The Nitpicker's Guide: luceti

lucetimods in luceti

The Nitpicker's Guide

Jul 15, 2010 02:56

Luceti: The Nitpicker's Guide
(PART 1)

Some people have requested an additional guide to things that only certain people/characters would care about. Since including this information would make the FAQ obscenely tl;dr, additional details will be kept here and added onto periodically.

Disclaimer: These are not rules. These are guidelines for players who want world-specific details. PLEASE keep that in mind, and don't panic if you see something current (or recall something in the past) that doesn't coincide with this list. It's meant to be flexible and offer players more material to work with, NOT to restrict anyone. These are the official standards of the game, but we won't be griping at anyone who's done things differently in the past, since that would be silly.

If you would prefer this guide in Wikia style, it can be viewed HERE.

Topics

PART ONE - Life in Luceti
PART TWO - Experiments, Drafts, and NPCs
Useful Links

This is a compilation of where you can find important stuff for your characters to know. Some are IC and others OOC, so pay close attention to which each entry is!

IC: The Newcomer's Guide to Luceti

IC: Albert's Guide to the Organizations and General Happenings. The community is often updated with these posts, so keep an eye out.

OOC: Information on the School

OOC: Information on the SOS Brigade

OOC: Information on Brave Vesperia

OOC: Information on the Welcome Center

OOC: Weather Calendar

OOC: Timeline

Due to changes in how the roleplay works there may be some inconsistencies, but we're trying our best to ensure that everything makes sense. It will be updated periodically to keep everyone up to speed as much as possible on the plot. Keep watching it!

Details about Wings

The residents' wings are much like angel's wings, but substantially smaller. They're roughly 3/4 arm's length, emerging between the shoulders, from about 1/4 of the way down the back to the middle.

They fold at the center and can lie flat against the back, and can even be concealed under loose clothing. After they are attached, the wings cause pain up to around 24 hours as the body adjusts to them, and afterwards are painless as long as they're undamaged. The residents should have decent control over them after that. They are designed with the power to allow for slight hovering, not flight.

Much like birds, the feathers have varying levels of softness depending on the age of the resident. Children have softer, downy feathers, more fluffy and numerous, but shorter. Around puberty (roughly age 11-15) these feathers are exchanged for longer, stronger, and more silk-like feathers. Adults start out with such feathers, and as they physically age (past 50 or 60), the quality of color and beauty decreases over time. Immortals, or characters who don't age, will keep the feather quality they started out with. Wings grow in proportion to the growth of the body.

The wings are a delicate part of a character's health in Luceti, and as such they do not molt or otherwise lose feathers unless they are pulled. Removing them entirely without killing the character is currently impossible. The removal of one wing causes great pain and an extensive illness until it can grow back; this usually takes five days to a week. Removing the feathers without touching the structure will sicken and/or weaken the character but will not kill them. The feathers grow back in less than a week. If both wings are removed, death is painful but immediate.

Barcodes

Essentially Malnosso GPS. They allow the scientists/robots/whatnot to find people for kidnappings and keep the journals linked to the characters. As of now they cannot be removed or altered. Each barcode is programmed with a number that is unique to every character. (Think the LJ account number.)

Languages

In Luceti, all characters are built with their own universal translator; namely, the wings. Speech, text, anything that involves language of any kind is automatically filtered through the changed physiology of the characters and translated into words. As for whether the character is naturally speaking/writing Luceti's native language or their own and simply perceives everything else as the same... use your imagination.

Sometimes bits and pieces of languages will filter through, particular if it's a well-known phrase the character uses, such as coup d'etat is sometimes used in English society. Just words and little phrases though, never full sentences. IC examples would be if Alphonse prefers to call Edward "niisan" instead of "brother", or someone with an accent might speak oddly to others.

Journal System

The journal is a mixture of complex magic and technology; it was designed as a method of secret communication for the Malnosso when the organization was still small, and eventually became the primary method of observing the effects of the experiments. A group of scientists linked them to computers, so all entries, written or voiced, are tracked by the Malnosso. Neither the village nor the surrounding area is actually observed, but this is not ICly known. There are a set amount of pages, physically, but as a character flips through it, the pages shift so that characters can backtrack to entries made before they arrived. This shift is not noticable in any way besides the fact that there are inexplicably more pages.

As a special note, since there have been numerous mix-ups: strike-out text is only available on ooc/action notations and written entries/comments, not voice posts or speech in action posts. The same rule applies to "keysmashes", though some people likely have audible equivelants.

The first page of the journal is always the entry page.The second page, and every page after it,
are the entries of the other residents.

Journal Functions

Written: Simply write what you want to have posted; drawings can also be shown on the pages. Content will appear on the network and be visible to other characters after one minute has passed without any new content to the entry being added. Comments are made in the same way.

Voice: There is a [VOICE] "button" at the top of each page; you must touch it to initiate the voice function. It can be turned off at any time. Other characters can either hear it via real-time or, at a later date/time, press on the "entry" or the "comment" with the pen (much like actual voice posts on LJ) and the entry will play.

Accidental Voice: Records and plays in real-time. Doesn't usually have a playback function. This happens sporadically, ie. whenever the player feels like revealing something the character wouldn't normally share.

Camera: Takes snapshots periodically, which serve as the character icons; each page is slotted so that the camera can view the journal user. The camera can be covered or obscured.

Call Function: At the bottom of the main entry page there is a box that contains a small image and the barcode of each resident of Luceti. Characters need only tap the image to call for the selected character's attention; said character's journal will ring periodically until it has been opened, where (in their own call box) the one that summoned them will be shown.

Links: When a character is given a "link" (ie. "Go [here] for the Guide") they are directed to the next page over, which will shift to reveal whatever entry they have been linked to.

Regarding 'Hacking'

Whenever characters have an entry or a part of an entry that they wish to lock from the rest of Luceti, they need only draw a box around what they want hidden and write "Unhackable/Locked to [Character Name]" and then either some sort of passcode, or a puzzle. The level of hackability depends on the complexity of the puzzle or passcode, which in turn depends on how much effort the character puts into making it. This is why certain entries are more hackable than others, and some are impossible to hack. Hacking takes a lot of practice and intelligence, so don't expect every character to get it immediately.

In order to hack an entry, characters must first suspect that it is locked; they must write "Hack" in the comment to reveal a passcode box or puzzle. If they are successful, the entry will be revealed; if not nothing will happen. They can then lock their own comments in the same way. Hacking must be done within a certain amount of time; the amount of time is inversely proportionate to the complexity of the lock. If it is a very complex lock, characters have less time to hack it than, say, something that is only 10% hackable.

Disclaimer: For the record, this was the official manner of hacking that Eggy and I agreed upon during our brainstorming session, but it is not by any means the only way of hacking or locking entries. Other characters have invented a number of different ways of doing it, so there really is no right or wrong way. Be as creative as you like!

Location Details

A lot of details are available on the Map/Housing post, so check that out first. The expanded info is separated into sections for your convenience.

Distances and Travel Time

From the furthest corners of the map, Luceti is 190 miles from west to east, and 85 miles north to south. Since the barrier is oval-shaped, the distance from one end to another often varies. Travel time can also vary, so here is a scaled map of the area:

If you'd rather not work it out yourself, here's the time it takes to get around the area, on average. (Average being 3 miles per hour for 8 hours a day.)

From the plaza to the northern edge of the barrier: 2 days or 50 miles
From the plaza to the western edge: 2 days or 50 miles
From the plaza to the southern edge: 1 day or 30 miles
From the plaza to the red tunnel exit: 2 days or 60 miles
From the edge of the mountain to the beach: 5 days or 60 miles (6 miles high + 50 miles wide = approx. 60 miles; travel time is lengthy due to the precarious climb, as the mountain is extremely difficult to scale without proper equipment)
From the tunnel exit/mountain across the ocean to the eastern edge: 65 miles (no attempt to cross it has been made yet)

The village itself is only about 1 square mile overall; one can traverse the entire village in a few hours, and it only takes a few hours to reach the southern lake.

For those who can fly, they'll find that they can only reach a height of about 10 miles before they hit the top of the barrier. If you're inclined to try and dig under it, it runs about 30-40 feet deep, but... the Malnosso have ways of preventing that, so expect some interference there. It's been tried before.

Village

The village is a quiet little collection of sturdy but old-school farmhouses and brick apartment buildings. There are also a number of shops surrounding a plaza, run by either players or unnamed/unplayed NPCs. The village has a homey look to it, meant to be a close community rather than a vast city. It sort of resembles this:

There's a few buildings built by citizens scattered here and there, as well as shops within established buildings. Most of these should be labeled on the Map/Housing post, so if you happen to build something or decide you want to run a shop, be sure to let a mod know.

The houses have electricity, so they have lights, electric stoves, and an upgraded icebox. There is a fireplace to keep the houses warm when necessary, indoor plumbing, and a water heater. They all come fully furnished and remain that way whether they're occupied or not, but if characters want to switch out or get new furniture, they can find some at the item bazaar.

Self-Repairing

The houses, buildings and other elements of the environment are generally programmed to self-repair when extensive damage is incurred. If the characters take it upon themselves to repair damage, of course the "system" might not get around to it. Basically if a wall is torn down, it'll remain as such for a couple days until -quite suddenly- the wall will exist again. More extensive damage -like a house burning down- would take a little more time in that sections of the house will appear over the course of a few days or so until the building is once again as it was before destruction.

Any structures built by the residents of Luceti, however, are not repaired when damaged. The barracks are a good example of this; should anything happen to that building, it wouldn't be repaired by the system.

Forests

...THERE ARE TREES. The species sort of vary with no particular organization; there's evergreens mixed with deciduous, tiny saplings mixed with ancient giants. They are exceptionally fast-growing, with a tendency to sprout a few inches or feet in the dark or when no one is watching, though they don't grow to excessive sizes. It's quite remarkable, really - and lucky, considering how often Luceti is damaged by one disaster or another.

The forest is also populated by a variety of creatures; birds, mammals, insects, whatever's normal in a number of regions. Bears, foxes, wild boars, mosquitoes, raccoons, robins, fish... lots of critters to pick from. They're wild, but on the same level as animals that live around, say, a campsite; they usually stick to the woods, but see humans so often they're normally unimpressed and often bold, if not outright friendly and helpful. Don't mistake them for pets, though. That takes much more work.

Speaking of pets, characters can occasionally find strays around the village, somewhat tamed animals such as cats or dogs, and manage to convince them to follow them home. They're easier to tame than forest wildlife.

Mountain

The mountains on the eastern side of the village are tall, jagged, and awfully precarious to climb unless one has the proper equipment. The mountain is comprised of a number of different rock types, varying in age, strength, and hardness, and a determined person might be able to harvest metals and elements from it, if they look hard enough. There is also a series of caves, not necessarily all connected, but scattered across the entire mountainside. They vary in length and size, which offers players the freedom to explore with few restrictions. There might be some crystals in the caverns, too. Go nuts!

There is an empty Malnosso structure in the mountains, with the look of something that has been abandoned for a long time. There are several cells inside, with chains attached to the wall. In a large room towards the center of the building, there is a room with a few dusty tables and large, rusted machinery; a console that is built into a wall and a tank, large enough for a full grown man to fit inside. The console's monitor is empty and dead, and the electricity that once ran through the building is long gone, a rusted, busted generator locked up in a room deeper inside. While pieces of the more simple parts (gears, wires and the like) can be salvaged, anything computerized is too damaged to be used properly.

Lakes/Rivers

For each of the lakes, the temperature varies depending on season, but they're usually between 65-80 degrees F in spring and summer, and between 32-55 degrees F (0-13 C) for the rest of the year, colder when frozen.

The western lake is about 10 miles across; it takes several hours (on average) to walk the perimeter. The deepest point is approximately 50 feet, the average depth overall is 25-35 feet, with low depth for about 10-15 feet from the shore before the water level starts to drop. The shoreline has about five feet of sand-and-rock beach before the water starts, and there is a dock on the east side, close to where the river joins the lake. It's safe to dive off of, and there are several small cliff edges around the perimeter (ranging from 5-25 feet high) for cliff-diving.

This lake is totally frozen over (safe for skating and such) in approximately mid-December and is fully thawed by March.

The southern lake is about 5 1/2 miles across; it takes an hour or two to walk the perimeter. The deepest point is 40 feet but the overall average is closer to 20 feet, with low depth for about 10 feet from the shore before the water level starts to drop. The shoreline has about twenty feet of sandy beach on the northern edge, and primarily rocky terrain around the remaining perimeter. There is a dock close to the lake house.

This lake is frozen over by the first week of December and thaws by February.

The size of the river running through Luceti varies depending on location, but typically the statistics are as follows: 10-15 feet wide, 5-8 feet deep. The river usually flows slowly and steadily through the village from the mountain source to the two lakes. Despite the fact that it only flows in one direction, the lakes never overflow, nor does the mountain spring drain.

The mountain lake is about the same size of the southern lake, but there are no beaches; it's strictly surrounded by rocks, and it's not easy to get to by any means unless you know the route well enough. The lake is a great deal deeper than the others, however; unnaturally so. The center of the lake is seemingly bottomless. This lake never freezes over due to the depth and the proximity of the hot spring. It's usually a comfortable temperature regardless of season.

There is a hot spring located within half a mile of the mountain lake. It's not very well known; since it's primarily under the mountainside it stays out of sight and isn't often used due to its hard-to-reach location. The spring itself is soothing, warm, and clean at all times of the year, and the water has some curative properties. There is a small stream connecting the mountain lake to the hot spring.

Currently there is a teleporter that goes directly to the hot spring, and a bathhouse has been built.

Ocean

Beyond the mountain is a sandy beach for a mile or less; after that is a saltwater ocean that goes as far as the eye can see, well beyond the limits of the barrier. The ocean is fairly nondescript and self-explanatory at the moment; it's big, it's deep (500 ft farther out), it has some interesting ocean creatures, much like any other.

At the very edge of the ocean (before the barrier, that is), the former desert temple is now miles and miles under the surface. No doubt that it'll become an underwater castle for the fish before long.

More details will be added to this section as they become available.

Weather

The Weather Calendar (as linked above) shows Luceti's monthly weather schedule. For those who want more details:

All temperatures are in Fahrenheit due to the majority of players who use it; a converter for Celcius is here.

What this means:

AV = Average temperature; this is approximately what the weather is like on unmarked days.

MIN = Minimum temperature; this is roughly the coldest the weather gets. In all seasons this is the weather marked dark/light blue or brown on the calendar.

MAX = Maximum temperature; the hottest the weather gets. In warmer seasons this is the weather marked orange on the calendar.

SNOW = Whether or not it snows that month, obviously!

INCH = How many inches of snow a typical snowfall gets (marked brown on the calendar). Light snow (marked dark blue) is half that amount. An Imperial to metric converter is here.

MONTH
AV
MIN
MAX
SNOW
INCH

Jan
5
-20
20
Y
4

Feb
15
5
50
Y
2

Mar
50
30
60
N
-

Apr
60
40
70
N
-

May
70
60
75
N
-

Jun
75
60
85
N
-

Jul
85
75
100
N
-

Aug
85
75
95
N
-

Sep
70
60
75
N
-

Oct
50
30
25
N
-

Nov
25
5
50
y
4

Dec
5
-15
40
Y
4

Weapons/Clothes/Miscellaneous Items

Characters can find their own specific weapons and/or items (ie. whatever they might have been using prior to their arrival) in the weapon shop or the item bazaar, respectively. Any weapons/items with certain unnatural powers (ie. changing time or their environments) will have been stripped of said powers and reduced to that of their normal, every day counterpart. Most of these items will be handled on a case-by-case basis, depending on what powers they possess. For example, magic wands or the pins from The World Ends With You still work, but Link's ocarina would not change time, though it could still play prettiful music.

As stated in the FAQ, character's clothes are brought to Luceti with them; they can appear with the character upon arrival or in the clothing shop within a few days. Clothes are either left unaltered or cut to provide holes for the wings as per the players wishes.

If you have a specific article of clothing or item that you are not sure will work or is even allowed, please ask a mod.

Local Shops

A list of shops are available here, in the Housing Post. To expand on the summaries above-

Weapon Shop: Weapons! Duh. A character's main weapon should arrive within a few days of their arrival; if they have more than one weapon type (ie. Link having an entire army's worth of tools he uses to pwn things), they should wait a bit longer for others to arrive, if they come at all. Don't go crazy, but if you feel you need those other weapons, then feel free to have it arrive at some point. See the section above for more details on weapons.

Clothing Shop: Clothes! Also duh. Typically what a character finds here is whatever outfit they were wearing when they were brought to Luceti's world. If it was damaged, it should be repaired; if it was ruined, it would be replaced. If you want your character to get something different, then unless it's a specialty outfit that they shouldn't have, then it's probably okay for them to have it. On occasion, depending on how long the character has been in Luceti, other outfits or accessories they owned previously might also arrive in Luceti. There's also a good chunk of general clothing types, generic outfits of varying fashion from all kinds of worlds. In other words, feel free to use your own creativity in regards to what your character finds in the shop.

Grocery Shop: Food! More duh. We've had a few questions about what's here, so in short: think of an average, every day grocery store, and remove any food that requires something specific like a microwave/toaster/blender to make it. For the most part, it's just generic meal-making foodstuffs. Occasionally something weird or world-specific might show up (like a character finding flan cake, Pocky, or molepig steak) but it's usually normal every-world food.

Item Bazaar: This shop is for anything that doesn't fit into the categories of the other shops. Items such as household objects, building supplies and tools, furniture, craft supplies, climbing equipment, to list a few, are organized into small sections throughout the store. Pretty much anything that isn't technological or overly complex can probably be found there; just remember that this is a simple village without a lot of resources, so don't go crazy. There are no electronic appliances and no vehicles. There's also no curative items from other worlds (potions, gels, stuff like that); Luceti has the clinic and herbal remedies for most illnesses, plus the healing magic.

Player-run Shops:

There are a number of buildings that are handled by characters who requested them for a specific purpose; again, these are listed in the housing post. If a building becomes free for whatever reason, please consult a mod about claiming it. If we think it's a necessary or useful shop idea, feel free to go about implementing your idea ICly, though you might want to wait a little while before doing so- your character might not notice immediately that the building is free, after all! Have no fear, though; once you've talked to a mod and have been approved, the building is yours, so take your time with it.

If there are no buildings free, sorry, you're out of luck. You can, however, try to recruit people to help you build a place of your own, or just run a shop out of your own house or apartment. If your character manages this, feel free to drop a note on the housing post about it, and if it's still around next time the map is edited, we can add it in.

A list of the player-run shops can be found on the Map and Housing post.

Battle Dome

The Battle Dome is a large spherical dome that was gifted to the Luceti inhabitants as a reward for the success in the Infiltration plot in October in the 4th cycle (2010). It provides holographic enemies for the inhabitants to practice against, as well as a medical center for treating patients.

Layout of the inner dome

The Dome is separated into six separate chambers. These are self contained rooms with impenetrable walls protected by powerful Shifts (so no, not even Superman can dent the insides of them). On their own, the rooms just appear to be empty rooms with steel bolted walls. When activated, they can simulate any environment from any universe that is currently in play in the game. This means if both Link from the Legend of Zelda series and Master Chief from the Halo series are both present, that means our spartan can go to Hyrule and run around bombing dodongos.

The chambers are activated by a central console in the center area of the dome. From here, characters can pick a scenario from a list of options, using either a touch screen or by voice command. An audio tutorial is also available for the most basic of functions. More advanced options can be found to customize scenarios with the following options:
Power Limit

Gravity

Custom Areas

Weapon Creation

Safeties