Dothackers: Are you out there?

[QueenCripple]

I don't know what first got me into .hack// to start with, probably picked it up from a used GameStop bin, honestly... but I swear it completely rewired my brain as a teenager in the 2000s.

I am 34 years old now and still, the storyline, the characters, the glitchy aesthetics, the gatehacking, the Liminality discs with hidden dungeon codes, even that ridiculous (what was it, like like eight-person?) trading puzzle… it all hit me in a way few games ever have, and I still think about it today. Heck, I want a Grunty Tattoo, still!

I can remember buying the full collector's edition with my first paychecks, and freaking out excitedly in .hack//Quarantine when unlocking the Hacker’s Area as a town space blew my mind. The anime was also huge for me, Maha in .hack//SIGN has always been one of those characters that just lived in my head rent-free, even after years of not watching it.

Unfortunately, in all of my life, I somehow have had the misfortune of never meeting another singular person into the franchise! I just want to know if anyone is out there. If .hack meant something to you too—if you remember piecing together dungeon keywords from anime scenes, or if you still chase that liminal, backroom-feeling in other media—reply. I want to playthrough again, but I want to reminisce with others as I do.

 

[FinePoint]

There are three people listed as supporters for the verse, but only one on this forum.
I happen to know them, neat. I'll ping them for you.

@Mr. Bambu

 

[FinePoint]

And if you're serious about getting involved and fixing the verse, everything you need to get started is on the Welcome Message.

You have a lot of required reading, lol.

 

[QueenCripple]

And if you're serious about getting involved and fixing the verse, everything you need to get started is on the Welcome Message.

You have a lot of required reading, lol.

I didn't buy the entire 7-game series on Steam just to never play it again! I will absolutely look into all of this. I am already reading, thank you so much.

 

[QueenCripple]

It looks like I will need to do a good amount of work to even start, based on the Content Revision Guidelines.

First priority I have, is fixing the very first homepage, as having all of the .hack and the .hack//G.U. characters and lore mixed together is such a no-go. Need to separate the two. The first four games and last three games have entirely different casts, and even different game functions. Why would we want to cram them together?

Can refer to them as Dothack Gen 1 and Dothack Gen 2 for simplicity. The names of each game are already long enough, just do the easiest, simplest, most logical method. Part of the issue with even discussing it is the damn name to begin with. .hack// and .hack//G.U. is not very search-friendly. That's why I will propose the simplified name.

So really I am proposing rebuilding this from the ground up, it feels like. I have finished installing the entire series, but I have to read so much more and learn how all of this works before I can do anything, lol. I am rather excited, though!

 

[Mr. Bambu]

It has been eons since I played, only ever played .hack//infection on PS2 as a little kid. I wouldn't consider myself particularly knowledgeable as a result. Game was cool though, I remember the quasi-MMO thing it tried to set up, and the dungeon generator that involved mixing adjectives together to open a portal or something like that? Really ******* cool for the time.

If the hope is to un-suck the profiles (I have no idea how accurate they are), ig I'd be open to consistently evaluate CRTs for the subject, but don't expect a great deal of intimate knowledge of terms/characters/etc.

 

[FinePoint]

If the hope is to un-suck the profiles (I have no idea how accurate they are), ig I'd be open to consistently evaluate CRTs for the subject, but don't expect a great deal of intimate knowledge of terms/characters/etc.

Then with the two of us together, and Queen's passion and knowledge to actually do the hard work, it should be very doable.

When we get around to actually making threads, I'll be sure to ping you in them.

 

[Mr. Bambu]

Horrible, duly noted.

 

[QueenCripple]

It has been eons since I played, only ever played .hack//infection on PS2 as a little kid. I wouldn't consider myself particularly knowledgeable as a result. Game was cool though, I remember the quasi-MMO thing it tried to set up, and the dungeon generator that involved mixing adjectives together to open a portal or something like that? Really ******* cool for the time.

If the hope is to un-suck the profiles (I have no idea how accurate they are), ig I'd be open to consistently evaluate CRTs for the subject, but don't expect a great deal of intimate knowledge of terms/characters/etc.

What you described is Gatehacking with the Twilight Bracelet, which you can use to Data Drain monsters to get their Virus Cores. Virus cores are necessary for entering Corrupted Dungeons.

Don't worry, i'm the one with the intimate knowledge and the full game series ready to be replayed to gather minute details. I will request assistance as needed, and you won't be horrifically rushed and overloaded. I will be taking my time, enjoying my gaming as I go. I simply wish to, as you said, un-suck the profiles. Which are... terribly inaccurate, haha.

Only 2 of Morganna's 8 phases are listed, Morganna herself is not there, Kite from Gen 1 is shown prominently but surrounded also by Haseo (Gen 2) and all of the Gen 2 characters. It looks to me as though specific requests were made and filled, but there was never a project to build up the fandom to start with.

 

[FinePoint]

Horrible, duly noted.

Should we apply an outdated template in the meantime, or...?

 

[Mr. Bambu]

yer

 

[FinePoint]

yer

Can you do it?

I'm just a lowly Thread Moderator... I can't be trusted with the profiles.

 

[Mr. Bambu]

Can you do it?

ner

 

[FinePoint]

ner

@LephyrTheRevanchist @Catzlaflame

 

[QueenCripple]

Jesus Christ, this is a fever dream when I type it out. I don't know much about power levels, but will learn. I'm trying to think of the power levels of the Phases of Morganna, Morganna herself, Aura, and the player. (Phases of Morganna: Skeith, Innis, Magus, Fidchell, Gorre, Macha, Tarvos, Corbenik. I will need to replay to remember all of their specific powers.)

So, the premise of the gameplay in The World, not diving fully into every aspect of the game yet, is you (as Kite) have to play dungeons to find corrupted monsters to get Virus Cores, which you use to Gatehack into corrupted dungeons to fight the phases of Morganna.

Spoiler: Plot Details

Morganna is both a virus and the "mother" of Aura, who is supposed to become this "perfect ai". Obviously, Morganna doesn't like that or want it, so she sends the "wave" at you, which are the Phases I have listed above- and they're all basically computer viruses, with a twist. That's why Aura gave Kite the Twilight Bracelet to Gatehack, so he could kill her virus-mother, before she and her wave kill people in the real world while trapping them in The World, by doing their own version of Data Drain.

So, in this case, the virtual world is the real world, and reality is basically an afterthought. 95% of everything to do with the games is in The World. You have a fake desktop and mail that you can check, but that's about it. You are immersed.

 

[FinePoint]

So, in this case, the virtual world is the real world, and reality is basically an afterthought. 95% of everything to do with the games is in The World. You have a fake desktop and mail that you can check, but that's about it. You are immersed.

If they view it as fiction, but don't consequently have any control over it, then the baseline for qualitative superiority is probably appropriate for characters from the real world (Low 2-C).

If there's many spacetime continuum in the simulation, then higher into Tier 2 would be appropriate.

If you can prove that the simulation also contains a complete time axis, it could be Low 1-C.

If you can prove the simulation has infinite dimensions, it would be like 1-A.

 

[QueenCripple]

If they view it as fiction, but don't consequently have any control over it, then the baseline for qualitative superiority is probably appropriate for characters from the real world (Low 2-C).

If there's many spacetime continuum in the simulation, then higher into Tier 2 would be appropriate.

If you can prove that the simulation also contains a complete time axis, it could be Low 1-C.

If you can prove the simulation has infinite dimensions, it would be like 1-A.

The simulation does have a finite amount of dimensions, as you have a limited amount of keywords you can combine to make dungeons. However, it is a massive amount of options. I would need more understanding of "complete time axis", as I do not know that terminology.

So player (Kite) and the NPCs who are meant to be other "real people" also playing would be 2-C.

The actual NPC NPCs (shopkeepers and the like) who are literally computer programmed to do only what they are meant to would be "Tier 11: Infinitesimal" I assume, as they literally have no power to do anything at all, primarily serving as shopkeepers or save spots, and could just as easily be replaced with a button.

Neutral Mobs and Monsters vary a lot and would need to tracked individually.

The Phases would need to be looked at for specifics with their powers, but it seems 1-A can be assumed as they do not simply harm the in-game character, but are canonically meant to actually affect the living person in their real world, reaching outside of the simulation by proxy.

Morganna would need to be up there as well as she created the Wave, and Aura is more or less trapped, but still managed to pull the player character out of the game boundaries and into liminal spaces that she created with her mind, giving him the bracelet that lets him gatehack. I believe this part of the process will be the most tedious, as it is easy enough to use a combination of online sources and replaying the franchise in order to collect the information needed to know about the characters and plot, the power levels are a concept I never looked at before now, really.

Edit- Kite would need to have his power level adjusted after receiving the bracelet as well, no? I would need a power level with and without.

 

[LephyrTheRevanchist]

@LephyrTheRevanchist @Catzlaflame

What are the profiles?

 

[QueenCripple]

What are the profiles?

I am hoping to basically rebuild the Dothack information. There is very little, I wrote more with these posts- #9, and #17.

 

[LephyrTheRevanchist]

I am hoping to basically rebuild the Dothack information. There is very little, I wrote more with this post- #9 here.

No no, I mean which profiles need the template applied.

 

[FinePoint]

No no, I mean which profiles need the template applied.

All of the ones on this this verge page.

 

[LephyrTheRevanchist]

Done

 

[FinePoint]

Done

Thank you very much.

 

[FinePoint]

The actual NPC NPCs (shopkeepers and the like) who are literally computer programmed to do only what they are meant to would be "Tier 11: Infinitesimal" I assume, as they literally have no power to do anything at all, primarily serving as shopkeepers or save spots, and could just as easily be replaced with a button.

If they're that insignificant we'd just not list them, though I doubt they'd be Tier 11 if we did, since they're presumably on a similar ontological level as everything else in the game.

 

[QueenCripple]

If they're that insignificant we'd just not list them, though I doubt they'd be Tier 11 if we did, since they're presumably on a similar ontological level as everything else in the game.

The only reason I would want to include them is because I have a vague memory of a shopkeeper becoming an administrator and sending messages. They can be used by Morganna. They just are powerless themselves. They'll be mentioned for lore, is all. Could have more of a footnote about them, rather than a whole page.

 

[QueenCripple]

I will need to start with the G.U. series, unfortunately. I was under the impression the collection I bought included Gen 1. It does not. Now if I want to play through the games again in order to verify all information for myself as opposed to using already existing online sources, it will be several hundred dollars to obtain the games again, and hopefully my PS2 is still okay in storage.

Obviously it is possible to do the work that way, but I want to obtain the games again, anyway. This simply impacts which Generation i'm starting with.

 

[QueenCripple]

Terminology

Player Character: Individuals such as Haseo and those he may obtain a Member Address from. These individuals are meant to be the "real life" people that Haseo interacts with on a daily basis.
Member Address: The mechanism by which Haseo and other Player Characters are able to exchange contact information. With this it is possible to send messages and form parties.
NPC: These individuals may be in cutscenes and are also meant to represent "real life" people that Haseo and his party may interact with, however you are not able to obtain their Member Address.
TNPC (True NPC): What one would usually think of regarding an NPC. Shopkeepers, the save slot, and normal dungeon monsters would all fit in this category.

Root Town: This is the area where Player Characters log in. It contains shops, save spots, other people, and most importantly the Chaos Gate.
Chaos Gate: This is the mechanism which allows Player Characters to transport to different Areas using a keyword combination.
Areas: After going through the Chaos Gate, you will arrive in an Area most often containing a Fields area with Dungeons inside. Other types of Areas may exist.
Fields: An outdoor Area which may contain monsters and a Dungeon, or a Beast Statue.
Dungeon: An indoor Area which is generally comprised of multiple floors, explored in order to obtain loot, potentially including a boss battle and treasure.

Side terminology: Symbol Fragments, combined into Judge's Fragment; Judge's Fragment, used to open door to Beast Statue; Beast Statue, gameworld God that protects unique treasure on a field; PKer, Player-Killer; PKKer, Player-Killer Killer.

---

I am trying very hard not to note every term in the game, focusing on that which is important for understanding the lore which impacts power levels of the characters and monsters. There are other resources out there i'll likely utilize to help me with some of the information on Player Characters.

 

[QueenCripple]

Both of y'all liked it, but neither saw/mentioned that I wrote "look" instead of "loot". Smdh.

Anyway... I am recording a lot of data in Discord. Not all relevant. Will be aggregating that which is relevant here for further use. Taking screenshots and screen recordings as well.

Off the topic of making this information, and simply enjoying the games... Ahhh, very satisfying to get into it. The nostalgia is strong.