The Chillanthropologist

Privileges Versus Rights

2012-03-09T16:38:00.000-08:00

One summer Saturday, a few years ago, a buddy of mine, named Joe, and I were hanging out, spending a day together bowling, talking about our high school band days, and our current directions in life. The original plan was to hang out in the day time and later depart in the evening, but we were having so much fun that we decided to extend our small reunion. Having done almost "everything" else in the city between the time of this day and back when we were Juniors and Seniors, we decided to try something outside of our scope of fun.

Joe and I aren't clubbers or urban-nightlife type of people (yes, even, despite my experience with glowsticking; I actually practice just for fun, but don't venture to raves that often). We were your average college guys that strayed away from doing anything too mainstream. But, because of other businesses closing up for the night, we agreed to check out a dance and bar venue nearby.

As we approached the club, a bouncer gave us a quick up-and-down look and shook his head, stating, "Sorry, no shorts allowed, and you need some shoes" (I was wearing sandals at the time). We weren't permitted to step beyond him, and had no idea what theme or event they had going on that night. So, we said our "thanks," and drove off to play some billiards.

Now, let's take a step back and ask some questions about this scenario. Because I drove a long way just to arrive at the club, I at least deserved some fun, or a few minutes just to take a peek inside regardless of the dress code, right? Heck, gas isn't inexpensive.

Am I allowed, then, to claim that the bouncer denied me my natural rights to have fun, and my rights to be myself? I mean, it's just not me to glamour myself up with spiked and gelled hair, cologne, an open collared shirt and dress pants (unless the occasion calls for it) just to dance and socialize. This bouncer, in my theoretical opinion, violated my rights to enjoy the party...right?

No, he didn't. He is only doing his job to ensure that the club's environment stays in tact, that if a dress code is present, then all participants must follow those rules per its culture. Maybe some people don't want to see casually dressed college people crash their sophisticated environment, but it doesn't necessarily imply that they don't want Kevin and Joe at the event. In fact, the bouncer just gave us a hint to what we need in order to enter -- he didn't tell us "sorry, we don't want you here." There was nothing personal in this meeting.

Let's say that I don't understand that concept that there's nothing personal. Let's say that I feel like he did deny me entrance because of who I am, and that I'm stuck on the idea that he took away my rights. This bouncer doesn't know anything about me, and I (theoretically) work 7 days a week at the soup kitchen, distributing food to the underprivileged. I (theoretically) tutor homeless students, work at the YMCA, etc. etc. I've (theoretically) done all these great things for humanity. Is it okay for me to strike up a public rally against this certain bouncer? Certainly not.

First, I should have talked to management -- this bouncer is not laying out the rules, but he is enforcing them. I mean, who would want a bodyguard who doesn't do their job? He does what he does because it's his duty and his implied nature. He isn't a rude, unreasonable draconian. For all I know, this man could have also been a Boys&Girls Club volunteer or mentor who has a side job at this bar. Thus, given that he is not management, I should not be focused on convincing him to let me in, but I should take my concerns to the overall organization. I am sure that he would be happy to allow me in if it wasn't a formal night. There is no sense in reaching out to the other people in line and asking them to verbally shoot down this specific bouncer for not letting us have our fun or be ourselves.

Second, if management finalizes a decision that parallels the bouncer's (i.e. declining me access until I put on the right clothes), is it time to spark up a movement? No, of course not... I cannot conclude that it's personal on these bases. I can't say they're specifically denying Kevin and Joe because we're Kevin and Joe...unless there's a contradiction. That is, are there common exceptions?

My next direction for research should be looking for inconsistencies. In other words, have they allowed ANYONE with shorts (or no shoes) in, ever? Does this rule apply to everyone, too? Until there is a concrete, solid example of a random stranger with shorts and sandals allowed into the club, I cannot say the bouncer did this to me because it's me; I cannot say he took away my rights.

Rights and privileges are two different things, by the way. Rights are something that you are born with, but are not always specifically written down (they're written down when there are people who don't use common sense, or want to take advantage of humanity). I have a right to the freedom of speech, freedom of privacy, and freedom to protect myself. These rights exist so that no one can randomly or spontaneously violate you. This implies that you are doing nothing, that the situation for these rights to exist is when you are a passive, static target (in other words, when you did not make any decisions to led to this event).

However, there are some limitations to these rights when you participate in anything social, when you make a conscious decision to take part in a gathering or perform an action. Limited rights include privileges. When you want to do something, you actually have to give up some rights if it is necessary to protect the rights of others. For example, you can't take sharp utensils when you want to fly, for safety purposes. You can't yell "bomb" in a crowded stadium, even if there isn't one to begin with. If you create a disturbance, you are then throwing away your privileges in effect, such as the privilege to live in a home versus a cell, or the privilege to fly.

Thus, I do have the right to have fun (I can have fun elsewhere), just not at the club. The bouncer didn't chain me up and say I wasn't allowed to do anything that night (THAT would be a violation of my rights, then, because it would affect me even if I didn't make a decision at all). If I want to take part at this event, I have to abide by a rule that everyone else is following, or else lose the privilege to have fun at the club. Debating the issue would probably deny me access for the rest of the night, or maybe a temporary lockup when they call the cops for "disturbance of the peace."

This entire concept applies everywhere.

Yes, it applies to the Spiral. I'm talking to those people out there who argue that "cursing" is a natural right to have in Wizard101. Just like people of the club scene, players of this game do not want an environment of hostility or discomfort, hence the Report button. If someone is acting against the Terms of Use (which is the contract every player automatically signs when they sign up for an account), there is no need to feel shamed or discouraged to flag them for KingsIsle's review; you are only doing your job as a community member to keeping the Spiral a safe and fun place.

Yes, it applies to game contests. When you fail to follow the rules or directions, you lost your privilege to have a chance at winning; you weren't denied "rights" for making a mistake (again, you had the chance to enter, you made the decision to, and you are then subject and responsible to following the rules; when you break them, you lose the chance; i.e. you were not denied them in the first place).

It certainly applies to social gatherings, as I mentioned a bit ago. You still have the right to not conform, and the right to be yourself, but remember, by keeping or holding onto certain rights that others give up for the sake of allowing the convention to exist in presence AND in essence, you are giving up your privilege to be at the meeting in spite of your desires and preferences.

Beyond the Spiral: Ironic Truth

2012-02-20T00:22:00.001-08:00

**Note: This is not meant to be a motivational speech or a speech or soapbox or anything of that nature. This is simply a sharing of my perspective and my understanding, and I expect that there will be disagreements as well as concurring opinions. This is also meant to help anyone out there who is lost in a fog of their own thoughts...

Haters are the creatures created from jealousy. When people see something they don’t have -- but want, desire, and need *just* for themselves (i.e. no one else "should" have it, or that some people [like themselves] are entitled to it while others aren't) -- they will channel all their energy into destructive behavior like name-calling, bashing, and trolling. This happens especially when they simply cannot imagine or perceive any alternative methods to obtaining their goal, other than (attempted) intimidation or aggression. Because they cannot attack the truth directly (or what appears to be the truth, for that matter), and because they hope to avoid humiliating themselves via contradiction, they will attack you personally, whether it's your race or how you look, or who you are and what you do in your private life. Haters live not off of oxygen and water, but off of their (false) sense of superiority. They have to quantify, rate, measure, and rank everything around them in order to feel satisfied that they are nowhere near "the bottom", and will try to use the numbers to convince themselves (if not others) that they are at the top.

On the other hand, winners are created from understanding and maturity. They know they will never have everything they want (life is not meant to be perfect or fair), but they also realize that trying to possess only what they see in front of them is a deterrent to their true potential. There does not exist a "bar" for the winners, but that does not mean that they continually ascend and leave others behind them. In fact, winners are also created from inspiration, one of the few gifts that can keep on giving. Winners channel their energy into positive motivation and affect others (constructively) around them, developing others like them for whatever paths they choose.

Winners can fail or lose, nevertheless, because that’s the first part of the entire process called “success.” What they must understand though, to stay winners, is that success AND failure are not permanent. The cliche "winners never quit" could never be truer in this context. Once one sets a landmark or a stopping point for their own path, someone else will surpass them (especially if everyone is growing together). There is no ceiling or floor for these types of people.

Haters, on the other hand, believe that what they have should be the standard, and that no one else may ascend further. They are the ones who cannot comprehend or believe that anyone else can surpass their "bar," and that anyone who does so MUST be deceitful or hiding something.

Yet, haters are the ones who are actually “unleashed potential.” This phrase is treated in a light, positive manner because, as the saying goes, "Haters gon'[na] hate." Going back to the "bar": haters have yet to fully develop because of that measurement or that mark they place upon themselves as well as others. The fact that a ceiling exists anywhere in their perspective shows that they are also stunted in effect. Thus, this implies that they have a chance to outgrow their immaturity. Everyone (yes, including trolls) has the ability to improve, whether it be their selves or their understanding of the world they live in. Certain people are less mature, but it does not mean they are completely lost causes; we all grow at different rates, after all.

Indirectly defined: hating on the haters only prevents everyone from advancing. I admit that I was at fault at some point (hating the haters), but as I said, we all have room to grow and realize faults such as this. Worrying about trolls or attackers only creates an unnecessary and temporary burden that pervasively invades my happiness. That said, I simply wish everyone the best in life, even if you don't reciprocate. Peace~

TOOT (Reflection, Two Oh One Two)

2012-02-15T23:53:00.000-08:00

Hey all,

This is two entire months late (I know, I know...), but I've never really had much time to be able to sit down for a couple of hours and just think. I've been out of touch with the Spiral while trying to settle down into five, upper-division college classes, and meet their barrage of demands made up of homework, familiarizing myself with the electronic bulletin board system, and adapting to a heavier workload. The good news is...I'm actually ahead of the schedule, this time. This is going to be an extremely long and personal blog post, but then again, it is about 11 weeks' worth of contemplation and news (the first part is just an update, the rest is not for the faint of mind):

I hope you've had a FANTASTIC New Year's, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Winter Vacation, and/or Time Off Work! I had an amazing time with the family as we headed out on a "solo run" (without extended family, which we haven't done for years) on Christmas to a casino that was hosting a LOBSTER BUFFET. That dinner certainly blew my mind, considering I've never liked lobster...but the way they cooked theirs, I loved it! No gifts this year, but that's almost a lie; that quality time with my parents and little sister was more than I could ask for. We've had some ups and downs throughout history, so it dawned on me how lucky we were just to be able to see and laugh with one another. Those Christmas movies I watched as a young'un are starting to seep into the heart and make some sense. Ah, the magic of time...

Speaking of quality time, Hexythorn also visited me, and we had a wonderful week and a half together: driving up and down the state, getting her acquainted with my family (extended and immediate), and venturing to my favorite places in Northern California. She's actually fond of the things my family and I eat (oh, how I've taken the food for granted...and still do!) and from what I last heard, is now loving Pho tremendously. She also misses rice. That's something I'll never understand, since I'm very westernized (yay burgers and pizza and lasagna and Mexican food!) Alyssa played her first casino game over here, and was very quick to understand the strategies of video poker (it greatly differs from regular Poker in the sense of probabilities and randomization). We also had the opportunity to introduce my family to their first perogies, too; my parents decided to stick with their baby octopi, while my sister, "T", Alyssa, and I helped ourselves to some extras. (Behind the scenes note: while making them, Alyssa thought the Polish dumplings would end up as an epic fail due to the unnaturally sticky texture of the dough...but, we managed!)

Throughout the visit, we've grown and bonded, and established that we indeed can continue this LDR. Realistically, connections in this nature tend to be fragile, but with trust and open communication, it's possible to hold onto with unquestioning determination. Anyway, if you're interested for whatever reason, more details can be found over at IceeHawt101 on YouTube, our collection of videos of our little conventions.

In addition to the beginning of the new year, my PVP team Perfect Catch and I ventured through the Arena, but not as much as before. My class schedule and the ladies' sleep times have conflicted to a point where the only available time to do anything is over the weekend. Sadly, such a period is only 2.5 days long. Nevertheless, we are still evolving and developing as a team, and admittedly, our obstacles have grown, since more and more YouTube viewers (and players) are becoming familiar with our playstyle. Some viewers have asked why we allow others to look at how we play from such a close proximity; the answer is that PVP at a team-scale is a difficult dance to "teach" step-by-step.

In 1v1, the mental flowchart that plays out in our heads is purely conditional upon the past 2-5 turns and anticipated 3 steps thereafter. In other words, it's almost organized in how you analyze your and your opponent's health, pips, and mobility, and is almost repetitive to a point where guides for deck building can be created for specific situations and counters. In 4v4, almost anything can happen, and it becomes a messy battle of psychology, where flowcharts will have flowcharts of their own. Not every situation repeats itself, and not everyone is comfortable with either working with each other or with their current deck build. Thus, even general guides can look extremely situational and almost "over the top" to someone in the hot seat. In that situation, duelists should be paying attention to the current stats, and analyzing what they need to do, opposed to recalling someone else's past advice. Thus, not too much is being compromised...and besides, we have fun developing new and surprising tactics now and then.

This semester is just the first of a long series that I want to take seriously. "Seriously" meaning getting at least a 95% in every class...meaning I'm doing the reading before they're even assigned, or working out math theorems before given a lecture on it. It's a huge part of advancing and developing yourself in life: going above and beyond. Never settle for "what you already have..." This is an especially important mindset, considering that we tend to think 90% or 80% or sometimes 70% of something is satisfactory.

There's more to college or higher education than just "fulfilling requirements." It's about becoming a better human being, becoming enlightened. Yes, homework is stressful and boring and mundane, but everything you acquire through life are building blocks to what you'll become one day...I promise. Yes, even that Calculus class will count. (My boss mentioned how he thought it was useless in the field he was going into, which was government administration; he admitted he was dead wrong).

Back then, I looked towards my courses as I would a job: something you "have" to do. I didn't see a point in reading the assigned pages (especially when the professors would contribute the most to the discussions and lectures), or studying with devotion (this was actually due to my characteristic of being a "sponge," as my Calc teacher put it)... I just went with the flow. Steadily, I made less effort over time.

I can't quite remember when or where it happened, but during a point of where I was gaming professionally, I realized I had strayed too far from where I needed to be. I wasn't productive or contributing anything to society, other than a little math tutoring. This was awhile before I came to Wizard101...so the Kevin you know now was completely different back then. You might have called me a pessimist, or rigid. In high school, I participated for about a month as a peer counselor. Hearing about drama and tragic life problems made me feel that we're all independent, struggling to survive at another being's expense. "Community" was just a word to me where society expects something from you, and that you're obligated to do said "something."

Over the years, as I completed my course requirements for college, I noticed that what I perceived about the word "community" was totally misinformed. During my self-development, I picked up a job with the state, and completed a surplus of college classes (from personal motivation, not through anyone else's demands or advice). I began to appreciate more and more of what I was absorbing intellectually and academically, and felt a greater need to give a little something back when I saw the intrinsic beauty of human nature that we seldom see or recognize.

The whole point of sharing this is my indirect way of testifying that education, no matter what level, is more than what we perceive or think it is. The people of older generations are helping us from repeating their mistakes, and they've become much more successful at doing so as our technology (and spread of information) grows. The awesome thing that sets humans apart from other creatures is our ability to problem solve, remember, and philosophize (asking the questions about life, trying to determine meaning for ourselves opposed to mechanically following authorities' directions). The more people that are involved in higher learning, the more useful wisdom they can pass down, especially when the preceding generation has over-analyzed and dissected their issues just like we are (and will keep doing).

"Humans are not perfect" may be the cliche saying, but what makes us awesome is not using the statement as an excuse to not become better or not improve. Growth and development is exciting, to me; I mean, consider how we have automobiles instead of riding to work on a horse, or how we can communicate with each other with a few simple clicks of the button on a smart phone, or how we can share inspiring art without requiring transportation or manual delivery. We really have it very easy, and it's only going to become easier... But, this is not true for everyone.

Older generations, as we can observe, tend to have more difficulty utilizing the tools that make our lives easier today. They either feel there's no need to do something different than what they're used to over a series of decades, or they lack the confidence and motivation to learn. Every time a co-worker of mine calls me over to teach her something on Microsoft Office, I tend to have a voice in the back of my head that wonders if I'll ever be like this some day. It's kind of scary, to be honest. And, every time she thanks me, but fails to conceptualize or want to "learn how to fish" as the saying goes, I feel a little broken inside in addition to that worry. I suppose that as I grow older and accumulate more and more knowledge, I'll end up seeing an overload of information, and perhaps succumb to the same habit of not wanting to learn anything new. (I really hope it doesn't come to that, but I remind myself it's entirely possible.) But, I digress...

Thus, learning really is about survival as a whole race, not just individually. Mistakes happen globally and universally, and while most readers out there are too young to really worry about this now, my contemporaries and elders can empathize with the importance of opening one's mind and sharing/teaching. Teachers have become the ultimate heroes of this Information Age as they debunk myths, brave the unknown, experiment with the undiscovered, and dive into the dark truths of the world. In the end, they shape their students for living better lives so these newly educated can establish even better lives for their children, and so on. If we appreciate the services we have today, like Twitter, Google, the automobile, smart phones, computers, and airplanes, then we need to take up that responsibility of loving and taking advantage of knowledge, and hope our descendants can carry out and handle the same passion.

What If...?: Survivor Mode

2011-12-20T15:32:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays, all! Now that I'm done with finals and picking out my new classes for the Spring at the University, I'm ready to return to Wizard101-based activities! I'll admit I've also been looking into a new game recently...which I'll have to share more about next time; it's called Cardmon Hero.

There was an exciting instance/dungeon in this game (one of many, actually) that required a different technique than the ones I used from Level 1 through 20. Instead of standing around and casting spells like in most MMO-grinders, a solo player in Cardmon is required to run around this specific boss, because his hundred minions are all chasing you at the same time. If I stood in one spot, they'd surround me, and I'd be taking 100 hits per second... Ouch! Thus, to combat from being surrounded (and to finish the instance in the time limit they allowed me), I had to summon my own minions and run circles around the mob, avoiding their attacks while letting my creatures knock them out one-by-one. My creatures also had to stay within a certain range of me, or else they'd stop attacking; hence the circular path. Slowly, the enemies diminished, and I could resume a stationary position to take out the boss next.

Having run around nearly 30 or 40 times, an idea sparked for me for Wizard101. What if we had something similar to what other games call a "Survivor Mode"? Now, the thought of a tower comes to mind, where you must extinguish a set number of monsters before you arrive at the boss (without the ability to freely refill potions and return to the instance). That can be considered a type of "Survivor" style, but what I'm looking for is one that's a little more restrictive. In other words, how about a battle that doesn't end until you slay a certain amount of creatures and a boss before you receive its rewards?

Imagine an old scroll unrolling to reveal a number in Shermlock font (bright red), indicating the number of Wooden Golems that must be destroyed before an upgraded, shinier Smogger appears. Oh, he also cheats; you're not allowed to use single-target abilities on him (that goes for attacks, utility spells, etc.) Something of that sort.

The challenge here is that short decks (Zerg/Blitz/Rush decks), usually built for a full team of wizards to end a battle quickly and effortlessly, become obsolete along with the strategy of building up a titanic attack that destroys everything in one hit. Survivor Mode would require full decks of heals, shields, blades, globals, and, of course, Reshuffles. In essence, you're no longer segregating different decks for different situations (short decks for farming, specially built decks for Storm bosses, etc.), but you're building an all-in-one deck...almost like a PvP deck, I suppose.

I'm certain that this is doable by KingsIsle. In the Trial of Spheres, Tower of the Helephant, and Briskbreeze, we see bosses summoning allies for help, either as support or as distractions. Even if you kill the first boss in the Trial of Spheres, there's a chance his minions will show up after his death, due to a structural rule within the coding.

Thus, let's have a counter in the corner of the screen that requires you to kill 100 Golems (that's 25 strong AOEs within your team) before Smogger 2.0 shows up, and you're allowed to keep your Pips, Health, and Mana from the last turn. Deck Status stays the same, meaning discarded or used cards remain in the discard pile until Reshuffled.

Of course, there're slight flaws with how enjoyable Survivor Mode can be: you might run into teammates who permanently AFK the entire time, or who don't have the right deck set-ups...but these are pretty general issues that can be found anywhere else.

So, what are your ideas to add, take away, or modify this proposed "Survivor Mode"? Or, have you thought of something similar that's different in context or content? Let me know down below!

Petnome Project: 2011 Holiday Contest

2011-12-05T11:45:00.000-08:00

Holiday Contest!

Help us reveal the 20 abilities of the Yuletide Spirit beforeDecember 26, 2011 for a chance to win a Super Bundle!

PRIZE:

(Courtesy of our mysterious benefactor, once again!)

Rules:

The information you submit MUST be on the FIRST GENERATION Yuletide Spirit.
Yuletide Spirits created within the Hatchery are not eligible for data submission for this contest.
You may submit information more than once, as long as there is new and relevant info regarding this pet.
The Yuletide Spirit Petnome page will be updated ONCE, daily, at 12 AM PST, to ensure greater chances of winning for more people.
Once the 20th ability has been discovered, the contest will close, and the drawing will begin.
If the Yuletide Spirit is NOT completed by 12:00:00 AM Pacific Time on December 26, 2011, this contest is voided.
Kevin Battleblood, Alric Ravensinger, SorceressMiklai, and Cassandra Dragonheart of the Petnome Team are NOT eligible to enter.

How to Enter:

1. Visit the Yuletide Spirit Pet Page.

2. If you see at least one ability that the Petnome Page does not have revealed yet, click on "Click Here to Help Us Complete This Pet!" and make a valid photo submission.

3. Once verified that you've discovered this hidden ability, we'll add your name to the Contributor List for EACH new discovery.

4. Each time your name is listed, that counts as one Raffle Ticket that goes towards a drawing for the Super Bundle card. Because more than one person may discover a non-revealed ability, there is a chance there may be more than a total of 20 Raffle Tickets.

The drawing will be recorded to YouTube. Contestants will be entered (per Raffle ticket) into a list on Random.org, which will be randomized SIX (6) times, and the top name will be selected as the winner.

If there are any questions or concerns, please Contact Us here, with "Yuletide Spirit Contest" placed in the Subject Line.

How to Create an In-Game Christmas Tree

2011-12-03T14:32:00.000-08:00

Hey, all!

Last year, my PVP team and I took this holiday photo in front of a tree that I made in December 2010. This year, I'll take you behind-the-scenes so you can create one of your very own:

Happy Holidays!

What If...?: Fusion Magic

2011-11-22T11:59:00.000-08:00

As cheating bosses -- and, potentially, mobs -- become more prevalent, teamwork and playing with a partner (or three) become even more valuable concepts to completing Wizard101 battles successfully. Venturing with someone whose school matches yours increases your chances of supporting one another, since you can use the same Blades and Traps. In fact, my Storm Wizard and a friend's Diviner were able to quest all the way to Malistaire after we received Tempest without needing to heal; we demolished the mobs before we took any damage. Another beneficial -- and more effective -- tactic of teamwork is questing with someone that's the opposite of your school (Fire and Ice, Myth and Storm, Death and Life) to virtually eliminate the need for Prisms (or conversions). Cassandra Hexthorn and I are able to fly through mob battles just by using our Rank 4 AOE and a few modifiers; she can handle the Ice creatures that I despise, while I wipe out the Fire-based enemies that resist her. And, other than just ending battles faster, a variety of schools (especially in a full team) is the most optimal tool at anyone's disposal. Without being able to synchronize effective combos, such as using Steal Ward or Pierce Train to break a cheater's 90% Tower Shield before a Fire or Storm attack is executed, duels can take a copious amount of time. Let alone, as this game evolves, soloing isn't becoming any easier. Heck, even the Rhino mount is advocating for increased social interaction!

When we look at the history of game-changing mechanics, there's a common theme to what these updates are focused on. Critical and Block Ratings, Advanced Pets, Astral Magic, and Armor Piercing (coming soon with Zafaria) can all benefit a single player, whether or not they have teammates. In other words, when my questing allies have logged off, all of these features (Critical, Pets, Astral, Piercing, etc.) are still available to me, and I'm not losing out on anything when my friends are offline. It feels great to be able to play and not have to be dependent on matching schedules with someone else.

However, what if there was a game mechanic or feature that becomes an incentive (or a reward) for practicing teamwork and/or coordination between multiple schools? Instead of four Storm Wizards being the most effective bulldozer to mow down normal mobs, why don't we introduce Fusion Magic, where a tertiary effect occurs when two or more specific schools lay out their spells in succession?

This idea is actually inspired from my Atlantica Online days and from contemplating how it'd feel to be a mob that was drenched in a fierce Tempest and suddenly frozen by a Blizzard follow-up attack. In AO, when certain DoTs were stacked on top of one another, they'd produce an entirely new spell that would affect the targets in a unique fashion that couldn't be accomplished if the DoTs were cast separate of one another. For example, if Break Down (visual effect of an earthquake, physical DoT) and Chaos Wind (a vortex of wind magic, elemental DoT) were played consecutively, the affected units are affected by a new spell called Destructive Wind.

If this were implemented into Wizard101, imagine all the different possibilities and outcomes that would follow:

Let's say one mechanic would require a new spell called "Fusion," which is a pair of Universal Prisms, meaning any school will affect them. Two Prisms are placed upon one target.

To use "Fusion," two attacks of opposite schools must damage the target consecutively (one right after another, without any other school in between). In other words once the Prisms are placed, a Fire-then-Ice or Ice-then-Fire combo must take place -- it can be on the same OR different turns (under the condition that no other school's spell uses up the second Prism). Thus, DoTs like Fire Dragon and Snow Angel must be timed correctly, or else one of the ticks from one school will remove the second Prism, nullifying the "Fusion" spell.

If a "Fusion" is used correctly, the following events can occur:

If Fire Dragon followed after Snow Angel, for example, it'd create a spell/effect called "Steam Wall."

(The Snow Angel tick is removed, only to be replaced by a tick that's silver/grey. This tick would not do any damage, but it will last for two rounds after it has been placed, and not allow the victim to cast any magic upon anyone else but themselves. It is almost like a "blindness" effect, where self-target spells do not fizzle, but anything else that targets allies or enemies WILL fizzle. Enemies and allies, however, can still target the afflicted creature/player.)

If Snow Angel were to follow Fire Dragon, "Freezer Burn" would take place.

(The Fire Dragon's tick is removed, replaced by a tick that's pearl white. This tick would do very little Astral damage (50 per turn) for two rounds, and act as a Stun per tick. Of course, if a Stun Shield is present, then a Stun is avoided while the shield is removed. So, someone with 3 Stun Shields under Freezer Burn would have only 1 Stun Shield after the spell is exhausted.)
Or, what if any school could "fuse" with any school (except with its own), and what if the order the spells were used in didn't matter, as long as they were casted consecutively?

Death and Myth could fuse to create "Shattered Dreams," which removes all charms on the target, and adds a 10% Weakness spell for every unique* charm on them (*though Elemental and Spiritual blades consist of three different charms, they will be counted as one single charm, as a whole).

Storm and Fire could fuse to create "Acid Rain," which creates a personal bubble around the target (similar to Star magic) for three rounds, which imbues an additional 15% Armor Piercing to any incoming attack. Thus, if an attacker already has 20% Armor Piercing on their spell, this bubble will increase it to 35% Armor Piercing onto the victim. (Of course, the victim could always play another Star Magic spell to cut off its normal duration!)

Keep in mind that the concept of fusing is NOT meant for increasing damage (Meteor's damage + Blizzard's damage != fusing), but it is meant for creating an effect with unique properties on a chosen target. Thus, it's possible that Fusion Magic will result in lowered damage output (like removing a Snow Angel tick in the first example), but, as I've explained to Ronan when he feels uneasy about using his Nova when he's stacked with three different types of Weaknesses, spells don't always have to deal significant damage to be useful.

For example, while I may lose my Snow Angel tick in the Steam Wall spell, a hypothetical boss will be unable to cast anything onto anyone but itself for two rounds. That means we could nullify a cheat (instant-fizzle, per Steam Wall's effect) together.

I do have my solo-happy friends in mind, however. So, I'll reiterate that these Fusion spells are not required to beat certain bosses, but rather, to help cut down time and act as an optional, auxiliary mechanic (just like Gardening, where you don't have to utilize this feature to be able to fight Morganthe). I just feel that it would be interesting to introduce a type of "chemistry" where reactions occur between two different "elements." Thus, with the Mastery Amulet and/or a minion, Fusion magic can be achieved without another player, and there still exists the essence of "team strategy," timing, and combination spells.

I'd like to hear your thoughts on this matter: whether you agree, disagree, or want to "fuse" your own ideas with mine, or make up some of your own spells using my prescribed system, please leave your responses down below!

Petnome's Pet Feeding List

2011-11-21T19:45:00.000-08:00

Another tool/reference page the Petnome Project is providing and maintaining is a "library" of all the possible Pet Feeding rewards for certain items: The Pet Feeding List. If you need a quick way to access this without adding it to your favorites, just remember that you can find this over at the Petnome Project (one of the links at the top of the front page), or visit:

http://tinyurl.com/petfeedinglist

The link must be typed in verbatim to this, or else your browser will become lost in the interwebs!

If you'd like to help us out, please visit

http://tinyurl.com/petnomefeed

Petnome Calculator 2.0.0 Released!

2011-11-15T16:36:00.000-08:00

Right click and select "Save As..." to download it to your desktop, or simply left click the link below to use it through your web browser (Adobe Acrobat 6.0 or higher must be installed):

Petnome Calculator 2.0.0

Click here for the Changelog

Zafaria Test Realm Patched!

2011-11-13T11:53:00.000-08:00

Recently, the Test Realm has been updated with a few new tweaks:

Transcription

Kevin: Hey guys, Battleblood here. So, there're some exciting updates in the game now, in Zafaria! I'm actually on the Live Realm farming Nastrond -- I'll soon explain why we're farming here.

First of all, there's been an update to the Henchmen. You can actually fight with creatures of the Spiral...next to you. So, you can literally have a Helephant -- well, not a Helephant, but one of the Black Cultists from Zafaria -- as a Level 70 Henchman. They're supposed to be stronger, since they're more expensive. I think they're 400 Crowns, but they're (supposedly) worth it. They're worth buying -- I guess -- if you're in a rut, or if you're stuck somewhere. They have higher Critical Rates...

At the same time, the creatures of the Spiral (in Zafaria) also have higher Critical Rates themselves. Thus, your battles could be a lot longer than before. I know their Health has spiked up along with their Critical Rates. What that means is that there's a chance you might be spending much more time fighting than running around and questing, depending on how many teammates you have, and it might be harder to Block their Criticals. You might have to shield more, or even use Conviction in your decks now, especially to ensure that you don't become stunned. I remember from last night fighting Life mobs, and they've used Forest Lord on their first turn, and they actually saved up Pips to to another Forest Lord after that. Because I was by myself, I had to work out some heals, get my own Vengeance up (so I can Critical better on them) and escape the battle faster to collect the Health wisps. That's the good news: there's an abundant amount of Health wisps flying around. Therefore, you might not struggle that much, but it's all about what you do in the battles now.

I don't know if the Bosses themselves have changed, but I'll do a Vlog on that when I get the chance.

As for now, Pet Feeding has also been tweaked a little bit! But, before we get to that...

Some spells have been amp'ed up or nerfed: there are the Sirens, which have been nerfed -- it went from 900-something damage to 800-something; Dr. Katzenstein's Monster has been renamed -- or, maybe it's always been that way (I haven't been paying attention) -- but it's called Dr. Von's Monster, and it does Life Steal still, but now it's buffed so that it adds a 25% Infection on the target; and, Chimera has about 30 damage added to each head, so it's an increase of 90 -- they didn't really add any other special effects (which is a little disappointing for some Balance wizards; I was kind of hoping that one of the heads might give a small DoT that does 90 damage to help remove shields from one Spiritual School).

The reason why I'm in Nastrond is because KingsIsle has expanded the window on what items can give Pet XP (PXP)! To follow up on the last Vlog, where I said that it was based on regular or holiday Crowns items: now you can feed Auctionable items! Last night, I went into the Bazaar, and bought a bunch of Level 0-1 Amulets (which gave Firecat), and started feeding my pet those. It actually gained 1 XP here, and 1 XP there! Most of the time, though, it received gold.

Now, that's not totally profitable if you're looking for an income of gold. In the example above, I'm purchasing these Amulets for 38 gold each, but received only 2 gold back if my pet didn't gain XP. My strategy is to collect as many Non-Auctionable items as possible, and feed that to my pets! The cool part is that there is no difference between feeding your pet a No Auction item (and receiving gold for that) than selling it to a Shop Vendor (like the Seamstress, for example).

So, what I'm doing here is collecting as many No Auction items as possible -- since it's from a high-level world, I'll have a chance of 4 XP per feed, if I get lucky. Or, I can get the same gold I'd get if I sold it to a vendor, (plus some additional rewards like Reagents or Treasure Cards).

Plan to plant many Pink Dandelions, King Parsleys, Silver Trumpet Vines, or any of those plants that tend to give their own seeds at Mature or Elder. I know that Silver Trumpet Vines sometimes like to give two of their own seeds at Elder; Prickley Bears also do this. There's a small chance for Pet XP when you feed your pet these surplus seeds.

If your items are Auctionable, I would recommend selling to the Bazaar if you're short on gold, rather than feeding it to your pets. If they're not Auctionable, you can feed those items on-the-go to make room for Auctionables! If you'd like to see the results of the Pet Buffet Survey yourself, you can go to http://tinyurl.com/petnomefeedresults, or you can conveniently visit the Petnome Project and browse the links towards the top of the front page. There will be a spreadsheet which has collected a bunch of data from numerous contributors, and if you scroll down towards the bottom, you'll pass the light-blue colored text (which represents the data accumulated before this Test Realm Patch) and come upon the current data in solid, black text. It will help give an idea of which items are giving PXP!

Last, but not least, if you look at the Update Notes on the official site, they've scratched out the word "sometimes" and written in "occasionally" (in the Pet Feeding section).

I hope you've enjoyed this video; if you did, please Subscribe, Like, and/or Comment if you have some questions, and I hope to see you guys in the Spiral, and hope you've enjoyed your day! Peace out!

How We've Truly "Transcended"

2011-11-08T08:49:00.000-08:00

Why I think this title is a perfect fit for us as wizards AND as gamers...and a little info on the Pet Buffet Survey and small update to the Petnome Project:

"Next World" Leveling Preparation

2011-11-05T13:15:00.000-07:00

Ever reach the level cap and feel like you've accomplished everything, and end up ignoring the side quests hiding around the Spiral? Or, if you are a hardcore "completionist," ever feel the need to clean out your Quest Book? Here are some tips on how changing those impulses may be beneficial for the long run:

Haiku Interpretation of Zafaria and Upcoming Updates

2011-11-05T09:03:00.000-07:00

Zafaria comes

Stampeding, my heart beating

With the native drums.

Soon, Legendaries

Become no more, searching for

Unbound Transcendence.

New monsters, new spells

Lie in wait by promised fate...

Of what strength, pray tell?

Decorations are

Becoming one, balancing

Their large, wrathful form.

Demonic creature

Speaks thrice; empty of advice,

But full of terror.

Pieces no longer

Resting in peace, but released

Combined and stronger.

Giant beasts charging

With an ivory present

Granted to a foe.

A shower of heat

To wash away confidence

From one’s enemies.

A corrosive spray

To drown away defenses

And immobilize.

Beauties of malice

Evoke a cold melody

For those who listen.

Spheres of translucence:

One aiding blessings, while

One's eye for an eye.

In flows new concepts:

Penetrating resistance,

And pet engorging,

Aside from small games,

Critters and creatures shall fight

A large invasion

Along a long path

Foes arrive with stubborn drives;

No rest 'til their end.

Warriors, shamans,

And elders alike struggle

With their own kinship.

Ominous evil

Of parasitic nature

Infests lands and hearts.

Water defiled,

Spirits crushed like fine powder,

Homeland turned war zone.

Harmony shaken,

The black widow is spinning

Her destructive web...

It is now the time

To seek out the Dark Nest's queen

And purge her poison.

Uncover secrets

And restore alliances;

Enlighten yourselves.

Under the red sky,

Wizards will raise their wands high;

To cast back darkness.

(Add your own haiku

Within the comments section

For Zafaria!)

Test Realm: Acquiring the Level 68 Ice Spell, Woolly Mammoth; Testing Mend and Berserk Star Spells

2011-11-04T21:07:00.000-07:00

The lovely Cassandra Hexthorn and I quested through Zafaria to finally reach Level 68. This video explores three new spells from Zafaria: Woolly Mammoth, Berserk, and Mend.

Test Realm: Acquiring the Level 68 Fire Spell, Rain of Fire

2011-11-04T21:04:00.000-07:00

The lovely Cassandra Hexthorn and I quested through Zafaria to finally reach Level 68, and she had to go to sleep. So, I took over to visually document the fight to obtain this spell and analyze its capabilities.

Test Realm: Zafaria (Day 1)

2011-11-04T20:59:00.000-07:00

Review of the new updates released today, and a new extended project for the Petnome Team. A careful look over the new Pet feeding system, and a short glimpse into Zafaria! More to come this weekend!

Third Mystery Picture

2011-10-25T09:21:00.000-07:00

Unusually short gap between the release of two mystery screenshots, we find the third of the series over at MMORPG.com:

So, once again, using my primitive method of deciphering Morse Code, we come upon this message:

Shadow Weavers are making a return, apparently, to our quest line... "Her" could refer to Morganthe herself, meaning that this new world is most likely to be the next main story arc! Seems that safari clothing are making a return, as well -- Morganthe's inclusion brings about... exploration and adventure. Cant' wait!

Morse Code and Second Mystery Picture

2011-10-24T23:56:00.000-07:00

Today, a new mystery picture for the jungle-themed world has been released on ZAM.com, along with a coded message at the top:

So, naturally, Katherine Light and I once again cracked open our Morse Code sheet:

...and in a short time, deciphered the following message:

@SirWolfblood asks, "How did you decode it?"

Honestly, the last Mystery Picture and this one are the only times I have ever worked with Morse Code -- it was an intimidating cryptogram for me back in middle school. Then again, after asking some military veterans at my workplace about their knowledge of Morse Code, they've confirmed that they're just as fluent as I am, save for "SOS." So in a way, it's almost a "dead language"...which makes sense, considering that it can be internationally deciphered, and national security secrets are supposed to be national security secrets. Anyway, my method of deciphering the code may be very primitive and inexperienced; I accept that! But, since it was asked, I shall share!

Let's look at a different sequence:

- - - - - . - . . . . . | - . - . - - - - . . .

According to the Morse Code chart above, every letter has a minimum of one character OR maximum of four characters. It gets a tiny bit more complicated when numbers are involved, but we can use a method called elimination to find out which letters are which. We'll assume that the vertical line is a symbol for a space between two words. And, to save some time, both of these are words, and there are no numbers.

So, starting with the first word:   - - - - - . - . . . . .

Let's start with the maximum possible characters (4) as our first letter. Already, we know that the first letter of this message CANNOT contain four dashes, as no letter is translated for that. Thus, we must assume it is represented by the three dashes (or less).

So, we have this:   - - - / - - . - . . . . .

So, we'll try to find a letter represented by three dashes: O. We don't know if it's "O" for sure, because perhaps the third dash may belong to another letter's sequence. But, we have to assume, for the time being -- we can find out whether it's not by process of elimination!

Now we have: O - - . - . . . . .

Let's repeat the process and look at the next four symbols: Dash Dash dot Dash. That stands for Q. Okay, per a general English language rule, there is usually a "U" after a "Q." But, "U" consists of dot dot Dash. So, this word is unlikely to be a real one, but we'll go along with it, JUST in case it's one of those weird words that your suspiciously "clever" friend used on Words With Friends or Scrabble. Since we have dot dot dot dot as the next four, we'd collectively have "OQH." Well, how about just dot dot, I? "OQI." What about just dot? E. "OQE."

To save some reading time, the rest of these combinations do not produce a common word. So, let's backtrack to the very first letter.

We'll look at just the two Dashes, which represent M. Again, we don't know if it's this, or the single Dash T, but, the coding must move on!

Thus, we now have:  M - - - . - . . . . .

Taking a look at the next four characters, we have Dash Dash Dash dot, which equates to...nothing! So, we'll look at just Dash Dash Dash, which comes out to O.

Therefore, M O . - . . . . .

Repeating the system, the next four characters are dot Dash dot dot. L.

M O L . . .

Now, the true test of this word begins! The next three characters, dot dot dot, equate to S. Thus, we assume our first word is "MOLS."

Let's look at the second word:   - . - . - - - - . . .

The first four characters, Dash dot Dash dot become C.

So, we have C - - - - . . .

Repeating the process, the next four are ... oh wait! Dash Dash Dash Dash doesn't exist as a letter, so the next best thing is Dash Dash Dash, which ends up as O.

Thus, C O - . . .

Finally, Dash dot dot dot becomes a B.

So, we have "MOLS COB." However, this doesn't make sense, especially if we know that it has to be a commonly used phrase. So, let's backtrack once again on C, O, and Dash dot dot dot. Knocking the last letter down a notch, let's look at what Dash dot dot is: D. Finally, the single dot is E.

"MOLS CODE." Now, let's backtrack on the word MOLS, and see if it can be read any differently, too.

M O L . . .

If we treat dot dot and the last dot as two separate letters, we'll have MOLIE or MOLEI, or MOLEEE. Thus, let's backtrack again on "L."

M O . - . . . . .

Thus, let's backtrack again on "L." Instead of looking at the following four characters, let's focus on just three: dot Dash dot. This represents R.

M O R . . . .

Based on our system, the last letter could be H, but since "MORH" isn't a common word, we should break it down further. dot dot dot then gives us S, and the final dot an E.

M O R S E C O D E

Kudos to such an intricate way to hide a message...not only do you have to decipher the entire phrase, but you have to ensure that each word fits and is context with the rest of the phrase. Mols is supposedly a peninsula in Europe, and a "Mols Code" could relate to an actual guideline or set of rules placed by residents...but unless a theme is known, misinterpretation isn't difficult to discover.

Finally, here is some actual pen-and-paper work that I did on my end:

Anyone else feel that a telegram will be included in this new world? I think it's very likely!

BUN: Small Catching Up

2011-10-23T11:16:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

It's been awhile since I've written anything technical (let alone, at all), but my activity level has shifted back in-game, the Petnome Project, on YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook (it's seldom there, though). I'm either farming up a "bottom"-load over at Halfang and devising a number of Zerging deck builds for each school for first-turn kills, keeping track of Gardening drops, or pet training with a "Recycler" wizard in the Spiral (these items will be future topics!), keeping up to date on Petnome submissions, uploading Perfect Catch videos along with Vlogs, or Tweeting the latest thoughts or adventures. Also, Ravenwood Radio had their 50th and 51st episodes recently -- those were a LOT of fun.

A lot of new content has also kept us pretty busy, such as Halloweenfest, Hallowe'en, the Nightmare packs, and this mysterious world that's coming up... Based on Stephen Spiritcaller's interview with Fred Howard, I'm thinking we can expect to learn more about this around December...maybe the world will be released by then, but that's my wishful thinking! Massively gave us a small sneak peek, and there are some symbols on the picture below that were deciphered by myself and Miss Katherine Light:

We caught onto a small mistake, as noted in the image, so here is the newly revised picture, hehe:

I've also been dealing with some University items -- I've been accepted! My state's budget problems aren't improving, so the acceptance is an extremely big deal for me, especially when it's during the a very selective Spring semester.

And, last but not least, I've ended up treating my blog like more of a scientific journal than a personal one. It's starting to become just a bit awkward -- out of style, in other words (for me) -- to be writing things here when I habitually post them on the spot on Twitter. Usually, it's the "guides" or "tips" or "really chunky stuff" that I can write pages and pages on, that goes on The Chillanthropologist. What can I say? I like the "article" style of writing, where there's an overall subject, a dissection of its elements or parts, a weaving of facts/experiments/results, and a blend of insight/commentary.

But, I'll give this "true blogging" thing a try. Sometimes a personality just needs to shine through from the layers of logic or rational thinking...

Arena Design: "The Bronx"

2011-10-02T21:59:00.000-07:00

At last Sunday's PvP party, I had the pleasure of visiting (our very own) Heather Raven's Celestial Observatory. She allowed me a sneak peek before the event, and there were some amazing features and motifs within her design that highly impressed me. Working with partner Donna Spellthorn, Heather brought us to a battle ring that is "out of this world," yet retained a home-sweet-home feeling for those of us who love "indoor" duels.

The Entrance

Before you even take a step, you are enveloped by a lush of lime green and teal upon arrival. The overgrowth and abundance of plant life instantly shroud the fact that you're standing on a platform in a cold and desolate outer space. The scattered columns and grounded flowers intuitively welcome the expectation of other humans in the vicinity...and indeed, there is Heather with her special Red Gobbler.

Within the center, there is further evidence of an existing community: walls of brick containing the battle ring. For some, this may bring memories of a gym, a fortification, or an underground meeting room. For me, it brought images of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to mind, and thus, I quickly associated the layout with the theme of a battle-worn city, standing sturdy and stable through the years of duels within or around it. Hence, the name "Bronx." Let's dive in further, shall we?

The Battle Ring

You can see within the closure a gang of Red Gobblers, hopping around in search of excitement, action, and fun. Overlooking the duels are five rooted dragon heads...perhaps trophies of Heather Raven's travels? One day, we shall find out, but I digress. As the battle ring stands separate from the scenery of nature, it presents a hidden metaphor that any thoughts and emotions of any duel that takes place should remain within the boundaries of where they originate from. In other words, "whatever happens in the Arena stays in the Arena." The matches shouldn't be taken personally, whether a victory or loss was received; competitive tension should not step into the sovereign of friendship.

Here lies the teleporter nearby a scene of confrontation between two Colossi. This device will launch competitors into the enclosed ring.

Another teleporter would direct travelers onto an invisible plane, as seen in the picture above. This had my jaw dropping, as I learned something new about the teleporters:

When the Teleporter Destinations (TP-D) are floated above a Tangible Area (an area where your Wizard can walk upon without the aid of Floating or Teleporters), the Users will be relocated to the same point as the TP-D. On their own screen, they will see that they are hovering in midair. However, on other players' screens, the User is actually standing on the ground. In addition, the User's perspective will show that other Users are standing on the ground directly below them.

To help you understand what this means, picture that you and five other friends are standing in front a Teleporter. One of your friends walks into the Teleporter first, and will be relocated to where I am standing in the above picture: hovering next to a Celestian tree. That friend will see exactly what the picture above shows. However, to you and your other friends, you will see that person standing on the ground.

Now, let's say that the rest of your friends follow through the Teleporter, leaving you by yourself. On your screen, as you look towards this Celestian tree, you will find all of your friends standing within each other, on the ground. They aren't moving off of one another, which seems puzzling.

When you run into the Teleporter, you will find yourself hovering next to the tree, as the picture above shows. Isn't it odd that your friends aren't anywhere near the top of this tree, though they went through the same Teleporter you did?

Heather explained that this was formerly on a makeshift platform that she created out of rugs, only to be removed when she "Picked Up" something below it. But, I believe this is one of the greatest housing discoveries accidentally made! By floating the TP-D, you can have a full audience watching from the exact same spot -- without blocking each other's view! What does that mean? Infinite seats....(well, sort of...assuming that there is no limit of visitors to the house!) Combine this idea with the wooden headboards from my MFP, and you will virtually have the best seats for everyone in the Arena. Great find, Heather!

Rooftop View

Heather, with Donna's help, brought me another surprising innovation: the "Rooftop View." Spectators are used to watching spells from a distance at various ground-level and inclined levels, but what about viewing spells from directly above? This sturdy platform with a "transparent" extension left me in excited awe...

What a sight!

I'm very sure that many new prototypes and designs of the "Rooftop View" will spark and flourish within the community, thanks to our hostess's and friend's vision. From above, you can actually look down and see the clutter of sheep within the Frost Giant's spell, or the top of the Efreet's topknot!

Since the battle ring is closed off and allows only competitors to enter, there is another teleporter for a way out. However, there happens to be a few chairs around here...implying that a few special spectators may be allowed to watch up close...

Amazing in sight, the "Bronx" was indeed a new perspective for duelists and the audience alike. The only thing similar to this, that we've seen before, is probably the Marleybonian Arena, where the duel takes place within a walled and roofed area. The one drawback about this design is the duelists' point of view, and I reiterate that this Design is still a work-in-progress. The reason why KingsIsle added some Intangible Area surrounding the battle circle tightly is to ensure that the Battle Animation cameras of each player are not obstructed by tall objects such as the brick walls or trees (this will be another topic for another day!). But, I strongly support designs such as the "Bronx," since it places the Architect (the house designer, house owner, etc.) into a new level of decorating, where distance, placement, and perspective matter. For example, we cannot see where the cameras are flying around, and thus, we must hop into the Arena ourselves (or with a second account) in order to test for a design's user-friendliness. That requires a lot of patience, practice, determination, and critical thinking.

I am very sure that there will be even more impressive features as Heather revises the few flaws and upgrades the design of her ring. I cannot wait to return...thank you, Heather and Donna!

Vlog #21: Birthday 2011

2011-09-09T10:26:00.000-07:00

Beyond the Spiral: It's More Than Just the Tools

2011-09-05T17:23:00.000-07:00

In reply to a (formerly open) thread on Central:

To address multiple points without calling anyone out or directly debunking someone on their quote (since the internet easily allows something to be taken out of context, such as branching tangents), I'd like to share some behind-the-scenes history of TPC. This may seem uninteresting in relation to the post, but I feel that the team's identity has been taken out of context on a "lacking" or "having" basis -- in this case, a "lack" of the factors of using group text chat, or "having" other means of communicating. Looking into the past helps bring some truths to light, along with shattering any presumptions and assumptions. I won't go into heavy detail here, as I have already done so in a video called "The Origin of Perfect Catch;" I'll extract only events and situations that ultimately will build up to the bigger picture and allow me to share my point appropriately. (I highly advise that minds become open for this discussion.)

The five* of us ("Missy", Ronan, Fallon, Cassandra, and I) are friends through random collision and introduction via friends. Missy, Ronan, and I were closely bonded as a "team" solely for farming, questing, and taking on challenges (especially Briskbreeze, without use of a guide or tips...we basically "winged" the entire tower as 3 newbies) wherever they arose. My former YouTube channel, named KevinBattleblood (which is deleted since I closed a Gmail account that was linked) was where "KBB Experiments" was born. We were a team that sought the thrill of "thinking outside the box," and could concoct or hypothesize unexplored situations such as "sacrificing" a minion without killing it, or killing Jade Oni with Life *damage* via a wand. We had never met in person before, yet we were close enough to invest our limited free time into experimenting rather than questing and individually improving our wizards. When we farmed, we farmed until we all received what we wanted. It was a familial group where its members treated one another as human beings, opposed to avatars. "Using people" was nowhere in our dictionary.

Fallon and Cassandra had much less experience in PVP than the three of us -- Fallon had aided some friends of her past as a support role, and Cassandra, as some of you may know, hated or despised PVP, due to its environment. Missy, Ronan, and I had a lot of PVP experience via 1v1, both by taking part in a duel ourselves or by watching one another's duels. In fact, Ronan and I met through a 1v1 match, and while he was my senior in the knowledge of the game's history and mechanics (eventually becoming my Wizard101 mentor), we were equally matched in our fight. He was impressed, but we never expanded our friendship within PVP until much later. So, considering how much the five of us were involved with PVP, it's a surprise that TPC formed at all. Ronan and I never even dreamed of ever having a team like we do today... (It used to be all about 1v1 so we could avoid chain-stunning!)

Our attitude of treating other players as people (rather than as pixelated characters) opened the gates for Fallon to join our trio, and she later noticed our familial nature in our farming or questing runs. Sometimes (surprisingly) we found her sitting and watching our 3v3 Warlord matches, mildly interested in our playstyle. Going back to the fact that Missy, Ronan, and I deeply enjoyed experimenting around the game, our decks consisted of deck setups that were unconventional (no Treasure cards, a mass of utility spells, and low-rank cards like Frost Beetle and Fire Elf). We played to outlast, manipulate, and overcome written strategies; we weren't focused on mainly killing off opponents.

That is one key advantage to why we're so closely bonded and successful: we're playing for fun, not playing to win. Eventually, I encouraged and insisted that Fallon join us "for some fun" and not take PVP too seriously; instead, to treat it as Wizard101's new Briskbreeze where human intelligence provided for newer and variable challenges. The same extension was given to Cassandra Dragonheart, who was slowly finding an interest in the 1v1 scene as a Life player.

If we lost, no one was to blame -- it is emphasized that the experience is an on-going learning experience. Fallon was the odd one out (not having extensive 1v1 experience like the three of us), but was just as welcome as any other Warlord. In fact, (fast forward a little to the present), we hold PVP parties that welcome players of any levels of any ranks to participate in a family-friendly environment (no trolling, no exploiting, etc.) so that more of the community can develop a positive interest in PVP. Again, please check out the "Origin of Perfect Catch" on YouTube, where I describe how this open attitude led to players, such as Paige Moonshade, who heavily detested ranked and practice PVP, rediscovering a positive element to the Arena.

Mistakes happened due to the imbalance of experience among us five, but we upheld the attitude of "winning together" and "losing together." No person deserves all of the blame, and this is where Solid Snake's point in his OP surfaces. Communication may be a means of collecting data or responses and analyzing them as a team, but it extends as far as trust, respect, honor, and determination goes, and I believe that's what he's trying to point out. Yes, you can have enhanced communication time via a voice program, but it does not promise or "enhance" the chances of success, or provide a significant advantage. The PVP parties we held during the winter of 2010 included a number of deaf players who ran in our "Random Join" battles in the MFP, yet we still maintained impressive, educational, and interesting tactics with these (then) strangers on our teams. Also, pulling from my past experience in playing in professional gaming leagues (where cash prizes were rewarded), I can vouch that placing the "best" or "all-stars" together on one team and giving them the fastest means of communication in no way gave them any advantage over an opposing team that was composed of amateurs who were cohesive.

Solid Snake is correct when he explained that TPC is about adaptability. I also believe our team's strength lies within WHY we are successful, rather than HOW. The four elements that I mentioned may seem independent, but they're all links that make up the chain to why we adapt against other teams so well: Trust between us allows for less hesitation and doubt when we're choosing our cards, so our plays run very smoothly; Respect gives us the confidence that no matter what happens, be it that hesitation or doubt (or an unlucky Fallonitis -- the unfortunate event where Fallon frequently fizzles) exists, we're always a team, and will never look down on one another; Honor is the implied and passive sense of mind that we represent one another as a whole, rather than four diverging parts; and Determination is what gives us endurance and to never give up on one another, no matter what personal or game-related issues may arise, both IRL and ITS. Thus, we easily build our decks in a style that "weaves" with one another, rather than having it set up in a specific fashion; our card selections evolve and morph every battle. When we run into a team that uses some specific strategy that's either known or unknown to the community, we aren't stopped dead in our tracks -- instead, that trust, respect, honor, and determination is what allows us to swerve together, and not get caught in the epicenter of the opponents' goal.

Many of our critics believe that it is the cards that we play that provide our success, overlooking the fact that we have a certain chemistry that is indeed quite rare. Via YouTube comments, emails/PMs, and in-game testimonials, I've learned that the "four elements" don't exist for every team, which is why there is a high frequency of drama and "break-ups" of groups. Some players said they've quit PVP because they were tired of being the scapegoat for a match's outcome...and thus, many of these players have voiced their rediscovered interest in PVP because of our videos, that certainly every strategy has a weakness, and that you don't need to play dirty to overcome those strategies or require specific school-builds; they realized they needed teamwork more than anything.

There is much more I could expand on to further solidify exactly what TPC is and how we work (such as coming to positive terms with some former "enemies", our PVP workshops, etc.), but I believe everything I've written so far is enough to channel the idea that headsets are only 5% of the method.

My advice for all PVP-interested players: Play with whom you're very comfortable with, not with whom you perceive to be the "best" or "better", because the seed within a strong and committed bond can grow into something miraculous for you. (The initial Warlords of TPC never had a thought about "replacing" Fallon, even when we struggled to adapt to 4v4 in the past). Once you develop a durable connection with your teammates (in the sense that NONE of them are ever expendable, EVEN in hard or difficult times), you will be able to excel with no limits.

(I thank and appreciate everyone who's supported AND opposed us; the many perspectives out there all helped us further fuse and bond as a team, and I could not ask for anything more. Many special thanks to Solid Snake for this surprising and thoughtful post, and many kudos to those who have spoken in our defense in this thread.)

Arena Design: "Vacuum" - Part 2

2011-08-28T15:53:00.000-07:00

Now that you have "shadow floating" in your skills set and the concept of keeping random guests out of the center, let's take a look at how you would enter your duelists:

The miniature "stable" that I set up on the edge of my Celestial Observatory is reserved mainly for team PVP. There were countless cases when set teams had to restart the Joining Process over and over, simply because eight minds were thinking in different directions, or there were connectivity problems.

If you haven't figured it out yet, you can control the order that teams and players are set up in PVP within a house. Players from opposing teams must join in alternating fashion.

For example, let's say Team A is composed of Adam, Ben, Carrie, and Denise, and Team B is composed of Eugene, Frank, Gertrude, and Henry. Team A wants to have Denise go first, followed by Ben, then Adam, and finally Carrie, and Team B wants Gertrude to lead, with Eugene, Henry, and Frank following, in that order. Thus, for visual simplicity: Team A wants the order of DBAC, and Team B wants the order GEHF.

Since the game will automatically decide on a random turn order for each team, it doesn't matter which team enters first. But, in the process that follows, it does! Let's say that Team B decides to enter first; Gertrude would enter the ring to start the countdown. Since both teams must join in alternating fashion, that means Denise will be the second player to enter. Now each side of the battle circle has an opposing team member, and you technically have a 1v1 going on. Thus, Eugene will be the next to enter, followed by Ben, then Henry, then Adam, then Frank, and finally Carrie. The total join order is G, D, E, B, H, A, F, C.

It sounds elementary, but with a little miscommunication, mistakes can happen...sometimes again, and again, and again. I remember when the Massive Fantasy Palace came out that it took about 6 or 7 tries in one PVP party until we could finally settle with a Fixed Teams match. And still, today, it tends to happen, no matter how familiar the players are with the process!

Thus, the little "stable" thing I created is an attempt at "fool-proofing" the initialization of a PVP match. Let's re-use Team A and Team B in this explanation, but with Team A's lead player (Denise) entering first!

Here's a top-down view of the setup:

Denise and Gertrude would enter the first lane, with a crate separating them from each other. Ben and Eugene will take the second lane, Adam and Henry in the third, and Carrie and Frank in the fourth. Since Team A is going first, Denise, Ben, Adam, and Carrie would occupy the space that's closest to the teleporters (and facing them), while Team B would be facing the crates. So, imagine the top row of players in the picture are labeled D, B, A, and C, and the bottom row are labeled G, E, H, and F, respectively.

When the match is about to begin, all players would AUTORUN forward. Team A should be running into the edge of the Celestial Observatory, while Team B should be running against the crates. The host would then click on the Small Purple Rug (which has the Long Blue Runner "bridge" attached) and place the small rug down behind D. Because there is now a "tangible" area in front of Denise (instead of the boundary of the CL Obs), she will advance forward and into the teleporters. The crate in the first lane is then removed, allowing Gertrude to follow in the same manner. The bridge is then moved to the next lane, where it "shoots" Ben towards the teleporters. The second lane crate is removed, allowing Eugene to follow, and so on.

It sounds a little complex and tedious in writing, but it's a pretty simple (and inexpensive) procedure in the long run. Maybe we'll have to have some PvP parties to show it in action, sometime!

(This set up is appropriately called "Vacuum" since players enact a "force of gravitational pull" by Autorunning towards the orange "black holes," which spits them into "another universe" where the victims must do battle to return home.)

Arena Design: "Vacuum" - Part 1

2011-08-23T09:16:00.000-07:00

Ever tire of asking guests, "Please don't stand in the center," "Please move," or "GET OUTTTTTTT!!!" when they refuse to budge from the center of your residential battle circle? I know I have.

At first, I tried to combat the issue by placing scrolls around the "inner ring" to create a collision barrier that would keep people out of the middle while allowing potential duelists to still join future matches. However, it turns out that a player using the "ledge jump" bug (where you play in Windowed Mode, run forward, and click and hold the window "pane" or Wizard101 logo on the window; the bug is visible only to others looking at you, but you will "fly" through walls into space and infinite) can glitch themselves through the barrier.

So, my next idea was to create some kind of one-way ramp...but I was too lazy at the time to want to execute such a time-hoarding plan.

Welcome to the age of Wysteria's debut, and you know what that means: Teleporters!

This will be a two-part post; one will detail what "shadow floating" is along with a video demonstrating its use, and the second will show how to utilize "shadow floating" to your teleporters' advantage. So, let's get started!

"Shadow floating" was discovered on accident while I was working on the barrier scrolls. You can click on the link above, but if you're not able to hear the audio (or have 'Tube-phobia), I can elaborate what it is here.

Assuming you know the basics, "shadow floating" is a miracle in itself. When you create a platform (small rug attached to a larger rug; the larger rug will be known as the "platform") and place the combined rugs/platform down, you have created "shadows." (click on the pictures below to zoom in)

Red line = perimeter of "shadows" | Blue line = perimeter of "no placing furniture here" zone

The blue hashed line shows where you cannot initially place objects within. The Small Purple Rug and Chessboard have now created a temporary "shadow", which expands the "tangible" terrain. In other words, this is what happens to the blue line when the platform is set down and then picked up by the Small Purple Rug:

Placement of the rug and chessboard increased the area in which I can place objects down into. I can click on the Small Purple Rug as this point and create a "leap frog" effect by moving the rug into the space where the chessboard just was:

The Small Purple Rug is now sitting in the chessboard's FORMER shadow. Once you place the platform down into its previous shadow, that shadow disappears, and a NEW one is created, denoted by the red outline in the above picture. Let's do it again:

And again...

And one more time...

Still unclear? Check out this video where I demonstrate how to float the barriers and teleporters close to the battle circle:

Click on the bottom right corner of the player to enter "Full Screen" mode

(to be continued in Part 2)...

Arena Design: Introduction and Debut

2011-08-20T21:38:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to think that I can be classified as a Wizard101 PvP Otaku (kudos to Lady Blade for teaching me this term!). When it comes to designing a house, most of my passion and creativity are devoted to sprucing up the Arena circle; I just can't find the same passion for interior designing (which is mainly why many of my houses and castles are nothing but storage rooms inside; also, many Wall Hangings, Wallpapers, and Floorings find a new home in someone else's house after being adopted from the Bazaar, where I have dropped them off along with their birth certificate and immunization records).

Well, there is a case where I've found a love for a design that isn't revolving around PvP. Puzzle houses can take hours and hours of brainstorming, planning, executing, and testing, however. Just being able to float things in the right places without altering something else can be tedious to a point of exhaustion or frustration.

My January Battleblood Castle is a physical representation of when my true interests (regarding housing) began manifesting. Comparing the amount of items around the arena circle versus anywhere else, I think it's a closed case to my otaku-ness with the battle circle. I blocked off the interior from being accessed by visitors, which funneled the focus down to the PvP Ring. This was portraying an ancient battlegrounds where wizards have dueled for millenniums and centuries, causing the field around them to stack up with Fizzle Soot. There is so much magic within the sedimentation that even mystical life forms could exist within; an Elder Honey Sickle is growing out of one of the "rocks."

However, I realized that my aestheticism created a bothersome imbalance: players and spectators had minor inconveniences when utilizing the battlefield. Slowly, I began removing items one by one in hopes of maintaining user-friendliness simultaneously with design. Eventually, most of the rocks were removed, and I felt an evolution was due for this scene.

Fast forward many millenniums later, when the world itself becomes unstable. The February version is a complete transformation of January's arena scenery, changing the battlegrounds into the turf of Mother Nature's wrath: molten lava. Think of it as the opposite of the Christianity's Flood. Actually, the overall theme was to express "love" in a symbolic and eccentric way: February as the "month of love," my passion for PVP, and my notoriety for Defender Pig "farms." The lava was representative of "burning heat," whether it be for a Piggle BBQ or some other context.

This revision of the ancient battlegrounds also took on a more "functional" evolution, where the design also focused on how well others could use the PVP area. That's where the metal platforms came in. Instead of limiting viewers to surrounding the duelers on equal ground, I integrated the "lifted platforms" to imitate the Colosseum "feel" Dragonspyre's arena gives. More visibility options, like low, medium, and high!

Through the PVP Parties, commentating battles from the side, and receiving feedback from friends, I reconstructed my arena further to try to optimize the battle circle aesthetically and functionally. I haven't really had time (or the spirit) to make a behind-the-scenes video or to call it the "March" edition, especially when it required about two months to design, but here are some pictures to introduce the context. You can click on the pictures for a bigger view:

Out from the lava of February comes a bustling explosion of human design and creations. While Cassandra Hexthorn's MFP design was focused on the darker side of man's inventions, I contrasted with the appreciation for culture and innovation. Welcome to "The Globe."

What humans have imagined and designed has always fascinated me. I mean, take a look at Wizard101, and then try to convince me that Homo sapiens aren't fascinating and clever. This product is an example of our (again, that word...) culture. References to movies, music, philosophy, history, games, books, and values passed down through the generations exist in these files -- records of our creativity, in other words.

Smoking columns float along with Mooshian flags to signify an active dueling grounds.

The items within here have a theme that blend Mother Nature and mankind together. Stone columns were crafted out of rocks by humans. The barrel in this picture was formerly a tree that was cut down and sent to a lumber mill for carpentry. Wooden boards with cryptic writing display our unique ability to communicate through systematic languages.

Scrolls and trophies surround the casting field.

Due to the high frequency of spectators and duelers asking other players to remove themselves from the center of the dueling circle, I began to hone my floating techniques into designing some kind of "barrier" that would (1) prevent others from trespassing through, but (2) allow visibility for both the audience and participants alike and (3) allow accessibility for potential participants (i.e. allow people to join the battle circle after a duel has ended). I ended up creating a video on how to float items into the PVP ring. Trophies were placed along the barrier of scrolls to give it a more aesthetic feel.

Minigames and wooden boards above the seating platforms.

There were a few hilarious glitches to the design itself...one being that if a player ran directly below a minigame kiosk that was situated on a raised platform, that player would find themselves encased within the kiosk! The columns were also floated to ensure that visitors could traverse the area without the inconvenience of collision. These were all late revisions to, again, enhance user-friendliness. The wooden boards also serve a very special purpose:

The view from riding a mount and wearing a Life Amulet.

One pet peeve that I have with Wizard101 is the lack of the ability to zoom your camera in for a first-person view; your wizard's always in the way! However, you can force the camera to zoom further in, simply by placing your character's back to a wall, and looking straight ahead, as demonstrated in the picture above.

A first-person view, without the mount, weapon, or amulet.

Five boards were placed on platforms that were perpendicular to one another to allow spectators the freedom of watching a match without their body obstructing some of the view. With a raised view, they also provide for some awesome visibility all around. Here are some other views from the other platforms:

"South" view

"East" view

"North" view

One guess I could make about why I become so excited about designing an arena ring: Wizard101 is on the focus of plot development through a series of card battles. Your wizard develops a reputation with the teachers after completing quests and defeating monsters and bosses with the use of cards. Word of mouth, supposedly, brings your name to other characters and other worlds, and eventually you become an influence to their world or their culture. Purses are returned to their original owners because you pulled out a blade or a trap card. Thus, to me, what appeals the most is where you're using the cards. The team positions, cards, decks, weapons, and pets may all look the same, but there's a noticeable change in what you feel when your battle takes place in a strange or unfamiliar area. You're either excited, intimidated, distracted, or visually stimulated in some way, shape, or form.

So, welcome to yet another personal Battleblood project: Arena Design, where ideas and plans are executed, floating and housing mechanics are dissected, and other works within the community are appreciated.