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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: (pic#16625801)

[personal profile] weaseled 2023-08-31 05:44 pm (UTC)(link)
[Yael prefaces his answer with a shrug, noncommittal.]

In the beginning, it was easy. Spend all your pocket change on canned food and every cat in the neighborhood is your new best friend. Nefurrtiti took a while to come around, but I stayed patient. Shooed the other cats away so she could take her time and eat when she felt comfortable. After a while, she decided I wasn't half bad... until I made the mistake of buying her the cheap stuff.

[This little sliver of a scar was perfectly warranted, in his opinion. You don't mess with cats.]
regressive: (072)

[personal profile] regressive 2023-08-31 05:46 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It's because he decided to be nice for once in his life!! And this is what he gets. ]

I asked you something. [ Leave it to not Tarzan to grab a sprite mid-air and somehow squeeze it. ] You made a fool out of me, didn't you?

[ The squeaky sounds get annoying fast, so he lets go of the sprite... but doesn't put his shirt on anyway. He's an independent man, he can do what he wants!! Rather than answering Akira's question, he just murmurs: ]

Focus on the job.
weaseled: (pic#16655101)

[personal profile] weaseled 2023-08-31 05:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Don't look at me when you say that.

[Does he look like a bear to you? (don't answer that)]

Do you ever go back to visit? I wouldn't mind tagging along.
fluorite: dnt (42)

[personal profile] fluorite 2023-08-31 05:55 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Hehehehehe… ]

I don’t, but I’d make a trip if you actually wanted to go.

[ When they’re a few months into this relationship, that is. Even so, his answer is oddly vague. Despite having fond memories of home he just… never goes to see it. ]
weaseled: (25)

[personal profile] weaseled 2023-08-31 05:59 pm (UTC)(link)
I didn't have to go that far. They would've flown right off the edge of the map if I hadn't grabbed them.

[As for PvP... Yael's expression falls flat.]

I don't get what's so great about PvP. If you want to fight someone that badly, why not do it in real life?
Edited 2023-08-31 18:00 (UTC)
weaseled: (18)

[personal profile] weaseled 2023-08-31 06:01 pm (UTC)(link)
[DON'T LET THE DOOR HIT THAT JUICY ASS ON THE WAY OUT]
tablescraps: (pic#16636766)

[personal profile] tablescraps 2023-08-31 06:11 pm (UTC)(link)
( Is pride the most important thing to hold onto when you do direly need the money...? )

... I see.

( A beat. He does seem more relaxed now, moving away from the topic of his own desire, but he can tell that stress transferred to a Barrett, from the feel of his hands. )

... What are the legal fees for?
weaseled: (pic#16581036)

[personal profile] weaseled 2023-08-31 06:11 pm (UTC)(link)
[How can one bad man earnestly judge another? Yael has steeped in enough hypocrisy to last him the rest of his miserable existence. He's broken promises, broken hearts, but it's people like Hector that let him foolishly believe he's capable of being something more than a man who can't keep his word. Seeing him aggrieved, pain swimming in his eyes, hurts Yael too. God, why must it hurt him too?

His hand remains where it is, his eyes trained on the horizon and his jaw set tight. It hurts, but he spares Hector the sight of that pain. Hector has looked into enough eyes and seen his own pain reflected back at him. It's about time he caught a break.]


I did. I'm sorry for your loss.

[Genuinely.]
userunfriendly: (40)

[personal profile] userunfriendly 2023-08-31 06:19 pm (UTC)(link)
[ His eyes snap open at the laughter, and then narrow minutely at the name. As satisfying as it might be to dramatically exclaim something like "where did you hear that"... there's no shortage of people in game who know his real name now.

And he doesn't want to offer any encouragement to call him "Mike" ever, ever, ever again. ]


I'm not the one who ever claimed to have something better to do.

[ Than play a game with a greater than zero risk of putting someone in a coma. He's really not lingering to fuss over that part when he has a laughing Yael to look askance at. He's waiting with some exasperation to see if he stops, but there's no stifling curiosity, unfortunately. ]

...Just what are you cackling over?
gluttoning: (002)

[personal profile] gluttoning 2023-08-31 06:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Sorry. No offense to you, Morgan... that's generous. I just know my family won't take it.

[He gets back to splinter removal -- it looks like he has most of his back done, but he's just making sure.]

...

Custody battle. He got us away from our dad. Took him multiple years and a lot of lawyers.
sicklysweet: (o04)

[personal profile] sicklysweet 2023-08-31 06:24 pm (UTC)(link)
[Wow, he wasn’t expecting an actual in-depth review, and it shows on his face with how his eyebrow arches.

But, hey, he’s not getting murdered! It’s a shame he’s too proud to do something deliberately poorly.]


Of course I did.

[He’ll probably banish the chef skin to the depths of his guild storage.]

Not good enough to get one of those little pets, though, hm?

[give him the dog]
arsenist: <user name=byob> (Lne5mBF)

[personal profile] arsenist 2023-08-31 06:28 pm (UTC)(link)
[Akira's eyebrows climb towards his hair. Good going, not-Tarzan?!]

I think it's just enjoying the scenery more than anything.

[It has eyes. So does Akira, but he also knows the way that sort of thing goes in games, and this player is probably either a grade schooler or a senior citizen.]

Hard to focus on much after witnessing battery and assault. [Oh, that's- hm. He shouldn't have said that. Redirect. There's little to no change in his tone, that's very good.] You're right, though. I did have a goal in mind.

[He looks across the work that Joonghyuk's been doing. A couple of pieces stand out, but...]

Which would you say is the most sturdy board that you've hammered in so far?
userunfriendly: (60)

[personal profile] userunfriendly 2023-08-31 06:32 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Does Fai want a random bookshelf in the middle of Fine Wine? Here he goes. Pop goes a successful craft, and Michel drops it beside them. ]

It would be good if they let us scrap these for materials again.

[ Who's ignoring the question, not him. ]
regressive: (175)

[personal profile] regressive 2023-08-31 06:37 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Trying to figure out what's worse, a grade schooler or a senior citizen in this case... ]

Please, if his upsets you so much then never walk into areas with PvP enabled or you might get PKed.

[ It would make sense for him to put on a shirt and leave after being treated Like That by a sprite, but he's still sticking around for some reason. Interesting. ]

I don't like where this is going.

[ However, he points at the one just a few steps away from where they're standing. ]
arsenist: <user name=byob> (VR0bNp7)

[personal profile] arsenist 2023-08-31 06:47 pm (UTC)(link)
[it's just equal opportunity awful]

"Upset" is the wrong way to put it. [Akira shrugs, all loose and casual again and momentary surprise - or otherwise - wiped clean off of his face.] It's just interesting getting to know all the different sides of you.

[He tests the one that Joonghyuk pointed out with his feet. Yeah, this one feels good. Don't worry about it, he's got this. He's a Professional. (no he isn't)

Akira doesn't answer those concerns, though.]


Have you been PKed yet?
tablescraps: (pic#16637723)

[personal profile] tablescraps 2023-08-31 06:50 pm (UTC)(link)
( Is pride really the most important thing here, he wonders again. But he does draw a connection from the father he saw and Barrett's memory and this conclusion. )

... That's impressive.

( Playing the custody game is always a losing battle. It'd have been much cheaper to escape on your own. No wonder Barrett was so fixed on supporting his family.

As Barrett nears the end of his work, he finds himself surprised how much better it feels to be splinterless. Not that he had doubt, but because he'd begun to accept the pain would remain there. )


... Would you give everything for them?

( Vague, but intentionally so. "Everything" is everything. )
ganymed: (take whatever I owe you)

[personal profile] ganymed 2023-08-31 06:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Then you've only discovered what boundaries you wouldn't want anyone crossing while playing the game?

[ What a time. Ganymede thinks he's easily known which ones he wouldn't want anyone to cross. But he thinks he's also the type of person who is more particular about this sort of thing.

He definitely knows people can certainly lack...a care or preference to these kinds of elements. ]
ganymed: (And another hug)

[personal profile] ganymed 2023-08-31 06:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Really? Is it always color, or the style of clothing that makes it hard to choose?

[ Ganymede definitely always has a color in mind, but sometimes even for him, styles might be a bit more, well. Difficult.

...Look, he is into fashion—it is why he joined the fashion guild. ]
ganymed: (my city and number)

[personal profile] ganymed 2023-08-31 06:53 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Is it because Michel somehow grew pecs that would defy gravity overnight?

Silly jokes aside... ]


I might have waited even longer.

They didn't mind at all?

[ Since Michel is here and all, the blond presumes that's the case. The other man's words from before did give a sort of indication that work wouldn't be all that difficult to call off, he thinks? ]
ganymed: (I'm not going back to him)

The Black Wind Howls;

[personal profile] ganymed 2023-08-31 06:53 pm (UTC)(link)
[ The sound of howling wind is like a foreboding sound—of something terrible to come that has already arrived or just making its imminent appearance a foregone conclusion.

He comes along, hearing Shoka make the comment and raises a brow. ]


...What is it now?

[ Is she complaining about her surroundings, he wonders? Or something trivial—that'd be the better option, in retrospect. ]
tablescraps: (pic#16636759)

[personal profile] tablescraps 2023-08-31 07:03 pm (UTC)(link)
( Like if someone kisses me after they've kissed someone else... No, that's not it... )

A few. Due to medical circumstances, I'm usually home. But Fragment is very different. There's plenty of people here... And situations I wouldn't expect getting into. Is it different for you?
gluttoning: (084 [d])

[personal profile] gluttoning 2023-08-31 07:05 pm (UTC)(link)
[Immediately:]

Yes. I would.

The only thing I won't give up is being alive. We've lost enough. I won't put them through that until we're all old men. Like it should be.

[Morgan's back now clear, Barrett moves to the back of his arms.]

...What about you? Would you give everything for what you want?
ganymed: (I won't)

[personal profile] ganymed 2023-08-31 07:09 pm (UTC)(link)
...That would blind them rather badly for a bit.

I'm sure that's why it'd be pretty effective, though.

[ He's all for it, actually. Though maybe it's a bit harsh even unintentional, but it'd also do the trick. Leave him enough time to flee or something. ]
ganymed: (one more [night])

[personal profile] ganymed 2023-08-31 07:10 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He will not be afraid to accuse Yael a third time, just try him, buckaroo. He doesn't trust him at all!!

Though, the blond also begins to unload whatever random items Yael has in his inventory as well, including what Yael handed on over to him. Keeping the clothing on, though, because he has shame. ]


If we're testing this, we should make sure it goes both ways.

Pick up some of your stuff and see if you can place it into 'my' inventory.
selfconcept: (pic#15650883)

[personal profile] selfconcept 2023-08-31 07:11 pm (UTC)(link)
I liked it enough.

[ A pause.

... ... ...

Okay, that's enough teasing. Hien brings out another black pomchi and holds it out to Owen. Here you go.
]