Light came back to the world and I could see my surroundings.
I was inside a small room with the walls, roof, and even the floor made up of some black metallic material. The only items in here are a cheap, half-broken bed, a small wooden chest, and a fountain filled with dark water. Oh, and there's a vault door that must lead to the outside world. Its handle was placed low enough for even me to reach.
That's right. I'M SMALL!!
Correction, I'm a Grey Demon. And that's small. I couldn't reach my original knees if I'm walking on all six, which is how this race is designed to be like.
Ah, now I remembered. This must be that "Player Room" that the website mentioned. I should see what's going on here from the system menu.
"Open Menu" - Garami
And there it popped up! Voice command rocks!
Ehm, there's a tab for my stats, for my equipment (it's empty right now), one for my Player Room, one for friends and messages (less likely to be filled than the equipment tab...), one for various stuff like the map-thing, and one for settings...yup. Nothing looks wrong here.
My stats can be seen whether I have the [Identification] skill or not, but I can't open the system menu in combat, so skills like [Head-Up Display] are necessary if I wanna keep a close eye on my stats while in combat. Anything else except for me is a lost cause for me, therefore the need of [Identification].
Name: | Garami | [...] | |
Race: | Grey Demon | Player | |
Gender: | Female | |
Level: | 1/10 | |
Traits: | 1 | |
Karma Value: | 0 | |
Main Class: | Scout Lv.1 |
|
Skills: | 2 (3 Skills yet to be obtained) | |
Titles: | 0 | |
Aether Points: | 0.0 | |
HP: 8/8 | MP: 11/11 | SP: 10/10 |
STR: 7 | VIT: 8 | MAG: 10 |
RES: 10 | SPD: 12 | DEX: 12 |
INT: 10 | LUC: 12 |
So these are my stats...I'M WEAK!
Well, stats aren't everything. Even if one guy had 100 STR and started a fist-fight with someone with 50 STR but owned some [Fist] skill that makes you better with your fist at a high level but the first guy didn't, then the guy with the skill would be the one with the highest chance to win. Or that's what the website said. I got no proof for that as of yet.
As for my all-important skills...
Skill List: | ||||
Passive Skills: |
|
|||
Perception Skills: |
|
I knew it. I decided on them just before after all. I'm not feeling ridiculed...*sniff*...
What about my Player Room...
Player Room |
||
Owner: | Garami | |
Theme: | Standard Dark | |
Visitors: | 0 | |
Furniture: |
|
Cheap!? Why's all my stuff "cheap"!?
Calm down, me. These are likely the starter items that everyone has. No need to panic. There were even DLC-packs that you can buy to change the appearance of this place. I saw them while surfing their website. And those are worthy of being called "cheap"!!
...let's wait until deciding whether to buy that stuff or not. Especially that R-18 special pack...
Seems like I've checked everything I need to check for now. This body, despite being that of a monster, moves completely according to my own will. No discomfort or anything. As expected of Terra Sol-tech. They didn't build stuff like cybernetic sensory organ replacements for nothing. Allowing blind people to see and deaf ones to hear is likely less difficult than making people get used to the bodies of monsters. How are they even doing that?
Ah, I digressed. This isn't the time to be thinking about nonsense. I gotta figure out where I am.
All I know is that I'm supposed to be in some Grey Demon-friendly environment...hmm? The door...it's...stuck...! HEEELP! MY STR IS TOO LOW TO OPEN THE DOOOOOOR!! WHOOOOOOOOO---!!
---
*Wheeze, wheeze*, that was a horrible first start. But, I managed to get that door open! And the first thing I'm gonna buy for that room...is an automatic door.
I walked out of my Player Room and walked into...a castle? There's even a carpet on the floor...shouldn't this thing be colored red? Or, velvet-colored? Why purple?
The door leading to my Player Room is located in a dead-end of the castle corridor. Or more like the bottom of a T-junction with no places to go. The place is illuminated with torches that have a purple-colored flame. And it's dusty here. Extremely dusty. Enough to make me admire the game developers' sense of details.
Maybe it's supposed to be a ruined castle? There are lots of broken parts of stone here and there, and you don't need to be an entrepreneur to figure out that this junk once used to be part of the walls and roof.
I tried searching through the junk but found no hidden treasures or anything. The only special about this is that it seems to be of a material that resembles concrete more than regular stone.
Feeling bored with messing with the concrete rocks, I decided to move on and walked toward the top of the T-junction. Now, which path should I take? Left? Or riiiiight..., right..., hello, mister spider. I'm not..., I AM NOT TASTY!! HEEEEELP!!
---
"...happy deathday to me..." - Garami
My vision returned to me after the humiliating defeat at the hand of that monster spider. In my defense, anyone would freeze up if a red spider the size of a large-breed dog came charging at you! VR sure is amazing...
Fortunately, there is no death penalty here in NFO. It's not because my level's too low to be assigned one or anything like that. There is no punishment whatsoever. Except maybe having your equipment getting a serious beating from the battle. And that other nasty part...
"That spider grew stronger with that battle, didn't it?" - Garami
Unlike most other games, NFO's monsters will earn experience and level up when they defeat players, NPCs, and other monsters. This is the real "death penalty", so to say. Though, it also means that we players can learn from our deaths without worrying about our powers dwindling. Not that I wanna die that many times anyway.
Knowledge is humanity's greatest weapon. Gotta use it to its fullest. And while we're on the subject, I did manage to snatch some info from that spider before it bulldozed me. I risked it all to Identify that thing. I think the result was something like this:
Race: | Angry Spider | Hostile | |
Level: | 1/10 |
Hmm, not much. Not much at all. At Lv.1, the [Identification] skill only gives us the name of the race, its level, and its disposition.
...wait a sec. Wasn't it so that all creatures of a racial rank shared the same level-cap? And isn't that the same level-cap I have...
A-hahahaha...I lost to someone of the same standing. No, considering it's just a mindless monster and I've got a human's intelligence, didn't I lose to someone that technically is below me on the totem pole!?
Ugh, if I don't find a way to beat this thing, I'm never gonna be able to live with myself...
Since it has "Angry" in its name, is it safe to think of it as a berserker-like character? One that forgets anything and everyone in its anger and just breaks through anything in front of it with raw power? Well, probably not on that level, but it seems to operate underneath those rules.
Which...is pretty bad. It's this early in the game, yet I've already discovered my nemesis! Nightmare Fantasy Online...I shouldn't underestimate this game...
Enough goofing around. The problem here is that I lack any combat abilities.
Even weapons would be fine. When I was walking around, I noticed that the two foremost of my eight legs can work as arms. If I want to, I could limit myself to four legs to walk with and four "arms", but my movement speed would plummet. These strange, four-tipped claws are also better at holding things than one would first expect.
Meaning I could probably hold a sword..., maybe not something that big, but maybe a dagger or a hammer? Even a frying pan would be of help here.
Maybe those concrete rocks would do the job? Not sure how to use them though...
Eh, let's look at some skills. Maybe there's a "rock fighting"-skill in here. Scroll, scroll, scroll...oh?
Skill: | Throwing |
Skill Type: | Passive Skill |
Skill Tier: | 1 |
Element: | --- |
Effect: |
|
This! My best stats are DEX and LUC (as well as SPD) after all! Not that I expect that this alone will be enough, but...maybe I can throw shurikens and stuff like a real ninja if I develop this skill?
Oh boy! Just imagining that makes my tension rise! Though, I would need to evolve to something with a human body first...
Though, even if I take this skill or not, I'm probably gonna need something else as well. That spider doesn't look like it would crack with just a few rocks thrown at it. Many rocks, maybe. But it's too fast for me to bombard it enough to kill it before it reaches me.
Isn't there something else here...oh? Oooohh!? This skill-! If I have this one as well, I could..., probably beat that thing? I can't see any other skills that could work...with this lame body! Ugh, I wanna evoooolveeee. And isn't it way too few skills on this list? Or do I need to do something else to unlock more skills?
Whatever the case, these two skills are the only ones that could give me an advantage against the spider...probably. I first gotta check if I can use those rocks outside..., outside......, round two, door! COME ON!!
---
*Wheeze, wheeze*, I HAVE to replace that door ASAP.
Ignoring my epic battle with what's likely the last boss of this place, my research has born fruits. These rocks are possible to use.
Name: | Chunk of Concrock | ||
[Material - Rock] | Rarity: Co | Quality: E- | Durability: 32/100 |
Croncrock, huh... pretty spot-on. Are the walls also made of it? Maybe if I find some dynamite, I could blast the walls to proceed?
Name: | Dungeon Wall | ||
[Construct - Dungeon] | Rarity: Le | Quality: D+ | Durability: ∞/∞ |
DUNGEON!? This place is a bonafide Dungeon!? It's not a castle? Tch. Here I was half-hoping that some pretty princess (hopefully with a hot bod) with a nightmare fetish would adopt me...
Welp, just means I can take stuff without feeling guilty then.
Wonder what Mr. last boss is considered in the game system's eyes?
Name: | Barrier Door (Player Room) | ||
[Construct - Player Room] | Rarity: Go | Quality: S+ | Durability: ∞/∞ |
.........YOU WERE THE LAST BOSS FOR REAL!!?
Can't defeat this guy..., I mean, I'll let you off the hook for today!!
Okay, focus. Let's rather target the jerk which I can defeat instead of Mr. Impossible over there. The rocks should be fine as throwing weapons, so let's take [Throwing] and the other skill...there.
After testing the new skills a little, gathered some rocks in both of my frontmost limbs and sneaked a peak on the right path of the top of the T-junction. The Angry Spider is still there.
I believed that it would come and look for me when I started to make some noise with all those rocks, but guess it's stationed there as part of some game rule.
Hmm, it's a little too far for me to hit with my low STR. How to get him closer...let's see his info again.
Race: | Angry Spider | Hostile | |
Level: | 2/10 |
Lv.2!? That bastard, he did level-up from assaulting me! Police! We got a molester AND a thief here!
Ah? Did the spider look over here? No, he's coming over here with murder in its eight eyes!! Why!?
Don't tell me...people will notice you if you try to Identify them!? Crap, that's a big weak point. Glad I noticed it now.
I aimed at the spider with the Croncrock chunks in my "hands". And fire! How about one more!
The two rocks flew in a straight line and hit the spider's face with a notable "thud". The spider stopped for a moment before starting its chase with enhanced vigor. Rocks, rocks-! And throw!
*Thud!* *Thud!*
It's still not dead!? More rocks, I need more-, too late! The Angry Spider jumped at me, ready to beat me to death for the second time today!
Hehehe. Did you think I wouldn't anticipate this? Watch this! The effect of my second skill, [Evasion]!
Skill: | Evasion |
Skill Type: | Passive Skill |
Skill Tier: | 1 |
Element: | --- |
Effect: |
|
With smooth movements my real self would never be able to replicate, I back-stepped away from the spider before it could reach me. While doing so, one of my free hands grabbed a new rock and threw it at the angry critter.
After getting another rock to the head, the Angry Spider started to live up to its name and chase me in a blind rage. I used [Evasion]'s movement assistance to escape damage while picking up more rocks to throw at the jerk's face.
Backstep, sidestep, and I even ran under it while it was in the air. And after the twelfth-or-so rock, the spider fell onto its back. Did it die...?
SYSTEM MESSAGE: Your level has increased by 1. You have reached Lv.2. You have obtained 0.2 Aether Points. You have acquired the title: [First Kill: Arachnid]. The title: [First Kill: Arachnid] has been set as your equipped title. |
Yahoo! I won, I won! I got to avenge my first loss!!
I jumped around in pure happiness before noticing something strange happening with the spider's corpse. It started to disintegrate into some black smoke, leaving nothing behind..., no drops? Boo~.
Well, whatever~. I won~! I won~! Yippie~!
Fortunately, there is no death penalty here in NFO. It's not because my level's too low to be assigned one or anything like that. There is no punishment whatsoever.
Unlike most other games, NFO's monsters will earn experience and level up when they defeat players, NPCs, and other monsters. This is the real "death penalty", so to say.
So... exploitable... Just let them kill you several times before killing them. I can already see the threads discussing which monster race is the weakest even at higher levels. Good thing Greydra-sensei is not designing a real game.
Higher monster levels don't equal more EXP or drop-rates. Only the original values from when the monster spawned count. But it's a good point you brought up. Gonna remember talking about that in the story.
@Greydra Wouldn't that still lead to trolls that lvl monsters on purpose just to mess with people? Like someone lvling the mobs in the starting area to a lvl beginners can't beat them. Or random mobs in the hopes that someone gets caught of guard by the lvl difference. or just to make others work more for the same xp. Or someone lvling an annoying boss people need to kill for something important.
@Al93we It probably will.
@Greydra Garami will skin these people alive... or perhaps be the first one to do it.
@Al93we and all that effort wasted when someone calls a friend over to bulldoze it.
@YuriDoggo Possible. Also possible that said troll(s) is(are) waiting for such a friend to appear and assassinate him causing further annoyance.
@Al93we you can go down countless possibilities. But it's ultimately a minor problem at best
@YuriDoggo Probably, unless a bigger group decides to do it systematically. (or maybe a top class assasin is involved). It's not really a good idea to give players the ability to break game balance like this.
Also if one manages to over lvl a key boss to an extent it becomes practically unbeatable even by top players, I doubt that would still be considered minor. It would disturb anyone that needs to beat said boss.
Unless there is a hard limit that keeps that contained in a reasonable range (which may or may not be the case) that system can bring quite a lot of trouble.
It can also be really annoying without trolls. For instance if a raid barely fails at a boss, if they try again that'd definitely fail as the boss is now stronger. Or one not being able to beat a boss due to noobs that kept dying to it.
@Al93we All monsters have an upper limit on strength. If raid bosses are instanced or hidden, the part about enemies sabotaging won't happen.
Besides, if its not instanced, a saboteur will do a lot more damage with less investment simply by causing havoc during a raid or something.
About failing a raid boss, all I can say is have better risk management and have a better failure buffer. Come back later when you're stronger. Learn to play the game and not expect the game to handhold you and for all the content to be clearable if you're bad.
As for open world bosses, again, call for reinforcement. Social interactions is important in an MMO (otherwise why play an MMO) so make some friends and get some help.
A non-issue, really. Nice mechanic.
@YuriDoggo I don't think there was mention of a limit for the monsters. The only limit shown was the standard limit of a grade. Whether the monsters just get stuck there, automatically evolve or need to 'pay' for it like the players is unclear. Even if that was the limit that would still result in quite the big limit for high grade NPCs.
A raid boss suddenly being higher lvl than expected would be highly annoying, less you're using a matchmacking system. Self made groups usually have a scedule, which would be f*cked if they can't beat the stronger boss.
Also there is a limit on how many people effectively can fight a boss (especially in closed enviorments), also with a too high lvl difference being more skilled will be less effective.
Having to do extra work because a NPC , for whatever reason, lvld up would probably annoy most people.
@Greydra A bit late but Apply a level gap penalty. After you reach a certain level you’d stop gaining xp from monsters and vise versa even if the one that kills is higher level. If you combine that with a 1 character per player matched with the brainwave scans so rich assholes can’t just buy multiple consoles or regular people just making a bunch of accounts than it’ll be a lot harder to abuse that because it would make it so that you’d have to avoid leveling at all. Though I guess that wouldn’t stop high level players from paying low level ones to suicide to monsters but that would definitely lower the amount of people doing it. A bit late to add it as a game mechanic that was originally there but you might be able to justify it saying the game is still in its early stages so they patched it in.
@AliceHiess That's already added. You'll get less EXP when killing creatures with lower rank and "total combat ability", but even then, the EXP is calculated from only the ORIGINAL values of the killed creature. Making them stronger before killing them won't add an iota of EXP. It just makes it more difficult to kill.
@Greydra I figured as much I was more concerned about avoiding trolling like the reader above mentioned