Общий файл / Does Force Bind to Responsibility?: Пролог

Beginning

Camrad_RIP 02.06.21 в 19:59

23:12

Camrad_RIP 02.06.21 в 20:00

"Now it's the last hour."

Camrad_RIP 02.06.21 в 20:00

The man in the discreet but elaborately embroidered robe looked sadly at the wrist. The softly glowing square dial was ruthlessly counting down the last minutes and seconds.

Camrad_RIP 02.06.21 в 20:01

It will be interesting to see what happens in the end.

Camrad_RIP 02.06.21 в 20:02

With a stingy move of his hand, he invoked the holographic menu, checking the settings. Timers, priorities, and coordinates of the points from which shots and screenshots would be taken. Progress bars of scripts, timing charts, routes of groups of NPCs.

Camrad_RIP 02.06.21 в 20:04

"With all the trouble I went through, it must have been a fairy tale. But where's the happiness in that, huh?"

Camrad_RIP 02.06.21 в 20:05

The man stomped his foot annoyingly.

Camrad_RIP 02.06.21 в 20:05

The view from the palace balcony on which he stood was breathtaking. The balcony itself, more like an open terrace, overlooked the town square. The city, carefully designed and then painstakingly traced, diverged from it in concentric circles, pierced by streets straight as an arrow. The two- and three-story houses, each with an original architecture, nevertheless maintained the same general style. Walls made of the finest bricks, perfectly right angles, narrow stained-glass windows, and tall, pointed tiled roofs with turrets. In the courtyards were manicured front gardens with lush flowers.

Camrad_RIP 02.06.21 в 20:06

The quarters, at first glance built in a variety of ways, beckoned the eye with a strange harmony, and then they stuck to themselves with their subtle thoughtfulness. Markets, small temples, inns, parks, statues, baths, aqueducts, fountains, stairs, and mosaic sidewalks. The city seemed as real as it was fabulous.

Camrad_RIP 02.06.21 в 20:08

Though, of course, it was all nothing. There was nothing under the textures. The administration of Yggdrassil allowed the project to go ahead, with the condition that they pay for a separate cluster for it. But they charged so much for the renderings that the project was almost abandoned. Then, grudgingly, Talik - the initiator of the idea - decided on half-measures. Externally, everything was just as he wanted. But there was no underside to these decorations. The "floor" defense scheme also required resources and not insignificant ones...

Camrad_RIP 02.06.21 в 20:10

Now, however, the focus of the man in the balcony was not the city itself, but the traffic on its streets. Countless NPCs were busily and coherently decorating the city with garlands and setting up fireworks boxes.

Camrad_RIP 02.06.21 в 20:11

23:39

Camrad_RIP 02.06.21 в 20:12

The streets were lined with rows of gleaming armor and weapons of combat NPCs, who froze and waited for commands. The 'civilian' NPCs were in separate groups.

Camrad_RIP 02.06.21 в 20:15

The man on the balcony glanced at his watch, checking the estimated time and charts from the interface. He had been planning this event for the past two weeks, and he wanted it to work perfectly.

Camrad_RIP 02.06.21 в 20:16

Even if no one else sees it with their own eyes. A pity, of course...

Camrad_RIP 02.06.21 в 20:16

Talik invited former members to honor the guild on its last day. He called, wrote, and persuaded, but no one ever showed up. Makes sense, in general. Only four of the original cast played in Yggdrassil at the time. Two were already in another guild, a friendly guild, but a different one. And Katsuba... It was unlikely that he would have been able to enter Yggdrassil from ICU. Even if he really wanted to.

Camrad_RIP 02.06.21 в 20:18

Well, at least the recordings will remain.

Camrad_RIP 02.06.21 в 20:18

Talik leaned against the railing of the balcony.

Camrad_RIP 02.06.21 в 20:19

23:40

Camrad_RIP 02.06.21 в 20:19

The thin sound of a silver horn sounded over the city, quickly picked up by dozens of others. Seconds later, it was an entire symphony.

Camrad_RIP 02.06.21 в 20:20

The slender ranks of steel-clad NPCs, hoisting their flags above their heads, began to march. Legions of various guild NPCs began to march through the wide streets. The perfect formation, perfect turns of tens and hundreds of units. Everything is on time, everything is right on schedule. Happy 'civilians' sprinkle confetti, throw flowers and release pigeons to greet the troops.

Camrad_RIP 02.06.21 в 20:25

Talik smiled sadly. Perhaps planning this parade was more interesting than watching it. Then he set himself a truly ambitious task. Each NPC participating in the parade had his own route and travel schedule. No NPC had to be at the same point in time and in the same place as another. At the same time, the parade had to be spectacular.

Camrad_RIP 02.06.21 в 20:28

It was a real epic, and Talik even considered giving it up, but for some reason decided to finish the job. And here is the result - the military parade and festive demonstrations are very difficult to distinguish from the real ones. Maybe it was too flawless, but that's not a flaw.

Camrad_RIP 02.06.21 в 20:29

Nevertheless, his soul was gnawed with yearning. He had devoted almost eight years to Yggdrassil. He met a lot of interesting people, took part in amazing, and sometimes unique, adventures. Countless battles, discoveries, marathon farming in the company of similarly passionate enthusiasts. Storming enemy guilds and defending allied ones. Auction ventures - lucrative and ruinous.

Camrad_RIP 02.06.21 в 20:31

In almost all of his friends the fire of this hobby subsided. Many have gone to the real world or other projects more advanced than Yggdrassil. Talik, let's be honest, tried to play other VRMMO games himself, but it just wasn't the same. There was no soul in those games. There was a great balance calculation, there was lore put together by professional writers, there was even 18+ content in premium access. There was everything that Yggdrassil didn't have. But there was no soul. There were no mysteries and fatal accidents, no such powerful drama, no opportunity to create and execute an idea that would turn everything upside down.

Camrad_RIP 02.06.21 в 20:34

It was the ability to implement crazy ideas that were the root of Talik's interest. For example, his tactics of territorial defense or extraction of consumables.

Camrad_RIP 02.06.21 в 20:38

Most farmers tried to grind high-level resources, and it made sense. Stellar metals, superbeast skins, alchemical reagents of divine origin - all of these cost a lot of money and were mined with great difficulty.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 05:25

Talik occupied a different niche. He farmed mid- and low-level resources, cleaning out instances and locations that were significantly behind him in level. It was considered an extremely thankless task because when the level gap was too big, the drop was unrealistically low. When you come to take out a level 100 instance of 30-50 levels, most often you leave with annoyance instead of loot. And this is where Talik found a weak spot in the game logic. He started using NPCs units as a strike force. Of course, a squad of 20-30 NPCs level 40 is not comparable to the striking power of the level 100 player. However, the 'top' will waste mana, health, and expensive consumables, while the NPCs squad is sufficiently supported by weak spells. As a result, the instance, cleaned out by a "top" in 15 minutes, a squad of NPCs cleaned out in half an hour. Where a "top" left without anything, the NPCs squad took out a mountain of cheap loot, disassembled it into universal crystalline units. Which, though inexpensive in their own way, are needed in infinite quantities.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 05:36

Same story with low-level randomly generated quests and events. And, of course, power leveling.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 05:43

The tactic of using a crowd of low-level NPCs under high-level buffs has shown itself perfectly even in PvP. Of course, a weak NPC wouldn't withstand even one hit from a "top" warrior or mage, but he would take the hit, forcing the enemy to lose time and mana. To maneuver, the enemy would actually have to cut through a weak but constantly replenished formation, wasting time and energy. The NPCs themselves, though weak but heavily buffed, did a bit of damage. Even with a 3% chance of knocking down a spell, fifty NPC-shooters were driving mages and healers to hysteria.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 05:49

In the PvP league, this tactic was not allowed, because it was not fair. And inefficient, in addition, one way or another, key DDs were required. The Talik class was not designed to deal heavy damage, and auxiliary DDs above level 50 could not be used in the arena, only summoned ones. And there were class requirements for summoning high-level creatures, which, again, Talik didn't qualify for.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 05:51

In the streets, flash boxes began to fire in chains, launching colorful fireworks into the sky. The scattered, playful flames instantly turned the sky into a field of riotous, colorful flashes. For a brief moment, the enchanting pattern formed pictures of the most memorable events in which Talik had participated. Episodes of the past were inexplicably interspersed, one after the other, like the pages of an album.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 05:59

The last couple of years, after the actual breakup of the guild, it was not so interesting to play. Yes, he was still one of the cluster's most in-demand supporters. There wasn't a moment when he didn't have tempting offers to take part in some adventure. There wasn't a day when he wasn't invited to another guild.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 06:01

But Talik stuck with the Dawn Mist fellows, and after they left, he didn't have the energy to start all over again or to join the already formed company. The romance of new acquaintances was gone, leaving a sweet and bitter memory. He even got caught up in the complicated role-casting, regretting that he'd found this part of the game so late.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 06:04

Talik could not find the strength to leave Yggdrassil, because he was too used to it, but he no longer felt the joy of the game that once attracted him. So the news of the imminent closure of the project he took with ambivalent feelings. Of course, he was sorrowful that it was really coming to an end. On the other hand, it was probably the only opportunity for him to quit Yggdrassil. The game had long been causing him problems in real life, and it wasn't giving him the feelings he was trying so hard to get from it.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 06:15

And now, having withdrawn all the funds he had managed, Talik paid his last respects to this world. A magnificent parade with an artistic salute.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 06:18

23:55

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 06:29

Thousands of voices merged into a single cry that swept through the city.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 11:10

"Glory to the world gone! Farewell, Yggdrassil!"

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 11:11

The small firecrackers and firecrackers rumbled, the fireworks no longer painted a picture in the sky, but glittered with growing chaos, heralding the climax. The NPCs cheered and danced around the square and the streets.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 11:12

Talik turned around, glancing around the hall behind him.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 11:13

Thin columns with white and gold ornaments. Tapestries with allied guild symbols and Dawn Mist Achievements. Yes, they never made the top list, not even in the first thousand, but they had many rare and unique achievements.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 11:14

The mosaic floor, the stained-glass windows, the frescoes on the ceiling. Everything reeked of a genuine, deceptively fragile elegance.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 11:15

"Yes, 4eJl, you really are a professional... I've always been amazed at your talent. Why didn't you even respond, huh? You could have at least... Yeah"

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 11:16

Talik took a deep breath and braced himself. The show must go on.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 11:17

He glanced around at the four figures, frozen, kneeling. Four of the guild's top six NPCs. Draga, Illadria, Warboss, and Wilhelm. Marius and Titan were left out. They still needed insurance in case some assholes decided to attack the Dawning City towards the end. Marius guarded the first 'floor' against such intrusions. Sure, it wouldn't hold up a full-fledged assault, but it would keep any group busy for at least fifteen minutes. And Titan... Talik didn't like him, albeit for a pathetic reason. And it didn't fit into the planned action.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 11:21

"Wilhelm," Talik made an inviting gesture. "It's time for your speech.".

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 11:22

Of course, I didn't have to go that deep into the role. But, damn it, I couldn't afford to unfit into a role in a show I created myself.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 11:25

Wilhelm stood up smoothly and strode to the balcony with his head held high. Like all the NPCs present, Talik created him personally, though he did so based on the ideas of his friends.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 11:26