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CyberConnect Corporation ([personal profile] cccorp) wrote in [community profile] altimit2023-08-24 02:17 pm
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⬣//A SINGLE CRACK LETS THE LIGHT IN.

//BRAVELY SAILING INTO THE UNKNOWN

As they say, fortune favors the brave. Five lucky players took part in a Limited Quest: The Mysterious Sky Islands, in which they discovered a brand new Root Town. While the team was largely successful in their efforts to make the mysterious floating town in the sky habitable, not everyone embraced the spirit of teamwork on this journey.

When you gate in to this shiny new Root Town, you'll notice something curious: it has no name. Its name simply displays as "???" in every context menu and there is no signage around the Root Town itself that points to its true name— rather, the name it had before they came along.

Whispers on the wind tell of an evil wizard in flowing white robes who ruthlessly boiled the village elder alive. With him died all of this mysterious Root Town's lore and history, and in its place are tales of the monster who robbed this land of its identity. The elemental sprites that populate this village refuse to speak their name, simply wishing you "good luck, have fun!" as you turn to leave.

While on your journey to check out the island, you'll notice how unstable the bridges are. Unstable might be putting it lightly, because for some unlucky souls, crossing the wrong bridge means plummeting to your death. It seems that whoever was put in charge of constructing these bridges didn't give a damn about structural integrity.

The local sprites are pleading with adventurers to assist them in building better, more stable bridges, but bridging the gap between one island and the next is not a job for a single person. If you have enough of a heart to heed the pleas of the sprites, you'll want to work with your fellow players to get the job done. All the wood, nails, and rope you need to construct better bridges has been helpfully supplied to you by the sprites. You could always sabotage the project too, of course, but what kind of person would you be if you did that?

//BUILDING THE FUTURE

The professions system has been added to fragment. Rejoice, busybodies, for there is much furniture to be built and dubious potions brewed.

In celebration of the new crafting & gathering system, a crafts festival is being held in the Unnamed Root Town. Take care not to plummet to your death while traversing those rickety bridges.

Players are encouraged to set up a booth of their own and trade their unique handcrafted items with their fellow adventurers. In addition to being supplied with enough level 1 and level 2 crafting materials to give the crafting system a spin, the local NPCs are running a contest encouraging people to come up with their own for a chance to have their creations canonized as real crafting recipes.

To submit your own recipe ideas, you need only fill out this handy form:

Recipe name:

Recipe category: Alchemist, Carpenter, Chef, or Jeweler?

Which two items does your recipe call for? Choose two items to combine. Only gatherable items (refer to the professions page) can be used.

Effect: What does this item do, if anything?

Description: A brief description of your lovely new product.


Submit your recipe contest submissions here.

//ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK

Fragment's beta test has seen its fair share of unusual bugs and unintended features, and with the latest update bringing many new changes, it's inevitable that some things have broken behind the scenes.

If two players happen to log in at the same time, they might find their avatars swapped with one another's. Thankfully, this issue doesn't lead to the unpleasant exchange of deep-seated memories or anything of the sort, but getting used to a body that isn't yours takes time. Thankfully, this particular bug resolves itself when both players log out.

The windy town of Unnamed Root Town is generally quite scenic and pleasant, but there's just one issue. It's far, far windier than it should be. If the rickety bridges don't kill you, the gusts that intermittently blow across the sky islands might knock you off your feet if you don't watch your footing carefully. Thankfully, the crafts festival on the southernmost end of the island hasn't been impacted by the severe winds. Among them is one voice that you don't recognize: a voice that promises a death, gruesome and bloody, in the days to come.

To everyone's relief, the carnival and its notorious hall of mirrors has packed up and left Lumina Cloth, but your past hasn't finished haunting you. The foul winds carry whispers of the past along with them, uttering words and phrases uncomfortably familiar to you. They're the voices of your past, the voices of people you've known, loved, and lost. Covering your ears won't keep the voices out of your ears. Nothing will.

Finally, on the more mundane some of things, professions have a few kinks of their own that need to be worked out. Occasionally, a crafted item won't come out quite right, instead resulting in one of the following "items":

Alchemist: Truth Serum. Become unable to lie for 24 hours.

Blacksmith: Whatever you're enhancing transforms into a denim disaster. Introducing your new "body" armor, "leg" armor, "head" armor, and "arm" armor.

Carpenter: Mirror Mirror. Reflects the person you're most afraid of becoming.

Chef: Durian Delight. A succulent durian pudding that reeks so strongly that its stench can be smelled all across the Root Town or Area you're occupying.

Jeweler: Crystal Ball. Breaks after one use but allows you to read another player's thoughts for five minutes.

//WHAT ARE YOU, AN IDIOT SANDWICH?

With crafting in full swing, a certain admin has been lured out of his hidey hole by the smell of delicious chef-prepared meals. Hien is hungry, and you will feed him.

Chefs are not limited by the recipes they know like some professions are, so players are encouraged to think outside of the box and combine unique ingredients to cook up something truly special.

Taste, however, isn't the only important part of a perfect meal. Chefs looking to impress the big man himself are expected to present their culinary delights to him with pomp and finesse. You need to impress Hien if you want to gain more from this venture than the participation prize of a chef skin.

Those who successfully woo Hien with their delectable dishes will be given an additional prize: a little black pomchi pet to accompany their avatar around Root Towns and Special Areas. Hien will be giving these out at his discretion, so you better suck up to the dogboss in charge if you want a pomchi of your very own. If you catch Hien in a good mood, he may even agree to give you a different breed of dog if you ask nicely.

Feed the local Hien here.


//ZELKOVA’S CORNER

Hello, everyone! Can you believe it's been an entire month since our beta test began? Even though we've already been through a lot together, we've still got three months left! I'm rooting for you all!

As of today, the level cap has increased from 25 to 50. That means new armor and weapons will be available to you! Get out there to different Areas and start leveling up! But don't forget to stop every once in a while and enjoy your surroundings, too. Which reminds me—don't forget to check out the new Recreational Areas! We have a beach and hotsprings for you to enjoy now. I hope everyone continues to have fun exploring!

We've also opened up the GP shop, where you can create your own special armor set for a certain price, along with a few other things. Please check it out!

Oh, and don't forget to use these three new greeting cards I've made! Here they are! Make sure you use them so you can connect with your fellow players! We're all friends here, after all.

weaseled: (6)

[personal profile] weaseled 2023-08-28 09:13 pm (UTC)(link)
[That grin doesn't belong on his face. He feels like a goddamn manlet being stared down at like this, but you know what? Hector is a manlet. Take that, bastard.

Ah, but seriously, how vain can one man be? This perpetual scowl's gonna give you more wrinkles, old man. Try not to incite Yael too much.]


Fuck off. You look like shit in my body.
insinning: (smile; well it might be ok)

[personal profile] insinning 2023-08-28 09:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Aitla. 'Fire', in German.

[He'll elaborate a little as he reaches for a wooden block. Hmmm. He doesn't know how to do this but at least he wont cut a finger off in a game]
ganymed: (I'm not concerned)

[personal profile] ganymed 2023-08-28 09:17 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Pour one out for that NPC who was an exception to the rule... ]

Testing that won't reveal anything helpful, other than wasting time trying to figure out how many ways you could potentially lose all your HP without gaining anything in return.

[ There's a small pause on his end, though. ]

It was obvious you were thinking about it because for some reason I can also read your mind.
insinning: (thinking; a look away)

[personal profile] insinning 2023-08-28 09:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[Sinclair nods, bowing his head as he leans into that. Hani is safe. Kind.]

Thank you.

[He closes his eyes and tries to block out the sound of anything but Hani's voice. It's harder than expected]

...I was hearing my family.
insinning: (smile; go with the flow)

[personal profile] insinning 2023-08-28 09:20 pm (UTC)(link)
[It's heavy. He knows. But a little bit of honesty goes a long way and Yael seemed to want to help. So he can try reaching back out all the way]

The hotsprings...?

[He nods in agreement. It wont help him forget. But maybe it'll lower the racing of his heart, keep his agitation at bay. Anything should be able to help, right?]

Mm. Lets go there.
tablescraps: (pic#16640982)

[personal profile] tablescraps 2023-08-28 09:24 pm (UTC)(link)
( !

! !

Can you hear this? Have you run an Area recently?

He gazes at Ganymede with great interest. )
ganymed: (I'm not concerned)

[personal profile] ganymed 2023-08-28 09:26 pm (UTC)(link)
So you really are a muscleman...

[ There's a small pause when the other makes that other comment and he resolutely keeps his hands where they are.

Be glad he doesn't twerk in this body, Yael. ]


Stop whining about how I'm positioning myself in your avatar. It isn't like I'm dancing around constantly or anything at the moment. Or, maybe I should do that too.
weaseled: (5a)

[personal profile] weaseled 2023-08-28 09:27 pm (UTC)(link)
Alright.

[With that settled, Yael shoots Sinclair a party invite and warps them over to the hot springs. He's been here before, though he doesn't admit to it, trudging forward into the inn proper to secure a room for them and a set of yukata.]

Let's get changed... unless you plan on soaking in your armor.
dissimulative: (pic#16653617)

[personal profile] dissimulative 2023-08-28 09:36 pm (UTC)(link)
You have to accept it. You can't accomplish everything. Cut your losses. I want you to live a good life, Emil--not rotting in prison for life.

And you know what? Kromer is wrong. "Her Sinclair"?

[ Oria lets out a breathless laugh. ]

I'd rather you be mine.

[ Their attacks are simultaneous, both HPs falling to 0. Oria keeps standing though, trying not to lean against Sinclair. He really just said that, huh.

Respawning doesn't take long at all, with both of them reappearing in front of the Arena. Oria doesn't say anything and seems pretty content after all that. If Sinclair looks like he'll need a hug, he'll give him one.
]
insinning: (smile; and now the burden is lifted)

[personal profile] insinning 2023-08-28 09:36 pm (UTC)(link)
[That gets a small smile out of Sinclair as he follows!!]

I already had to do that before...it's actually really heavy in this area.

[Not on purpose, but. Well. He had a feeling he had to do some kind of rescue mission and lo and behold]
ganymed: (give me anything I've missed)

[personal profile] ganymed 2023-08-28 09:38 pm (UTC)(link)
I can hear it, yeah.

...And I meant what I said, you know!

[ He sighs, before adding: ]

But, I didn't get anything that indicated an effect like this. So I don't think it's related to a dungeon run.
weaseled: (pic#16631867)

[personal profile] weaseled 2023-08-28 09:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah? Knock yourself out.

[YAEL SHOULDN'T BE SAYING THAT TO GANYMEDE OF ALL PEOPLE, but he is! And he only gets ruder, pointing to the edge of the island.]
weaseled: (35)

[personal profile] weaseled 2023-08-28 09:44 pm (UTC)(link)
[Yael guides them down the hallway and into their room, sliding the door open for Sinclair, and... wait. Why is he holding the door open for another guy? Well, whatever. Twinks have privileges too.]

Really? What was that about?
ganymed: (πια δεν θα απαντώ)

[personal profile] ganymed 2023-08-28 09:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Fine then. I'll take it as an invitation to dance in your avatar for as long as I'd like!

[ He starts to do some simple movements, feet sliding against the ground, and twirling. This is what Yael gets for being rude. ]

To think, this just might be how I'm greeting people as well while I'm stuck as 'you'. If only someone was less of a jerk, it could've been potentially avoided.
Edited (movements, not moments smh) 2023-08-28 21:45 (UTC)
userunfriendly: (39)

[personal profile] userunfriendly 2023-08-28 09:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Aitla...

[ He remembers that, from the memory, and only his reflexive stoicism keeps the brief stricken look from his eyes. ]

I've always heard "fire", for "fire"— [ Ah. Damn autotranslate. He lets out a small huff and glances over at Sinclair as he works. ] Is it more archaic, or poetic?
worldbent: (I hear it)

[personal profile] worldbent 2023-08-28 09:48 pm (UTC)(link)
[I mean he sure as fuck isn't wrong but--]

....Okay. [Matoba grins, pulls up his UI, and taps unequip on his Family Ties Eyepatch, to reveal..............]

[✨Nothing!!!✨ Just a perfectly normal, functional-looking right eye underneath. Tadaa.]


.......Surprised? [Look at his smug ass smile, he thinks he's real cute. (Then again- this is just an avatar........]
weaseled: (26)

[personal profile] weaseled 2023-08-28 09:50 pm (UTC)(link)
[Holy shit? The longer he gawks, the more painful this little tirade becomes. Why is Ganymede such a pain in the ass? Yael considers this without a shred of irony.]

Let's see... What class are you again?

[Yael goes fiddling around in context menus and ends up unequipping everything Ganymede is wearing. Oops?]
weaseled: (pic#16581034)

[personal profile] weaseled 2023-08-28 09:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Well well well, what a surprise.

[He's going to guess Matoba's eye is similarly normal IRL, but that's none of Yael's concern. Now that Matoba's done the honors, Yael lifts his eyepatch to reveal... ✨nothing!!!✨ Goodness, they have so much in common.]

Not really. In the real world, I've got a scar over my right eye, but it's nothing to gawk at. Sorry to disappoint.
secondthoughts: (☀ 美しいものに名前がつくなら)

[personal profile] secondthoughts 2023-08-28 09:53 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Hector gives a hearty laugh and takes a step forward. Wow. He does look small from up here (two inches above).

God. When did he start looking so old? ]


No I don't.

[ He looks down at his own—Yael's pecs, smooths out his armor over it. Damn dude. He stands up straighter, arching his back just a teeny bit to emphasize them. Go on and stare. You've got a good vantage point. ]

I look great.
secondthoughts: (☀ 歳を取りすぎた)

[personal profile] secondthoughts 2023-08-28 09:53 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Oh. Hey, friend guy. ]

Spent all of yesterday gathering. Logged in today to see my inventory clogged with planks of wood.

[ Hector shrugs. ]

Dunno what else to do with it.
dissimulative: (pic#15305376)

[personal profile] dissimulative 2023-08-28 09:54 pm (UTC)(link)
I haven't hung out at the casino for a while...

[ 20 cat plushes for Matoba. Yeah. He was in there for a while. ]

So I haven't heard anything either. They were giving out bunny suits too... so I guess that attracted a specific kind of people.
tablescraps: (pic#16636790)

[personal profile] tablescraps 2023-08-28 09:55 pm (UTC)(link)
( Knowledge doesn't have to be useful to be worth knowing.

Spoken like a true scientist. If a Mithrun were a cat, his tail would be swishing back and forth. His expression indicates as much.

This effect is intrusive, but not pointedly traumatic like others. It could be a glitch, or another breach of privacy by internal actors... Maybe the objective is to get us to mind meld into a singular hive.

He doesn't seem inclined to use his voice just yet. Ganymede can hear him, and he's curious how far they can get with Ganymede using his voice while listening in on Mithrun's thoughts on another frequency.

It's just then, just as the idea of his thoughts existing on another wavelength strikes him, there's a burst of thought - sense and convoluted sciencey garbage about the brain and particles and studies he's read before. It's true, in some sense, he thinks; they're all linked up by the brain - Mithrun speaking verbally is only perception; in actuality, it's only a product of him thinking. Why not be able to tune into private thoughts, as well?

Maybe what @ dv wants is, genuinely, a lack of boundaries between players - perfect understanding. Or maybe this is just the first step toward some more abstract goal; or maybe it has no goal at all... )
Edited 2023-08-28 21:57 (UTC)
dissimulative: (pic#15273308)

[personal profile] dissimulative 2023-08-28 10:01 pm (UTC)(link)
[ This guy... Oria looks up. Man. ]

You wanna eat the spilled frappe?

[ What is there to help with a single button-click game recipe food maker, is what Oria is wondering.. ]
tinged: (017)

[personal profile] tinged 2023-08-28 10:03 pm (UTC)(link)
[ a faint encouraging noise under all those voices. ]

Do they tell you lies?
dissimulative: (pic#16653666)

[personal profile] dissimulative 2023-08-28 10:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah! It's a part of the new chef profession!

[ Don't ask him to cook real stuff. ]

Alright! By the way... do you know what the floating islands residents meant by the white wizard or something? Is that gonna be a boss?