[D'sP] Fluid Instancing - Chapter 356 (Patreon)

Doyle sighs, ‘Whoever developed the system, at least going by what I have experienced so far, feel like the type to look down from on high and judge things by the greater good without caring what it takes to get there.’

Ally shrugs, ‘A common viewpoint even among the more kindly higher life forms.’

Doyle tilts to the side, ‘Higher life forms? What does that mean?’

Ally, ‘Eh, it isn’t a specific term, but basically just counts everything above a certain level of power. Stuff like dungeons, fae queens, deities, and True Immortals. Now how about you put your points into the path so we can see what it does? Our near future goals likely will revolve around how it works.’

Doyle nods, ‘Fair enough. [Let’s put 100 points into Fluid Instancing.]’

{100 points applied to the Fluid Instancing path...

5/100 - Adjusting your dungeon’s spatial make-up to increase the number of instances by 3

Processing...}

Doyle, ‘Why did it stop?’

Ally shrugs, ‘Whatever the case, even three extra instances is useful.’

Then Doyle’s core shudders and sounds of crackling can barely be heard.

Doyle, ‘Ahiehah! Whahaat is that? Oh, my core! It feels like ants are crawling around in it!’

Ally speeds out of her room and into the core room proper to take a look. Though nothing stands out to her. ‘Well, your health isn’t going down? I guess when it said it was changing your spatial make-up, that meant changing your core’s inner structure?’

Doyle, ‘Guh, I, I feel like how my, my dungeon is shifting. Like looking at something through a wavy piece of glass. Nothing is actually changing, but something fundamental is being altered.’

Ally nods, ‘I am going out on a limb, but I suspect how your dungeon is constructed on a fundamental level is based on your core’s physical structure.’

Doyle shudders, ‘That makes sense, but oooh, it feels, eugh. Though it seems to be stopping now?’

Ally, ‘Well, that’s good. Except I suspect that’, but before she can finish her sentence the blue screen updates.

{Processing Complete

10/100 - Empty unneeded instances now shunt unbeaten monsters into new instances of that floor, Adjusting your dungeon’s spatial make-up to increase the number of instances by 3

Processing...}

Doyle, ‘Arglbargle, guh, it’s back!’

Ally nods, ‘I suspect you’re going to have a very unpleasant time for a bit. But look on the bright side! It looks like you might net an extra 60 instances. That is, if it keeps giving you three more every five points.’

Doyle, ‘Yeah, that’s nice, but I’d rather not! Also, just adding more instances isn’t exactly what I’d refer to as fluid.’

Ally shrugs, ‘No, but being able to move unused monsters into any new instances does. Also, a fluid only acts that way when you have enough of the fluid.’

Doyle, ‘At least I get breaks between changes. Wait, how long did the first instance last? This feels longer?’

Ally grimaces, ‘Well, it is changing your base structure and the first change will be easiest. It might just end up taking longer each time.’

{Processing Complete

15/100 - Adjusting your dungeon’s spatial make-up to increase the number of instances by 3

Processing...}

Doyle, ‘It definitely took longer!’

Ally shrugs, ‘Well, I guess you’re just going to suffer for a bit longer? Is there anything I can do?’

Doyle, ‘I need to just meditate or something. That or read something. Keep my mind off of it. I basically tanked through the pain after having my wisdom teeth removed by hitting up the library every other day. But, blarg, this isn’t pain. If anything, the fact it isn’t pain makes it worse.’

Ally nods, ‘Okay, I’ll let you deal with this. If you need me, you know where I’ll be. Good luck!’

And after that, Doyle ended up suffering through a little over three entire days, each additional trio of instances taking more and more time to finish being processed.

{20/100 - Unneeded instances return more of the world energy used to construct them, Adjusting your dungeon’s spatial make-up to increase the number of instances by 3

25/100 - Adjusting your dungeon’s spatial make-up to increase the number of instances by 3

30/100 - It is now possible to make variant floor instances, Adjusting your dungeon’s spatial make-up to increase the number of instances by 3

35/100 - Adjusting your dungeon’s spatial make-up to increase the number of instances by 3

40/100 - Boss floors can be set to never use the base floor when an instance is applied to it, Adjusting your dungeon’s spatial make-up to increase the number of instances by 3

45/100 - Adjusting your dungeon’s spatial make-up to increase the number of instances by 3

50/100 - Floors can now be partially instanced, Adjusting your dungeon’s spatial make-up to increase the number of instances by 3

55/100 - Adjusting your dungeon’s spatial make-up to increase the number of instances by 3

60/100 - Adjusting your dungeon’s spatial make-up to increase the number of instances by 3

65/100 - Instanced waiting rooms now available to make higher tier bosses easier for delvers to gather raid groups for, Adjusting your dungeon’s spatial make-up to increase the number of instances by 3

70/100 - Adjusting your dungeon’s spatial make-up to increase the number of instances by 3

75/100 - Adjusting your dungeon’s spatial make-up to increase the number of instances by 3

80/100 - Variable party size restrictions for instances now available, Adjusting your dungeon’s spatial make-up to increase the number of instances by 3

85/100 - Adjusting your dungeon’s spatial make-up to increase the number of instances by 3

90/100 - Adjusting your dungeon’s spatial make-up to increase the number of instances by 3

95/100 - Adjusting your dungeon’s spatial make-up to increase the number of instances by 3

100/100 - Path Complete, Now instead of instances being assigned to specific floors they are now dynamically assigned as needed, Limits on how many instances a floor may have at one time can now be placed, Adjusting your dungeon’s spatial make-up to increase the number of instances by 3}

Ally pops in after Doyle recovers and takes a look at the finished path info, then whistles. ‘Well, that solves everything! Sure, an extra 60 instances by themselves probably would have anyway, but dynamic instancing is just as good, if not better.’

Doyle groans, ‘Blarg, why did that feel that way when in the past any new instances didn’t do anything?’

Ally shrugged, ‘You gained them for having your dungeon stabilize. That isn’t some inherent change to your core. Rather, it came along naturally with your growth. If anything, I bet the core changes you just went through might have the hidden benefit of increasing the number of instances you get in the future. It’s not really a set in stone number to begin with, anyway.’

Doyle shakes his core, ‘I doubt I’m that lucky. This path already gave me quite a bit to work with. Though speaking of which, [limit floor three to not have any instances and have the fifth floor only use instances.]’

Ally raises an eyebrow, ‘Why bother limiting floor three? You’ve already limited the ore to begin with. Also, are you sure about the boss floor option? It will make the floor a ton tougher while removing basically most of the uniqueness from the kobold boss’s path. The whole point was the boss could have subordinates who retain their memory. While doing that just means they all retain everything since only instances of themselves die and not the originals.’

Doyle, ‘Eh, I like the experience floor three provides right now. Of course, I could use the partial instancing option to have everything but the ore veins be instanced, but I didn’t want to. As for the kobold boss? I must admit, I’ve been neglecting her. It has been a while since I’ve done more than do a quick check in with her.

‘At least this way, she can keep the rest of her crew. Though it does mean that the farm on the floor is a bit useless? Eh, maybe I’ll go back and change that later. Also, it seems instancing in that fashion removes the need for automating the floor? Though in doing so, it also removes the benefit the farms provide as it doesn’t draw on that, rather copying everything over.’

Ally, ‘I feel the benefits this provides a boss floor, at least one that has more monsters than just the boss, far outweighs the extra cost.’

Doyle tilts to the side, ‘Eh, no matter how much they can remember, they’re limited by their very nature so it doesn’t matter too much. More interesting is that this basically guarantees that every monster on the affected boss floors will eventually become real enough that they can leave the dungeon.

‘As far as I can tell, that should mean they could grow outside of combat. Maybe not levels or anything, the floor still limits them, but personal growth. Which even with them not being sapient, should give the regular kobolds more of their own personality beyond the basic role based stuff they have right now.’

Ally sighs, ‘We’re honestly lucky that dungeon monsters have a different sense of time or your bosses would be feeling quite neglected. Have you even talked to the myconid boss?’

Doyle tilts back, ‘Eh, they’re always pretty focused on ordering their minions around. Plus, I must admit, their minds are different from what I’m used to, which makes it daunting. And, well, I saw that and haven’t tried yet.’

Ally sighs, ‘We will have to figure something out with them and the ant boss. Or not. Like I said, we’re lucky they’re dungeon monsters. While they can grow and develop as people, since they are, unless someone socializes with them they’re pretty stagnant. If only because of all the time speed up shenanigans that can happen.’

Doyle, ‘That doesn’t feel right? But at the same time, we don’t even talk all that much. It’s never really been my thing. I have always been more of the type to sit with someone silently over yacking people’s ears off. Not that I can’t, just that it isn’t my default.’

Ally, ‘Whatever the case, we’ll handle it as it comes up. For now, we can just be happy that your new path did what we needed it to. Others might have worked, but just the dynamic instancing alone is worth it. Hell, just the extra instances would have been enough.’

Doyle nods, ‘I won’t say that it came around at the perfect time, that was a few weeks ago. But it certainly did the job. The town would have to grow by quite a bit for crowding to become a problem again.’

Ally shakes her head, ‘Oh, it’ll still end up a problem. We’ve just pushed things down the way a bit. Only dungeons that break a thousand floors or the equivalent tend to be truly free of the problem. Induced demand works on dungeons just as much as it does roads.

‘You have more space, so more people will enter. I wouldn’t be surprised if they end up setting up a divider down the center of the tunnel to your entrance. That way, people leaving don’t get in the way of others entering.’

Doyle sighs, ‘If anything, all those teams that farm the sixth floor are going to rush in as quickly as they can. There certainly aren’t 80 of them, but they kept what we had before busy and then some.’

Ally nods, ‘And when word gets out that you can fit more teams? Those that left because of the wait will flock back. Your sixth floor represents something worth more than gold to them. Food.’

Doyle, ‘Not that the gold hurts, that’s for sure. Though now that this mess is over, I should really figure out what to carve for the 15th floor. I think I still need to do that? I’ve been sidetracked for a good long while if I do and can’t remember.’

Ally shrugs, ‘Just go take a look. Either here are carvings or there aren’t. Though going by how hard Ace and company were delving, you certainly have enough of the specially sourced world energy to go straight into making the next floor.

‘At first I felt that the needed amount was growing too fast, but that definitely isn’t the case anymore. I guess that was inevitable with any flat growth pattern.’

Limited Paths - Chapter 355

They Have Parchment - Chapter 357