SBURB/SGRUB Walthrough

Introductions

I'll get to the point here and say what needs to be said: If you give the slightest damn about your planet, and it is not currently being ripped apart or bombarded with asteroids, do not play this game!

At the very least, print this walkthrough out, and store it somewhere safe so you can access it when you need it.

The point of this walkthrough is so that if such an event happens, and you get your hands/claws/pincers/etc on a copy or download of the SBURB or SGRUB Beta, you have an idea as to what to do. Now, first things first, getting into the Medium.

Getting Into The Medium

Step #1: After downloading the client application, make sure to prepare an object for your first prototyping. This can be just about anything, from a doll to a dead relative to an alternate timeline version of yourself. However, it is highly recommended that for the first prototyping, you choose something relatively weak, like a mundane pet or a stuffed animal. That way the enemies, and by extension the final bosses, will be easier to beat.

Step #2: When your server player downloads the server application, have them deploy the Cruxtruder. Then, have your server drop something heavy on top of the Cruxtruder's lid to release the Kernelsprite and start the countdown. The countdown shows how much time you have until a meteor crashes onto your current location, or some other dangerous thing happens, which basically makes the game go FUBAR if you don't hurry.

Step #3: Toss the chosen item into the Kernelsprite, and make sure your server player deploys the Totem Lathe and the Alchemiter. Then have them deploy the Pre-Punched Card.

Step #4: Grab a piece of Cruxite from the Cruxtruder and take it to the Totem Lathe. Insert the Cruxite into the space below the carving part of the Lathe, and insert the Pre-Punched Card into the slot. When the Totem is carved, take it immediately to the Alchemiter and activate it.

Step #5: The game has a habit of intentionally messing with you at this point, so don't dilly dally. A sort of construct, anything from a bird to a wine cabinet, will deploy something of which you must destroy or utilize. This object's destruction/use will bring you into the Medium.

Building Up & Personal Quests

One of the key goals for a server player is to build up the client's house, so that they may access the seven gates. However, in order to do so, the client must acquire Build Grist. In order to do that, the client must kill Imps and various other monsters, as well as go through the quest the game designed specifically for them. The quests, from what I have discovered, are more to help the player grow as a person than to beat the game.

These quests also eventually have the client face their Denizen, a sort of Boss for the game. They guard a massive hoard of treasure, and are extremely powerful. They also correspond with the client's Aspect, which is part of the mythological role they are to master over the course of their personal quest. I will cover more on Mythological Roles later on.

Anyways, the second through sixth gates are, from what I have seen, meant to take you to the other worlds in your session. The first takes you to another part of your world, where you can presumably have an easier time meeting your Consorts, the funny little creatures that may help or hinder you on your quest depending on how you treat them.

Do remember to be careful around your Consorts. There have been cases where a player had the idea that this is a First-Person Shooter instead of a Sims/RPG Hybrid, and it made his time there a living hell. The creatures are not hostile unless you begin killing them, and if they act violent to you first, that's probably just their idea of being friendly.

The seventh gate takes you straight to your Denizen. Yeah, the last time someone decided to Alchemize a rocket-pack and zip immediately to that gate, they wound up with a very doomed timeline. And he also wound up very DEAD.

The Machines

There are a variety of machines the game has available for the server player to deploy into the client's environment, through the Phernalia Registry. The ones underlined are the only ones completely necessary for the game, and the italicized ones cost actual Grist to build.

Cruxtruder: A sort of device that releases the Kernelsprite and reveals how much time the play has left before the area they're in gets destroyed. After the player enters the Medium, the Cruxtruder will provide the player with Cruxite Dowels, which are utilized by the Totem Lathe.

Totem Lathe: A device that carves Cruxite into Totems when a punched card is put in its slot. It is entirely possible to place two cards in at the same time to try and combine the items, but this can be a very trial and error process unless you understand coding.

Alchemiter: A platform-like device used to alchemize objects into existence, at the cost of Grist. It can be upgraded to fulfill more, but it will cost some Grist. To activate it, you must place a Totem onto the smaller platform, and let it scan. I would highly recommend some practice with the device and its functions, but I advise you to be careful and try not to expend too much Grist.

Pre-Punched Card: Not necessarily a machine, but deployable in the same manner as the others. This is required to get you into the Medium, and also helps you learn how to use the aforementioned Totem Lathe and Alchemiter.

Punch Designix: The device that punches codes into Sylladex cards. Do be careful around it, though. Punching a card with the item still inside more or less destroys the item and renders the card unusable. The codes you need to punch in are on the back of the Sylladex card.

Jumper Block Extension: This allows the Alchemiter to be upgraded(or downgraded) with the properties of whatever punched card is placed within. This is done by putting the card in the Punch Card Shunt, and then placing it onto the Jumper Block Extension. I highly suggest doing this with a Holopad, a Punch Designix, another Jumper Block Extention(saves space), an Enlarger(like the magnifying glass on a telescope), and a Totem Lathe.

Holopad: Not entirely sure what this does, to be honest. I can only assume that this projects holograms, and functions purely to upgrade the Alchemiter. Feel free to experiment, though.

Gristtorrent CD: Just a CD that comes with the Grist Torrent application. This allows you to give and take grist to and from your fellow players, as well as store any extra that may have overflowed your grist limit.

Intellibeam Laserstation: A sort of microscope to help you see codes on the back of Sylladex cards. Some codes are impossible to see, like the ones for the client and server CDs, but this device is handy for getting a better look. However, there doesn't seem to be a code for pumpkins.

Pre-Game Preparations

Now that we got some of the more important beginner's stuff up and out of the way, I might as well give you some pointers if you're reading this before the game starts/The Reckoning begins.

1. If you are human, ask your parents if you were adopted.

Most players are kind of pre-destined to play this game, and even born from it through Ectobiology. As such, if you were honest to god born from an actual womb or egg, you probably aren't going to survive the session. It's straight up part of the game; I'll explain it in another chapter.

2. Prepare for possible funeral arrangements for any extraneous loved ones.

The only people who actually survive the game, in most accounts, are the players and the most badass of family. As such, pretty much everyone else is likely going to die. However, it is possible for people to avoid the asteroids during the Reckoning, and if they know their way around the desert, they should be relatively safe. If you suspect a session happening within the year, ask anyone you doubt are going to enter to set up a bunker with a lot of supplies.

3. Get some combat training in.

You're going to need to learn how to fight, with and without weapons. You will need to allocate some kind of weapon to your Strife Specibus, which can be just about anything. However, when you put something into a blank Strife Specibus, you can't use it for anything besides the thing you already have in there. Thankfully, though, there is a shit ton of variety when it comes to Strife Specibi.

4. If someone is messing with you over a chat client like Pesterchum or Trollian, there are chances that they might be aliens from another session contacting you.

If you are human, keep a close eye out for a typing quirk(like replacing letters with numbers or symbols) and an exaggerated importance to typing color. If you're a troll, keep an eye out for overly bright typing colors with seemingly no importance or quirk. Let it be known that there may be more alien species out there playing this game, so it would be best to keep an open mind. I will explain both to eachother at another time.

Normally, when an alien is contacting you, it may mean that either your session is tied to theirs, or they're the ones who made your universe through the game. If they're being dicks about it, keep your head and ask them to either leave or tell you what you did to piss them off. If they don't stop, try outsmarting them and confusing them until they decide to block you.

If you are the ones contacting the aliens, please don't be an asshole about it. Most intersession fuck-ups are caused by accident, and in a lot of cases, caused by the people who contact the aliens in the first place. If you want to try and help them, be straight-forward about it, and if they doubt your sincerity, send them a picture or video of yourself as proof.

5. Clear out enough space to allow the devices to be deployed.

These things are huge, and you don't want a mess being made of your house. If you don't you don't want to waste grist expanding any rooms you have.