poetofexploration

[poetofexploration]

Resuming making Poetry of Exploration maps!

With the Wocean Anniversary now done and the announcement of the Wocean Wiki now made public - I can shift some of my attention back to making POEs.

Next on the chopping block should be the "Temple of Bronze" (aka Puzzle Island). Should hoping that one would be complete by the end of August at the very least.

At this point, I'm kinda juggling and rotating tasks for guide-making, wiki up-keep, and map-making for Wocean - and yet I still couldn't tell ya what the game is about cuz its so wild for me to put into words lol.

[poetofexploration]

[poetofexploration]

Happy 9th Anniversary!

In 2016, Wooden Ocean was released onto the internet. Since then, Leif Ian Anderson, the dev, has been working on the game for the past 9 years, now going on 10 years. I only came to know about this game a year ago due to Worm Girl analysis video - so unfortunately I didn’t get to have the early Wooden Ocean Development experience like a handful of people who have stuck around for years or have more recently came back to the game.

To commemorate today, I have commissioned a good friend of mine, @thewizardlywyrm (aka Cas), to make this artwork using watercolors.

On top of being an amazing artist, Cas is also a florist and shared the flowers they have picked for Violet’s bouquet.

Flower choices and meaning from Cas:

🪻Violet - on the nose, but 1) I had to it and 2) they're generally seen as mystical flowers with strong spiritual/otherworldly ties, so for a witch, it seemed fitting!

🪻Delphinium - (it's more commonly blue, but does have purple/lilac coloured variants) and most often resembles steadfastness, particularly in reaching goals or certain ends, which in a meta context could also resemble the average RPG player- but overall from my understanding of the story, could tie in to the protags' quest/search for answers/etc.

🪻 Forget-me-not - also a liiittle on the nose for Violet, but they symbolise love and remembrance, particularly of lost loved ones, though in this case we could probably extrapolate the past, general existential ennui and remembrance of times and lives from much, much further back

🪻 Iris - courage and hope, again coming at this a little rusty-brained, but when you suggested irises, I really wanted them in there! I'm a little biased 'cos I like working with them when we get them! Which isn't often, but they're really beautiful! They also symbolise wisdom, so for Violet in particular, maybe this could circle back around to wisdom of magic and the arcane, or maybe gaining wisdom as she goes through her journey.

🪻 Stock - I did really pick this one because it was the first, dark-purple flower that I thought of immediately! We get it in all the time and I love using it, even though it wilts a little faster, kinda like hydrangea. I did learn that it usually represents finding joy in life, despite difficulties, so perhaps there's something there! It's also just a nice purple plant! The greenery is mostly palms and ruscus, because I like using those for wrap jobs when I have 'em! They're sturdy and stay good for ages and ages out of water!

Along with this artwork, I had written the messages and printed out fanart that was sent to me from the Google Form. I would like to thank everyone that participated and I know Leif will be extremely happy receiving your gifts!

If you had sent message, I had also asked for people to pick an element with no context. Here are those results:

1st: Thread (5 votes)

2nd: Acid - Arcane - Expression (2 votes each)

3rd: Fire - Philistine - Lightning (1 vote each)

Thank you to the murdas that sent fan art! I have printed these bad boys at a Walgreens and have packed them with everything else for Leif’s hands to physically hold them. A digital file was also sent to Leif of all these fanarts as well.

*This isn’t the artwork that will be sent to Leif - I has forgotten to take a picture of the watercolor artwork before I packed it due to me stressing over getting it sent along with 4th of July stuff.

Top: by crash0114

Left: by card freak

Middle: by @thewizardlywyrm

Right: by @flaccidbugs

Thank you once again for all you murdas for being here in the Infinite Hotel and I do hope you will continue to enjoy your stay for centuries to come.

One more public announcement!

We are finally announcement the Wooden Ocean Wiki! Even though this was a year in a making, there is still a ton of missing information we have not gotten to put up on the wiki.

We welcome murdas to make contributitions to the wiki, but please make sure it reflects from the **current patch** of the game and make pages with spoiler warnings when possible. I am one of the admins of the wiki so you do have any questions, I will answer them to the best of my abilities. You can leave questions in the Wocean Discord forum under “Wooden Ocean Wiki” OR you can leave a message for me on the Wooden Ocean Wiki directly here if you don’t have a discord.

[poetofexploration]

MAY take a small break from making POE from the time being.

This is not like a hiatus or anything - I do definitely want to make the maps for WOcean, but there is a big project I have been a part of for nearly a year and I want to get that project as "complete" as it can be. So I may be taking a break from making POEs at the moment to focus more on that project (which will be announced here).

I will resume posting POEs after the Wocean Anniversary Month (July).

...but also knowing myself I could still post a POE while on break lol

[poetofexploration]

hahaha I totally uploaded the Count's Island maps in April and *not* May.

But I have gotten over like two different allergies recently and April was kinda busy with my schedule.

March '25 POE: Golem Island (+ Lampless maybe)

Okay! With the Tower of Reason in the POE: Undercity - the next one on the list will be Golem Island. If I recall the maps correctly, there may not be too many maps to put together for Golem Island - so I *may* be able to squeeze in Lampless (if my mental health isn't too much down the drain)

Let's get this bread!

[poetofexploration]

Finished with the Lampless POE! I have decided last minute to add on Count Island to this POE when I get to it next month - just so I don't clog up the Steam Guides.

Welp - going to try and rest for the last week of March and plan on starting to put together Count Island in April.

March '25 POE: Golem Island (+ Lampless maybe)

Okay! With the Tower of Reason in the POE: Undercity - the next one on the list will be Golem Island. If I recall the maps correctly, there may not be too many maps to put together for Golem Island - so I *may* be able to squeeze in Lampless (if my mental health isn't too much down the drain)

Let's get this bread!

[poetofexploration]

Green x-marks = docks

Blue dot = "Clear the Basin" quest

Red Skull = Enemy bases

TBH - when I first started playing this game, I didn't think the game couldn't get any bigger with Pseudo Hell and the Infinite Hotel - until I discovered the Ghost Ship and that you can sail around in the darkness.

I'm glad that Leif has come along the way and to see the progress he made with adding a new area (Lazik) and being able to compare it nearly a year later. Would be very interesting to see if he is going to be filling in the rest of this map and what kind of crazy places he will make for the Wooden Ocean!

[poetofexploration]

Just uploaded POE: Golem's Journey to Steam! It includes the Basin (aka sailing map) but I will upload that one separate here instead. Lampless will most likely be stand alone and will be uploaded around the end of the month.

Also! In other IRL news - I'm going on a house tour with my besties so we can move in together! Fingers cross we can get the place but just letting yall know if there is going to be a potential pause during the move-in phase.

March '25 POE: Golem Island (+ Lampless maybe)

Okay! With the Tower of Reason in the POE: Undercity - the next one on the list will be Golem Island. If I recall the maps correctly, there may not be too many maps to put together for Golem Island - so I *may* be able to squeeze in Lampless (if my mental health isn't too much down the drain)

Let's get this bread!

[poetofexploration]

March '25 POE: Golem Island (+ Lampless maybe)

Okay! With the Tower of Reason in the POE: Undercity - the next one on the list will be Golem Island. If I recall the maps correctly, there may not be too many maps to put together for Golem Island - so I *may* be able to squeeze in Lampless (if my mental health isn't too much down the drain)

Let's get this bread!

[poetofexploration]

So technically not a *new* POE - but I have decided to combine the Tower of Reason with the existing POE: The Undercity since the Tower didn't have that many maps.

Ngl - been kind of a struggle in my life in general so the map making may be on the slower end. Still going to try and aim for one one POE per month, but there are some background things I am working on within the community (its a secret for now).

Next Poetry of Exploration - The Undercity

Next month I'll start working on parts of the Undercity. I personally haven't been down there too often since I have a tendency to get headaches around that area (maybe its the colors hurting my eyes or that you can get easily lost in this area).

From my understanding, there is the entrance, a north area, and a south area - but there may be more levels in between since the maps are labeled all over the place, so the Undercity as whole may take a bit.

I'll rest up as best I can after the holidays since I will still be working my day job which drains all my brain juice unfortunately, so I may be radio silent once again for the next couple of weeks.

[poetofexploration]

Here is kinda the skeleton of the POE: The Undercity. I plan on adding in the interior buildings since I feel like there are some important stuff inside. Aiming to have this POE entirely finish by January (if things go as plan)

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3408712999

I think next month, the next POE will be the Tower of Reason - that way it will connect between Pseudo Hell and the Undercity.

Next Poetry of Exploration - The Undercity

Next month I'll start working on parts of the Undercity. I personally haven't been down there too often since I have a tendency to get headaches around that area (maybe its the colors hurting my eyes or that you can get easily lost in this area).

From my understanding, there is the entrance, a north area, and a south area - but there may be more levels in between since the maps are labeled all over the place, so the Undercity as whole may take a bit.

I'll rest up as best I can after the holidays since I will still be working my day job which drains all my brain juice unfortunately, so I may be radio silent once again for the next couple of weeks.

[poetofexploration]

Simon's Angel from the Wooden Ocean

First artwork in 2025 from me! When MIU (the artist for her face) posted this in the Discord, I KNEW I had to draw it. Took me a couple of months since my motivation was going up and down (plus dealing with holidays), but for the past few nights I got my drive back to finish this. I tried something a bit different (blegh rendering) - definitely have a long way to go, but I'm really glad how she came out! Below are images I used as references

[[Do not repost / Gen AI - or else...]]

[poetofexploration]

Next Poetry of Exploration - The Undercity

Next month I'll start working on parts of the Undercity. I personally haven't been down there too often since I have a tendency to get headaches around that area (maybe its the colors hurting my eyes or that you can get easily lost in this area).

From my understanding, there is the entrance, a north area, and a south area - but there may be more levels in between since the maps are labeled all over the place, so the Undercity as whole may take a bit.

I'll rest up as best I can after the holidays since I will still be working my day job which drains all my brain juice unfortunately, so I may be radio silent once again for the next couple of weeks.

[poetofexploration]

Happy Holidays folks! I finally took a little bit of time to clean up the maps for POE: The Edge+. I really wanted to get the maps out ASAP so I created a incomplete POE for now and I'll add text to it after I go to bed (it is about 2AM here).

Just a tiny update to let y’all know I’m still alive and kicking! I kinda may have “lied” a bit about trying to put together the POB guide by the end of November - I had to attend a funeral and focus on making sure my family was doing okay.

So that will be on the back burner for now and a side-project at the moment. I do want to keep a schedule of doing one POE per month, and since it is December - I am working on putting together the Edge.

I plan on including The Library section, which has like 4-5 maps so that this POE isn’t so small. The Edge is connected to the front entryway of the Infinite Hotel, however that will be a seperate POE as the Hotel is a whole entity itself (don’t get me started on the randomization).

Not sure how much time I will have to work on this POE due to holidays coming up but we’ll see what will happen!

[poetofexploration]

Just a tiny update to let y’all know I’m still alive and kicking! I kinda may have “lied” a bit about trying to put together the POB guide by the end of November - I had to attend a funeral and focus on making sure my family was doing okay.

So that will be on the back burner for now and a side-project at the moment. I do want to keep a schedule of doing one POE per month, and since it is December - I am working on putting together the Edge.

I plan on including The Library section, which has like 4-5 maps so that this POE isn’t so small. The Edge is connected to the front entryway of the Infinite Hotel, however that will be a seperate POE as the Hotel is a whole entity itself (don’t get me started on the randomization).

Not sure how much time I will have to work on this POE due to holidays coming up but we’ll see what will happen!

[poetofexploration]

Finished scrapping together Pseudo Hell (took a bit since some areas were large and Underdepths took some time to edit the paths)

The next Poetry of Exploration will most likely be the Edge, but that will most likely not start on it until next month since I gotta deal with a "holiday" family matters (I am an American and if you know you know =v=). So gonna take a small break (maybe if I actually let myself take one) and put together a POB guide next just so I don't get burnt out.

Plans for this month (if work does not kill me first) is:

1) write Poetry of Exploration: Pseudo Hell

2) put together a (WIP) guide for the Poetry of Blood dungeons

I realize that there isnt one for the Steam page so I dont mind making one since I already have them put together earlier. The main issue would be finding their entrances (so really same issue with the waypoint guide)

But I do really smth to distract myself from the horrors of actual reality (im American and I live in a red state if you understand).

[poetofexploration]

Plans for this month (if work does not kill me first) is:

1) write Poetry of Exploration: Pseudo Hell

2) put together a (WIP) guide for the Poetry of Blood dungeons

I realize that there isnt one for the Steam page so I dont mind making one since I already have them put together earlier. The main issue would be finding their entrances (so really same issue with the waypoint guide)

But I do really smth to distract myself from the horrors of actual reality (im American and I live in a red state if you understand).