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In Progress Let's stir the Creature Soup in Vangers - One for the Road

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Ladies and gentlemen! And occasional attack helicopters!

Today I want to showcase a very special game on the Codex. I see it mentioned here from time to time, usually in a favorable context, but I am sad to see that no one has LP'ed it yet. I know the game is as niche as it gets, and is more than 17 years old, but... but... it is a very unique experience, and I can't think of any other place but the Codex that could sit through its utterly alien presentation and deliberate imcomprehensibleness to appreciate its hidden depth and one-of-a-kind storytelling.

The game has been re-released on Steam and GOG in 2014, but, quite expectedly, after a warm reception by a bunch of fans whose minds are forever destined to wander the Lost Chain of Worlds, the game didn't find much understanding among the modern players. It was a valiant effort by one enthusiastic guy to port it to modern systems (and make it work on Linux) without I think even having access to the source code, but in the end, as it often happens, the 5 years long labour didn't pay the bills, so as of now all development has been stopped. :(

There is still a discrepancy between Steam and GOG versions - I think GOG got the latest build where the game has an option to keep all landscape chaanges. If you collapse a bridge or dig a tunnel, they are going to stay collapsed or dug. This feature has some game-breaking potential, and the developer of the remake warned against using it, but that's what was in the original, so that's how people wanted to play it. Some features from the original are still missing in the remake, sadly - the most notable are multiplayers support and some of the Counselor animations.

It is about $5 on GOG. Currently on sale with a -70% discount, too.
But enough about that. What IS Vangers?



Well, to hear the tropes Wiki tell it, it is a Russian Wide Open Sandbox game created by K-D Lab in 1998. It can be described as a top-down racing role-playing adventure game with a... complicated storyline. It was praised for its unique atmosphere, freedom and innovative engine.

Let's listen to the developers instead:
Vangers: much like life, it is what you make of it. Your fate is forever intertwined with the mysterious Lost Chain of Worlds. To rise from the ranks of the lowliest vangers and become Master of the Chain, you must unlock the secrets of each of the worlds. Your ultimate objective? To complete The Chain and open the passage to the mythic place known only as Home. But there are as many ways to accomplish this goal as there are newborn vangers like yourself.

Vangering is much more than just driving around and shooting everything that moves. There are worlds to explore and puzzles to be solved. Some puzzles are necessary, others are not. Only one thing is certain: you will generally need to use your head more than your macHOTine gun if you expect to succeed.

The game is set more than a thousand years in the future, in a place like nothing you've known before, where the universe is governed by a set of laws that every vanger must learn if he or she wants to survive.

So what exactly is a vanger, you ask? A vanger is an explorer, trader, and warrior like yourself. For you, life begins in Podish, an escave on the world called Fostral, where you must talk to Counselor Leepky to receive information with which to begin your journey. He (if an eLeepod can actually be called "he") will fill you in on the details...
Here's a trailer from 2014, much less detailed than its 2013 counterpart, but also more concise.



And here is a retrospective from RPS. Yeah, I know, not the most reputable site in these parts. :)

I want to make it into an interactive LP. I haven't figured out all the details on how to do it yet, but that's par the course, considering the nature of the beast. I'll be recording videos on my PC, and then take screenshots from there. A fast-paced racing game does not exactly lend itself to taking screenshots during the process - it is surprisingly easy to die in Vangers, and we might be doing this a lot.

I would love to hear some feedback about what you think of the game so far.

Update Index:

Part 0. Welcome to Fostral. - where we acquaint ourselves with the new world
Part 1. The great journey to the Incubator. - where we visit the surface for the first time
Part 2. Killing ain't easy. - where we drive around without much purpose
Part 3. The vicious (and indecent) cycle. - where we learn more about the Eleepods
Part 4. The Holy Race. - where we win our first Eleerection
Part 5. For the Swarm! - where we do some tabutasks
Part 6. To beeb or not to beeb? - where we acquire our first mechos
Part 7. Mission Impossible. - where we earn a key to Glorx
Part 8/I. A voyage to Glorx. Preparations. - where we prepare for the expedition to another world
Part 8/II. A voyage to Glorx. Bon voyage. - where we travel there and back again
Part 9. Goodbye, Fostral. - where we bring Leepky some (alien) cirt and bid our farewells

Part Unidentified. A Winner Is You. - where we play a game with the good Beeboorats. And win. And die.

Part 10. The old garderner. - where we meet our first Beeboorat who doesn't try to kill us
Part 11. A cog in the machine. - where the Buro accepts us under its wing
Part Uncertain. The one who questioned the Manual... - where we develop a rebel streak
Part 13. The loophole. - where we find a way out of our predicament
Part 14. Climbing up the career ladder. - where we get a promotion
Part 15. The show must go on! - where we win a PeepShow
Part 16. The Agency. - where we receive keys to Khox and Necross

Part 17. A mad new world. - where Boorawchick learns the toxick recipe
Part 18/I. A Saint and his money are soon parted. - where we meet our waifu
Part 18/II. The Buro may forgive, but it never forgets. - where we undergo a slave therapy
Part 18/III. Some people juggle mechoses. - where we steal a decent mechos and get back on track
Part 19. The winning move is not to play. - where we accidentally get a key to Xplo
Part 20. Xplore, Xploit, Xplode. - where we greatly amuse the Buro and get a lot of spare parts in the process
Part 21. Progress is stagnation. - where we assemle Last Moggy and catch our first Larva
Part 22. Flight makes right. - where we obtain Boot Sector

Extras:
Weapons in Vangers
Boorawchick's dialogues
Geer'ah's dialogues
Oboorez' dialogues

Basic concepts and glossary (added after the 8th update - there might be spoilers inside):

Mechos
Without a mechos a Vanger can only sit in an escave and listen to Leepky's mumbling. On mechoses Vangers ride and carry stuff.

Fostral
As you get out of Podish, Fostral is all around. These vastitudes are green from mould, with bad roads. On the roadsides stinkhorns grow, beebs creep in the ditches and raffas are all around. You'll see a lot before you get out of this dump, into another.

Eleepods
Eleepods inhabit Fostral. They live in their underground burrows and fear to go out. So they send Vangers. Those fat carcasses scold you and teach you life all the time.

Leepky
A very fat Eleepod. Very bombastic and blown up. The first memory in my life is his annoyed mug. Talks plentifully and enigmatically, guess that's why he calls himself "The Counselor of Podish".

Podish
That's how Eleepods call their main burrow. It's deep under the ground. A very wet and slippery place. Podish is easy to find - just ride down all the time and you're there. Leepky rules in Podish, the fat Eleepod.

Escave
An underground place where hucksters sit. They never get out to the surface and rot in their burrows. A Vanger doesn't have much to do down there. The hucksters sell mechos and some stuff. Several hatches on the ground lead into these burrows. There are two escaves on Fostral: Podish and Incubator.

Pod
Leepky tries to scare me with it all the time. An Eleepod can't creep on his own, he needs the pod. In the pod they'll lick and tickle him, smear him with mucus and do other stuff. I wouldn't like living in a pod. To think that I would have to share beebs with another Vanger!

Bunch
Apart from Leepky, there are other Eleepods in Podish. I've never seen them, however. All in all, they're called a bunch: all the creatures that live in an escave. Leepky said, I'm not from their bunch. Sure, I ain't never gonna rot in their stinking escave.

The Chain
I've got a huge metallic chain in my mechos. And Leepky told me something about The Chain of Worlds. They're not the same. There are some other worlds besides Fostral that I gotta drop by. They're Glorx, Necross, Xplo and some abandoned worlds. All together they're called The Chain of Worlds.

Larva
Larva is Eleepods' idol. Leepky asks to bring it. But what it is and where to catch it - he can't tell, just thrills and swells. Also, Larva gives the cirt, and Eleepods need it too. But anyway, it's all very obscure.

Beeboorats
Beeboorats live on Glorx. Eleepods fear them terribly. They scold Beeboorats even more than me. I can tell they're good. They won't teach me all the time. Wanna go to the good Beeboorats!

Glorx
If you ever manage to get out of Fostral, you'll get right to Glorx. Beeboorats live there. Eleepods say, there's a lot of water on that world. Water sucks. But for the Beeboorats' sake I'm ready for anything. Just not to see Leepky and his pod. Also, a thief escaped to Glorx that I chased through half the world. But I'll get 'im sometime anyway.

Raffa
They're such feeble mechos. Guess they're for those dumb Vangers who can't even remember the way from Podish to Incubator. But they know the way to my hideouts well. I kicked the scoundrels off my place a couple times. They're agile freaks, but even a stinker can kill them.

Kuzowocks
I've brought a lot of stuff to Leepky, but never came across a kuzowock. The fatty sees them in his dreams. I've asked him many times about kuzowocks and every time he fears that I steal his. Never tells me what they are.

Incubator
Incubator is Eleepods' second escave. If you ride from Podish up all the time, you'll get right there. Vangers ship nymbos to Incubator. This place is very wet and hot. Guess that's why they don't sell mechos there - they would rot out alive in that hole.

Bios
Sticky Eleepods, good Beeboorats and odd Zeexen are all bios. Each bios lives on their own world. That's because they can't stand each other.

Nymbos
In Podish you can take as much of it as you want. They're such yellow glossy clots. You have to ship them into Incubator, but quick. Fresher nymbos costs more. Leepky says, Beeboorats like eating it; he always fears that I steal some and sell it to them.

Cirt
Once I came across a box on the road. Brought it to Leepky. He swelled from joy and said it was cirt. The cirt that the mysterious Larva leaves. I didn't catch the Larva then, didn't even spot it leaving the cirt. Later Feenger said that Vangers pick up the cirt themselves.

Vangers
I'm a Vanger. Well, other ramblers like me and raffas are Vangers too. Only Vangers can ride on the worlds on mechoses. It's only due to Vangers that all those underground carcasses live: you bring them nymbos, you get them cirt.

Feenger
Feenger is an Eleepod that sits in Incubator. He's not as fat as Leepky, but looks the same. Maybe while I'm going through Fostral, Leepky quickly crawls under the ground and meets me in Incubator? And loses weight on the way? But why would he need that? And how does he plump out again? Unclear... They also tell tales about some pod, like Feenger is Leepky, but another one...

eLeech
When Eleerection comes, Feenger gives an eLeech to every Vanger who wishes. It's a little twisted worm. You have to drive him straight to Podish, without turning off the road. Else the eLeech dies, and you'll be in a bad plight. Better don't look at Leepky when he gets angry at the sight of a dead eLeech. As I got it, eLeech is a juvenile Eleepod that just reincarnated from a pod-eater who had plumped out to death.

Phlegma
I've had enough trouble with this mucus from Incubator. Too sticky and gooey. You should bring it to Podish where you can sell it. The local Eleepods swim in it and smear each other with it, the stupid dolts. Guess if I smeared my mechos with this stuff, it would rust out at once.

Passage
They're those glowing stars on Fostral. I've spotted three of them. Been thinking long of getting into one. But it just tosses me up all the time. Other Vangers can get into them. They turn into a cloud of specks and the circle draws them in. And you can't get 'em anymore. Through a Passage you can get into another world. Leepky says, a key is needed for the travel...

Zeexen
Zeexen live on Necross. Feenger says they like fairytales. If I ever get to them, I'll sure ask them why Leepky and Feenger are so much alike, where the beebs hide, what's beyond the mountains near to Incubator, and where to find Leepky's kuzowocks. I'll ask them everything!

Eleerection
Eleerection is when many Vangers with eLeeches in their bays race at full speed from Incubator to Podish. You better keep off the road else they're gonna tread you into the ground. They hurry because Leepky forks out a heap of beebs to the winner. I won an Eleerection once. Another win and I'll get the key to Glorx.

The Clash
They say nothing of it, just send me to Zeexen. I guess it's after The Clash when Eleepods got hidden in their burrows and never emerged since then. There musta been something horrible.

Softie
It seems Softie made all those Passages. I wouldn't believe that the lazy Eleepods made them. And they don't know nothing about Softies. I've been through the length and breadth of Fostral, but never saw them. But I saw an abandoned Passage, nobody ever gets out of it. Maybe they're hiding behind that Passage?

Cryspo
Cryspo are odd beasts that crept on Fostral long ago, when Eleepods didn't even exist. Zeexen can tell about this, but where do I get them now? Sometime I'll catch a zeex and grind her down with questions.

Beebs
Beebs are little bugs. They creep on Fostral in huddles. I love treading them down, but they often dodge nimbly. They can even get on the mechos and bite something off. You can exchange their skins for some goods in the shop. I wonder, how do Eleepods get beebs themselves? Guess they smear phlegma around escave and beebs get stuck to it. And I've heard beebs have their own escaves!

Necross
Zeexen live on Necross. To get there, you need to get to Glorx first. I once saw a mechos plastered with some motley mud and ooze. Guess it's from Necross. There's no such yucky stuff on Fostral. Guess it's a slimy place.

P-beam
When many Eleepods creep together, they can arrange a P-beam. Leepky boasts of it, says that with the P-beam they can see through anything. Gotta ask them to find that big gun that I once lost in the river near Incubator.

Chord
I was digging in Leepky's burrow when he told me about this, so I didn't remember anything. That's something inherent to Eleepods.

Plump-up
During the Plump-up Eleepods swell enormously in their escaves and produce nymbos. Many even burst from the effort. If you go to Incubator during this phase, you can be in time for eLeech giveaways.

Gulp-down
If I don't bring the eLeech to Podish before Gulp-down starts, he's dead. And me too. Eleepods watch this. During Gulp-down everything gets darker. Fostral chills out.

Departed Bios
There once lived a bios. They'd pick up the cirt, send Vangers to and fro, then they disappeared. It's somehow connected with the Larvae. Maybe Eleepods gonna vanish soon too. That would be fun. I would dig in their escaves to my mechos' content!

Cirtainer
A box to ship cirt. Else it's gonna rot. It's expensive in the shop - a cumbersome crock.
Current session information:

Tabutasks:
Completed 9 for the Eleepods, 1 failed
Completed 7 for the Beeboorats, 4 failed
Completed 6 for the Zeexen, 4 failed

Cirt and Larvae:
Delivered 3 portions to the Eleepods
Delivered 83 portions to the Beeboorats

Fostral is where the Larva is, the Queen of the Eleerection!

The Larva responsible for Progress is temporarily residing in a zone of the Chain codenamed Xplo (delivered)
The Larva responsible for Heroism is on Fostral
The Larva responsible for Election of Castaways is on Necross

Somewhere far away Saturday Larva is crawling around deep underground. That place is called Xplo.

Broken mechoses:
Queen Frog - Fostral
Wormaster - Fostral
Lawn Mower - Glorx, repaired, currently on Glorx
Sandoll - Glorx
Last Moggy - Necross, repaired, currently on Glorx

Rattle was once taken out of Queen Frog.
The Cogged Widget is a part of Wormaster. (Currently in VigBoo)
Box is a part of Last Moggy. (Installed)
Star is a part of the Lawn Mower. (Installed)
Cart is a spare part of Sandoll.
Wheezer fits the Lawn Mower. (Installed)
Zigger-Zagger is a Sandoll spare part.
Put-put is a spare part of Last Moggy. (Installed)
Heavy Iron - specifications unknown. (Currently in Zeepa)
Husker - specifications unknown. (In the cargo hold)
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Some music to get us in the mood.


And the intro, back from 1998.


Here's the main menu.
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Right as we start the game, we are treated to a quite extensive backstory.
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Here is the whole thing, spoilered because I am merciful.
Human Expansion
At the end of the 20th century, the unification of scientific and esoteric knowledge, which had long been separate and antagonistic, occurred. This was initiated by certain human Spirits who achieved transcendental contact with powers resembling an Infinite Mind. The Infinite Mind had long been foretold and anticipated by some, but its existence was denied by others.

The time was right, and the information gained from the contact-the theoretical principles of which were completely unknown-could be used successfully in real life.

The technology that had the most dramatic impact on human evolution was the permanent tunneling of space: the creation of so-called Passages which enabled travel to alien worlds. Humanity's age-old dream of traveling to the stars became reality.

A cosmogonical model of the universe, with its planets, stars and galaxies, became unnecessary. The Passages opened ways into zones whose formation was completely unrelated to the scientific concept of metagalaxy. Building and activating a Passage required enormous amounts of energy, and the Passage's destination point was impossible to predict. After activation, a Passage became virtually autonomous, connecting two worlds.

Humankind rushed headlong to the new worlds, exploring and colonizing, unthinking and heedless of any consequences. While the finest minds assimilated knowledge from the new worlds, others bent on conquest rushed forth with vehicles of mass destruction.

These explorers were uncaring of the philosophical aspects of contact with other civilizations. Secure in the confidence of their superior intellect, humans expanded and conquered new worlds for a hundred years. The entire human culture was significantly distorted by the impact of the rapidly growing Chain of Worlds. Without even completing the reconnaissance and development of one world, the explorers would start building a new Passage to the next. Fortunately, only a minority of the new worlds became part of the Chain, since the environment on many of them was extremely hostile to humans.

Inevitably, the explorers' disregard and conceit reaped their just rewards.


First Contact
The Cryspo were entirely unfamiliar; nothing like the ugly little humanoids flying UFOs of 20th century imagery. The collective mind of a Cryspo colony was totally unintelligible to the humans with their individual psyches. The colony's flawless mechanism closely resembled earthly nests of insects. The appearance of the explorers from the Passage was initially overlooked by the colony, preoccupied as it was with its primary function of territorial control. Conversely, the advance guard of explorers immediately started slaying these strange beasts, as they had done in similar circumstances so many times before.

The consequences of this slaughter were catastrophic.

By the time people realized their technological inferiority to the new enemy, the Cryspo had managed to enter the Passage and had discovered the new, unclaimed territories. Initially they ignored the human settlers, although they did exterminate anyone foolish enough to get in their way. Disunited and defenseless, the settlers managed to seal off major cities, leaving the rest of the world to the Cryspo. Events progressed rapidly, and the Passage to Earth was destroyed, leaving millions of the Softie (as they were later known, owing to their physical helplessness) isolated with the Cryspo. Soon, the Cryspo sprang a new surprise: the human body served extremely well as biomass for their larvae.


The Clash
The rapidly decreasing Softie population attempted a last counter-attack inspired by the Infinite Mind: genetic intrusion. This successfully drove the Cryspo back and, since the epidemic threatened to harm their colony's queen, the Passage to the Cryspo home world, Cry, was blocked.

The genetic intrusion unleashed during the clash between the Softie and the Cryspo resulted in a combined genetic structure. In the following generations, biomolecular chaos erased all the original Softie and Cryspo and formed the sinister Creature Soup. The majority of them had no chance of survival, but after a while three basic varieties of species, the bios, began to form from the diversity of mutant Lostie. They were all characterized by a similar metabolism and psychobiological uniformity.

The Cryspo anatomy proved to be more advanced and better suited for the local habitat; the Softie's complex nervous system proved to have superior versatility. The Lostie inherited these characteristics from their ancestors. The four basic worlds of the Chain are now inhabited by the three bios, whose diversity traces back to the functional divisions of a Cryspo colony.


The Cryspo
The Cryspo colony encountered by the Softie pioneers appeared to be a highly organized collective mind of insectoid organisms. However, all was not how it seemed. Only one division of the Cryspo manifested intelligence, and the Softie remained ignorant of their existence. It was the subterranean Larvae creatures, incapable of fast movement and relatively weak, who ran the colony. A complicated system of scents was used to control the other divisions of the colony.

These worm-like bearers of intelligence were at the top of the colony hierarchy, with the Queen at their head. The Queen did not possess her own consciousness or identity; she merely integrated the mental primitives of the Larvae. Human individualism was alien to her intrinsically collective mind.

The territorial expansion of the Cryspo was highly organized and began with the invasion of the Queen's satellites - the Larvae - into the area to be occupied. The Larvae controlled the Cryspo combat troops from deep underground by generating pheromones. The Larvae consisted of a simple biological structure with a slow metabolism, which resulted in its having a life span lasting eons.

All the creatures in the universe live by their inherent nature. The Softie possessed a restlessness of mind and spirit that urged them to ceaselessly search for their raison d'etre. Cryspo were free from such high matters: their leading strength lay in the integration of diverse beings by the queen into a complicated but well-organized biological system.

The Clash extracted these drives from both the Cryspo and the Softie. The few bios produced during the Bouillon of Spawn which were capable of physical survival inherited a combination of racial instincts producing obscure urges which had lost any meaning.


The Lostie
During the Clash, while defending themselves from the ferocious Cryspo, the last generation of the Softie built underground enclave cities called escaves which became homes for their descendents, the Lostie. Although the Lostie inherited their brains from the Softie, their subconscious integrated many weird psychic features of their Cryspo ancestors, which emerged as somewhat bizarre behavior in the mutants. It is the influence of these instincts that has resulted in the bios existing in urban communities called bunches. They endlessly practice cult rituals, the only reason they have for their existence. The bunches have survived only by strict adherence to the conservation laws that developed over time.

A bunch cycle consists of several stages, each of which is closely connected to the physiology of one of the bios. The completion of each such function depends on the scent of a particular Larva which serves as a catalyst. The complicated Cryspo mechanism of controlling the colony through a system of scents evolved into a sophisticated cult followed by the Lostie. It involved great reverence of and addiction to the scents of the now hidden and unfathomable Larvae who still slowly crawl around underground, disunited without their connection to the queen, who was lost long ago when the Passage to Cry was sealed.


Present
It is now a thousand years after the Clash. The Lostie have stabilized and formed aberrant tribes of inbred creatures. Living on the rubble of powerful and ancient civilizations, they practice endless cult cycles in an attempt to establish a rationale for their existence.

The player belongs to the clan of Vangers, a clan of explorers, warriors, traders and pirates in a world that is only just beginning to wake up from its oblivion. The strange Worlds of the Lost Chain emerge as time passes. They are full of mystery, weird inhabitants and dangerous competitors. Eventually, it will be revealed that the Clash between the Softie and the Cryspo was not coincidental: the weird history of the Creature Soup had been planned by the Infinite Mind specifically to develop a new type of warrior: the Vanger...
Feeling intimidated yet, Codex? ;)

The remake got the game retranslated, and along with some changes for the better the developer seems to have made a few questionable ones. I will note the most egregious of those. However, renaming the Bouillon of Spawn into 'Creature Soup' makes sense to me.

Now, and I kid you not, this is where I've seen some players get stuck. You see, you are supposed to click on the red bug to start the game. IT IS NEVER MENTIONED ANYWHERE, you just have to guess and experiment. :lol: It is nice to have no handholding whatsoever in a game for once, but I think you can see why it didn't become very popular with the casual crowd.

After a brief loading screen, we are treated to... uhhh... I'd better show, not tell.

Part 0. Welcome to Fostral.
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- Welcome back, poor pilgarlic! We thought you were completely dead, have to give another one away...

In Russian, the guy talks in blank verse - some kind of iamb - a detail that, sadly, was lost in the translation.

- You know how it happens: yesterday you were a dapper little caterpillar without a care in the world, and now you're climbing into your mechos and going up, ugh, from our warmth, up there to plow the roads on Fostral, scaring everyone you meet into ditches...

The dialogue system, if you can call it that, resembles a keyword one. Once we hear a character mention a certain term, we can ask about them. The answers are not always helpful. You are supposed to make some educated guesses about the exact purpose and meaning of a few things. :M
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- I see you're too dumb to listen to me. What are you worth, you worthless piece of trash, a spawn of Eleepod that got fat in vain, only to give birth to you.

The part in italics was not translated into English. Players might be confused why they are able to ask about Eleepods without actually hearing about one. Yeah. Poor translation is the bane of all Russian games. :negative:

- Listen and remember, as you'll understand this later, if you survive, of course... I'm Leepky, the counselor of Podish, an escave on Fostral, which is what we call our world...

Leepky means 'sticky' in Russian. It is a fitting name. Yuck. Back in the 1998 version you could see slime dripping from his tail.

We can ask him about any of the new words now. Let's try it.
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What did you expect? :lol:

- And you're a clot of mucus cast away from the pods. Your fate is clear: you'll take your rattletrap and be thrown out, as that's the law...
- I hope your fate won't make you wait. It's excruciating living off a pod...
- I've seen a lot of jerks like you, yet I still sympathize with you... They blinked innocently, just like you, not knowing who they were, where they were from, or where they should go... All right, as a matter of routine, I must tell you about the anatomy of the universe... Now listen...
- Don't be afraid, there's no need to know too much. I used to give lengthy lessons talking about
bunches, the Chain, the underground Larvae, about stupid Beeboorats that live on Glorx... I'd explain what raffa is, about kusowocks...
- Yes, I see it's all for nothing: you look at me like ET trying to understand the message. At your wit's end? You haven't seen life inside or outside... So I'll do this the easy way: I'll give you the mission without splitting hairs... Fostral is big, and we're on the bottom. Our escave is here. Far up is
Incubator, the holy place, which is where we send our tasty nymbos to prolong the Eleepod race. Remember our bios, it's superior to all the creatures in the Chain...
- And now remember the main thing: you're on your own from this moment on, with no one to feed or lick or cuddle you... You are a maverick, your own master and servant; no one will give a pinch of
cirt for your mistakes...
- Your choice is mechos, an ancient machine you'll own and die in, for... there are quite a lot of you, knights of the road, who comb the worlds for gain and kill each other for chickenfeed...
Vangers are beasts...
- We Eleepods are kind to you, but only somewhat... We don't give a crap about your destiny, and you are free to do whatever you want. But remember: if you want to survive, you'd better listen to us, shrimp... Only by serving Podish will you get everything from fast mechos to secret knowledge. Here's your first mission...
- Get some secret nymbos from here and take it to the other end of Fostral, into sultry Incubator... My
Feenger's waiting there; he'll tell you more if you survive in the jungles of Fostral...
- Farewell, kiddo, and good luck. Bring me some kusowocks...

After Leepky is done talking, he retreats back into the cave, leaving us to draw orange noodles on the walls.
2015_12_05_155149.jpg


Ok, let's check the rest of the escave. The orange arrow to our right redirects us to a shop. Here we can buy a new mechos... well, we could, if we had the money for it. The one we are in costs more than 5K, and we only have 500 of... whatever the currency is.
2015_12_05_155202.jpg

The stats listed are:
Cost - self-explanatory.
Energy shield - this regenerates on its own. When your shield is down, your armor starts taking the heat.
Restoring speed - how fast your shields regenerate. A big shield is not always a good thing, sometimes a modest one that recovers fast is preferable.
Armor - your HPs. If they hit 0, you are dead. Ramming vehicles ignores shields, so if you are running on some brittle mechos, you'd best avoid collision with the big guys.
Velocity - self-explanatory. I can't stomach riding on anything beneath 7. It's too slow for me. >_>
Spiral capacity - you don't know this word. :M
Air reserve - how much air do you have. You might guess the uses of this stat.

There are two broken mechoses in the shop. Here's one of them, the Wormmaster.
2015_12_05_155215.jpg


You can read additional information if you right-click on the mechos. It's just a flavor text.
2015_12_05_155221.jpg


There is a wares section in the shop. Currently 'nymbos', whatever it is, is the only thing on offer.
2015_12_05_155229.jpg


To the right is our cargo bay. As you can see, we can't carry much. The dark brown tiles are weapon slots.
2015_12_05_155240.jpg


Let's grab the only weapon we can afford... a macHOTine gun!
2015_12_05_155305.jpg

And we are ready for our first visit to the surface.
:avatard:

Now, for the interactive part. I will give you guys an opportunity to ask any of the Counselors we meet about any of the terms we learned about. I will not explain any of those. Let's see how quickly you catch on. :)

Known vocabulary.
mechos
vangers
raffa
escave
pod
bunch
bios

The Chain
Fostral
Glorx
Eleepods
Beeboorats
Leepky - asked Leepky
Feenger
Podish
Incubator

Larvae
nymbos
kusowocks
cirt
You can choose 5 questions to ask Leepky before I leave this cave for greener pastures. :)

I will also let you pick the course of action once the game takes off the ground and you learn enough to make semi-informed decisions.

As a bonus, here's Leepky's monologue in Russian, in all of its rhymed glory.
Очнулся, жалкий? Хорошо, а мы уж думали ты сдох совсем, придется отнимать другого...
Вот так бывает - вчера ты резвая личинка без забот, а сегодня... ты прыгнешь в мехос и наверх, бррpp, из теплых наших нор долой - пылить дороги на Фострале, пугаясь встречных, падая в канавы...
Однако ж как я погляжу ты слишком туп внимать мне - что возьмешь с тебя, несчастная личинка элипода, что жирел напрасно и породил тебя, урода...
Слушай и запоминай, поймешь все позже - если выживешь, бедняга... Я - Липкий, советник Подиша - эскейва на Фострале, так наш мир зовется...
А ты - комочек слизи, тебя отвергли все стручки, судьба твоя понятна - сегодня ты возьмешь свой ржавый механизм и будешь выкинут наверх... Таков закон...
Надеюсь, смерть твоя там не заставит себя ждать - ведь жить вне стручка ужасное мучение...
Уж сколько недоумков, тебе подобных, я перевидал - а все вас жалко... Вот также и они бессмысленно моргали, не понимая кто они, откуда и куда... Но порядок есть порядок - я должен объяснить тебе картину мира... Слушай...
Не бойся, тебе не нужно знать уж очень много - зачем? Когда-то я пытался долго вас учить, я говорил о банчах, о Цепи, о подземных Куклах, про глупых бибуратов что живут на Глорксе и кто такие раффа, про кузовки опять же...
Вот-вот, я вижу лишний труд, ты выпучил глаза свои пустые в попытке что-либо понять, но понять не в силах, ты не видел жизни, ни внутренней, ни внешней... Поэтому мой метод очень прост - я дам тебе задание не вдаваясь в суть его... Фострал велик, мы находимся внизу, тут наш эскейв, а далеко вверху есть Инкубатор, святое место - туда мы посылаем вкусный нимбос наш для продления рода элиподов, запомни этот биос, он верховный над всеми тварями Цепи...
И помни главное - что ты теперь один на свете, никто уже не станет тебя кормить, облизывать и гладить... Ты одиночка, сам себе слуга и тут же господин - никто не даст и горстки нюхи за твои ошибки...
Ты должен выбрать мехос - ржавую машину древних, ей будешь ты владеть и в ней погибнешь ибо... вас не так уж мало, торгашей удачи, снующих меж миров лишь в поисках наживы и готовых за пустяк убить друг друга... Вангеры ведь звери...
Мы, элиподы, к вам добры - но в меру... Нам безразличны судьбы ваши - ты можешь делать все во что горазд, но помни - если хочешь жить, то слушай нас, козявка...
Служа лишь Подишу ты враз получишь все - от быстрых мехосов до скрытых знаний, вот первое задание...
Возьми-ка нимбоса секретного отсюда и отвези в другой конец Фострала - в Инкубатор знойный... Там ждет тебя мой Палец, он расскажет больше, если выживешь среди причуд Фострала...
Прощай, юнец. Удачи. Привези мне кузовков...
 
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Nevill

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Love this game. Will follow for nostalgia's sake.
Well, help me start then. Ask the questions, lure the noobs in. :)

I'd like to get that 'WTF am I reading' feeling across as you struggle to find your way in a completely foreign world. Talking to Counselors tends to invoke that.
 

Grimwulf

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Figuring out WTF is going on is a crucial part of the game. Ok then, let's go with the basics:

- The Chain
- Vanger
- Mechos
- Beeboorats
- Leepky (coz he's sexy)
 

lightbane

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Dec 27, 2008
Messages
10,140
Ah yes, this game. I remember playing (well, trying to play it, better said) a few years ago. While I didn't understand WTF was going on (be it because of Russian's usual poor translation or the already strange jargon), even then I was able to recognize the basic gameplay elements, such as the shop, how to drive around and shoot stuff. Unfortunately I wasn't able to learn how to get out of the water once you fell into it, so my first gameplay test ended with an underwater bang.

Even though I appreaciated its originality, I felt it wasn't my cup of tea, so I left it somewhere else. Thank you for doing a lp of yet another obscure game, whose people who played it can be counted with a single hand. :salute:

About the questions, I have these:
raffa
escave
bunch
bios
Incubator
 

Nevill

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Messages
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About the questions, I have these:
Sorry, lightbane, Azira, the update is up. But you can ask those questions to the second Counselor, if you want.



Part 1. The great journey to the Incubator.
- Who or what is the Chain, Counselor?
- The Lost Chain of Worlds...

:nocountryforshitposters:
Not very helpful, are we?

Yeah, well. Unless you prove that you are somehow worth their attention, they are not going to explain too much. For now, you are just one out of dozens new arrivals.

- Who or what is vangers, Counselor?
- Who are vangers? And you're asking me, the counselor? Ugh, the kind of idiots I have to put up with!

- Who or what is mechos, Counselor?
- You are its slave from now on. The mechos is your servant - subdue it!

- Who or what is Beeboorats, Counselor?
- Arrogant creatures, a hundred times worse than Zeexen. They gobble our eLeeches and season them with nymbos, the vandals! Don't even think of visiting them. They'll wolf down any Eleepod if they get even a glimpse of his wet scratchers. But we'll teach them a lesson sometime!

Sounds like good guys. I don't know what I would've done if I got a glimpse of Leepky's 'wet scratchers'. Hopefully I won't have to.

Finally, we've asked this already, but it does not hurt to repeat some things...

- Who or what is Leepky, Counselor?
Ugh! 'Who is Leepky?' You still don't remember, you dolt? I'm Leepky!

Let's go to the surface.

We start at the escave we've seen in the intro. We are in a possession of a good all-rounder starting mechos, Oxidize Monk, with a rather small cargo bay. Normally we occupy the center of the screen.
2015_12_05_204203.jpg

The game is run at a 800*600 resolution, so on a 1920*1080 screen things get a bit pixelated. Sorry about that.

There is a minimap to our lower right, two buttons for interacting with map objects and for checking the cargo bay directly below it, a Spiral charge indicator about which we know nothing yet, a cargo bay space indicator to the lower left (we have our cargo bay half-full), but the most important ones are energy and armor indicators in the top left corner. Shields are orange, while armor is white. When there is no white left, we die. It is fairly simple.

I suggest you rebind the controls before playing this game. The default scheme makes zero sense. It is worse than in the original, which is quite a feat, as that one assigned the Insert key for the most used function in the game.

What is this function? Well, Vangers are not really your standard car racing game. That much becomes apparent when you find the KiD (Kinetic impulse Device) activation button. Or, speaking plainly, 'Jump'.

And you can jump really high.
2015_12_05_204423.jpg

There are two things to keep in mind when jumping. First, the longer you hold the button, the more powerful is the impulse. It is your main way of getting out of dire situations or rough terrain, when you can't make it out on wheels alone. Second, it uses shields energy. To be exact, it uses two thirds of your shields reserve. If you have low shields, you can't jump. That's why shield regeneration is extremely important - even if you do not plan to engage in active combat, it is still a massively useful convenience feature.

You may have noticed the big orange letters "Dominance +8" at the top of the screen. There are two kind of stats that are independent from your mechos... to a degree. Luck is by far the more important of the two, and it is much harder to raise. I won't tell you what they affect, though. :M

Our current Luck is 15/100. Our Dominance ('Authority' in the original 1998 version) is... 8/100? That can't be right. I remember you started with 15 in both stats in the original! Ah, must be one of remake changes/bugs. It's no big deal.

I would also recommend that anyone who plays this switches the Acceleration setting to 'Always On'. It's the equivalent of the 'autorun' option in the shooters of old. What kind of LARPer would want to walk when you can run? :?

So our mechos can jump, but that's not all. It can also roll over, doing sort of a flip. Might be useful when you find yourself with your wheels up.
2015_12_05_204503.jpg

The most experienced vangers can roll over to the side right on the move, to avoid collision with something unpleasant, without breaking stride. Me, I still struggle with the concept somewhat.

Not far from Podish, I encounter a strange dome. There seems to be an item lying inside. Yoink!
2015_12_05_204617.jpg


Speaking of the window on the right. It can display the worlds of the Chain, camera controls, your Dominance/Luck stats, or serve as a Compass.
2015_12_05_204647.jpg

Huh, there are plenty of sights to see on the map:

Incubator
Podish
Repair Station I
Repair Station II
Rigs Station
ghOrb Station
Broken Station I
Broken Station II
Spiral Station
Passage to Glorx
Passage to Weexow

I set it to show me the way to the Incubator. Immediately a red bug appears on the screen, with the numbers attached. Those show the distance to the object in question. The compass does not stay in one place, constantly jumping from left to right. That's because maps in Vangers are toroidal. If you travel a bit to the right, you will soon come out from another side - to the left from where you started.

In my travels, I see other dots on the map, and sometimes catch a glimpse of fellow vangers, but they don't stop to say hello. Hmph. How rude of them.

After an unfortunate jump I find myself in what passes for water here. A grey bar appears to my bottom right which starts to swiftly decrease. I don't stay submerged to find out what happens when it depletes. I guess that's the Air reserves we've spoken about earlier.
2015_12_05_205108.jpg

Some strange structure made out of six pulsating arrows pointing outwards is looming on the horizon. The compass tells me this is a Passage to Weexow, but I don't get to pass anywhere - it just bounces me up. :?

Fine! We have a mission to accomplish. Instead of traveling by 'roads' I decide to cut corners and jump my way to the north. During one of my jumps I disturb one of the strange vibrating black objects in the air that emit a buzzing sound.
2015_12_05_205242.jpg


Ouch! The buzzing gets much louder and a colony of very aggressive 'insects' comes after me. It depletes my shields fast and seems to follow me around until I land. They can be seen as a number of black dots a bit to the right and below my vehicle (should be noticeable on a bright green terrain - they can be better discerned when in motion):
2015_12_05_205257.jpg

They return back to their position once I fall down. Looks like they can only attack whatever is in the air. Still, that's another reason why you want to be careful with your KiD usage.

I drive by some structure glowing red. Don't want to check what's inside. Now, if it were glowing green...
2015_12_05_205335.jpg


And somehow I still find my way inside yet another structure alternating between red and black colors. It says that my Spiral is charged, and the indicator on the bottom right shows two charges. Is that good or bad?
2015_12_05_205423.jpg

By the way, if the force of the jump is high enough, you can break through terrain. KiD can get you out of a lot of trouble that way. Just be careful not to damage the main roads if you are playing with persistent landscape changes. :M

I pass some tube with a shining yellow stripe on top, and I spot something resembling a spiderweb ahead. Can I interact with it, I wonder?
2015_12_05_205528.jpg


Whoa! It opens up like a mouth and swallows my car whole!
2015_12_05_205540.jpg


I am being transported somewhere via an underground passage. Let me out, you demons!! :argh:
2015_12_05_205552.jpg


Finally, it spits me out in an area behind bars. There appears to be an item lying there. A secret stash?
2015_12_05_205639.jpg


Yup. Checking the cargo reveals some items that were not there before. I am now the proud owner of... uh... 'pupok' and 'okorok'...? Whatever. Bet they will sell well.
2015_12_05_205730.jpg


As we are entering home stretch, we pass near another arrow-shaped structure with a few glowing symbols around it. Must be another Passage. To Glorx, probably, whatever that is - there are only two on the Compass.
2015_12_05_205809.jpg


When where are mere meters separating me from the Incubator entrance, I come across something moving underground very quickly. I swear it wasn't there a moment before!
2015_12_05_205923.jpg
2015_12_05_205904.jpg

I do not stay to find out what it is. I've had enough of Fostral for the moment. I want to go back to the safety of the escave!

YES! Finally, our journey is over!
2015_12_05_205939.jpg


The lid opens on my command, and a tired vanger falls down towards the unknown.
2015_12_05_205944.jpg

Also, our Dominance rises by 2 points. Do you mean to say that not every vanger lives to see another escave?

The Incubator loading screen.
2015_12_05_210009.jpg


Feenger meets us inside. He is as ugly as Leepky, if a bit less strict.
2015_12_05_210032.jpg

- Aha, another green vanger! Got lost up there, you naughty rambler?
- Ok, ok, you're a victim of the fate already... I'm glad you got here and didn't drown or encounter your 'friends'... Let's meet... in case you keep your body and soul together for a while... I'm Feenger, Leepky is my host - I'm in his pod...
- Well, you're too young to understand this, but remember one thing: I don't really exist, Feenger is a function of the pod... All my thoughts are His thoughts; for example, if I'm scratching myself, He is scratching Himself, too. The host - Leepky to you - knows everything about me and even more; actually, I AM him to some extent...
- Pods are the base of Eleepods' life. We're so comfortable that I feel embarrassed for you that you're alone - being outside is frightening...
- Every time I give you an
eLeech, I beg Him to leave the baby in Podish and not to part my nursling from the Eleepod bunch. But alas...
- All right, enough of that chit-chat, it's time for you to go up - Incubator is not your home. I hope you now understand Fostral's formation and will be able to easily make your way down to Podish...
- Your task is to get some soft
phlegma into your mechos, as we need it in Podish. You can get phlegma in the shop to the left. We'll pay handsomely for the delivery. Now, go back to your strange world...
[Nymbos in inventory]
- (content gurgling) Your choice of cargo was a good one, wheelman, you have a bright future... Nymbos is what the Eleepods need here, in wonderful Incubator...
- That's all, fitter. Leave me alone, I'm busy...


Whatever, buddy. I know what I need, and that's money. Or their local equivalent, which oddly resemble bugs. Let's talk business.
2015_12_05_210050.jpg

The nymbos sells for 210 bugs when we bought it for 48. Gross income of ~150 bugs. 50 more trips and I can afford to buy one of the shitties vehicles! :bounce:

How about 'no'? :decline:

We sell the other items, too. Looks like they are ammunition for something called a Speetle system. We don't know what that is, and so we don't need them.
2015_12_05_210105.jpg

Feenger told us to transport some phlegma to Podish. Do we comply?
What to do, Codex?
1) Be a nice vanger and listen to what Feenger says. The Eleepods will surely reward you if you get on their good side.
2) Screw the fat slobs and their plot coupons! Their jobs stink! Get out into the world and start raiding secret stashes for money.
3) Go out and kill someone. We need to put some fear into the hearts of our fellow vangers. Maybe they will have something on them that we can use or sell.
4) Freeform or a combination of the above. (clarify)

Known vocabulary (yellow color indicates new additions):
mechos - asked Leepky (low trust)
vangers - asked Leepky (low trust)
raffa
escave
pod
bunch
bios

The Chain - asked Leepky (low trust)
Fostral
Glorx
Eleepods
Beeboorats - asked Leepky
Zeexen
Leepky - asked Leepky
Feenger
Podish
Incubator

eLeech
Larvae
nymbos
phlegma
kusowocks
cirt
As usual, pick your questions.

Keep in mind what Feenger said - he and Leepky are connected, and so his answers and viewpoints may coincide with those of his host. Or they might not. If they do, I will just reroll the question and pick something else to bother him with.

Feenger's dialogue in Russian.
Ага. Еще один зеленый вангер прибыл. Не заплутал ли ты там наверху, колесник безобразный?
Однако ладно, ты и так тщедущ в своей судьбе, хорошо что хоть добрался - не утонул и не нарвался на своих 'друзей'... Пора знакомиться - вдруг ты еще протянешь, гуляя по свету... Итак, я Палец - Липкий мой хозяин, я в его стручке...
Ты еще слаб понять меня - запомни лишь простую вещь: меня на самом деле нет, Палец - функция стручка...
Все мои мысли очень липкие в основе, когда чешусь к примеру - значит чешется и Он, Хозяин - он же Липкий для тебя - знает все о мне и даже больше - я на самом деле он и есть в какой-то мере...
Стручки - основа жизни элиподов. Нам так хорошо, что мысль об одиночестве твоем меня смущает право, страшно быть вовне...
Каждый раз, когда я отдаю эЛика в ваши руки, я молю Его оставить в Подише малютку - не отлучать возникшую при мне струну от банча элиподов. Но увы...
Но мы заговорились - тебе пора наверх, Инкубатор не твой дом. Надеюсь, теперь ты представляешь ось Фострала и обратную дорогу вниз проложишь без труда - на Подиш... Твоя задача - взять в свой мехос флегмы мягкой, она нужна в эскейве. Флегму можешь взять ты в магазине - слева от меня. За ее доставку мы тебе заплатим. Ступай в свой непонятный мир...
Ты верно выбрал груз, колесник, далеко пойдешь... Нимбос - то, что нужно элиподам здесь, в Инкубаторе прекрасном...
Мне нечего сказать тебе, механик. Отстань, я занят...
 
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Nevill

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Messages
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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
You don't carry dat machotine gun just for good looks, right?
Killing someone with a machotine is tricky, but hey! There is a Youtube video of MOTOK killing the King of the Road with an in-built pea-shooter. Persistence pays off. :M
 

Nevill

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Messages
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While we wait for the votes to come in, enjoy Fostral map in all of its green grandeur. Be warned, the image is a bit heavy.
Fostral.jpg
How it looks in 3d:
latest_cb_20120226112657_path_prefix_ru.jpg
There is a barrier between southern and northern poles of the map that no vehicle can pass... or so it appears. It gently repels you with a great force, and the farther you go, the greater it becomes, until even the strongest engines can no longer resist it.
 
Last edited:

Nevill

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Messages
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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
All right. Votes locked.
lightbane said:
raffa
escave
bunch
bios
Incubator
Azira said:
Fostral
Eleepods
Incubator
nymbos
escave
Common topics:
escave, Incubator.

Different topics:
raffa/Fostral
bunch
/Eleepods
bios/nymbos
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
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Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Lore time! Or rather, it is time for us to get BTFO'd because we are a nobody yet.
- Who or what is escave, Counselor?
- An escave is one of the bunches' underground nests, where we hide our treasure. Fortunately, Fostral has some escaves: the magnificent Podish and Incubator...

- Who or what is Incubator, Counselor?
- Another lost fitter! Yeah, Fostral is a big place. What's Incubator? Where is it? It's around you, you wheeled shrimp, and I'm Feenger himself!

- Who or what is Fostral, Counselor?
- We are on Fostral now, on our world. You won't understand what I mean until you learn the nature of the Chain. Now go up and touch Fostral - your mechos is waiting.

- Who or what is bunch, Counselor?
- What bunch? You're not from any bunch. You're a beeb eater.

- Who or what is bios, Counselor?
- Bios? Our bios is the greatest, and all the others are nothing but dust...
Maybe if we kill enough vangers senpai will notice us...

Known vocabulary:
mechos - asked Leepky (low trust)
vangers - asked Leepky (low trust)
raffa
escave - asked Feenger (low trust)
pod
bunch - asked Feenger (low trust)
bios - asked Feenger (low trust)
beebs

The Chain - asked Leepky (low trust)
Fostral - asked Feenger (low trust)
Glorx
Eleepods
Beeboorats - asked Leepky
Zeexen
Leepky - asked Leepky
Feenger
Podish
Incubator - asked Feenger (low trust)

eLeech
Larvae
nymbos
phlegma
kusowocks
cirt
 
Last edited:

Nevill

Arcane
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Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Part 2. Killing ain't easy.
Right. I feel we aren't getting the respect we deserve. We need to rectify that.

We are thrown out of the escave. Normally, we are propelled up vertically, however, we are too close to the barrier separating the poles, so it repels us downwards.
2015_12_06_173542.jpg


Ok, let's start the search for victims. Will you be the first one?
2015_12_06_173716.jpg


The enemy vanger dives into one of the hideouts where loot is supposed to be hidden. What a coward! Still, with our equipment it would be a tough battle, taking on someone like that. His vehicle might not look much, but it has twice our stats - and by the looks of it, twice our weapons, too.
2015_12_06_173725.jpg

The other vangers all have their routines. They will transport wares between the escaves, they will participate in ritual races, given enough time they can even get keys to some of the forgotten worlds and beat you to a few artefacts, making life that much harder (or easier) for you. And they will check the secret stashes, just like you do. The world around you is very much alive. I think it is this feeling that makes me consider this game similar to the Space Rangers franchise - another unique product without a clearly defined genre.

By the way, I noticed some bugs crawling around that look suspiciously like the money icon and make a wet slurping noise when I run them over. I open the cargo bay and decide to check my theory out by squashing one.
2015_12_06_173737.jpg
2015_12_06_173744.jpg

OMG! A money counter went up by one! The money are literally walking around the map! This is the best game EVAR! :hug:

Wait! I sense something! A small vehicle!!
2015_12_06_173843.jpg


It is pretty fast and hard to catch up to.
2015_12_06_173856.jpg


What's even worse, it jumps whenever a danger is nearby. Because its mass is relatively small, it jumps very high and very far. In fact, jumping is its preferred method of transportation. It is faster than driving, and its shields recharge momentarily because the vehicle doesn't have much shields to speak of. So it jumps away, leaving me to bump into one of the many hillocks along the road. :argh:
2015_12_06_173942.jpg


However, I am not easily deterred. I jump, too. Except mine lands me right in the middle of a humpy terrain.
2015_12_06_174011.jpg

Now, you can't navigate this terrain. Don't even try. Not in this vehicle, at least. You will tumble, turn over, roll back and forth, but you won't be able to move in a predictable fashion. You best hope is to activate KiD and get the hell out, to a more manageable surface.

While struggling with the terrain, I lose the sight of the target. Suddenly, the colors change to something bleached, or at least less acidic green. My internal voice tells me that an Eleerection (misspelled as 'Eleection' - *sigh*, the retranslation is getting to me sometimes) has started. It also insults me, suggesting I should go fight stinkers and trample beebs. What a stupid voice!
2015_12_06_174045.jpg


A-ha! Here you are, little one! Come to daddy!
2015_12_06_174123.jpg


It jumps to the right, towards the bridge, and so I jump after it. I'll ambush you - the bridge is too narrow for two!
2015_12_06_174244.jpg


Sorry, sir. Won't happen again, sir. Move along, sir. I'll just stand aside and pretent to be a part of the landscape. :salute:
2015_12_06_174259.jpg

Now where the hell did my friend go?!

Ah, here you are. Good trick you've pulled on me there! I am going to be the laughingstock of every vanger from now on... unless I put you down.
2015_12_06_174358.jpg

Our Dominance decreases as time passes. There is nothing we can do about that but try to keep it up by being the scariest motherfucker in the neighbourhood.

The new combat plan is to wait until it jumps, then ram it when it lands while it is unable to change the course or jump again. It is easier said than done, though.
2015_12_06_174412.jpg
2015_12_06_174420.jpg
2015_12_06_174459.jpg

The 'stinkers' are some kind of mushroom growth that explode when you shoot at them. They are fairly dangerous - if you can lure a vehicle in a cluster of those and blow them up, you can damage it quite severely. They are a natural and a very annoying obstacle on my way.

Finally, a good moment presents itself! The car lands on the side and hesitates before the next jump, trying to stabilize.
2015_12_06_174508.jpg


BOOM! I ram it at full speed!
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2015_12_06_174533.jpg
2015_12_06_174545.jpg

Its carcass flies one way, its wheels the other, bouncing helplessly off the ground. First blood!

I HAVE BECOME DEATH, DESTROYER OF VANGERS. FEAR ME!

Drunk with success, I scan the map, trying to find anyone else who would dare to question my might. A red dot is approaching... and firing at me. Such insolense!
2015_12_06_174703.jpg

Also, it looks like my macHOTine gun is charged by diving into water. I've seen players get stuck not knowing how to recharge one. Nevermind that it's written in its description - who reads stuff anyway in our day and age? :M

While tracking down the boor I see all kinds of mechoses driving around.
2015_12_06_174748.jpg
2015_12_06_174804.jpg

This journey is certainly much more crowded compared to the last one.

I confront him head on, and the guy jumps away from me like a wuss that he is. Why is he red on the map, though? His mechos is the same green color that the rest of us are. What is your secret, wheeler?
2015_12_06_174841.jpg


One thing is clear - he is definitely trying to get to Podish disregarding anything else along the way. That makes stopping him a matter of principle! You don't get to shoot at me and then go about your business, whatever it is!
2015_12_06_174924.jpg


But alas, I fail in my duty to punish him. :negative:
2015_12_06_174938.jpg

There is a bit of an exploit - or rather, an unintended mechanics - that allows the player to close the escave doors whenever another vanger opens it. See, any vanger can close and open those, so when two vangers do that simultaneously, no one can enter. It is a sort of a tug of war game, when both vangers stand over the escave, shooting at each other, and constantly mess with the doors. If either of them falls down deep enough when the doors open, they enter the escave, otherwise they are propelled up when the doors close. Thus, a small mechos like ours can, in theory, prevent a bigger one from entering. This time, however, it doesn't work, and after a couple of tries my opponent falls down despite my best attempts.

Angry and defeated, I turn back to the Incubator, but then I notice something ahead... A small vehicle!!
2015_12_06_175008.jpg


It notices me too, and falls in a ditch, where I can't get to it. Smart guy!
2015_12_06_175024.jpg


However, it will have to leave it eventually. And then...
2015_12_06_175109.jpg
2015_12_06_175141.jpg

My mood improves a bit, together with my stats. Two kills now.

I check out the tube I passed up last time. It appears that this is one of the repair stations. Good to know. I dig a hole in its walls. It is nice to have more than one way of entry in such a useful contraption.
2015_12_06_175301.jpg


Two cars are dead by my hand already. Clearly, I am a mighty enough vanger to test my mettle against someone my own size. Literally.
2015_12_06_175317.jpg


However, this guy proves a better driver than me while I stumble over one of the stinkers (the one my compass is pointing to), losing him for a moment.
2015_12_06_181039.jpg


I catch up with him near the Incubator...
2015_12_06_181051.jpg


...when I run headfirst into another one of those. It is a red dot, too!
2015_12_06_181133.jpg


I suppose one is as good as the other, and I really have no reason to show favoritism here. Switching targets! As if sensing my intentions, the new guy jumps away from the bridge. I follow, and we become entangled in a deadly dance of fire and metal.
2015_12_06_181206.jpg


More red dots are driving past us. Seriously, what's up with those? The Eleepods never told me about any of this!
2015_12_06_181334.jpg


It's a long contest. Sometimes I am the hunter, and sometimes - when my rival gets behind me - I become the hunted.
2015_12_06_181347.jpg


I do a maneuver, and the other guy jumps away, not really wishing to meet me head-to-head, the scoundrel!
2015_12_06_181413.jpg

I see another vehicle approaching on the map. Get out of the way, whoever you are! I am on a hunt here!

Oh, no, nope, NOPE! You are good. Please don't mind me and continue on your course! :salute:
2015_12_06_181500.jpg

Thank God for the brakes - you really do not want to collide into a Heavy Lady, the most massive truck in the game.

The hunt continues. Like a true professional, I stalk the prey from the high ground.
2015_12_06_181512.jpg


Heavy smoke is coming out of his car. I am close to victory here! But he is heading to the Repair Station! Will it all be for naught?!
2015_12_06_181606.jpg


With a clever maneuver I change his course, forcing him to move away without repairs. :cool:
2015_12_06_181628.jpg

Just a little bit longer!

Drunk on adrenaline, I forget to look where I am going. I pass under the glowing red structure, and suddenly, my weapon leaves its slot as I stare at the message: 'Energy Shield discharged'. I must have found one of the Broken Stations by accident...
2015_12_06_182602.jpg


I pick it back up, and try to pass under the station again, because I am not a learning animal. :M
2015_12_06_182616.jpg


And then I return to pick it up again... the same way... :negative:
2015_12_06_182704.jpg

This time it falls over to the side and rolls down a hill into a deep ravine.

I finally manage to make the station Recharge my shields for once, and try to pick it up... to no effect. I roll, I tumble, I samersault and jump over it, but it fell too deep down. I can't reach it.
2015_12_06_182744.jpg

Gentlemen, I think we have just lost our gun.

:rage::rage::rage:

By the time I gave up, the prey is long gone. Damn this world and its half-functional deathtraps!

Fine! I don't need no gun to kill bitches! I will smother you all with my bare wheels! Feel the power of RAMMING, you bastards!
2015_12_06_182942.jpg


I will destroy each and every one of you! I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN, AND FLAY YOU ALIVE! I WILL-... Oh! A small vehicle!!
2015_12_06_183005.jpg


We jump together, him and me.
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Unfortunately, unlike him, I land straight on the course of the guy in a heavy vehicle that I rammed earlier out of spite.
2015_12_06_183053.jpg


Suddenly I understand how the wee ones feel just as half of my armor is stripped away from me in a single motion. Damn, ramming is not fun when they do it to you!
2015_12_06_183113.jpg


I withdraw in a hurry. Suddenly the colors change once more. The internal voice informs me that it's Gulp-down time, and it's a good season for tabutasks. Uh, thanks. That helped.
2015_12_06_183206.jpg


However, I don't have the time to ponder over it, as I am fighting - well, running - for my dear life. That guy is pissed at me, for some reason. Could it be the same vanger that was in Oxidize Monk we chased after earlier? They do change mechoses too, just like the player.
2015_12_06_183236.jpg


I lose him and find my way to the repair station. Safe at last! Wait, what's that? A small vehicle!!
2015_12_06_183336.jpg


Whew! That made me feel much better.
2015_12_06_183344.jpg


With the self-confidense restored, I continue trying to take on something that does not explode from a slightest touch. This one here looks fairly light... which means that it is probably going to jump often and far. Oh joy.
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2015_12_06_183520.jpg
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Still, a few lucky hits make thick black smoke come out of the car. Not much longer now...

I hunt the guy high and low, waiting for him on the riverbanks and on the bridges, stalking him through the rough terrain, making sure that he doesn't come near the repair stations. I make note of some odd orange vangers strutting around, but I do not divert my attention to investigate them. I am of a single purpose! The bloody car will go up in flames!
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A small vehi-...! No, I must focus!!
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Finally, you are mine! There is no escaping this!! DIE!!!
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Suddenly, the second guy LEAPS at me and obscures my vision as I throw my Monk into a ditch in an attempt to avoid collision. YOU AGAIN!? WHY MUST YOU TORMENT ME SO?!?!
2015_12_06_184020.jpg


Naturally, the puny guy makes his escape amidst the confusion. :argh::argh::argh:
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As it it were not enough of an insult, the aggressor opens fire at me from what appears to be double missile launchers. With homing missiles, too! Owie!!
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I make haste to the Incubator, jumping over the mechoses along the way. Maybe I can still intercept my target!
2015_12_06_184218.jpg

But no. It is safe behind the walls of the escave. And it does not look like it will be leaving any time soon. We have failed again. :negative:

I look for a proper place to sit and contemplate my shortcomings, when I spot something flying over me. A small vehicle!!
2015_12_06_184314.jpg


I can't help myself, it's an instinct! :stupid:
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Still, it is quite maddening that I can't take out anything bigger. AND IT IS ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!
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HATE YOU! HATE! HATE!!! I'LL RAM YOU TO DEATH EVEN IF IT IS THE LAST THING I DO!!! :x:x:x
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Look! A small vehicle!! :M
2015_12_06_184524.jpg

It is useless to fight it anymore. I am a born killer of the wee-ones. This is my call. :salute:

Sure, they may act smart and try to outwit me, like this guy does, hitting breaks to avoid a lethal car crash as I slam my vehicle into his...
2015_12_06_184633.jpg


...however, the end is always the same. They can't evade me forever.
2015_12_06_184709.jpg

As for anything more threatening... we can't cut it right now. Not with the equipment we have. We need more. More guns. More dakka. More of everything.

Guess that means we'll have to work for the Eleepods for a while. Speaking of which, did senpai notice?
2015_12_06_190615.jpg

Feenger:
[Killed a vanger]
- What, did you kill something, you wild hearse-rider? The cruelty of vangers-vandals knows no bounds, life holds no meaning for you. That's where fear takes you when you are outside a pod...

Looks like they do not care.

Overall, we killed five vangers, made a few enemies, lost a gun, and didn't find the riches we were hoping for. Probably because small fish is all we can handle at the moment. Jury is up whether that was a failure or not.

I sigh, throw a bottle of phlegma in the trunk, and drive all the way back to Podish in silence, killing two more little guys as I go. The internal voice warns me that it is now Plump-up. Everything is green again. Oh joy.

You've won for now, slobs. But one day, some day, I will make enough money and leave your fat slimy carcasses behind, never to return!

Leepky is pleased to see our compliance. Somewhat.
[Phlegma in inventory]
- I see our talks are not in vain, vanger: you brought us phlegma. We Eleepods like to wallow in it...
[Killed a vanger]
- Rumors have reached me that you terminated someone's life up there. I hope it wasn't on purpose. Eleepods don't care much about you ramblers, but I'll give you some advice: no one will give a beeb for your life if you become too bold and keep killing other vangers, the slaves of bunches, on a whim. Think about it...

Now that we've made our first back and forth delivery, a new item appeared in the shop! Yay, progress!
2015_12_06_221817.jpg

Tabutask:
All bunches use this to make Vangers work for them. When you take it, you don’t know what’s inside. It’s just the luck of the draw what's there when you come out to the surface and open it. But vangers who steer clear of tabutasks soon get poor and become raffa.

It also looks like the mechos we tried to ram to death is called Spread Spot. It's a fairly fragile one - a good energy shield, but very little armor.
2015_12_06_221707.jpg


Or it's called Blurry Dot. I guess sometimes translation is teh hardz - there are a few instances where they clash together, resulting in different names displayed in different places. :lol:
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And our mortal enemy is called Excorps. Those are some good stats...
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Or it's a Reanimator. I know it was the same guy who ported the code retranslating this, but seriously, man! Couldn't you delegate?
2015_12_06_221749.jpg

It is time for us to make a decision, Codex
What to do?
1) Continue transporting goods between the escaves. There is clearly more to this world than we know. Once we make ourselves useful to the Eleepods, they will have to reveal at least some of its secrets to us.
2) Try your luck with a tabutask or two. What's the worst that can happen? We don't want to get poor and become raffa, do we? (What is raffa, anyway?)
3) We may have faltered, but our warrior spirit is unbroken. Never give in to the sweet words of the slimy worms! We will make our own way in this world. Buy yourself a second gun and go out into the wilds once more - and do not return until you kill at least one vanger in a decent vehicle.
4) Freeform or a combination of the above. (clarify)

We can buy one nymbos to take to Incubator and one tabutask (but no more - there is not enough space), or you can buy up to 3 tabutasks. That's why the option to combine is there.

As always, you are free to ask the Counselors whatever you like.

Also, guys, do you want to hear about my escapades on the roads, or are you interested mostly in the talky stuff? This update has about 80 screenshots of me riding and killing failing to kill stuff. I am not sure how interesting that might be to read. :M
 
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Azira

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Nov 3, 2004
Messages
8,518
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
Codex 2012
Of the 80 screenshots, only a handful is loading for me..

Well, I think you should get some better weapons. Take a nymbos and a tabutask.
Then ask about;
beebs
raffa
eLeeches
cirt
Larvae
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Of the 80 screenshots, only a handful is loading for me..
Huh? Is it a temporary thing? They are quite heavy for some reason, so that might take some time.

Alternatively, can you quote a screenshot that loads and then another one that doesn't? I want to look at the differences.
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Votes locked.

Actions:
Buy a nymbos and a tabutask, drive to the Incubator.

Questions:
beebs
raffa
eLeeches
cirt
Larvae
- Who or what is beebs, Counselor?
- You are a slave to the beebs, you wheeled huckster. You'll kill anyone for the beebs! That's just your fate as a mercenary vanger.

I think he means money. :M

- Who or what is raffa, Counselor?
- You better hold your tongue, spring chicken. You'll see them soon enough - there are a lot of them up there...

Should we be worried?

- Who or what is eLeech, Counselor?
- An eLeech is a wonderful creature. You used to be an eLeech too, but not for very long.

- Who or what is cirt, Counselor?
- Cirt is all we need...

- Who or what is Larvae, Counselor?
- You are not ready for this. You are much too young for the Eternal Larvae.
I think he implies that we are out of depth here and we need to get more experience under our belt before we start tackling these topics.
 
Last edited:

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Do the screenshots load fine? I've checked them from 3 different devices and two different network - they should work alright. Nag me if they don't.

Part 3. The vicious (and indecent) cycle.
Ok, we'll play along. After buying nymbos and a strange tube named tabutask, we are left with exactly 999 vanger-dolla. We are not about to get rich any time soon, are we?
2015_12_07_135647.jpg


Ok, to the surface we go. Let's open this tube and see what's in stock for us.
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Two of Leepky's scratchers are putrid.
To cure them, ten fresh beebs are urgently needed.

Reward: 1300 Luck: 1 Cycles: 0

Ugh! And I hoped I would never have to deal with Leepky's scratchers! :|

Looks like it's a quest of some sort.

Tabutasks work like this - you buy it, you don't know what you get, you come out and get slapped with a mission. The mission is on a timer, measured in cycle changes. If you complete it in time, your Luck increases, and you can sell the tabutask in the escave you bought it from for a certain Reward value. You fail the mission, and your Luck goes down by the listed amount. If you bought it right before the cycle change... tough, buddy, but that's how we roll.

Once you are on a mission, you are obligated to complete it. Throwing the tabutask away does not excuse you from the responsibility. It is bound to you from the moment you open it. Be wary of selling it without completing it first, though, it fails the mission outright.

The time constraints are not very generous, but a veteran vanger could buy several tabutasks at once and complete them all, at least in this stage of the game. However, we chose a more cautious approach.

At least now we know for sure that money are called beebs in this game. It is good to be certain of something. By the way, can you spot a beeb on the picture below?
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The internal voice urges me to win the Eleerection at all costs. Get lost, bud, I don't even know what that is. I am more interested in the vault ahead of me and a few shiny things in it.
2015_12_07_140030.jpg

There is a Speetle system lying there, but it does not fit in my weapon slot. Still, finding a new weapon raises my Dominance by a small amount (+3, I think).

The small snot the color of a stinker are either stinker spores, or some kind of an organism. There is a lot of those down below, they seem to like moist places. They can damage you if they collide with your mechos, like on a following screenshot. It is one of the reasons you do not want to travel with your shields down.
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On my way north I catch a glimpse of a blue vehicle traversing one of the tunnels. I wonder why some vangers are of different colors. I want to repaint my mechos, too - the green is getting on my nerves!
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Looks like this path fell victim to the option to keep the landscape changes. Something went wrong, and an underground growth became permanent, blocking the passage and making me jump over. A shame. I liked this road. :(
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Everything is quiet again in the world. I have only seen two mechoses on the way here.
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Okay, now that we arrived to our destination, we have a task to do. Catch them all! There is no in-game indicator like in today's MMOs, so you have to keep the count yourself.
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Beebs in general are not solitary creatures. If you found one, keep an eye on it - chances are, its friends are somewhere nearby. Sure enough, soon I spot more of them - unfortunately, in the water, so I have to dive a little.
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They make some funny imprints in the ground when you squash them. There are three such imprints in the lower right corner.
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Soon all 10 of them are in my pocket. Huzzah! We've earned 1300 beebs - that's more than twice the amount we started with! Easy money! The description was right - tabutasks are the key to getting filthy rich! And lucky!
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If we check the shop, we will notice that our tabutask has changed colors. It sells for 1 beeb, though. Only in Podish it has some value.
2015_12_07_141045.jpg

Also, we can sell nymbos for 241 beeb. That's better than what we had before. I guess this is one of the benefits you get from a higher Dominance - the prices are adjusted in your favor.

Feenger is waiting for us inside. And he even has a story to tell us.
2015_12_07_141002.jpg

- It's now time to tell you about Eleepods' routine. You're not a rookie in Incubator anymore, and we can now trust you with an eLeech. Now listen...
- All living creatures in the Chain are subject to the laws of flesh, and every bunch has its own cycle. We're all under the thrall of the creepy
Creature Soup, and those who couldn't make their way to Larvae are now dead and no more...
- Our essence is in taking our cherished eLeeches to Podish. And here's a rough plan of our rotation; you'd better learn it, or you'll be a beggar or die somewhere in a ditch from brutal vangers or, what would be even worse, raffa...
- In the beginning is
Plump-up - that's what we call it. Some pods select a low chord, his body starts to plump (everyone gets a kick out of that). The nymbos moves and bubbles inside the chosen Eleepod, and now this pod's all nervous and uptight...
- The tension is eternal, and we are at the climax! The sound of the low chord now surges higher and higher... Whizz, bang... and silence: the chord is cut short... The ripe nymbos is now ready for delivery into Incubator, its rightful place...
- How eLeeches are born is our secret. Just wait until the new cycle of our rotation, the
Eleerection, my friend. You will be in your element in this crazy race...
- You'll take an eLeech, the jewel of the pod. Take care of him, as nature's set things up in such a way that the eLeech is defenseless and doesn't live long. You are the ones who take them back to Podish. That's why we keep you around, fitters of the roads, pilots of Fostral...
- Our rite is harsh yet sweet for you. The one who proves to be the smartest and comes to Podish with the eLeech first will be greatly rewarded and will gain our favor. The one who fails and ruins the eLeech will pay for it. The cost will be high, and you will fear us then...
- At the end is the
Gulp-down. The dapper eLeeches finally reach the bodies, which have cooled off after the Plump-up, and now are awaiting revival. The eLeeches then are taken into their cool embrace and take the pulpy gift: Eleepod flesh.
- And soon the pod will hear the newborn chord, just like the chosen one, who gave the nymbos...
- The Eleepods are the masters of Fostral. You must have seen the change of colors up there, on the ground: this is the way you see our cycle, the way we govern you. You have some knowledge now about Eleepods, and you can cater to us. Test your fate...


So, there are three cycles of Eleepod life - the Plump-up, the Eleerection, and the Gulp-down. Got it.

Sounds dirty. :roll:

But that's not all. Feenger has a proposal for us.
2015_12_07_141015.jpg

- Vanger, the Eleerection is coming up. The Eleepods are giving you the chance to participate in something holy. Do you agree to wait here until the abundant Plump-up passes and eLeeches emerge from the abyss of dreams?

The word 'passes' isn't there in the translation, distorting the meaning of the sentence.

We have two options here:
- Ok, worm, I'll wait...
- I have something more important to do.
What do we do, Codex?

Feenger's proposal - do we agree?
1) Yes, we need to win the Eleepods' favor.
2) No, we have better things to do (specify).

And also, do we buy a tabutask in the Incubator? We can't carry an eLeech and two tabutasks at once, so we'll have to throw out our tabutask from Podish and hope no one picks it up.
1) Yes, we could use more Luck, and since the cycle will change, we'll have plenty of time to do the mission, whatever it is.
2) No, it's too much to win a race and do a timed quest. You don't even know what's inside! Besides, we can't risk losing on our well-earned reward by throwing out the tabutask from Podish! What if someone steals it?

Known vocabulary:
mechos - asked Leepky (low trust)
vangers - asked Leepky (low trust)
raffa - asked Leepky (low trust)
escave - asked Feenger (low trust)
pod
bunch - asked Feenger (low trust)
bios - asked Feenger (low trust)
beebs - asked Leepky
Creature Soup

The Chain - asked Leepky (low trust)
Fostral - asked Feenger (low trust)
Glorx
Eleepods
Beeboorats - asked Leepky
Zeexen
Leepky - asked Leepky
Feenger
Podish
Incubator - asked Feenger (low trust)
Plump-up
Eleerection
Gulp-down


eLeech - asked Leepky (low trust)
Larvae - asked Leepky (low trust)
nymbos
phlegma
kusowocks
cirt - asked Leepky (low trust)
Feenger's dialogue in Russian.
Вот и настало время объяснить тебе порядок жизни элиподов. Ты в Инкубаторе не в первый раз и значит тебе мы можем наконец доверить эЛика. Внимай мне...
Все живое подчиняется законам тела и каждый банч имеет цикл свой. Над всеми нами Суп Существ довлеет, те, кто не смог найти дорогу к Куклам, поглощены давно в тиши природы, их просто нет...
Смысл элиподов в возвращении эЛиков нежных назад на Подиш. Вот примитивная картина Круга циклов - заучи ее, колесник, иначе обречен ты быть бродягой нищим и подохнуть где-нибудь в канаве от прытких вангеров или, что хуже, раффа...
Итак, мы зовем начало Жирогон. Часть стручков выбирает низкую струну и это тело начинает набухать - наслаждение для всех. Нимбос шевелится и клокочет внутри избранника и здесь тревога входит в поле этого стручка...
Напряжение длится вечность - мы в экстазе! Низкая струна в последний раз звучит все громче, визг, напор... - и сразу тишина, обрыв его струны... Зрелый нимбос готов к отправке в Инкубатор - только там он нужен...
Процесс явления эЛиков - тайна элиподов. Твоя задача лишь дождаться начала новой фазы Круга циклов - Элирекции, дружок. Это твоя стихия - суетная гонка...
Ты получаешь эЛика - сокровище стручка, береги его. Природа распорядилась с нами так, что эЛик беззащитен и живет совсем недолго. Для его доставки мы и содержим вас, механиков дорог, знатоков путей Фострала...
Наш ритуал для вас суров и сладок - тот, кто окажется проворней всех и первым привезет эЛика в Подиш, будет щедро награжден и получит благосклонность элиподов. Но горе вангеру, что не уберег эЛика, слабую струну... Его ждет жесткая расплата. Бойся нас тогда...
Чавка заключает цикл наш. Бодрые эЛики достигают наконец уже остывших после Жирогона тел, ждущих возобновления себя. эЛики входят в их холодный плен и принимают сочный дар - элипода мякоть...
Вскоре ж весь стручок услышит вновь возникшую струну - почти такую, как былой избранник, давший нимбос...
Элиподы - хозяева Фострала. Ты наверняка уже заметил смену цвета наверху - это и есть наш цикл в твоих глазах, каждый вангер в нашей власти... Теперь ты знаешь кое-что об элиподах и можешь угодить нам... Испытай судьбу...
 
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