NOVEL FROG Chapter 94: Alpha Version 0.4 Update: Bandits Insurgence
[Mission Accomplished!]
[Congratulations on passing the mission. You have tamed and subdued the child of the Queen Lesser Hiveborne Arachnid and become her mommy.]
[The reward (One Elemental Adept lootbox or ten Initiate Attunement lootboxes) has been issued.]
What mommy? Victor creased his eyebrows but chose not to dwell on the matter since it wasn’t important.
Silka was still staring blankly at Victor as she chewed on her hand. Given that she had just hatched from the egg, she must be really hungry. Luckily, Victor had come prepared. He reached into his interspatial ring and retrieved an assortment of meats, including various dried meats from different creatures. He carefully arranged them around Silka, ensuring she had plenty to satisfy her immediate hunger. Unsurprisingly, upon seeing the assortment pile of meat, she immediately jumped into it and began eating like she hadn’t had a meal for years.
Next, he took out some of the spider eggs taken by the players and placed them neatly around the cave. This little queen spider would definitely need workers to develop her colony. Besides, Victor didn’t need all the eggs anyway.
With this matter done, Victor decided it was time to head back to the academy. In spite of her reluctance to leave Victor’s side, he left her alone in the cave. Of course, he made sure that the entrance to the nest was sealed by a magic formation that allowed only him to pass through. This ensured that Silka remained safe and undisturbed.
Speaking of which, the broken magic formations on the basement floor of the Headmaster’s Building had been partially repaired after his advancement to Elemental Adept Magus. Regrettably, Victor’s knowledge in regard to magic formations was quite limited, despite having taken a relevant course back at the Arcane Radiance College. At the very least, if mana crystal expenses weren’t a concern, the concealment formation could be operated at a level that not even the keenest Magi would know the academy’s location.
***
Official website:
Magus Academy Online Testing Server Alpha Version 0.4 Update Announcement
Major Update:
- New Storyline — “Bandits Insurgence”
Prepare yourself to be immersed in the new and exciting storyline, “Bandits Insurgence.” Set against the backdrop of the academy, the bandits have invaded Thornwood Village, threatening the peace and safety of the place. Players must come together and eradicate these bandits. Let justice be served to those who have been wronged!
- New In-Game Threats and Consequences
With the bandits becoming new threats to the academy, players must be quick to stop them and put an end to their actions. New missions and tasks will be unlocked to help players combat this issue. Failure to effectively neutralize this threat will lead to varied and unpredictable consequences.
- The Return of Titles
Of course, this time around, players will be getting a chance to get a special title available at this event. All players who were able to properly punish the bandits and deliver justice to the villagers will be given a limited title of “Thornwood Village Contributors,” and those who managed to play a significant role will earn a very special title of “Thornwood Village Guardians.”
- Closure of the Pseudo Dungeon “Arachnid Cavern”
Following its successful clearing by the players, the “Arachnid Cavern” dungeon will be temporarily closed. Access will be restricted until further developments or updates are announced. - Complete Long-Distance Communication Feature
We have perfected the communication system within the game; the Shadowlink Marks now support both voice and video calls. Please note that all actions during voice and video calls are monitored to ensure compliance with game rules.
- New In-Game Streaming Feature
Content creators can now do in-game streaming without the need to log out first to post their videos. Please be aware that this feature is exclusively available on our official webpage and is not supported on other streaming platforms.
- Increase in Total Quota for Applicants
The quota for closed-alpha players has been set to 250 or more. - New Spell Model Generator
Responding to player requests, we are thrilled to introduce the “Spell Model Generator 1.0.” This innovative tool enables players to craft their own unique spell models. There are, however, many restrictions about the type and the complexity of the spell models that can be created.
Optimization:
- New Human-like Hostile NPC Models
With the addition of new threats, we’re introducing a range of new human-like enemy NPCs.
- Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements
Our team has been hard at work weaving away any pesky bugs and enhancing the overall performance of the game. Your experience in Magus Academy Online will now be smoother and more enjoyable than ever.
Other Changes:
- Improving the Hall of Fame
Aligned with our new webpage launch, we have revamped the Hall of Fame to better reflect players’ accomplishments. It now includes a ranking system for content creators based on their popularity and viewership on our official website’s streaming platform.
Please note that the server update will occur from 12:00 EST until 18:00 EST, and you won’t be able to log in during that period of time. This is a major update, and we appreciate your patience and feedback as we continue to refine and expand the world of Magus Academy Online. Stay tuned for more exciting updates and announcements in the world of Magus Academy Online!
True to form, Victor wasted no time and posted the revised dev diary in the official website forum. Given the substantial content and significant changes outlined in the latest update, it was important to engage in detailed discussions with the players to fool them — this was so that they would move according to his intention.
“Dev Diary #3: Alpha Version 0.4”
“Hi everyone, guess who’s back here! It is I, your dearest promotional manager!”
“I know it hasn’t been long since our last major game update, yet here I am again, eager to share the exciting news about our upcoming update! Following the delay in our previous update, the team has been hard at work to make up for it; in fact, some of our designers have been consuming endless amounts of caffeine and energy drinks to meet our deadlines. Let’s just hope that when they do their daily checkup, they won’t get diabetes or high blood pressure. But that aside, let’s dive into the heart of what this update entails, shall we?”
“The first thing that I want to discuss and slightly dramatize is naturally the elephant in the room: the new storyline. Bad news! Thornwood Village is in peril! A large horde of wicked bandits has taken over, committing heinous acts that are better left unsaid. But beware, these bandits are far from easy targets; they are shrewd, strong, and more than capable of wiping out any unsuspecting players. What’s more, they’re not just lurking in the village. These bandits will roam throughout Thornwood Forest and uncover its hidden secrets. I wonder what kind of mystery the forest conceals?”
“The complexity of this update goes beyond any of the previous updates. Player decisions will play a huge role this time around and significantly impact the game world. There could be lasting repercussions depending on what actions you take, and it may lead to a variety of possible outcomes. Remember, the fate of the academy and the village is in your hands, players. Choose wisely and strategize carefully — the future depends on it!”
Rather than explaining the whole complicated situation behind the attack on Victor’s former comrades and their army, it was more strategic to fool the players with more basic information. By doing this, it would invoke the players’ emotions, fueling their eagerness to confront and eliminate the so-called “bandits” more than ever. This approach was precisely what Victor needed to galvanize the players into action.
“Enough with the drama, and let’s move on to the next point. But first, I want to congratulate the players who managed to clear the pseudo dungeon with great results — you guys did an amazing job! Congratulations to each of you!”
“Now, onto business: The dungeon is now officially closed and declared a restricted area. Please keep in mind that non-compliance will lead to in-game penalties! This is not me trying to be a stickler, but that’s just how the NPCs in the game would handle it. For those of you who didn’t manage to participate in this opportunity, don’t worry; this isn’t the end of dungeon adventures in the game, as there will be similar opportunities in the future. In fact, there might be another dungeon out there waiting to be discovered. Who knows, right?”
“Next on the list is something that I’m personally excited about. After going through several rounds of extensive testing, we’ve finally perfected the voice and video call feature! You now don’t have to worry about being scammed through chats, nor do you need to worry about not being able to communicate while fighting enemies. But remember that these features must not be used for activities that violate our game rules!”
“Moving on, I have fantastic news for all you content creators out there. Rejoice — you can now stream directly within the game! Plus, with the addition of the new video call feature, it is now possible to watch other people’s streams without logging out. This is absolutely a huge improvement to the game’s quality of life! For both of these incredible works, let’s give a round of applause to our front-end developers. Clap, clap!”
“Last on the major update list is the introduction of a new, free program to help you craft your own spell models! Out of everything on the list, this is the most amazing one! I’m not even kidding, as I am so proud to be a part of this. Your dream of crafting your own signature spells is no longer out of reach. However, please note that the program will demand a lot from your CPU and GPU because of the analysis needed regarding compliance with the internal rules of the game engine. It’s ‘not’ that we want to keep things challenging for players, but nothing worth having comes easy, right?”
To be frank, what Victor mentioned here was all a fabrication. The complexity of making a spell model was not a deliberate choice on his part; if he could make it as simple as possible, he would have done that. Alas, given the constraints, this was the best he could do to help the players realize their dreams — which, to an extent, helped him as well.
“Relating to the in-game streaming feature, the Hall of Fame will be improved in this update. As mentioned above, it’ll now feature a ranking system for content creators based on popularity and viewership on our official streaming platform. We’re committed to continually improving this feature, and in the future, it might even evolve to resemble those seen in novels and comics, where content can be monetized significantly. We value your feedback immensely as it helps us in our quest to create the best gaming experience.”
“And with that, I’ll wrap up the third installment of the dev diary. I look forward to sharing more exciting news in the next update. Happy gaming!”
Victor tapped the enter button to confirm his upload. “Boom! That should do it.”
