Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- playground:cdeezpages [2023/12/30 09:48] – clarissadunst
+++ playground:cdeezpages [2024/01/27 07:51] (current) – clarissadunst
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-**cd:** Current project: Writing up how breaches used to function
+**cd:** Current project: Assorted shortform articles for the history section.
 Secondary project: Researching what the Pilot and Season One were like to play. Is any of this interesting to anyone but me? Who knows! But I love reading about the evolution of text-based MMOs. Hopefully this will be less dry and more fun to read than my exegesis was, heh.
@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 ----
-===== A History of Onslaughts =====
+====== Legend of the Green Dragon (LotGD) ======
+> http://www.lotgd.net/home.php
-A [[gameplay:classes:titans|Titan]] looms above [[places:outpost:NewHome]], the outpost walls splintered beneath its feet. Monsters have discovered the power of friendship - small swarms combining into large packs combining into outright armies. [[characters:npc:watcher|The Watcher]] barks commands via loudspeaker as guards fire shots into the trees. And you've just smacked yourself in the face with a rebounding hammer. Things are looking grim. Surely, this must be the end of the outpost, right?
+HERE BE DRAGONS.
-Well, yes! ...But actually no.
+//Legend of the Green Dragon// is Improbable Island's precursor, and a re-imagining of an even older roleplaying game //[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legend_of_the_Red_Dragon|Legend of the Red Dragon]]//.
-The Onslaught Module was a feature of early [[meta:history:seasonii|Season Two]] that brought the war to the doorstep of the contestants. Swarms of monsters were capable of invading Outposts, rendering it inhospitable to players. The actual invasion((Or "breaches" as we sometimes call 'em.)) part of the module is currently disabled, meaning you have absolutely nothing to fear. But several adjacent features have stuck around, providing flavor text for the Island and scaring the shit out of many an uninformed rookie.
+bla bla bla article outline here
-==== So, What Is The Onslaught Module? ====
+  * Same overarching gameplay structure. Guy arrives in town, gets told theres a dragon they need to kill, trains against masters until they hit level 14 and then goes off to slay the dragon. kill the dragon, start over from level one. It has more of a fantasy flair than the island's science fiction, of course. As well as the Pilot's weird turn-based system instead of Stamina. But the beats are all there.
+  * Source of a good number of the island's mechanics and a couple of the NPCs. (e.g. the Forest became the Jungle, the Graveyard became the Failboat, Drive Kills are still referred to as Dragon Kills in the hall of fame, etc.)((Seth the Bard is an exception - he's actually from the original Red Dragon game!))
+  * Legend of the Green Dragon is an old game, originally being written in the original php script. (For comparison's sake: at the time of writing, the island runs on PHP8.)  Originally created by Eric Stevens, but the code is now being maintained by the Dragonprime Development Team. The Dragonprime engine was released under a Creative Commons license, meaning anyone is free to yoink the code and host their own version of the game.
+  * And so that's what CMJ did - after getting rid of all the dragons and rejiggering the hell out of the code.
+  * While there's not much left of the original LotGD code in the game, we wouldn't be here without the hard work of the devs of old. If you enjoy your time on the island, and have some cash to spare, you can find a link to donate to Eric's paypal on the Island's donation page. Just click the coin slot and scroll down a bit.
-On December 30th, 2009, a redder-than-usual Watcher stomped into [[places:outpost:building:commonground|Common Ground]] to [[https://oldwiki.improbableisland.com/doku.php?id=watcher_in_cg|inform contestants that monsters were now roaming in packs]]. One week later, guards began patrolling the outpost walls - but further reinforcements never came. So we got stuck mopping up monster drool.
-Without getting too into the nitty gritty nerdshit technical specifics, the average onslaught went a little something like this:
-  * First, the module looked at the amount of players who had been online over the past week, //and// had obtained at least one Drive Kill.
-  * The more players that were online, the more monsters it would spawn outside each outpost.
-  * If players repeatedly killed monsters in an outpost's jungle, then number go down, and all was well for that outpost.
-  * If not enough players were killing monsters, then number go up. The outpost's threat level started to increase. One by one the locals went //oh fuck lads// and hightailed it to somewhere safer, causing the bank, shops, and other facilities to close down.
-  * If the threat level got high enough, the monsters would begin to attack the outpost's walls themselves.
-  * If the outpost walls were destroyed, nothing immediately happened. The guards were still doing their jobs. But...
-  * If the threat level maxed out while the walls are still down, the guards were overwhelmed and the outpost became //overrun//. Monsters here! Hover leeches there! Lions in your underwear! You wouldn't be able to step foot in the outpost without getting into combat.
-  * And so things remained that way, until enough brave contestants came through to mop the place up.
-Rinse and repeat.
-Onslaughts had their ups and downs. They were certainly flavorful - adding to the chaotic warzone feel of the island and giving a story hook for roleplayers. They were also quite profitable, as the network cameras would dish out more [[items:req|requisition]] and experience points to contestants doing their part. But they were also punishing, and it was common for [[places:outpost:cybercity404|less popular outposts]] to be rendered inaccessible for days at a time.
-The module has since been partially disabled, bringing peace back to the outposts - well, something resembling it, anyway. But the less lethal parts have stuck around. Here's some you might have noticed.
-==== Threat Level ====
-> //"NewHome seems quiet at the moment - by which you mean there are no monsters actively banging on the gates. The people manning the turret-mounted machine guns are chatting jovially with each other and sharing cigarettes. For now at least, NewHome is safe."//
->
-> - Flavor text you've probably read a billion times.
-bla bla bla this text appears to let u know if enough monsters have been killed lately. in very rare circumstances you might hear the watcher chime in to tell you to fight monsters, and you'll get more req per fight if you do. BUT the town's not actually in danger so you can relax.
-==== Walls ====
-they're useless! only there if you want to burn stamina, really.
-==== Titans ====
-oh yeah these dudes are still around. We probably have a titan guide somewhere so I can just link that.
-scratch notes
-  * Improbable Island is a dangerous place but did you know it used to be DANGEROUSER
-  * On Datey mc Date the Month, Year, the Watcher announced monsters were beginning to roam in packs (link that page here, i know it's on the old wiki somewhere)
-  * Outpost threat levels: would increase if nobody Jungled in a certain area, causing fights to become harder but awarding higher requisition payouts.
-  * If the threat level got too high, it would also start to deplete the health of the Outpost walls((I think? I need to fact check this. It's been 10 years since I last saw a breach.))
-  * Titans would also reduce the health of the Outpost walls to zero immediately if they reached their target.
-  * If the Outpost wall's health hit zero and the threat level was high enough, the Outpost was considered //breached// and the Outpost would be overrun by monsters. Most facilities would be unavailable for the duration, including Joe's Dojo and the Medicine Tent, making leveling up impossible for that race. (Exceptions were made for Rookies who had not yet completed a Drive Kill.)
-  * After contestants collectively fought enough monsters in the outpost, the threat level would drop and the Outpost became inhabitable again. And so the cycle repeats.
-  * That's war for you!
-Today, the following relics remain:
-  * Threat Levels: You've probably seen the phrase //"Clearly, there is no threat right now"// in an Outpost's description while wandering around. Like all Outpost text, this description is actually dynamic - that phrase indicates Peaceful Days or Quiet Times status. In very rare circumstances the threat may rise above that, and you may see the locals exchange nervous glances or hear the Watcher give an announcement. You'll get more Req for jungling while this text is active, but there's still no cause for concern. The Outpost is not at risk.
-  * Titans: Titans still spawn, approach Outposts, and destroy their walls just as they had before, and Outpost lookouts will shout warnings. But even if a Titan flattens an Outpost's wall, the Outpost cannot become overrun.
-  * Outpost Walls: You can still hammer nails in to repair outpost walls, but since only Titans can lower their health it's only useful for burning stamina.
-  * The Council Offices were used to check the status of all Outposts. Nowadays they exist to give free shit to Humans and free exhibits to Mr. Stern.
-Edit: oh look there's a page for Threat Levels [[https://oldwiki.improbableisland.com/doku.php?id=threat_levels|on the old wiki]]. That's gonna save me some time.
-----
 ====== A History of the Bingo Hall, As Written By A Scholary Type ======
@@ Line 87: / Line 38: @@
   * [[https://oldwiki.improbableisland.com/doku.php?id=season_two_changelog|Season Two changelog]]. Only I could find this interesting.
   * jesus. things you post on the internet really do stay forever. hello, person reading this.
+  * [[https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/trains-|Trains!]] - Holy shit, the Improbable Trains Compendium pdf listed here has a full analysis of Train functionality. delicious historical preservation
 ===== Before =====