**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~
Showing posts with label beyond the spiral. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beyond the spiral. Show all posts
Monday, February 20, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
TOOT (Reflection, Two Oh One Two)
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.
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.
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, July 30, 2011
Contest Etiquette (Part 1: For the Taker)
Hey all,
The past few weeks have been mighty grueling with the compilation of duties and responsibilities of the truncated summer school class (finally completed!), work, broadcasting and commentating for the United We Stand tournament held by Cassandra Dragonheart, unraveling some miscommunication, relaxing up on a fantastic community-focused game called Fiesta Online (which Thomas Lionblood and Amber Rosepetal have openly sponsored in the past), initiating a new personal PVP-based project (which is secret for the time being, for the sake of my -- and others' -- sanity), guest-judging an official fansite contest, and preparation and execution of the Petnome Project contests.
While operating and administering the events for Petnome over the past year (along with other activities where I've guest-judged), I found myself surprised, concerned, and contemplative with the overall culture of contests within an online community. In other words, I saw (or heard) things I couldn't believe I was seeing (or hearing)...and this goes beyond just erroneous or incorrect entries. So, here are some contestant guidelines and personal advice from yours truly for enhancing your chances of winning contests from any event, from blogs' to fansites' to the official company's:
Don't Beg
After Day 2 of the Petnome Birthday Week, I lost count on how many entries were direct requests for the prizes. Examples of this include "I want the 5,000 Crowns...now!" "Give me the Black Cat!" "Can I please win this? I need it really, really bad!" While begging may not disqualify entrants from winning (unless the rules specifically state that it does), it does become a nuisance for the contest holders.
Imagine if you were holding up $20 in cash in your hand and proclaimed you would give it to the person who painted the best portrait of you. Then, along comes someone without any artistic skills, asking you for the prize. You were trying to narrow your pool of players down to someone with creativity -- not someone who goes up to you and begs. So, keep in mind that when you're in a contest, you're in a competition. You have to show some work that follows the requirements to be eligible for the goodies.
Follow All Directions (FAD)
Read everything...literally! While it may be advantageous in the sense of time to skim for keywords such as dates, rules, times, and any second-party applications or programs, not reading everything thoroughly can hurt your entry via disqualification.
For small-pool contests (contests with few seats available for contestants), paying attention to details is important, since the rules will be enforced strongly when the judges are allotted enough time to be picky with their selections or ruling. If a contestant, for example, has the wrong version of an item required by the rules, it may not transition to the next judging phase, no matter how similar or "close" it is.
For large-pool contests (contests available to over hundreds of people), judges may not be as lenient when there is a factor with at least 3/4 of the contestants following the directions correctly. Chances are, the other 1/4 of entries aren't even looked at; entries could be manually OR automatically screened. For example, failure to include a key piece of your information could count as disqualification, like omitting a word; automatic screening may delete any emails with the wrong subject line or message!
Sometimes, judges or contest holders may allow for re-dos when a mistake has occurred that you've caught (truly, it depends on the format of the contest; i.e. trivia vs. riddles vs. feedback vs. media production, etc.). If you happened to omit something, like forgetting to add your Wizard name, try to send the exact same entry (with the missing piece of information included) so that it has uniformity, AND matches exactly what the contest holder asks for. In other words, treat it like a second-chance entry, rather than a follow-up message!
So, hand-in-hand, ALWAYS double-check your information and submissions.
No Trolling
While this concept may seem intuitive, it's both a surprise and an expectation when some contestants don't understand "no trolling." The simple truth is that there is always at least one threat (or worse) or a profane remark thrown at contest holders when the results don't turn out in the violator's favor. Here's another fact: this community is very tight-knit and cohesive, and no contest holder will tolerate malicious contestants within their own contest OR another's. The same goes for those who try to cheat with multiple entries or submissions -- once discovered and marked, violators will have trouble finding eligibility or success with future or other contests. There aren't simpler rules than (1) no harassment and (2) no cheating.
Too Much Information (TMI)
Believe it or not, sometimes contestants will provide more information than we ever need to know...like a phone number or home address. NEVER send any personal information other than an email address that will help the contest holders contact you. Though Official Fansites may be trusted entities, you never know if someone's correspondence email may become hacked (or is already hacked) or keylogged. Also, you never know who someone really is behind the computer screen or keyboard, no matter how nice or considerate they are. NEVER tell someone where you live, or where to call you, or what your real name is, or (Frost Giant forbid) anything that shows up on your birth certificate. True, sometimes birthdays are required for age verification, but other than MMO-based sites like Massively or Beckett's, that information isn't relevant for Wizard101-based contests held by Wizard101 players. And, to reiterate something that seemingly hasn't gotten to all players, yet: NEVER tell anyone your Wizard101 password. The only time you should be using it is if it's at http://wizard101.com or the Game Client. Also, keep in mind that Official Fansites are not KingsIsle. Then again, even THEY ask you never to send your password, even in emails to them!
Have Fun
This isn't redundant, is it? Contests, in my interpretation, are merely windows of opportunity -- privileges, if you will (not rights!) -- to attain some tangible or intangible commodity or benefit for the exchange of minimal (or competitive) work! Know that there will always be contests flowing out of this wonderful community, and that you're hardly missing out if you aren't a winner! "Oh well, Susie got the 5,000 Crowns." That doesn't mean that Susie will also take the 10,000 Crowns that you may win in another contest.
The important fact is that you tried in a contest, and that you didn't have a 0% chance of winning -- not participating is the only way to guarantee a loss. Sometimes the die (or Random.org) doesn't roll in our favor, just like when cards don't come up the way we'd like them to. As long as you didn't troll the contest or contest holders, you'll always have a chance to win!
Cheer on and congratulate the winners -- I'm sure you'd like to be cheered and congratulated yourself when you're a winner someday. Look at it this way: thanks to the contest, your Wizard101 community is populated and full of energy and action. Someone's interest in Wizard101 was enhanced with the prize, and most likely, they'll continue to play and contribute their presence to the game. I haven't seen a barren MMO that's fun to play...heck, it contradicts the concept of it being "massive," "multiplayer," and "online." When you see other wizards running around, you know that there's someone behind another keyboard enjoying the same game you're playing. That makes us feel less isolating, less alone. And heck, at least there will be other players to show-off to when you win a prize in future contests.
(to be continued in Part 2: For the Maker)
The past few weeks have been mighty grueling with the compilation of duties and responsibilities of the truncated summer school class (finally completed!), work, broadcasting and commentating for the United We Stand tournament held by Cassandra Dragonheart, unraveling some miscommunication, relaxing up on a fantastic community-focused game called Fiesta Online (which Thomas Lionblood and Amber Rosepetal have openly sponsored in the past), initiating a new personal PVP-based project (which is secret for the time being, for the sake of my -- and others' -- sanity), guest-judging an official fansite contest, and preparation and execution of the Petnome Project contests.
While operating and administering the events for Petnome over the past year (along with other activities where I've guest-judged), I found myself surprised, concerned, and contemplative with the overall culture of contests within an online community. In other words, I saw (or heard) things I couldn't believe I was seeing (or hearing)...and this goes beyond just erroneous or incorrect entries. So, here are some contestant guidelines and personal advice from yours truly for enhancing your chances of winning contests from any event, from blogs' to fansites' to the official company's:
Don't Beg
After Day 2 of the Petnome Birthday Week, I lost count on how many entries were direct requests for the prizes. Examples of this include "I want the 5,000 Crowns...now!" "Give me the Black Cat!" "Can I please win this? I need it really, really bad!" While begging may not disqualify entrants from winning (unless the rules specifically state that it does), it does become a nuisance for the contest holders.
Imagine if you were holding up $20 in cash in your hand and proclaimed you would give it to the person who painted the best portrait of you. Then, along comes someone without any artistic skills, asking you for the prize. You were trying to narrow your pool of players down to someone with creativity -- not someone who goes up to you and begs. So, keep in mind that when you're in a contest, you're in a competition. You have to show some work that follows the requirements to be eligible for the goodies.
Follow All Directions (FAD)
Read everything...literally! While it may be advantageous in the sense of time to skim for keywords such as dates, rules, times, and any second-party applications or programs, not reading everything thoroughly can hurt your entry via disqualification.
For small-pool contests (contests with few seats available for contestants), paying attention to details is important, since the rules will be enforced strongly when the judges are allotted enough time to be picky with their selections or ruling. If a contestant, for example, has the wrong version of an item required by the rules, it may not transition to the next judging phase, no matter how similar or "close" it is.
For large-pool contests (contests available to over hundreds of people), judges may not be as lenient when there is a factor with at least 3/4 of the contestants following the directions correctly. Chances are, the other 1/4 of entries aren't even looked at; entries could be manually OR automatically screened. For example, failure to include a key piece of your information could count as disqualification, like omitting a word; automatic screening may delete any emails with the wrong subject line or message!
Sometimes, judges or contest holders may allow for re-dos when a mistake has occurred that you've caught (truly, it depends on the format of the contest; i.e. trivia vs. riddles vs. feedback vs. media production, etc.). If you happened to omit something, like forgetting to add your Wizard name, try to send the exact same entry (with the missing piece of information included) so that it has uniformity, AND matches exactly what the contest holder asks for. In other words, treat it like a second-chance entry, rather than a follow-up message!
So, hand-in-hand, ALWAYS double-check your information and submissions.
No Trolling
While this concept may seem intuitive, it's both a surprise and an expectation when some contestants don't understand "no trolling." The simple truth is that there is always at least one threat (or worse) or a profane remark thrown at contest holders when the results don't turn out in the violator's favor. Here's another fact: this community is very tight-knit and cohesive, and no contest holder will tolerate malicious contestants within their own contest OR another's. The same goes for those who try to cheat with multiple entries or submissions -- once discovered and marked, violators will have trouble finding eligibility or success with future or other contests. There aren't simpler rules than (1) no harassment and (2) no cheating.
Too Much Information (TMI)
Believe it or not, sometimes contestants will provide more information than we ever need to know...like a phone number or home address. NEVER send any personal information other than an email address that will help the contest holders contact you. Though Official Fansites may be trusted entities, you never know if someone's correspondence email may become hacked (or is already hacked) or keylogged. Also, you never know who someone really is behind the computer screen or keyboard, no matter how nice or considerate they are. NEVER tell someone where you live, or where to call you, or what your real name is, or (Frost Giant forbid) anything that shows up on your birth certificate. True, sometimes birthdays are required for age verification, but other than MMO-based sites like Massively or Beckett's, that information isn't relevant for Wizard101-based contests held by Wizard101 players. And, to reiterate something that seemingly hasn't gotten to all players, yet: NEVER tell anyone your Wizard101 password. The only time you should be using it is if it's at http://wizard101.com or the Game Client. Also, keep in mind that Official Fansites are not KingsIsle. Then again, even THEY ask you never to send your password, even in emails to them!
Have Fun
This isn't redundant, is it? Contests, in my interpretation, are merely windows of opportunity -- privileges, if you will (not rights!) -- to attain some tangible or intangible commodity or benefit for the exchange of minimal (or competitive) work! Know that there will always be contests flowing out of this wonderful community, and that you're hardly missing out if you aren't a winner! "Oh well, Susie got the 5,000 Crowns." That doesn't mean that Susie will also take the 10,000 Crowns that you may win in another contest.
The important fact is that you tried in a contest, and that you didn't have a 0% chance of winning -- not participating is the only way to guarantee a loss. Sometimes the die (or Random.org) doesn't roll in our favor, just like when cards don't come up the way we'd like them to. As long as you didn't troll the contest or contest holders, you'll always have a chance to win!
Cheer on and congratulate the winners -- I'm sure you'd like to be cheered and congratulated yourself when you're a winner someday. Look at it this way: thanks to the contest, your Wizard101 community is populated and full of energy and action. Someone's interest in Wizard101 was enhanced with the prize, and most likely, they'll continue to play and contribute their presence to the game. I haven't seen a barren MMO that's fun to play...heck, it contradicts the concept of it being "massive," "multiplayer," and "online." When you see other wizards running around, you know that there's someone behind another keyboard enjoying the same game you're playing. That makes us feel less isolating, less alone. And heck, at least there will be other players to show-off to when you win a prize in future contests.
(to be continued in Part 2: For the Maker)
Sunday, July 10, 2011
View > Hidden Files and Folders (8-Bit Trials Documentary)
>> Opening folder /Kevin_Battleblood_8Bit_Trials
>> ...
>> ...
>> ...
>> Processing...
>> ...
>> ...
>> ...
>> Enter command: start HIAG8BIT.exe
>> ...
>> ...
>> ...
>> Begin HIAG8BIT.exe? Yes.
>> Text file found. View Day1.txt ? Yes.
>> Opening Day1.txt ...
>> Opening Level 1...
>> Text file found. View Lvl1.txt ? Yes.
>> Opening Lvl1.txt ...
>> Solution found. Corrupted/missing file.
>> View alternate file? Yes.
>> Proceed? Yes.
>> Opening Level 2...
>> Solution found. Missing file. Find Missing file? No.
>> Proceed? Yes.
>> Opening Level 3...
>> Text file found. View Lvl3.txt? Yes.
>> Opening Lvl3.txt...
>> Media file found. View Jigsaw1.jpg? Yes.
>> Opening Jigsaw1.jpg...
>> Proceed? Yes.
>> ...
>> ...
>> ...
>> Processing...
>> ...
>> ...
>> ...
>> Enter command: start HIAG8BIT.exe
>> ...
>> ...
>> ...
>> Begin HIAG8BIT.exe? Yes.
>> Text file found. View Day1.txt ? Yes.
>> Opening Day1.txt ...
I honestly have NO idea what I'm getting myself into. As soon as I opened Autumn Duskhunter's post, it looked like something had corrupted Homework in a Graveyard... But...there's a distinct message in this. "Safety." SOS? ASHCAN looks promising...>> End of Text file. Proceed? Yes.
>> Opening Level 1...
>> Text file found. View Lvl1.txt ? Yes.
>> Opening Lvl1.txt ...
Hm...a little "Da Vinci Code"-esque... Looks like it's binary, due to 1's and 0's. Thankfully my new job's required me to utilize graphics editing to build up their Knowledge Retention database via electronic display. Going to cut up each piece, add Transparency, and set them up as New Layers in GIMP. Then adjusting pieces based on the known/unknown... Looks like the "A" and "D"-looking pieces fit here...>> End of Text file. Proceed? Yes.
>> Solution found. Corrupted/missing file.
>> View alternate file? Yes.
>> Proceed? Yes.
>> Opening Level 2...
>> Text file found. View Lvl2.txt ? Yes.
>> Opening Lvl2.txt ...
Mazes. Bleh. Never heard of an "Alice" maze before... Something to do with "Through the Looking Glass" perhaps? Let's try working backwards...
>> End of Text file. Proceed? Yes.
>> Solution found. Missing file. Find Missing file? No.
>> Proceed? Yes.
>> Opening Level 3...
>> Text file found. View Lvl3.txt? Yes.
>> Opening Lvl3.txt...
Oh my Frost Giant... There are SO many pieces... Contacting Cassandra Hexthorn to see if we can hammer this out together...>> End of Text file. Proceed? Yes.
>> Media file found. View Jigsaw1.jpg? Yes.
>> Opening Jigsaw1.jpg...
 |
Comment: Managed to fit this abomination of a jigsaw together in a few places... |
>> Media file found. View Jigsaw2.jpg? Yes.
>> Opening Jigsaw2.jpg...
 |
Comment: DAG-NABBIT! I right-clicked, selected Zoom In...and now I can't Zoom Out. At least we have this string... |
>> Proceed? Yes.
>> Media file found. View Jigsaw3.jpg? Yes.
>> Opening Jigsaw3.jpg...
 |
Comment: Visited the direct link that Autumn included. White background makes it SO much easier. Isolated pieces according to internal content. "Border" pieces went to the upper right. Bottom left zone is designated for "fitting." Pieces with color are piled in the top center. Pieces with both a straight line and parts of characters are to the left. |
>> Proceed? Yes.
>> Text file found. View FinalCountdown.txt? Yes.
>> Opening FinalCountdown.txt...
Thankfully due to Hexy, we aren't down and out, yet... It makes me shudder to think what would happened if we were "Nullified." Frozen in "disk space to be overwritten," perhaps? We solved the bottom two lines first, and I wanted to submit the codeword right away, but she made a great point in defending that the entire puzzle may reveal something else for future use. While that wasn't the case, at least we felt secure in advancing. Thank you, "ALM." Seeing that many Guardians had chanted in using the "Save me, Mouse" option, and being the two that corrupted the Save File upon entry, Hexy and I decided to find any possible means of leaking out information. We tried to dodge DAEMON's scanware (and succeeded) in sending out tiny packets of data to everyone else. ALMOST got caught...but we managed to squeeze out the last two lines before the firewall activated...unfortunately, not all Guardians managed to receive or utilize our attempts in time...
>> End of Text file. Proceed? Yes.
>> Solution found. View JigsawSolution.jpg? Yes.
>> Opening JigsawSolution.jpg...
 |
Comment: Courtesy of Hexy. How fitting. Hexadecimal. Translates to: Save a backup of your personal files offline,`like your pictures, and text documents. Save early, save often! Code word: BACKUP. |
>> Proceed? Yes.
>> Opening Level 4...
>> Text file found. View Lvl4.txt ? Yes.
>> Opening Lvl4.txt ...
Math... YAYYYYYYYY! Simple algebra and order of operations...
>> End of Text file. Proceed? Yes.
>> Solution found. View Level4Solved.jpg? Yes.
>> Opening Level4Solved.jpg...
 |
>> Proceed? Yes.
>> Opening Level 5...
>> Text file found. View Lvl5.txt ? Yes.
>> Opening Lvl5.txt ...
Uh...symbols. Math + symbols. I totally get that...but these dang symbols. Male and female. Google time, and then checking with Heather Hexheart...
>> End of Text file. Proceed? Yes.
>> Solution found. View Level5Solved.jpg? Yes.
>> Opening Level5Solved.jpg...
 |
Comment: Used pen, pencil, and notebook paper to begin the puzzle. |
>> Proceed? Yes.
>> Text file found. View Hexheart.txt? Yes.
>> Opening Hexheart.txt...
Heather Hexheart's worked on the puzzle on her end... We chose to work independently to try to come to the same solution. Got her file!
>> End of Text file. Proceed? Yes.
>> Media file found. View Hexheart.jpg? Yes.
>> Opening Hexheart.jpg...
 |
Comment: Noticed that her symbols/numbers were mixed up! Corresponding with her to correct them...let's hope she gets her entry in on time! |
>> Proceed? Yes.
>> Opening Level 6...
>> Text file found. View Lvl6.txt ? Yes.
>> Opening Lvl6.txt ...
More visual puzzles! I've NEVER seen THAT before...hmm... Gonna look at the Wikipedia example, and then correspond with Maria Moonblossom. (Thanks to John Lifeglen for connecting us!)
>> End of Text file. Proceed? Yes.
>> Media file found. View Wikiexample.jpg? Yes.
>> Opening Wikiexample.jpg...
 |
Comment: Sum of the numbers adjacent in the Rows or Columns signify how many squares within the corresponding Rows or Columns are filled in, respectively. Autumn's puzzle, with color coding, made it MUCH easier on us...THANKFULLY! Seems like this type of puzzle would take HOURS...especially in this example |
>> Proceed? Yes.
>> Solution found. View nonogram.jpg? Yes.
>> Opening nonogram.jpg...
 |
Comment: Completed this with Maria, using GIMP and screen-sharing over Skype. We laughed about how it looked like there was a fish within the picture...only to find that THAT was the point! Thought of "Fish EX = FedEX, Fish Eggs, Fishy Mark, Fictious." Didn't realize it looked like a timer, until searching on Autumn's blog for "FISHY," which had the code word. |
>> Proceed? Yes.
>> Opening Level 7...
>> Text file found. View Lvl7.txt ? Yes.
>> Opening Lvl7.txt ...
Hah, more grids and numbers? "Akari." What's Akari? OH DANG, THIS LOOKS FUN! No allies, huh? All right, then!
>> End of Text file. Proceed? Yes.
>> Solutions found. View akari.jpg and akari2.jpg? Yes.
>> Opening akari.jpg...
 |
Comment: Started out with the squares that were surrounded by black tiles...rules state that all white tiles must be lit up, so those were dead give-aways! |
>> Proceed? Yes.
>> Opening akari2.jpg...
 |
>> Proceed? Yes.
>> Opening Level 8...
>> Text file found. View Lvl8.txt ? Yes.
>> Opening Lvl8.txt ...
Ugh. "Chaos spatial data." Do we treat this like a Katamari ball? Is it rolling the die on the 2D platform...or put ourselves into the cube's shoes? AHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Hints from Twitter say that it's the former. Good. Working backwards...
>> End of Text file. Proceed? Yes.
>> Media files found. View tools.jpg and die.jpg? Yes.
>> Opening tools.jpg...
 |
Comment: Starting as Guardian 4...gonna actually work from my ending position backwards... |
>> Proceed? Yes.
>> Opening die.jpg...
 |
Comment: It was suggested a "Magic Marker" be used on the die. Well, due to the lack thereof, I went with blue duct tape. Ghetto Magic Marker!!! The "arrow" is pointing North-East. One of my solutions: 2U, 5L, 1D, 1R, 4U, 7L, 9U, 5R. |
>> Proceed? Yes.
>> Text file found. View Conclusion.txt ? Yes.
>> Opening Conclusion.txt ...
The point of all this explained. Heh, the last was OPTIONAL. Bleh. That was a very insightful and engaging post, and a one-of-a-kind method of sharing an important message with the community. There have been a LOT of shake-ups throughout the past 12+ months, but somehow, we still manage to keep it altogether. Why? As Autumn said, that's who we are, this Wizard101 Community that we have. Especially after Level 3, I realized that even the aspects of Wizard101 follow through to our overall attitude of forgetting about personal competition, and working together to bring about a new light on the cliche MMO-community image. Instead of fighting for the lowest bargain, we're fighting monsters to fill one another's pockets. Instead of aiming for the "best pet" and keeping the secrets to ourselves, we're writing guides and spending time explaining the process. Thus, in the postive and negative times, we're powerful enough to become, once again, stabilized, and band together quickly when challenges arise. Need guides, tips, proofs via pictures, help, etc. etc. etc.? Just look to anyone, especially the Twizards. Many thanks to Autumn Duskhunter for this elaborate test of mental, ethical, technical, and persistence skills. I had a LOT of fun learning and attempting the challenges. Our hats are off to you, Autumn!
>> End of Text file.
>>> End of folder. Terminate program? Yes.
>> Goodbye...
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