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Grapejuice
Level 71
The Kind-Hearted
Joined: 1/8/2016
Threads: 155
Posts: 22,907
Posted: 2/28/2019 at 12:47 PM
Post #1
Grapejuice
Level 71
The Kind-Hearted
Joined: 1/8/2016
Threads: 155
Posts: 22,907
Posted: 2/28/2019 at 12:47 PM
Post #2
Article Written by Grapejuice, Edited by Grapejuice
This months recap will be highlighting important things going on in Sylestia this month. An overview of the week fo love shall be included!
Week of Love
This month brought back the week of love! Many activities were open this month, many returning favourites from previous years. The winners have yet to be announced so keep an eye out for that coming up!
Candy Heart Set
Completely new for this year was the candy hearts! They could be found by battling various enemies in the Lost Grove, Astryl's Tranquility, and Sweet Blossom Orchard! If that wasn't for you, you could also nurture pets in the hopes of getting candy hearts.
Once you'd collected all 10 you could hand them in to get a rare prize! These prizes could be:
Although the event is over many hearts are still on the broker and if you get all 10 you can still hand them in for one of the prizes above!
Forum Contests and Games Sweet Sudoku
Sweet Sudoku made a comeback this year! It's always a fun challenge with rewarding prizes, keep a look-out for the winner's announcement if you participated this year!
Create A Love Pair
You had to create a lovely valentine inspired pair with no more than 6 trait points maximum. Then all entries would be put in a drawing and whoever's name gets pulled gets their pair generated! As the winners haven't been announced yet here's a couple of entries that caught my eye!
Floral Skunk Pair by Aerimistress
Dark Passion Ryori By Seaglass
These Un-named Purple Rikkis By Angelzrulez
Create a Sylesti Valentine
A personal favourite of mine, players are tasked with creating a sylestia themed valentine! This year we saw a ton of creative entries and I've decided to showcase a couple of my personal favourites in place of the winners that are to be announced sometime soon!
An adorable pop-up card By Scathreoite
A delicious looking chocolate candy valentine By Aerimistress
and a simply beautiful Nephini necklace By Lonefox
Cupid's Angelic Puffadore Themed Pets
These three themes have become a sort of icon for the week of love and are, sadly, being retired this year. They were purchasable for 1,000 diamonds from the diamond shop and will most likely not return next year or the years after that!
Heavenly Ferrikki
The brand new themed pet to accompany this week of love, they were one of the prizes from the candy heart set, or could be purchased from the diamond shop!
New Avatar Item Pre-Colours
We got two new avatar item pre-colours, Heavenly and Tenderheart, for the Cupid's Gallant, Lovely, and Eros Avatar Sets! They were prizes from the candy heart set game and up for sale on the diamond shop!
That's all for this month, and for the shortest month of the year, a lot got done! We'll be back in the next issue for March.
Edited By Grapejuice on 2/28/2019 at 2:57 PM.
Grapejuice
Level 71
The Kind-Hearted
Joined: 1/8/2016
Threads: 155
Posts: 22,907
Posted: 2/28/2019 at 12:47 PM
Post #3
Hello again, Limor here with the second ever designer's guide! This month I will be featuring an interview with well-known designer Upsidedownsarah. I will be showcasing the making of a design for a Qitiari and analyzing a popular theme from a while.
A few links to check out when making designs are:
Themed Pet Reference Pages by Xavion
Comprehensive Guide to Themed Pets by Lavelle
Guide to Themed Pet Contests by Scathreoite
~What makes a theme successful~
For this section, we will be taking a look at the Fresh Earth Vulynx. Most players (even the newbies) have heard of the Fresh Earth. It is one of the cheaper and more populated of the themes, I myself remember purchasing a Fresh Earth as one of my first themes.
Taking a look at the flat colours the design can appear somewhat bland without any traits, but this is to be expected with many designs.
When taking a look at the colour scheme you can find an array of browns with some speckles of green.
If you remember my tips from last months issue this design also follows having a similar colour scheme with only having a single colour (or slight colour variants) as a pop.
One of the best things that makes this design successful is the aesthetically pleasing colour scheme. The design fits the name, pushing the 'fresh earth' aspect of the design. The fresh greens, earthy browns, with darker browns hinting at perhaps a slightly wet ground from a new rain, brings forward an idea of a pleasing design. Even without knowing the name of the design you can get an idea of what the colour pallet itself is representing. Being able to get an idea of what the design is without knowing the name shows a truly successful design.
Another import aspect of the design is the way the colours work. The colours all fit well with all the traits and this is a MUST for all themed designs. You design cannot be a design if it is not accommodating to all (or almost all) the traits of a species.
~Basing off, an idea~
For this section I will show how I personally create a design off an idea.
With this design, I decided I wanted to make a "Muddy Rapids" Qitatri. The main idea for this was how water gets all muddy after snow melts and rushes. After doing some research online I finally decided upon how I would go about making my design.
This was the photo I used as reference but unlike last time I did not use a color picker and just eyeballed it.
In this design I wanted the orangy-tans and browns to be the focal point. I also wanted the blue to show up in the design and found the main of the Qitatri the perfect way to show this off. For the back and pelt I chose varying shades of an orangy brown. For the eyes I chose a brighter, some what unnatural, blue. The mane itself was a somewhat grey blue, complimenting the earthy colors. When making a design be sure that the colors are pleasing to the eye and work well with what your aiming for.
Now for the body colors I decided to work with the more earthy colors on g1 and g3. Having a tan on the g3 will create a nice offset on the slate blue and I made sure to pull the color to a more bright orange. The g2 I chose a darker blue-purple, creating a pleasing, but not distracting, addition to the color scheme. With all these colors I made sure to check each trait, ensuring that the colors worked well with each.
When choosing colors for the mutations you have to take in mind what colors will be showing up on them besides just the trait colors. With the m1 of the Quitari I had to keep in mind that the eye color would be making an appearance and to accommodate this I chose a paler tan which compliments the eye color well. For m2 I chose an orangy tan color, drawing back to the main body color and g3. For the m3 of the Qitari I chose a brighter blue, bringing a nice pop to the design.
Now for most species accent have little to no affect. For the few traits accents affects on the Qitari I made sure the colors fit with them. Now when showcasing the finished design (if you plan on entering it for the themed design contests!) Make sure to show six different traits for each gender.
~Interview with Upsidedownsarah~
For this month I will be showing an interview conducted with Upsidedownsarah. Below is some advice and tips from Upsidedownsarah on how to make a successful design and how to sell it.
What advice do you have for newer designers?
Try to design outside of your color/trait preferences sometimes, to improve your skills and increase your scope as a designer. Try to analyze what it is you like and dislike about designs, to help you better understand how to fine-tune your own. Finally, take the time to adjust the details and polish your work (this is honestly my weak point).
What inspires you to create designs, how do you choose what to make a design based off of?
I'm an absolute color addict, and for me traits are fun but it's all about color. For example, tonight I wanted to play in the generator, making vene designs. I pulled up a random color combo, fine-tuned it a bit, and chose traits. Then I ran it through a refining process, during which I completely changed up the colors twice--once for a stark black and white with pops of bright colors, and once for a vene in shades of blue and white like a collector's plate. I see things I like and take note of them, as I am going through my day. That way I have a never-ending source of inspiration. It can be as tiny as the color combo of my dog's eyes and fur as he lies in the shadow of my blanket. Or as sweepingly huge as the shadowed velvet darks of a night sky.
How do you figure out if a design will do well on the market?
Very honestly, I'm still figuring that out. Those who have bought max stats from me over the years know I like blue, and I learned the hard way that too much of one color in your sales stable is not good. I think people like to come in and see a variety, because it makes shopping more fun. So I try to do things I've never done before. For example, I am mildly famous for my blue puffs. But it got to the point where I was overrun with them. So the last puff project I started, I pulled inspiration from the Haunted Depths Ryori, one of my favorites. I created in shades of black and grey with pops of fluorescent greenish blue. Quite different from the others, but still artistically satisfying to me--and though the project is still finishing up, preliminary sales have been promising.
How do you decide colors and traits for your designs?
I believe the best designs come out of freedom and 'state of flow'--the state of mind where you aren't aware of yourself or really your surroundings, but only of the creative endeavor you are in at the time. So when I'm creating, I try things unreservedly, like a giant science experiment in a lab where you can change any variable you want freely (which is sort of what it is). I have learned to save designs periodically in this state, because my memory is sadly poor. Deciding colors is done based on lots of experimentation, hunches, and guesses. The nice thing is, this process gets refined as you do it over and over, and becomes more streamlined, saving you time and frustration. As for choosing traits, when I'm working with essences I try to choose newer traits as most people seem to prefer them. However, I will choose an older trait that fits the design better over a newer trait. The challenge is to get things balanced, so that the elements of the design create an impression of harmony and of unity in diversity, which I think is the basis of beauty in a design as visually complicated as most six vis designs are. It takes practice and lots of trial and error, plus a good dollop of creativity.
Is there anything else you'd like to say?
I honestly think when you are designing, it's important to balance what will sell with what pleases your heart. Why play a game and create a project that takes a year or more to complete, only to be looking at pets that don't appeal to you visually? That doesn't sound like fun. It's like a Venn diagram. You've got to find the common ground between what a majority of people like, and what you enjoy breeding. That's the sweet spot, and when you can hit it, it's satisfying. I love knowing people are enjoying the pets I create. That's the most satisfying of all.
--
If you have any questions feel free to message or ping me, Limor, and I will answer them in the next article!
Edited By Grapejuice on 2/28/2019 at 1:05 PM.
Grapejuice
Level 71
The Kind-Hearted
Joined: 1/8/2016
Threads: 155
Posts: 22,907
Posted: 2/28/2019 at 12:48 PM
Post #4
Article Written by Ingiman1, Edited by Grapejuice, Banner by Sweden
This month we have decided to spotlight Savynn! Savynn is always a friendly and helpful user that's open to chat. She's been around since practically the start and her work on collecting and preserving themes is our main focus today! So thanks Savynn for sticking around Sylestia and letting us interview you for this months issue.
Ingiman1: You're a big themed pet collector, what started you on the long path to collect a male and female of each theme? Savynn: I think it stemmed from previous games I've played where I wanted to be sure to have both male and female sprites. Since the males and females have different art in Sylestia it was something I wanted to do for completion.
Ingiman1: You've been around sylestia for a long time now, what would you say made you stick around? Savynn: I've really enjoyed being a player on this site from almost the beginning. It's been fun seeing how things change over time. One difference between Sylestia and other sites I've been on is that things are more accessible to people who can't always buy game currency like diamonds. I really appreciate that Krin took this into consideration. It can be more time consuming when you can't purchase diamonds directly with money but things are still possible by raising gold to then use at the currency exchange.
Sylestia also has a great community of friendly players!
Ingiman1: Any advice for new players and people trying to get into themed collecting or breeding? Savynn: I try to be really active during the fests so I have more options regarding the themed pets whether it's finding them in the zone or getting supplies for exclusive pets. It's good to also participate in as many contests or design entries as possible. If you can buy diamonds that can help immensely but if not then try to save up before fests. Be sure to watch stable space as well.
I still find breeding to be a bit tricky myself. I finally managed to breed 6-vis from a couple themed projects but I'm sure there's easier ways I could have done things. It'd definitely help to have an exceptional genetic test kit. There's players that will test for you but I think it's a lot easier to have your own particularly when you're breeding lots of offspring.
--
That was our interview with Savynn! Join us next month for the next player to be spotlighted!
Edited By Grapejuice on 2/28/2019 at 1:14 PM.
Grapejuice
Level 71
The Kind-Hearted
Joined: 1/8/2016
Threads: 155
Posts: 22,907
Posted: 2/28/2019 at 12:48 PM
Post #5
~Limor's Newbie Tips and Tricks~
Hello all! Welcome back to Limor's second tips and tricks for all who need help! Last month we discussed making money, fests, forums, and pet parties. This month we will be going over many other things newbies could find helpful.
~Referrals~
Although not many people may think of referrals I think they could be something fun for newer players (and some older players) to hear about! Referrals are a goal-setting type of thing where, when you invite your friends to play with you (and they accept!) you get some prizes out of it, as well as having a friend to have with you on your journey through sylestia. Your referral code can be found under 'account' on the section labeled 'referrals'.
~Newbie Mentoring~
Under the Q&A section of the forum you might have noticed the pinned thread named 'Newbie Mentoring'. Although the front thread itself is not updated the thread itself is still thriving. The mentoring thread is a great place for newbies to get started. You just post a form,
Screenname:
How Active are you?:
Mentor Preference (Optional):
How much help do you need? (Scale of 1-10, 10 being that you need Major Guidance):
Other:
and an older player will 'claim' you and you can ask this player for help whenever you need! This is also a great way to meet a friend and help get introduced into the community.
~General Chat~
General (or Gen) chat is a great place for newbies (and some older unaware players) to get to meet each other. Gen chat is place where players can talk and (as long as your polite and follow the basic rules!)
Gen chat is a great place to come together and you can often find me in it outside of school hours almost all the time! You can access general chat through the link provided or by clicking the little 'chatrooms' button on the bottom left corner of your screen.
If you have any questions I didn't answer feel free to check out the player guides which offer in-depth information on parts and the play-through of sylestia.
--
Also feel free to send in your questions and we will try to answer them in the next issue!
Edited By Grapejuice on 2/28/2019 at 4:49 PM.
Grapejuice
Level 71
The Kind-Hearted
Joined: 1/8/2016
Threads: 155
Posts: 22,907
Posted: 2/28/2019 at 12:48 PM
Post #6
Written by Orca2Whale, Edited by Grapejuice
Hey folks! So a little story; I was lazily wandering around trying to think of what themes and designers to showcase when a certain ryori (the guy on top) nipped me and pointed me towards a certain thread I hadn't checked on in a while. Going on over, I saw something I found interesting, a picture of a Ryori. And since I like to multitask, I grabbed one of today's featured designer's other designs (from a while back). And so, today I'll be showcasing the Mysterious Naiad Sylvorpa and the Champagne Candle Ryori, designed by Theafy!
Me: What was your inspiration for the themes? Theafy: I wasn't inspired by anything for the Sylvorpa. I just decided to go with soft pink, blue and white and see where it would take me.
I've gotten a couple of inspirations for the Ryori, actually. It was originally based off a wild ryo I found during Fall Fest 2017, I tried then tweaking and matching colours to see what I could make out of it. I found that blue + champagne gold was a cute combination, so I decided to use it as a design. A common misinterpretation, this theme was not based off the wine - it's based off the champagne gold colour.
Me: Did you already know what you wanted them to look like before you even started desgining? Theafy: Most of the part, yes. The Sylvorpa didn't turn out exactly how I was imagining it would since I got feedback from other players and switched colours and did some tweaking before finalizing my design.
For the Ryori, I did have a vague idea in mind and I knew I wanted the theme to have a blue base with creamy-gold aura. But I went with what looked best to me when comparing different trait combinations.
Me: How easy was it to create the themes? Theafy: Oh gosh, vorpas are hard to design. Most definitely not easy I can say haha. Even now I look at my design with particular trait combinations and think of how much of an idiot I was, lol. But again it's virtually impossible to create a design to make all trait combinations look good. I tried my best. Creating a theme isn't easy, I would say...designing a theme to look good is hard. I usually try making themes that have different colour combinations and are distinct from other existing themes. I had to go through a lot of editing and tweaking for sure for the ryori.
Me: Did you expect to have your desgins chosen? Theafy: I did have high hopes, but I wasn't expecting it. Especially since half of the name for the sylvorpa was changed I was genuinely surprised when I found out it was my design.
But then again, I never expect any of my designs to get chosen. I do always have a spark of hope, should I say? That some of my designs in particular may get chosen. The Champagne Candle was one of them, so I am really proud and happy about it.
Thanks, Theafy!
So, how did themes come about? Where did the idea for player contests for the best themes come from? After some thought (and some serious debate), I went and PM'd Krinadon, who replied back with the following answer.
Krinadon: The first ever was the Reindeer Qitari all the way back in 2012/early 2013 when we first launched. Since it was over the winter holidays in December, we put together a little bit of a holiday event.
At some point, we thought it'd be neat to have special Qitari appear during one of the battling events that was coloured like a Reindeer.
People loved it and so the idea continued to evolve as we've tried to cater to that player demand."
Now that's something! And just look at it now, dozens upon dozens of themes and more every year, with the many festivals each having their own design competitions.
Who knew that just a single Qitari idea could blossom into this awesome part of Sylestia that oh-so-many players can't get enough of?
That's it for now! If you'd like to suggest a themed pet, designer, or even a specific themed (nope I'm not gonna judge you if you want your odd-looking, crazy-coloured theme to become famous), just PM me, I'm always open
Edited By Grapejuice on 2/28/2019 at 1:38 PM.
Grapejuice
Level 71
The Kind-Hearted
Joined: 1/8/2016
Threads: 155
Posts: 22,907
Posted: 2/28/2019 at 12:48 PM
Post #7
Each issue we have a small games section for you guys to play around with and hopefully have some fun playing!
Cryptogram By: Lalalanmao
Cryptogram will return next month. For now just a reminder of last months cryptogram in case you missed it!
Sylestia Go - The Game! By: Grapejuice
I'll be posting three pictures off of google maps with a sylesti in them. You have to guess where that sylesti is! Send Grapejuice your guesses and anyone who has it correct will be put into a draw and receive some prizes. Winners to be announced next issue so stay tuned!
Congratulations to Vigil for winning last months round! Your prizes will be sent to you by Limor!
Edited By Grapejuice on 2/28/2019 at 2:10 PM.
Grapejuice
Level 71
The Kind-Hearted
Joined: 1/8/2016
Threads: 155
Posts: 22,907
Posted: 2/28/2019 at 12:48 PM
Post #8
Ask Sadie Written by Grapejuice & Sadie
As the only sylesti on our staff Sadie has the inside look on a sylesti's life, so feel free to send in questions for her to answer! Just PM any questions to Grapejuice, and in the next issue, Sadie will answer them with a sylesti's perspective!
Do you have a favourite sport to play? "Well, I just LOVE to play fairy ball, which is a fun sport where a fairy mushroom is mixed in upon poisonous mushrooms and the two teams have to find the fairy mushroom first then get it to their side! I'm very good at finding the fairy mushroom."
What's the funniest thing you've done? "Okay, don't tell anyone but I once thought my tail was a vulnyx trying to steal my food so I chased it around for hours! Grapejuice couldn't stop laughing about it for days!"
If you could have any magic power what would it be? "Well silly I already have a magic power! I'm attuned to water after all, but I gotta say I love being able to create a massive tidal wave!"
Edited By Grapejuice on 2/28/2019 at 2:22 PM.
Grapejuice
Level 71
The Kind-Hearted
Joined: 1/8/2016
Threads: 155
Posts: 22,907
Posted: 2/28/2019 at 12:48 PM
Post #9
Syestia Times Comics
Annually
A little teaser Valentine strip for Sweden's Annually comic, where years, days of the week and other time-related things have human personifications! First page coming next month.
Edited By Grapejuice on 2/28/2019 at 3:22 PM.
Grapejuice
Level 71
The Kind-Hearted
Joined: 1/8/2016
Threads: 155
Posts: 22,907
Posted: 2/28/2019 at 12:48 PM
Post #10
Pm Grapejuice with an ad that you would like featured in the times! It can be a stable sale, an auction, anything!
Edited By Grapejuice on 2/28/2019 at 4:48 PM.
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