#specific token contest

[inventors-fair]

Box of Friends

Alright, I could spend some time waxing poetic about this, but this contest kind of defies that so I won't talk your collective ears off.

So, uh...tokens, huh?

Design a noncreature artifact card that creates a nonartifact creature token.

The prompt is an outwardly pretty straightforward one, with a strict checklist of Qualities Your Card Must Have. As such, the explanation won't be a long one, but there are a few important notes to go over.

First, the only actual restrictions on the token are that it must be a creature and must not be an artifact. Any and all other types are therefore fair game, so if your design presents a compelling reason to make enchantment creature tokens, by all means. Plus, the same goes for the artifact card, of course.

I do want to highlight the central design issue here to bring it into relief: namely, that while a creature bringing along a trinket is perfectly expected, a trinket bringing along a creature is a bit more of an unusual proposition. Think carefully about what exactly the act of creation is meant to signify in your design, because the best entries are those that find a winning formula.

So anyway, make like a Carrot Cake and create! @spooky-bard

>> Desktop Submissions >> Mobile Submissions/Asks >> IF Discord Server

[canmom]

using LLMs to control a game character's dialogue seems an obvious use for the technology. and indeed people have tried, for example nVidia made a demo where the player interacts with AI-voiced NPCs:

this looks bad, right? like idk about you but I am not raring to play a game with LLM bots instead of human-scripted characters. they don't seem to have anything interesting to say that a normal NPC wouldn't, and the acting is super wooden.

so, the attempts to do this so far that I've seen have some pretty obvious faults:

relying on external API calls to process the data (expensive!)

presumably relying on generic 'you are xyz' prompt engineering to try to get a model to respond 'in character', resulting in bland, flavourless output

limited connection between game state and model state (you would need to translate the relevant game state into a text prompt)

responding to freeform input, models may not be very good at staying 'in character', with the default 'chatbot' persona emerging unexpectedly. or they might just make uncreative choices in general.

AI voice generation, while it's moved very fast in the last couple years, is still very poor at 'acting', producing very flat, emotionless performances, or uncanny mismatches of tone, inflection, etc.

although the model may generate contextually appropriate dialogue, it is difficult to link that back to the behaviour of characters in game

so how could we do better?

the first one could be solved by running LLMs locally on the user's hardware. that has some obvious drawbacks: running on the user's GPU means the LLM is competing with the game's graphics, meaning both must be more limited. ideally you would spread the LLM processing over multiple frames, but you still are limited by available VRAM, which is contested by the game's texture data and so on, and LLMs are very thirsty for VRAM. still, imo this is way more promising than having to talk to the internet and pay for compute time to get your NPC's dialogue lmao

second one might be improved by using a tool like control vectors to more granularly and consistently shape the tone of the output. I heard about this technique today (thanks @cherrvak)

third one is an interesting challenge - but perhaps a control-vector approach could also be relevant here? if you could figure out how a description of some relevant piece of game state affects the processing of the model, you could then apply that as a control vector when generating output. so the bridge between the game state and the LLM would be a set of weights for control vectors that are applied during generation.

this one is probably something where finetuning the model, and using control vectors to maintain a consistent 'pressure' to act a certain way even as the context window gets longer, could help a lot.

probably the vocal performance problem will improve in the next generation of voice generators, I'm certainly not solving it. a purely text-based game would avoid the problem entirely of course.

this one is tricky. perhaps the model could be taught to generate a description of a plan or intention, but linking that back to commands to perform by traditional agentic game 'AI' is not trivial. ideally, if there are various high-level commands that a game character might want to perform (like 'navigate to a specific location' or 'target an enemy') that are usually selected using some other kind of algorithm like weighted utilities, you could train the model to generate tokens that correspond to those actions and then feed them back in to the 'bot' side? I'm sure people have tried this kind of thing in robotics. you could just have the LLM stuff go 'one way', and rely on traditional game AI for everything besides dialogue, but it would be interesting to complete that feedback loop.

I doubt I'll be using this anytime soon (models are just too demanding to run on anything but a high-end PC, which is too niche, and I'll need to spend time playing with these models to determine if these ideas are even feasible), but maybe something to come back to in the future. first step is to figure out how to drive the control-vector thing locally.

[loreholdlesbian]

Aetherdrift Play Booster Challenge

I always like to make a custom booster pack of cards to accompany a set release. (Once we start getting more UniBey sets this might change; I didn't do one for LotR cause I'm not overly familiar with it and that's gonna be happening more and more.) This is styled after a contest from GDS3 and in that vein, I try to make cards that not only would feel appropriate as part of the set, but also that are pushing in new directions.

Art Links

Caravan Leader's art by Stephan S. Gibson

Naktamun's Reconstruction's art by majrat

Thoptergraft's art by Sébastien Levieux

Reluctant Racer's art by Jose Ferrer

Spin Your Wheels's art by kwee85

Ranger's Foreunner's art by Cranash64

Vizier of Bindings's art by Sephiroth-Art

Guidelight Compassbot's art by Elliott Chatham

Ride Again's art by azazel1944

Goblin Gizmonaut's art by Scorbutman

Accumulated Swarm's art by anastasia

Cloudspire Elite's art by Javier Alcalde

All-Terrain Bike's art by Ash Pierce

Rares

Card transcription

Caravan Leader 2WW Creature- Llama Mount Vigilance Other Mounts and Vehicles you control have vigilance. Whenever this creature attacks while saddled for the first time each turn, take an additional combat step after this one. Saddle 4 4/4

End transcription

I wanted a good reward for Mounts and Vehicles and I thought an extra combat felt like one that would play well. Normally that would be red, but a strong reward like this would definitely rather be in GW in this set, and white can get extra combats so this felt like a good opportunity to explore it. I did vigilance granting to make it feel more white, not just something red can do.

Card transcription

Naktamun's Reconstruction 3WW Enchantment Start your engines! (If you have no speed, it starts at 1. It increases once on each of your turns when an opponent loses life. Max speed is 4.) You may cast artifact and creature spells from your graveyard if their mana value is less than or equal to your speed. If you cast a spell this way, that permanent enters with a finality counter on it.

End transcription

This was the last card I made for the set and it was largely a "free slot". I'd covered most things I wanted to in the booster- I had a good spread of colors, I'd hit the major mechanics, I even had a representative of each team. The only real constraint is that I didn't want the design to be a creature or make tokens, cause the pack is pretty creature-slot heavy. I considered making a Muraganda-themed card, but I was having trouble coming up with a good Muraganda-themed noncreature design, especially when none of the mechanics really fit- Start your engines didn't really make sense, and I had a good deal of cycling and exhaust cards in the pack already. So I just came up with a general design I like.

Uncommons

Card transcription

Thoptergraft 3U Enchantment- Aura Enchant artifact or creature When this Aura enters, draw a card. Enchanted permanent is an artifact creature, gets +2/+2, and has flying.

End transcription

This is a weird little modal card that I think does a good job of tying together set themes. I wanted to do an artifact animation card that worked well with Vehicles, since the whole set has a vehicles theme and blue in specific had an artifact theme. I considered more direct wording that animated, and also set a power and toughness unless the card was a vehicle, but I didn't like it as much. This version was more fitting in giving a better reward to Vehicles, and also more novel. I also settled on letting it enchant normal creatures as well to make it less of a narrow card, partially because I already had cycling on a good few cards that needed it more, but also I just thought it would play well. The ability to turn your normal creatures into artifact creatures isn't nothing in this set though; it's a bump for all your artifacts-matter cards in blue.

Card transcription

Reluctant Racer 1B Creature- Human Survivor Survival - At the beginning of your second main phase, if this creature is tapped, create a tapped 1/1 colorless Toy artifact creature token. 2/2 "We all do what we must to make it to tomorrow"

End transcription

I'm honestly really disappointed that we didn't get a new survival card in the set. With a duskmourn team, having a mechanic from duskmourn worm its way into the set feels flavorful and survival is the obvious choice with its crew/saddle synergy. That basic concept was in the pack from the start, I just needed to figure out what it should do. Since the duskmourn team was in UB and had an artifact theme, it made sense to tie the card into that somehow. But just making it an artifact creature didn't really make sense; there's not a good flavor for an artifact survivor. So I settled on making artifact tokens instead, and Toy or Scarecrow was the most flavorful option. Toy felt better for the 1/1 token I wanted, so I went with that.

Card transcription

Spin Your Wheels 1R Enchantment When this enchantment enters, draw a card. Each card in your hand has cycling 1. (1, Discard that card: Draw a card.) At the beginning of the end step, sacrifice this enchantment.

End transcription

I'm really, really proud of this name. There's the most obvious level, that "spin your wheels" is associated with cars so it's a reasonable name for a card in this set. On top of that, there's the fact that "discard your hand then draw that many cards" effects are called "wheels" in mtg slang, and this card is a play on that. But then finally, this style of gameplay, where you're drawing a bunch of cards and doing a lot of things but not necessarily adding anything to the board, is often called "spinning your wheels" in mtg slang because you're doing a lot but not necessarily going anywhere. It just all game together well. As for the actual card, I think it'd be a hell of a lot of fun to play. It helps you sculpt your hand, but has a very frantic, impulsive feel to it with only being around for a single turn that feels very red. It also plays really really great with the discard payoffs in this set; cycling through several cards while you have Maurading Mako out is gonna feel good. Giving everything cycling 1 is definitely a very powerful effect, but I think the one-turn limit does a lot to keep it in check.

Card transcription

Ranger's Forerunner 2G Creature- Elf Ranger Whenever a creature you control attacks, if you've activated an exhaust ability of that creature, put a +1/+1 counter on it. Exhaust- 3G: Put a +1/+1 counter on this creature. (Activate each exhaust ability only once.) 3/3 "Sometimes all that's holding you back is not knowing it was possible."

End transcription

Exhaust is a cool new tool in the toolbox and I wanted to play around with it. One neat thing is that, since exhaust is already asking you to remember whether you've exhausted it, it's not really asking any more of you to make cards that key off of whether a card's been exhausted. Putting +1/+1 counters on them feels like an appropriate reward, since many exhaust cards are using a +1/+1 counter as a memory tool to help you remember whether you activated the ability. And just like how it's not really asking anything extra of you to check if you've activated an exhaust ability of a creature, you can start putting counters on creatures willy nilly once they're already exhausted since you don't have to worry about memory issues. I also just think that this card in a vacuum plays neat; you have to pay the mana to get the exhaust going, but once you do it continues growing from there.

Commons

Card transcription

Vizier of Bindings 2W Creature- Zombie Cat Cleric Whenever this creature becomes tapped during your turn, you may put a stun counter on it. When you do, tap target artifact or creature an opponent controls and put a stun counter on it. (If a permanent with a stun counter on it would become untapped, remove a stun counter from it instead.) 3/1

End transcription

I wanted to make a fun stun counter card to play around with the tapping shenanigans that happens in the Vehicles and Mounts set, and it came out exactly like I hoped. It can attack, but its low toughness makes that a risky prospect, so you really want to play this with vehicles and mounts. And it's just using stun counters in I think an interesting way, as an optional cost for an effect. I made it amonkhet flavored because it feels so similar to the exert mechanic.

Card transcription

Guidelight Compassbot 3U Artifact Creature- Robot Scout When this creature enters, search your library for a card named Guidelight Compassbot, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle. Cycling 2 (2, Discard this card: Draw a card.) 3/3

End transcription

While the specifics of the card changed- the cmc, the color, the power/toughness, etc- I'd had the idea for a creature that tutors up another version of itself on ETB and has cycling for a while before Aetherdrift even came out. So as soon as I found out cycling was in the set, I put a version of this card in the booster. I just think it's a very fun combination of abilities that makes cycling not just tacked on but integrated into the design. Every time you tutor up a version of the card, you're presented with the cycling choice again.

Card transcription

Ride Again 1B Instant Choose one or both- * Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand. * Return target Mount or Vehicle card from your graveyard to your hand.

End transcription

This one's pretty simple, a disentomb that plays into the set theme. I originally just had it be "return target creature or vehicle", but I decided it would be cool to allow you to do one of each, so I threw Mount in as an option with vehicle as well. So mounts get the bonus where you can potentially get two back. I intend this card to be endrider flavored, but the art I found looks a bit more duskmourn admittedly.

Card transcription

Goblin Gizmonaut R Creature- Goblin Artificer Start your engines! (If you have no speed, it starts at 1. It increases once on each of your turns when an opponent loses life. Max speed is 4.) Exhaust — 4R: Put a number of +1/+1 counters on this creature equal to your speed. (Activate each exhaust ability only once.)

End transcription

This card uses exhaust in a fun way- it presents you with the option to get counters now, or to wait and get even more counters later. That potential for more makes you really feel the "only once" restriction. And of course, it's a good enabler for the speed mechanic as well. This is the card I'm most torn about rarity wise; while I don't think it's doing anything a common necessarily couldn't, it still has a pretty uncommon feel to it overall.

Card transcription

Accumulated Swarm 2G Sorcery Create a 1/1 green Insect creature token. Put X +1/+1 counters on it, where X is 1 plus the number of cards named Accumulated Swarm in your graveyard. Cycling G (G, Discard this card: Draw a card.)

End transcription

I intend this card as part of a cycle of spells that all have an effect scaling based on the number of them in your graveyard and that have cycling. This cycle, like compassbot, had versions that existed well before Aetherdrift, though the individual card effects got tailored a bit more to the set. I just think the interplay between cycling and wanting these cards in your graveyard uses cycling in a really interesting way. It's costed to be rather weak without any in your graveyard, so that you're more likely to cycle the first one or two.

Card transcription

Cloudspire Elite 2R/W Creature- Human Pilot When this creature enters, choose one— * Create a 1/1 colorless Pilot creature token with “This creature saddles Mounts and crews Vehicles as though its power were 2 greater.” * Create a 3/2 colorless Vehicle artifact token with crew 1. (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 1 or greater: That Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.) 1/2

End transcription

Just in general, I think a lot of sets could benefit from a hybrid cycle at common. It's a useful tool for increasing the as-fan of a given color, and on top of that plays a similar role to the signpost uncommon in telling you what you can expect from that color pair in this set but in a way appropriate for common. Like this one tells you pretty clearly that RW is into vehicles without actually needing to be in a vehicles deck. You could happily play this in just about any red or white deck in the format, though some want this more than others. As for the specific card rather than the cycle, I just think a card that lets you choose between a pilot and a vehicle makes for a great card in a vehicle focused set. It lets you get a Vehicle if you're only drawing your payoffs but not any Vehicles, but if you're drawing too many Vehicles and not enough creatures to crew them, it can give you two. I also think the Vehicle token in the set was underutilized so this is an attempt to rectify that.

Card transcription

All-Terrain Bike 2 Artifact- Vehicle Crew 2 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 2 or greater: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.) Cycling 2 (2, Discard this card: Draw a card.) When you cycle this card, you may search your library for a basic land card. If you do, reveal it, shuffle, and put that card on top. (Do this before you draw.) 3/4

End transcription

I thought a cycler that let you choose between normal cycling and basic land cycling would be interesting, and from there the card kind of built itself. I knew I wanted it to be colorless, and probably a noncreature cause I had a lot of creatures in the set, but despite them being a major theme I didn't have a ton in the way of vehicles, so making it one felt like an obvious choice. Especially since vehicles do well with having cycling, so if you draw a vehicle without a good pilot for it, you can cycle it away.

[jeannereames]

I saw somewhere here that you described Hephaestion as a Gamma male. That really interests me because I’ve always seen him more as a Sigma male.

Do you think he could also fit the Sigma type?

Also, another related question: you wrote that Alexander is dominant in the relationship, which of course makes perfect sense because he can be the passive one, but I did notice that you emphasized you don’t see Hephaestion as the passive type either.

I have to say, the additional scenes on your site actually made me pay more attention to Hephaestion’s dominant side, especially in moments where he’s the one protecting Alexander, rather than the other way around. That dynamic actually feels more logical, considering Alexander is the king: ultimately, everyone around him would be responsible for protecting him.

Also, in the scene "Moth & Flame", there seemed to be a hint of a dominant (sexual) aspect to Hephaestion that Alexander appeared reluctant to explore. So overall, I got the impression that while Alexander couldn’t really play the “boy,” Hephaestion didn’t quite fit that role either.

Is it possible that their dynamic (in your story) doesn’t follow a clear dominant/passive pattern, that neither of them truly fit the "passive" role?

(All the below refers only to my character Hephaistion. Whether or not it would fit the actual historical man, we have no way to know. Although I do suspect he was also a gamma male. That said, the specificity of the below is my character only.)

So I had to look up sigma males (again), although I have heard the term before. There is a difference, and Hephaistion isn't a sigma male. Sigma males (if I understand the definition) are Contraries. Gamma males genuinely don't care. Hephaistion is a bit contrary in the books mostly as part of teen rebellion. He'll become less so as he ages. *grin*

The thing about gamma males, at least as I understand the concept, is that they are neither leaders nor followers. It's as if the contest doesn't even exist for them. Sigma males seem (to me) to be reacting against the contest. "I'll win by not engaging." Gamma males can't be bothered, or seem unaware there's anything going on.

Hephaistion only rebels when someone tries to force him to do something he doesn't want to do--or more properly, sees no point in doing. I saw one description of sigma males as "rebels without a cause." That is not Hephaistion. If he rebels, he has a very concrete reason for it. Then he's immovable, unless he's convinced (with reason, or for love) to move.

He can be extremely driven, but not "ambitious" in the usual meaning of that. He is one of those rare people who, genuinely, does not give a flying fuck what the average person thinks of him. He DOES care what those he cares about think, however.

By the same token, he doesn't do things just to piss people off--because the people who do such things DO care what other people think. And to me, that's probably the dividing line between the gamma male and the sigma male. The sigma male is still posturing, just in an inverse way. He still wants to attract attention either by being "unique" and "independent," or "mysterious," or living dangerously.

The gamma male genuinely doesn't care who's watching, isn't trying to be mysterious, and has little interest in living dangerously just to do so. All that takes too much work. :-D

When I was growing up, at a certain age, for at least some teens, it was cool to be weird and counterculture. But it was performative. One wanted to be that way. An eye was cast to being perceived correctly. Staging.

A gamma male (or female!) may be aware there's a "cool" something out there, but doesn't give a shit. They're that little dork wearing whatever because they like it and if it's counterculture...sure? That's Hephaistion. It's a combination of his "I don't care" with very good looks that makes him a bit magnetic to the boys in their orbit...but also a bit scary. (And he knows that subconsciously, btw.) He is actually NOT the one inclined to live dangerously (that's Alexandros), and if he's at all mysterious, it's just because he defies his culture's expectations of manhood. ANY of them. Gamma males often do. (And I'd argue Sigma males don't; they defy alpha male ideas of manhood.)

It's important to me to have Hephaistion come from what we, today, would call a "stable home." His disinterest in vying for power arises because he grew up completely secure in his parents' (and siblings') love, AND his fundamental personality is highly independent.

To me, that's what creates him. He's enormously rooted, but also isn't a people-pleaser. That sort of person is extremely rare. But it's why he's also not passive in the usual sense, even while he's perfectly fine with Alexandros making decisions much of the time. He'll object if he cares. He just usually doesn't, and he can be a little lazy. ;-)

Hopefully, that made some sense. He's a character I've given a lot of thought to, although articulating him isn't always easy, because he's complex, and can seem to defy the more common character constructions.

[wikicamp2]

hi! I’m intrigued by this blog and the associated site but I’m a little confused. I think there’s something that I’ve just never heard of happening. What’s an “object styled camp” (or a camp in general in this context)? How does it work? Can I participate? thanks for piquing my interest with your cool blog!

Thanks for taking interest in the wiki! I'm happy to explain what's going on here.

First, for context: There's a genre of online animated media called "object shows" where animated anthropomorphic objects compete for some grand prize. Each episode the contestants compete in a challenge and the worst performers are put up for elimination. Then, the show's actual viewers vote on who should be eliminated from the competition, and whoever gets the most votes is eliminated in the next episode. There have been hundreds of these with many still going all made by independent creators online.

Object camps are like that, but with real people playing as these objects and are often hosted through DeviantArt, YouTube, or Discord. The concept of camps predates the object show community, but I don't know much about how non-object camps work, so I won't be going into them here. The contestants sign up as an object OC often made specifically for that camp. For challenges, the contestants make "entries" where they write, draw, or animate how their character would do the challenge. These entries are then scored by the host and the contestants with lowest scoring entries are put up for elimination. Unlike in object shows, the voting usually happens between players themselves and not by the viewers.

So The Wiki Camp 2 is an object camp, but held on a wiki. Instead of writing, drawing, or animating our entries, we make wiki pages. Instead of those pages being about our characters completing the challenges, they're more like just, wiki pages. Like, one entry was about a fictitious Quibi series that was a spinoff of both Breaking Bad and Malcolm in the Middle.

The Wiki Camp 2 also has some unique mechanics like the board of shareholders, and tokens whose effects are determined by the contents of their page (which anyone can edit).

Signups for the camp closed with the first challenge in September 2022, but the wiki is much more than the competition aspect; the specifically camp-related pages only make up a small percentage of all the pages on the wiki, and it's almost like the camp is just the setting, a reason to have this silly wiki exist. Any page that isn't protected or a challenge entry is free to be edited by anyone outside the camp.

There are a lot of weird injokes on the wiki too, especially the injoke about seals. Many of these have their own serious articles explaining them listed on this page.

[screechthemighty]

Day 2 of listening to Sunrise on the Reaping. Things that are currently killing me:

> the cameos by the future third quarter quell contestants

> the specific use of the word "dignity" in relation to Maysilee sprucing up everyone's tokens

> Haymitch's little dove flock

[tac-the-unseen]

💫About The Creator💫

General:

Name: Tac-the-Unseen (Tac)

Age: 19

Gender: Non-Binary (any)

Sexuality: AroAce 🧡💛🤍🩵💙

Nationality: 'Merica 🇺🇲🦅🦅🦅🎸🎸

Religion: Born and Raised Pagan 🪄🕯️🔮

Time writing: 10 years total

Star signs: ��� Pisces, 🌝 Capricorn, ⬆️ Pisces

MBTI: ENTP

More specific:

Favorite type of Music: Mostly Metal and early 00's-00's pop

Favorite genre of movie: Definitely Horror, no contest

Favorite song: Poetic Edda - Disembodied tyrant & Synestia

Favorite Movie(s): I know i just said my favorite genre is horror, but my favorite movie is 1951's Alice in wonderland

Favorite Characters: Cheshire Cat (AIW), David (TLB), Marceline/Marshall Lee (AT), Bill Cipher (GF), Elvira (E:MOTD), Severus Snape (HP), The Hex Girls (SD), I got more but that's a long list

Favorite Band/Artist: Limp Bizkit, SlipKnot, Korn, Type O Negative, Rammstein, Sleep Token, Ghost, Ayesha Erotica, MSI, In this Moment, Lamb of God, Murder dolls, Seether, HELLYEAH, JinJer, + more (I take music seriously lmao)

Favorite Animals: Stingrays, Sharks, Cats, Any Reptile, Skunks, Jaguars, Leopards, probably more

Backstory Stuff:

(I'll just highlight the general Ideas)

I started writing as a Child and just didn't stop. I loved making short stories and yapping about them to my (Poor) Teachers (I'm so sorry😞).

It was the one thing I wasn't being made fun of, so that just filled me with determination. (A few bullies stopped being mean to me after reading my Stories in the 5th grade.) (We weren't friends but they just said sorry and moved on)

Anyway at 12 I started Posting my works (that username is going to hell with me 🔪🩸). My first ever book currently has 17k views.

Now I'm here, Looking to widen my Audience!

Random Trivia:

• On my AO3 account, my most popular book has 24k views :D

• Counting both ears, I have 9 piercings

• I have 5 cats, 2 Dogs, a bearded dragon, a Crested gecko, and a jumping spider

• I Love Clowns (It's an obsession)

• My Favorite Book is 'Every You, Every Me' by David Leviathan, And it has zero fandom 😭😭😭 (seriously the only thing online about it is reviews) (plz read it 🙏)

•I'm notorious for abandoning my writing for months at a time, read at your own risk ig (If you know me from AO3 you know the drill)

I'll update this time to time, maybe ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

[love-and-deepspace-wiki]

For someone (me) who thought LADS was just going to be a dating simulator, can you talk about how to play LADS? Like how does the gatcha/pity system work? How many diamonds would need to make a 10 pull? How to upgrade your memories and get materials for them? Plus etc… For reference I play Genshin Impact. Thank you in advance for answering!!

Hi hi! Thank you for asking! ♥️ As a token of my gratitude, please enjoy one free Daniel Ricciardo

How to play LaDS; How the gatcha/pity system works?

Sooooo 😅😅😅 Considering I entered this realm with the exact same thought and had never played a game like this before in my life, I feel very unqualified to answer this question lol. I am 1000% still learning. So if anyone would like to guide us in this area, we'd be eternally grateful 🙏

How many diamonds would I need to make a 10 pull?

The diamonds question, I can do. If you don't have extra wishes on your hands, a 10 pull will run you 1500 diamonds (because each individual pull costs 150 diamonds). I hoard my diamonds like crazy so that, whenever there's a wishing event, I'm locked and loaded so I can get me that special 5-star memory~

How to upgrade memories and get materials for them?

This is kinda dependent on what kind of LaDS player you are. If you're a P2P/pay-to-play player, I'm assuming this is where the "pay" part comes in. The in-game shop sells various bundled packages for resources like stamina, wishes, diamonds, wish bottles, etc. you're a F2P/free-to-play player (like me~), you can still upgrade memories and protocores. It just takes more time, effort, grinding, and strategic choices. Personally, I adhere to the following F2P strat religiously to earn every diamond, wish, etc. possible:

Basics:

Consistently complete your "Daily Agenda" tasks every day

Consistently pick up your free "Daily Free Pack" rewards

Consistently complete your "Weekly Agenda" tasks every week

Consistently pick up your "Weekly Free Pack" rewards

Consistently pick up your daily "Check In" rewards

Consistently complete the "Weekly Agenda" for the Quality Time feature

Log in at noon and early evening to get the "Supply" stamina drops

Make sure to do the "Claim & Send" stamina thing under the in-game Friends menu

Grinding:

Grind through the levels of the in-game battle modes and try to get as many 3 star victories as possible (Bounty Hunt, Core Hunt, Hunter Contest, Deepspace Trials, Training, Abyssal Chaos, etc.)

Grind through the in-game achievements (plus the secret in-game achievements)

Extras:

Stay on the lookout for verified codes you can redeem in-game for diamonds, wishes, stamina, etc. (I get my info on codes from the official discord server. There's a specific channel just for that)

Whenever there's an in-game survey, take the time to fill it out and submit it. They'll usually give you rewards as an appreciation gift.

Maximize on any in-game events that give you rewards or perks

Max out the "Playtime" games Chocolate currency yields each week so you can cash them in for more "Bottles of Wishes", gold, wishes, or other materials

General Advice:

When you're leveling up/upgrading/ascending memories for combat stuff, you want to prioritize your highest rarity memories since they'll be your strongest hitters. (Don't be like me and dump all your resources into awakening a random 3-star memory for literally no reason before realizing this is how it works rofl)

Spend your Wishing Well Stardust currency wisely, again prioritizing ranking up your higher rarity memories

Don't forget to hit up the "Heartsand Shop" when upgrading your memories. You might have extra Memory Heartsand you can cash in for resources

When leveling up memories and stuff for challenges, I personally complete all of my daily/weekly tasks first before starting that. That way, I don't have to do a back and forth of leveling up, gathering more resources, leveling, gathering, etc.

[inventors-fair]

Box of Friends Entries

@arixordragc — Resistance Armory @bergdg — Geralf's Stitching Table @bread-into-toast — Pontiff's Palanquin @curiooftheheart — Memorial Necklace @deg99 — Sandpulse Spike @feyd-rautha-apologist — Overzealous Lure @fluffycattens — Memorial Necklace @grornt — Omenseer's Cane @harunakonomi — Deep Specimen @helloijustreadyourpost — Leader's Mantle @hypexion — Ooze Dispenser @i-am-the-one-who-wololoes — Beeble Machine @insane-bad-idea-person — Altar of Shadows @izzet-always-r-versus-u — Tempting Songtape @j2miner — Annulus of the Mycotyrant @little-red-rabbit — The Prodigal's Wand @misterstingyjack — Mageguard Schimitar @nine-effing-hells — Dolgaérn Yards Warkite @nyxbird — Thunder Resonator @real-aspen-hours — Strix Egg @reaperfromtheabyss — Seedling Archive @sparkyyoungupstart — Inksnatcher's Well @stareyedesper — Sigil of the Shattered Honor @tanknspank — Silvered Quill @taran-wanderer — Piper Field Coalescence Platform @wildcardgamez — Otterball @xenobladexfan — Freestrider's Robes @yourrightfulking — Fresh Carrion

Thank you for all your entries!

[tveitertotwrites]

Character ask game 1, 2, and 3 for Derek, Ethan, and Tobias

Hey! Thanks for the questions!

1). Why do you like or dislike this character?

Derek (America's Most Eligible): So I like Derek because he was the LI I gravitated towards the most (I don't know why). My first play through of AME I played with Adam/Handsome Stranger but almost everytime after that (I say almost cause there was one time my LI was Mackenzie/Beautiful Contestant) has been Derek. I think it is because he seems really nice and I feel like he was the LI I could have the most customization in (in terms of personality, not looks like how some of the other LI's were).

Ethan (Open Heart): I think I mostly liked Ethan because he was "token LI" as in he was the LI that was pushed the most. I still like him but I don't think he is as far ahead of the other LI's in my mind as he once was.

Tobias (Open Heart): I like Tobias because he was someone I could see myself attracted to (physically, personality, etc). He was also the only non-LI character from the series that I wish PB would have allowed people to become an LI.

2). Favorite Canon thing about this character?

Derek (America's Most Eligible): How passionate he is about being on the show. I mean his title for book 1 is the Super Fan, but he is genuinely happy to be doing the show.

Ethan (Open Heart): His Eyes.

I love blue eyes, which I know there are people who don't, and as a blue eyed girlie, if you're (I mean you/you're as anyone who sees this not specifically the person who asked this) one of those people who are weird about blue eyes (if you simply don't like them then that's fine, but I'm saying weird as in you're a person who utterly despises them and says a bunch of rude stuff about it) then please leave my page.

Tobias (Open Heart): How he was absolutely willing to help Edenbrook during the attack when he was at Mass Kenmore. While he and Ethan were at odds, he put it aside to help the people who needed it at that time.

3). Least favorite canon thing about this character?

Derek (America's Most Eligible): His relationship with Ivy. i know he didn't really want to play into it especially towards the end of it but it was still weird.

Ethan (Open Heart): Sometimes he is a little too much of a dick to me. Like there are times where I feel he needs to take a little bit of a chill pill but he's mostly fine.

Tobias (Open Heart): How he isn't an LI.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Richard Dawkins

Published: Mar 22, 2024

I want to make a three-way distinction. You can be a Cultural Christian, a Political Christian,  a Believing Christian, or any combination of the three. People may disagree about which of these constitutes being “A Christian”. For me it has to be Believing Chistian.

I am a Cultural Christian, specifically a Cultural Anglican. I was educated in Christian schools. The history of my people is heavily influenced by Christian tradition. I like singing Christmas Carols, and am deeply moved by the sacred music of Bach and Handel. My head is full of Biblical phrases and quotations. And hymn tunes, which I regularly play by ear on my electronic clarinet.

I think Ayaan Hirsi-Ali (who is one of my favourite people in the world) is a Political Christian. She was brought up in the culture of Islam and is well aware of the horrors that that religion is still visiting on Muslims around the world, especially women. She sees Christianity as a relatively benign competitor, worth supporting as a bulwark against Islam. Just as most of us support a political party without agreeing with all its policies, because we prefer it to the alternative, a Political Christian may support Christianity without being a Believing Christian, because it’s better than the main alternative. Ayaan is a Cultural Muslim, and it is this that has driven her to be a Political Christian.

Believing Christians believe that there is a supernatural creator at the base of the universe called God. They believe a First Century Jew called Jesus is the son of God. They believe Jesus’s mother was a virgin when she gave birth to him. They believe that Jesus came alive again three days after he died. They believe that we ourselves have an immortal soul which survives our bodily death. They believe that God listens to our prayers.  I strongly suspect hat Ayaan doesn’t believe any of these things. She is not a Believing Christian.

In my language, that means she is not a Christian at all. Others may include Cultural Christian in their definition of Christian, in which case I am a Christian. Indeed, Ayaan herself is reported to have called me one of the most Christian people she knows.  But by the same token, the implication would be that she is a Muslim because she is a Cultural Muslim. And she certainly would not call herself a Muslim.

So, Ayaan is a Political Christian but she is no more a Believing Christian than I am. Her example leads me to consider my own position. Am I a Political Christian? I am in no doubt that Christianity is morally superior to Islam. Just look at the regions of the world with an explicitly Islamic government, or where Islam is the dominant political influence: Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Indonesia, Somalia, Northern Nigeria, Brunei, Turkey (betraying the admirable secularism of its post-Ottoman foundation) Saudi Arabia and many other countries of the Arab world. Laws vary, but recurrent patterns include mistreatment of women as second class citizens, persecution of gays, forced marriage, violent intolerance of what is considered blasphemous, anti-Jewish prejudice going so far as to laud Hitler, draconian punishment for apostasy, and for adultery which is often deemed to include simply talking to a member of the opposite sex other than a spouse or relative. Christianity has its bad points, and in earlier centuries it has been as bad as Islam. But today there’s no contest. When it comes to evil, Islam wins hands down, by a huge margin. No other religion comes close.

If I were American I would vote Democrat because, in spite of their idiotic stance on the male/female distinction, they are hugely preferable to the Republican alternative. Similarly, if I were forced to vote for either Christianity or Islam as alternative influences on the world, I would unhesitatingly vote Christian. If that make me a Political Christian, so be it. I am perhaps as much of a Political Christian as Ayaan is. But does that make either of us a Christian?

In my language, certainly not. For me, as a scientist, truth or falsehood of beliefs is what really defines a word like Christian or Muslim. If you are going to call somebody a Christian without qualification, I think it’s a confusion of language to mean anything less than a Believing Christian. You are at liberty to dissent from that definition. But let us at least be clear what definition we are using. If Ayaan says she’s a Christian and I say she’s not, we are really not disagreeing. We are defining our terms differently. She uses “Christian” to include “Political Christian” for herself and “Cultural Christian” for me. I don’t think you can be a real Christian if you don’t believe the fundmental tenets of Christianity.

The only disagreement is a semantic one. I am a Cultural Christian but not a Believing Christian, which, in my language means I am not a Christian. You, Ayaan, are a Political Christian, which in your language, but not mine, makes you a Christian. But we are neither of us Believing Christian. And this, in my language but not yours, makes neither of us Christians. So, dear Ayaan, let’s not agree to differ. Let’s agree that we don’t really differ. 

Dissident Dialogues

I’m happy to say I’ll be having a public conversation with Ayaan Hirsi-Ali at the inaugural Dissident Dialogues. Obviously her announcement that she has become Christian will be a major part of the discussion. The conference will be in New York, May 3rd & 4th. Distinguished speakers include Steven Pinker, John McWhorter, Kathleen Stock, Alex O’Connor, and many other leading thinkers.

[callibones]

hello! while i was looking at blaseball stuff, i came across the documents for your oc constitution. i wanted to tell you that i had a lot of fun looking through it !!! i found the mixed media elements ( like the social media posts n stuff ) really creative and nice. the only thing i wonder is ... an object camp is like a roleplaying group, right? how do you. find? object camps

i know that for some roleplaying communities, there are hubs where people post ads for their campaigns. do you know if theres a centralized community like that for object shows? i want to try making object characters of my own but i do Not know how to get into this sorry

howdy! first of all, thank you so much for checking out constitution! i had so much fun making entries for it and it absolutely touches my heart to hear someone enjoyin readin that stuff.

as for what an object camp is, it's not a roleplaying group! like. object roleplaying groups exist, i'm sure, but an object camp is very specifically a competition in which all those social media posts n written segments are entries, written for specific challenges, finished by a specific challenge, and done to be able to win advantages that allow you to stay in the competition. it's more like survivor/total drama than a roleplay, because while you're storytelling you're also voting out your fellow contestants and making alliances and playing tokens!

if that still sounds up your alley... while i'm sure there's centralized locations for object shows, that's not really where i go to find camps. i just find them through word of mouth! there's a gorgeous little tight-knit community that's part of the much larger Greater Object Community, and that's where i call home. after being invited by my friends to join one camp (the wiki camp 2), i found camp gnc 2 and other wonderful object camps through clicking on links in the ad channels and my friends telling me what they were signing up for. so you'll need one in signups to start.

fortunately... my dear friend of @ecto-hazard has one in signups right now! it's called lab camp and signups are open for like two more days so if you wanna get a character in, or just spectate one before you try one out for yourself, join there if you're 18+! (a lotta these camps are for adults, not because they're nsfw but just because it's a way of curating the space.) if you can't come up with a character before the deadline, it's still a great way to see what other people are submitting and ask them how they come up with object characters while they're fresh in everyone's memory. and it'll be a great place to meet people who might go on to host the next great object camp themself! (i'm working on one...)

finally, as for making object characters of your own, you can just do that! my little thing Stray Pixel (strixel) existed for a whole year as "object character i thought would be a fun concept" before i applied it for a camp. and then it didn't get in, and i applied it for another (blaseball-themed) camp and got in! omg you should totally join the RIV server too since you're like me- an object fan and a blaseball fan. you'll definitely meet like-minded people there. (this one's 15+!)

whether you join these or not, i'll be sure to post updates n stuff on camps i find that are public and things that get me excited. and i'm happy to answer any more questions u have about object camps or the community! i'm literally movin across the country because of someone i met in an object camp. these things rock. theyre such a great unique way to storytell on a deadline (good for adhd). i hope you either find a great camp or just have a lot of fun making object characters. and when you do, please tell me about 'em! making object characters ROCKS. any of my awesome friends or anyone else who's cool, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE show off your awesome objects, whether or not they're applied to somethin. i dont wanna say "reblog this" but like i think you cant put images in the replies... so... one way or another show anon (and me!) ur object ocs i am Begging

[johnxaavie]

How can gamification elements be incorporated into a fantasy football app to enhance user engagement?

Gamification elements can significantly enhance user engagement in a fantasy football app by leveraging psychological principles and game mechanics to make the experience more interactive, rewarding, and enjoyable. Here are several effective ways to incorporate gamification elements into a fantasy football app development:

1. Achievements and Badges

Objective: Reward users for completing specific actions or milestones within the app.

Implementation: Offer badges for achievements such as winning a league, drafting a perfect lineup, or achieving a winning streak. Displaying these badges prominently in user profiles or leaderboards can foster a sense of accomplishment and encourage continued participation.

2. Points, Levels, and Leaderboards

Objective: Provide a sense of progression and competitiveness among users.

Implementation: Assign points for various activities like drafting players, setting lineups, and scoring points based on player performances. Users can level up based on accumulated points or achievements. Leaderboards can showcase top performers, driving competition and motivation.

3. Challenges and Quests

Objective: Encourage regular engagement by offering specific challenges or quests.

Implementation: Create weekly challenges such as predicting player performances or achieving a certain number of wins. Completing these challenges can earn users rewards like bonus points, virtual currency, or exclusive content.

4. Virtual Currency and Rewards

Objective: Incentivize engagement and loyalty through virtual rewards.

Implementation: Introduce virtual currency (e.g., coins, tokens) that users can earn through gameplay or purchase. These can be used to unlock premium features, customize avatars, or participate in special events. Reward loyal users with exclusive perks or discounts.

5. Live Updates and Notifications

Objective: Keep users engaged with real-time updates and notifications.

Implementation: Send push notifications for live game updates, player news, or reminders for lineup changes. Notifications can also alert users about upcoming deadlines, new challenges, or opportunities to earn rewards.

6. Social Interaction and Community Features

Objective: Foster a sense of community and social engagement among users.

Implementation: Enable social sharing of achievements, team performances, and league standings. Incorporate chat features, forums, or user-generated content (e.g., player analyses, tips) to encourage interaction and collaboration among users.

7. Interactive Polls and Predictions

Objective: Engage users in real-time decision-making and predictions.

Implementation: Conduct polls on player performance, game outcomes, or fantasy strategies. Allow users to make predictions and compare their results with others. Offer rewards or recognition for accurate predictions.

8. Personalization and Customization

Objective: Enhance user experience by allowing personalization of the app.

Implementation: Offer customization options for team logos, avatars, or themes. Allow users to create custom leagues with unique settings or rules. Personalized experiences can increase user attachment and investment in the app.

9. Time-Limited Events and Contests

Objective: Create excitement and urgency with time-sensitive events.

Implementation: Host special events like draft parties, playoffs, or themed contests (e.g., holiday-themed leagues). Offer exclusive rewards or prizes to participants. Time-limited events can drive spikes in user engagement and retention.

10. Feedback and Rewards Loop

Objective: Encourage continuous improvement and user feedback.

Implementation: Solicit feedback through surveys, ratings, or reviews. Reward users for providing constructive feedback or referring new users. Actively implement user suggestions to demonstrate responsiveness and enhance user satisfaction.

By strategically incorporating these gamification elements into a fantasy football app, developers can create a compelling and immersive experience that not only attracts users but also retains their interest over the long term. The key is to balance fun and competition while providing meaningful rewards and incentives that align with user motivations and preferences.

Website - https://www.sciflare.com/fantasy-football-development/.

[slots-market]

"From Risk to Reward: My Success Story in the Slots Market"

In my years of online money-making experience, I've discovered that platforms like this are reliable. Their focus is on gamblers, not us, for profits. It's that simple: take calculated risks to earn.

After thorough exploration, I've developed a strategy that allows me to profit from this platform without engaging in actual gambling. My aim isn't just financial gain, but responsible success. This approach isn't about wagering or risking funds; it's about securing steady and safe profits.

In just 6 months, this platform has gained a staggering 800,000 members, many fall victim to scams or financial instability. However, our chosen slot machine market stands out. While not flawless, its global growth underscores its potential, extending beyond the Philippines.

Gaming is a massive industry, evident in famous casinos like Las Vegas and Atlantic City. These establishments flourish by setting rules and employing strategic marketing tactics to attract players and host betting contests with enticing prizes.

Driven by human nature, gaming ensures profitability through player engagement. Quest rewards create an exciting atmosphere, engaging users across various games. By following our team's strategies and managing speculative tendencies, you can profit from these quests.

Maximizing Profits Strategically, Without Gambling

The slots market functions as an online casino, but it comes with a unique twist: the opportunity for profit through incentive tasks. These tasks provide an additional avenue for earnings beyond traditional gambling. In this virtual casino realm, you can amplify your profits by completing specific tasks, known as incentives. Unlike pure chance-based gambling, these tasks empower you to take an active role in boosting your earnings.

Imagine earning profit without the usual risks associated with gambling. Let me share how I managed to enhance my earnings through this dynamic approach.

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SLOTS MARKET is an online casino app. Why is there a quest return token campaign?

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Connect with our social media for more tips, guides and updates

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[barryogg]

I wonder if the people who voted for The Kaiju Preservation Society to be a Hugo nomination:

Genuinely like the book (shudder)

Like Scalzi because he's part of their clique, and therefore like the book, because they're low decouplers and in their minds those two opinions are inseparable

Think the book is shit, but view the award as a popularity contest, and therefore view Scalzi as worthy of the nomination because he's the clique's token

Think the book is shit, and voted on it specifically to own the chuds "see, we are nominating books by white guys, isn't that what you wanted?"