#this is all based off of gathering inspiration from multiple sources and building an entire world with the writer of Yugi's canonical Atem | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lgwebspacethemedfmp · 1 year

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Differentiation Between The Planets

When creating the setting, I knew that I wanted multiple planets right off the bat. While it would be easier to have all these planets act the same, that would be no fun. Earth itself has diverse climates and environments, so it would be interesting to split them up to different planets to push the differences farther and have planets be adapted differently. Another thing that was available to play around with was the size of the planets, and thus the gravity. Inhabitants would likely have different architectures and jobs depending on their environments.

Let's start with Saxum, the largest planet. Saxum has the highest gravity due to it's size, because of this, the minerals and rocks are far more compressed, so precious stones are abundant. This means that a lot of the population are miners, and a lot of the money the planet makes is from selling what they gather to the other planets where they are less abundant. Because of the gravity, creatures who live there are of a shorter stature either from being born there or from being compressed over time. The buildings on this planet are shorter and have a wide base, usually pyramids or trapezoids.

The next biggest planet has roughly the same size and gravity as Earth. Nemus is the closed off planet due to the main issue in the system of planets. It is covered in forests and the plant-life is a mixture of greens and blues. There main source of income is selling various types of wood from the variety of trees that the planet houses. The buildings on this planet are primarily made out of wood and have a similar structure to the buildings that we are familiar with in the real worlds.

The second smallest planet is Pratum. It has a lower gravity and the primary terrain are moors and occasional marshland. A large portion of their land is dedicated to looking after livestock, and their main source of income as a planet are the resources that come from those animals. On the lower areas of the planet, the structures are more lenient in how they are made and are able to be built to be taller or more crooked as there is less strain on them, however buildings at higher altitudes are a lot shorter and much more uniform as the winds are far stronger.

The smallest planet is Saltus, which is primarily comprised of jungles. Because of the low gravity, the trees grow to incredible heights. The vegetation is primarily a bright green, however oranges and pinks are also very common to see in the forms of plants and fungi. This planet is full of lethal animals that will attack inhabitants if they can get close, so that mixed with the low gravity means that the buildings are suspended from just below the canopies of the trees and connected together with wooden walkways that wrap around the tree trunks and rope bridges. The buildings are spherical and constructed from various types of wood. The main source of income for this planet is a mixture of vibrant animal pelts, dyes and medicinal herbs.

There is a moon that is also inhabited, but due to the lack of an atmosphere, the city is encased in domes and the living conditions are artificially created. This is Acervus, it has been designated the capital of the entire cluster of planets in order to keep any hierarchies as neutral as possible however that plan is offset slightly due to the fact that this moon orbits Saxum which is also the largest planet. The gravity here is the most similar to Nemus, if not a little bit lower. The buildings are a mixture of different styles of the different planets, however the stature of some inspired by Pratum, Saxum and Saltus have been changed in order to be stable. These buildings are separated into a few domes, with walkways connecting them.

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easyfoodnetwork · 4 years

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Eater Staffers Pick Their Favorite Ina Garten Recipes

Skillet-roasted lemon chicken | The Barefoot Contessa

Our editors know that if you can’t figure out what to cook or how, you can always turn to Ina

These days, Eater editors are eating out less and less, due to widespread restrictions on dining in and mandates nationwide to stay at home. That means we’re cooking a whole lot more, in addition to ordering delivery and takeout from places we love — and we’re also talking about cooking more than ever before.

Last week, we revealed the favorite recipes we all have from Deb Perelman from Smitten Kitchen, whose website and cookbooks have inspired devotion from all of us for years. This week, we turn towards another true source of inspiration, one we’re no less loyal to: Ina Garten. The Barefoot Contessa is not only a source for stunningly reliable, expertly-tested recipes; she’s also a beloved cult figure in her own right. She’s been a particular source of calm and humor over the past few weeks, such as when her charming video demonstrating how to make gargantuan cosmos during a crisis went viral. We love Ina for her catchphrases, her devotion to Jeffery, her disarming nature, her nonchalance as she casually asks us to shell out for three pounds of prepared lobster meat. But most of all, we love her for her (to use one of her own favorite adjectives) foolproof recipes. Read on to learn which ones have captured Eater’s attention over the years.

Skillet roasted lemon chicken: The oil-spattered pages in my copy of Cooking For Jeffrey tell how much I love this recipe better than words can. The chicken is always juicy and the tart pan sauce requires no extra effort beyond arranging your aromatics and pouring in some wine halfway through the roasting process. Ina’s headnote on the recipe begins “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made this!” and honestly, same. — Adam Moussa, senior social media manager

Panzanella: I love to entertain and have my fabulous guests over with my effortless panzanella with tomatoes that are picked by my friends who own a giant acre of fresh tomatoes during summer. Crispy croutons, made with good bread, are tossed with juicy tomatoes with a generous drizzle of good olive oil. How easy is that? — James Park, social media manager

Tomato feta salad: I’m not a seasoned (sorry!) home cook. In fact, in the three years that I’ve lived with my boyfriend, he’s done all the cooking. I just pick up a pie and say I “made” dessert. That said, I’ve been getting into the habit of preparing better lunches — now more than ever. Ina’s tomato feta salad is great because it combines a lot of my favorite things, it’s easy to make, and it yields enough for breakfast the next morning. It also adds a pop of color to my plate, and that simple pleasure helps me through the day. — Esra Erol, senior social media manager

Roasted butternut squash salad with warm cider vinaigrette: Mostly on account of its sweetness, butternut squash has never been one of those ingredients that I get all that excited about, but as someone who has flirted with CSAs and vegetable delivery services over the years, I always end up finding myself in possession of one. This Ina recipe is the one that helped me find a way for squash to shine. The combination of flavors like maple, apple cider, and walnuts make it particularly appropriate for fall weather and the accompanying coziness; sometimes I go Extra Ina and pair it with her Indonesian swordfish (this marinade also works on chicken and kebabs). It’s also not a bad choice for a pretty Thanksgiving side — save yourself the labor and get pre-cut squash if you go this route. — Missy Frederick, Cities Director

The Barefoot Contessa [official site]

Ina’s roasted squash salad

Lemon capellini: This recipe is a great gateway into doing other things with pasta besides dumping jars of marinara onto it. It’s both satisfying and incredibly easy. Once you feel comfortable with building your own basic lemon-butter sauce, you can use the recipe as a base for any lemony pasta creation. For your first twist, I strongly recommend starting the pan with garlic and crushed red pepper for some heat. — Hillary Dixler Canavan, restaurant editor

Rack of lamb: Ina doesn’t have a blindspot, but in my opinion her true brilliance is in her weeknight meat recipes. She’s the master of simple roasts and stovetop braises that take the guesswork out of everything. I used to look at those Costco racks of lamb with fear, but Ina’s tight four-step recipe — from the “ don’t need to plan that far ahead” marinade to the somehow foolproof temperature guide — makes fancy rack of lamb easy enough to pull off any old Tuesday. — Lesley Suter, travel editor

Mulled wine: At some point over the holiday season, I have a big open-house style gathering — and Ina’s mulled wine is always the centerpiece. I make a big batch of it in the morning, which serves the dual purpose of setting up the booze situation and making my house smell amazing (as opposed to like unshowered writer and dog). Then I toss the wine in a crock pot and serve it all day, dumping in more Cab when it gets low. After 5 p.m. we usually toss a couple shots of brandy into the pot, too, which I guess kind of makes it into hot sangria? But then, no one’s quibbling about details like that. — Eve Batey, Eater SF senior editor

Raspberry baked french toast: Hosting large brunches — or breakfasts for dinner — is my favorite way to get people together. It’s fun and low-key, and I especially love that there are plenty of dishes that can be prepped in advance instead of needing fussy last-minute touches or more time in the kitchen instead of with guests. Baked French toast is an incredibly easy and always delicious staple, whether its on the table as an entree (with syrup) or as dessert (with syrup and ice cream). I love Ina’s raspberry baked version, which calls for fresh berries and diced day-old bread, and her French toast bread pudding, which needs slices of challah. These dishes are infinitely riffable, and both of these Ina recipes are great on their own or as a jumping off point. — Sonia Chopra, director of editorial strategy

Flag cake: I love to make Gartner’s flag cake from Barefoot Contessa Family Style, which could be especially fun if you have kids at home right now to help place blueberries on the stars background and raspberries on the stripes. Seriously, decorating this cake can take up an entire afternoon and should count as a credit for the long lost school subject of home economics. — Susan Stapleton, Eater Vegas editor

Ina Garten [Photo: Facebook]

Ina Garten’s flag cake

Perfect pie crust: Ina’s Perfect Pie Crust is my absolute go-to, holy grail pie crust. I’ve experimented with different crusts but this one takes the — ahem — pie. Five staple ingredients come together quickly in the food processor and can be used for any pie that requires a buttery, flaky blanket of perfection. Which is all the pies, duh. — Stefania Orrù, coordinating producer for Eater Video

Outrageous brownies: There could not be a better descriptor than outrageous for this brownie recipe — after all, it has a pound of butter and nearly two pounds of chocolate! But it’s all for good measure because you’ll be enjoying this massive portion of brownies for days to come. They keep really well, and Ina’s right when she says the instant coffee in here makes all the difference — it’s a tiny amount that gives a zippy balance to the decadent chocolate. — Tanay Warerkar, Eater NY reporter

Mocha Chocolate Icebox Cake: As someone who is not remotely talented at baking, this recipe is so easy to follow and the end result is a showstopper. I’ve made this recipe for multiple parties and everyone raves about it. It is boozy, full of chocolate and semi-homemade so it’s a win/win in my book. Added bonus: layers of Tate’s Chocolate Chip cookies! — Stephen Pelletteri, executive producer

Honorable mentions:

Herb-marinated pork tenderloin

Crispy mustard-roasted chicken

Buttermilk cheddar biscuits

Warm French lentils

Frozen key lime pie

Chipotle and rosemary roasted nuts

Palmiers

Rugelach

Scallops provencal

Roasted shrimp cocktail

Italian wedding soup

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/2JSWSDq https://ift.tt/2Xil0HE

Skillet-roasted lemon chicken | The Barefoot Contessa

Our editors know that if you can’t figure out what to cook or how, you can always turn to Ina

The Barefoot Contessa [official site]

Ina’s roasted squash salad

Ina Garten [Photo: Facebook]

Ina Garten’s flag cake

Honorable mentions:

Herb-marinated pork tenderloin

Crispy mustard-roasted chicken

Buttermilk cheddar biscuits

Warm French lentils

Frozen key lime pie

Chipotle and rosemary roasted nuts

Palmiers

Rugelach

Scallops provencal

Roasted shrimp cocktail

Italian wedding soup

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/2JSWSDq via Blogger https://ift.tt/2yNxrky

#Blogger #cooking #Eater #food #recipes

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kai-borg · 6 years

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The agents

Deathless/Tirrel

Tirrel was originally a Matoran of a small island before his capture by the same Makuta responsible for the creation of Kelratz and Iksel.

He'd captured Tirrel under the plan to get his own Toa servant/warrior, forcing his change using one of the remaining Toa-stones he'd stolen during Iksel's capture, and replaced his mask with his own 'custom' Kanohi, the Igsa, a mask designed bring a Toa back from even death itself, or at least the near brink, all while breaking down their mind to a more 'passive' state. And to make sure Tirrel couldn't damage it in an attempt for his death he somehow managed to bring it to a durability near that of protosteel, possibly even mixing ssaid metal in (if that would be a possible thing) or at least coating the mask in it when he near-melded it to Tirrel's head to ensure it couldn't be removed either.

Unfortunately the masks effect, as was with many of this Makuta's experiments, a failure, instead driving Tirrel to such a state of mental-corrosion that he nearly killed the Makuta in animalistic rage before breaking out of the lab and vanishing. But not before near slaughtering his entire village after coming across it while in his animalistic state, the Makuta having set up a lab there a while before Tirrel's capture.

Afterwards Tirrel only collapsed further into his insanity, killing and being killed as he slowly became obsessed with the concept of death, something he couldn't have, before eventually catching The Shadowed Ones eye from his exploits, and the sheer amount of times it appeared he'd been confirmed dead only to reappear and slaughter those responsible for it. After being extended a form of invitation to their base he joined immediately, being promised a retribution consisting of death once such a way was discovered by those working for The Shadowed One. This was most likely a lie to trick Tirrel into working for the Shadowed One even past his use. Along with this he carried a massive sense of loyalty to The Shadowed One, and determination to complete all assigned tasks. Of course this was mostly composed of his fear of The Shadowed One killing him, his mask allowing for such immense punishments, and his own hatred of the 'false deaths' easily causing it.

Element: Fire

Gender: Male

Kanohi: Igsa, better known as the Mask of Life-Death, or Life Hunger.

The Kanohi Igsa is a mask built by the same Makuta responsible for Kelratz's and Iksel's creation, due to this it is, in terms of quantity/reproducibility, a legendary status Kanohi because of its unknown composition/build, and the loss of it with the Makuta's disappearance. In appearance its fairly crude, uncaringly forged, and seemingly melted in appearance, the fact it appears to be welded, or at least shaped to Tirell's head could support that.

The Igsa is in basic a mixture of the Kiril, and the mask of Undeath. It allows for the physical recovery, and regeneration of typically lethal wounds, fortunately the time of said regeneration can range in-between days, to decades.

A small wound, such as the loss of an arm or hand will take around a day to 2 weeks, whereas the loss of the entire lower torso/similar would take somewhere between 1-2 months. Along with this it is believed the user could regenerate from even decapitation, unfortunate the time-frame of said regeneration would take a few millennia at best, or require constant energy regeneration from an outside source, and that would still take a good number of years.

Unfortunately said effects require the bearers death to be activated.

Along with this the mask appears to have been forged with Protosteel, or at least modified to a point that it is of a nearly matching toughness.

A secondary, unknown effect (even to Tirrel) is a semi-artificial mental-decay that is increased per death. It triggers by forcing the user to recall, and remain in a state of consciousness in a form of outer-awareness. The effect, and mask itself was created by the Makuta in an experiment to attempt to forcibly enslave a Toa by breaking down their mental barriers until they became more passive, and controllable through punishment that could now lead to death. Fortunately the effect did not go as planned, instead just driving the bearer to such a state of mental-breakage that they would eventually become a mindless beast given enough deaths. Along with this the bearer will descend into a form of mindless/animalstic rage and behavior after a full regeneration, no matter the severity of the wounds before 'death', but only after they have experienced 5 previous 'deaths'. They will remain in such a state for a random amount of time with a limit of 1 hour.

The removal of the mask may also bring a large decrease to the bearers current mental-decay.

Personality: Mentally unstable/deranged, twitchy, erratic, excitable, 'friendly', semi-fanatic, easily angered, and beyond easily distracted from everything but his current main goal.

Other attributes: Deathless's elemental fire is at levels near that of plasma in its intensity. Fortunately this is mainly due to his 'unique' usage of it. Deathless quite literally drains his entire elemental store in one, short, near all consuming burst, and even despite the lack of control his mentally decayed state brings its unleashed in a massive wave that spreads from his form, spreading in a cone-esque shape that ends up covering an area around 6 times Tirrel's arm width at its limit. He does also have an alternate usage for it, his shoulder pauldrons. They may just appear to be fancy pieces of armor but they're in truth a pair of elemental jets, similar in build and usage to Vakama's own. Of course due to his standard usage of his power it's exactly the same in this less-standard use, an immense, fully draining burst that can rocket him around at near uncontrollable speeds, and cover an immense distance before stopping and leaving him to smash into the ground at the same speed.

Along with this he's shown to have an immensely increased elemental-regeneration, being able to recover his full-store in around 30 minutes or less dependent on location. In a dessert like area, such as a large portion of the wastes I'd assume, he can recharge in a time of 10-20 minutes.

Tirrel has currently died somewhere between 15-20 times.

If his mental-decay, and subsequent erraticness wasn't enough of a weakness, his lack of control over limiting his power, even with its fast regeneration, can be the lethal difference in a fight while he is left fairly defenseless during the regeneration.

Weapon/s: Bladed buckler of sorts, an extendable spear-to-knife, semi-bladed, shoulder jets.

===========

Nelvetta

Nelvetta was another Matoran from Tirrel's village, in fact being a very close friend of his. To say she was worried when he was missing is an understatement, but to say she was less worried for him after the insane Toa ravaged their village, and more certain he'd been killed just as everyone else had would be truthful.

She came out of the attack fairly undamaged, having only lost an arm to the flames that incinerated their village compared to everyone else' loss of well... everything to them. Afterwards she swore revenge on the Toa, promising vengeance for her village and Tirrel, and to say she was serious about it is putting it lightly. Lets just say the OOMN didn't invite her, she invited herself, having discovered their location after intensive research inspired from the small amount of rumors she'd managed to gather on them.

By that point she'd gained her Toa form, having stolen a Toa-stone from one of the villages she'd come across in her travels and training, having taken to staff fighting long before her acceptance into the OOMN, and broken into their Suva. By then she'd long replaced her arm, if only with a crude imitiation which her change luckily fixed, albeit keeping it in its more robotic, and visibly artificial state.

Due to the fighting skill she'd gained by herself, managing to take down a few of the lower-level agents sent to her capture before her defeat, her discovery of their location, and the sheer level of determination and loyalty she carried despite the Toa code she was supposed to follow 'impressed' them enough to accept her. With her acceptance, and proving with a few test missions, she was gifted the choice of a new weapon. Surprisingly despite their collection, which included the staffs she was trained in, many of which had functions, she instead requested enough protosteel to forge her own staff, a request she was given upon the condition she would be forced to use whatever she made, failure or not. She didn't fail thought, managing to forge her current staff into an effective weapon even despite its crude, and simple design.

Upon her request her first 'true' mission was to hunt the same Toa that had ravaged her village. Unfortunately she has yet to defeat him, having encountered him multiple times, but each encounter ending with his escape.

She has yet to realize Tirrel and Deathless are the same entity, the information on him, and their encounters having been to short, and focused on battle to gather the information.

Element: Water

Gender: Female

Kanohi: Calix

Personality: Nelvetta usually comes off as very cold and focused, caring only for her mission and no others troubles. In truth she can be quite caring when it comes down to it, she's just a bit obsessive in her tasks. If she comes across trouble in her path she's sure to take it down, and if its not in her path, she'll make sure to try and find a way. The same goes for those she finds iin similar situations to her own. She understands the loss of friends, the hopelessness of death, and she's sure to carry a word of comfort or two for those who have experienced such when she comes across them.

Weapon/s: Crudely forged protosteel staff, built sturdy enough that even a protosteel blade would have trouble cutting through it.

Other attributes: Nelvetta is highly trained in the usage of her staff, having the skill to shatter an opponents blade if she catches it across the side, and the ability to even rip off limbs or decapitate an opponent with a hard enough swing.

She's very narrow focused, caring only for her mission, and rarely the specifics. Sudden events can cause her to falter, and delay in adaption, while an unexpected occurrence can utterly break her focus.

#bionicle #moc #OOMN #order of mata nui #order of mata-nui #Dark hunter #agents #Tirrel #Deathless #Nelvetta #Toa

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jeremystrele · 3 years

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Introducing The TDF + Laminex Design Awards 2021 Residential Architecture Finalists!

TDF Design Awards

by Lucy Feagins, Editor

Photo – Tom Ross

Nielsen Jenkins, Mt Coot-Tha House

Mt Coot-Tha House by Nielsen Jenkins was completed for a family member of one of the architects, on an empty bushland block next to their shared childhood home in Brisbane.

Designed as a wedge that has lodged itself into the mountainside, the house wraps around a luscious green central courtyard, and provides both connection to and protection from the elements.

The project explores ideas of connection and refuge within a site characterised by its slope and extreme bushfire exposure.

Photos –Rory Gardiner

Archier, Corner House

Presenting as a solid fibre cement-clad volume to the street, Corner House by Archier references the board and batten detail of typical fishing cottages in its Flinders, Victoria location.

An experimental floor plan is revealed inside, with living areas positioned in each corner of the dwelling, connected by stepped walkways acting as gallery spaces. This layout accommodates a set of new routines for the clients as they settle into retirement, supporting strategies of occupation where two people could live together with equal parts connection and freedom.

The house and landscape mediate the relationship between the occupants, with each corner volume acting as an independent space, but with large windows that promote a visual connection between areas. The courtyard plays a crucial role in this gesture, filtering and softening views across the project.

Photos – Derek Swalwell

Architects EAT, Bellows House

A single row of mature poplar trees forms a soft foreground to what’s considered the main facade of this Flinders, Victoria house by Architects EAT. Trees cast morning shadows onto the white concrete masonry blocks, animating its long articulated form. Together with the unusual shapes of the frustum roofs, these evoke street engagements and curiosities.

Being a beach house where extended family and friends often gather, spaces have been designed to facilitate collective experiences: kids bunkering together; an open washroom that doubles as a mud room; multiple entry points into the house; and different indoor and outdoor living areas.

Photos – Derek Swalwell

Rob Kennon Architects, Elwood Bungalow

This Elwood, Victoria project by Rob Kennon Architects relies on the idea of subtracting space as much as adding it.

Occupying the former land of a rear garden, the renovation embodies a desire to turn away from the neighbouring walls, in favour of an inward dial plan that axially and infinitely looks onto itself.

The ‘addition’, a low-lying single-storey extension, builds square up-to all three rear boundaries and subtracts a circle garden out from the middle. The resulting form visually and functionally aligns with the family’s values of openness and connectedness.

Photos –Rory Gardiner

Studio Bright, 8 Yard House

Rather than a traditional house with a singular backyard, 8 Yard House by Studio Bright is distributed along the length of its North Fitzroy site, punctuated with a series of variously sized outdoor courtyards.

Across the whole site are eight outdoor spaces, the largest between the studio, garage and the main volume of the house. A central located pool becomes another landscape area either to use or look out across.

Overall, the architectural form is defined by an almost monumental brick construction detailed with perforations, rhythmic built-in columns and planter boxes.

Photos – David Chatfield

Furminger, River House

Furminger have repurposed an existing weatherboard Brisbane home through minimal intervention.

A primitive architectural intention was used to establish building and landscape through the metaphor of a ruin. The site was conceived as a large garden to hold program for daily activities. Heavy masonry walls intersect the site, carving out public and private courtyard gardens, creating new entries into rooms through garden spaces.

A strategy was developed to use concrete as cheaply as possible, using what many would consider commercial or industrial construction techniques. The entire structure was constructed from tilt up concrete panels, which were poured and stacked on site.

Photo – Tom Ferguson

Benn & Penna Architecture, Henley Clays

Henley Clays by Benn & Penna involves alterations and additions to a freestanding brick cottage in Sydney’s Lower North Shore. Additions are framed upon a heavy brick plinth that extends the sandstone base of the existing cottage, forming a series of landscape-inspired rooms that gently ascend through the home.

The material quality of the spaces is robust and earthy, with brickwork used throughout floors and walls. The mortar colour has been matched to the brickwork to amplify the monolithic and landscape like qualities of the project, while openings have been carefully arranged to puncture the building’s mass and wash its cave-like spaces with natural light.

Throughout the houses are gradually occurring level changes, encouraging the dweller to meander through the space. Steps between each level are used to demarcate the spaces, making them feel both intimate, while connected to the rest of the house.

Photos – Christopher Frederick Jones

Anthrosite, Hamilton Courtyard

This Newcastle project by Anthrosite presented the rare opportunity of converting two detached houses into one home. Instead of being pressured into market norms of maximising floor space, the clients were more concerned with creating a series of family spaces that felt connected to one another.

The result is a celebration of the courtyard; a generous central area that unites the wings of the house and promotes visibility, allowing the occupants to remain connected to each other even while engaged in individual tasks.

The importance of the courtyard’s role in the house is duly acknowledged with the main entry. An intimately scaled passage leads off the street, opening out not into the home but onto the private and calming courtyard garden.

Photos – Tom Ross. Styling – Jessica Lillico

Blair Smith Architecture, Brunswick Lean-To

This addition to a heritage listed cottage in Brunswick, Melbourne by Blair Smith Architecture showcases how homes can be enriched through modest architectural intervention.

The circa 1900 double-fronted cottage now sits alongside a new 51 square metre addition, achieving a high level of detail and finish, within a limited budget. This new building takes formal and programmatic cues from the dilapidated lean-to structure it replaces, while overcoming its shortcomings: a lack of aspect, awkward layout, and poor thermal performance.

The northern facade is divided into 11 modules characterised by three sliding timber screens on a single track. These screens have numerous purposes; they control heat gain, glare and offer an increased level of privacy to surrounding development.

Photo – Chris Warnes. Styling – Anna Delprat

Studio Prineas, Bona Vista

Bona Vista in Sydney’s inner-west reinterprets the characterful features of its Federation frontage, forging a warm domestic setting for family life.

In line with heritage guidelines, the council was highly prescriptive of the building envelope, forms and materials of the new addition. The architecture embraces the hip roof profile, while introducing an unconventional internal ceiling line; a surprising and memorable volume articulated by partially obscured skylights filtering natural light.

Studio Prineas have drawn a level change that once separated house and garden into the interior, forging a distinction between the old and new architecture, and connecting the new addition to the landscape.

Photos – Ben Hosking

Edition Office, Kyneton House

A refined palette of gracefully ageing, tactile materials defines this country house by Edition Office in Kyneton, Victoria.

The greatest inspiration for the project came from the client’s ambition to capture the passing of time through curated views of the garden, and white ceiling volumes that pick up the fluctuating levels of natural daylight.

The home’s deepened position within the site allows its relatively simple brick form to avoid feeling dominated by the garden, but instead wrapped and softly enveloped by it.

Photo – Anson Smart. Styling – Stanwix Studios

Fox Johnston, SRG House

This 1970s heritage-listed house originally owned by Sir Roy Grounds in Balmain, NSW has been reengineered for contemporary family life by Fox Johnston.

Keeping within the building footprint, Fox Johnston have carved extra space and forged stronger connections to landscape and place, while maintaining the integrity of the original structure and material language.

Interventions focused on restoring the superstructure; better connecting the home to the landscape; converting lower-ground space (previously housing an air-conditioning plant) into two bedrooms; replacing the ‘80s garage with a new structure and apartment for multigenerational living; and softening the geometry of the original grid design.

Photo – Dianna Snape

FMD Architects, Coopworth

Coopworth by FMD Architects is a contemporary interpretation of a country farmhouse nestled in the rural surrounds of Bruny Island, Tasmania.

The property’s sheep, wide-ranging views to the water and mountain ranges beyond, and weathering shacks dotted over the island, provide an ever-changing landscape with which the house converses.

The resulting footprint of the house is consciously constrained to maximise arable land, but with generous interiors facilitated by various gabled, hipped and skillion rooflines. Simple plywood linings and concrete floors draw focus to this ceiling, which features wool sourced from the property, adding to its thermal performance.

Photos – Dion Robeson. Styling – Janet Keating and Amy Collins Walker

Nic Brunsdon, East Fremantle House

East Fremantle House by Nic Brunsdon is a contextually responsive addition to a heritage cottage.

Most important to the project is the space that’s not built – a large northern void – a space for light, sound, and breeze to inhabit. The house traces the void’s edge, providing constant connections to nature.

Once a dark period home with ‘60s additions and asbestos sheds at the rear, the home is now arranged as four interconnected sections: the existing brick cottage, an entry link, a ground floor addition, and first floor addition.

The living room is a ‘garden room’ lined with sliding north-facing doors, allowing the space to cleverly spill outdoors and occupy the full width of the site.

Photos – Martina Gemmola. Styling – Ruth Welsby

Wowowa, Pony

Pony is an agile alteration and modest addition to a 1960s apricot brick home in Brighton East, Victoria.

Wowowa devised a reworking of the original home, alongside an agile new extension. This extension adopts a simple, linear form that slides against the existing volume to run lengthways down the block. The focal point of this new structure or ‘colonnade’ is the roof, which takes design cues from the nearby beach to feature cladding and construction methodology akin to a boat with a keel, bow and stern.

A dessert-inspired interior colour palette draws on the client’s mid-century furniture, and allows a smiling eye to whimsically dance around the home.

Photo – Ben Hosking

Wiesebrock Architecture, Bellbrae House

The brief of this Bellbrae, Victoria home called for sustainable design measures and a flexible floor plan suitable for regular guests.

Two pavilions were created by Wiesebrock Architecture in response, comprising the primary house and a guest pavilion. In between the two pavilions is a large outdoor deck covered with polycarbonate roofing.

Aesthetically, the new house draws on the couple and architect’s love of old farm sheds. Durable, low-maintenance, corrugated and galvanised steel sheeting features on the exterior, while the warm interior references classic shearing sheds.

Photos – Katherine Lu. Styling – Koskela

Curious Practice, Lambton House

The small 55 square metre footprint of this new, suburban four-bedroom home by Curious Practice maximises landscaped areas on its Newcastle, NSW site.

Carefully considering the unique five-way intersection of mixed residential and commercial buildings it addresses, the house performs simple gestures to maximise its relationship to context, both neighbouring and public.

A step-down in level from entry to living areas creates a seat at garden level and combined with a generous window injects light and air, while engaging with passersby. This public gesture is continued through an extension of the green streetscape through fences and canopies designed for verdant consumption of the building over time.

Photos –Derek Swalwell. Styling – Simone Haag

Austin Maynard Architects, Garden House

By nature of its inner-city Melbourne location and by design, Garden House by Austin Maynard Architects belies its size and scale.

At street-view, the shingled, simple and domestic scale garage appears to be the house in its entirety. Walk down the side pedestrian alleyway however, and the main front door opens up to reveal a much bigger property, comprising four distinct elements appearing as separate buildings. These buildings are ‘invisibly’ connected via mirrored glass corridors, reflective of the property’s well-established garden.

This high-performing, high-tech, inner-city Melbourne oasis produces 100kwh per day and has a 26kwh Tesla battery.

The Design Files + Laminex Design Awards 2021 Residential Architecture award is presented by COLORBOND® steel.

COLORBOND® steel is one of Australia’s most loved building products, producing coated steel products for more than 50 years. Their coating technology offers exceptional performance with resistance to chipping and cracking, creating highly durable roof and wall cladding materials.

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prestoapplianceraleigh · 4 years

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What it Takes to Transform a Dated 1950s Kitchen

When we first met Betsy and Jim Andrews in Jersey City, NJ, their kitchen was in major need of renovation. Although their charming, 116-year-old home had a lot of character, the kitchen hadn’t been updated since 1956. This meant that both aesthetically and functionally, it was time for a revamp. But they faced one major dilemma – they had no idea where to start.

Life Before the Renovation

The kitchen had not been remodeled since 1956

Before the renovation, the Andrews’ canary yellow countertops and wall oven screamed 1950s. The kitchen didn’t reflect their style or taste and also lacked functional features like a center island for prepping food and entertaining. As a couple who loved to cook and entertain, a low power, four burner cooktop was simply not enough.

They knew they wanted to renovate their kitchen, but first had to figure out their budget and living arrangements during the project. Thankfully, because they were only renovating the kitchen, the Andrews weren’t displaced during the project. However, they did find themselves ordering out for dinner more often.

Betsy and Jim also had a realistic budget in mind given the size of their project. They established from the beginning that they didn’t want to spend over $100,000 in total.

1950s kitchen with canary yellow accents

Getting Started

After speaking with several friends who had recently completed renovation projects of their own, Betsy knew it was time to start compiling ideas. She was inspired by many of her friends’ renovation projects in New York City, and knew she wanted a modern look in her own kitchen – stainless steel appliances, quality white cabinets, and light colored accents.

“I had no idea where to start actually,” Betsy said. “I knew that I wanted to have really nice finishes in here, and so the first thing I started searching for was appliances.”

Stunning modern accents after the remodel

After speaking to some of the designers who had worked on her friends’ kitchens, Betsy learned that most designers recommend choosing your appliances before doing anything else. This allows the designer to work around your favorite appliances, instead of having to settle on appliances simply because they fit into the space.

Knowing that they weren’t quite ready to hire a designer, Besty and Jim started their search for appliances. This is when we first met them.

Selecting the Appliances

Betsy and Jim chose Miele appliances for their new kitchen

After seeing their friends’ Miele and Bosch appliances, the Andrews knew they prefered the sleek and modern look of European products. They also appreciated the wide range of functions available with high-end appliances.

When beginning their search for appliances, Besty and Jim first had to think about both their wants and needs. Because the Andrews love to entertain and have guests over, having high-capacity appliances that could cook multiple dishes at once was important to them. This led them to explore appliances like a gas stove, steam oven, and 6 burner professional stove.

And with the new open concept floor plan on their mind, the Andrews also knew their dishwasher had to be quiet enough that it would not disturb them as they relaxed in the living room.

After seeing photos of seamless kitchens designs, the couple also chose to opt for a built-in, panel-ready refrigerator. This would make the refrigerator look more like a cabinet than an appliance. To add a focal point to the space, Betsy knew she wanted a stainless steel range hood that would catch the eye of her guests.

Stainless steel pro range hood

One amenity Betsy and Jim knew they wanted from the very beginning was a high-quality coffee maker. As coffee connoisseurs, they wanted to be able to skip the trip to their local coffee shop in the morning and enjoy a quality cup of their favorite drink from the comfort of their own home.

After seeing the appliances in person and learning about the features of each one, the couple fell in love with the style and functionality of Miele.

But Betsy wasn’t only looking at the appliances when she visited showrooms and shopped online. She also took notes on things like countertops, cabinetry, and backsplash design.

Building the Team

Now that Betsy and Jim had chosen their appliances, they were able to circle back to their friends to find a designer that matched their vision. After talking with the Andrews, the designer was able to help them make aesthetic choices like flooring and countertop type, a new backsplash, and the wall color.

Small remodels typically only require a cabinet maker and a trip to an appliance store to get the job done. But because the Andrews decided to go with a full remodel, they needed the help of a contractor to tear down walls and create the open concept kitchen they were looking for.

However, because the Andrews didn’t know where to start in terms of hiring a contractor, they asked for our help in hiring a qualified professional. Based on the scope of the project and their design preferences, we recommended AD Home Improvements.

The contractor obtained the necessary permits for the walls that needed to be torn down, and organized a team to move the sink, dishwasher, and all relevant plumbing and electrical lines. This took a lot of the stress of the project off of Betsy and Jim, as they knew their contractor would be able to put together a great team to get the job done.

Breaking Ground on the Renovation

Breaking ground on the renovation

Armed with lots of inspiration and a great team, Betsy and Jim were finally able to break ground on the kitchen remodel. As each wall came down, the couple was able to more clearly envision the end result. Throughout the renovation, Betsy and Jim began to picture what life would look like when the project was finally done.

The renovation in progress

Life After the Renovation

The final project

Overall, the entire renovation took about six months from start to finish. However, the kitchen was worth the wait and greatly improved the Andrews’ quality of life.

Because Betsy and Jim love to entertain, many of the amenities they chose reflect their love for gatherings. For example, they’ve already made good use of their 36 inch Miele range, which allows them to cook big meals for guests with the extra large space. They also enjoy the champagne bucket, which sits to the right of their Franke sink.

Stunning modern kitchen with Miele appliances

But their favorite appliance of all? The Miele coffee maker they had so eagerly awaited before the renovation. “When I get up in the morning, it’s the very first thing that gets turned on in this house,” Betsy said. “Even before a light.”

Aside from the new appliances, the kitchen itself became much more functional and inviting after the remodel. Instead of a room meant purely for cooking, the kitchen became the life of the party.

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Hear from Betsy directly in our exclusive interview on her remodel project

The Bottom Line

When asked what advice they had for others who were at the beginning of the renovation process, Betsy stressed the value of research and knowing what you want. Magazines, social media, and friends’ kitchens are great places to draw inspiration from when starting to think about your remodel.

The couple also highlighted the importance of building a strong team that can bring your dream to life. The more you’re able to openly communicate with your designer and contractor, the closer the end result will be to your vision.

At the end of the day, this renovation was born out of the Andrews’ want to entertain in and enjoy their space. However, as circumstances changed, Betsy and Jim decided to sell their Jersey City home in 2020. The couple’s charming home sold for well over asking price…in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The renovation came at the perfect time, as it allowed the couple to enjoy their new space, and also increased their home value when they decided to make the move to the suburbs. The remodel gave the Betsy and Jim peace of mind in knowing that interested buyers wouldn’t be scared away by outdated appliances and canary yellow countertops.

“I’m so glad we decided to go through with the remodel,” Jim said after selling the home. “It was a lot of work, but it was definitely worth it in the end.”

Join the Conversation

See what other Designer Appliances readers are saying.

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writingwithcolor · 7 years

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First Peoples-inspired fictive peoples, specific terms, titles, and concepts

Hi there! I’m writing a fantasy novel, and amongst the fictive peoples I’m writing about are an Iroquois-inspired one (Kanien'kehá:ka-inspired, mostly) and also a Cree-inspired one. Like with the other real world-inspired fictive peoples in that verse, I’ve tried to make them both diverse and distinctive, anchored in their real world equivalents’ cultures, yet still distinctively fictive. Both of those peoples are described as advanced, complex, technology-savvy societies who aren’t entirely comprised of nature-loving, magic-wielding “shamans” (which I know is a term that shouldn’t be used to describe Native healers or spiritual leaders, since it’s Asian in origin) and/or long-haired, strong-silent-type, muscled warriors.

Still, I’m wondering about some things.

1) While I’m describing the Iroquois-inspired people as matriarchal and democratic (Iroquoian democracy, not Modern Western World-democracy) like its real world-equivalent, the Cree-inspired one is described as a mostly post-gendered, equal opportunity society and also democratic. Since, historically, the Cree were mostly patriarchal, is it disrespectful to describe this Cree-inspired people as otherwise? I’m trying not to copy-paste real world cultures into this fantasy-verse; the Tokape are inspired from the Cree, not copied from them. Is that acceptable or should I stick to historical Cree cultures and societies?

2) I’m trying not to white/European-wash my First Peoples-inspired nations. To this end, I’ve decided to depart from European terms to describe political concepts or functions; for example, the political leader of the Tokape is called the Great Chief (or High Chief) rather than a President or a King, and he/she/they rules over a Chiefdom rather than a Kingdom, the leader of their military is called the Warchief, who leads the Braves rather than the armies or the soldiers, and local or regional leaders are diverse kinds of Chief instead of Mayors, Governors, etc. Is that correct, or should I stick with either European terms or completely fictive ones? Those leaders aren’t described or presented as being any less than their European-inspired equivalents, they just rule over different societies and thus have different titles.

3) Are such terms as Braves, here used to designate warriors, innately offensive? I know the Cree actually use that term in English and French to describe themselves, amongst many other First Peoples and Native Americans who do the same, but I’ve also read it can be offensive when used inappropriately. If that’s the case, should I just use the term “warriors”? It’s more generic, but I don’t want to cause offence.

4) Lastly, I’m describing both the Atsukwai (Iroquois-inspired people) and the Tokape (Cree-inspired people) as rather more accepting of LGBTQA+ persons that most historical societies, as well as more respectful of both nature and its diversity in general. I know this feeds into many clichés when it comes to Native Americans and First Peoples, but I see it as a positive aspect of these fictional societies, which they share with most of the fictional peoples I present in a positive light in the story. I don’t want to write an universe that is just as sectarian, just as stifling as the real world. I hope it’s not too cliche :/

I know it was a long submission, but I would be really grateful if you could answers my questions. Thank you in advance, and sorry for the bother.

Going to address point 4 first: Historically Native nations were more accepting. I personally am onón:wat, which is Kanien'kehá:ka’s word for two-spirit. Many, many, many sources exist that describe third gender people and not-heterosexual pairings (men and two-spirit, women and two-spirit, but I’m sure men with men and women with women existed). Many, many, many languages have their own term for two-spirit. It’s not a cliche if it’s correct.

You can watch Gaycation’s two-spirit episode, read this, and read this to get more information.

I grabbed a Plains Cree friend of mine to answer most of the Cree-based questions. If you’re not using the Plains Cree then this might be drastically different (it’s a huge nation with lots of sub-branches), but it at least gives you an idea:

1) that’s true that compared to Iroquois, Cree were more Patriarchal. Although some matters were the opposite such as for trading and business. One had to have express permission from their wife/mother/etc to do any dealing with tipis, dogs, horses, clothing etc bc the women owned it. This trend moved onto the Men doing all the business because male settlers refused to trade with women (or so I’ve been told.) I personally think it’d be alright to switch the fictional people as being more matriarchal and think it’d be interesting, since they’re only inspired by Crees to an extent.

2) Crees could actually have as many as seven Chiefs, and usually weren’t voted into office formally unless the last Chief was inadequate. Chiefs usually were wealthier men (so they had more to give, you had to be generous) who showed good skill in battle and leadership, so having multiple is accurate. The other types of Chiefs I know existed were peace, ceremonial, and hunting Chiefs.

3) Varying war societies existed but the most prominent one was called “Worthy Young Men”, and that’s what they were called. Usually this consisted of men you’d expect to be there (warriors) but also sometimes great hunters or men with a lot of horses were invited to join as well, so even the term is a bit flexible. Personally I might try to stray away from calling them Braves too much just because it’s a bit corny and overdone at this point, but there’s nothing inherently wrong with using it.

As for my own thoughts, building off of the above:

The thing about Native matriarchies and patriarchies is: even in a patriarchal society, women still held incredible value because women got stuff done. They did the cooking, cleaning, sewing, and oftentimes they also did the gathering. As the saying goes, “Do you know why men go to war? If twenty men leave and only five come back, the world goes on. If twenty women leave and only five come back, the world stops.”

It’s only very recently that the concept patriarchy= women are at much lower value took hold. Native nations were in general more egalitarian simply because everybody needed to work in order for the society to run, and all the work was valuable. Matriarchy and patriarchy mostly mean how goods were passed down between generations and the definitions of family. (for example: Iroquois kinship is its own thing with different definitions than we associate with Western kinship).

Matriarchies and patriarchies also took on various forms— I recall one nation in the Southern US (forget the name) where the men did the philosophy, religion, and art, while the women did the gathering, cooking, and trade. This was a matriarchy because the women did the more valuable things to society while the men enriched it but weren’t doing much that was considered absolutely necessary.

There are a few little things here that make me think you need to do more research, because it’s all still filtering through a colonial lens. Namely the chiefs, the lack of understanding our acceptance of LGBTQI+ folk, and the little ghosts that point to not quite going far back enough in the historical sources. A single leader was a rarity in both the Cree and the Iroquois (we did, after all, have confederacy and each individual nation had a Council Fire to govern us, with layers of council) but it was common for settlers because they assumed everyone had to have one leader (and they often forced this onto nations by insisting only one person deal with settlers, reinforcing their internal narrative).

Read ethnographies that focus on the nations you’re looking at. If you’re in Canada, the Culture section at Chapters often has a Native section that has some really good sources. Otherwise, university presses are good places to start. There’s just this missing piece where things are still being approached from a settler-centric perspective, and it needs to shift a little more towards understanding Native societies.

~ Mod Lesya

#submission #soleriane #First Nation #Native American #mohawk #cree #worldbuilding #fantasy #asks

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nikolinaboldero · 6 years

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The Curve Gallery at the Barbican Centre.

23/11/18

‘Playing with scale, colour and texture, the installation takes visitors through the artist’s works in a variety of materials, including her distinctive figurative sculptures in polymer plastic, mythological rubber forms, a collection of bronze hands and feet, glass vessels, ceramic urns and eccentric miniature hats’.

‘Upritchard gently mocks institutional value systems and frameworks for how museums collect, display and interpret culture. Informed by rational and post- war Italian design, the hard stone and steel supports, shelves and glass cabinets diverge from the somatic sculptures and objects that adorn them’.

‘Her figures resist easy categorisation’, allowing for multiple readings.

Her figures are ‘based on centaurs inspired by the Parthenon beliefs, creatures from science fiction novels and Japanese folklore characters of Ashinaga-tenaga.

Which of the sculptures and objects you see convey notions of identity- gender identity, national identity or any other forms of identity?

In my opinion, the figure sculptures convey notions of historical and cultural identity. The gender of the figure is not clearly portrayed. The main focus is on the type of clothing the creatures are wearing. The clothing seems to be the link to their past, their origin, their nationality. For example, the tribal prints suggest that they have their own defined culture. The sizing of the sculptures is quite unusual, they are not the normal size of a human, all of the features are a lot smaller and more detailed. Everything about the sculpture appears very unreal, but the expressions on the creatures faces shows emotion, therefore it adds personality to these unknown creatures.

Upritchard mentioned herself that she wanted the figures to resist any form of categorisation, this might be because she wanted to shock the viewer. Today there are so many stereotypical opinions and understandings of what culture is and who belongs to which culture. It might be that she is trying to challenge this cultural categorisation.

The figures were inspired by Japanese folklore characters, Ashinaga-tenaga. This name suggests that the inhabitants of these two countries possess unusually lengthy arms and legs. The sculptural figures I saw in the exhibition had all of these strange features, one of the figures had multiple arms and legs. The figures certainly resisted any form of categorisation.

Would these objects work on their own- outside the context of the exhibition?

Personally, I think that all of the objects and sculptures work together really well because they all share similar characteristics or certain features which help build a stronger image of their identity. In the opening view of the exhibition you can see all these different creatures standing on separate podiums, one behind another. The layout of the exhibition feels like a story, in the sense that as you walk past one of the sculptures you move to the next and gather even more information. Some of the figures I think could work by themselves as they are very powerful and expressive, you can capture the meaning behind the sculpture without seeing all of the other work. Although there are some objects like little garments which would be used to dress the creatures which wouldn’t work by themselves. I think that this is because the garments are a link to the sculpture and if the sculpture is not there then you cannot understand the meaning behind it. I think that there is such a strong cultural and historical identity to the exhibition, each objects links to a specific space of time where the way of life was so different (religion, beliefs, duties).

What is the relationship between fabrics and other mediums used by Upritchard?

I think that the fabrics used on the creatures, sculptures, objects are very important to portraying the cultural heritage. ‘These sculptural forms and surrounding objects coalesce into a melting pot of traditions where no dominant culture persists’. The fabrics have these beautiful vibrant tribal patterns on them. In this exhibition, the fabrics are used as a form of dress, all of the surrounding mediums which make up the other objects are what have informed and influenced the development of the fabric. The objects are a source of inspiration as they include these similar prints linking to Japanese folklore, which is then reflected in the fabric/textiles.

This is a site-specific installation. What do you think Upritchard was trying to do with the space? How does the layout of the exhibition encourage you to move, look and feel?

A site- specific installation refers to when a work of art is designed for a specific location, if removed from that location it loses all or a substantial part of its meaning. There are no rooms in the exhibition, it is like a curve, where you carry on round till you reach the end and then you walk back the same way. I really like the layout because I think it feels like a book, where you continue to reveal more information as the book/exhibition continues. There are no closed off spaces. I would suggest that Upritchard used glass to display some of the objects so that there was this continuous thought process, development of ideas and meanings behind the work. Different heights were used in the exhibition, some objects were laying on the floor, others were held on these taller shelves. There is quite a lot of space around each sculpture or object which enables the viewer to move more freely and therefore take more time to engage with what’s on show. I felt bewildered when I entered the exhibition, I felt I was entering someone’s home who I have never met before, it was like an entire new culture had been presented to me.

‘As the exhibition unfolds the colour slowly weakens from the sculptures and the design components leaving only stone and rubber’. This suggests that there is an origin to the piece or work, it always relates back to historical context, and as much as we dress these unusual figured creatures to shock the viewer, these sculptures of stone and rubber are the originals.

Can it be regarded as a commentary on other museum exhibitions? If so, how so?

Following the exhibition and what Upritchard had said before ‘Upritchard gently mocks institutional value systems and frameworks for how museums collect, display and interpret culture’ I do think that this exhibition could be regarded as a commentary on other museum exhibitions. A museum is more than a collection of items, it is an opportunity to extend your understanding of art, explore the social, political and historical context behind pieces of work. When you enter the V&A there are so many blocks separated off from one another. If you want to go and see South Asian art then you have to head to the section and then you can see the exhibition. Cultures are separated off from one another. It may be that this artist wanted to challenge the viewer, show a more contemporary viewing of art, one where you chose what you wish to see in the art, what historical context you relate it to as opposed to the exhibition simply being titled/telling you what to think.

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level99games · 8 years

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Building Seventh Cross v1-v7

This blog entry is mostly going to be about the creation of Seventh Cross as a project, not so much the world and high-level gameplay. If you're interesting in that kind of an overview, check out the project's page!

Last year, our project of two years, Millennium Blades, became a success on Kickstarter and sold out on its launch day. After fulfilling and successfully reprinting Millennium Blades (which is coming out February), I decided that I wanted to devote my energy to creating new large-scale game projects that would provide an immersive experience, much like Millennium Blades.

I decided to begin with a project that I had been thinking about for a while, Seventh Cross, a game that was heavily inspired by Bloodborne, Castlevania, Devil May Cry, and Shadow of the Colossus.

After about 6 months of development, we are currently on version 8 of Seventh Cross, and hope to have the core game finished up by this Fall.

Starting out the project with EXCEED

To begin with, I knew we were going to have to start early on art and design. I found an artist that would provide a stylish vision for the game and who was familiar with my source material, Ian Olympia. After planning a bit about the world and the setting, we set out to start by creating a series of illustrations for our fighting card game, EXCEED, that would introduce the characters and serve as a springboard for the larger volume of art that a big board game would require.

Currently, Ian is finished up with the designs and establishing arts for the cast of the EXCEED season (16 characters), and is in the process of finishing up their attack illustrations. It's taken a little longer than expected to get everything ready, which makes me happy that we started on it so early.

The art budget for the project is pretty large, and pairing the art needs of the board game with an intermediate project like EXCEED allowed us to do two things: First, to introduce the characters and build some excitement for the series earlier in the year. Second, to cover some of the art and development costs of the larger board game with EXCEED's revenues, since we knew already that the full game's development would be an extended project.

Deciding on a Vision

With Seventh Cross, we wanted to deliver the experience of delving into a mysterious haunted castle, exploring in an immersive narrative fashion (more like a survival horror game), and fighting against colossal bosses. The game would be about the players and about the bosses, so it was clear from the outset that we didn't want to have 'trash mobs' or stat based combat. An encounter was going to be about the player's decision and the real outcome of that decision, not just a dice throw or a mechanical comparison.

We also wanted to make the game fully cooperative. Seventh Cross is about unraveling a mystery and encountering horror. A human agent on the other side may be able to put up a more convincing fight, but knowing that someone is on the other side of the table, with balanced rules on their side, makes for a more competitive experience rather than a frightening one. You don't want to trust that the other side is playing by the rules when you're in a horror setting.

Coming up with the world and the gameplay, it was important to settle on one central idea that was going to form a central theme throughout the narrative. In a game this big, it would be easy to lose our way without focus. I chose a theme of Transformation for the game. The monsters in Seventh Cross are all humans who, corrupted by a magical force called Anathema, shed their humanity and became something else.

The fear of change, and particularly of becoming something we don't understand or something that revolts us, is a core human fear. It also formed an exciting foundation for the game, since it meant that each of the players had that monstrous potential inside their character as well. Perhaps they could use it for good where others chose evil. Or perhaps such thoughts are hubris, and they would be consumed too in the line of duty...

Building Version 1-4

In versions 1 through 4 of Seventh Cross, we focused specifically on the narrative sections and adventuring.

In version 1, players had simple stats and equipment cards, and moved through a castle board, encountering paragraph adventures as they traveled. The paragraphs were large, and complex mini-adventures, often requiring 2 or 3 decisions throughout. While it was a fun adventure for the reader and player, we found that the decisions often relied more on the player's stats than their decisions, and complex paragraphs often created too much downtime.

The main thing we learned in this version was that resolution was going to need to be based on a decision the player made, not a stat. Stats would have to be removed entirely, or else players would always make the choice that favored their stats, and lose agency.

In version 2, we implemented the first versions of a combat system. Players possessed various combat verbs, rather than just stats. So a choice between using a Slashing weapon or a Fire weapon would be an important one. Monsters fought by telegraphing the first part of their attack "... the monster raises its axe..." and then the player would have a chance to read their intentions and parry with the right kind of damage type. Combat was clunky, however, and the encounters were rather long, creating far too much player downtime. Also, players didn't really know what they wanted to do with so many options–the right move wasn't always clear.

The most important lesson in this version was that combat and exploring were going to have to be a group affair. The idea of players splitting up and exploring on their own was scrapped. We also found we needed to give more cues about how to interact with challenges that came up.

Version 3 was an attempt to merge v1 and v2 together to create a combat system that would allow more narrative freedom while giving some mechanical guidance. It featured items with small stats on them, allowing a player to be more skilled at using some types of items and less at others. The hope was to give players a little bit of direction on what they would want to do in any encounter. This version used an Arabian Nights-style grid of responses to structured encounters. Players entered an encounter, selected one of their possible actions, and made a check to determine the outcome.

In v3, we encountered some of the limits of writing ability. It wasn't possible to have failure and success paragraphs for each of 4-7 possible decisions for every single encounter. More significantly though, we realized that neither success nor failure were very interesting outcomes. To be interesting, a narrative outcome always needed to be success with slight repercussions, or failure with some redemption.

Version 4 was our first attempt at a more traditional combat system. In this version, players visited a town where they would interact with characters and gather information during the daytime, then fight creatures and defend the town at night. While it was a neat idea, it felt a little bit too off-target for me. It's important to try something off the beaten path though, just to see what's there.

Version 4 formed the basis for a combat system that would evolve in v5 separately from the narrative system that we had built up. We also learned that players preferred meaningful social and mythos encounters instead of "you find a treasure chest, how do you try to open it."

Combat Test Versions

After v4, we started focusing on versions of the game that were more combat oriented. Part of this was to explore whether the whole narrative nature of the game was unnecessary. The other was due to the fact that the narrative combat seemed inaccurate to capture the more action-adventure style of gameplay that we had in mind.

Marrying these two concepts of Action Combat and Narrative Adventure was proving pretty tough, but before any integration could take place, we had to think about what the fighting was actually going to look like.

In Version 5, we gave players action cards to use against bosses that occupied space on a board. I'm very against space-by-space combat, so we used a zone board, where there are only about 6 or 7 spaces on the board, and a single one can hold multiple characters. This was also the first version to really embrace the 'rogue-like' nature of the game. Players received randomized weapons and gear, and had to figure out a strategy as they played. The boss used a system of aggression based on the damage it took, where players would draw damage tokens from a bag, then keep those tokens as aggro.

Version 5 was somewhat well-received, but it became a bit too easy for players to figure out an optimal move and use it repeatedly. Additionally, the zones offered little incentive to move around, and the boss had difficulty moving around the board and choosing targets without a human operator to resolve it.

Version 6 focused more on implementing the Transformation theme and fixing gameplay of v5. Characters were given weapons that Transformed with each use. These were implemented simply, as guns that needed to be reloaded, swords that powered up on use, and more. The boss was still held back by the zones and its own difficulty in responding appropriately to the player's moves.

Version 6's transforming weapons were very well received, but the combat itself was not. After several plays, we decided to move to a new style of board and a new method of AI control.

Reasoning that we were going to be building combat that revolved around one large enemy, the idea came to make all movement and positioning relative to the boss. Effectively the boss would be printed on the board, and the players would move around it, forwards, and away. This led to version 7, which implemented a point-targeting system on the boss. You could move around the edges of the creature to attack its flank, or strike its head to try and disrupt attacks. You could fight recklessly on the front line for damage bonuses, or safely at the back for extra defense. We also tempered the transforming cards in this version, only making primary weapons transform, not every spell and item. Instead, we gave players the chance to Transform their characters and activate monstrous forms mid-battle. Finally, combat was made free-form, allowing players to act in any order, and placing the monster in a purely reactive position.

Version 7's new board layout was very well received, and the monster's AI worked better, but not spectacularly. We learned a lot about what informs a player's decisions when they go into a battle and what makes for interesting play in terms of player actions. We also found that things had become a little too complex in the course of building the new combat system, and that we should pare things back significantly to keep the player turns quick and action-packed.

Preparing for Version 8

So with all that, you've caught up on the last few months of serious development on the game! I'm currently in the process of building version 8, with these objectives:

Re-integrate the narrative portion by putting verbal options onto the tools players find, giving them both combat and exploration uses.

Building a thematic test scenario that will build up to a final conflict with the boss as the players explore. Player choices during this narrative section will influence the powers and difficulty of the boss they face.

Remaking player weapons to be more thematic and decision driven. Version 7's weapons and tools were heavily number driven, and v8's need to be more strategic in nature, so they can lead to emergent gameplay.

Reducing the complexity of player turns and how players track their actions and abilities in combat.

Integrating the thematics of the boss with the narrative, so that when players meet the boss, they know the person they are up against.

This last one is my biggest and most interesting challenge. While working on the combat versions, we found that playtesters had a much lower interest in defeating the boss than in the earlier narrative versions. My hypothesis on this is that a boss needs to be more than a meme. A good ghost story is not just a description of a terrifying monster–it's an exploration of the descent of another person into horror and how it changed them or what they found there. If I'm going to make a boss fight really immersive and terrifying, it needs more than an image and a skill list–it's got to have the right build up from the narrative side of things too.

I also have to be a bit wilder with my boss's abilities and with the possibilities of the narrative adventure. The players need to be convinced that anything terrible could happen to them at any moment, and that nothing is safe or off-limits. At the same time, this has to be tempered with good gameplay, so that setbacks don't prevent the player from being a part of the experience. Basically like any horror theme park experience–you have to frighten the audience without actually hurting them.

Version 8 will involve linking together everything I've learned from the previous versions of the games and building it back together into something cohesive. I'll post some more news on it once it's ready, and our results after we get it to the table! Once we have a game version that we're confident in, we'll move on to more open playtesting, though that's a step that is not to be rushed.

During these months of playtests, we've also been working on the lore, conventions, and theming of the game. Each version brings some new good idea that's permanently improved the game. Not all were mechanical inventions (like the transforming weapons), so there are quite a few things that I didn't talk about in this development-focused article. Next time, I'll talk a bit more about how the the game has evolved from a narrative point of view, as the storytelling style has shifted from version to version.

See you next week for more news on Seventh Cross!

#Seventh Cross #Board Game #Designer Diary #Upcoming #Preview

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spirit-science-blog · 4 years

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All hail one of Disney’s only “nice” forgotten queens...Kida of Atlantis! For real, she’s one of the only Disney princesses who becomes a queen eventually and retains her goodness and breaks that trope of “evil queens/stepmoms” that’s become so infamous...so you know.. suitable on the Atlanteans for embodying love! I mean, hey, even Elsa kind of went into her shadow self for a bit there…. Anyways, Atlantis is not your typical Disney movie...There’s no musicals or happy-go-lucky princesses who get helped by forest animals or swoon at princes… Instead, we get an hour and a half of a nerd exploring ancient temples, translating dusty books, and a badass warrior princess fighting for her people. And of course… It's freakin Atlantis, so obviously, we’re going to talk about it! What’s more, under the surface, especially in the design elements, there’s a massive wealth of ancient spirituality that taught an entire generation of kids about lost cities and consciousness for the first time…

So, spoiler alert… Atlantis is about a young researcher named Milo who, through the funding of an old family friend - who’s pretty into Yoga, can gather a crew to search for the lost civilization and its mysterious power source. They discover that not only does Atlantis really exist, but that it’s still inhabited by people hundreds or thousands of years old who have super-advanced technology and wisdom but have forgotten how to use it since the Cataclysm. But by far, one of the most immediate things that stick with you after watching, though, is that animation and art style… along with the design of Atlantis itself… It is entirely on par with Plato!

In this movie, the crew finds a civilization bathed in New Age imagery, colors, and idealism, reminiscent of Madame Blavatsky’s depictions of the ancient empire. Ancient symbols, especially the ever-present spiral and triangle, are carved into ceremonial stones and painted on masks that resemble the ritual attire of Native Americans -something that Sweet notices early on. And nor was this an accident, for when researching and designing Atlantis, the creators went through every kind of theory imaginable and eventually found the work and readings of Edgar Cayce, the Sleeping Prophet.

According to Cayce, Atlantis was a highly advanced civilization in touch with the higher aspects of themselves and reality and had found a way to integrate consciousness with technology and powered their machines through crystals. To Cayce, Atlantis was a living, breathing spiritual force that existed. Supposedly, they could focus their mental energy on crystals to produce usable energy, which could, in some cases, be used as a weapon. Naturally, when Disney was coming up with concept art, they thought the same thing as all of us…..” well, that’ll look awesome!” and they made it! The giant floaty consciousness crystal was born, and Atlantis was designed around it.

In the movie, Atlantis is presented as the archetypal Mother Civilisation, from which all modern cultures ultimately came. As a result, all of their temples and buildings reflect common styles from everywhere you’ve come to expect in the modern world… Even their language is based on Proto Indo European, with a dash of Sumerian grammar thrown in! The point is, the creators took the Occult idea of Atlantis and ran with it… Even the journey there goes through a kind of Hollow Earth - whoopsie, maybe we can’t say that without getting demonetized… But anyway, all the while being guided by a sacred journal that is pretty reminiscent of Lovecraft’s Necronomicon.

The Great Crystal itself holds a massive amount of spiritual wisdom too. It’s a life-giving power-source that energizes all life, lights, and flying vehicles in Atlantis. Each person is connected to this force through a personal crystal amulet worn as a pendant… which has been ripped off so many times… But as the king explains, though, the crystal is way more than just a power source or mechanistic machine… It’s created by and takes fuel from its people's consciousness and collective emotions, connecting them in one big, living, breathing “heart.”

It’s even said that the crystal - and by extent, all the smaller crystals, have a consciousness of their own, making it kind of like a deity. Weirdly though, near the beginning, when Kida speaks to Milo, she refers to “the gods wiping out Atlantis,” indicating some polytheistic belief system. While this could be a throw-away line, there’s a sense that the Atlantean world view encompassed multiple gods, as well as this understanding of a universal consciousness that connects and guides all people and things.. seemingly blending ancient polytheism with Americanized Buddhism and New Age concepts like the Akashic Records, which contains all of humanity's past collective knowledge. While we have this polytheistic belief system, it is still unified in their source-consciousness-crystal-ma jigger, so it’s kind of like a mix or polytheistic-monotheism.

Interestingly, according to background fandom sites, in the lore around 100,000 BC, a giant comet passed over the Earth, and a large fragment broke off and landed in the kingdom. Upon examination, the Atlanteans found that it contained a massive crystal and uncovered the excellent properties it possessed. In time, they built their entire culture, civilization, and empire upon it, connecting with it until it became the Heart Crystal that we see in the movie. There’s even a theory that it came from the Mystic Isles, which is like another dimension in the Disney Verse where crazy powerful entities live and are the source of all magic, but that’s another video on its own!

One of the more underlying messages of this movie is its commentary on how nature needs to be protected and not put to waste. In the film, the Flood events were caused by the hubris of the king. In his arrogance, he wanted to use the crystal and consciousness as a weapon...which caused significant instability and that big flash we see at the beginning that eventually caused the fall. The manipulation of consciousness into a firearm is pretty similar to Atlantis's story that we’ve explored in both the Human History Movie and The Anunnaki Movie…

The King pushed aside the need for the crystal as a life force and used it for a selfish purpose, which only led to ruin. After the flood happened, the King hid the crystal under Atlantis since he didn’t want anyone to try and use its power for destructive purposes, and he feared that what happened to his wife would happen to his daughter. By hiding the crystal from sight, the King ignored the past, which ironically….is what the crystal thrives on.

Perhaps there is a message here about the misuse of our consciousness for egotistical gain. In our current, disharmonious state, many of us may act like the King and seek to use our gifts to expand our kingdom rather than genuinely connecting with our hearts and living in balance… If the events of the movie are anything to go by, this can only go one way. The crystal, then, can be seen as both a natural source of energy and something sacred. As long as the people respect it, the crystal protects them, gives them power, and provides them with a long life….but as soon as they are disconnected from consciousness, they begin to die. Ahh, I get it! The crystals a metaphor for nature… or our souls! Or God… Or all 3!

Beautifully though, when the king finally faced his shadow, Kida restored the crystal to its proper place in the community, and Atlantis began to thrive again. The message here is pretty clear….the crystal is the collective consciousness and heart of the Atlantians and reflects our consciousness too. We should use this power within us with respect and not use it to harm others. In this way, we can thrive as a species, but if we hide our spirit under the surface and ignore it, or even worse… Try to mechanize it in our arrogance, and it could lead to our ruin.

This dual nature is shown pretty well at the beginning and end, coming full circle. When Milo first meets Kida, he has a cut on his chest that she heals by touching him with her crystal, ultimately coming from a place of love...but at the end, when Milo is fighting Rourke, he cuts him with a piece of the main crystal and turns him into Crystal-stein...maybe the crystal was tapping into the intention behind its users?

In the work of the Theosophist Alice Bailey, who the team also drew on for inspiration for the artwork, she tells us that “during the time of Atlantis there was a tremendous battle on the astral between the Forces of Light, who wanted to lift human evolution out of materialism and separateness, and the involuntary Forces of Darkness, who wanted to enslave human will and more deeply immerse humanity in the matter,” which is what she argued was the cause of the fall. It’s quite keen than that Milo's final battle is against the heartless materialism of two bad teammates who had stolen the Crystal to sell on the black market..it’s an excellent little work that the team did...not only are some egotistical humans trying to lock the crystal-force away and sell it..but they’re ultimately defeated, only to have the crystal soar into the sky and be free in all its glory.

Now, of course...we can’t do a video on Atlantis without mentioning Kida.. you know, one of the best Disney princess ever who has been criminally underrated. By the end, she becomes a semi-ascended master, bonding her consciousness to the crystal and going all glowy and holy and becoming a being of pure energy. In a time of great need, the crystal can choose a host to channel its power and protect the kingdom, which sounds an awful lot like Thoth’s ship underneath the Sphinx, but hey, I digress.

Kida embodies the divine feminine in her romantic nature, going to her father to broach new ideas about how to save their culture and has a perfect balance of the sacred masculine and isn't afraid to put her thoughts into action. With Milo, she forms a pretty good creator team that brings consciousness back to the people… In the end, the glowing, energy princess floats down from the skies in a beam of light and melts into Milo's arms where she regains consciousness and her human form… just in time to see a civilization reborn and thriving again… the result of honoring our divine selves.

Isn’t it funny how, after all of it, Kida gives away that whole mountain of treasure to Milo’s crew and helps them back to the surface… not like the Atlantean economy would need any gold, right?... But, interestingly, the real treasure Kida and Milo value is knowledge, so much so that Milo even stays behind to help the Atlanteans re-learn their culture… which is fantastic cause one of the opening scenes of Atlantis II - not as good btw, but still fun... shows a school teaching the language..so we know he succeeds. Most of the temples seem to be a blend of East Asian and Mayan architecture too, which not only links the story to the Maya themselves, the supposed Atlantean priesthood but also helps get that picture of Greek columns and temples out of your head, which was one of the original intentions behind the design.

Bringing this to a close, if you ever wanted to see a faithful reproduction of the New Age idea of Atlantis, then this is like the perfect movie to go and watch...and while it didn’t do great at the box office, it has kind of become a cult classic…. and Tom Holland might star as Milo in a live-action remake. He’s also playing Nathan Drake in the Uncharted movie. What?! This story's message of exploration, adventure, inclusion, and the importance of living in harmony with our consciousness are all lessons that kids learned early on by watching this, and that you can too. While some Bible moms have tried to point out hidden Illuminati or Freemason symbols in it, like the All-Seeing Eye and Quartered Circle, the ultimate lessons of this movie are ones of love, compassion, and caution of hubris and putting our ego above a community.

The whole nature of this movie is even funnier when you read Norma Milanovich and Shirley McCune’s works that argued that Walt Disney himself was a newly Ascended Master whose mission on Earth was to create an awareness of the elementals, the animals, and to integrate the existence of such kingdoms into human consciousness… While we don’t know about that..it’s pretty fun to think about. Maybe Disney’s Atlantis was more in line with Walt’s vision than everyone realized! So until next time, Pah geh sheh nelekh, Gah Moak!

#spirituality #science #ascension #mystery school #spirit science

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easyfoodnetwork · 4 years

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Skillet-roasted lemon chicken | The Barefoot Contessa Our editors know that if you can’t figure out what to cook or how, you can always turn to Ina These days, Eater editors are eating out less and less, due to widespread restrictions on dining in and mandates nationwide to stay at home. That means we’re cooking a whole lot more, in addition to ordering delivery and takeout from places we love — and we’re also talking about cooking more than ever before. Last week, we revealed the favorite recipes we all have from Deb Perelman from Smitten Kitchen, whose website and cookbooks have inspired devotion from all of us for years. This week, we turn towards another true source of inspiration, one we’re no less loyal to: Ina Garten. The Barefoot Contessa is not only a source for stunningly reliable, expertly-tested recipes; she’s also a beloved cult figure in her own right. She’s been a particular source of calm and humor over the past few weeks, such as when her charming video demonstrating how to make gargantuan cosmos during a crisis went viral. We love Ina for her catchphrases, her devotion to Jeffery, her disarming nature, her nonchalance as she casually asks us to shell out for three pounds of prepared lobster meat. But most of all, we love her for her (to use one of her own favorite adjectives) foolproof recipes. Read on to learn which ones have captured Eater’s attention over the years. Skillet roasted lemon chicken: The oil-spattered pages in my copy of Cooking For Jeffrey tell how much I love this recipe better than words can. The chicken is always juicy and the tart pan sauce requires no extra effort beyond arranging your aromatics and pouring in some wine halfway through the roasting process. Ina’s headnote on the recipe begins “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made this!” and honestly, same. — Adam Moussa, senior social media manager Panzanella: I love to entertain and have my fabulous guests over with my effortless panzanella with tomatoes that are picked by my friends who own a giant acre of fresh tomatoes during summer. Crispy croutons, made with good bread, are tossed with juicy tomatoes with a generous drizzle of good olive oil. How easy is that? — James Park, social media manager Tomato feta salad: I’m not a seasoned (sorry!) home cook. In fact, in the three years that I’ve lived with my boyfriend, he’s done all the cooking. I just pick up a pie and say I “made” dessert. That said, I’ve been getting into the habit of preparing better lunches — now more than ever. Ina’s tomato feta salad is great because it combines a lot of my favorite things, it’s easy to make, and it yields enough for breakfast the next morning. It also adds a pop of color to my plate, and that simple pleasure helps me through the day. — Esra Erol, senior social media manager Roasted butternut squash salad with warm cider vinaigrette: Mostly on account of its sweetness, butternut squash has never been one of those ingredients that I get all that excited about, but as someone who has flirted with CSAs and vegetable delivery services over the years, I always end up finding myself in possession of one. This Ina recipe is the one that helped me find a way for squash to shine. The combination of flavors like maple, apple cider, and walnuts make it particularly appropriate for fall weather and the accompanying coziness; sometimes I go Extra Ina and pair it with her Indonesian swordfish (this marinade also works on chicken and kebabs). It’s also not a bad choice for a pretty Thanksgiving side — save yourself the labor and get pre-cut squash if you go this route. — Missy Frederick, Cities Director The Barefoot Contessa [official site] Ina’s roasted squash salad Lemon capellini: This recipe is a great gateway into doing other things with pasta besides dumping jars of marinara onto it. It’s both satisfying and incredibly easy. Once you feel comfortable with building your own basic lemon-butter sauce, you can use the recipe as a base for any lemony pasta creation. For your first twist, I strongly recommend starting the pan with garlic and crushed red pepper for some heat. — Hillary Dixler Canavan, restaurant editor Rack of lamb: Ina doesn’t have a blindspot, but in my opinion her true brilliance is in her weeknight meat recipes. She’s the master of simple roasts and stovetop braises that take the guesswork out of everything. I used to look at those Costco racks of lamb with fear, but Ina’s tight four-step recipe — from the “ don’t need to plan that far ahead” marinade to the somehow foolproof temperature guide — makes fancy rack of lamb easy enough to pull off any old Tuesday. — Lesley Suter, travel editor Mulled wine: At some point over the holiday season, I have a big open-house style gathering — and Ina’s mulled wine is always the centerpiece. I make a big batch of it in the morning, which serves the dual purpose of setting up the booze situation and making my house smell amazing (as opposed to like unshowered writer and dog). Then I toss the wine in a crock pot and serve it all day, dumping in more Cab when it gets low. After 5 p.m. we usually toss a couple shots of brandy into the pot, too, which I guess kind of makes it into hot sangria? But then, no one’s quibbling about details like that. — Eve Batey, Eater SF senior editor Raspberry baked french toast: Hosting large brunches — or breakfasts for dinner — is my favorite way to get people together. It’s fun and low-key, and I especially love that there are plenty of dishes that can be prepped in advance instead of needing fussy last-minute touches or more time in the kitchen instead of with guests. Baked French toast is an incredibly easy and always delicious staple, whether its on the table as an entree (with syrup) or as dessert (with syrup and ice cream). I love Ina’s raspberry baked version, which calls for fresh berries and diced day-old bread, and her French toast bread pudding, which needs slices of challah. These dishes are infinitely riffable, and both of these Ina recipes are great on their own or as a jumping off point. — Sonia Chopra, director of editorial strategy Flag cake: I love to make Gartner’s flag cake from Barefoot Contessa Family Style, which could be especially fun if you have kids at home right now to help place blueberries on the stars background and raspberries on the stripes. Seriously, decorating this cake can take up an entire afternoon and should count as a credit for the long lost school subject of home economics. — Susan Stapleton, Eater Vegas editor Ina Garten [Photo: Facebook] Ina Garten’s flag cake Perfect pie crust: Ina’s Perfect Pie Crust is my absolute go-to, holy grail pie crust. I’ve experimented with different crusts but this one takes the — ahem — pie. Five staple ingredients come together quickly in the food processor and can be used for any pie that requires a buttery, flaky blanket of perfection. Which is all the pies, duh. — Stefania Orrù, coordinating producer for Eater Video Outrageous brownies: There could not be a better descriptor than outrageous for this brownie recipe — after all, it has a pound of butter and nearly two pounds of chocolate! But it’s all for good measure because you’ll be enjoying this massive portion of brownies for days to come. They keep really well, and Ina’s right when she says the instant coffee in here makes all the difference — it’s a tiny amount that gives a zippy balance to the decadent chocolate. — Tanay Warerkar, Eater NY reporter Mocha Chocolate Icebox Cake: As someone who is not remotely talented at baking, this recipe is so easy to follow and the end result is a showstopper. I’ve made this recipe for multiple parties and everyone raves about it. It is boozy, full of chocolate and semi-homemade so it’s a win/win in my book. Added bonus: layers of Tate’s Chocolate Chip cookies! — Stephen Pelletteri, executive producer Honorable mentions: Herb-marinated pork tenderloin Crispy mustard-roasted chicken Buttermilk cheddar biscuits Warm French lentils Frozen key lime pie Chipotle and rosemary roasted nuts Palmiers Rugelach Scallops provencal Roasted shrimp cocktail Italian wedding soup from Eater - All https://ift.tt/2JSWSDq

http://easyfoodnetwork.blogspot.com/2020/04/eater-staffers-pick-their-favorite-ina.html

#EasyFoodNetwork #ComfortFoodRecipes #EasyRecipes #GoodFood #BestComfortFoodRecipes #TastyFoodv

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dkyoungone · 5 years

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Opinion Series Final Draft

Opinion 1:

Video Games have real world connections to real world issues and philosophy in many ways. Video games such as Skyrim really drive home the idea that games can be considered art, can be considered impactful to a culture, impactful to a mindset, while Skyrim may not be a game like Undertale that challenges general game structure norms or story boundaries, Skyrim and the Elder Scrolls series of games encapsulates what it is to be a story based fantasy game. Within the Elder Scrolls games developed by Bethesda Game Studios, there are hundreds of characters with unique dialogue, stories, and personalities, so at least some of these people, places, and issues will have real world impact. The issue of the disappearance of the Dwemer really shows that Bethesda is capable of creating a game that gets people thinking and theorizing. Not every game out there can get people to theorize and think about what some would consider a condensed mess of pixels. The disappearance of the Dwemer, backed by evidence from the games, is truly connected to real world philosophies and ideals. The Dwemer cling to an ideology of pragmatism and logic, and if something, say their own world, didn’t even exist, that would cause a bit of an existential issue within the population of logical thinkers. In terms of achieving Chim, once they breached the Heart of Lorkhan, a powerful and godly artifact, the Dwemer collectively realized their world was a lie, and were believed to have Zero Summed, according to many theorists and scholars in the Elder Scrolls universe. Due to their sudden understanding of the world, they collectively found as a whole that it simply was not logical to exist any further. In addition to this, there’s also quite a few notable dwemer researchers within the Elder Scrolls universe, specifically Skyrim. Calcelmo, Arniel Gane, and Katria are the most notable within the time frame that Skyrim takes place. These 3 represent the connection to real world archaeology and interest in ancient civilizations. With the dwemer and their technology a similar instance could be the discovery of the Baghdad Battery, or the construction of the pyramids in Egypt. These real world ancient civilizations supposedly had technologies that we generally thought to have not been conceptualized for at least a few centuries after the creation of these mysterious artifacts and buildings. Going back to the 3 researchers from Skyrim, they focus their time and energy on portions of the dwemer mystery and try to figure out either how they disappeared, or how they were able to create the metals they did, etc. This is similar to how real life researchers often times focus on a specific area of study to gather the most knowledge on that specific subject. Arniel Gane, a researcher and mage within Skyrim, attempted to reproduce the results and events of the dwemer disappearance through using one of the tools the dwemer used on a godly artifact. He ended up reproducing similar results, which ultimately ended with his demise at his own hand. He performed an experiment that then went on to partially recreate what happened and may have actually given a good piece of evidence for future researchers within the gamescape. His method was very similar to the scientific method, involving another connection to the real world and its philosophies. These are the reasons that video games connect to real world occupations, studies, and philosophies.

Opinion 2:

Video Games possibly could have real world connections, and possibly address real world issues, depending on how the game is designed, but many aspects as well could be unrelated entirely. Taking the example of the Elder Scrolls, humanity does not need to face a separate species of bipeds that are similar to humans (yet?). We also do not need to deal with dragons or the undead. These are fantasy, and should stay as such, but when it comes to the philosophy of the dwarves or of other characters and factions within the games, that could very well have real world connections. Some of these connections have vast expanses of research done independently by YouTube videos or forum detectives that are focused on the games or different aspects of them. We don’t know the majority of what went into the games or the inspiration of the games so our best shot, even if supported by evidence is still just inductive reasoning without any concrete proof. We can say certain behaviour in a game’s characters can be categorized in a certain way or relate it to real life, but what it really comes down to is how the author intended for the game to be viewed. When it comes to Bethesda, historically, they haven’t focused too much on the philosophical aspects of the stories they create. However, there is merit to the argument that the Dwemer, being pragmatists, could have also been nihilists who saw existing further as meaningless when faced with the truth of their universe, of their reality. The way they were described within the universe of the game, it definitely makes them seem like nihilists. Their actions and interactions regarding other races places them outside of the “regular” moral spectrum of the rest of the Tamrielic races and cultures. In addition to this, their philosophy regarding religion was mainly focused on being a thorn in the side of the gods, as they refused to worship or bow down to the gods and goddesses of the Mundus. They refused to conform to the religions of Tamriel, of their ancestors and of the humans. They followed their own path and believed they were able to achieve ascendancy through their actions alone, without the help of any kind of deity or higher power. They clearly acknowledged the existence of said deities, however they chose not to follow or bow down to such beings. This was documented by Vivec and his followers, they knew of the dwemer, and knew them well. The chimer, which are now the dunmer, have had by far the most history with the dwemer, even being present when the dwemer suddenly disappeared from off the face of The Mundus. This puts the dunmer/chimer in a unique position to tell stories of the dwemer as accurately as possible, given the muti-millennia time gap between the events of the dwemer-chimer war and the events of the Elder Scrolls games. Regardless, this is only one aspect, and one example. We cannot tell how video games as a whole affect and relate to real world issues and philosophies based off of an extremely limited example, especially knowing how Bethesda as a game studio and publisher has been in the past with their stories and games.

Opinion 3:

Video games as a whole aren’t going to have any real world connections or impacts because they are games. The games are meant for entertainment, not for a story to be portrayed in any meaningful way. Take a look at some of the best selling game franchises of all time. Super Mario, Call of Duty, Battlefield, Fortnite, etc. These games have no real story that has impact like a book or movie would. The majority of the games that people play aren’t going to be heavily based on the story, they will be based on gameplay and graphics. You may have exceptions from time to time like Undertale and Deltarune, but those are few and far between and not enough people know about those games for them to really make a true impact within the minds of the consumer, they play the same game that is rereleased every single year without an idea of what is different. They see new graphics and shiny new odds and ends in the games they play and they instantly shell out $60 for the game they paid for ten years ago. Philosophy wouldn’t be intentionally put into video games, what it is is people who video games reading way too hard in to the mechanics and story of the GAME they purchased for entertainment. No matter how well a game is made, the real world impact will be close to null. Gaming is simply not widespread enough to make an impact and because of that, the story matters very little and shouldn’t be read into at all because there won’t be any meaningful real world connections. Regarding the dwemer in skyrim, it is just a fictional event with fictional and non-realistic characters. Elves do not exist in the real world, as much as some people would wish that to happen. We cannot relate the story of the dwemer to anything due to the fact that in the real world, magic simply does not exist or work in any capacity. The dwemer were extremely gifted in magic according to the games and multiple books and sources within them. The dwemer were also very gifted when it came to technology. You would think in the multiple generations and centuries since the disappearance of the dwemer, the last living dwemer upon The Mundus, whom you can meet in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, would pass down his knowledge of dwemer technology so that the amazing technology of the lost civilization was not forgotten or lost forever. With all of the brilliant minds in the Elder Scrolls Games working on deciphering the dwemer at the same time, you would think at least one of them would come up with some way to crack open and figure out exactly what is going on in the machines and intriguing technology of the dwemer.

#english 2010 #homework #final project

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thomasroach · 6 years

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Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 Review – The Complete Package

Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment’s looter shooter returns with the release of Tom Clancy’s The Division 2. Hoping to build on a legacy of rewarding combat, immersive environments and varied end-game, The Division 2 launches in a more hostile environment for the genre, but does it have the pedigree to pull it off anyway?

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 Review

The Division 2’s story follows the events from the original game as Agents, members of a special elite task force, head to Washington D.C to restore power to the SHD Network – a global network acting as the central source of intelligence and assignments for Agents of The Division. What follows is the discovery of a cure for the Green Poison, and subsequently all viral infections, which acts as the primary driving force behind the games challenging story campaign. The Division 2’s story is easy to follow, and while it maintains a level of quality throughout, it lacks any memorable punch and feels more a prelude to the games end-game content than a stellar standalone story. While somewhat disappointing initially, the “play it safe” story quickly fades to black as the games true intentions become clear.

Much like the original game, The Division 2 is, at its heart, a cover-based looter shooter that relies nearly entirely on its combat mechanics and grind loops to entertain and enthrall. Thankfully, it nails both. It nails them in such a way that The Division 2 is arguably one of the best cover shooters available, and one of Ubisoft’s greatest works ever.

The over-the-shoulder combat relies heavily on two major factors. Ducking, diving, sliding and jumping between different forms of cover as a huge variety of enemies ambush and approach your location from multiple sides, and combining a massively impressive arsenal of weapons with an equally impressive array of skills and abilities. While the bullet-sponge issues that often plague the genre are still very much present in The Division 2, the combat is satisfying, rewarding, and immersive from start to finish. And, it’s brutal. During my many runs as a solo Agent, I found myself outgunned, outmanned, and outplayed, feelings that heavily push the player towards grouping with other Agents. While enjoying many of the games activities solo is a definite possibility for the hardcore among us, it’s ill-advised in many situations.

Accompanying the impactful cover and shoot combat is a diverse list of skills and abilities that can be customized, enhanced and improved throughout the game. Agents unlock skill point as they progress through the main campaign, accessing advanced technological assistance for future battles. One group could be heavily focusing around their squad leader leading the charge behind a huge shield, while another sits at a distance and coordinates drone strikes and seeker mine attacks. While some of the skills and abilities would greatly benefit from a bit of balancing, there’s already plenty of opportunity to experiment and explore a robust skill and progression system.

One of the biggest problems facing Agents looking to restore order to the nations capitol is the frustratingly “intelligent” AI. Instead of facing enemies that adapt and react to the threats they face in a realistic and believable way, I too often found myself battling seemingly psychic soldiers that could read my every move from behind a container 50 meters away.

Approaching an enemy checkpoint, I hear calls for help from my nearby allies. Pinned down by heavy enemy sniper fire and a hulking mess of armor and firepower, my allies were unable to advance onto the machine gun nest that had been the primary cause for our failure to capture the checkpoint earlier in the day. I grip my controller tightly, I begin to hum the Mission Impossible theme tune, I take several side alleys and a small underground passage to approach our enemies from the opposite angle. I was straight up ready to Tom Clancy those fools.

I draw my heavily customized and camouflaged sniper rifle, line up the perfect shot on the enemy sniper then, just like that, he’s gone. This expertly trained and highly attuned sniper, that had been providing covering fire for nearly two minutes straight, randomly had the immediate instinct to duck behind cover as soon as a gun is aimed at his location – despite being out of his line of sight. I wait, and wait, and wait. There’s no sign of movement from his location. I decide to switch my attention to the heavily armored enemy rocking the minigun, but no sooner do I change weapon does that sniper rear its ugly head once more. A quick switch of my weapon back to my trusted sniper and, what? Once again, as if from divine intervention, the enemy sniper instantly returns to cover.

These types of events are not random, it’s not the result of some cascading AI scripts resulting in random psychic reactions from enemies, it happens in nearly every fight. I press the button to activate one of my abilities, the enemies react and move before humanly possible. Enemies will rush and advance on your position with absolutely zero care for their own survival. This makes sense for some of the units designed to rush, such as the lunatic that straps explosives to his chest and charges your location, but for other enemy types it becomes frustrating, predictable, and boring. A situation made worse when you face squads of enemies that take 200 bullets from an LMG to fell one soldier. On the surface The Division 2’s AI seems intelligent, responsive, and varied, but dig a little and you’ll find very limited AI behavior that is easily its biggest shortcoming.

The Division 2 truly stands head and shoulders above the competition with its myriad of activities and flurry of end-game content. It still bears the mark of Ubisoft as Agents head to new areas, repeating activities to free yet more civilians from tyranny – a formula used in practically every Ubisoft game of this generation – but it’s fine tuned to perfection. In previous Ubisoft games, I often found myself pushing to complete that first region 100%. Hunting down that last side quest, defeating that last high value target, only to feel exhausted to repeat the process a second, third, fourth and fifth time. In The Division 2, the team put just the right amount of content in each area to keep things fresh and engaging throughout the experience.

A single phrase often thrown around the industry today best describes The Division 2. Content is king, and The Division 2 is the king of content. From launch, there’s a massive variety of objectives and activities as you progress, objectives and activities that expand, evolve and improve continuously throughout the campaign and even moreso when you reach end-game. Never before have I been so excited to complete a games main campaign. As soon as you hit level 30 and complete the main story you are bombarded with prompts and unlocks, each exposing something more interesting and exciting than the last.

Real-time conflicts and territory changes between the games multiple factions, hidden boss enemies that hold special cosmetic loot drops, evolving checkpoints that increase in power the more your presence is known in the area, strongholds that act as challenging dungeons with multiple boss battles and fantastic rewards, bounty targets that require the gathering of intel to locate, collectibles, the content just keeps going, and going, and going. And that’s just from the perspective of the PvE fan, there are entire areas dedicated to PvP. The content itself is only trumped by a single other aspect, the loot.

The Division 2 boasts incredibly interesting loot and advancement systems that allows players to truly specialize, customize, and improve their characters in a variety of ways. Tons of weapon customization options, the ability to switch talents and perks from one weapon to another, random chances of hitting the “critical” success when crafting, there’s no end to the ways you can improve your character in the game.

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 raises the bar for the looter shooter genre. Put simply, it is the complete package.

This The Division 2 Review was done on the PlayStation 4. A digital version was purchased from the PlayStation Store, though a code was provided by the publisher (and returned) after purchase.

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chrispydesign · 6 years

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Coming Home - An Analysis of Gwent’s Design and What Homecoming Seeks to Change

Gwent has had a very interesting life cycle for a game. It began simply as a minigame in CD Projekt Red’s hugely successful, award-winning RPG, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Players took to the game with gusto, often jokingly calling Gwent the main reason to play the game, leading to various memes and internet jokes like this:

Source: https://twitter.com/dylansprouse/status/603644571436904450

Praised for its unique design which was quite the departure from the other popular card games of the time (eg. Hearthstone), Gwent had a truly interesting and unique design hidden inside of this AAA RPG.

And then, much to everyone’s surprise, CDPR announced Gwent: The Witcher Card Game, which began it’s open beta in May, 2017. Initially, the game very closely resembled the familiar Gwent from The Witcher 3, but over the course of the open beta the game evolved and changed, getting further and further away from its roots, and becoming something entirely different. Over the year and a half of open beta, Gwent received changes that overhauled the entire game multiple times. The constant changes (which oftentimes dramatically changed how the game played) seemed to indicate to the players that developers were still trying to figure out exactly what Gwent should be, and what the core design philosophies behind Gwent, and how they wanted it to fit with all the other CCGs on the market right now. CDPR seemed to be tending towards a particular outcome, but to the players, what that outcome was wasn’t particularly clear.

And then everything changed when Homecoming attacked.

Homecoming had been announced for Gwent as early as April, 2018. CDPR promised massive, fundamental changes to Gwent, something that would bring it back to its roots as a strategic card game that simulated armies going to war with each other: a homecoming, if you will. For a long time, details about Homecoming were kept under wraps, leading to speculation from the players as to the extent of the changes.

Eventually, all details for Homecoming were officially announced, and Gwent was officially released to public October 23, 2018 with all the changes brought on by Homecoming.

Response to Homecoming was very mixed from the players. Some saw it as far too big a departure from the core of Gwent, while others embraced the change and found a whole new game to love. Homecoming fundamentally changed how Gwent worked, but no studio would’ve undergone such a massive overhaul of their game’s systems without good reason. Today I want to talk about why Homecoming was made: what were the original problems with Gwent, how did CDPR try to fix them over the course of the open beta, and how Homecoming has now sought to address those problems.

Card Design Limitations: Not Enough Knobs

Most CCGs on the market have a large part of their design inspired by Magic the Gathering. In these card games, at their most basic level a card will have a Mana Cost, Health and Attack values, usually alongside other abilities as well. This gives the design team three different things that they can tweak in order to fine-tune the balance of the card.

In Gwent, there is no concept of Mana, and Health and Attack are combined into a single stat called Strength. Right off the bat, this makes balancing cards a lot harder; when there are fewer knobs to tweak, it’s harder to do small-scale changes. You can tweak the Health of a card to reduce its defensive potential without affecting its offense, and vice versa, but in Gwent, because those stats are tied together, you can’t diminish one without affecting the other.

In open beta, CDPR implemented a new mechanic that helped alleviate some of this issue: Armour. Armour acts as additional Strength on top of a unit’s Strength, that doesn’t affect the number of points that unit is worth for winning a round. However, they also tied this mechanic to the class identity of one of the factions, which limited how freely they can use this mechanic.

Additionally, cards in Gwent couldn’t attack other cards directly: once you placed down a card, that was essentially it. This meant that most cards have to have effects that immediately trigger, or trigger on their own with little control from the player. There wasn’t as much agency in play and counterplay. It is difficult to make cards that felt fair to play against and gave you an opportunity to counterplay them, but also make them feel powerful to the player using that card.

Assembling Your Army: Deck-Building Variety

As mentioned earlier, there is no concept of Mana in Gwent: any card can be played at any time during the game, but you can only ever play one card a turn. While this has implications for balancing cards, it also has a major effect on meaningful choices in deck-building, and therefore deck variety.

Mana does a lot of things in games like Hearthstone: it limits the strength of certain cards, forces you to run certain suboptimal cards in order to fill out your Mana curve, and also groups cards into categories, giving you more ways to look at evaluating cards. A 2 Mana card might be weaker than a 4 Mana card, but you can play the 2 Mana card earlier which might make it worth more than a 4 Mana card. Similarly, it means that when you are looking to add a card to your deck, you mainly have to compare it with cards of the same or similar Mana cost, as those cards would fulfill similar roles in a deck.

In Gwent, because any card can be played any turn when deck-building a card must be compared to EVERY OTHER card in the game. At the current state of Gwent, it wasn’t necessarily a problem, but when adding future cards to the game, every card added will have to be measured up against every card, making it extremely difficult to release new cards that can compete with the current pool of cards, without being overpowered or underpowered.

The initial design of Leaders was also quite limiting for deck variety. Decks in Gwent are separated by Factions, and within each Faction, there are a few Leaders that you can choose. Leaders essentially function as cards that you always have in your hand, and each had a different ability.

Balancing Leaders has proven difficult: because they are the only card in your deck you are guaranteed to have, the effect that they provide generally needs to be something that is critical to your gameplan or an effect that you’d want to ALWAYS have access to. Initially, some leaders were just flat-out more powerful than other Leaders: for example, every Monsters Faction Deck ran the same Leader regardless of deck type because of how powerful that Leader’s ability was.

CDPR have tried various ways to balance Leaders over the course of open beta: one of the major things they’ve done is given Leaders a body that can be placed on the field. This means that not all Leader abilities necessarily have to be the same power level: they can supplement the power level by giving the Leader more Strength, and vice versa. While this has helped with Leader variety, one of the other big problems with Leaders is how specialised some of the Leader’s abilities are: some Leaders are clearly designed to support a particular archetype, and thus this limits your effective choice of Leaders depending on what deck you are building.

Another type of card featured prominently in Gwent are tutors. Tutors are cards that are generally weak on their own, but allow you to draw and/or play certain cards from your deck. When a certain card in your deck is super critical to your gameplan, a tutor gives you extra chances to draw that card, making it more likely you draw it.

But one of the other important things that Tutors do is thin your deck by removing cards from it, making it more likely you also draw your other cards. When Tutors were introduced to Gwent, they became an integral part of most decks: thinning your deck makes you more likely to draw your more powerful cards and gives you direct access to certain cards on demand as well. Adding a Tutor to your deck necessitates that you also add the card you are tutoring, which can quickly fill up your deck slots.

This is compounded by a variety of other factors: you can have up to 3 of a card in your deck, which leads to players simply running 3 of each of the strongest cards available to them. Additionally, a lot of synergies in the game are hard-coded and based on keywords: if you’re running a highly synergistic deck this also limits your effective amount of choices.

A lot of these issues with deck variety tie into one of the core design philosophies of Gwent: consistency.

Consistency Versus Randomness

One of the main things that drew players to Gwent was the focus on consistency and strategy compared to other card games. You had a 25 card deck and drew 10 cards in the first round, 2 more in the second, and 1 more in the third. At the beginning of the game and in between rounds you also have a total of 4 mulligans, allowing you to filter out cards back into your deck.

As a baseline, you are guaranteed to see over half your deck, not accounting for mulligans and card effects that draw cards and tutor cards from your deck. Additionally, there was a huge focus on a lack of randomness in card design: barely any cards at all used randomness in their abilities.

Consistency was a selling point for Gwent, but it also acted to its detriment. With how consistent the game was, most games played out exactly the same way, which can lead to the player base's long-term enjoyment of the game stagnating. As much as players can hate randomness, randomness is part of what keeps people engaged with the game; having outcomes be random and unpredictable leads to a rollercoaster of emotions, creating a variety of experiences which leads to long-term engagement.

Ridiculous random outcomes also create entertaining content for Twitch and Youtube; loads of games rely heavily on their content creators to drive awareness, interest, and engagement with their games, and having a game that lends itself well to streamed content is crucial for increasing and maintaining a game’s player base.

In some ways, CDPR identified this and attempted to add randomness to the game with new cards. However, these cards were almost universally hated by the player base for various reasons. They went against the fundamental design of Gwent that drew players in to begin with, their general power levels were much higher than cards without randomness, and their results were far too swingy, particularly in a game where you can only play one card a turn, responding to these cards was difficult and it was nigh-impossible to play around them.

Homecoming: What’s Changed?

With Homecoming, CDPR introduced massive changes to Gwent, most with the goal of addressing a lot of these changes. In particular, the biggest change made is the introduction of the Provision mechanic, which influences how deckbuilding plays out.

Provisions are similar to Mana, but also quite different. Each card in the game now has a Provisions cost, and your deck now has both a minimum limit on the number of cards but also a maximum limit on the number of Provisions you can have in your deck. Now when deck building you don’t simply compare a card to every other card in the game, you compare it to other cards of the same Provisions cost, but also compare it to how many Provisions you have left to build your deck with, and how many cards you already have in your deck.

You make sacrifices by having a lot of powerful cards in your deck because now you must also fill it with lower strength cards. Or, you can go for an alternative route and only put mid-strength cards into your deck, ensuring you have a generally even power curve throughout the game.

Provisions are another way that cards can be balanced: if a particular card has a powerful effect, the effect itself doesn’t have to be nerfed: the Provisions cost can be tweaked, making that card have a higher opportunity cost for adding it to your deck.

Aside from Provisions, various other changes have been implemented. Leaders have been completely reworked, and now most of their abilities are no longer highly synergistic with certain archetypes and can be used in a multitude of decks. They removed the bodies of Leaders, and instead balanced them by restricting the amount of Mulligans they receive over the course of a game.

However, limiting the power of the Leaders in such an invisible way may not be as effective as the straightforward Strength value of previous Leaders. In particular, some Leaders are still quite powerful and would still be so even with restricting the Mulligans. I feel that adding a Provision cost to Leaders AS WELL AS cards would be an effective way of balancing Leaders rather than limiting Mulligans. It already ties into how deck building has been changed to work and is a much clearer trade-off for both players.

Another change has been to how card abilities work. In other CCGs like Hearthstone, a minion is first played, then the next turn they can attack, either other minions or the opponent directly. With Homecoming, they’ve added a bunch of new abilities to cards that function similarly to attacking in Hearthstone. When first played, your unit cannot use its ability, but on the next turn, you can use their ability.

These abilities have extremely varied effects, from dealing damage, boosting, tutoring and more. Additionally, some of these abilities can be used immediately, some have limited charges, and some have infinite uses but have a cooldown on them. By introducing these abilities with a variety of implementations and applications, CDPR have given themselves much more flexibility when it comes to designing cards.

Conclusion

Homecoming was an incredibly risky move from CDPR. Not many games get this far into their development and open beta before flipping everything over on its head and rebuilding the game from the ground up. A lot of the decisions made as a part of Homecoming have been positive and are moving the game towards being more fun to play, more varied in gameplay, and also bolstering the longevity of the game. These changes are a great starting point for this new version of Gwent, and I’m looking forward to seeing how far CDPR can take this game.

#gwent #cdpr #witcher #analysis

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