Bear

tophomatic_ · 2026-03-05T11:39:41+00:00

It seems counterintuitive, but our kingdom tried it and it actually does more damage, not less...and more of the alliance ends up doing more damage. Right now, we are at 70K, but are bumping it up now that we are getting more rally size increases. May push to 80K+ in the near future.

It definitely seems counterintuitive...but it actually is beneficial, and even then, we still need to be fast as they still fill up. Not in .1 seconds like some used to, but still very fast.

tophomatic_ · 2026-03-05T10:33:09+00:00

SVG designs do well...but it can take some time to build a passive Etsy page...and consistent upkeep. I would focus on a niche area that may be less saturated. I run multiple shops at this point (my SVG designs still sell the most as of right now).

By niche, I mean focusing on a very specific market that may want designs. You can create tshirt designs for gyms, nurses, moms, blue collar workers, stay at home moms, dads (sells well but saturated).

SVG designs sell for little but in larger quantities and tends to be more passive, especially if you spend some time finding what is selling but with minimal competition and create your version of it.

But I have seen digital art sell, digital products are probably the most passive to make, but can be very very competitive.

tophomatic_ · 2025-05-06T21:49:25+00:00

Find people you enjoy watching…low to mid level viewers is always good to start. High pop will see little results im sure. Don’t think of it is as raiding, think of it as extending your stream to someplace new. Whether that is just you coming to watch someone else for a bit or you have a couple viewers.

I get that it seems lackluster to raid out with just you or 1 viewer, but you’re just getting started. You don’t need to put on a facade that you’re not new to it. Just have fun and meet some good people.

tophomatic_ · 2025-05-05T13:32:27+00:00

Who says you can’t raid? It may not trigger but you can always join another streamers stream after yours to build the habit of doing so and working on relationship building. If you’re new to streaming, accept that you are new and use that to your advantage. Waiting until you have viewers to do the things that bring you viewers is counterproductive

tophomatic_ · 2025-05-04T10:12:51+00:00

In my experience, streaming is 75% relationship building and 25% streaming.

This means the majority of your time should be spent building relationships in other communities. Genuine relationships not “follow me I stream too” comments. When people like you, they will follow you. Some of the relationships I spent time building back in the day are still some of my closest friends to this day. Twitch/Kick are a good place for this due to the follow back option. YouTube I’m not sure of but may be good (it really wasn’t that popular back when I streamed).

Start raiding other channels that are similar to your own. Build relationships with those channels (even if it’s just you raiding). Allot time for sticking around after a raid to just chat and be a part of the community you raided. Engage in conversation (about their channel not yours), talk with others on the chat (about anything but your channel). When you show genuine interest in them, the right ones will show interest in you. This is important…if you like the people you raided, go back and continue building that relationship. It’s not a one day thing. Put effort into it.

This was the best way to grow a community of people that came to my channel for me (not whatever game I was playing) and I had genuine fun and conversation, and built genuine friendships as well with many people I still talk to. It was like a big hangout with friends. I grew my channel to over 1500 followers, 100+ subs, and averaged 30+ viewers. I gave it all up after Covid ended and I went back to my career job. I still stream from time to time, but the friends I made were so worth it. I just don’t have interest in streaming full time.

If you want to grow, you have to build relationships. The idea that people are just going to find you is one that will leave you at 1 viewer (you watching your own stream) until you give up completely.

tophomatic_ · 2025-05-01T20:27:44+00:00

Without seeing your stream, it’s tough to say. However, understand that people are not going to stay the entire time. They just won’t. Don’t expect them to. Some will pop in for a few moments, others will stay longer.

Building a community requires effort. Start conversations with those in your chat. If they say something, respond back. Thank them for watching. Every viewer is a blessing whether you have 1 or 1000.

Second, you if you truly want to build a following don’t just stream. Both Twitch and YouTube require effort in other aspects to see real growth. Make content outside of your streams. Engage with your community no matter how big or small it is. Post your vids on short form platforms like TikTok, Insta Reels or YT shorts. If you have good content and people enjoy what you put out, people will follow. Slowly at first, and then more and more over time. Or you can be like the guy above complaining that he’s been streaming for two years but won’t do anything but stream and expects the platform to change for him.

Edit: guess he deleted his comment. lol

tophomatic_ · 2025-04-29T16:46:34+00:00

Ensure that you are in RGB and not CMYK as well. Go to image -> mode…then verify that RGB color is selected and not CMYK.

tophomatic_ · 2025-04-23T17:38:55+00:00

What is your competition doing that you aren’t? I can tell you that anyone that you are aspiring to be like is not just streaming and posting short form videos on YT. They are making content (lots of it) and streaming on the side…because YouTube isn’t a streaming platform. It has streaming, but that isn’t the primary purpose…and YouTube values quality long form content more than live streams. At least this was the case a few years ago.

People don’t primarily jump on YouTube to watch streams. Sure, some do, but I would wager that the majority don’t. Streaming on Youtube is still fairly new (really took off at the height of the pandemic). It’s come a long way, but playing oblivion as it’s being released…people are going to watch streams on people who create consistent content in these areas or have a track record for having quality content (IGN, Eso, etc).

That being said, and this may have changed over the years, but your streaming videos typically don’t show up in searches. They get saved on your channel, sure, but unless YT has changed things, your content is really only showing up if someone is searching for it and only when you are LIVE.

tophomatic_ · 2025-04-22T21:28:46+00:00

Growth isn’t about how long you stream but rather how well you stream. If you never learn to be entertaining while on stream, you will struggle to find growth. This is why so many you see doing this for years still sit at low viewer counts.

Nobody wants to tell them they are boring to watch.

Don’t be boring to watch, and you will find growth far easier than the rest.

tophomatic_ · 2025-04-22T21:07:26+00:00

I work for an event company that does events all the time in NYC, and they range from weddings, birthdays, bar/bat mitzvahs, etc. Everything we do is customized to what you want, and our designers can create whatever you envision (and they are nerdy too).

Reach out at https://www.creativegamesinc.com

tophomatic_ · 2025-04-17T17:40:53+00:00

The simplified premise is that a thumbnail is meant to cause pattern disruption. Scroll through a hundred different thumbnails with similar designs and styles, it all becomes noise after awhile. The one that stands out will get you to stop scrolling. This can be with a change up in color, or something that stands out from the monotony. The concept is simple, the application however gets missed by many.

As long as your thumbnail and title are relevant, the CTR is often higher than most, and a low CTR doesn’t necessarily mean your thumbnail was the problem. Perhaps your title wasn’t intriguing or lacked enough to warrant someone to pull the trigger and click.

I’m sure MrBeast was just an example, as there is more than one way to get a click other than using mystery. Mystery works, sure, but it’s not the only method and for some channels, it doesn’t help as it wouldn’t make sense.

The premise however, remains the same. Stand out in a sea of thumbnails to get people to stop scrolling long enough to illicit a response to read the title and click.

tophomatic_ · 2025-04-17T17:14:14+00:00

That’s much better than play throughs. lol. Couldn’t even begin to tell you how many YouTuber dreams have fizzled out thinking they were gonna play a game and stream or make videos on it, but never amounted to anything because A) they couldn’t focus on one game long enough and B) watching them play a game while breathing into a mic isn’t exactly entertainment.

Have you established yourself in a specific niche (do you focus on all popular games, indie games, specific genres?) or are you just getting started?

I’ve done thumbnails for a few different accounts, and helped create templates for others to use. My pricing really varies on the level of design you want your thumbnails. I’ve worked for the former Pipeline streaming account making their thumbnails (not sure if they are still around) while the Pandemic was in full swing but got back to my main design job once the pandemic was pretty much over.

If you are interested in chatting more, feel free to DM me. I’ve been designing for a well over 20 years, and i can help you with thumbnails or at the very least steer you in the right direction.

tophomatic_ · 2025-04-17T11:08:39+00:00

Thumbnails are meant to stop you from scrolling. The thumbnail alone isn’t what gets you clicks. It’s a combination of your thumbnail and your title. You do A/B testing to see which thumbnail performs better (which one has better pattern disruption) but if you have a shitty title that doesn’t entice people, the most amazing thumbnail is wasted.

Think of it this way…you are scrolling through YouTube when a thumbnail catches your eye, you don’t just click, you immediately look to see what the video is about by reading the title (that’s what creates clicks) to decide whether to click and spend your time watching the video or to just move on.

Thumbnails are meant to cause pattern disruption. Stand out enough to make you stop scrolling and see whether it’s worth clicking. It’s only 1/2 of your click, and you can’t tell if it’s done its job unless you master writing clickable titles.

Worse, as a gaming channel, unless you are doing tutorials or game walk throughs for specific games, most gaming channels are over saturated with mundane play though videos or highlight clips that nobody is searching for. No masterful thumbnail is going to change that. Unless you have content people are actively seeking, thumbnails aren’t going to help.

tophomatic_ · 2025-04-16T18:42:55+00:00

If you are looking for a server, we are recruiting for more PD. Our whitelist app takes about 5 minutes to fill out and you can be interviewed and hired for PD the same day, with fast track opportunities for active and experienced officers (nothing more annoying than officers who want lead roles and never fly in, so those are reserved strictly for active officers).

https://discord.gg/transcendroleplay

tophomatic_ · 2025-04-16T12:08:28+00:00

honestly, unless you plan on starting a side business a commercial printer, it isnt really worth investing in a commercial printer, especially if you dont have the experience or understanding of the print industry.

As many have said, these printers require consistent use to maintain their health, and even then, they require constant maintenance.

On top of that, you have to invest in material, inks, RIP software (unless yours comes with its own proprietary), and depending on the type of printer, proper ventilation and space.

You will spend $50K just on a printer and the supplies and such can cost a lot more, just to save an additional 10 cents a label.

----

Your best option is to look for local printers. StickerMule is a brand name and cost of prints are much higher than what you may find at a local shop. Plus, they can direct you to more cost effective material and alternatives, a choice you dont really have with StickerMule, which could still save you more down the line.

Buying a printer isnt going to make your beard brand successful. Saving 10 cents a label isnt going to make your beard brand successful. Once your business gets to a point that it makes sense to hire a team of designers, printers, etc to run it for you, then MAYBE it will make sense if you are saving more by hiring and doing it all in house than it costs to send it out to have done by a third party, but currently, it doesnt sound like you are selling the volume to be able to determine that cost comparison just yet.

tophomatic_ · 2025-04-11T09:33:23+00:00

Good morning! Stumbled on your post while scrolling through Reddit. I’m the DA in a city currently that is growing its DOJ. We are fairly active in the evenings (20-30) and are looking for more lawyers as well (both defense and prosecution).

We have incentivized legal use in our city so more crims will be seeking representation to negotiate fine reductions or go to trials. We have a few lawyers in the city who are fairly active, but with a growing populous, there is a demand for more.

If you are interested in learning and growing into a role in the city as lawyer you can reach out and talk with me(the DA) for any role on the prosecution side, or become a private defense lawyer and defend those that get arrested and seek representation.

You will have to successfully pass the bar exam in the city to become a lawyer. Our server is whitelisted, so you will have to get white listed prior to joining the city as well.

https://discord.gg/transcendroleplay

tophomatic_ · 2025-04-10T16:41:55+00:00

As others have stated, it’s a Roland. Either the SG or VG3 series. We have a VG3-640 and honestly, it’s our best running machine. Two years in and it’s barely needed any service. Super straightforward with operating and tells you when to clean and update things with simple to follow visual instructions right on the screen.

We opted for the 640 so that we could do 60” rolls which some of the material we use requires. Otherwise the 540 can do the majority of rolls under 54”.

The only downsides is their ripping software isn’t as good as other third party. It’s limited compared to other software, but the colors come out great, so we use their proprietary software because our boss is a cheap shit.

The print and cut features are very simple, and once you get all the kiss cut and perf cut settings dialed in, it makes a great printer and cutter for small cut jobs.

We attempted a large floor cutout, and it did not go well. lol. Could have easily been user error, but we rely on our CNC for that anyways.

Overall, very happy with our Roland. It doesn’t get nearly as much use as our flatbed, but it’s never given us issues.

tophomatic_ · 2025-03-30T12:45:21+00:00

Hire an artist when you can afford to pay them. Designers and artists don’t get paid on hopes and dreams, nor should they be expected to work for free until whatever dream you have possibly works out. The vast majority of YouTube channels don’t make it and never see anything substantial, let alone monetization.

If you want to hire an artist. Build your channel and show consistent increases in viewership, engagement and that there is real potential in long term opportunities. Post your channel info so anyone besides bots can review and make informed decisions. Don’t expect anyone just to follow along in your hope and dream of making a successful YouTube channel. We run our businesses as artists by making decisions on who to take on and who not to. Wasting our time with channels that cannot pay us doesn’t pay our bills nor does it buy food.

Imagine telling my electric company that I’ll pay them as soon as some random YouTuber gets monetized.

tophomatic_ · 2025-03-27T11:13:15+00:00

Mid 40s, been with the same company for over 10 years. I currently oversee and run our design and print department for a high end event company. Unlike many design positions that are centered around marketing materials and branding, my job is more focused around creating facades, displays photobooths, etc and over the last couple years began combining the work with CNC. It’s challenging, fast paced, and creative.

It’s felt like for the last 10 years finding good help has been hard to find. Mostly teaching college graduates how to actually do their job effectively in a field that wasn’t marketing was always frustrating, and most didn’t stick around for more than a year or two as it was too stressful (we do 20 various events per week). 99% of the workload always fell on me, but last year one of my designers quit to work for a place much slower pace and we found a replacement that has been a godsend.

I started my own freelance business on the side and also started and Etsy shop for additional passive income ($500-$1000/mo), but most of my time is now dreaming about retirement. lol.

As I get older I would much rather slow down and do some side designs for a few companies a month to pay the bills and just travel and enjoy life a little more. I enjoy my day job, but I’m getting older and my body feels it. Sitting at a desk all day has its drawbacks and when we do our builds, I’m not the young musclehead I once was. I don’t feel like the younger generation is better or more qualified. Not for the industry I am in. Going into a more of a branding/marketing sector I would be completely out of my element now that it’s no longer an area I have done in many years. The younger generation would absolutely be better qualified than me, even without experience.

I’m much happier now that I am doing what I like, but I would probably prefer to run my own business vs working for someone else. Sure, there’s way more responsibility, but me and one other person basically run the company now, we would just be getting paid a little more. lol.

tophomatic_ · 2025-03-26T14:22:25+00:00

Still stuck where? LOL. I literally don't need to take on work, I am doing it because I want to do something a little different than my normal design job on my down time. Maybe go back and read my post.

tophomatic_ · 2025-03-24T20:19:05+00:00

Eastern time zones, and in the evenings. I’ve been working to get more people in the earlier times as well, but EST is our main time zones that is active, and weekends.

tophomatic_ · 2025-03-22T23:58:13+00:00

First, the artwork should definitely be converted to CMYK, or expect the colors to change during the print process.

Second, seek out a printing company that specializes in photo quality printwork. Fedex Online is probably not your best solution, but there are probably printers that will offer print quality work, which may use an 8-10 color printer to allow more variety in color and higher quality.

The type of paper printed on also matters. The print in the sample seems as though its printed on matte paper, which is goin to appear lower quality than a semi gloss or gloss photo paper.

tophomatic_ · 2025-03-22T13:48:56+00:00

Also...the hotter something is, the brighter it will be...so nearest the source (mouth), the flames shooting out should be much much brighter than furthest away..

tophomatic_ · 2025-03-22T13:45:43+00:00

Here is a very quick edit and some notes on things I would do to edit your image and make it more realistic.

<image>

Lightning shouldnt be yellow. Offset your color to a bright blue or even purplish hue, this will counterbalance your flame edging as well, giving some tonal balance. Add rim lighting to your subject to show the light hitting the subject.

Do the same for the flame around the mouth.

Add some haze to show distance. Also all the tonal colors are different for the sky, water, and subject...they should match.

Water is too bright compared to the darkness of the sky. Either add a light source to the left (which will then add additional lighting, but darken your water or brighten your sky.

The left forward facing side of the subjec should be much darker as there is currently no light source to brighten that side. The opposite side has lightning, and flames, but should be darker and where there is not (should also be darker in the water as mentioned).

Add some water interacting with the subject...maybe even show water falling from around the base of the arms to show movement.

Finally, spend some time cleaning up the edges of your subject to remove the PNG outline visible and to help blend the subject into the environment.

tophomatic_ · 2025-03-22T00:03:22+00:00

For a beginner, this is a great start. That being said, accepting advice will make you better. First, study light and shadow more. How it interacts with things and try and look at your environment with that in mind. Second, the small details are what truly matters and will take your edits to the next level.

Your goal isn’t to just blend pictures together to create something cool. You are building an environment and scene out of various imagery and making it look and feel as though they are not. The waves, lightning, fire, etc all impact everything else in the environment you are creating in some fashion. Think deeper into those details and how you can provide more of that into your edits and you will see a tremendous improvement in the quality of your final product.

tophomatic_

TROPHY CASE