantly stronger floor” thing again too, but I wonder…
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
“Tower, what does it mean by not using ingredients of a ‘significantly stronger’ floor? Does it mean the very next floor, or a specific number of floors above it?”
[Negative. Access to ingredients are divided based on the environment of a floor, as well as its level. Ingredients only available on a higher floor of a different environment, but that could have been available on a lower floor of the same environment, would still be usable by shops on a lower floor. In addition, shops can use ingredients exclusive to levels one floor higher than itself.]
“So higher floors can still have the same ingredients as lower floors in addition to new ones, and shops can punch a bit above their level regardless. Alright, thank you for the info.” It might be tricky to figure out which ingredients are within that range or not, but it’s something to keep track of, for sure. I’d need the backtracking modifier to make use of it, but with the right set up, people could gather resources from higher floors to give beginners armor stronger than their current floor. Even if it can only use ingredients a floor above their own, it’d surely be helpful in giving them an edge as they figure out how to survive.
Regardless, I still have eight other shops to look at, and that plan won’t do anything for anyone right now. We haven’t survived a day yet, let alone made it to another floor.
{Bathhouse Description: The Bathhouse is a Shop that provides public and private baths along with private toilets that climbers can pay to use. The services are divided into three types with prices adjusting based on the quality of service, the number of times the climber has used that service, and the Floor the Shop is on. Every private service takes place in its own room which is soundproof and can only be accessed by those that purchased it. The Bathhouse offers no protection from monsters should the village walls be breached, and all climbers will be ejected from their rooms should a monster enter the Shop or deal damage to it. The Bathhouse will also combine with the Canteen and the Inn should either of them be built in the same village as the Bathhouse, and additional payment options will appear for combined services. Lastly, items similar to those provided by the services of this Shop will be made available for purchase though the General Store. The Bathhouse is a method of either rewarding climbers or offering a vice to distract them at the cost of time and money that could be used for survival.}
Huh, combined with how the price increases for each climber the more they use it, this definitely feels like it's more of a trap option than a method of providing comfort. There also isn't an option to manage prices listed in the functions thus far.
"Tower, if I enable the bathhouse, will I be able to set the prices to make it free, or at least stop the price from rising?"
[The Bathhouse's price will be fixed until you obtain the management skill "Alternative Costs", and even that skill will not allow you to make the bathhouse free. However, unlocking the bathhouse unlocks a "Bathhouse Pass" and “Bathhouse Token” item of varying tiers, which can be distributed as a reward for quests.]
So there’s no way to make the bathhouse free for everyone by default, but the passes might make a great reward for quests relating to helping other climbers. I'm not so naive to think everyone will be willing to help each other without an incentive. Although I do hope humanity being forced into a game of life and death by cruel aliens will encourage more cooperation than backstabbing, out of spite against the people putting us through this if nothing else. Still, all of that is just an idea for later. I'll consider the bathhouse as my first choice if nothing else jumps out at me, solely because I can't imagine not having access to modern day bathrooms, and if I was one of the climbers it'd be one of the first things I'd want, better weapons, armor, or potions be damned.
James moved on.
{Canteen Description: The Canteen is a Shop that allows climbers to purchase sustenance as well as providing a cafeteria people can sit at for free. Prices vary depending on the service, ranging from access to clean water, cooking food provided by climbers, providing meals made from ingredients that can be found on the same Floor, and replicating known meals from the climber’s culture. The Canteen also offers a service where climbers can learn to cook, but only offers recipes for meals that can be made using ingredients on the same or previous Floors. The Canteen will also combine with the Bathhouse and the Inn should either of them be built in the same village as the Canteen, and additional payment options will appear for combined services. Lastly, items similar to those provided by the services of this Shop will be made available for purchase though the General Store. The Canteen is a method of either rewarding climbers or offering a vice to distract them at the cost of time and money that could be used for survival.}
There's that line again. The creators of this game really don't think cooking or bathing has any value? No, if they thought that the choices wouldn't be here at all. They just don't care about providing the people they put through these games anything more than the bare necessities. I bet the general store's travel kit is only there because too many people died before without a way to transport water or cook their food. How many people know how to make a waterskin or start a fire from scratch without any tools? The canteen feels like a necessity with the travel kit behind a 200 gold paywall, but I doubt the canteen will instantly become available either. If adding an item to the general store requires a quest, why wouldn't adding a shop to the village?
Although, I am overlooking something. The mage woman from the tutorial could shoot out a fireball. The people on the first floor will be able to survive even without knowing how to start a fire if they work together and use the skills provided by their classes. That still doesn’t change how helpful it could be to have a guaranteed source of edible food and clean water nearby, even if it isn’t free, if the prices are reasonable enough at the start, it could be the difference between starvation or not. The bathhouse and canteen are also cheaper than the workshops too, so I wouldn’t be stuck only picking one. Choosing both of them sounds like a better idea than unlocking a weapon or armor shop right now, especially with the resources for more than basic items unavailable until later floors... I'll keep reading first, in case something about the other shops jumps out at me.
{Carpenter’s Workshop Description: The Carpenter's Workshop is a Shop that sells Furniture and Buildings, and through the Carpenter's Workshop, village customization through a modified version of the Village Menu can become accessible for climbers. To use this service, the ingredients along with a service fee in Gold must be provided, at which point the requested item will be made automatically. Both Furniture and Buildings come in set styles but custom requests can be provided for an additional fee. The range and quality of available items are dependent on the Floor the Shop is on, with Shops on lower Floors not able to handle ingredients only found on higher Floors. In addition to the above service, those with the Crafting Class: Carpenter, may pay for additional services such as borrowing the Workshop to craft their own items, or practicing new recipes. Lastly, unlocking the Carpenter’s Workshop will allow the General Store to sell any related ingredients that can be found on the same Floor, provided those ingredients have been sold to the General Store before.}
Woah, now that's... Actually really useful. When I first read 'sells furniture and buildings', I thought they were another store like the canteen and bathhouse in that it was for comfort instead of survival. If I had 500 tower points I'd unlock this right away so the climbers could choose for themselves what shops they want to build. Actually, that gives me an idea…
James pulled up his character sheet.
{Name: James Wise
Admin Tier: 0
Credits: 0
(Physical Stats Unavailabe)
Class: None
Level: 0
(Skills Unavailable)
(Abilities Unavailable)
Acting Administrator of System Tower Version 61-3
Tower Level: 2
Tower Points: 295
Management Skills: Create Quest (-10), Edit Quest (-5), Spawn Monster (Variable)}
The most I can spend on village customization right now is 200 points. With the luck I've had I'm sure it won't only cost ten points to create the kind quest I want, but maybe I can make a quest asking the climbers to choose which of the options I can afford I should put into the village! They should be the ones to make the decision since it'll affect them the most. I'll be stuck in this room either way. James sighed.
Even if creating a quest like that isn't possible, with 295 points, I'll still have plenty to afford a change after canceling the quest. I should finish reading the other options first though, I don't think I can copy and paste text from one screen to the other, so I'll need to memorize the points I think they'll find the most important about each option, and explain them in the quest description. Here's hoping there isn't a character limit!