Dev Diary #9: Beta Version 0.4

  “What’s up, players! Your ever-charming promotional manager is back to give you the full scoop on the latest update for Magus Academy Online! After a long (and totally necessary) working vacation to the Maldives with the design team — who were absolutely not jealous of the programmers’ earlier break — I’m proud to present what is arguably the biggest content drop we’ve ever pulled off!”

  “Luckily for us, with the designers finally refreshed and the programmers lovingly chained to their desks — working tirelessly to cover both this update and their rapidly approaching wedding bills — we’re actually ahead of schedule. Let’s give a big round of applause and appreciation to our hardworking dev team!”

  “Anyway, enough preamble. Let’s jump straight into the meat of Beta Version 0.4!”

  “First of all, we’ve got a brand-new storyline that I know you players have been waiting for. Ever since the last update invasion, there hasn’t been a single storyline expansion… until now! The ‘Merlin Family Invasion’ is finally here — a storyline unlocked after the academy progressed far enough, and thanks to the tireless efforts of all you players, it’s officially on the horizon.”

  “A little backstory: The Merlin Magus family is a powerful faction from across the kingdom, and they’ve been hunting down another Magus family — the Asteriscus. The latter has now sought refuge within the Sanctum of Interdimensional Magi and offered to serve as professors and become the backbone of the academy. The headmaster accepted their proposal, knowing full well that refusing them would’ve just meant the Merlins showing up anyway and wiping out everything you’ve worked so hard to build.”

  “Aside from this, the Merlin family is also the one responsible for the destruction of Lillie’s family… They unlawfully seized control of Brightmoon City and overthrew its rightful rulers, exterminating the entire Brightmoon House—everyone except Lillie. Truly, they’re a nest of rotten vipers.”

  “So! Rise up, dear players! A storm is coming, and this time, you’ll have to put aside your differences and stand united under one banner once more. This is your time to shine — a massive event where guilds will have countless chances to earn merit, prove their strength, and carve their names into the annals of the Sanctum’s history!”

  This little backstory was something Victor had crafted during the journey back to the academy. With this narrative, the players wouldn’t question the sudden storyline and would naturally band together to repel the invaders, especially after learning Lillie’s full sob story. It was a clever little trick.

  “Next up, we have the return of titles — something many newer players have been eagerly waiting for. As promised, special limited-time items will be available exclusively for title holders in this update, including some that can’t even be bought with standard currencies. So, stay tuned and check out the in-game store once the update is live!”

  “With the addition of a new Magus force joining the Sanctum, expect to see many new professors and assistant professors in the academy halls. All of these professors are official Magi, so players, be respectful and conduct yourselves accordingly in their presence. Otherwise, you will be punished according to the Sanctum’s rules and guidelines.”

  Luckily, there was already a precedent for this — Roland, an official Magus, had been a professor in the academy for quite some time. Many players were already used to adjusting their behavior when dealing with him. Considering a good portion of the player base were avid LARPers and loved immersive roleplaying, it wasn’t a stretch for them to adapt to this kind of social nuance.

  “Winter has become harsher. I will be brief on this one since players should have known of this already. Temperatures have plunged, and everything’s covered in snow and frost, which looks amazing by the way. But don’t let that beautiful scenery fool you, as the cold can and will kill you. Make sure to prepare accordingly. On the flip side, this winter wonderland is an opportunity. Use the terrain and weather creatively during the invasion events; I’m sure you will not disappoint us, the devs.”

  “Now, the next topic of discussion is something that the programmers have been hyping about — the Virtual Combat Chamber. This incredible new building that’s just landed in the Sanctum includes twenty-five personal simulation chambers. As the name suggests, players can simulate all sorts of battle scenarios in these chambers. Want to test a new spell combo? Train against past enemies? Practice PvP duels without getting KO’d in public? This is the place!”

  “Of course, using this wonderful facility isn’t free. Each chamber costs 200 merit points per hour, but you can split that cost with friends if you share the room. The combat simulation AI here is absurdly advanced — it can replicate real battle data down to the attack patterns, behavior, and timing. I must say, the technology behind this is the most cutting-edge we’ve ever implemented.”

  It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the Virtual Combat Chamber would become one of the most hyped-up System buildings among players. With its versatility, it offered nearly unlimited training potential. Victor could already imagine some enthusiastic players suggesting expansions into… other “research” uses, but that was a matter for another time.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  “Moving on! Let’s talk about another major upgrade — the Nexus Tower has been upgraded to level 3! If you’ve walked by recently, you’ve probably noticed the change. The tower now rose three stories high, and it even includes a brand-new facility hidden away in the basement. Furthermore, the tower now houses one hundred incubation pods — a jaw-dropping increase of seventy-five pods! That means more players will soon join the ranks of the academy. So, brace yourselves and get ready to welcome new faces and team up to face what lies ahead.”

  “Now, back to that new basement facility I mentioned earlier; it’s called the ‘Homunculus Grafter.’ Previously, magical beast carcasses that were devoid of anything useful were just thrown into the essence converter and used as materials to incubate players’ bodies. But now, you can fuse magical beast materials to create homunculi and chimeras. These artificial life forms can range in power from weaker than mortals to beings on par with official Magi!”

  “However, players have to be aware that the number of grafting pods is limited. Because of this, a 1,000 merit point fee will be imposed for each attempt. So, choose your ingredients and your creations wisely.”

  Basically, all veteran players could gather this many merit points in a matter of days — or even less. But Victor wanted players to start ramping up the production of chimeras to rapidly boost the academy’s overall power. Of course, he also understood that these artificial life forms would need to be regulated and managed. They couldn’t just be left wandering around freely. That meant implementing rules about where they could be placed — most likely outside the inner academy walls — as they would definitely take up space.

  “Anyway! Along with the upgraded Nexus Tower, the in-game time flow will also accelerate. That’s right, no longer will the ratio be 2:1; it’s now 4:1! Players can now literally live four times longer inside the game world compared to real-world time! Aren’t you excited to hear this? Of course you are! Even I’m excited to see that such a feature has finally arrived.”

  Victor knew exactly how impactful this was. The ability to spend more time in the game would be more than just the progression skyrocketing, but the ability to live longer itself would make anyone, even those who didn’t like games, go crazy.

  “What’s more, the daily quota will also increase to 400 players per day! This means more fresh faces entering the Sanctum every single real-world day, and with more players, the momentum for community events, war efforts, and development projects will grow even faster!”

  “Naturally, I must inform you that the 4:1 time dilation will remain the upper limit for the foreseeable future. This function is already pushing the limits of our computing capacity. Further acceleration is unlikely until we understand more about how players can adapt to such extreme time flow differences and what consequences that might have on both gameplay and the community.”

  Victor recalled that higher time dilation could be unlocked at advanced academy grades. While that might seem like an incredible leap forward on paper, there were very real risks involved. For example, an increased time ratio meant players with jobs or responsibilities back on Earth would be logged out for even longer stretches of in-game time. A single day of absence could translate to days or even weeks in Seraphia — enough time to miss major wars, events, or developments.

  Considering these implications, Victor decided it would be wiser to maintain the current 4:1 time dilation as the standard for now — at least until a viable solution was in place to help players bridge the gap between their lives on Earth and the demands of the game world.

  “Regardless, I’m proud to say that with this, the open beta phase is just around the corner. It’s not an exaggeration to say that it could happen within the next two version updates.”

  “Last but not least, there will be another grand project introduced in this version. Much like the ‘Twelve Magus Towers,’ the headmaster has now issued a new large-scale mission called “Star Fortress” for you acolytes: the construction of a massive outer wall for the academy, one designed in the style of a star fortress. This will be a monumental undertaking that spans more than one version update. Be sure to check the mission list for full details once you’re back in the game, players.”

  “I think that just about wraps things up for the ninth installment of the dev diary. While this may not be the longest dev diary we’ve ever published, it’s without a doubt the one packed with the most content to date. Hopefully, everything covered here gives you — the players — a surge of excitement and plenty to look forward to. Until next time… happy gaming!”

  Victor stretched his body in his chair as he finished reviewing everything. Once he double-checked the dev diary and confirmed there were no errors, he tapped “Enter” and uploaded the entire thing to the official website forum.

  Although this particular dev diary was a tad shorter compared to the longest one before this one, the sheer volume of content and changes in the game would undoubtedly send the player base into a frenzy. He knew all too well that without a proper explanation, the players might misuse the new facilities or — worse — act inappropriately around the Asteriscus Magi. That was why he had made sure to write it all out clearly.

  True enough, only a few seconds after the update and dev diary were posted, the official forum exploded with waves of replies, speculation, and questions. But Victor didn’t bother to read any of them, as his mind was set elsewhere.

  “All right. It’s time to set the next step of the plan into motion,” Victor murmured, a smile creeping across his lips. What he meant was meeting Valeria and having her officially join the academy. With the protection of a being that stood beyond the Sigil Conversion rank, the Sanctum would become truly unmatched in the kingdom.

  The probation period of observing her intentions had passed, as she had shown no signs of hostility, nor had she gone back on any of her promises during his absence from the academy.

  “Master,” Lizbeth chimed in from the side, “by the way, Thunder has sent a report. He said he’s made significant progress in his undercover mission… and he wants to meet you personally once he confirms that what he found is real.”

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