Even though Gale Force kept a very low profile on Brother Fang Chang's advice, a prosthetic arm made of solid steel was simply too eye-catching.
The moment the two returned to the operational camp, they were instantly swarmed by players.
The Intelligence-type players in particular were so moved they nearly burst into tears. They crowded forward to shake Gale Force's hand, practically rubbing the finish clean off his Kirin arm.
"Damn it! Why didn't something this good happen to me?!"
"I don't care! Unless they give me one too, this game is rigged!"
"Waaaah, please, Brother Dev, grant me a Kirin arm! I swear I'll burn incense for you every day!"
"Brother Guang smiles without saying a word, sets your luck to zero, and makes you the next victim of a plot assassination."
"Giao! I was wrong, Brother Guang! You're my real dad!"
In short, Gale Force basked in the limelight for days after swapping in his cybernetic arm. He turned throwing javelins, throwing knives, and even tossing bricks into an art form.
The forums also saw wildly irresponsible and misleading posts pop up, like: *"One patch, one god—the weakest sequence, Intelligence, is about to rise!"* and *"The era of cybernetic implants has arrived; Strength-types have finally been relegated to little runts!"*
Meanwhile, the little players weren't the only ones in high spirits.
Ever since she got her prosthetic leg fitted, Boss Xia had visibly cheered up. Whenever she had free time, she would stroll around the outpost.
This was a good thing.
Exercise was good for one's health.
It was just that the way Boss Xia looked at him lately always made Chu Guang feel a bit uneasy.
How to put it?
It was as if she owed him tens of thousands of dollars, a look torn between guilt and embarrassment. Chu Guang had been forced by circumstance to work in sales for years before his transmigration, and he had genuinely never seen that expression in the eyes of more than a handful of clients.
It was sales, after all.
Wasn't it completely normal for a client to take a little advantage of someone so handsome?
Chu Guang didn't even mind, yet here she was, getting all self-conscious about it.
"If you find it uncomfortable, you can always go back and have it surgically removed."
Xia Yan immediately dodged to the side. "No way! Do you have any idea how much that surgery hurt?"
"I wouldn't know. Didn't the doctor give you anesthesia?"
"She did, but the first two days of adjusting to it after the operation were awkward in every possible way. It felt like the leg clearly belonged to me, yet didn't at all." Xia Yan suddenly muttered in a low voice, "By the way... this prosthetic wasn't cheap, was it?"
Chu Guang gave a dry chuckle and didn't answer.
You had to be kidding.
Did Category E trade goods ever come cheap?
Even if it didn't involve restricted-export technology, its design and craft were unquestionably top-tier.
Boss Xia was lucky, though. The Pioneer lacked the facilities to manufacture bionic prosthetics, and their supply depot just happened to have two right legs left over.
Chu Guang had haggled with Li De for quite some time before securing it.
Seeing that Chu Guang didn't answer, Xia Yan pressed softly, "...How much?"
"One million silver coins."
Xia Yan shot him an exasperated glare. "...I'm asking you seriously."
"Ten million silver coins."
"!!!"
Boss Xia really couldn't take a tease. He had merely thrown out two random figures, yet she gnashed her teeth and almost lunged to bite him.
Almost was still just almost, however.
Watching Xia Yan stomp her foot in frustration before heading back to work at the weapon shop, Chu Guang ultimately failed to find an excuse to dock her pay.
Glancing left and right at the sparsely populated outpost, Chu Guang let out a soft sigh.
*Hurry up and unlock Floor B3...*
He truly missed how bustling it used to be.
Ever since the expansion gameplay shifted and the transport route opened, the players had all rushed off to blaze trails at the operational camp. Only a handful of production-occupation players stayed behind in the industrial zone to tinker with useless "tricks" that had no real-world application, leaving the outpost eerily deserted.
Just like that, days drifted by.
On the seventh day of withdrawal symptoms, the offline players finally saw an announcement on the official *Wasteland OL* website.
Their longing and excitement were almost pitiful to witness.
It was clear that during the days they couldn't log in, every single day had felt like torment.
Yet after reading the announcement, the players' hearts plunged straight back into an even deeper abyss.
The contents of the notice weren't the bug fix they had been praying for.
It was a brand-new version!
Good grief.
This damned company was being completely inhumane yet again!
...
Official Website:
[Wasteland OL Closed Beta Server Alpha 0.8 Update Notes]
[Major Updates:
1. The closed beta player cap has increased to 500.
2. Added the "Stronghold System" and related gameplay!
]
[Optimizations:
1. Optimized the outpost quartermaster's AI, adding unique personality traits to NPCs. Luo Hua, who looks refined and scholarly, is actually a drunkard; Ai Si, who rarely speaks, loves fluffy things and is even willing to pay money for them.
2. Boss Xia has been fitted with a prosthetic leg, and the crutch has been removed from her portrait. If you anger her in the future, you may be chased down and pummeled.
3. Expanded food variety. Today's recommended menu: black sesame soy milk, glutinous rice tangyuan.
4. Fixed a minor number of bugs. (The bug preventing respawns has still not been resolved.)
5. ...
]
[With the further increase in player count, the Player Handbook and User Agreement have been updated to version... New contact protocols have been added for map-wide factions such as the Legion, the Enterprise, and the Academy. Eligible closed beta players, please review them promptly to avoid a terrible gaming experience for yourself and others.]
[Current Reservations: 11,111]
...
*Alpha 0.8 Developer Log*
Guang: "Hello everyone, I'm your dearest game dev, Ah Guang! Last night's Death Lottery results were drawn: after drowning a product-manager lucky koi, the code monkeys and engineering lions finally got the bananas they wanted, and we received a new patch—the revolutionary Alpha 0.8! While I say that every single time, I mean it just as seriously this time as the last!"
"We often ponder how to build a human-NPC friendly virtual community for *Wasteland OL*, which centers on sandbox gameplay, rather than an out-of-control, chaotic fast-food world."
"Therefore, in Alpha 0.8, we made a decision that goes against our ancestors' teachings and added a unique mechanic to *Wasteland OL* not found in traditional MMORPGs—namely, the Stronghold System!"
"As mentioned in the promises we made earlier, strongholds belonging to players will develop, grow, and expand over time based on player actions. With our ally's assistance, the operational camp is developing rapidly and will soon become our second stronghold, connecting Yumu District to the abandoned towns in the north and drawing in merchant caravans passing through the northern outskirts of Qingquan City."
"We have now quantified this process. The prosperity of player strongholds will be updated as data cards on your VM map. Every quest you complete will add to the stronghold's growth progress bar! You will witness with your own eyes a survivor stronghold go from bleak desolation to bustling prosperity—reflected not only on the shelves of NPC shops, but also on the faces of every resident!"
"For players, we have added a new stat called 'Regional Reputation,' integrated directly into the VM map interface. Simply select the corresponding survivor stronghold to view it."
"Friendly actions, generous donations, and development-related quests will raise your reputation in that survivor stronghold. Conversely, unfriendly actions will result in penalties and deduct your regional reputation there."
"When reputation is between -100 and 1,000, your standing is Cold. You may freely accept standard quests and trade goods, but to the people living there, you are merely an inconsequential traveler."
"Upon reaching 1,000 reputation, your standing upgrades to Friendly. People will begin to value your opinions and treat you as a trusted friend. When shopping in that area, you will receive discounts, unlock more quests, and be granted permission to run businesses locally. When reputation hits 10,000, your standing rises to Honored. People will acknowledge your presence and credit you with bringing them prosperity. In addition to more numerous and exciting quests, you can hold special public offices to demonstrate your personal worth."
"When reputation reaches 100,000 or above, your standing elevates to Exalted. NPCs will revere you as a benefactor, a hero, or even a great savior! They will engrave your name in the plaza and may even erect a statue in your honor. You will not only unlock new achievements, but also have the opportunity to hold key positions in the town hall, contributing advice and plans for the stronghold's future development... An RPG unlocking SLG gameplay—sounds awesome, doesn't it?"
"If reputation drops below -100, your standing will fall to Hostile. Players will be banned from entering that survivor stronghold, unable to accept quests there, and can only slowly repair relations over time at a rate of roughly 1 point per day. If reputation drops below -1,000, your standing plummets to Hated. You will be actively attacked and may even become the target of bounty quests posted for other players... Of course, there's no need to worry too much about this, as it's practically impossible to lose that much in one go before the guard corps spots you and deports you back underground."
"It is worth noting that Regional Reputation differs from Contribution Points. Contribution measures your service to the faction, governing your status and privileges, whereas Regional Reputation reflects your standing across specific regions within the faction, governing how people evaluate you. Currently, the reputation system is limited to within our faction; survivor strongholds outside the player faction do not use this concept."
"That wraps up the Stronghold System and its related gameplay in this update. For more details, players are invited to explore in-game. We are currently developing a 'Class System,' though we are not yet certain whether it will be ready for the next version."
After posting the Alpha 0.8 update notes and Developer Log to the official website's notice board and forums, Chu Guang slipped away at lightning speed.
Unsurprisingly,
The forum was instantly inundated by the 117 + 1 + 5 players suffering withdrawal symptoms.
Quitting Smoking: "Wait, what about the respawn bug?! You worked on it for a whole week! Are you really going to act like nothing happened?? QAQ"
Elven King Fugui: "Holy shit, a whole new version dropped, and the bug still isn't fixed?!"
WC Really Has Mosquitoes: "Where is your company located?! (╯°Д°)╯"
Elaina: "What are you planning? I advise you to choose kindness. (doge)"
Because the forums were filled with wailing and gnashing of teeth, players who actually wanted to discuss the new patch didn't dare make a peep, slinking off into private chat groups instead.
Only the spectators without access grinned as they teased the lucky European players who had been banished to penal servitude in Australia.
Missing one patch was supposed to be a big deal?
Daddy here has missed multiple patches and expansions without crying about it! The reservation count has already broken ten thousand, and I haven't even touched a helmet yet!
Get down here with the rest of us!
...
At the same time.
Inside the Ox and Horse Club group chat.
Fang Chang, who had logged in and read the update details, typed out the data card that had appeared on the VM map interface and sent it to the group.
[
Stronghold Name: Outpost
Stronghold Level: Village (LV1)
Prosperity: 100
Industrial Index: 150
Commercial Index: 150
Demands: Food, Weapons, Building Materials
Propensity: Exploration (+10% yield from scavenging quests), Industrialization (+10% yield from factory orders and production quests)
]
[Regional Reputation: 0 (Neutral)]
Prosperity was primarily influenced by NPC population, living conditions, and the number of public facilities. The higher an area's prosperity, the higher the cap on quest quantity and quest rewards.
The Industrial Index was tied to productivity. A stronghold with a high Industrial Index possessed stronger logistical capabilities, meaning cheaper equipment and lower prices on manufactured goods.
The Commercial Index was self-explanatory: a stronghold with a high Commercial Index boasted a more thriving market. Compared to internal sales, it was influenced far more by external trade, reflected in a wider variety of tradable goods and more frequent visits from merchant caravans, traveling peddlers, and the like.
As for Demands, it likely meant those categories of goods could be sold at better prices in that region. Propensities acted like buff bonuses applied to the rewards players received when taking quests from that stronghold.
For instance, doing logging quests in a stronghold lacking timber would yield higher returns.
It made complete sense.
As for Regional Reputation, that was Fang Chang's personal stat. Everyone started at 0.
Completing quests that "brought prosperity" to the area would increase it, as would "providing charcoal in the snow" when the locality was short on a certain supply.
The gameplay had suddenly become so much richer.
WC Really Has Mosquitoes: "What about the operational camp? I'm kind of curious what level it is right now!"
Fang Chang: "The operational camp doesn't have a data card. Its prosperity is 15. I'm guessing it has to hit 100 prosperity before it can grow into a proper survivor stronghold and unlock a data card."
Fang Chang: "Also, Bet Street's prosperity is surprisingly at 140, but its Industrial and Commercial Indices are super low—10 and 20 respectively, barely double digits."
Lao Bai: "Looks like prosperity is mainly driven by NPC headcount."
Fang Chang: "Not necessarily. My guess is that player influence on prosperity is mostly reflected through quests and trade; we don't contribute to the population count. After all, compared to NPCs with fixed activity ranges, players have high mobility."
Ye Shi: "Waaah, I regret everything! I thought this bug would take three days at most to fix, but I haven't been able to play for a whole week! Now Alpha 0.8 is already out! QAQ"
Lao Bai: "Don't panic. Everyone in our boat is hurting right now; you're not the only one locked out. I heard the compensation package is being bumped up. (grin)"
Ye Shi: "Sigh, compensation or not is secondary. The main thing is that I want to move bricks."
Gale Force: "Go find a factory job."
Ye Shi: "Screw that, factory work is exhausting, and I have classes during the day! That's nothing like the game, where playing all night leaves you feeling refreshed the next day."
Lao Bai: "Speaking of which, Fang Chang, what do you think of this update? Is reputation worth grinding?"
Fang Chang: "My guess is that regional reputation is aimed at solo players. If we're taking the guild route, there's no need to deliberately farm it. Our primary focus should still be stacking contribution points."
Lao Bai: "How so?"
Fang Chang: "Just like the Dev Log said, contribution points represent your service to the faction, while regional reputation is your standing in a specific city within the faction. Didn't Ah Guang mention earlier that higher status ranks would open up in the late game, allowing players to form guilds and build their own survivor strongholds? Unlike NPC towns, player-built strongholds probably won't have a regional reputation mechanic—at least not for the guild's own members."
Fang Chang: "As for reputation, even if you grind it all the way to the 100,000 cap and reach Exalted, all you get is a minor post in the town hall. Mayor at best? While you can influence a stronghold's development, I feel NPCs will definitely retain ultimate control."
Gale Force: "True. You can't just hand Northshire Abbey and Goldshire over to players to run—that would ruin the experience for everyone else. Strongholds tied to the main storyline or crucial side quests have to remain in NPC hands... That's how a game designer would think, at least."
Ye Shi: "By the way, does this game even have a main storyline?"
Gale Force: "Of course it does. Did you forget the oath sworn under the flag of the Human Alliance? (side-eye)"
Ye Shi: "Uh, right, there was something like that when we first entered the game. I almost totally forgot. (doge)"
Gale Force: "Careful or you'll get deported back underground. (side-eye)"
Ye Shi: "Not a chance! I've performed meritorious service for the shelter! I've bled for the Human Alliance! But jokes aside, being locked out genuinely sucks. The punishment for infractions in this game is downright absurd."
Quitting Smoking: "Are you hurting as much as me?! I'm completely broken! (crying)"
Lao Bai: "Hahaha, Brother Quitting Smoking really has it the worst!"
Fang Chang: "Can't compete, really can't compete. The fastest death achievement—you're still the undisputed king of that."
Quitting Smoking: "T.T"
Lurking silently in the chat, Chu Guang smiled faintly.
The players who understood him best were right here after all.
How wonderful!
Chapter 158