lightdrivenmods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lightdrivenmods) wrote2016-02-12 02:30 pm
lightdrivenmods) wrote2016-02-12 02:30 pm
Frequently Asked Questions
F.A.Q.
> You said AU and OC friendly?
That would be correct; while players are limited to three characters at this time, those characters could be from canon, an alternate take on canon, or even an original character from both. It would be wise to consider however that the musebox could eventually become a game-while OCs and Canonbased OCs would be safe in that case, AU-based OCs might not be so lucky, so be prepared to do some switching around if it comes to it in that case.
> Why bother with AU-Based then?
I did say 'could' after all! This musebox will be a musebox for at least three years; if you bring an AU-based muse in here, they'll be safe for quite some time, don't worry.
> I can work with that-why do you need an app NOW though?
The reason we have an application system is to keep things organized for others; the apps are viewable by all members of the community, which allows people to see for example the history of a character they're interacting with, or what pokemon they are. It serves as a reference, in otherwords-as well as security. Anyone coming in with a muse through the musebox could stick around when it becomes a game (for the most part) thanks to that app.
> Well I know who I'll play now-but what if I want to play someone close to them?
Perhaps close enough to be part of the same account..? While playercesting as some call it, is something most would frown upon, we understand that there are certain muses that just can't be run properly on their own; as such, not only are players allowed to app them in on the same account (Provided they EACH have an app), players can in rare circumstances use this to run up to four if they need-this needs to be run by the moderator first however, and is only properly considered due to cases such as 'Four Swords' and similar, where the player (of the game) is divided into four rather than the muse limit of three.
> You know you couldn't choose your pokemon in the games...
Super Mystery Dungeon and Gates beg to differ While the apps let players choose their own pokemon, anyone looking for the real experience is in for at least part of a treat! While we can't set up any personality quizes or aura-readings, the app allows for a list of 5-10 pokemon that will be run through the RNG for a more randomized choice.
> You couldn't choose your moves either though!
It's hard isn't it.
There is good reason however; Lightdriven is not a combat based box, and in the interest of making things focus on interactions rather than tracking statistics, the only real thing that factors into combat will be typing and prior experience. This includes IC experience as well; was your muse a seasoned battler? Maybe they can use that in tandem with their new form then.
To that end though, players are thus allowed to choose any move that their pokemon naturally would learn-this includes moves from earlier evolutions in the case of second-stage pokemon, as well as bred moves. Tutoring moves, unfortunately, won't be available.
> Alright then-back to pokemon, can I be shiny?
SORT OF. You could absolutely take the shiny colouration and roll with it, but for the sake of making sure any 'five pikachu' outcomes don't end in identical quintuplets, players are allowed a certain amount of customization. This ranges from something as simple as pelt-colour and eye colour, to feathery/furry 'hair styles', all the way to things akin to those breed and hybrid variation memes that still go around now. So long as you haven't mysteriously earned scizor's claws when you shouldn't, you should be fine!
More details on pokemon choices available can be found here.
> So why can't I be Charizard?
Or any other third/final stage pokemon, right? Aside from fitting in with the later game mechanics regarding age and species (there are numerous second-stage pokemon from three stage lines that are considered 'grandfathers', and similarly, many first-stage pokemon from two stage lines considered 'adult'), this is for mechanics reasons.
In Super Mystery Dungeon, there is an item (without spoiling the game) which allows the player to briefly evolve to their final stage; the item that characters arrive with will trigger to a similar effect in certain scenarios, so this leaves it open for that!
> Item?
Mmhmm. As noted in the premise, players arrive not only changed, but with a single item of theirs. Since the item will trigger something spectacular, it's best to make sure this item is something that the character will ICly keep with them at all times; it could be anything from glasses to scarves to a wedding ring, so go nuts!
> So my app is in...what now?
Well, hopefully you'll be accepted in-the only reason it shouldn't, considering the invitation based nature of the box, is if a revision is needed on something like the moveset provided. From there the muse(s) should be placed on the Taken List, and the player can enter the world ICly! Since this is a Musebox, there's no real 'introduction log' to be had, so it's up to the player if they want to play out their arrival or not. You could just jump right in to missions!
> How do those even work? Is there a mission board?
N o p e. A failing of many games based in the PMD series was a strong focus on missions; no one filled the board, no one did missions, and...there it went. Instead, 'missions' refers to the logs posted. Since there won't be much reason to keep count of any cash or supplies coming in, players are free to assume they're on a mission in a dungeon, or simply exploring on their own, which in turn plays into the log's formatting style: players decide what the pokemon are doing, and instead of a prize, as in most of the games, the get CR-as in Super Mystery Dungeon.
> No rewards!?!
Well you can ASSUME you got a reward, naturally. Even some of the missions in SPMD handed rewards out. The point however is that focus should be less on 'what do I win' and more on 'what am I doing'. Explore the great unknown! Make friends!
Be the best Rescuer or Expeditioner you can be!
> Where is this?
As many familiar with the games will have guessed, this icy plain does not exist in any of them. It is a 'sixth' continent created based on the setting of Super Mystery Dungeon, which in fact groups the locations of all prior games into one large world setting. This continent, remaining true to the naming pattern in the game, is known as 'The Continent of Light'-as in firelight.
Further information on the continent and all that lies within it can be found here, however.
> Aside from the players, who lives in this city?
You may have guessed, but it's not deserted! So you certainly aren't alone. There are many NPCs populating the city beneath the ice; and not all of them are off limits. While there will of course be more secluded sorts, played entirely by the moderators of the musebox, numerous NPCs listed as 'handheld' can be picked up by anyone who needs them!
You can find a list of these NPCs here.
> You said that mechanics from all the games would be in play?
In a sense! Systems of levelling don't exist in Lightdriven; combat, as mentioned in the OOC section, is based more on player communication. However, there are still other mechanics that are involved, namely those focused on the items in the games. These items include 'Entercards' (from the game 'Gates to Infinity'), as well as 'Loopets' (from the game 'Super Mystery Dungeon').
A list of such items can be found here for reference; and these items are free to be used in whatever ways players desire!
> The Continent of Light is great, but what about other locations?
For the moment, other locations aren't accessible; while they will be at some time, the limitations as a musebox mean that certain things took priority...so it'll be a bit before the other continents are all set up and ready. It will be worth it when the time comes, however!
> Does that mean there's no Exploration Guild?
Or rescue team base, or...well. Technically no; but, there is an outpost that players can visit on their own time. Players (and their muses) don't actually have to be explorers to explore anything-they can even ICly run errands without bothering with that outpost, and still get by! Pokemon are friendly sorts. For those who want that official badge though, the outpost is there with forms and mailboxes, ready for anyone who wants to be an official 'adventurer'.
> And rankings?
As nice as it would be, none; you get your badge, and that will be all-perhaps one day a system based on the shiny gold and platinum ranks can exist, but focus here is on freedom rather than number counting after all. Of course, that in mind, that also means the badges won't be limited in their use; you can go wherever you want on that map...even if it means making up a location! Mystery dungeons are mysteries for a reason after all, and sometimes that means they haven't been discovered yet.
> So if I'm not an explorer...
Then what is there? A lot of things, in fact! Perhaps your character intends to make their own little business-or maybe they decide to work with the school, or the clinic. Maybe they're one of the nastier sorts, acting as a thief who preys on poor little pokemon in dungeons...it's up to you! That's the fun of the box after all.
More questions? Just leave it below, and we'll get to you asap! If it's a big enough question, it might even be officially added to the FAQ page proper so that people don't have to dig for it.
> You said AU and OC friendly?
That would be correct; while players are limited to three characters at this time, those characters could be from canon, an alternate take on canon, or even an original character from both. It would be wise to consider however that the musebox could eventually become a game-while OCs and Canonbased OCs would be safe in that case, AU-based OCs might not be so lucky, so be prepared to do some switching around if it comes to it in that case.
> Why bother with AU-Based then?
I did say 'could' after all! This musebox will be a musebox for at least three years; if you bring an AU-based muse in here, they'll be safe for quite some time, don't worry.
> I can work with that-why do you need an app NOW though?
The reason we have an application system is to keep things organized for others; the apps are viewable by all members of the community, which allows people to see for example the history of a character they're interacting with, or what pokemon they are. It serves as a reference, in otherwords-as well as security. Anyone coming in with a muse through the musebox could stick around when it becomes a game (for the most part) thanks to that app.
> Well I know who I'll play now-but what if I want to play someone close to them?
Perhaps close enough to be part of the same account..? While playercesting as some call it, is something most would frown upon, we understand that there are certain muses that just can't be run properly on their own; as such, not only are players allowed to app them in on the same account (Provided they EACH have an app), players can in rare circumstances use this to run up to four if they need-this needs to be run by the moderator first however, and is only properly considered due to cases such as 'Four Swords' and similar, where the player (of the game) is divided into four rather than the muse limit of three.
> You know you couldn't choose your pokemon in the games...
> You couldn't choose your moves either though!
It's hard isn't it.
There is good reason however; Lightdriven is not a combat based box, and in the interest of making things focus on interactions rather than tracking statistics, the only real thing that factors into combat will be typing and prior experience. This includes IC experience as well; was your muse a seasoned battler? Maybe they can use that in tandem with their new form then.
To that end though, players are thus allowed to choose any move that their pokemon naturally would learn-this includes moves from earlier evolutions in the case of second-stage pokemon, as well as bred moves. Tutoring moves, unfortunately, won't be available.
> Alright then-back to pokemon, can I be shiny?
SORT OF. You could absolutely take the shiny colouration and roll with it, but for the sake of making sure any 'five pikachu' outcomes don't end in identical quintuplets, players are allowed a certain amount of customization. This ranges from something as simple as pelt-colour and eye colour, to feathery/furry 'hair styles', all the way to things akin to those breed and hybrid variation memes that still go around now. So long as you haven't mysteriously earned scizor's claws when you shouldn't, you should be fine!
More details on pokemon choices available can be found here.
> So why can't I be Charizard?
Or any other third/final stage pokemon, right? Aside from fitting in with the later game mechanics regarding age and species (there are numerous second-stage pokemon from three stage lines that are considered 'grandfathers', and similarly, many first-stage pokemon from two stage lines considered 'adult'), this is for mechanics reasons.
In Super Mystery Dungeon, there is an item (without spoiling the game) which allows the player to briefly evolve to their final stage; the item that characters arrive with will trigger to a similar effect in certain scenarios, so this leaves it open for that!
> Item?
Mmhmm. As noted in the premise, players arrive not only changed, but with a single item of theirs. Since the item will trigger something spectacular, it's best to make sure this item is something that the character will ICly keep with them at all times; it could be anything from glasses to scarves to a wedding ring, so go nuts!
> So my app is in...what now?
Well, hopefully you'll be accepted in-the only reason it shouldn't, considering the invitation based nature of the box, is if a revision is needed on something like the moveset provided. From there the muse(s) should be placed on the Taken List, and the player can enter the world ICly! Since this is a Musebox, there's no real 'introduction log' to be had, so it's up to the player if they want to play out their arrival or not. You could just jump right in to missions!
> How do those even work? Is there a mission board?
N o p e. A failing of many games based in the PMD series was a strong focus on missions; no one filled the board, no one did missions, and...there it went. Instead, 'missions' refers to the logs posted. Since there won't be much reason to keep count of any cash or supplies coming in, players are free to assume they're on a mission in a dungeon, or simply exploring on their own, which in turn plays into the log's formatting style: players decide what the pokemon are doing, and instead of a prize, as in most of the games, the get CR-as in Super Mystery Dungeon.
> No rewards!?!
Well you can ASSUME you got a reward, naturally. Even some of the missions in SPMD handed rewards out. The point however is that focus should be less on 'what do I win' and more on 'what am I doing'. Explore the great unknown! Make friends!
Be the best Rescuer or Expeditioner you can be!
> Where is this?
As many familiar with the games will have guessed, this icy plain does not exist in any of them. It is a 'sixth' continent created based on the setting of Super Mystery Dungeon, which in fact groups the locations of all prior games into one large world setting. This continent, remaining true to the naming pattern in the game, is known as 'The Continent of Light'-as in firelight.
Further information on the continent and all that lies within it can be found here, however.
> Aside from the players, who lives in this city?
You may have guessed, but it's not deserted! So you certainly aren't alone. There are many NPCs populating the city beneath the ice; and not all of them are off limits. While there will of course be more secluded sorts, played entirely by the moderators of the musebox, numerous NPCs listed as 'handheld' can be picked up by anyone who needs them!
You can find a list of these NPCs here.
> You said that mechanics from all the games would be in play?
In a sense! Systems of levelling don't exist in Lightdriven; combat, as mentioned in the OOC section, is based more on player communication. However, there are still other mechanics that are involved, namely those focused on the items in the games. These items include 'Entercards' (from the game 'Gates to Infinity'), as well as 'Loopets' (from the game 'Super Mystery Dungeon').
A list of such items can be found here for reference; and these items are free to be used in whatever ways players desire!
> The Continent of Light is great, but what about other locations?
For the moment, other locations aren't accessible; while they will be at some time, the limitations as a musebox mean that certain things took priority...so it'll be a bit before the other continents are all set up and ready. It will be worth it when the time comes, however!
> Does that mean there's no Exploration Guild?
Or rescue team base, or...well. Technically no; but, there is an outpost that players can visit on their own time. Players (and their muses) don't actually have to be explorers to explore anything-they can even ICly run errands without bothering with that outpost, and still get by! Pokemon are friendly sorts. For those who want that official badge though, the outpost is there with forms and mailboxes, ready for anyone who wants to be an official 'adventurer'.
> And rankings?
As nice as it would be, none; you get your badge, and that will be all-perhaps one day a system based on the shiny gold and platinum ranks can exist, but focus here is on freedom rather than number counting after all. Of course, that in mind, that also means the badges won't be limited in their use; you can go wherever you want on that map...even if it means making up a location! Mystery dungeons are mysteries for a reason after all, and sometimes that means they haven't been discovered yet.
> So if I'm not an explorer...
Then what is there? A lot of things, in fact! Perhaps your character intends to make their own little business-or maybe they decide to work with the school, or the clinic. Maybe they're one of the nastier sorts, acting as a thief who preys on poor little pokemon in dungeons...it's up to you! That's the fun of the box after all.
More questions? Just leave it below, and we'll get to you asap! If it's a big enough question, it might even be officially added to the FAQ page proper so that people don't have to dig for it.