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2018-07-01 - July Dragon Release

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I agree, those recommended posts are exasperating. You have to scroll past them simply to see the key points of interest which are TJ's dragons. I found it frustrating myself.

 

But come on babies, grow so mama can put you guys in your proper place. The Black Truffle gives me an excuse to use something special...mushrooms!

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If anyone still don't have a pair of Black Truffle's - PM me! I have two eggs I can gift! ;)

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I don't see the problem with recommended posts, is it actually a hassle to scroll past a few extra (shortened, without signature) posts? It takes a second and it's not like this forum has a normally compact design anyways. The three posts up now only take up a little over half my browser window. And release threads often have people asking the same questions over and over - well, a few people are still inquiring about the Gusty egg, but TJ's pinned post probably has prevented a lot of people from saying "what happened to my blue eggs" or "what's this about a third breed"? Purpledragonclaw's has likely saved the mods some work, a lot of people might not have known it's against policy to show the egg. Kaini's isn't as directly important, but it's a fine guideline for a thread that's become rather controversial. Most threads with recommended posts only have one or two, and it's generally important information that people would have been asking about and quoting for people who missed it.

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9 minutes ago, cbussiere said:

I don't see the problem with recommended posts, is it actually a hassle to scroll past a few extra (shortened, without signature) posts? It takes a second and it's not like this forum has a normally compact design anyways. The three posts up now only take up a little over half my browser window. And release threads often have people asking the same questions over and over - well, a few people are still inquiring about the Gusty egg, but TJ's pinned post probably has prevented a lot of people from saying "what happened to my blue eggs" or "what's this about a third breed"? Purpledragonclaw's has likely saved the mods some work, a lot of people might not have known it's against policy to show the egg. Kaini's isn't as directly important, but it's a fine guideline for a thread that's become rather controversial. Most threads with recommended posts only have one or two, and it's generally important information that people would have been asking about and quoting for people who missed it.

Agreed, I think the recommended posts are helpful, and they don't get in the way that much for me. ( : Although, I am seeing this page on my laptop, so it may be different for mobile users?

 

That aside, I missed the drama stage with everything that's happened since I egglocked myself with my first batch, and returned to a blown-up thread. Finally caught up with everything, phew!

 

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Ok - Clearing up the Black Truffle issues

Firstly - was a very old concept so yeah the sprite isn't my best work to date (hating the deep muscle lines in the neck and chest now 0-o). Neither is the text the best - TJ has every right to change the text if he doesn't like it, and set the rarity. So though it was part of my concept - it wasn't a given. Luck was he did keep both the text and the rarity status. When made we didn't have all that many rare dragons at the time.

 

As to the concept - yes they secrete oil - but it isn't great gooey copious amounts that drip from every pore in its body and stick to everything like Terpentines do. Someone mentioned rainbow boa snake skin - and in reality it is probably the closest to the actual concept. They rub the oil from a gland on their jawline (like a cat does) over their scales in a thin layer which dries into a waxy substance, protecting the scales from dirt and scratches and enhancing their normal iridescence - so yeah Luminas would find a kindred spirit. It is this super smoothness that makes them feel slick and oily - not a coating of thick goo. Once completely dried to wax the oil looses its pungency and therefore value as a perfume base. Only fresh liquid oil from the glands is good for this - and being near a lot of teeth - yeah it is safer for some low life poacher to kill it first and take what they can get - similar to what elephant and rhino poachers do today.Yes it uses more oil during breeding - and it gains that characteristic sweet musky earthy scent that people chase. So it is more valuable for perfume use at this time of year and why its so valuable. It does not 'wash off'.

 

As to who the dragon deems has a 'pure heart and selfless spirit' - your own thoughts and inclinations betray you in your comments - if you think it's selfish for a dragon to hold back what is its own property, you are probably a greedy person at heart and would shoot it if you met one and steal all you can lay your hands on because you deserve it. The oil and wax it dries into has other uses than just perfume (its polishing properties for instance would turn a basic leather armour into something only the wealthy nobles could afford, wood too treated with the oil would shine like metal), and yes can be sold or the products it makes sold making a poor man's life a little easier, and if you approach the dragon and actually ASK instead of TAKE - it is more likely to GIVE than to chew your butt off. Being a reasoning sentient Being, politeness goes a long way - as does fair trade or free gifts. Dragons love gifts.

 

Perhaps they should have been a super rare holiday dragon - since no one complained about the chocolates and their scent or rarity.

 

Either way - love em or hate em - they have been discovered in the backwaters of Galsreim after centuries of hiding from the greed of humanity, so they may be more prolific than we know.

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I like the Truffles :)

 

(funny that in real life I'm not so much a fan of those shrooms ...)

Edited by Ruby Eyes

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A bit late but if anyone here still misses the new dragons- I got a few hatchies (all CB) to spare so just pm me and say which type you need :) (I'll be afk for a few hours though so dont be alarmed if you dont get a reply!)

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@Mysfytt Thank you so much for the background info on the Truffles. I love them, love them, love them and knowing more about them just makes me love them more. Don't take the haters too much to heart. I believe they are greatly in the minority here.

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1 minute ago, purplehaze said:

@Mysfytt Thank you so much for the background info on the Truffles. I love them, love them, love them and knowing more about them just makes me love them more. Don't take the haters too much to heart. I believe they are greatly in the minority here.

 

 

ALL of this :)

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25 minutes ago, Mysfytt said:

Ok - Clearing up the Black Truffle issues

Firstly - was a very old concept so yeah the sprite isn't my best work to date (hating the deep muscle lines in the neck and chest now 0-o). Neither is the text the best - TJ has every right to change the text if he doesn't like it, and set the rarity. So though it was part of my concept - it wasn't a given. Luck was he did keep both the text and the rarity status. When made we didn't have all that many rare dragons at the time.

 

As to the concept - yes they secrete oil - but it isn't great gooey copious amounts that drip from every pore in its body and stick to everything like Terpentines do. Someone mentioned rainbow boa snake skin - and in reality it is probably the closest to the actual concept. They rub the oil from a gland on their jawline (like a cat does) over their scales in a thin layer which dries into a waxy substance, protecting the scales from dirt and scratches and enhancing their normal iridescence - so yeah Luminas would find a kindred spirit. It is this super smoothness that makes them feel slick and oily - not a coating of thick goo. Once completely dried to wax the oil looses its pungency and therefore value as a perfume base. Only fresh liquid oil from the glands is good for this - and being near a lot of teeth - yeah it is safer for some low life poacher to kill it first and take what they can get - similar to what elephant and rhino poachers do today.Yes it uses more oil during breeding - and it gains that characteristic sweet musky earthy scent that people chase. So it is more valuable for perfume use at this time of year and why its so valuable. It does not 'wash off'.

 

As to who the dragon deems has a 'pure heart and selfless spirit' - your own thoughts and inclinations betray you in your comments - if you think it's selfish for a dragon to hold back what is its own property, you are probably a greedy person at heart and would shoot it if you met one and steal all you can lay your hands on because you deserve it. The oil and wax it dries into has other uses than just perfume (its polishing properties for instance would turn a basic leather armour into something only the wealthy nobles could afford, wood too treated with the oil would shine like metal), and yes can be sold or the products it makes sold making a poor man's life a little easier, and if you approach the dragon and actually ASK instead of TAKE - it is more likely to GIVE than to chew your butt off. Being a reasoning sentient Being, politeness goes a long way - as does fair trade or free gifts. Dragons love gifts.

 

Perhaps they should have been a super rare holiday dragon - since no one complained about the chocolates and their scent or rarity.

 

Either way - love em or hate em - they have been discovered in the backwaters of Galsreim after centuries of hiding from the greed of humanity, so they may be more prolific than we know.

 

Oh man.

 I love this concept info.

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Lovely concept, Mysfytt! I am glad these have been released, the cave needed a new rare dragon! 

 

Has any info been posted on Pyrovars that I might've missed? :)

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49 minutes ago, Mysfytt said:

Ok - Clearing up the Black Truffle issues

Firstly - was a very old concept so yeah the sprite isn't my best work to date (hating the deep muscle lines in the neck and chest now 0-o). Neither is the text the best - TJ has every right to change the text if he doesn't like it, and set the rarity. So though it was part of my concept - it wasn't a given. Luck was he did keep both the text and the rarity status. When made we didn't have all that many rare dragons at the time.

 

As to the concept - yes they secrete oil - but it isn't great gooey copious amounts that drip from every pore in its body and stick to everything like Terpentines do. Someone mentioned rainbow boa snake skin - and in reality it is probably the closest to the actual concept. They rub the oil from a gland on their jawline (like a cat does) over their scales in a thin layer which dries into a waxy substance, protecting the scales from dirt and scratches and enhancing their normal iridescence - so yeah Luminas would find a kindred spirit. It is this super smoothness that makes them feel slick and oily - not a coating of thick goo. Once completely dried to wax the oil looses its pungency and therefore value as a perfume base. Only fresh liquid oil from the glands is good for this - and being near a lot of teeth - yeah it is safer for some low life poacher to kill it first and take what they can get - similar to what elephant and rhino poachers do today.Yes it uses more oil during breeding - and it gains that characteristic sweet musky earthy scent that people chase. So it is more valuable for perfume use at this time of year and why its so valuable. It does not 'wash off'.

 

As to who the dragon deems has a 'pure heart and selfless spirit' - your own thoughts and inclinations betray you in your comments - if you think it's selfish for a dragon to hold back what is its own property, you are probably a greedy person at heart and would shoot it if you met one and steal all you can lay your hands on because you deserve it. The oil and wax it dries into has other uses than just perfume (its polishing properties for instance would turn a basic leather armour into something only the wealthy nobles could afford, wood too treated with the oil would shine like metal), and yes can be sold or the products it makes sold making a poor man's life a little easier, and if you approach the dragon and actually ASK instead of TAKE - it is more likely to GIVE than to chew your butt off. Being a reasoning sentient Being, politeness goes a long way - as does fair trade or free gifts. Dragons love gifts.

 

Perhaps they should have been a super rare holiday dragon - since no one complained about the chocolates and their scent or rarity.

 

Either way - love em or hate em - they have been discovered in the backwaters of Galsreim after centuries of hiding from the greed of humanity, so they may be more prolific than we know.

Thank you for the bonus information! It's always a treat to see concepts expanded on by the creator. This was especially helpful, since people seemed to be a bit confused on how the oil works.

 

However I think saying that people who think the "pure and selfless" bit is arbitrary are the kind of person who would shoot a dragon dead to get something from it is unfair, especially since they apparently thought the dragons were literally slick with an oil they had no personal use for (which makes no sense to me, but the description is kind of vague).
Even with the bonus information, it sounds less like you need to be pure hearted and selfless and more like you need to have a little patience and basic bargaining skills.

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@Mysfytt I’m curious, did you ask TJ to replace the original sprite with a brighter one after release, or did he accidentally use the wrong one? I’m very fond of the current version and curious how it came to be. :)

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Okay, going to be honest. While I have no qualms against the Spriters and the artwork, this Release went horribly wrong. I will excuse the wrong egg being released but these dragons are a big slap in the face to the Dragon Requests. Now that we've heard from Mysfytt, these dragons should have been touched up and got all their flaws out before being released. TJ is aiming for perfection now and then he up and releases these dragons who would have been perfect under the old standards (hopefully the artists will update the sprites) It's just really disheartening to see so many artists going through crit hell in the DRs 

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I'm personally very fond of the Pyrovars. I really enjoy how dynamic and unique they look. The pose is different, but it's not wrong; I imagine pouncing with a set of wings can help a creature twist/turn more in midair than a non-winged animal. They just seem very exuberant and aggressive, and the pose itself to me just feels like a high-speed and high-energy jump-lunge. Elbow crystals/spikes don't really have anything to do with anatomy more than they do aesthetic appearance, imo (the Truffles also have elbow spikes, though they are smaller). Face/head looks perfectly proportional to me, I don't see an issue there at all. Wing shadow doesn't really need another shade thrown in there when the underwings are that light of a blue. 

 

I'm surprised by the general reaction, actually. I see more to fix with the anatomy of the Black Truffle than the Pyrovar. 

 

I like the iridescence and the concept of the Black Truffles, but there are a few choices in the design that I just don't jive with. 

 

 

Edit: Also....the point of recommended posts being tacked to the top of each page is so you see it. You're supposed to see it. It's supposed to be noticeable and in your way, because they are things that need to be read/acknowledged. 

Edited by hazeh

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6 minutes ago, hazeh said:

 

Edit: Also....the point of recommended posts being tacked to the top of each page is so you see it. You're supposed to see it. It's supposed to be noticeable and in your way, because they are things that need to be read/acknowledged. 

 

When the recommended posts thing first came about, I asked if it would be possible to hide them after we've seen them... Like, maybe a little checkmark by each one going 'yes, I've seen this' and then it would hide it. While I get that recommended posts are (usually) stuff that 'needs' to be seen, there is simply no reason for them to take up so much room every single time you open the thread when you have seen them 100+ times already. (And as for people who say they don't see a problem with the multiple pinned posts, on my laptop screen the three recommended posts up there take up nearly my entire screen, which really is a bit much, and I can't imagine how it must be for mobile users.)

 

@Mysfytt Thank you for the extra info about the Black Truffles! I really like knowing more about how the oil works.

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@Mysfytt Thank you for providing more information on the Black Truffles. I really like how the adults kept the subtle rainbows that were present in the egg sprite. It's interesting that you said that the Luminas and Black Truffles would be kindred spirits - I was wondering myself if Luminas would lose their scales when breeding with the Black Truffles (due to the oil and stuff). I guess it's only a few hours away before I can test breed myself. :D 

 

I gotta say though,

57 minutes ago, Mysfytt said:

As to who the dragon deems has a 'pure heart and selfless spirit' - your own thoughts and inclinations betray you in your comments - if you think it's selfish for a dragon to hold back what is its own property, you are probably a greedy person at heart and would shoot it if you met one and steal all you can lay your hands on because you deserve it. 

I think it's a bit unfair to call people who were critiquing this phrase (or just having some light-hearted fun, as some users were) as greedy and insinuate that they would poach dragons. The whole "pure heart and selfless spirit" is a very common cliché/trope in media (especially in fantasy), and I think some users felt that if the same line were used in a concept in DR, it would've been critiqued to hell and back as being "trying to make these dragons seem extra special". I find that a lot of these critiques are more or less coming from an upset over what many users feel that there is a different standard between DR dragons and non-DR dragons and are frustrated that many of the dragons currently in DR are being nit-picked to death. 

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20 minutes ago, Dalek Raptor said:

Okay, going to be honest. While I have no qualms against the Spriters and the artwork, this Release went horribly wrong. I will excuse the wrong egg being released but these dragons are a big slap in the face to the Dragon Requests

 

This is assuming that just because a sprite goes through DR crit hell, it deserves to be released and absolutely has to be. You know there are other underlying things TJ takes into account, and at the end of the day, what gets used is what he likes and feels like, right? If you think DR sprites should be entitled to release entirely for going through the higher level of scrutiny that sprites from unknown, potential wild-card artists kind of have to be subjected to, you're approaching it with the wrong mentality and of course you're gonna be upset.

 

Personally, I think the black truffles could use more polishing, sure, and the Pyrovars have an experimental pose and a hit-or-miss style, but I'm not mad or salty about this release. Are there things, including from DR, that I'd rather have seen released? Well, yes. Do I think these sprites deserve all the anger and salt that's been flung around in this thread? Heck no.

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1 minute ago, TCA said:

 

This is assuming that just because a sprite goes through DR crit hell, it deserves to be released and absolutely has to be. You know there are other underlying things TJ takes into account, and at the end of the day, what gets used is what he likes and feels like, right? If you think DR sprites should be entitled to release entirely for going through the higher level of scrutiny that sprites from unknown, potential wild-card artists kind of have to be subjected to, you're approaching it with the wrong mentality and of course you're gonna be upset.

 

Personally, I think the black truffles could use more polishing, sure, and the Pyrovars have an experimental pose and a hit-or-miss style, but I'm not mad or salty about this release. Are there things, including from DR, that I'd rather have seen released? Well, yes. Do I think these sprites deserve all the anger and salt that's been flung around in this thread? Heck no.

 

No, it doesn't deserve to be release and it doesn't absolutely have to be. I don't think anyone is implying that. But it is a bit frustrating to see the quality tolerance difference between established in-cave artists and the dragons going through DR. 

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5 minutes ago, TCA said:

 

This is assuming that just because a sprite goes through DR crit hell, it deserves to be released and absolutely has to be. You know there are other underlying things TJ takes into account, and at the end of the day, what gets used is what he likes and feels like, right? If you think DR sprites should be entitled to release entirely for going through the higher level of scrutiny that sprites from unknown, potential wild-card artists kind of have to be subjected to, you're approaching it with the wrong mentality and of course you're gonna be upset.

 

Personally, I think the black truffles could use more polishing, sure, and the Pyrovars have an experimental pose and a hit-or-miss style, but I'm not mad or salty about this release. Are there things, including from DR, that I'd rather have seen released? Well, yes. Do I think these sprites deserve all the anger and salt that's been flung around in this thread? Heck no.

 

i think people are more annoyed at the double standard going on, where in-cave sprites receive less quality control and are released compared to requests that get high critique for small details that in-cave artists are allowed to get away with

 

 It appears, to many of us outside observers, that in-cave artists can release things with poorer quality sprites that non in-cave artists would never be allowed to get away with, like the Pyro's hind legs. That would have been torn apart in dragon requests and the spriter sent back to do it again, but because it is a established in-cave artist that can bypass public critique, it gets released

 

that is what people are talking about. 

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.

idk man. I like the Pyrovar's pose. Have liked it since I first saw it. It's a pose you'd catch in the blink of an eye, a frame of a unique animation/movement, yeah? Not exactly something someone would be positioned at for some extended period of time or seen often (like a sitting pose, or a frame of a running/walk cycle for example). You'd be pretty amazed at some of the crazy stuff a body can really do when you take a larger movement and cut it down into its individual frames/components.

Pyrovar's pose is an example of that.

Shading style is a stylistic choice- everyone both in-cave and in DR has a different style from one another, yeah? If I had seen a sprite like that in DR (since everyone's talking about DR stuff?) I wouldn't have minded it because the way the shadows/highlights are, it's executed correctly, but just in the style of whatever artist. It's light blue, it's at a foreshortened angle and has a big shadow cast on it and is in a style similar to other things made by jotb. (Which I happen to be fond of that style, so...)

And ditto to TCA's sentiments. nice post 👍

 

It's concerning glancing back onto the forum after a while of being gone, at a new release and seeing such a negative thread. A new release is a new release; should be something to be happy about, regardless of if the dragon's your cup of tea or not... and if you've got some frustrations with something else with how the site's handled/art is handled/whatever, try not to take it out on the dragons (and by extension, artists) that got released. I don't think- scratch that, I know- I have ever seen a community react to new additions to a game quite like the way this one does... it's pretty disheartening. And that extends to sites  that I've worked for as well as games that I just enjoy as a player (that people pay for)... That's all I have to say to that though. Not really in the mood to debate, just to express my observations.

 

Bleh, whatever. No use rambling on. Anyway, congrats to JOTB and Mys. :) Nice seeing some more of your guys' work. Keep your chins up.

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4 minutes ago, High Lord November said:

 

No, it doesn't deserve to be release and it doesn't absolutely have to be. I don't think anyone is implying that. But it is a bit frustrating to see the quality tolerance difference between established in-cave artists and the dragons going through DR. 

 

I agree. I don't think anyone is saying that *any* DR requests 'deserve' to be released, especially if they aren't polished and finalized... But the fact is that DR concepts get nit-picked to death, constantly, over and over. While apparently already-in-cave artists can release concepts that, to the normal user, look unpolished and unfinished (and since the creator has even said it's not their best work and there are things that should be different.....). It does sort of seem like there is a big, obvious double-standard here.

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I absolutely adore the Black Truffle but I'm not sure if this has been noted yet and I'm not sure where to submit the error report... 

From the discription of TJ's Black Truffle 2ISNc

 

Quote

Black Truffle dragons are one of the rarest breeds—though this was not always the case. Once, these dragons were quite prolific, but their musky-smelling secretions were found to be useful in the making of perfumes and scented oils, leading the dragons to be hunted near the point of . Now, these dragons live far away from humans and will only share their oil with those they deem worthy of this gift, those possessing a pure heart and selfless spirit.



Where's the rest of the sentence? I'm assuming the missing word is "extinction"?

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