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!
Showing posts with label hobby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hobby. Show all posts
Saturday, December 3, 2011
How to Create an In-Game Christmas Tree
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!
Monday, September 5, 2011
Beyond the Spiral: It's More Than Just the Tools
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.)
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.)
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Arena Design: Introduction and Debut
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.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Audio Log (ALog) #1: Thoughts and Advice on "Official" Status
My deepest thoughts, perspective, insight, and reflection on the "Official" status ordeal that's been going on lately. It is 1.5 hours long, but this is dedicated to the roots of our great community, to official sites, to non-official sites, to those annoyed, to those hurt, and to anyone else who is interested in what I have to share.
Thank you to Ronan Dawn for his friendship and support in encouraging me to get involved with the community back in April 2010.
Thank you to The Friendly Necromancer for his insight, advice, and background stories in-game, and support.
Thank you to Prophet Feik for the inspiration to contribute to any community, gaming or real-world.
Thank you to "KT" for their support and conversations as many of us dealt with current issues.
Thank you to Ronan Dawn for his friendship and support in encouraging me to get involved with the community back in April 2010.
Thank you to The Friendly Necromancer for his insight, advice, and background stories in-game, and support.
Thank you to Prophet Feik for the inspiration to contribute to any community, gaming or real-world.
Thank you to "KT" for their support and conversations as many of us dealt with current issues.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Vlog #14: Summer Battleblood Updates and News (5/23/11)
Topics: Blogging/Vlogging, PVP Videos/Commentary, secret projects, self-improvement, and a future "offer" from TPC.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Spring Break Plans
Wooooooooooooot!
Kicking off with an early ending to US History because of a test (the essay portion got me this time...bleh...), I'm now off for the rest of tonight, the weekend, all week next week, and another weekend....and then two weeks of school left. Finals are around the corner...dun, dun dun....
But, all that means is that I can focus my attention on some priorities such as...
Kicking off with an early ending to US History because of a test (the essay portion got me this time...bleh...), I'm now off for the rest of tonight, the weekend, all week next week, and another weekend....and then two weeks of school left. Finals are around the corner...dun, dun dun....
But, all that means is that I can focus my attention on some priorities such as...
- completing the transcript for Ravenwood Radio 37
completing the transcript for the explanation behind "Perfect Catch"linkPetnome Project Contest #2link- Petnome Project maintenance
- upload/commentate PvP videos (about 5-7 epic matches from Ranked!)
work on some ICH posts...heh, heh...- hang with Perfect Catch in questing, farming, partyin'...
hang out with some IRL friends- completing the transcript for Ravenwood Radio 38 (when it comes out)
- study for a Humanities quiz
- job searching
So, be on the lookout for some items heading your way!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Perfect Catch Wallpaper
Created a new image to use for PvP videos for when the team and I are taking on Ranked Opponents:
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Vlog #4: Sacrifice Minion Mechanics
Topics: Battleblood Updates and News (BUN), a little more sneak-peeking into Battleblood Castle, Perfect Catch Update (PCU) with Fallon and Cassandra, and answering a blog question about Sacrifice Minion!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Vlog #3: Arena Circle Floating
Topics: Battleblood Updates and News (BUN), sneak peek into the March edition of Battleblood Castle, Shadow Floating bug, and tutorial on keeping wizards out of the center of your residential battle circle!
**Sorry about the scratchy sounds...I'll try to get a clearer mic check before recording next time**
**Sorry about the scratchy sounds...I'll try to get a clearer mic check before recording next time**
Friday, February 11, 2011
Transcription: Ravenwood Radio Episode 33 (and Behind-The-Scenes peek)
Hey Wizards!
I'm really, really liking transcription a lot. It's very interesting (and sometimes educational) to me to dive deep and get to know the speaker's personality on a deeper level. For one, transcribing is more than just textually recording some audio; it's also a form of interpretation.
Processing the shows into text form has also given me some form of creative criticism that I can share with the speakers. For example, when it becomes harder to interpret or follow someone's sentence that becomes a run-on or lost thought, and the more adjustments I have to make when transcribing to ensure that logic or communication still follows, the more pointers I'll have for them. In addition, there's a little critical thinking going on: "is it necessary to keep the "uhs" or "uhms" to preserve the humorous tone induced by those pauses?" In other words, will readers enjoy this, and get to understand Steve's/Leesha's/Fallon's personalities or characters? I certainly have to be careful to not make them sound too literal and cardboard-like, but that's the fun part!
I was actually looking over a few at-home side jobs within this field, but it turns out it's a lot more complicated than I thought. You have to pay attention to punctuation, understand the speakers' professional lingo (medical, legal, recreational, etc.), use the correct words ("night" vs. "knight"), and be grammatically correct. Also, the audio files won't always be as clear as Ravenwood Radio's podcasts; the sound in the test I received was shifted all to one side of my headset, indicating that the recorder was sitting on the side of the room instead of the center. Then, listening to the speaker, and trying to omit as much stuttering or "um"-ing and "uh"-ing without taking too much tone or personality away is another challenge. Professionally, it's not for me...but if you're an English major, have a high interest in typing, and are looking for some dough, I recommend looking into this!
Transcript of Ravenwood Radio 33
Behind the Scenes:
I'm really, really liking transcription a lot. It's very interesting (and sometimes educational) to me to dive deep and get to know the speaker's personality on a deeper level. For one, transcribing is more than just textually recording some audio; it's also a form of interpretation.
Processing the shows into text form has also given me some form of creative criticism that I can share with the speakers. For example, when it becomes harder to interpret or follow someone's sentence that becomes a run-on or lost thought, and the more adjustments I have to make when transcribing to ensure that logic or communication still follows, the more pointers I'll have for them. In addition, there's a little critical thinking going on: "is it necessary to keep the "uhs" or "uhms" to preserve the humorous tone induced by those pauses?" In other words, will readers enjoy this, and get to understand Steve's/Leesha's/Fallon's personalities or characters? I certainly have to be careful to not make them sound too literal and cardboard-like, but that's the fun part!
I was actually looking over a few at-home side jobs within this field, but it turns out it's a lot more complicated than I thought. You have to pay attention to punctuation, understand the speakers' professional lingo (medical, legal, recreational, etc.), use the correct words ("night" vs. "knight"), and be grammatically correct. Also, the audio files won't always be as clear as Ravenwood Radio's podcasts; the sound in the test I received was shifted all to one side of my headset, indicating that the recorder was sitting on the side of the room instead of the center. Then, listening to the speaker, and trying to omit as much stuttering or "um"-ing and "uh"-ing without taking too much tone or personality away is another challenge. Professionally, it's not for me...but if you're an English major, have a high interest in typing, and are looking for some dough, I recommend looking into this!
Transcript of Ravenwood Radio 33
Behind the Scenes:
Sunday, January 23, 2011
BUN: Connections and Commentaries
While starting yet another semester at college this week, I've already begun some deep enlightenment in a few classes. One thought is that the people we look up to in artistic professions (Shakespeare, Mozart, Beethoven, Van Gogh, etc.) are really just ordinary people like you and me. "If Shakespeare were alive today," my professor ponders, "he would be just a television writer. People would find it difficult putting up with [the arrogance of] Beethoven; he was anti-social, and some people felt he was 'riding' them." When these names come across our mind, "...we shouldn't put them on a pedestal, and distance ourselves from them. We are them." It's true; we tend to exaggerate the amount of credit we give to the sources of our inspirations, in terms of talent or creativity. When this happens, we create this invisible scale...an invisible ruler, if you will...in our minds. We end up measuring ourselves against our heroes while we set them high up on the meter. Self-esteem then becomes impacted, partially due to the imaginary bar that we (ourselves) create, and we make the mistake of comparing our work of inexperience to the works that were (actually) deemed inexperienced in their debut, such as Van Gogh's "Potato Eaters." Understand that while a lot of the classical artists are praised in this era, most of them were looked down upon in their lifetime, simply because they did not fashion their creations after what was called "popular" or "mainstream."
So what exactly am I trying to say? Though you may look up to someone, don't set standards too high for yourself that you fall out of your own style and stumble upon something unfamiliar and uncomfortable. Your personality is yours; the same goes for your vision, your style, and your interpretation. This thought reminded me of Mackenzie Lifebreeze, a new Blogger who's also an active Diary of a Wizard member, and her active search in finding an interest in a Wizard101 project, such as house decorating, blogging, etc. She is especially impressed with Paige Moonshade's creations--which are just incredible, I must say--but she was having trouble finding motivation to carry on decorating her own house. So, I suggested she try every aspect of Wizard101 out, then look into writing about her endeavors, and see what she liked doing best. That's probably the most important key to have to an environment that can sprout up a wide variety of projects: finding something you can do on your own, whether or not other people like it, as long as no one is harmed, of course. Once you manage to grasp onto a hobby that you can become lost in for hours on end, you've found your calling. At that time, comparing your work to others' is more of an educational experience than a competition; everyone has a different style, remember? Paige's recreation of "Pandora" from Avatar cannot be ranked against a setting from Harry Potter or SpongeBob Squarepants. True, you can compare talents in terms of how well a player understands the floating bug and decorating tricks, but this type of experience can be gained by anyone. And thus, anyone can become just as talented as their inspirations, assuming there is passion, dedication, and an open mind.
With that said, I present my current Massive Fantasy Palace in video form, below this paragraph. Keep in mind that a lot of it was based on accidents and instantaneous brainstorming. In other words, the decorating came first, and then the stories behind it.
And here is yet another hobby, one that I really enjoy a lot: PVP Commentaries, done at Fallon Deathslinger's Wizaversary and last night's "Last Minute PVP Party":
So what exactly am I trying to say? Though you may look up to someone, don't set standards too high for yourself that you fall out of your own style and stumble upon something unfamiliar and uncomfortable. Your personality is yours; the same goes for your vision, your style, and your interpretation. This thought reminded me of Mackenzie Lifebreeze, a new Blogger who's also an active Diary of a Wizard member, and her active search in finding an interest in a Wizard101 project, such as house decorating, blogging, etc. She is especially impressed with Paige Moonshade's creations--which are just incredible, I must say--but she was having trouble finding motivation to carry on decorating her own house. So, I suggested she try every aspect of Wizard101 out, then look into writing about her endeavors, and see what she liked doing best. That's probably the most important key to have to an environment that can sprout up a wide variety of projects: finding something you can do on your own, whether or not other people like it, as long as no one is harmed, of course. Once you manage to grasp onto a hobby that you can become lost in for hours on end, you've found your calling. At that time, comparing your work to others' is more of an educational experience than a competition; everyone has a different style, remember? Paige's recreation of "Pandora" from Avatar cannot be ranked against a setting from Harry Potter or SpongeBob Squarepants. True, you can compare talents in terms of how well a player understands the floating bug and decorating tricks, but this type of experience can be gained by anyone. And thus, anyone can become just as talented as their inspirations, assuming there is passion, dedication, and an open mind.
With that said, I present my current Massive Fantasy Palace in video form, below this paragraph. Keep in mind that a lot of it was based on accidents and instantaneous brainstorming. In other words, the decorating came first, and then the stories behind it.
*you can click "Watch Ad Now" a couple of times to stack uninterrupted viewing time; otherwise the ads come every 15 minutes*
Fallon Deathslinger's Wizaversary
Last Minute PVP Party (1/22/11)
Thursday, October 21, 2010
BUN: Media Items
Second Petnome Project segment just below. It was meant to be on Ravenwood Radio Episode 27, but I was late on editing...but here it is anyway:
Alric Ravensinger drew this AWESOME doodle for me:
...which I colored:
I may have to ask him to do a banner-sized one for me...and for Petnome...maybe bribe him with some Mega Snacks....then request for glossies....
Then here's my personally rejected Petnome Project logo...Alpha stage...but it looks psychadelic!
My chessboard at my Watchtower Hall, completed! Life-based pets vs. Myth-based pets.
Myth:
Pawns - Silverback Wildclaw - Too easy and common to find when farming Coven as much as I did
Rooks - Guardian Dragon - "Tower" Shields; natural role here
Knights - Minotaur - Hooves, can't get any closer than that
Bishops - White Rat Magician - Noble and dignified
Queen - Myth Sprite - Only female-depicted Myth pet I could find/remember at the time
King - Red Gobbler - Because he "can't wait to be King"
Life:
Pawns - Imp - Found very cheap from Pet Pavilion's Pet Store
Rooks - Defender Pig - Tower "defense"...best protection you'll ever get
Knights - Unicorn - Self-explanatory
Bishops - Life Banshee - I had two, so...
Queen - Pixie Queen - That should be self-explanatory too...
King - Green Cat Thug - He's buffer than the Treant...
Yep, fun stuff here! See you in the Spiral!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
BUN: I Just Want To Thank...
...the overall Wizard101 Community. Because of the strength behind and within us, which I posted about back in April of this year, Mistblood was formulated in mind. It would have stayed as "just an idea" if we had not been such a welcoming and inspiring group.
But what shot the comic off into an actual project, I personally owe to my closest friends, who, have supported and helped me by taking time out of their PVP or questing activities to do the earliest scenes:
Cheryl Fire
Ronan Dawn
Kestrel
Tatiana "Toto" Legendweaver
Allan Spiritrider
They may not be as active as I am in our community, but as some of you know, they're the reason why I've reached where I am today, still doing my crazy experiments or projects.
Also, special thanks to Leesha Darkheart for pointing that post out to me...I would've missed it all :X
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Beyond the Spiral: Hobbies
So, literally all day (and afternoon and evening) yesterday I got to have a very long date with Quickbooks. We had some good times: we watched a few YouTube movies, had lunch and dinner together, and even got to try out a new browser-based RPG, called Shakes and Fidget, which we found as an ad on Sierra Starsong's collaborative blog. Here's a picture of my character:
It sort of resembles me, minus the unnecessary kiss Quickbooks decided to plant on me right before the camera went off.
The friendliness crashed towards the end though. Through some weird twist of fate, we were bickering over who was right or wrong, looking into the past to point fingers, and even gave one another the silent treatment. I desperately needed some distance, perhaps forever, but I knew my life wouldn't be complete without Intuit's core product. As an accountant-in-the-making, it would be inevitable that I require this automated bookkeeping program at some major part of my career. It is part of my identity, no matter how I feel about it.
"Identity." It's one of the most sought-after characteristics in high school, especially with the icebreakers on the first day of class; at least it was, back when I had the right to free education. The teachers always wanted to know what made us..."us," and wanted us to find pride in whatever those attributes may be.
During a drawn-out fight with the stubborn software, that memory sparked in my mind randomly, and I haven't been able to shake the thought since. A lot of Wizard101 players use the game as temporary relief from stress, reality, and sometimes ourselves. Some of us create a richer experience for ourselves and others through blogs, fan fiction, music, and movies; these projects become our little side hobbies in life, whether it's writing about the game daily or making music videos. In other words, the documents and text and bits of data are expansions of our escapes, and, when given the time and dedication, become a part of us.
Unfortunately, as authors and artists, we eventually run into the dilemma of lacking the will to produce; keep in mind, this is different from "lacking something to produce." We may feel like we're missing something, like a part of us. This may be due to our frustration with something totally unrelated to Wizard101 or to our projects, or we are just temporarily exhausted in terms of our mental state.
In my case today, I had been planning on jumping into the world of Mistblood as soon as I finished my semester-end course assignment. The later in the day it was, the more excited I became. Towards the last section of my class project, however, I suddenly lost that boiling urge that captured me all day. It's not that I didn't want to work on the comics at this point; I was looking forward to it still. Yet, I strangely felt like entering my laptop into "studio mode" would be unsatisfying. It was a disappointing feeling, but
as soon as I was free from my educational obligation, I went to the one activity that I love more than gaming, producing/editing, problem-solving, and writing combined. Instead of popping out 2 or 3 pages of Mistblood, (hey, I'm not slacking! They'll be coming out pretty soon...) I present to you a little...
It sort of resembles me, minus the unnecessary kiss Quickbooks decided to plant on me right before the camera went off.
The friendliness crashed towards the end though. Through some weird twist of fate, we were bickering over who was right or wrong, looking into the past to point fingers, and even gave one another the silent treatment. I desperately needed some distance, perhaps forever, but I knew my life wouldn't be complete without Intuit's core product. As an accountant-in-the-making, it would be inevitable that I require this automated bookkeeping program at some major part of my career. It is part of my identity, no matter how I feel about it.
"Identity." It's one of the most sought-after characteristics in high school, especially with the icebreakers on the first day of class; at least it was, back when I had the right to free education. The teachers always wanted to know what made us..."us," and wanted us to find pride in whatever those attributes may be.
During a drawn-out fight with the stubborn software, that memory sparked in my mind randomly, and I haven't been able to shake the thought since. A lot of Wizard101 players use the game as temporary relief from stress, reality, and sometimes ourselves. Some of us create a richer experience for ourselves and others through blogs, fan fiction, music, and movies; these projects become our little side hobbies in life, whether it's writing about the game daily or making music videos. In other words, the documents and text and bits of data are expansions of our escapes, and, when given the time and dedication, become a part of us.
Unfortunately, as authors and artists, we eventually run into the dilemma of lacking the will to produce; keep in mind, this is different from "lacking something to produce." We may feel like we're missing something, like a part of us. This may be due to our frustration with something totally unrelated to Wizard101 or to our projects, or we are just temporarily exhausted in terms of our mental state.
In my case today, I had been planning on jumping into the world of Mistblood as soon as I finished my semester-end course assignment. The later in the day it was, the more excited I became. Towards the last section of my class project, however, I suddenly lost that boiling urge that captured me all day. It's not that I didn't want to work on the comics at this point; I was looking forward to it still. Yet, I strangely felt like entering my laptop into "studio mode" would be unsatisfying. It was a disappointing feeling, but
as soon as I was free from my educational obligation, I went to the one activity that I love more than gaming, producing/editing, problem-solving, and writing combined. Instead of popping out 2 or 3 pages of Mistblood, (hey, I'm not slacking! They'll be coming out pretty soon...) I present to you a little...
Freehand Glowsticking (Minor warmup)
No matter how stressed, worried, or upset I become, for whatever reason, glowsticking has always cheered me up or cooled me down. It's the one part of me that I'll never pass off on. I learned it from a long lost friend while I was a freshman at my first university, and it has been my favorite skill ever since. This is "THE" hobby of Kevin Battleblood.
What do you guys do to unwind when Wizard101 and the projects related to it just don't "jive?" Is there something you love doing that isn't shared by many others around you? Feel free to share your unique talents or out-of-game hobbies!
Happy Contemplating!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)