Breaking News


I hope you are enjoying the festival so far :)


This month 28 new mutations and 20 new genes have been added to the game this month. You can check them out here, here, and here


Be sure to get October's Monthly avatar item sets. One set is 950 while the other is 1,050.

FORUM UPDATE:
The forum has completely been revamped! read here


With the fall festival comes a new fabled species, the ryori. You can only find it in the wild during the fall festival in the fall festival zone. After that they will need to be obtained via essences or through breeding.



"Ryories are very light-hearted and mellow creatures. However, they will take every available opportunity to play tricks on unsuspecting Sylestians. Due to their ghostly nature, scaring and pranking innocent explorers is a very easy accomplishment for them." Find more information here


The fall festival features 15 holiday themed sylesti one for each species. There are also 34 avatar items ready to be found in the festival.



There are current six named available for battle in the fall zone, each drop random items such as unique avatar items or equipment."Named are much stronger than regular enemies, so take precautions. When defeated, they always drop at least a Rare piece of Equipment or better. They also have a chance of dropping certain Avatar Items from the festival."

Also don't forget to play the festival games Faiona has provided
Monster Mash
Wordsearch
Animals That Migrate
Create a Fall Themed Pair
Create a 3 Visable Ryori
Stud Muffin Breeding
Pumpkin Carving
Coloring Page
Fall Sylestia Art Contest



Article by Cerberus

Behind the Scenes - Interview with Protectrix

1)How did you become an artist? Was there something that inspired you?
Protectrix: I first wanted to become an artist because I saw a lot of amazing illustration, books, comics, games, animation and pictures in general around me. I wanted to be able to make the things I saw. I think for kids of my generation (90s kids and onwards!) who are interested in art, the internet really was, and is, such a wonderful resource for just seeing what is possible and learning about different styles and techniques.

I totally went through the whole deviantart-sparkledog-fursona phase in my tweens, and I'm not ashamed of it - at least for me, it was such an motivating and productive culture in which to learn to draw.

I've changed a lot artistically since then, though. My high school had a super intense art program that really opened my mind to art history and theory, and how artists in all mediums and in all eras can influence human society and use art to discuss social issues and bring about change. Now I'm a painting major in college, and the stuff I generally make is actually really different from anything I do for this site - a lot more "fine art" rather than "illustration". But I do really like drawing for Sylestia: it's just fun and fulfilling to make something beautiful that will be enjoyed by other people.

2) How did you start doing backgrounds for Sylestia?
Protectrix: Heheh. I started playing Sylestia early this year and was like, dang, I really dig this game! I wish I could draw stuff for it, I would selfishly like to see my own art on this site. So I took a chance and sent Faiona a message all like, "Hey, would you like to hire me" with some examples of my work. And Krin and Fai took a chance on me and here I am today. :>

3) Recently, the latest two zones have backgrounds that change depending where you are. What are your thoughts regarding it?
Protectrix: Tbh, I haven't gotten to the recent two zones yet. I think it's great, though, as a way to create a sense of place and world immersion. It's really this sort of attention to detail that makes people attached to a game.

4) Could you describe the steps you take when drawing the background?
Protectrix: - Read Krin and Fai's description of what they want - they get the first and last word on what the background should be like.
- Pay a lil visit to my good friend google image search and collect a whole lot of references for what I'm going to draw - here are some of the references I looked at for the lake piece, for example.
I tend to look at both photographs and other artworks.
- Small greyscale sketch - a value study to figure out composition and lighting. Here's a couple from the orchard

- When Krin & Fai like it, I start adding colours and blow it up to the full resolution. Take a hard edged brush and paint in areas of colour, paying attention to darkness/lightness and saturation, and add details. I tend to start from the bits that are furthest away in the picture, and work towards the foreground until everything is fleshed out.

5) Do you have a finished idea in your head before you start or does it come to you as you work?
Protectrix: I usually have a vague general idea after reading Krin/Fai's descriptions - I've looked at a lot of landscape painting and photography and illustration over the years so I have a pretty good memory-library of the kind of image that I want to produce. It definitely develops more as I work though.

6) Was there a particular style that Krin and Fai requested?
Protectrix: They wanted me to match the style of earlier artwork for already released zones, which were done by a different artist, so I figured out a way to work without lineart and with sharp edges.

7) How long does it take to complete a piece?
Protectrix: Usually about three hours, more or less. I just put on some good music and chug away.

8) Which would you say was the most challenging to do?
Protectrix: Probably the map I did for the Astryl's Vale town/city page - it required a level of detail and accuracy that I don't usually push myself to draw. I had to rely on a lot of references for architecture and buildings, and at the same time use my imagination to figure out composition and lighting.

9) Do you have a favorite background?
Protectrix: I'm actually really proud of the above (town map) precisely because it was so hard.

10) Of the future regions we can see on the map, is there one in particular you're excited about doing backgrounds for?
Protectrix: all of them!! But particularly the mountains and desert, I think. I went on a long backpacking trip in some mountains this summer and completely fell in love with mountains and rocks. And I've never been in a desert, but I really, really want to. I think to be out in the middle of all that flatness and heat and sky must be one of the most amazing natural landscapes you could ever experience. Or draw.

11) Anything you would like to say to readers?
Protectrix: You guys are so lovely! This game deserves you, and you deserve it completely. (-:

Article by Starfall

Behind the Scenes - Creation of the Ryori

Pets are the most important aspect of Sylestia. When you first join you create your starter pet. You catch pets, breed pets, modify pets, and gear pets and use them for battle. Everyone has their favorite species and favorite genes and mutations. The Sylesties range from being based on the adorable papillon to large intimidating dragons. And then this 25th, the Ryori was released. This beautiful species seems not based on anything and it was designed to be that way. When a new species comes out I think it's easy to wonder what the process of creating Selesties is like. This article explores how the Ryori was created.

Vella is the artist behind the new species. Faiona first sent her a description of what she's looking for with the new pet and a list of references saying what she likes about each one. Below is the description sent to Vella.


New Species - Ghostly Pet
Description - This pet is for the Fall Festival, so we wanted it to have a more mysterious/spooky theme to it. I want the pet to be very ethereal/smoky...I was envisioning it being part corporal and part incorporeal...kinda like how a typical genie is portrayed. Where their bottom half is smoky and the top half is a human.
I've googled various things...and we've talked about it either being a type of ghostly bird or some type of animal/creature altogether. Finding reference pictures I kinda like the idea of weird looking creature more than a bird. If anything I would almost like it to be some type of mishmash made up mythical creature, so that someone can't say that it's definitely a dog or a cat etc.


Vella thinks about the idea in her head and starts her sketches in a program called SAI. This is what she usually uses for Sylestia if the project calls for line work. As Vella sketches, Faiona watches the process via livestream. Three sketches were made for this one each exploring different ideas. While the sketches were worked on, Faiona discussed with Vella what she wanted the design to look like. Then a sketch was chosen which would be the basis of the new pet. The sketch chosen would be the basis of the male Ryori.

The sketches of what would be the female and hatchlings needed to be done next. Vella suggested making the babies wisplike. She imagined them to be floating babies that would like to cling to your shoulder so they don't have to float everywhere. She further explained "the babies often get tired from floating so will often grab onto the shoulders of passerbys with a friendly chirp."


I should take a moment to explain what a layer is for those who don't know. Found in certain programs like SAI, Photoshop, or GIMP, layers are transparent and can be used for editing an image without making direct changes. Multiple layers can be used and you can either hide or show them as needed. This gives a lot more freedom in editing your work. Layers are used in creating a Sylesti as you'll see.

After Vella was done with sketches, the next step was inking. Vella explained, "It's basically cleaning up the sketch into usable lines". The sketch brought up and the lines were made paler. Over this, in a new layer, Vella starts inking using Pen. She started with the eyes then proceeded with rest of the head, the chest, back, hind legs (applicable only with the adults), and then finally front legs. Spaces were left on the legs where little flames would be filled in later during coloring as well as as spaces left along the back and where the tail would be.

After the inking, it was time for coloring and shading. The color was added in another layer. Vella carefully erased excess that spilled over the inked lines. Part of the coloring extended into what would be the start of the tail. The Blur tool was used where the gaps were left in the lines. The base of the tail was also Blurred and then AirBrushed. An opposite colored background was used to check work when needed. The eyes, orbs, and claws were colored in a different layer. The eyes were made to have a glowing effect by having the color spill out and then using Blur.

The colored eyes/orbs/claws layer was hidden and the layer with the sketch brought back up. Using the sketch, in the outline for the tail was done using Pen. The sketch layer was then hidden and the tail touched up and blended onto the back first with Blur and then Eraser. Finally, the flames were added to the feet. The background was brought back up again to check the new work.

The sketch was used again to make the mane in another new layer in the same color as the tail. Once the mane looked right, the sketch was hidden and the mane was blended. Finally, it was checked with the background along with the tail layer.

This is when the shading began. The layers of the tail and mane were hidden. A dark shadow is added to each orb using the AirBrush tool in a different layer. Then the shadows were smoothed out using the Eraser. The same is then done to the claws and then the rest of the body. The shadows of the body were blurred to soften them. Then using Eraser, a then edge of the shadows along the edge of the body were erased creating highlights. The Eraser was then used for further blending. All the colored and shaded layers were brought up to see what the pet looked like at this point. The mane and tail layers were hidden and a new layer started for highlighting using the AirBrush. The Ryori's color was switched to black see how the highlighting looked and doing any needed touch ups. Then with the mane and tail layers included, the Sylesti is switched to white and the flames behind the feet and some shading were touched up with Eraser.

Finally, the orbs had their smoke effect added. A big dab of the same color used for the mane, tail, and feet flames were added to each orb. They're selected and Blur was used to smooth the color. Eraser was then used to selectively remove bits of color.

The pet at this point needed genes and mutations. The genes were worked on first. Nebula was done by first adding color to the side of the body and using AirBrush to soften the edges. Eraser was used to remove bits creating the nebulous appearance. Pen was used to add the stars. Shock Runes was done carefully with Pen and then the pet was AirBrushed. Marbled was made using Pen and then Eraser. Kitsune and Double Stripes were also done carefully using Pen. The mutations are done in the same manner as the pet. It goes from sketching to inking to coloring and then to shading and highlighting. The mutations are chosen based on if the species was real and are inspired by the overall theme.

The egg has to use the same base as the other species so they're the same size and shape. Fabled pets get special eggs that share a characteristic of the pet that emerges. Thus for the Ryori egg, a ghostly aura was added.

In order to upload the image files to the site and begin the process of adding a new species, a name must be chosen first. Since the Ryori seemed vaguely Japanese in physical appearance, Krinadon decided to think of a Japanese sounding name. When thinking of a name for a new species, Krinadon said, "I start with a letter or syllable and try to piece together the word through that. Once I figure out how I want it to sound, I play around with the letters to tweak it into a final thing. In this case, he decided on a 'r' or 'ry' sound that also sounded cute and playful. When the name, "Ryori", was finally chosen, Krinadon and Faiona both agreed that they liked the name and thus it was chosen for the new species.

After the name is decided, stats are then figured out. Originally, every species had completely balanced stats. However, as the number of species increased, Krinadon decided to change methods as there are only so many combinations of numbers. Krinadon now scales the stats of a new species against other Sylesties and then plugs numbers in until he's satisfied. Usually, this means giving the new species a little bit of higher stats to help generate extra interest. Krinadon stated that the stat system will be redone in the future in order to be a balanced method again. The stats for the Ryori were chosen with the idea that they would be a high intelligence, high agility pet. Krinadon then orders the stats from highest to lowest. In this case, from highest to lowest, it would be agility, intelligence, dexterity, and strength.

Lastly, Krinadon and Faiona write out the descriptions for the new species based on on how the pet would behave, which is determined by either its appearance, its location, or both. Krinadon explained, "Since the Ryories are ghostly and only appear once a year, their description centered around being very mystical and ghostly (like, floating, playing tricks, etc)."


Article by Savynn

User Spotlight



This month Sheechwan is our User Spotlight. Now, unlike most, Shee was not chosen for one thing that she's done. She was chosen because of everything she's done. She has been a help to many projects on the forums and I've heard many newbies say that she's helped immensly. Unfortunatley, I couldn't inteview Sheechwan this month. Why? She has not been active. Mylia logged into her account and sent all of Shee's friends a message. "Shee has not left Sylestia, she's just having some hard personal issues. She'll come back when she's ready." Is what Mylia told us. So, though I couldn't interview her, I can still Spotlight her. I hope this helps her feel better when she does come back.

Thank you for all you do Shee.

Article by Everlost


Newbie Spotlight




Everlost: How did you find out about Sylestia?

Aquira: I have always been a fan of RPG type fantasy based games, and also enjoy "pet based" games, so when I happened upon your banner on my HOWRSE game, I decided to have a look!

Everlost: What made you want to join?

Aquira: Well, as I pointed out, I like the combination of pet and RPG type games. In particular, I was attracted to the custom-ability of the pets, and wide varieties and available colors.

Everlost: What were your first impressions?

Aquira: I wasn't exactly sure what to expect when I decided to explore the site. So many games that are "free" to play are nearly impossible to get anywhere without spending money to play them. I half expected this to be the same, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that the game has an actual plot with chronological coherence, to go with the fun anticipation of gathering and advancing pets and quests!

Everlost: Do you like the community on Sylestia?

Aquira: As the game is new to me, I have not taken much time really in exploring the social aspect of the game, but I imagine as with any game, the longer I play, the more likely it will be that I will run into a player or several that I will get along and perhaps befriend, though socialization for me is not my priority. This has nothing to do with not wanting to be and more to so with time constraints!!

Everlost: Are you enjoying the Fall Festival?

Aquira: Again, being new to the game, and unable to spend cash to play, my advancement is ever so slightly hampered, but I look forward to a time when I, one, have more time, and two am far enough into the game and familiar enough with it to truly enjoy the full benefits of the fall festival. In the meantime, it seems like a lot of fun!

Everlost: Do you plan to keep playing for a while?

Aquira: I hope to keep on, the game seems promising to me so far. It has a nice aspect of being able to be easily .put down and picked up from one moment to the next, something that a lot of the more complicated games out there have not. Many of those games seem to be time and or attention intensive if you want to advance or earn the "good stuff" and that is regardless of whether or not you pay to play, its just harder by some degree if you don't pay. I look forward to seeing what will happen in the game and will continue to enjoy it for as long as possible!



Article by Everlost

Flute's Notes!
Hi Sylestians, welcome to the October issue of the Sylestia Times, smack dab in the middle of the Fall Festival. If you havent experienced it just yet, its a full two weeks (plus a few days) of forum events and limited zone specials, not including the recent genes and mutations influx for all species across the board! It can overwhelm any of us, but here are some tips to get you on your feet for the festivities.

Newbie Tips
What people dont realize is that to get the most out of their festival zone runs, they have to prepare themselves to be in there for awhile and expect a myriad of things to pop up. Shops may require gold from you, or constant grinding of certain spawns or bosses may require you to stay in the area for the entire two weeks. Do take care to have enough supplies to be comfortable in the zone!

-Use a team youre comfortable with in the Festival Zone.
The Festival Zone is made to scale to the average level of your party. That being said, go with a team youre comfortable with. Whether its your current exploration team for the mainstream story, or a new set of Level 0 pets with Esiors Haven gear (wink wink nudge nudge), youre going to roam the zone and walk each square back and forth, and probably run into an infinite amount of enemies. Most people take the time to level up their pets. Others use the highest level pets they can use for better pet rarities. However, its important to use a party that makes you feel comfortable, because youre going to be fighting hundreds of battles as you explore the zone.

-Always keep traps handy!
Many players sigh when they see a beautiful sylesti, but have no traps to catch them, or use them all and fail at catching them. I always keep around a fair number of traps if ever the case a Sylesti comes up that Id want to catch, or sell, since festival pets can be quite a pretty penny. Buying multiple traps can be costly, but I advise having at least 5 traps (the higher the class, the better (purple > blue > green traps)) at all times, so if you must, make frequent trips to and from towns to reload on traps.

Good number of traps: 5~10 of any trap, have multiple of each color!

Average number of traps it may take to catch a pet: Probably more than 2-3 if theyre stubborn. FD

Possible rate of running away: 50/50 (thats what it feels like)

Not every pet encounter will be a successful catch, nor will you think a pet is pretty enough to catch, which is fine, so save your traps. However, make sure you always have several on hand!

^Protip: DO NOT weaken the pet TOO much for the sake of catching it. Ive seen many players ACCIDENTALLY kill a very pretty pet in attempts to catch them, or they just run away regardless of damage done. You can hit it a few times, but take care NOT to kill it. Throwing traps at them regardless of health is still effective.

Advanced Advice:
If youve been here for the summer festival, the same tactics from the zone phase still applies. Camp named, kill placeholders, walk around lots, etc etc, while memorizing where everything is. Heres my tips for you vets, hopefully things that will be helpful to you. :P

-Wanna save MP? Stay in a battle!
Have you ever wanted to save your full MP bar during your stay in a zone, but had to have it deplete because you had to go afk (away from the computer) or something? If you have no problem with the HP of your party, then heres a little cheat for you: when you stay in battle, although your HP doesnt increase like it does outside of battle, your MP doesnt decrease. You can use that to your advantage by setting up a battle for your pets to have full health and MP and the enemy just one move away from defeat, so that when you come back to the battle after being away, you can kill the enemy then and there with one move, then jump straight into the zone with full HP and MP!

I think its helpful when you want to quickly unload Finishing Moves on nameds that respawned while you were gone. Its just me, but Id like to share the tactic with you.

-Hoard any event items you find. Sell them early for the highest profit!
I bet Im breaking an unsaid rule about gamers economy, but event-exclusive items are the MOST expensive at the START of the event (in almost ANY MMO!). So if you dont need any event items but want gold, dont be afraid to sell it. I recommend posting your item in the Item Auctions forum to know its true value, rather than go by the trade brokers information (but to each their own; if youre market-savvy, all power to you!). Youll be helping completionists fill their collection early, and getting gold as a reward. C:

^Protip: If youre the type that just likes giving out stuff, by all means, give them out for free. Youll be making many people who are down on their luck (MANY players believe they have bad luck because they dont get anything the first few days they play in the festival) happy, and I think theres something to be said about generous samaritans. C:

I hope you all enjoy your Fall Festival experiences. It truly is something to celebrate and if you love Sylestia, youll definitely want to be around for these weeks. I wish you luck in finding items and pets and winning in forum games, and remember to check the forums for any new info. Keep on reading and playing, Sylestians!

Article by Flute


Ask Isabell


Isabell: "Hello, I hope everyone is having a good month. This month we got two questions from our readers. Both required me to report and ask Krinadon questions, so I would like to thank him for answering for us.

Question one comes from reader Savynn."

Savynn: How are you supposed to pronounce "Draeyl"?

Krinadon: Draeyl is supposed to be pronounced "Drale", with a long a - like the word "Shale"... or "Ale".

"Question two comes from reader Kittencannonz."

Kittencannonz: When will the site most likely be 100% updated, not just homepage and task log?

Krinadon: Hm, that's a tough question lol. Probably sometime January or February. But in between now and then we have the Fall Festival, Winter Festival, Glimmerdeep Caverns, and the Astryl Vale's dungeon. We started with pretty much the hardest page to revamp (Forums), so it should be faster for other pages that we revamp.

"I hope we answered your questions this week and be sure to ask questions for next month's newspaper."

Custom Design Spotlight

In case you didn't know, Katherineac received a Custom Gene Order from the Eggling Auction. She then made a thread in the Custom Design Discussion section of the Forums. In this thread she remarks that she doesn't know what to request with her Custom Order. So, instead of choosing by herself, she's asking for the community's opinion. She's included a few species in her poll, they are the species that she likes the most. Not many have posted their opinion, but enough have to give a general idea of what people want. So far Puffadores, Lunemaras, and Ryoris seem to be getting the most votes.

From what I understand, Katherineac isn't going to go directly off of the votes. She may or may not choose a different species than the most popular one. This will just influence her decision. In fact, on her post it says that she's 'open to bribes'. Though it also says that she doesn't know what she wants. So this may or may not be true.

So far, only certain species have been suggested. No one has actually requested a certain custom design. I don't know if anyone plans to, but I think that getting suggestions for designs and species was Katherineac's initial intent. I'm not sure what she'll do if she only gets suggestions for species.

However, all this aside, if you haven't already voted, please do so!

Wanna vote? Click the link!



This is, of course, mostly speculation. I didn't have time this month to interview Katherineac in person. If Katherineac reads this and I've gotten the facts wrong, please Katherineac, feel free to message me and I'll make sure to change whatever you ask. :)


Article by Everlost

Passion for Fashion

Hello my fashion hungry friends! With fall just starting its a great time to break out those yellows, reds, and browns! This months brownie set is perfect for a mystical fall look, and is great paired up with the newly released gnarling vines, its like the two were made for each other! Throw in a pumpkin staff and youll look like a lovely, crisp autumn fairy.

If youre looking for something a little more modern, I recommend some of the newest items from the fall festival! The adventurers fall outfit is available from the festival vendor, and decks your avatar out with sweater and scarf sure to keep you warm in the autumn breeze. Good thing too, because that Essences of Wind looks absolutely fabulous with it.

Avatar Spotlight

I stumbled across this beauty made by Lehana in the Forums and was stunned. The Reds, browns, and subtle greys match up perfectly, and she made great use of several different avatar sets. The whole outfit is topped with a cute bob cut that just makes the look.


October Contest Winners
We had our inaugural round of the Dream Avatar Contest, and boy did we get some great entries to start it off with a bang! To celebrate the holiday, this months theme was Halloween costumes! Man was it hard picking winners, because youre all so beautiful!


1st Place: Lunarshinobi

A ghost of revenge rises on the night of hallow's eve, with the spirits of the betrayed and injured billowing behind her, seeking out those that wronged another and delivering judgement

Her ghost is hauntingly beautiful and chilling all at once, incredibly well done.


2nd Place: Marsandin
I'm the king of pumpkins, you'd better beware.
You'd better be careful, I don't always play fair.


How could I resist, youd think she could read my mind with that brownie set with the vines and pumpkin staff.


3rd Place: Chidori


This avatar makes great use of the elegant dress and incense burner, and combined with the hood it creates a wonderful eerie look thats just right for the season.

A fantastic job to everyone, thank you so much for participating! Keep an eye out, Novembers Dream Avatar Contest will be posted up in the next week and I expect to see some more stunning designs from everyone!

Tune in next month for more extraordinary avatar highlights and fashion tips! Toodles for now, my fabulous fashion padawans~


Article by Ash

OmNomNomNomNomNomNomNom....nomnomnom...

How many of you are curious about the Mysterious "OmNomNom" that swept through all of our stables and Hatcheries and literally ATE all of our 1k and below pets-for-sale? I managed to get a hold of this mysterious "Player"(NPC People. Don't go spamming an NPC account's inbox. It's not Polite.)
With the ever amazing Faiona as our...Let's go with translator? Interpreter, maybe? ...Whatever the case of what the ever amazing Fai played part as, She helped a whole lot and deserves credit. So Credit I shall give her! Now, Let us move on to the actual interview instead of me going on and on about what role Fai played.

Reporter Chi: First Question, OmNomNom, How did you get so rich?! *Is totally broke*
OmNomNom: Well, Krinadon simply added gold to my account. Picture Krin sliding me a bunch of sacks of gold and telling me to have at it. Over 5 million gold, and Not a Penny left in my Wallet!
Reporter Chi: I feel ya. Alright, Next. Why'd you eat all those pets?
OmNomNom: See my last answer? Krin sliding me all that gold? That should be answer enough. Krin explained it very thoroughly in the post he made about all the eaten pets.
Reporter Chi: Figures. Well, got a Back-story us Sylestian's can know?
OmNomNom: Nope, Not really. Just a girl given a lotta gold to do a spur of the moment thing.
Reporter Chi: Right. Now for a pressing Question!
OmNomNom: Should I be scared?
Reporter Chi: OmNomNom, Is that your REAL name?!
OmNomNom: It depends on how you look at it. Earned me a lot of laughs though!
Reporter Chi: Your Avie, Adorbs!
OmNomNom: ...How am I supposed to answer that?
Reporter Chi: Any inspiration?
OmNomNom: I am a 'pretty' grim Reaper, but not so much dark and morbid as a..."Collector" of pets, rather than souls.
Reporter Chi: Cool! ...Now, That GIF on your profile. It had me laughing for at least ten straight minutes! Any comments to that?
OmNomNom: ....
Reporter Chi: None? None at all? Well, all right then. I declare this interview done!
OmNomNom: Finally!
Reporter Chi: I shall pretend to not be offended.

Article by Chidori