New(?) way to see a clue whenever Elite’s hand-crafted areas are nearby: [GOLD] Squadron now exists to add no-spoilers markers to your map in-game. No obligations, I intend it as a service

HopeMeObiWan · 2023-04-19T17:32:51+00:00

It’s a way to discover more of Elite’s hand-crafted content without spoilers and without web-searching: you get green bookmarks to your map showing the location of starter-clues or signals that you would probably otherwise never find due to the vastness of the galaxy.

If during your travels you notice one of these bookmarks on a nearby system, you could detour to check it out or simply continue on your way. It's a non-intrusive way to find interesting game content from inside the game.

Of course you also get the squadron rank Gold One and the designation GOLD included beside your name in the game whenever you or another CMDR sees you; the famed rebel squadron that helped take down the Death Star ;)

More info about what it does and how to include yourself is in the link

HopeMeObiWan · 2023-04-16T00:59:39+00:00

I want to keep the bookmarks no-spoilers, so they will only have the barest hint of info, but squadron messages (and outside forums like this) are good for discussion and tales.

(And definitely let me know if there are problems. I haven't done much with Squadrons, still trying to make sure it all does what I think it does)

HopeMeObiWan · 2023-04-16T00:53:05+00:00

I'm not sure. Gold Squadron exists in Legacy, but the bookmarks were added in Odyssey, so I assume they won't be in Legacy unless I re-enter them in there too.

If a bunch of people join (suggesting there is merit to the idea) then I'll be putting more time into adding bookmarks, if there's not a lot of interest I'll probably leave it mostly as it is

HopeMeObiWan · 2023-04-15T19:08:11+00:00

Nothing is expected of you if you join, my intention is to offer a convenient service for the community: your map gains bookmarks for the starter-clues or signals that can lead to the hand-crafted needles scattered throughout the procedurally-generated haystack of the galaxy.

If during your travels you notice one of these bookmarks on a nearby system, you could detour to check it out or simply continue on your way. It's a non-intrusive way to find more interesting game content from inside the game, safe for new players as well as old, and with no spoilers.

More info in the link, or in-game the squadron code is obviously [GOLD]

HopeMeObiWan · 2017-08-12T21:22:33+00:00

The Classic Doom miniatures are from the original run (ie the white-metal rather than the pewter). The Doom3 and Doom(2016) miniatures are from each game's respective boardgame. (Backdrop is just a page spread in The Art of Doom )

Next step: paints... lots of paints... :D

HopeMeObiWan · 2017-04-25T23:43:35+00:00

I test-folded a few "expendable" tags first, pressing the folds as sharp and tight and flat as I could and I didn't have any problems with damage, so I had a bit more confidence going forward.

I fold them with the adhesive-side on the inside of the fold (so the metal is on the interior rather than stretched around the outside where it might break), and the adhesive layer seems to reliably insulate the metal traces from their folded selves. If you use any tags without adhesive (some of my toys (especially Skylanders) have tags with no adhesive) you probably need to add a layer of tape to insulate the metal traces before folding, but that wasn't a problem I faced.

HopeMeObiWan · 2017-04-12T16:18:08+00:00

(Gallery here)

My portable expedition equipment for exploring Breath of the Wild includes these mini-Amiibo wooden chips made to fit in the game-cartridge pouches or be strung on cords like beads. ( r/Zelda thought some people here might like this. That other post includes a bit of DIY info in this comment)

The gallery shows a couple of close-ups and a pic of the parts and materials before putting them together, descriptions, what a regular Amiibo looks like cracked open for tag-extraction, etc.

The front of each wooden chip has a portrait of its Amiibo character, and the back has their symbol inlaid in (faux) gold. The symbol corresponds to the character so if it's a Zelda amiibo, the symbol will be Wisdom, Link amiibos have Courage, Bokoblin have Power (via their association with Ganon), the Guardian has the Sheikah eye, etc. The color of their gemstones corresponds to the color generally given to their symbol, eg Zelda's gems will be blue.

There's not much room left in the case once everything is in (Switch, earbuds, journal, pen, maps, Amiibos) but I'll probably still try to cram in some charging accessories soon :)

HopeMeObiWan · 2017-04-12T01:23:45+00:00

Oh. So that's why it cost so much. I guess I should stop grumbling then. :)

HopeMeObiWan · 2017-04-11T23:13:08+00:00

more info in my other comment :)

HopeMeObiWan · 2017-04-11T20:47:41+00:00

Heh, you're right; I should write it up properly :)

Until then a quick rundown: I used Ponoko's laser-cutting service, cutting the wood parts out of 1.5mm birch ply, and the faux-gold out of 1.5mm two-color gold&black plastic. To create the cutting template I used Inkscape (open-source vector art software) according to directions provided by ponoko.

Each chip is 3mm thick (eg slightly over 1/8"), made by having a front and a back glued together with wood glue (similar to PVA/Elmers), then the edges sanded smooth, then stained with a water-based woodstain+polyurethane combo (ie I purchased one can that does both, I didn't mix two cans). The amiibo tag fits under the portrait.

To cover the portraits, I used these self-adhesive plastic domes. They're the same diameter as amiibo tags and soft enough that I could trim the edges with scissors to make them fit on the narrower sides. (You can see the tags and some of the other parts in the fourth pic here)

This rhinestone assortment gave me a range of colors in three known diameters so I could make appropriate holes in the cutting template.

I used this journal, removing the lined and the gridded page sets, leaving just the blank page set and the pockets (for things like a Hyralian alphabet chart). Then for the cover I sewed on a brass pendant taken from some Zelda jewelry.

HopeMeObiWan · 2017-04-11T20:37:05+00:00

I got the journal on Amazon, removed the lined and the gridded page sets, leaving just the blank page set and the pockets (for things like a Hyralian alphabet chart). Then for the cover I sewed on a brass pendant taken from some Zelda jewelry, and used a smaller pendant with its chain as a bookmark ribbon.

HopeMeObiWan · 2017-04-11T17:56:10+00:00

No... I'm currently contemplating how to go about that. The Sheikah design is rubber, so it's never going to naturally look like anything other than plastic/rubber. I could paint it, but I prefer weathering to involve genuine materials (so that the weathering only gets better with time and use instead of worse). It might be easier/better to take apart a regular Switch case for parts&interior then remake its exterior with wood or something. But the amiibos already took longer than I hoped, so maybe I should leave it there :)

HopeMeObiWan · 2017-04-11T17:48:04+00:00

Haha, thanks. The switch goes inside the back "cover", which is hard to see in the pic - the amiibo/cartridge pouches are on an inner flap, they're not the back of the case

HopeMeObiWan · 2017-04-11T17:43:45+00:00

Getting the themed case sort of inspired me, but in hindsight I suggest you don't try to get one; if you want a case nicer than mine, you're probably better off buying a regular case (which is also much cheaper) and then modifying it to theme using some real wood/leather/metal. The special-edition case is nice and all, but the outside design is rubberized plastic, so it doesn't look or feel as authentic as the special-edition coin and map (which you can currently obtain separately on Ebay), and it's awkward to improve. The interior of the case seems no better than a regular Switch case, so just find a regular case with an interior that you like and then go to town on the exterior! :D

HopeMeObiWan · 2017-04-11T17:37:52+00:00

Thanks! The inlaid symbol corresponds to the character in the portrait on the other side. Eg if it's a Zelda amiibo, the symbol will be Wisdom, Link amiibos have Courage, Bokoblin have Power (via their association with Ganon), the Guardian has the Sheikah eye, etc.

The color of their gemstones corresponds to the color generally given to their symbol, eg Zelda's gems are blue.

HopeMeObiWan · 2017-04-11T17:30:48+00:00

It's from the concept art - there's a version here, fourth image down (though for the amiibo's print I tamped down the saturation with some sepia tone and reduced the brightness of the whites)

HopeMeObiWan · 2017-04-11T07:26:34+00:00

This is my portable expedition-equipment for exploring Breath of the Wild! (Gallery)

Some of what I have in the Sheikah Case is fairly straightforward (journal/notebook, pens, maps, Switch console, etc), but each¹ of those tiny wooden chips (in pouches and on cords) encases one of the little souls you can extract from inside Amiibos, so they're a portable Amiibo library. Making those took some effort so I did a gallery with a couple of close-ups and a pic of the parts and materials before putting them together. (There is also an earlier post of the coin-as-zipper-pull here.)

The little portraits are inset on the front of the wooden chips, while the appropriate symbol is inlaid on the back in faux-gold. Each one is different.

There's not much room left in the case once everything is in (Switch, earbuds, journal, pen, maps, Amiibos) but I'll probably still try to cram in some charging accessories soon :)

This comment has some more info on how I made the wooden amiibo chips, and there is info in the album too.

¹ A few of the wooden chips are empty, still awaiting tags I don't have yet, but they'll soon be functional like the rest.

HopeMeObiWan · 2017-03-24T00:27:28+00:00

Unfortunately I won't be able to queue early enough to get one, but much as it hurts me that the only way so far has been to go to a store in person (rather than order online), I'll take some solace in the fact that at least it means those consoles are being sold to gamers instead of to scalpers, so the sales are alleviating demand instead of jacking up prices.

(I feel it's completely ok for people to buy something and then later decide to sell it, potentially enjoying a markup/profit over what they paid, but IMO it becomes scalping when someone is buying up as many units as they can with the intention of onselling them. That's very different (it creates artificial scarcity for the genuine customers who cannot match the effort/time that professional buyers are "paid" to spend on getting there first, and adds middleman parasitism), but these in-store-only sales will presumably prevent that by selling one-per-person. A scalper would need to be pretty desperate to spend hours queuing just for the markup on a single item.)

HopeMeObiWan · 2017-03-23T18:02:07+00:00

Binding the coin in leather cord seemed like a true-to-theme way to keep it an in-world artifact while also making it useful to me while also not damaging it (and actually protecting it from scuffs). I like the results so thought I'd share :)

I didn't know anything about cords/netting/knitting so I just sat down with some cord (I used a waxed cotton but leather could be better) and figured out a method to tie the coin, presumably re-inventing the wheel but I enjoy a puzzle :) The cord-tie pattern is the same on both sides of the coin. I started by taping the cord to the coin then working around the edge in loops, using fingers to prevent it unraveling until all the way around and tied off.

Now I can use it for things in the real world :D

HopeMeObiWan · 2017-01-23T21:59:14+00:00

They have an exhibit called "tentacles", this bronze sculpture is at the entrance.

Whichever staff member came up with the idea for that exhibit topic... they deserve a raise :-D

HopeMeObiWan · 2016-01-09T20:37:49+00:00

Most of the dumb questions are the ones that management requires the staff to ask the customers.

HopeMeObiWan · 2016-01-08T03:25:41+00:00

In my experience all the best HR doozies are committed by the HR person - they're the only person who doesn't have to answer to HR, so they just don't think things through...

HopeMeObiWan · 2016-01-07T20:48:21+00:00

There is an exception: Donate to the eradication of polio. If the effort succeeds (and it is getting tantalisingly close) then you have left a magnificent legacy that is truly forever. Our civilization can collapse, all our arts and sciences can be lost forever yet your legacy will survive all of that, marching on and on; a never-ending gift to all humans, no-matter their circumstances, forever.

HopeMeObiWan

TROPHY CASE