#generous gemcrafter

[aurelion-solar]

Legends of Runeterra March 2023 Expansion Priestess of Desert Light - Generous Gemcrafter - Banana Blaster - Ceaseless Sentry - Skulking String-Puller - Serene Sky-Singer - Blocking Badgerbear - Mischievous Marai - Formula - Winter’s Touch

[haaaaaaaaaaaave-you-met-ted]

Generous Gemcrafter by Chaosringen

[autumnslance]

WoL Job Tiers

Saw this on Twitter, it's a Tiermaker chart of how good one's WoL actually is at the myriad jobs and classes available currently in FFXIV.

And since these are OCs with the power of God and Anime on their side, well we can do what we want...

Answers are In Character, as I have a couple Omni-Job characters, like the weirdo I am...

DARK AUTUMN

The Hellsguard is very good at the martial jobs originating in Gridania, Archery and Lance. She's not an actual Dragoon, but she is an exceptional Bard. And a very good Warrior, channeling some suppressed rage into protective ability. Dancing is one she took to surprisingly well, seeing it as tied closely to her Bardic skills.

Dark is the OC who handles many of the Crafting and Gathering stories and is the best at those, while having varying competence at other martial skills. I've noted before she isn't capable of magic beyond a few rudimentary cantrips. Her large family and their fields and orchards are responsible for quite a few of her tradeskills--and her willingness to learn different ways to tussle with someone.

And while she can swing a giant sword or scythe quite well, she would never make a pact with a voidsent, and Dark Knight reliance on magic leaves it low on the list.

C'ORETTA KHELL

Catgirl has a few things she is very good at, due to her growing up in the shadow of the Coliseum with the early emphasis on certain skills, like pugilism and dancing, though going so far as a Fist of Rhalgr or learning the Kriegstanz were unexpected. She's far more intelligent than many realize, given her hyperactivity and seemingly short attention span when seeing her in casual conversations. She can support her gemcraft hobby, and again it focuses mostly on her exposure in Ul'dah's upper middle class and the freedom to learn multiple things as desired.

She hasn't taken the time or interest in other skills. And for the Traders' sake, don't let that woman near a stove; Singing Willow has tried and given up. C'oretta's the kind that relies on take out and easy, ready-made foods, and the generous concern of her friends, lest she scald the pots trying to boil water.

IYNA CAULD

Iyna's simple; driven to excel at her chosen disciplines and with the Viera lifespan to manage it. Red Mage is high as it is cuz she can grasp the concept of combining her Black and White magics with sword work--though those magics were a bit of a surprise, after her time in the Empire. Reaper I debate her actually leveling, as she spent decades in Garlemald and was always looking for ways to buck authority. She knows how to forage for supplies, she lived in the East long enough to get some knowledge of the Samurai methods, and Geomancy and Astrology are linked so she has basic ideas. On arriving in Eorzea, she spent some time learning from the Marauder's Guild, but never progressed to Warrior nor Nymian Marine.

She's figuring out what hobbies even are, so other skills she hasn't bothered much with, though considers learning metalworks to better maintain her own tech and weapons, as Eorzea isn't quite as convenient in that regard as the Empire. Creative skills or the advanced academics of the Arcanist classes, however, is well beyond her capabilities or interests.

AERYN STRIKER

Exceptional (Broken) Anime Protagonist Alert! Aeryn's always taken to combat skills with an exceptional and disturbing ease that sometimes makes her nervous; learning what she did in the First and Elpis made some of that make sense, she supposes.

She spent much of her youth studying any and all forms of magic, but with difficulty in execution until after the Calamity, giving her a base in fundamentals so when she did, she blossomed. Until then, however, she focused on her martial skills, and cross applies much of what she learns to each one of them. The ones she focuses on, though, tend to be natural inclination or a drive to succeed.

Dragoon she now thinks came so easily due to the connection to Avengret and how that affected Aeryn's Inner Dragon. Fishing is entirely Ardbert's fault; she'd barely touched a fishing pole before the First.

Everything else is dabbled in for familiarity, or hobby level and there just isn't the time or interest in mastering those skills.

Aeryn's a perfectionist and rather driven. And doesn't sleep quite as much as she should (until she crashes out for a bit, anyroad).

(OOC BUT STILL IN GAME: LYNMARS, THE PLAYER)

(Look I may have leveled everything in this game--sometimes multiple times even--but that doesn't mean I know what the heck I'm doing beyond "proc lights up, push button." Also I have tiny hands, poor physical dexterity, and a wretched perception score. I know in theory how most of them should work, execution is a whole other matter.)

[thelegolashairappreciationclub]

I love the popular headcannon that it is culturally important that all noldor have at least one craft that they dedicate themselves to even if it's not their actual work. I also love the idea that "craft" is a fairly loose term and could also translate to "passion project" or "hyperfixation"

Anywho here's my headcannons of the Finwean cousins' "crafts":

Meadhros: started with copperwork and filigree, ended up in politics (specifically the politics of regions outside tirion, which makes him invaluable in Finwe's court)(he is also a huge gossip as a result)

Maglor: music in general but also opera and crafting instruments. He is actually famous outside of his role as a prince since he started his career playing anonymously.

Celegorm: religious studies! He is actually incredibly knowledgeable about not only Orome's worship in valinor but also in the 'folk religions' originating in cuivinen. He is also passionate about leatherwork and linguistics.

Caranthir: weaving and beadwork specifically but also fibrecrafts in general. Takes after miriel the most (including in temper, feanor got it from her).

Curufin: metalwork and smithing like papa. Also physics! He's a nerd! Notably uninterested in gemcraft.

Amrod: Writing! He writes romance and adventure novels under a pseudonym. His family knows this but don't know which books are his. He is also a skilled trapper.

Amras: Acting! He is actually a well known actor in tirion and often stars in plays written by Aegnor. He is Very Dramatic. He is also very interested in botany.

Continuing with the Nolofinweans!

Fingon: Sports! He's a professional athlete and equestrian and has won several competitions in archery, cross country riding and long distance running. He is also a portrait and landscape painter though he rarely exhibits his work.

Turgon: politics and architecture. He actually enjoys architecture more but was sort of forced into politics when fingon showed no interest. He is the bane of every other member of the court because he Whatabout's absolutely everything.

Aredhel: hunting and tracking, extremely stealthy. She also enjoys pharmaceutical chemistry and teaching others! This does not backfire in any way! :)

Argon: i have said this before and i will say it again; he chose Structued Debate because cage match wrestling wasn't invented yet. He actually used to do wrestling but got fed up of all the rules and regulations. Enjoys sculpture and actually studied with nerdanel for a time.

Last but not least! The Arafinweans!

Finrod: Fashion and design are his main interests but he's fascinated by urban engineering. Enjoys boat racing but is actually not very good at it.

Angrod: also an athlete! He used to wrestle alongside Argon but quit soon after he did. He competes in swimming and diving mostly now! Also enjoys shipbuilding and sailing.

Aegnor: a playwright, known for writing romantic and violent tragedies. He also studied swordcraft with the intent of using it to choreograph fight scenes better but ended up enjoying it in its own right.

Galadriel: Divination and astronomy. Likely would have devoted herself to varda at some point but was stopped by political unrest in relation to the valar.

[ar-fmp]

Research - Similar Games Pt2

Creeper World 3: Arc Eternal:

Creeper World 3: Arc Eternal is a unique twist to normal tower defense games, as instead of having the player fight waves of enemies, the player fights cellular automata that is gradually advancing to consume the player's base.

The game's style is drastically different to that of a traditional tower defense, as it is way further zoomed out, and a lot more detailed in its art design.

I think that the art style has to be more developed as the game features precise building / terraforming that is a big part of the gameplay.

Kingdom Rush - Tower Defense:

In my opinion, Kingdom Rush - Tower Defense is just a well polished, traditional tower defense. It's art style is what you would come to expect from the genre, being cartoony and just a bit ridiculous. Kingdom Rush - Tower Defense and Bloons Tower Defense are very similar in my eyes, yet they are also completely different. I think that Bloons focuses on the towers a lot more; whereas Kingdom Rush focuses on the enemies much more.

Mindustry:

Mindustry focuses more on real time strategy than the other games of this genre, as the game is about making and defending a factory that generates materials that you can use to upgrade said factory with. As for the art style, it is all made up of blocks, and similarly to Kingdom Rush; it has a polished looking cartoony style to it.

GemCraft - Chasing Shadows:

Just from a first glance, GemCraft - Chasing Shadows has a super advanced art style - being really detailed and separating it from most other tower defenses. Gameplay wise, it's like if Bloons had a focus on its abilities (the pineapple bomb).

Apart from that emphasis on the abilities, it seems very similar to Bloons, with the enemies running down the track where the player must place towers and defenses to stop them before they reach the end.

Stronghold HD:

Stronghold HD is like if City Skylines was a tower defense. The game revolves around the player building themselves a stronghold and managing the city building aspects of that, while having to keep up with the constant raids and sieges happening to their base. The art design is very detailed and realistic, which fits the gameplay as it also shows its realism throughout. The art is very similar to GemCraft, being super realistic; but the game isn't top down like most of tower defenses, it's halfway between top down and side on (like Kingdom Rush). This allows for the game to use 3D elements to its advantage as things like the walls being taller than the tower do have an impact in such a game.

[tittabang]

Gemcraft labyrinth swarm

Not spending skill points is exactly how you hit a wall in the mid game (generally after getting the true colors skill) because you don't have enough strength to deal with the later waves of battles since your strength is too focussed on the start of the battle. So the skills that lowers the amount of mana you need for level up and increases the mana gain, as well as the skill that lowers the cost for the gems. Originally posted by neonsilver:Maybe I'm at an earlier point in the game, but so far in terms of skills I fared pretty well by focusing most skill points into my mana. I also have a lot of skill points unused and several talisman fragments to increase my starting mana (I think currently I'm starting always at level 3), the starting mana alone is a great help during journey mode. Since there is a diminishing return with the gem special effect, it's likely that you will get more if you add more traps instead of upgrading the gems, but since the more traps you have the more expensive it is to build more, you have to find the right balance. The poison will usually take a big chunk out of the monsters health and is likely to kill swarmlings. I have unlocked the poison and armor tearing gem skill, so I have those always available in endurance mode and they are best in traps. So the skills that lowers the amount of mana you need for level up and increases the mana gain, as well as the skill that lowers the cost for the gems.Īdditionally I have some points in damage increase and in traps. Maybe I'm at an earlier point in the game, but so far in terms of skills I fared pretty well by focusing most skill points into my mana. I can keep most of the monsters on the map in these 2 debuffs by spacing a couple of these guys around in traps I also use "least affected by gem" for red and blue gems. It's actually kind of obnoxious how much that is the case. But even without the battle trait many maps have an excess of swarmling waves anyway. I'm early enough that I don't yet have tools like the beam spell or poison gem skill, but the swarmling battle trait is unlocked early and it seems to be among the more palatable ones (the one that gives every monster layers of shield is just unusable until probably extreme late game). Originally posted by Quizer:I'm also not a huge fan of the swarmling meta. It's nice to find out that it's pretty much tailor-made for poison trap use, so thanks for the tip!īTW, does the "+?% bonus damage against swarmlings" talisman bonus even magnify poison damage? I was wondering how exactly the "least affected by gem specials" priority works. On maps where you don't, you have to spam like 6-8 towers with level 3 gems so you can handle swarmling waves without too many leaks. On maps where you have poison gems and traps, that seems to be the best strategy anyway for grinding XP, and it deals with swarmlings just fine. However, it's possible to get used to it. I'm also not a huge fan of the swarmling meta. which sucks since i've been a huge gemcraft for ~7ish years now. Idk if its a sudden leap in power for swarmlings ~wave 50 or the lack of solid skill point farming early on, but whatever it is has seriously tainted this game for me with a sudden huge wall to progression. I cant unlock new battle tactics to get more xp since theyre locked behind levels with yet again more bs swarmlings. "Just grind for 12 hours on your eariler levels and git gud lol" and this is still early game so I dont have many skill points to spare. They reguire a big investment on the skill tree and a few on the field with high grades to keep up with the wave progression. I went through about a third of the game before having to switch to chilling, at first I just thought the difficulty was higher than past games (I played the crap out of chasing shadows and labyrinth back on armorgames).īut after a few strategy changes I noticed the one wave that would screw me over was always some rando swarmling wave that always somehow managed to overwhelm my defenses and mess up the whole level for me.Ī bunch of towers with lower gems means I cant take down the swarmlings of higher waves with the same numbers that are already problematic.

[nikosheba]

am enjoying your posts! I have a question about Silmaril. I feel like people in this fandom are divided on whether a Silmaril can be broken or not. Some people headcanon that they CAN be broken with the Valar's will or approval based on the fact that the Valar tried to ask Feanor to break it so that the Trees may be revived. So I feel like technically, it can be broken? But I've also seen folks thinking that the Silmarils by nature cannot be broken. What are your headcanons on this topic?

Hi! Thanks for asking! 

I think that they can be broken, because I ascribe to Dagor Dagorath, where the Silmarils will be broken and Yavanna will sing back the Light to the Trees. I also look at the fact that in early drafts, it was specifically the secrets of gemcraft that Maedhros was tortured for in Angband--I think the assumption was that he knew or was taught things about the Silmarils that no one but a Son of Fëanor could know.

So, I don’t think they could in general be cut, shaped, and broken. But the one who created them could break them, and possibly his son, too.

[nobaettadr]

            ★   //    WORLDBUILDING.  /  gem mining in the thracian subcontinent

the mountains in the center of the thracian subcontinent are, along with the silessian mountain range, one of the oldest mountain ranges in jugdral. as such, the people of the thracian peninsula have always had a close relationship with these mountains; stemming from traditional lifestyles spanning long before the time of the crusaders, the southern half of the manster district is well known throughout the jugdrali continent for its lucrative gem mining industry, to the point where many famous gemstones across the land originated here or were cut and shaped by thracian craftsmen. accordingly, gemcraft has historically been a large contributor to the wealth of the kingdom of alster and the free city of tahra, which lack the climate and fertile terrain of the northern kingdoms / cities.

though gemstone mining has been a core part of this region for many centuries predating the split of north and south thracia, the division of the peninsula changed the way gemstones shaped thracian history. the mountains became the dividing line between the two countries, and their bounty became a symbol of the stark and intense wealth disparity between the two and the ensuing enmity.

the western side of the thracian mountains ( marked in yellow ) belongs to the manster district and is, at the time of fe5-fe4, the side that has actual access to mining. while both sides of the mountain range were historically used, the eastern side belonging to south thracia ( marked in red ) fell out of use as the country’s poverty rapidly worsened; they lacked the tools and resources on their own to continue the tradition. 

the difference between the two halves of the mountain is like night and day: tahra and the north thracian towns east of it in the mountains, to dandrum fortress, are well-manned and prosperous; on the other side of noel canyon ( right-most red dot in the yellow square; canonically said to be the natural border between north and south thracia ), on the south thracian side, shabby villages are sparsely populated by pockets of struggling people. the area is too far from the central cities of south thracia and are thus left largely stranded. as we see in canon, many of the people in this area thus turn to banditry to survive. historically, the lords of meace — the castle closest by — have not been able to do much to help, including general hannibal, even respectable as his reputation otherwise is.

as a result of the sharp wealth divide in the area, symbolized by the gemstone industry, the region is fraught with tension, and there are frequent local skirmishes; even on the wealthier west side, the lands east of tahra are considered a dangerous place to live. on top of that, the mountains being the natural border between the two frequently-warring countries means that this area is the hot zone of battles between north and south thracia. both of these factors have led to this strip from manster to tahra through the mountains ( which leif travels during fe5 ) being known locally as the bloodstone belt.

in noel canyon, settlements have lasted for centuries, built around communities that traditionally existed and expanded around gemcraft. in recent times, however, with the canyon both serving as the natural border and also the largest open space in the mountains and thus an easy battleground, noel canyon became known as one of the bloodiest places on the peninsula after countless clashes between north and south thracian armies. fort dandrum, canonically known as the impregnable fortress against south thracian incursion, was originally built here to protect the surrounding valley settlements from thracian attack. 

the canyon itself also goes by other names: it’s known as the dragon’s trap to the south thracians, who once mistakenly believed that the canyon, ringed by high mountains with narrow passages, provided an easy place to corral the north thracian army and massacre them from the air with their famed dracoknights, only to realize too late that fort dandrum’s defense is riddled throughout the valley in countless ballista, and also that the valley’s woodland provides natural cover for siege mages. to the local villagers, many of whom are descended from indigeneous communities that have lived in the canyon for many generations, it’s come to be nicknamed ghost valley due to the constant warring and bloodshed in the area. some marshland patches are said to be haunted by the ghost lights of dead soldiers that will mislead the unassuming to their doom, and it’s not too uncommon to stumble upon remnants of previous battles throughout the canyon: shrapnels of armor and weapons, old piles of skeletons. travelers are often warned to be alert and careful.

[mythriteshah]

The Regalia’s Magnum Opus - Empowered

Two winters ago, the Mythrite Sultan of the Higuri Regalia created the Power in Beauty Catalogue: an evolving fashion magazine showcasing the many wonders and aesthetics of the Three Great Continents and beyond.  Only after the Regalia had established itself as a textile and gemcrafting empire (and an unforgettable fashion show) did it decide to broaden its horizons.  

Forming a coalition with Radz-at-Han’s guilds, the first issue of the PiB Catalogue was thus released: the Eikon Collection. Many were awestruck at the myriad clothing and accessories born from the Mythrite Sultan’s genius, and the genius of his fashion advisors.  A resounding success, the Regalia’s prosperity only grew after its release, with numerous citizens and adventurers alike flocking to get their hands on an issue.

The Lucavi Assembly followed a year later, with the young merchant-lord finding inspiration in a dream he had one eve. With the aid of his favorite guild known as the Lion Order, they were able to create another clothing line which emulated the twelve otherworldly deity-like beings from Ivalician and Thavnairian legend, blending the two aesthetics together as one.  Thus was the realm of fashion conquered a second time.

Now preparing to take the stage again, the time had come to unveil the third – and perhaps, the most ambitious – clothing line of the PiB Catalogue.  With yet another partnership formed with the founder of Turncoat Cosmetics, this line would introduce makeup palettes suited to each particular item.  With otherworldly beings serving as a major contributor to the Regalia’s success, there was no other way to turn but to the realm’s own regions.  This would be the grand stage for all areas of the realm to take their place in the realm of fashion.  Thus would this line be known as: The Hydaelyn Runway.

This voluminous echelon of Haute Couture showcases specially-made outfits and accessories paying homage to a specific region or city-state – current and historic - within the world of Hydaelyn, with most items having variants for both genders.  And if representing one’s favorite area was not enough, the symbols of the Twelve are displayed on the items as well, allowing one to represent their favorite god as well.  Whether one is hearing of this for the first time, or is a returner from the previous clothing lines: for those who have the coin – or the good graces of the Mythrite Sultan – and the thirst, the will, and the passion to embrace high fashion, one need only seek out the Higuri Regalia to acquire an issue.

Opening the catalogue’s contents, you would find a picture of the Mythrite Sultan on the very first page, and a foreword on the other, undoubtedly by the aforementioned Lalafell..

“Greetings, reader and seeker of fashion.  For those yet uninitiated, I am Thiji sor Higuri, Mythrite Sultan of the Higuri Regalia.  Beyond this page lies the Power in Beauty Catalogue’s Hydaelyn Runway.  If you have the drive and the will to achieve new heights of fashion, we humbly welcome you to browse.  However, per protocol, I must warn all new customers who catch wind of this of an important detail:

Due to the amount of passion and dedication put into this extensive catalogue, we of the Regalia have implemented a special deal to cater to those who are less favorable towards hostile conditions.  While the outfits and accessories themselves are set at prices that could potentially make the Syndicate’s coffers shudder, a generous discount is offered to those who choose to commission these with an Anti-Glamour enchantment.  This ensures the garments are unmarred and ultimately broken beyond repair - Halone forbid - as numerous people are so insistent on charging into battle wearing the most impractical of outfits…”

“Nevertheless, you are more than welcome to commission them full retail should you possess the coin, but for those who would intend to wear these in a non-combat setting, this is the ideal route to take.  You may send all commission requests to either myself, Treasurer Susuna, or any of my Head Secretaries if you are interested in receiving enlightenment.”

“While many of the outfits upon which you will soon gaze have been modeled by hand-selected individuals, others have been provided with a mannequin for display purposes.  However, each item is a representation of a given region, city-state, or area within this world.  As such, it is important to keep in mind that certain items should be worn correctly, lest you unintentionally earn the ire of history buffs and fanatics.”

“From the towering peaks of Abalathia’s Spine, to the great One River which flows through Othard’s many provinces, the Hydaelyn Runway has a massive selection that will be sure to satisfy your tastes.  As an added feature, each purchase comes with its chosen makeup palette, whose proceeds go directly to our partners at Turncoat Cosmetics.  This is available for both males and females.”

“Now, seeker of fashion - when you are prepared, you may turn this page, and learn why the Regalia’s motto is ‘Where There is Power in Beauty.’“ -Thiji Higuri

(Starting the day after this post, and every few days thereafter, a new set of attire from the Hydaelyn Runway will be showcased until all items have been revealed.  This will simulate the turning of a page whilst giving each piece ample time to be appreciated.)

[keyofjetwolf]

GIFTENING Bonus Rounds

For each category, I included a “bonus round” question. YOU GUYS KILLED IT. I loved all the answers, but listed below are some of my particular favourites.

Haruka Tenoh is trapped in the wrong anime! Which would you have her visit next?

I want her to earth shake Kyubey out of existence, please and thank you

My bride is a mermaid. She can relate. :P

i think she would THRIVE in bodacious space pirates. gay teenage space pirates whose job is to dress up, be Dramatic, and rob the wealthy??? that shit is RIGHT up her alley

Hamtaro

Princess Tutu - where the world is finally as dramatic as her

PGSM (and Michiru is trapped with her, for REASONS)

Pokemon because everyone deserves to be happy

Any moe-style series so hijinks can ensue at her being baffled by everyone's ages

1960's Speed Racer

is is this a captcha or something i missed oh god

Free! so she can be indifferent to all the hot men and slightly uncomfortable because she still can't swim. 

Stick Haruka in a Gundam!

Dump her in Pretear or one of the Precures! It would be hilarious! She's never in the genre she wants to be!

Revolutionary Girl Utena, so she can be offended by misuse of roses.

Initial D, she will out-drive and out-drift all those guys and steal all their girls.

Evangelion. I would feel bad to watch her suffer, but it would be so, so funny for her to be the comparatively most normal person around.

Yakitake Japan! SO SHE CAN HAVE A SNACK OF DELICIOUS RIDICULOUS BREAD BEFORE THE NEXT INTERDIMENSIONAL ANIME STORM WHISKS HER AWAY.

The Holograms or the Misfits? DISCUSS

Holograms

both? both. BOTH IS GOOD

misfits bc Evil Ladies Hot

Steven and the stevens

Misfits.  How dare you make us try to think about anything in our lives.

Both, you mad fool. Those combined songs were the best.

The Misfits, their songs are better

The Misgrams: A group of girls who form a singing telegram start up company, but constantly deliver the telegrams to the wrong people.

kimber & stormer

Neither. Limp Lizards all the way. BROKEN GLASS.

I do not know what these things are

Misfits because guitar motorcycle

The Isle of Misfit Holograms

Holograms is just arguably better

I mean, I’m told the Misfits’ songs are better, but my true answer is the band Kimber and Stormer made in that big gay episode you liveblogged (checks) almost four years ago.

I've no idea what these words mean and I hope this does not make me TOO uncool.

this is about jem, right? right?? im hip i swear

Misfits, because Jasper is a member apparently

I don't know from Jem, but I mean...I certainly prefer holographic material to Glenn Danzig? So I guess there's your answer ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The Stingers

LIMP LIZARDS FOREVER

Senshi Band

You can make me liveblog a full series of any show you want! You also hate me. What do you have me watch?

Pick a GoT rip-off, any GoT rip-off

The Bachelor?

The Bachelor :(

depends on how much i hate you, but....probably the bachelor. quantity AND lack of quality

Critical role, it would take forever

If I were a horrible person who sought only malice?  Big Bang Theory.  Entire series.

Toddlers and Tiaras

The Mandalorian - Disney would come after you and kill keyofjetwolf just as dead as keyofnik.  We would all be very sad, you would have to go through a second round of restoring things to a new tumblr account, and your organizational heart would weep over adding yet another hosting site out of chronological order.

You are liveblogging Eva, and must discuss in full detail Shinji's emotional state at all times.

Hannity & Colmes

The Kardashians. And all of their spin offs. *kisses*

The price is right

the bachelor

Probably something with lots of romance and no friendships. Soap operas are like that, right? My college roommate used to watch General Young Light Restless Hospital of Our Lives (which one had Like and Laura?) And it was torture.

One Piece, because it's over 900 episodes so you could maybe do 10% before you die, also you will hate how the women are treated most of the time.

Fushigi Yuugi. Not only do you hate it but it also comes with you squirming when you admit to watching the whole thing. ;) 

Plus belle la vie. It's an ongoing French soap opera that has been airing five days a week since 2004, they're nearing their 4000th episode and there's no end in sight. Imagine all those hours upon hours submerged in French drama, mwahahaha!!

The Bachelor.  Or the Bachelorette, maybe - more straight dudes in that.

The Young and the Restless - IT IS THE LIVEBLOG THAT NEVER ENDS. IT WOULD OUTLAST THE INTERNET.

The entirety of the Bachelor franchise.

You can only play one game for the rest of your life. Which game would it be and why?

Kingdom Hearts Complete Collection. A) I love them. B) I beat the system and get like 10 games instead of one.

Gemcraft. This game actually takes a lifetime to finish.

Hatoful Boyfriend. It is the best game ever created. Feel it in your heart.

that's a mean question and you can't make me answer it

Pathfinder, which you could play for the rest of your life and still never finish.

Civ VI , so I can rule the world without leaving my house.

I am legitimately perturbed by this question and refuse to answer it.

Pokemon Go. I would have nothing else, but I would catch them all.

The Elder Scrolls Skyrim: I'll never run out of side-quests.

Mass Effect--it's the only way I'll get full completion. 

The dinosaur game on Chrome when the internet doesn't connect because my life is monotonous and it's a welcome relief. 

Stardew Valley. Peaceful farmer life and turning my children into doves when I'm bored with them.

Crabs Adjust Humidity

Oh my! A number of things come to mind, not one of them fit for print. Just, you know...*gestures vaguely* sex shit. 

I can't even stick to the ones I play now.

This is the worst of all possible things and I refuse to answer. 

Monopoly, I hate myself :(

Probably Minecraft! I haven't gotten into it because I know if I start I will NEVER STOP. Who would do things like build a hundred foot tall statue of Mako-chan? A-THAT'D BE ME.

the game. Of LIFE! *shrug emoji*

I don't believe I'll tell you, because I AM a salty little fish and it was HARD to cut that 11th choice off my vote.

Holligay and I are going to be the leads in a new buddy film. What's the premise? How does it end?

Be gay do crimes. Thelma and Louise. Duh. :P

I have no idea but only just surviving disaster is how it ends.

You break down in a small town during a roadtrip- your stay is full of hijinks and ends with you teaching the townsfolk the true meaning of friendship.

Doctor Holligay, Esquire, PhD, renowned Jewish femme of many talents, is assigned one Operative Jet Wolf as her bodyguard on a foreign diplomatic mission/vacation/culinary tour of the world ("same difference, shut up, narrator"). One problem: Operative Wolf needs a bodyguard herself, as the good doctor discovers when in one night her toilet is destroyed ("IT WAS A SECURITY THREAT") and Operative Wolf nearly breaks a leg falling down a small set of stairs ("THEY PUT A CLIFF OUTSIDE THE DOOR"). Worldwide shenanigans ensue as Holligay and Operative Wolf learn the true meaning of friendship, and also how to take care of themselves... by taking care of each other.

I’m not sure about the premise, but DEFINITELY it ends in murder.

Someone posted a major spoiler during one of your liveblogs. The two of you track them down seeking revenge. It turns out it was the original creator of the series trying to stop you. For some reason Holligay is a CGI badger.

It's clearly a buddy cop movie, and like all good buddy cop movies, it ends with Doc almost dying, and you saving her, and slapping her wound in the hospital as the credits roll.

It ends as it began: with Holligay roasting you.

A straight detective and her lesbian partner have to solve the case of the missing cinnamon buns.  It ends with nobody getting the guy OR the girl and you drive off into the sunset together, perps behind bars sans cinnamon buns.

I don't know what it's about but I know it will be the only movie that ever existed. 

Holligay is the lesbian chief of staff to you somehow being elected President and she's basically running the country while you're the charming face of the administration

Nerd and cowgirl meet at a bar, justifyingly murder some gross dude, go on the run from the law and have a life-changing road trip, on the way Nazis are punched

carrying a delicate object through a forest after your helicopter goes down

Thelma and Louise, but instead of dying, your deaths are clearly faked and you live on a ranch in Montana with your respective spouses and animals. One time a cop comes by the restaurant/bar you joint own with Doc and says, "You look familiar." Doc, in perfect lesbian, answers, "Jet's just got that criminal look, on account of how much she'd love to steal my cheesecake recipe. More pie?"

Queer Eye with a Straight Goy. The two of you do the show but in your own special ways.

Doc Holligay is the wild-west no-nonsense sheriff. Jet Wolf is the all-fun cyberpunk cop from the future. They punch nazis and argue about food. It ends as a tv series ala B99.

Your lives are already a buddy film, don’t get greedy.

Hands and socks.  You know how it ends.

See Grumpy Old Men for details.  How does it end?  Badly.

I can't imagine the premise, but I'm pretty sure the planet explodes.

A Coen Bros film. It ends poorly.

Wait? You're not already living this now? 

REI HINO

REI HINO

Sure. Why not?

HINO REI

<3<3<3<3

REI HINO!

Rei who? ;)

REI HINOOOOOOOOO

Plush Is being hugged by Zoisite in your banner.

MINAKO AINO

MAKOTO KINO

The best

SOCKS

MICHIRU KAIOH

It's time tooo.... REI! THAT! HINO!

sponsored by Here! curry

LOVES USAGI LOVES REI LOVES USAGI LOVES REI LOVES USAGI LOVES REI LOVES USAGI LOVES REI LOVES USAGI LOVES REI LOVES USAGI LOVES REI LOVES USAGI LOVES REI LOVES USAGI LOVES REI LOVES USAGI LOVES REI LOVES USAGI LOVES REI [THIS REPEATS A LOT A LOT AND IS GLORIOUS] [...] LOVES USAGI LOVES REI LOVES JETWOLF

(THE REAL ONE)

Isn't how you spell Makoto Kino!

THE REAL ONE™

obviously

IS NOT A RHINO

In conclusion: Rei Hino

Rei Hino is giving this Giftening finger guns

BEAUTIFUL, STUNNING, SHOW-STOPPING, TALENTED, AMAZING, WONDERFUL

Hot stuff, lights my fire, blazes it regularly. I am out of fire jokes.

PASSION FLAME, SAILOR MARS

These hot feelings are C'EEEEEST LAAAAA VIIIIIIE c'mon rei-chan why aren't you singing along

IS THE BEST (I know who I'm talking to)

Ara!

DID DOCTOR HOLLIGAY PHD NOMINATE THE OPTION OF TALKING ABOUT MICHIRU KAIOH FOR 6 HOURS!!

If Hot Pocket were to plan One Last Heist, what do you think would be his objective? What would be Mina's role in his master plan?

Master Hot Pocket seeks BREAD. His friend and loyal companion, Mina-pup, acts as a distraction, as he has learned the humans are easily distracted by cute. While she does her sworn duty as Best Friend and Cutest Goodest Girl, probably with lolling tongue and glee at all the pets she receives, he picks the locks on the newly childproofed pantry, and Master Howard H. Pocket FEASTS AS NO CAT HAS BEFORE.

Every bag of flour in Montana; Mina runs distraction with her adorable puppy eyes

Open every container, leave none unmarked. Mina is the lookout who greets whoever comes and is completely ineffective at her job.

TAKE ALL THE FLOUR. Do it straight from the source: FlourCo Inc. What does a 10-pound cat do with eighty thousand tons of flour? If you can't figure that out, there's a reason he's the brains of this outfit. Mina would obviously be the bumbling lovable distraction to security or other people.

Bread.  Mina is The Face who provides distraction to the Keepers of the Bread by walking up to them and being herself.  Mina has absolutely no idea that Hot Pocket is using her in this manner because Hot Pocket is that Machiavellian, but Mina is a pocket full of sunshine in canine form and probably would just be happy to help out.

Hot Pocket knows that no mammal of the floor believes in flour anymore. It went away a long time ago. It doesn't exist. But what he also knows is that they're wrong. A lack of opposable thumbs won't hide the truth from him. He'll find the stash, and when he does, he'll stick his paw in it. Mina, with her limited climbing skills, will lick its remains from his claw and prove his discovery. As well as provide a warm place to curl up on for the aftermath of their adventure.

His goal is to sample every edible thing he can get his teeth on. Mina pulls triple duty as step stool, distraction, and scape goat

The Silver Crystal. Mina would play the role of Sailor V.

He is getting ALL THE FLOUR. Mina is a lovable distraction.

Looting all the carbs in the pantry. mina is distraction.

mina's role would be the "dopey" but talented best friend who it looks like HP is going to betray for the sake of the plan but then it all comes together when HP mounts a dramatic rescue. i dunno i'm still in film mode from that last one.

The Holy Bread Locked Within the Cupboard.  Mina would be the distraction, but she'd forget what she was supposed to be distracting from and end up leading you to him.

I am the Void. I am the Night. I am the Darkness with no hope of dawn. The Flour trembles before me in it's bleached fluffiness. It shall not escape my chaos, which will descend upon it like the Terrors of the Deep, claws and teeth and gnashing. It will howl at my claws. It will scream for my teeth, sharp and white, stars in the night of my fur. I shall tend and tear and -- Dammit, Dog-thing! How am I supposed to be terrible and terrifying with you wagging your tail and panting at me!? Oh, you found a good warm sunbeam? I guess I can stalk stuff later. I am the Void. I shall absorb the Sun's light and warmth and bring it into my Darkness where it cannot escape...

I'm new here and don't know all the complex lore of Jetwolf(fairly sure Mina is dog), so I'm going to assume that Hot Pocket is an actual hot pocket and his heist is robbing Fort Knox using Mina as his loyal stead/get away car. Then he explodes a microwave or something.

i lik the bred

Mina as the distraction while he takes one last tastes of EVERYTHING 

objective--stealing more chips; Mina--surprise betrayal 

The scene: Mama Jet's pantry The Objective: the bag of cake flour Aunt Doc made Mama Jet buy but she's never used Mina: confused but excited escape vehicle and/or scapegoat

RAIDING THE KING ARTHUR FLOUR FACTORY. Mina is of course adorable and keeps everyone's attention while Hot Pocket swan dives into the flour like Uncle Scrooge

Hot Pocket would definitely try to steal a monument, Carmen SanDiego style. Mina, of course, is the multi-talented and super cute face of the operation.

I have no idea who Hot Pocket is

HP would try to scale the tallest building in the world. Not to steal anything, just to be up there. Mina would be the adorable diversion.

It would be to get whatever food you've left on the counter. Preferably bread. He would tell Mina that he'll give her some of she acts as a distraction. She's a good dog so she does. He's a cat so she gets no food.

Truly, truly, THE GIFTENING winner is us all.

[soysaucevictim]

Second week of current stuff...

-

July 4

I woke up around 10AM, I think.

One of the first things we did was hand off dad’s meds to the facility he was at. Felt better knowing where he was and where he was going for care.

Got some ice cream and made today’s HF dinner. Southwest stuffed zucchini boats. This was pretty tasty, if a bit more finicky to assemble. Scorched the rice a bit, however.

After a bit of chatting and dishes, I did today’s exercise.

First, today’s DD. 40 single leg bridges with EC (20/20). Pretty manageable work.

Second, Day 7 of the 1′CC. 1′ half jacks. One go, 70 reps. This was pretty brisk but manageable.

Last, Day 7 of the XTP. This made me question doubling up yesterday. More arm work. Also got a bit of indigestion from the exertion. My numbers were:

Bilateral hammer curls: 20-16-12-8-8

Lateral raises (1x5lb plate/hand, this half of the set): 10-8-6-4-4

Spent some time writing some outlines and notes for a fic. Then spent rest of night chatting and playing more KH. Got to bed later than I ideal, Riku was being a pain.

-

July 5

I woke around noon-ish.

After getting more information about dad, I took a shower and did some exercise earlier than usual.

First, today’s DD. 2′ high knees with EC. I counted 290 reps by the end and observed that the knees really struggled to get high after the first minute.

Second, Day 8 of the 1′CC. 1′ side jacks. One go, 38 reps. This is one of those exercises that’s hard to really book it - because it takes a bit more time to complete the action vs how long it takes to get fatigued.

Last, Day 8 of the XTP. I suppose this is one of those active rest days. 3x80 side leg raises. I chose to rest for 30″ in between sets. I didn’t need the support, but then I did allow the foot to drop frequently.

The next several hours was spent dealing with Dad’s hospitalization stuff (alongside bro and grandma). We picked him up from the crisis unit and was put on a runaround getting his belongings from the ER. Then we took him to a voluntary inpatient facility that the crisis unit referred him to, ~40 mile trip one way. Exhausting.

Spent time chatting, doing dishes, and gaming, before bed. I did get to bed before 3AM, this time.

-

July 6

I woke up around noon again.

Spent some time making notes for my psych appointment today. It went well enough.

Tanked my entire day gaming and watching YouTube. I think I was just too fucking tired to do anything else today. Got to bed later than yesterday.

-

July 7

I woke up a bit after 11AM and one of the first things I did today was exercise.

First, yesterday’s DD. 10 sky diver push-ups with EC. A bit tough, but manageable.

Second, today’s DD. 50 plank leg raises with EC (25/25). Just about doable.

Third, Day 9 of the 1′CC. 1′ jumping Ts. One go, 70 reps. A fairly brisk pace but the number was very manageable by my personal bests.

Fourth, Day 10 of the 1′CC. 1′ toe tap hops. One go, 115 reps. That was definitely more intensive a pace - but I think in general it’s easier to speed up reps here than with jacks (those more ROM being demanded to cover).

(After some gaming and phone calls...)

Last, Day 9 of the XTP. Arm work. My numbers were:

Alt bicep curls: 38-34-28-24-20

Alt shoulder presses: 30-24-20-20-18

I barely managed to squeeze all of that in before getting summoned to visit dad at the inpatient facility (despite not wanting to go). But I’m glad it was taken care of.

Spent rest of day gaming and chatting. I’m so fucking tired.

I did get to bed a bit earlier than yesterday.

-

July 8

I woke up after noon.

Spent time playing Gemcraft and watching Youtube before doing today’s exercise.

First, today’s DD. 50 prone reverse flies with EC. Made my life harder by eating food shortly before doing this. But I did my best.

Second, Day 11 of the 1′CC. 1′ hops on the spot. One go, 138 reps.

Last, Day 10 of the XTP. Leg work, mostly. These were my numbers:

Forward lunges (alt): 38-30-24-20-20

Squat into shoulder presses (these were pretty awkward at first): 14-13-13-10-10

I then did some dishes, updated some logs, chatted, and did some fic writing.

Went to bed late, feeling stressed out and tired.

-

July 9

I got up just before noon today.

One of the first things I did today was figuring what happened to my order of roach motels and playing Gemcraft. Then I went into my exercise.

First, today’s DD. 40 side plank rotations with EC (20/20).

Second, Day 12 of the 1′CC. 1′ sid-to-side jumps. One go, 76 reps.

Last, Day 11 of the XTP. Arm work. My arms felt like noodles for a good while. Numbers:

Hammer curls: 22-18-14-10-10

Upright rows: 16-11-9-9-7

Spent rest of night chatting, watching YouTube, writing, and doing dishes. Did get to bed earlier than yesterday. But still really late.

-

July 10

I woke up after noon.

One of the first things I did today was make today’s HF dinner. Baja barramundi with yellow rice. I think it would’ve been better if I was more on top of cooking everything thoroughly. Did think the cumin overwhelmed the fish. But ah well. I might give barramundi another chance down the line, but maybe in a different context (and better practices, my side). I blame headache and being overly cautious about the rice (scorched it last time...) :P

Watched a bit of YouTube and chatted before heading out to dad’s facility. I waited in the lobby while bro met him and handed off some clothes. I played a bit of Theatrhythm to pass the time.

Got home, did some dishes and caught up with my exercise.

First, today’s DD. 40 butterfly dips with EC. This was a bit of a challenge, but doable

Last, Day 12 of the XTP. Tendon strength stuff. Challenging, but still would consider it fitting the “active rest“ paradigm

Spent rest of night chatting, writing, and browsing Tumblr. Got bed later than yesterday,

[landsharkbite]

@gemcraft replied to your post: “One time I was traveling cross country and I had...

i have so many questions

“You get one.” Maybe one and a half. You’re feeling generous. “Choose wisely.”

[devalentione]

The Ananta — Serpent-like people who inhabit the mountains of Gyr Abania. Consisting solely of women, this tribe has existed since the time of the Allagans, and is famed for their proficiency with gemcraft, along with employing age-old magicks passed down through generations.

[find-your-rp-partner]

Immersive Fantasy RP Partner!! Maybe Kinda D&D Style If You Wanna!

Hi, I'm Gray. I'm sixteen. Central time zone. Transguy.

So, I have this fictional world called Ryuco'ov. I need to do some worldbuilding and character development practice but I can be a bit unmotivated, so I was wondering if anyone would be interested in doing a one-on-one roleplay. I'll try my hardest to make it fun for you. I handle plot and world building and you can explore and give me feed back. Win-win? You can create any kind of character you would like and I will try my hardest to make it all work. If you want to make a character that fits into the world I would glady give help and anything needed. But if not? That's fine, we can discuss things and fit them in. It may go slowly. If it needs to be ended at any time just say. It's alright if you can't respond for even days. I don't mind. I may have to do the same. I would, however, prefer to do this on Discord, due to the channels and organization it makes available. And the ease of access on both mobile and PC.

The place, in of itself, relies heavily on religion. There are around twenty major gods/godesses and various prophets we can talk about as we go along. Each god(ess) (referred to widely as a Guardian) has a main element and various assosciations (including a general race). They each have a group of devotees. If one is not devoted they are shunned from (most of) society. Devotees, after heavy practicing, are capable of magic relating to their Guardian. There is however a genetic component and it is not deemed possible to switch Guardians. I've been playing with this concept recently though. Anything is really subject to change at this point, and that's kinda why I need help. Haha. ':D

The Guardians are put into three groups: Xc'woiriu(moon), Roa'ucall(sun), and Cupiniae(everything else seen in the night sky). These became three sorts of countries.

Xc'woiriu is generally family-oriented, introverted, and organized. It is primarily temperate and you are probably a farmer, exporting grain, fruits, and vegetables. A lot of creepy rituals. earth - death/dreams - poison - knowledge - magic - technology

Roa'ucall has the highest crime rates, and is rather hot. The scent of your sweat, however, is cancelled out by all the cooking and food. Vendors are everywhere, and the people are boisterous. sky - nature - light - thunder - fire - chaos

Cupiniae is ambiverted and artistic. The area is primarily cold. Most people are crafters, making trinkets and machines. The people are most cooperative with each other citizens here. The capitol-goers, though, are assholes towards anything out of what they consider the norm. It is the largest region. spaaaaaace - water - health - love - weaponry/craftiness - ice - war

There's more to the world than that. Enchanting and relics are common. Along with gemcrafting, which is how most machines work. There are two sort of "Eras" that I'm open to RPing in. The most developed one is modern, where the society as they knew had been destroyed and a group of people from neutral territory are attempting to rebuild civilization. Normal humans have at some point populated some lost islands, and some people from Ryuco'ov kinda go there and try to fit in and find people of Ryuco'ovian descent. Mainly they've just ended up screwing around. This would be the easiest to do, I think. I have lots of characters planned out here. (Rebuilding Era)

Another era is before everything went to hell. Everything seems to be bustling, while new technology is always being released. Technology devotees are pretty much enslaved. Death/dream and chaos devotees have been banished long ago and exist primarily in rumors and tales to scare kids into eating their veggies or whatever. There are plenty of rebellious groups for various causes. There is a neutral, peaceful, Capitol sort of place with three people from each other region and a family to rule that is at the height of it all. I have that place mainly planned out. I have a handful of characters planned out. (Flower-Artisan Era)

I will do anything to help accomodate those who are interested. I'll provide additional information as it is neccessary or requested. I can probably only manage doing this for two people(one person for each era, but if two people are comfortable roleplaying together with me in the same server, I could probably manage that), though. If you have any ideas, suggestions, comments, critiques, or things you'd like me to do at any point in time though please just say.

If you're interested, send me a message with: -questions -what era you'd like to play in -if you want to roleplay with stats and dice -any triggers you may have -what genre of things you'd like me to lean the RP towards -any concerns you may have From there we can discuss everything. I already have the servers on Discord ready to go.

I'll probably also do a lot of sketches and doodles for this. The ones that are presentable enough will be uploaded to my OC's and conworlding accounts, soundofrainfall.deviantart.com and welcome-to-ryucoov.tumblr.com . I'll also probably put a lot of the text and information on the world there. You will become my sort of partner in this whole mess. And also we can be friends. :D (I won't bite, I swear)

I think that covers everything. Thank you for reading this. (Shoutout to my sister for editing this whole request ask)

You can message me on Discord at 5561 GrayArea. Or on here, and I can send you the invite to the Discrod server once we get the details figured out. I look forward to roleplaying with you!

I will not roleplay any explicit sexual content.

[symbianosgames]

Crafting is big. Like, really big.

It might seem counter-intuitive, but players have made it clear that they find navigating menus and smashing random bits of junk together to make more powerful items to be really satisfying.  Poke around on Steam, and you'll see that a stunning number of the chart-toppers of the last couple of years have had some kind of crafting system that goes beyond just defining the central route by which players gain power. An in-depth crafting system can even be one of the major draws in major triple-A games such as The Witcher 3 or Fallout 4. 

To that end, we have put together a diverse list of exemplary crafting systems. Each of these games bring something distinctive to the crafting table, and each might inspire and inform crafting systems in your future projects.

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn: Crafting as character investment

(via Mobygames)

The Gamecube and Wii titles in the Fire Emblem franchise introduced The Forge, a basic crafting feature which reshaped the strategy series’ weapon durability system. Before this point, Fire Emblem games had given most in-game weapons a set level of durability. Weapons and spells could be bought from shops or acquired in battle, but had a fixed lifespan and would need to be shuffled out of your inventory regularly while scaling up the power curve and seeking different effects.

The form of crafting introduced in later installments of the franchise is a simple system where gold is transformed into items, but its presence refocuses how players accustomed to the series’ durability rules can interact with their inventory. In the crafting process, players can adjust weapon stats such as Might, Hit, Crit and Weight. They can change the color of the item, and even give it its own name.

Letting players craft the item of their choice has two effects:

First, it allows them to create special items that can break the established weapon triangle that generally dictates how fights play out. With crafted items, players can expand their heroes' role on the battlefield, giving them more choices on where to place their units and what types of engagements to throw them into. In turn, mission encounters can contain new arrangements of enemies, which in turn can incentivize the crafting of new weapons. An example of this is how Pegasus Riders--characters relying on speedy lances who are vulnerable to axe-using classes--can be upgraded by creating weapons that counter the advantages that axes have over lances. 

Second, players effectively have the ability to add weapons to the in-game lore, which is valuable to a series that uses named weapons as a story-driven signifier of power. This adds a touch of personalization that contributes to a net effect both aesthetic and mechanical in nature--the player has another way to become invested in their playable characters. This is a central design pillar of the Fire Emblem series that's also upheld by its permadeath and support systems.

Resident Evil 4, Alone in the Dark, and The Last of Us: Crafting to beat back the darkness

(via Mobygames)

This form of crafting has been around for a long time in survival horror games. Resident Evil 4’s crafting system is the simplest: herbs found around the environment can be consumed immediately to restore a minimum amount of health, or mixed with other herbs to restore extra health or to give the player additional max health. The frequency of its availability, and how the player is able to use it relative to anticipated dangers is very effective at increasing or relieving  tension.

The 2008 Alone in the Dark expands this form of crafting to include other items, including flashlights, duct tape, bullets, bottles, and other junk that can be combined to take on enemies who only perish when exposed to fire. Though overly complicated, this awkward system of cobbling together of nuts and bolts in real time does stay true to the notion of urban decay and scavenging that Alone in the Dark roots around in elsewhere.

Ultimately, The Last of Us improves upon this system by scaling down the different types of crafting and giving them clear meanings associated with other items. Bottles and rags clearly translate to molotov cocktails, while blades and explosives clearly translate to a shrapnel-throwing bomb. It ultimately becomes a study of how the distribution of certain resources can impact the emotional tension of different mission encounters. 

World of Warcraft: Crafting to define social roles

(via Mobygames)

Crafting in World of Warcraft is a recipe-oriented system distributed across multiple professions. It means that no single character can produce all of the crafted content in the game. In light of this, it’s impossible to talk about crafting without referring to its economic impact.

Professions ranging from skinning to blacksmithing impact the distribution of player gold and player resources throughout the game economy. Isolating some types of crafting to certain professions compels some players to choose those professions, as they are more useful than others in different social and economic contexts. Skinners may make a reliable source of income off of the auction house by selling harvested leather, while enchanters may find themselves holding specific social roles in guilds as those responsible for harvesting loot from slain raid bosses.

But while World of Warcraft’s economies might be an MBA candidate’s dream subject, it also demands the special attention from quest and mission designers seeking to reward players for pursuing crafting over other game systems. This variation of experiences doesn’t just happen in social roles, but also in PvE roles as well, with questlines and encounters only accessible to those devoted to certain paths.

However, quality of execution on crafting has varied over the game's 10-year history. Blacksmithing has traditionally struggled to keep up with dungeon drop tables as a means of producing player weapons/armor, while enchantments and gemcrafted items are considered must-haves for high-end raiding. Yet blacksmiths may still feel rewarded when certain questlines require a prerequisite set of smithing experience in order to proceed, and all professions benefit from specialization quests that send them to unexplored corners of Azeroth. These scenarios shift across World of Warcraft's history depending on expansions, patches, and raid boss requirements and may yield different experiences at different points.

The Witcher: Crafting as aesthetics and ritual

(image via the Witcher Wiki)

The Witcher games are where crafting systems get weird. But in a good way! Good, at least, for helping to define the identity of the Witcher characters, giving them a unique place in the game world and drawing on the unique features in the books that inspired the game.

The Witcher’s crafting deliberately includes a lot of mysteries and restrictions organized by resource-gathering and recipe-based systems, with outputs that have weird and sometimes unpredictable results. The alchemy system in particular is performed by campfires, demanding gathered resources and in-game time spent by the campfire (which, as of the Witcher 3, can affect everything from monster locations to Geralt’s beard). Outputs include potions, oils, and bombs. They can have a wide range of effects, some of which are also influenced by the time of day.

Though the recipe and ingredient distribution deserves study, The Witcher games are notable for using crafting to reinforce the rules that govern its fantasy universe through the fireside rituals and poisonous penalties. Potion crafting in games like Dragon Age Inquisition don’t go to the same lengths to define the central fantasy, acting primarily as a variable on the game’s power curve without reinforcing narrative ideas that lay within the fantasy genre.

Eve Online: Capitalism ho!

(via EveManufacturing)

While World of Warcraft's crafting system could be an MBA candidate’s dream, the game with the greatest socioeconomic system is Eve Online--it even has an economist on staff. Eve Online’s capital ships act as a major driving force for the game's capitalist economy, right down to the manipulation of labor and creation of player social structures in order to create a flow of resources in order to build them.

The crafting of in-game items is so expensive that no single player can hope to acquire all of the necessary ingredients. This cascade of player decisions that effectively organize social power, physical power, and resource power across different geographic sectors of the game. 

Eve's crafting system doesn't just define a real-dollar economy. It's a system that incentivizes macro-level social interactions at the end of a long social learning curve. Want to introduce a goal that challenges your players’ sense of justice or economic values? Drop a massively expensive item into your economy, then watch and see how these items are constructed and how they’re used. How players will respond to the presence of such expensive items in your game will depend on how you choose to insert them. If it's a PvP item, collaboration will no doubt intersect with competition as players race to win a global arms race. But in a PvE environment, player guilds may organize along less tiered resource distribution, if the completion of the item leads to the benefit of more as opposed to the disadvantage of less. 

Pokemon: Disguise your crafting system 

(via Mobygames)

Multiple designers singled this franchise out when quizzed about their favorite crafting systems. And make no mistake, crafting is the central feature of Pokemon.

The game's carefully crafted fiction tries to obscure the fact that the Pokemon themselves are essentially weapons. They may be adorable creatures with distinctive personalities that are skillfully conveyed by a mix of text, sound effects, and animations., but they function just like weapons do in many other crafting systems.

Depending on the game, there are 150-720 of these "objects," which can acquire experience points to level up in the vein of an RPG character. The player can customize which of these objects they have in their 6-slot inventory, as well as what attributes they are given. Players can also replicate many of these adorable Pokemon/weapons by combining pairs of them, or acquiring them through random encounters. 

Pokemon's success with several generations of kids shows that your player doesn't necessarily need to know that they're crafting. To truly get a sense of how cleverly the Nintendo's franchise downplays the deep subtleties of its crafting system, look at how clumsily this tends to be handled in most "Pokemon meets X" games on offer in mobile app stores. In most of the knock-offs, you'll find that leveling, combining, and enhancing creature mechanics are often the exact same mechanics used to power up swords, axes, and magic spells in the same game. 

Minecraft: The tip of a very large iceberg

(via Mobygames)

Minecraft’s place on this list may seem obvious. With over 20 million downloads on PC alone, it has redefined crafting, and introduced the appeal of it to vast new audience. It has also served as the template for a raft of popular open-world Steam sandbox games, most of which have pillaged Minecraft's unique procedurally generated resource systems and books of crafting recipes acting as central experience curves. Still, many of the original's subtler functions have been cast aside by the imitators despite their importance to the game's success.

First, it's worth examining Minecraft's use of shape-based UI to communicate how players can craft things. Many crafting systems attempt to use aesthetic clues like anvil icons or clanking sound effects to gussy up their drag-and-drop slot interfaces, but Minecraft used a radically simplified aesthetic. Drop iron into the shape of a sword, and you have a sword. Place glass in the middle of wood, and you have a door or a window.

Though it may seem simple on the surface, this design decision highlights the need to rethink the way your player interacts with your crafting system, as there may be a bespoke interface that reinforces your games' strengths and unique personality. This UI choice upholds the core tenet of what Minecraft's crafting systems are all about--seeing something where nothing currently exists, and cobbling together squares to make that something a reality.

For a game so popular with children, this may have been one of the innovations that helped hook in new players. Rethinking your game's UI alone may drastically reshape how you even approach the other lessons studied in the systems mentioned in this piece. Many crafting systems attempt to use aesthetic clues like anvil icons or clanking sound effects to disguise drag-and-drop slot interfaces, but Minecraft used a radically simplified a interface

Second, there's the step that Minecraft originally took in having no in-game crafting recipes that could be checked like a guidebook. It gradually dawned on players that large crafting trees lurk beneath the surface of the game, which wound up encouraging player communication outside of the game to share knowledge through a variety of social interactions (including bragging, mentoring, and large-scale cooperation and collaboration). Though many Minecraft-likes have created large crafting trees with little guidance on how they work, these other games frequently fail to convey the sense of mystery that the original created with these hidden features of their crafting systems. This was in part due to Minecraft's early success as a pre-Alpha release game, so new features were being added and the player base remained manageable to keep some of these mysteries locked away, but it was also because the game relied on its procedurally generated size to be able to physically keep players at a distance from the very materials they might not know they want to stumble on.

With the next generation of consoles, it's worth considering that crafting trees may need to be very deep and very wide to keep players guessing and experimenting with the in-game resources--maybe even as deep and wide as the systems required to actually craft and forge objects in real life.

Not just a power curve

In examining these systems, it's important to note that crafting is not just a power curve--it's a design pillar whose central verb (creating) drastically alters how your player might approach the other pillars your game presents. That means that it has great potential to boost or undermine a player's interest in those other design pillars. How can crafting get your player more invested in the characters that are holding the crafted items in their inventory? How can it help them to define a sense of individuality in a crowded online space? How can it help them cobble together a solution to a terrifying challenge? These are just some of the questions you can start to ask as you begin to look at crafting not just as a supplementary system, but as a central reason that someone should pick up your game.

[Special thanks to Liz England, Lauren Carrecia, Rob Manuel, Carly Smith, Patrick Lindsey, and Javy Gwaltney for their input on this article.]

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Tower Defense Games

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