Quick Newbie FAQ

This is a quick and easy collection of Frequently Asked Questions that should give newcomers a good idea of what's going on and what to do. STILL A WIP

Didn't find something here? Lacking in depth? You may want to check the Newbie Guide 2017!

Game basics and communication

Question	Answer
What's the gist of the story?	The nanite apocalypse happened on February 11, 2008. Every underage person died. A lot of people died. Nearly everyone got infected with the Promethean nanites, which were programmed to transform people into a variety of mutant forms. Most civilization went to shit and two big corporations, plus a group cult of sorts, are trying to make things work. Sorta.
How do I start the game?	Download a client like PotatoMU (Windows, Linux and Mac), Mudlet (Windows, Linux and Mac) or MUSHClient and create a new connection to flexiblesurvival.com, port 2000 or 2222.
Can I meet people without logging into the MUSH part of the game? Can I roleplay with someone without being in the MUSH?	The short answer is no. You can interact with the chat from the website, but the actual game takes place within the Direct Control, which is the same as connecting with a MU* client.
Where are people?	People can be in any of the game's many rooms. Perhaps the most common place people hang out at is Zephyr Lobby.
How can I talk to people in a room?	You can use the ooc command, like this: ooc Hello people! - The message will show for everyone in the room.
How do I talk in a channel?	Use the channel name as a command, so to speak, like this: newbie Hello, I'm in Newbie Channel! - pub Hello, I'm in Public channel!
What channels are there? What is each for?	The channels you're most likely to use are Public, for public chat; Newbie, for most questions while starting out; Pickup, to post roleplay ads and calls; Auction, to buy and sell stuff.
Can I turn off a channel?	Yes! Just type the channel name followed by #off: pub #off or newb #off. To turn it back on, just use #on instead.
Is there a list of commands somewhere?	There is a wiki page with a ton of them, check it out!
How do I send a private message to another player?	With the page command, or just p. p playername=Here's the message!
Can I set private messages to a different color?	Yes, with the p #color command! p #color cyan will set them to cyan (light blue).
How do I send someone an item? How do I trade stuff?	Using the give command. There's no "Cash on Delivery", so to speak, so everything will depend on word of honor. To send something, give 3 to playername, where 3 is the item number shown in the inventory. If you want to send money, give 500 creds to playername, where 500 is the quantity. Other things you can send are Mako, Tokens, Builder Nanites and salvage.
What is Upkeep/Resources?	This is something that limits the number of items you can have equipped. Your start out with 10 and can increase it to 100, by expending experience points. The button to increase resources only appears if you have enough exp to train at least once, which should be around 23 to raise from 10 to 11.
What it means IN DEBT?	This means you are using too much equipped gear, going past your maximum upkeep. Equipped items simply won't work while you are like this. Train your resources. If you're lacking experience, unequip some items and the message should go away.
What are Patrol Points?	These are an 'energy meter' of sorts. They limit how much you can fight or work mechanically in game. You can still roleplay without using patrol points and still be rewarded.

Character Creation

Question	Answer
How do I create a character?	You can create one from the login screen in the web site, or connect directly to the game, using the name you want for your character. It's easier to use the web interface.
Why can't I use name XXX?	Because there is already another character with that name. Depending on how long it's been since said character has been online, you can ask a staffer to get that name for yourself
What are flaws? Should I take or avoid one?	Flaws are perks that come with bad side effects. For a beginner, it's not recommended to pick flaws like All Natural, which forces you to rely on crafted gear, or Alien Self, which blocks your ability to upgrade powers yourself.
There are too many perks! Which ones should I pick?	That really depends on what you want! For instance, if you want to always have a cock and balls, get the Always Male perk. If you also don't want to ever grow a vagina or breasts, get the Male Preferred instead. If you want your genitals to grow to hyper sizes, get the Size King perk (which is an all in one package).
I got a perk that I don't want anymore. How do I get rid of it?	First, type +jnote (the + is part of the command) and check the number of the perk. Then, type +mako/perknuke #, where # is the number of the perk. During the first week, every perknuke is free. An alternative is to simply delete your character and recreate it. Once deleted, the name is free to be used again.
How do I delete a character?	While logged in Direct Control as the character you want to delete, type +retire. You will be prompted to confirm. If the character is very new, the deletion will be immediate. Older characters (those with over a week of existence) have a 24h wait until they can be actually deleted.
Can I reuse the name of a deleted character?	Yes, after the old one is deleted, the name is free to be used again.
How can I check if a name is taken?	While logged in, you can try +finger name. If the message says "That is not a player", then you can use that name.
What age can my character be?	Either born before February 11th 1990 or after February 11th 2008. The reason is lore based, as 2008 was then the apocalypse happened and every non adult (younger than 18 years at the time) died. After that, every child born grew up into a full adult, in body and mentality, in a matter of hours, if not minutes. No, it doesn't make much sense.

Roleplaying

Question	Answer
What is roleplay?	It could be said that roleplaying is the same as acting, since you, the player, will be interpreting what your character is doing. In game, roleplaying means interacting with one or more players, behaving like your character would, also known as being In Character, IC.
Where do I find people to roleplay with?	The main channel to look for people to RP with is the pickup channel. Typing pick Hello, I'm looking for RP will send a message to the channel and anyone with it turned on will see it. You can also try the Zephyr lobby, a lot of people hang out there.
Where can I roleplay?	Anywhere, really! Do mind that a few places (player owned) have list of rules, which may include "No sex in the lobby".
Why should I roleplay?	The game actually rewards active roleplaying. Every 15 minutes, it'll check for activity and reward roleplayers with experience and creds. If the room you're in has a salvage source, you'll also get some!
Is there an easy way to list the kinks I like/dislike?	Yes, the easiest way is with wi command. wi #flags will list all the flags you can add. wi #add bon ro will add the flags Bondage and Romance to your wi profile. wi #rmm bon will remove the Bondage flag. You can check any player's wi profile with wi charactername. The alternative is using the web site and using the Kinks link, where you can set a much larger list of kinks. To see someone's list of kinks, type kinks charactername

Skills, Proficiencies and Professions

Question	Answer
What's the difference between skills and proficiencies?	As a rule of thumb, skills are related to classes, which affect combat. Proficiencies are points you get from professions, which are used for roleplay, most of the time.
What are professions?	Professions are things that help you create a character with a background. They don't dictate what exactly your character did before 'you took over' (as your character's backstory is completely up to you), but they are useful to increase your proficiencies. You can choose 6 professions.
How do I get a profession?	In any room where there are no shops, you can type buy profession name, like buy field archaeologist. Remember, you can buy 6 professions!
I picked a wrong profession, how do I change it?	Unfortunately, you'll need to open a request and get help from one of the staff. If your character is still new, you can +retire (delete) him and recreate with the same name.
When should I choose my professions?	As soon as possible, really. Without choosing all 6, you won't be able to train any proficiency.
Where can I put my proficiencies to use?	In duties and social actions (sa). Read below.

Duties and Social Actions

Question	Answer
What are duties?	Duties are once per day proficiency rolls that reward you with plenty of freecreds, experience and influence, depending on how well your roll is. It reduces your maximum number of patrol points by 20%. To see the list of available duties, type duty. They also count for 1 boss vial credit if you are in the appropriate level.
What are social actions?	These are actions that use patrol points and will net your character freecreds, experience and influence. Do note that not every room has them. To know if the room you're in has it, check for some green text stating so. Then, you can type sa list to see which actions are available there.
What is influence?	It's something you can use to advance some researches, advance a duty or leave in an area where monsters spawn, so you'll earn a small percentage of gains whenever someone fights there. For that last option, type inf list in an appropriate area.
Which duty should I pick?	For the greatest gain, choose one where you have the highest proficiencies, so you'll have a higher chance of success. For instance, high Economics and Negotiation fit well with the Basic Economics duty.
Do I have to pick a duty?	No. It's entirely up to you whether to do it or not.
Where can I find social actions?	You can find them at Eureka, Haretown, Cat Town and Clairmont.

Classes, Powers and Combat

Question	Answer
How do I start a fight?	Go to an area where ferals spawn and type search.
How do I know what ferals/monsters show up in the room I am? What about their levels?	You can get that info with the +haz command
I'm using search but no enemies are coming. Why?	Check your level. Every area has a maximum level. If you are 3 or more levels above, no enemies will show up. For instance, if an area has a level range of 10-16, enemies will show up until you're level 18. 19 and over will get no enemies.
Can't I fight lower level enemies?	You can, using the mentor command, which will set your level to whatever number you specify, up to your current. For instance, if you are level 20 and use <code>mentor 5 , you'll keep all your powers and booms, but fight as a level 5, allowing you to find similarly leveled enemies. mentor 25 will simply put you in your current level, 20.
What are classes? Should I care about picking one?	Classes give your character more power, depending on which one you pick. Even at low levels, they can be helpful. Going around without any is always a bad idea, since you're missing on possible increased damage, increased defense, increased health and unique powers!
How do I pick or learn a class?	You have to buy the class item, either in the shop room or in the Shops link on the site. After that, you have to use the item to learn the class. After that, type class classname to change to that class, like class heavy fighter.
Can I change my class later?	Yes, you can freely change classes without any drawbacks! Just use the same class classname command as above.
My gear sucks and my powers too! What should I do?	Try a different class! Also, unless you got the All Natural flaw during character creation, you can worry about getting better equipment later. Mutant powers can be mastered and then upgraded, which should give you a much needed boost to damage or healing. Mastering a power also allows you to use it no matter what infection you have.
How do I master powers?	Once you got an infection with the power you want, you can either go to the Training link on the web and click the button to master a power or go to zephyr or rsx lobby and use the train command. After mastering, you can upgrade a power twice, giving it 1 slot each time to put an upgrade on it.

Infections, Mutations and Transformations

Question	Answer
What are infections?	Infections are the transformations proper. They alter how your head, arms, legs, etc look. There are over 400 infections of a wide variety, you can mix and match them or be a full infection!
What infections are out there?	There is a large list of different infections, like canines (dogs, wolves, foxes), birds, bears, equines, bovines, rodents (mouses, bunnies) and even humanoid ones, like elves, androids and fairies.
How do I get infected?	There are 4 ways: Fighting normally and getting hit by enemy powers (won't work if you have the Advanced Innoculation Perk); Losing a fight to an enemy; Drinking infection vials; Asking a Coyote player.
How do I get infection vials?	You'll need to have a Nanite Collector equipped. You can buy a basic one in any room without a shop, by typing buy basic nanite collector<code>. After beating an enemy in combat, there is a chance you'll get an infection vial of its form. Having a high Research skill increases the chance.
I like this combination of infections I got, can I make them permanent?	If you buy a Nanite Schema Nativizer (which is pretty expensive), you can use the item and nativize the form. You can also get the Ultimate Infection Resistance perk, which will completely prevent your character from transforming again. Genital sizes might still change.
It costs too much! Isn't there an alternative?	There is a temporary one: the Form Fixative item, sold at [Arogya Clinic]: Main Area. It costs 1000 creds and locks your current infections for 24 hours.
What is a native form?	It is a form combination that you can, at any time, revert back to. For instance, say you used the Nanite Schema Nativizer while you were a Polar Bear with Shadow Dragon skin. If you lose any of those infections, you can freely revert back to it with the <code>shift native command.
What is form mastery?	Beside the one time freecred bonus, that means that, if you get the Nanite Adept dedication, you can freely shift into that form. Coyote players also won't need to spend battery charge transforming you into a form you already have mastered.
I keep losing/gaining genitals/breasts! How can I avoid that?	Like the infections, you can also opt to: 1- Buy the perk Sexually Stable and completely lock your character's genitals and breasts from changing; 2- Buy a Sexual Fixative, a temporary item that will lock your genitals for 24 real hours.

Parties

Question	Answer
Why should I join a party?	First, the experience is not divided, so there's absolutely nothing to lose in joining forces with another player. Second, with more players, more enemies can show up, which can result in even more experience and credits than possible fighting alone.
I'm too low level, can I join a higher level party?	Yes! The whole party can be set to a specific level. Even you are below it, you will get up to 2 levels below. For instance, if you are level 20 joining a level 45 party, your level will be set to 43.
The party leader is AFK/not responding. The party is stuck! What to do?	Anyone can type the command pleader to change the party's leader: pleader busty will set the new leader to the character Busty.
Someone in the party isn't doing anything in combat, what can I do?	Type pauto, that will force every party member to go on auto combat.

Leveling past 30

Question	Answer
What is this boss vial it's asking me to level up?	It's an item that drops from prime fights.
What is a prime fight?	It's the equivalent of a boss fight, you spend money and tokens to summon the boss. If you beat it, you'll receive 1 boss vial. If you have the perk Prime Collector, you'll get 2 vials. As a subscriber to the game, you'll get another vial, up to a total of 3.
At what levels do I need to drink the vials?	You only need to drink vials at levels 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 and 55
What does filtering a vial do?	It turns the boss vial into a generic one, also setting its level to the closest multiple of 5. A lvl 48 vial will be set to 50, a lvl 51 will be set to 50.
What are Generic Boss Vials?	These are boss vials that have been filtered. They won't infect you with any form, but still count for leveling up.
Do I need to filter a vial before drinking it?	No. You can drink an unfiltered vial (Boss Infection Vial: Feral name) and it will count, so long as it is within the proper level.
What use is there for an unfiltered boss vial?	You can use it to immediately master the form it carries. You can also use it to Epic a power, if the form has said power.
What level the vial needs to be to be effective?	For leveling purposes, the vial needs to be within 5 levels of yours. At level 30, a level 25 boss vial will work just as well as a lvl 35 vial.
Does drinking vials before the proper levels do anything?	No. Using a boss vial when you're not in the proper level (a multiple of 5) is a total waste.
Where should I go to hunt primes?	Check the terminal at Zephyr or RSX's first upper floor (it's listed among the things in the room). The primes will always be summoned at the highest level of the area. Summoning a prime at Nightclub (10-28), for instance, will summon a lvl 28 prime.
Is there a minimum number of people required to summon a prime?	No. But it's highly recommended to fight with a large group, both to make it easier and to have more people gaining the vials!
The Non-Violent Progress perk gives me a vial when it procs?	No. It gives the effect of drinking a generic vial of the appropriate level.
How often does the perk Non-Violent Progress work?	It has a 10% chance to happen per roleplay tick, with a chance to give 2 vial effects instead of one. Mathematically, that translates into roughly 1 vial worth every 150 minutes.
What? That sucks! Why does it have to be so slow?	Unfortunately, you'd have to ask the head wizard for that.