Developer Log: Alpha 0.3

Official Website: [Wasteland OL Closed Beta Alpha 0.3 Update Announcement] [Major Updates: 1. Closed beta player cap increased to 50. 2. Brand-new economy system. 3. Brand-new honor system.] [Optimizations: 1. Added several new mutant models. 2. Expanded tradable resources. 3. Fixed a few bugs. ...] After posting the announcement, Chu Guang did not rest. He proceeded to pin a pre-drafted post to the top of the official forum. For a major update that concerned every player's interests, he naturally had to have a proper chat with them in his role as the lead designer. "Developer Log: Alpha 0.3" "Hello everyone! It's your dearest lead designer here. Thanks to our round-the-clock overtime and our dedicated closed beta testers clocking in every single day, development on Wasteland OL has taken another massive leap forward!" "Not to brag, but this Alpha 0.3 update will be the most significant update since the closed beta began!" "Lately, some of you have been complaining that the contribution point settlement process is too cumbersome—having to log off just to check your balance, missing out on the joy of physically counting your money in-game, and constantly worrying that the NPC might shortchange your wages... Actually, that worry is completely unfounded. The Shelter 404 Administrator, who doubles as your novice guide, is coded with absolute lawful alignment and will never underpay you by a single cent. I can vouch for that on my own personal integrity!" "However, while underpayment was never an issue, the overly tedious settlement process for contribution points was indeed a problem. After receiving your feedback, our design team held meetings for three days and three nights straight, finally concluding that we cannot sacrifice gameplay for the sake of realism." "Therefore, we have decided to introduce a brand-new currency system to replace contribution points as the primary quest reward for players!" "This currency is very convenient, coming mainly in denominations of 1 and 10, minted in brass and silver-white finishes. It can be used to purchase food, gear, and other paid services and goods." "Yes, following this update, food will no longer be provided free of charge. Players will need to spend in-game copper or silver coins to buy it. At the same time, players will also receive money as payment from quests... Doesn't that sound fun? The gameplay options just expanded dramatically!" "On the other hand, starting in Alpha 0.3, the shelter will allow its residents to own private property! Any junk or gear players scavenge from the wasteland will belong to them. You can trade with other players, or sell items to the shelter in exchange for rewards." "To support this, we're introducing an additional storage system located in the airlock at the shelter's entrance!" "There's a row of lockers there with customizable passcodes—you've probably already noticed them. They are now officially unlocked for use. Whether it's money or weapons, you can store it all there, with the exception of hazardous materials prohibited inside the shelter!" "What? Are you asking if it's free? Of course it isn't! But don't worry, the rental fee is very cheap and easily affordable for everyone!" "Furthermore, players holding large amounts of contribution points need not despair! Even though contribution points are no longer used as currency, your contributions to the shelter—and indeed to civilization as a whole—have not gone unnoticed by the NPCs." "After careful consideration, our design team has decided to integrate contribution points into a brand-new 'Honor' system!" "This system operates independently of the economic system, mainly governing the 'privileges' players enjoy within the shelter... Simply put, they can be used to redeem statuses and titles!" "All players start by default with the status of Shelter Resident. Spending 2,000 contribution points allows you to upgrade from Resident to Citizen." "In Shelter 404, Residents enjoy only basic human rights; only Citizens are permitted to own private land." "At present, only the 'Citizen' status is available for redemption. The base Citizen status allows you to purchase up to 5 square meters of private land, and as your status rises, this allowance will continue to expand." "More statuses and titles will be rolled out in future updates depending on the testing progress." "Meanwhile, upcoming systems currently in development—such as mercenaries, caravans, guilds, and legions—will also require specific statuses and contribution points." "From Alpha 0.3 onward, daily quest rewards will consist primarily of money. Only actions that benefit the outpost as a whole will earn contribution points. These include, but are not limited to, holding public office, resolving emergencies, and making great inventions or discoveries." "Please be sure to keep all of this in mind!" After the post went live, it did not immediately cause a big stir. That was entirely within Chu Guang's expectations, however. It was three in the afternoon on the wasteland, which meant it was the dead of night back in the real world—an ungodly hour for netizens who hadn't gotten a beta slot, and too early for the players currently in the game. Once they logged off, they would naturally see it. Stretching his arms, Chu Guang was just about to shut down the computer when he noticed a reply had already popped up. [Yaya: What's going on?! An update already?! I-I-I-I missed the entirety of version 0.2?! QAQ] Seeing the reply, Chu Guang was stunned. This girl really meant what she said—she literally refused to sleep without her helmet on. Even so, there was nothing he could do. If possible, Chu Guang wished more than anyone that the players' respawn cooldown could be shorter. Unfortunately, developing an embryo into a fully mature body always took some time. She would just have to hang in there; she should be ready to work by tomorrow. Leaving the unlucky little player be, Chu Guang turned off the computer, stood up, and headed outside the shelter. Ever since he bought that batch of tools from Brown Farm, the players' work efficiency had indeed improved considerably. It had only been two days since the third wave of players entered the game, yet the concrete perimeter wall around the sanatorium was already nearly complete. Not only that, Chu Guang spotted a group of players led by Spare the Life Under the Blade digging foundations in the open space in front of the sanatorium, lining them with yellow mud bricks and plastering them with cement. It looked like they were building a house. Chu Guang walked over, stopped a player carrying bricks, and asked, "What are you doing here?" The player was quite straightforward, grinning as he explained, "We heard the new NPC is a weapons dealer, so we're building a weapon shop for her!" *Holy crap?* Hearing that, Chu Guang was taken aback. *They took the initiative on their own?* While he had indeed dropped hints about the NPC to Fang Chang, he had never once suggested building a weapon shop. Their predictive gameplay was on another level entirely! Keeping his face neutral, Chu Guang looked toward the neighboring foundation and asked, "And what about that other one?" The player chuckled and replied, "Oh, that one should be a bathhouse!" "Didn't we always wash up by the lake before? But we realized doing that all the time isn't very safe. Especially yesterday—Brother Old Bai had barely stepped into the water when a catfish nearly bit off his little worm. So after talking it over, we decided to put together a public bathhouse." *Pfft.* *No, don't laugh.* Chu Guang held it in, keeping his expression stiff as he nodded. "Ahem, keep up the good work." "Paying attention to hygiene is a good thing..." The player grinned. "You got it! I'll get back to work then." "Go on." Evening arrived soon enough. Brother Scrambled Eggs set up an iron pot in the clearing. First, he tossed in a piece of hyena fat to render out the grease, then threw in sliced venison along with wild vegetable leaves scavenged from who-knew-where, stir-frying everything over high heat and seasoning it with salt. Tonight's menu was stir-fried venison with bracken fern, served with lightly boiled green wheat porridge. Thanks to the mutated reindeer the Administrator had hunted down, the players could finally enjoy a better meal. "Where did you find that iron pot?" Seeing Brother Scrambled Eggs handling cookware he had never seen before, Chu Guang grew curious and turned to Old Bai, who was standing closest to him. "Oh, you mean that? Fang Chang and I made it," Old Bai said with a grin at the Administrator's inquiry. "You made it?" Chu Guang gave him a surprised look, then asked, "Your blast furnace... is up and running?" "It's working! The steel it turns out is only mediocre quality, but it's more than good enough to make a few tools." Old Bai smiled proudly, adding, "I was actually looking to report to you earlier, but I couldn't find where you were, haha." To think these players had even mastered backyard steelmaking. Though steel produced this way might leave something to be desired in terms of quality, didn't all technology mature step by step? With iron available... Setting combat effectiveness aside, their productivity was about to take another huge leap forward! Chu Guang felt a wave of emotion, his face filled with genuine admiration. "You did exceptional work. I will report your achievements to the organization." "You and Ample Time Ahead will each be rewarded 1,000 contribution points... in recognition of resolving the outpost's steel needs." Old Bai was overjoyed and hurried to say, "It is my honor to share your burdens, sir!" Chu Guang shook his head. "You are too polite." Every single one of these players was genuinely talented, and they spoke so pleasantly too. Being their Administrator was honestly getting far too easy. He recalled back when he was on Bet Street, Old Charlie at the grocery store had told him that most shelter overseers met unfortunate ends. Shelter residents were far harder to please than wasteland survivors; even when fed and clothed, they would still ignore their grim reality and make unrealistic demands. Few marauders could ever breach a shelter's impregnable walls—weapons that barely scratched the surface weren't worthy of leaving a mark on those massive blast doors. The vast majority of shelters that fell into ruin due to unnatural causes had torn themselves apart from internal strife and division. When he heard those words from Old Charlie's mouth back then, Chu Guang had always felt a touch of sorrow in the man's tone. Almost as if he were speaking from personal experience. When he first took over administrative authority for Shelter 404, Chu Guang had also felt some apprehension, worrying he wouldn't be able to handle the job. That was why he had kept an escape route open on Bet Street, paying Xiaoyu to watch over his place. Now, however, he no longer had such concerns. Such a thing might happen in any other shelter, but it would never happen here. Walking up to the cooking station, Chu Guang held out a bowl to Brother Scrambled Eggs, who had just finished stir-frying a fresh batch, and said, "Dish up a bowl for me too." Scrambled Eggs looked stunned. In his memory, this NPC had never once dined with them. In fact, he had briefly suspected the Administrator was programmed not to need food at all. *Did the AI get an upgrade?* "I'll do it!" Tengteng, who had been waiting beside the stove, eagerly took the bowl, filled it to the brim with thick green wheat porridge, and handed it to the Administrator. "Careful, it's hot!" "Thank you." Chu Guang nodded his thanks, then had Brother Scrambled Eggs ladle a spoonful of stir-fried venison straight over the dense porridge. Turning around, he walked back toward the shelter elevator.