Chapter 34: We Are Absolutely Legit...

- I admit that I deserve it, but I also had no other choice! It’s like Toxin Intuition is forcing my OCD to take effect. Everything that is poisonous will emit a green light in my eyes!

Seriously?

Chu Guang was taken aback for a moment, and he was completely surprised. "Can she know that something is poison just by looking at it?! Can it really be that incredible?!” he wondered out loud.

But what exactly was the rule for something to be poisonous? Was there a dose limit? And what was the trigger mechanism?

Chu Guang truly had no idea...

In the end, he decided to put aside the things he didn't understand for the time being and continued to check the post.

- ... According to the task given by the administrator, I started picking mushrooms and raspberries in the forest. Relying on my talent, poisonous berries, and mushrooms could easily be identified, so the efficiency was quite high. I collected several plastic buckets in just some time.

- I thought that since there was nothing left to be picked around the nursing home, I should check other places. I walked to a place that looked like a parking lot. There are quite a lot of mushrooms there and I picked a lot of them. When I was about to go back, I suddenly saw a very tall concrete pipe that resembled the entrance of a sewer and I saw a bunch of green light within!

- I didn't think too much at the time. I simply thought that there had to be many mushrooms inside, so I might as well go in and take a look. Anyway, I can recognize the poisonous ones, I just needed to avoid picking those.

- In addition, I didn’t see any dangerous monsters around, so I walked over, put my head in and took a look... I swear, I really just took one look!

- Then a horrible thing happened!

- A pile of meat... I don't know what it is, but it hit me in the face. I couldn't breathe nor could I open my eyes. Soon, I couldn't even move. It felt like I was swallowed by something.

- In short, although there was no pain, it felt terrible! Almost as soon as I lost consciousness before waking up in reality. All I thought was that I experienced a nightmare!

- At first I thought I was disconnected, so I quickly put on the helmet and tried to reconnect, and then I saw the words "connection interrupted" written in the helmet, which then became "restricted login". No matter how many times I tried, I couldn't log back into the game.

Wuwuwu...

This dumb player! Such a feeder...

After reading the post, Chu Guang was speechless.

The player was really dumb. She actually used her face to check the fog of war! If it were him, he would never dare do such a thing.

The replies below were also not friendly.

Those who had already obtained the qualifications for the closed alpha test were simply gloating, but many people who were still unable to get into the game had condemned her shameful behavior.

After all, it would take at least three days to respawn.

It was equivalent to a direct waste of three days of game time!

Night Ten: Don’t worry, you just lost your head, headless-senpai? (?° ?? ?°)

Quit_smoking: God damn it! What kind of noob are you? If you don’t know how to play, please donate the game qualification to those who need it! Hmph! (T . T)

Big_eyes_in_debt: Yeah, such a feeder! Please give me your closed alpha test qualification!

Irene: Please keep updating! Please tell us in detail about how it feels to be eaten alive (? ° ???°)

Good_names_are_taken_by_dogs: When you say that, I can’t help but think of other things... (? ° ???°)

The replies began to derail from the original topic.

Originally it was a post asking for help, but no one cared whether her problem was solved or not.

In the end, seeing that the staff didn’t respond, or probably because the other users were a little too toxic, the post became a battlefield between the angry original poster and a group of trolls.

Those people who replied were really sharp-tongued. Clearly, they were trolling her.

Chu Guang couldn't stand it anymore. He locked her post and sent a private message to the original poster.

Light: Hello, I am Wasteland Online’s game designer. We have received your feedback. According to the death penalty set by the game, it will take 72 hours to respawn. Please wait patiently for the respawning CD to end. Only then will you be able to log in again.

Yaya: Huh? I have to wait for three days... Can it be changed to one day? I can pay for it. How much do you need?

Light: It's not a matter of money.

Yaya: Can’t you make an exception? Please, I’m begging you, I really didn't mean it. Please help me. By the way, what is your penguin chat number? Can I add it? It's really troublesome to type here. Can’t we talk on Penguin? (Sad face)

Light: Rules are rules, I can't help you with this matter.

Yaya: Is it really not possible to make exceptions? (Sad face)

Chu Guang remained indifferent and continued to type.

- I wasn’t done yet. In addition to the respawning CD, players will be deducted 500 contribution points for the first death in the game.

Yaya: "Do you really have to deduct contribution points?! But, but, I don't have that many..."

Light: That’s where the problem is! At present, you only have 30 contribution points, which came from the collection mission. But these contribution points are not enough to pay the respawn...

Yaya: What happens if it is not enough? (Nervous)

Light: Based on the current setting, it will affect the NPC's evaluation of the player, in other words, favorability will drop.

Yaya: Drop favorability?! Please no! QAQ

Are you finally afraid now?! Why weren’t you scared when you poked your head into a danger zone?!

- You obviously did not realize the seriousness of the problem at all. Imagine that you have a role to save civilization. As an elite of our human race who goes to the surface to support the construction of reality, you caused such a huge mess instead of creating more value for others. Don’t you feel guilty?!

He wasted a large tank of active matter, but she couldn’t even give up 500 contribution points...

Was she not embarrassed?

Yaya: But, but this is a game...

- Yes, it's a game, but you’re not the only one invested in it!

Chu Guang typed righteously: You should have played the mystery game,

Murder

, before, right?

Yaya: Yes, yes...

Light: This is equivalent to having 30 people playing

Murder

together. If 29 people are playing seriously, but one person is playing foolishly while holding an important role, you should know how bad this behavior is for other players, right?

In fact, it wasn’t that exaggerated. She was just a newbie, it wouldn’t affect that much if she died. But Chu Guang felt that if he didn’t have any reaction, these players would not take it seriously.

They must be educated!

But maybe what Chu Guang said was a bit too much, or maybe the player had really trolled others before... Sitting in front of her computer, she almost cried!

She apologized desperately.

- I’m sorry, very sorry. I was wrong! It’s my fault! QAQ

A series of messages flashed in the chat window, and Chu Guang, who was about to continue typing, felt a little embarrassed.

He felt like he was bullying a little girl.

Anyway...

That was not important.

Light: You don't have to apologize to me, I just explained to you the punishment mechanism of the game, and why there is such a setting. Later, you can talk to other players in your post, and I will unlock it.

Light: In addition, I have to emphasize again that Wasteland Online is positioned as a hardcore game. At least in the early stage of the game, there will not be too many casual elements, and this is what we decided on when designing the entire game framework. If you really can’t accept the setting, I suggest you switch to a different game or wait for the open beta when the content is much richer.

Yaya: No, I want to play! I'll die without the helmet! QAQ

Yaya: Mmm, mighty Game Designer, I have no opinion on the penalty for the respawn CD, but how can I restore the favorability? Is it useful to take the initiative to admit my mistakes after I respawn? QAQ

Light: Maybe, but not of much significance. The administrator's AI personality and behavior logic are neutral in terms of settings. His evaluation is mainly determined by whether the player's behavior is in line with the overall interests of the shelter. So if you want to make up for it, just show him your hard work and don't do dumb things.

Yaya: I see, then... Can I make a small comment?

Light: What’s it?

Yaya: Can you add some micro-transaction options in the future? The kind that can allow players to buy gifts to increase favorability? I think there are other games that utilize this, such as

Mole's World

... I can buy those gifts.

Chu Guang was speechless.

- My friend, don't always think about using money to solve problems, we are a serious company!

He was no longer in the real world, what was the point of earning money?

Yaya, who was sitting in front of her computer, was taken aback. Her hands stopped on the keyboard, and she couldn’t react for a while.

A serious company...

A serious company that doesn’t want to make money?

Only those companies that don't want to make money are not serious, right?...

After closing the webpage, Chu Guang set aside the player's affairs for the time being, and then logged onto the chat group.

Interestingly enough, the Bull and Horse Club group happened to be discussing the post on the official website.

It seemed that everyone was still very concerned about the death penalty in game.

Hold_the_sword_execution: I have played the game. I have to admit that this game just blew up my mind. I took back what I said before! I’m completely impressed by it!

This_lord_is_arrogant_what_can_you_do: Seriously? You were also bought by the group administrator?

- This_lord_is_arrogant_what_can_you_do has been muted by the administrator for 1 hour.

Night Ten: Go on, go on, keep talking nonsense.

Old White: Let’s just ignore him. Have you seen the post on the official website? The one who died today.

Night Ten: I saw it. She’s called Yaya. She is that long-legged gal! White, hurry up and find a way to get her into our group. (?° ?? ?°)

Old White: Get lost, why don’t you do it yourself?

Ample Time: After reading the post, I have surmised three things:

- 1. Loss of consciousness or death in the game will cause the connection to be forcibly disconnected.

- 2. Pain will stop once it reaches a certain limit. This is the same as I tested before. I have to say that the game official is very smart! It doesn't feel unreal at all. If it hurts too much, it would only make players stop playing the game, now this is just right! But I’d still like to adjust it myself. (Grimacing Face)

Night Ten: WTF? What about the last point?!?!

Gale: If you don’t seek death, death won’t come to you.

Ample Time: That’s right!

Quit_smoking: I can’t take it anymore! Why can't I get the test qualification?! I really want to play! T.T

Old White: Uh, why don't you PM Brother Light?

Quit_smoking: I tried before, but he asked me to wait. T.T

Night Ten: My condolence.... Hehe.

Old White: Huh? It can’t be. Are you saying bad things about him behind his back secretly? This old brother is very petty-minded, I think he’s a Scorpio...

Quit_smoking: No, how dare I say anything bad about him! I am Brother Light's most loyal simp, okay?!?! T.T

Old White: That's weird, I'll help you ask another day.

Ample Time: By the way, is Garbage online?

Night Ten: I don’t know, you want me to @ him?

Old White: @Garbage. Hey!

Garbage: Ahem, what's the matter? I’m online.

Chatting with other people was less fun than watching them chat secretly.

Moreover, he was new to this group, so he couldn’t find many topics that he could join.

Ample Time: Since your character is a lizardman, do you feel anything strange after taking off your helmet? For example, the coordination of your body parts?

Chu Guang, who was also watching the chat, was also interested by the question.

He was quite curious about what it was like to enter the game as a lizardman.

Especially when this player suddenly had such a large tail. He didn’t know if this player would get used to it.

Garbage: Uh... nothing strange. Actually, it doesn't feel bad. My character’s athletic ability is strong in the game, and the reaction is quick. After I took off the helmet, I also didn’t feel anything strange. But there is one thing that I am not quite used to. I always want to eat raw meat in the game, and my whole body becomes very hot when I see blood...

Ample Time: Huh... Players can even choose non-human characters, but why can’t we choose female characters?!

Gale: Ahem, calm down brother.

Old White: You really scare me when you act like this, you know...

Ample Time: Get lost! I just want to try what it feels like, pure curiosity, you know...

Night Ten: No, no, no, we don’t know.

Gale: Speaking of which, Night Ten and Garbage, when you two went out hunting with the administrator today, you ran into Marauders?

Garbage: Yes! There were two marauders and a domesticated mutant hyena. At that time they were executing a scavenger who had already been killed by the plot when we bumped into them! Then we killed the two marauders and took their equipment.

Ample Time: Domesticated? It turns out that mutants can be domesticated. I don't know if players can keep pets in the future... I guess this should be a foreshadowing left by the developer. (Touching chin)

Gale: You killed NPCs?

Garbage: Mhm, the attack was ordered by the administrator... So it should not be considered a violation of the regulations in the Shelter Resident Handbook? Later, I even checked the handbook again. It only stipulated that it was forbidden to attack neutral and friendly NPCs.

Night Ten: Uh... I think those should be wild monsters. They are probably not NPCs? But the bleeding effect is... it's a bit lifelike, I almost thought it was real.

Chu Guang fell deep into thought.

He speculated before whether the world the players saw was filtered, and now it seemed that it was really possible.

However, this filter was not necessarily the kind of filter in the beauty camera, it was more likely to be a kind of conceptual blur.

It was like how the device handled pain.

Pain beyond their limit would be shielded by the player's brain, and sensory shocks beyond the tolerable range should also be handled with a corresponding emotional dulling.

Otherwise, once the brain's fuse mechanism was triggered, the player would directly awaken from their nightmare, and the connection would be interrupted.

Obviously, those details had been taken into consideration by the designer.

After reaching that point in his analysis, Chu Guang became a little envious.

When he first came to the Wasteland, it took him a long time to overcome those psychological obstacles.

Gale: Did they speak Mandarin?

Garbage: Their language is very strange, the pronunciation doesn’t sound like Chinese, but maybe a little bit similar. But I don't understand it anyway. It’s probably randomly generated by the program.

When depicting alien planets or other worlds, many film and television works or games would have similar settings. They created a foreign language by disrupting the normal sequence of a language, and some were simply made up.

For example, the mini people in

The Sims

.

According to Garbage, Wasteland Online should have adopted a similar design.

With that point alone, the game was not bad.

Ample Time: mhm, the arrangement of this plot is actually quite interesting, I think it is to remind us of the hidden crisis in this wasteland. Just like the mutant tribes discovered before, the purpose should be to create a sense of crisis.

Night Ten: Uh, isn't it a randomly generated plot?

Ample Time: Anything you see is a designed program, there is no real randomness.

Old White: I think what Ample Time said is a bit reasonable. Think about it, it happened on the day when the new players went online... it seemed somewhat deliberately arranged.

Ample Time: It can only be regarded as a kind of conjecture! I think this plot can be understood as that as the scale of the outpost expands and the player's overall strength increases, the conflict between the players and other forces and mutants in the wasteland will gradually intensify. The fight for survival resources and space may be the main theme of the next stage of the game.

Ample Time: Now they can actually prepare for the war campaign! I guess that soon after the Winter Is Coming expansion ends, and the next expansion will be the camp conflict.

Gale: Awesome...

Garbage: Damn, this analysis is incredible.

Night Ten: Brother Ample Time is truly an incredible player!

Quit_smoking: Damn it! I really want to play! T . T

Then the group of friends began to exchange the skills of steelmaking and gunpowder making, leaving Chu Guang in front of the screen, stunned.

Holy shit! This fellow thought about things that I didn't even think about. He is really a talent!

Chu Guang sighed in his heart, and conveniently copied and pasted the content analyzed by Ample Time to his saved file.

If someone asked in the future, Chu Guang decided to explain it that way.