001. dotHACK//GUIDE

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This thread will contain all the basic, needed information for any who may not be already privy to the series. It contains the general terminology and different types of aspects in the game, and may be added on to over time.

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PLAYER CHARACTERS

Player characters in The World are any and all instances within the game that are controlled by real people through a terminal or virtual headset! A player character is the physical representation of the user, their avatar, as they move themselves through The World and all of its many adventures just waiting to be embarked on. Player characters differentiate themselves from non-player characters and monsters within the world because they can equip different assortments of weapons and armor while non-player characters don't contain the item data for their appearance or their attacks.

A few other items that make player characters unique is that they are the only instances within The World that can fully interact with other player characters, use the Chaos Gates and have a class; non-player characters and monsters within the righteous boundaries of the game cannot.

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Every server within The World has a root town, the root town is the central hub of that server where players are sent to immediately upon entering a server. In root towns players can buy, sell and trade items; form parties with other player character and do anything else that doesn't involve combat of some kind! Root towns are peaceful places for players to collaborate and form parties, prepare for the next big raid, or just hang out and shoot the breeze with some friends!

There are five different root towns within The World:

• Mac Anu (Delta Server)
  
• Dun Loireag (Theta Server)
  
• Carmina Gadelica (Lambda Server)
  
• Fort Ouph (Sigma Server)
  
• Lia Fail (Omega Server)
  

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Chaos gates are found within the root towns of The World, they act as the transportation required to enter the different fields that are within the different servers of The World. It is sad that the Chaos Gates keep monsters from coming within the boundaries of the root town to cause mayhem and destruction, but there have been a few rumors that have stated that a few monsters have moved through the gates and into the towns themselves to attack unready players indiscriminately.

The fields of The World all contain three keywords, upon interacting with a Chaos Gate the user is given a list of words to choose from at random. Inputting three different words sets the parameters for a field, and immediately after will the player character be transported into the field. It is this reason why there are many unique and different locations within The World, the keyword system generating new fields constantly while occasionally rediscovering lost creations from times long since past. For the users convenience, there is a history and a favorites section for easy access to places that were once visited.

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The act of player killing is when one player character murders another player character, this can occur anywhere outside of a safe zone environment. Players who kill other players are called Player Killers (PKers), while players who kill players who kill other players are called Player Player Killers (PKKers).

While player killing is frowned upon by the powers that be, the only aid they assist in fighting against player killers is offering safe zone environments for players to feel at ease in. There are some players, the player player killers, who take it upon themselves to protect those less fortunate and form groups to combat the psychopaths that would normally run rampant within the confines of The World. The powers that be support groups like this, but nothing is known if they assist such groups with special items or armor, or anything at all. The World is player-governed, it is as it has been and how it will always continue to be.