1 Game Start
[Welcome to Bygone Era, Life Hack, this is the start of your tutorial. Please choose a destination and get there]
After spending twenty minutes creating my account and character I finally appeared in the actual game of Bygone Era with this plaque-like hologram screen in my face saying hello. Beyond the hologram screen was what looked like a dirt road leading to a large intersection through a hardwood forest. On either side of the road were immense trees of various types with leafy branches that stretched out overhead to cast the road in shade.
In between the trees along the roadside were numerous different flowering bushes, grasses, and a few types of vines hanging between trees. At opposing corners of the intersections were two old wooden signposts with similarly aged wooden signs pointing down each path. Apparently, a game with an open-ended story also had an open-ended tutorial.
Looking down at myself I find that I am wearing thick quilted canvas trousers, a matching quilted sweater with numerous pockets, a thick woolen cloak with a hood, a pair of simple leather boots, and a pair of simple leather gloves. In my hand was a whittled naked staff with a top that curved to the side before continuing upward. Apparently, this was my starter kit.
Once I took my first step the welcome message went away and suddenly another hologram appeared.
[While traveling in the Bygone Era, safety is uncertain. Remain wary of danger in its many forms at all times]
Unlike the last message window that did not go away until I start moving, this hologram disappeared once I finished reading it. Then, after walking a few more steps, there was suddenly a vague redness shading the edges of my field of view right before another message window appeared.
[This was a combat alert, unless an enemy is attacking you while sneaking you will receive a combat alert before an imminent danger appears. The kind of alert shows the level of danger you face. Clear tunnel vision means an enemy or enemies that are weaker than you will appear, transparent red framing means an enemy or enemies with similar stats and levels to you will appear, and full red framing means an enemy or enemies stronger than you are about to appear]
Once this message window disappeared like the last, there came a rustling from the bushes on the roadside between the intersection and my position. Then, from those bushes flew forth three giant beetles the size of small dogs with sharp toothy mandibles big enough to close around one of my arms or legs. Apparently, these guys were considered my equals.
Since I was something of a veteran VRMMO player I had already changed most of my settings when I started the game, turning off most of my combat 'assistance' systems. These were the things that controlled stuff like automated targeting, blocking, evasions, and the like. When turned on, they might seem helpful but they controlled the way your character moved in most games.
Just like movement speeds and running times were always dependent on agility and endurance stats, dodging and the likes was the same. Because the game did not move you out of the way of an attack that you could dodge in reality, most people simply tell themselves it is an unavoidable attack and tank it. People who knew better would jump out of the way.
People who knew how the systems worked changed their settings to match their play style.
Nearly as soon as the bushes started moving I was gripping my crude staff in both hands and standing sideways in a readied stance with my feet shoulder width apart and the vaguely sharpened point of my staff aimed forward. Like most unintelligent enemies in a video game with basic combat AI, the giant beetles just flew straight at me following along behind one another.
Just as I stepped forward into a thrust of my staff at the leading beetle, another message window popped up and the world briefly froze as I read it.
[This is your first fight and your very first attack in Bygone Era, remember how natural the movements feel. Aside from many skills most combat in Bygone Era is free-flow, allowing you to move more or less freely in your different environments. Because of the fully interactive world setting, do not be afraid to make use of your environment when possible]
When the hologram disappeared, my body finished attacking and rammed the point of my staff straight into the first beetle's face between its mandibles.
[+2XP]
As soon as the first beetle died, the game once again froze up in the most annoying way possible as a notification and then another message window appeared. I was getting really tired of this tutorial.
[Never forget the satisfaction of your first kill and the rewards it brings. Also never forget that killing is not the only way to receive experience]
The second beetle was almost in reach when the world went back in motion, giving me next to no time at all to aim as I turned my body at the waist and whip the fatter bottom end of my staff up and around. The beetle was able to dive in closer than I wanted but I still hit it, smashing it with the bottom half of my staff only a foot or so away from my hands. The beetle's entire right side caved in and it careened wildly to the side.
[+2XP]
For the third beetle that was the same speed and distance in line as the first and second, I just immediately whipped back around with the pointed end of my staff. Both the beetle in the air and the beetle stuck on my spear smashed into each other and fell to the ground.
[+2XP]
[Level Up]
[All stats raised by 1]
[You just leveled up for the first time, gaining strength from survival and ingenuity. While playing without a class all six of your basic stats will rise by one point and after choosing a class you will receive five stat points to allocate as you see fit. Though many players will debate and argue over which playing styles are the best, we the AI of Bygone Era encourage each player the build their character as they see fit]
The world went back in real-time just long enough for the dead beetles to fade away into dust particles while leaving behind some pieces of loot before notifications and a message window appeared.
[Acquired Insect Chitin x6]
[Acquired Giant Beetle Mandible x3]
[Acquired Gold x9]
[Congratulations, you just gained your first spoils of victory and unlocked your player and character inventories. Most forms of items or loot will automatically be stored in your almost infinite player inventory but can only be accessed while outside of combat in your menu screen. To place items directly in or out of your character inventory, simply put them in any appropriately sized pocket or container on your person. To open your menus, simply think of them or create your own summon method in your settings]
[Tutorial Stage One: Cleared]
[Tutorial Stage One Clear Rating: S]
[Tutorial Stage One Clear Reward: +9 XP]
[Tutorial Stage One Rating Bonus: Title: Perfect Combo Start(pt1)]
[Level Up]
[All stats raised by 1]
[You have just earned your first title in Bygone Era, increasing your strength and prestige by that much more. You can see your active title and its affects in your character menu in the same menus as your player inventory. You may also see and pick from your other titles in the same page]
[Congratulation on your perfect clear for the first stage of the tutorial, it's rare that new players with this kind of skill appear. However, the rest of the tutorial may not be so easy. Choose carefully from the destinations before you because each of these roads will lead to a different end for your tutorial. Before then, though, it is dangerous and best to prepare for the next leg of your journey. Try crafting a cutting tool from some Insect Chitin]
Double-tapping the air in front of me to summon my in-game menus like the summon method I set for myself before starting the game, I soon find myself faced with a black hologram window with white words and different page tabs along the top. The menu window that was opened was my character window, showing an image of me and my current equipment as well as my current stats, an empty list of character inventory, and an empty list of skills.
It was in this page that I learned my staff was a simple walking stick with an attack of five and my clothes were simply called a Traveler's Outfit with each article having a defense of two. With a shirt, pair of pants, cloak, gloves, and boots I had an overall defense of ten and my base attack was currently three plus half of my Strength stat.
Since I was a jobless human my base stats were all ten except for Luck which started at thirty and at level two my stats were all twelve and thirty-two, giving me an overall attack of fourteen.
The tabs at the top of the screen were Character, Inventory, Social, Map, Quest, and Misc Stats. Because this was still early on in the tutorial the only tabs not grayed out and locked were Character and Inventory. Tapping the Inventory tab to switch to the next menu page I find myself looking at a few categories of empty lists from weapons to miscellaneous items.
It was under misc items that I found the chitin and mandibles looted from the giant beetles. Since these were the only items currently in my inventory I just took all of them out and soon found myself holding what looked like thick beetle wing cases in one hand and dagger-sized mandibles in the other. Everything but one wing case went into my pockets.
[This is Insect Chitin from a low-ranking monster. Thicker and stronger than normal insect carapace, this chitin can be ground and carved to shape and even hold an edge for a short time. There is a smooth grained piece of slate in the road, use this rock as a grindstone and put an edge on your chitin]
There were actually a large number of different rocks in the road but only one of them was surrounded in brighter ground than the rest of the stones. However, out of curiosity, I still picked up any old stone and while wondering what kind of rock it was a small window appeared tagged to the rock like a message window. The rock was a glassy gray-blue and reminded me of some pretty flint.
[Dull flint stone, can be used to craft tools of lesser quality or artwork of differing qualities]
Pocketing the flint with a shrug, I walk on until I find the large piece of gray-brown slat with a rounded bottom and flat top that the tutorial was indicating for me. Then, while walking the rest of the way to the intersection, I simply worked the flat side of the wing case on the slate in small and tight circles. Then, when I stopped to examine it a window appeared.
[When it comes to crafting cutting tools, there are a number of different edges or 'grinds' one may use depending on the purposes of the tool. Because this item will be used as a crafting tool to make a more proper weapon, continue working one side to make a single-sided chisel edge for peeling bark and splitting shrubbery]
Following the game's advise simply because this was the tutorial, I go back to grinding the one side while approaching the closest signpost. The sign pointing back the way I came was covered in moss and mildew so that it could not be read, meaning there was no destination to pick. The other three signs read, 'Olton', 'Newville', and 'Gobura'.
As an experienced but somewhat casual gamer I waited the first couple of weeks after the game released before joining so I could mooch off of everybody else' hard work. Thanks to this, I already knew most of how the tutorial was set up. Not everybody got the same destinations and starting points, but everybody got a 'ton', 'ville' and a place with no suffix.
Olton was a starting town with mild to moderate difficulty while Newville would be a village with low difficulty for new players. The village and town were the common tutorials because most people would pick their familiar names. The place without a suffix, though, was not a settlement but a tutorial dungeon of sorts.
The dungeon would actually be the final part of the tutorial because no matter where you went you ended up being sent there on your first quest. However, if you were to go to the dungeon first and complete the quest without receiving it then you can get one of many special clear rewards. If I could keep a perfect rating by not taking any damage and doing these basic job skills properly, then my rewards will be even better!
[+2XP]
[You have successfully created the tool for the job, Life Hack, well done. Now, on the roadside are a few different forms of bushes and shrubbery, find one with long and straight but soft and pliable growths to take and pull the leaves from. After you have collected and plucked a few limbs, use the edge of your tool to carefully split them down the middle]
This was actually a fairly common and basic survival method for making cordage and binding in the wild, but in a simplified tutorial like this it was a testament to the realism and interaction quality of this game's world setting. Usually only certain plants, or resource nodes, that were meant to be harvested could be interacted with like this to conserve memory and processing.
Bygone Era, though, is telling you from the beginning that pretty much anything anywhere can be made use of.
[+2xp]
[Good job, now that you have binding material it is time to make some proper cordage. You can make some now using two sticks or you can skip this step and make the cordage while finishing your craft. If you want to skip, simply take out a new piece of Insect Chitin to begin carving a blade from]
Even though the tutorial varied between a handful of different settings and situations, I already knew what was being asked of me but I could not help but wonder if skipping this step would affect my rating or not. Just the completion of a proper weapon gives an S rating to stage two by default, but the entire tutorial was under evaluation. However, I was a hasty player so I just took out another piece of chitin.
[Be creative and see if you can find an efficient way to carve a knife blade out of this chitin. Be careful, though, even if it is a cheap and disposable tool it is still a weapon you may be betting your life on]
"Be creative?" I ask with a smirk while taking out the rounded triangular flint I found. "Okay." Because the wing case had one straight side while the rest of it had the curvature of half a tombstone, I simply placed my hand on top of the wing case on top of the flint and then shoved down.
The wing case broke mostly in the same shape as the flint I had conformed it to while breaking off the excess edges on the ground under the flint. However, the chitin still had the vague curvature of a scoop from and the left side was straight while the right side had a sheer angle with many rough points and dips like uneven serrations. The bottom had also broken off halfway through, creating a short two-inch tang under six inches of 'blade'.
[+2XP]
[Well done, Life Hack, the blade is now ready for sharpening. You should go ahead and take out one of the mandible from earlier to get ready for the step afterward]
Choosing Gobura as my destination, I casually start off across the intersection from where I started while grinding away at the flat side of my blade chitin with my walking stick tucked under one arm and dragging behind me. However, once I got fifteen yards beyond the intersection a message window suddenly impeded my progress.
[Continuing passed this point before completing the second step of the tutorial is dangerous, do you wish to continue?]
[YES/NO]
Knowing there would be a proper fight scene against a more proper enemy up ahead, I decide not to risk my perfect clear and continue to work on my knife in the intersection. Instead of even bothering to answer the window I just turned around to take a seat in the middle of the road with all of my materials. I also decided to go a little above and beyond before moving forward.
*
