Newsweek Review [Top]

As the Trove Creations subreddit continues to adjust to the massive influx of submitted items the moderators are continuing to find ways to help respond to and ultimately streamline submissions. Towards this end there is a new post and wiki page that gives a run down of some do's and do not's to help expedite creation submissions (as well as increase the likelihood of them even getting in-game). Check out the original post here and the wiki page here.

In Trove news, the Dev team has confirmed the next big update to Trove as taking place on September 15th. In that update both the Shadow Tower - with the new Shadow Boss - as well as the new class, the Lunar Lancer, will be released. Two important Trove Creations news in this regard:

• Currently Shadow Dungeons are being prioritized above all else in the dungeon/lair categories so if you are looking to get new creations submitted they are a very high need.
• The Lunar Lancer animations are being finalized, which means that the specific details for the new weapon type, spears, should be released very shortly (an early preview of the general weapon parameters can be found in this issue of Trove Creations Digest - **very** likely these will not be exactly correct on release)

One final bit of news - in the Trove Stream summary thread on the Trove forums Developer Junebug addressed one question that was not answered on the stream - "Can we get a small set of subtle vfx that could possibly be attached to deco through an easy process?" Her answer, in short, is that this is something that she hopes to explore but it is not currently a high priority. The request is heard, though, and we can wait patiently for new details hopefully in the not-too-distant future. See the original post here.

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From now on issues of TCDigest will be accessible early on Sundays via Twitter and then on Trovesaurus on Monday as usual. Additionally, there will be intraweek updates on hot items and relevant forum postings as well as a few to-be-annouced features in the coming weeks. Be sure to Follow @Qoaleth

Twitch.tv Stream Recaps [Top]

These livestream recaps are aimed at collating all and only the information directly relevant to player-made Trove creations.

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This past week saw the regular weekly Trove stream on Friday, 8/21.

Trove Livestream (8/21 stream archived here - full livestream notes here)

• New Sugar Glider mount - it flies! Animation rig is similar to dragons but appears to have been tweaked - it is "jumpier" as it runs, has a wider stance, and has more of a tail swing (similar to the Meownts). Video preview here.
• Lunar Lancer update (see video preview here. Courtesy TeeKayM)
  • No more large Golem ultimate as it does not fit with idea of class - instead, you get bigger as you kill enemies
  • Spear is thrown, and can then be used to grapple towards enemies (and up walls)
  • Ultimate - large spear similar to Candy Barbarian ultimate (the appearance of the ultimate is based upon the spear style that is equipped)

• Shadow Tower boss fight will be more complex than the current affix system, but the affix system will also continue to be expanded

Top Player Made Creations with Interviews - Week of 8/16-8/22 [Top]

As ranked by Reddit users, the following posts are the top rated creations from this past week here to give you a slice of the player-made creations from this past week. **(There is no guarantee that any of these items will be accepted in-game nor should their inclusion be understood as any type of endorsement. They are selected solely based upon their ratings by Reddit users.)

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Player creator joshato (IGN: Aodahn) offered the top-rated [Shadow Dungeon] Undah da Sea. See the full post here.

What was your inspiration for this item?

I wanted to do something different, push the limits on the shadow dungeon restrictions in regards to colours/theme.

What was your biggest challenge in creating this item?

Getting it to look like water outside the glass. If you look through water, glass is completely invisible, and it also hindered the look of the rest of the dungeon ALOT, so I ended up doing some creation magic, putting water along the edges of a dark blue wall/ceiling so that it looked like it was water, even though the entire thing is filled with just air!

What words of inspiration do you have for other player creators out there?

Got some criticism on your submission? Don't let it bother you, people are just jealous of your 1337 skillz... unless it's just really bad... then... try again! You'll get it eventually.

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Player creator Lykos23 (IGN: Milambit) offered the top-rated [Lair] Excavation Site. See the full post here.

 

What was your inspiration for this item?

Well, my little brother has been obsessed with paleontology since he was like four years old (fourteen now) and his frequent talks of ancient history made me think about Trove's ancient history.  Where does it begin?  Were there giants roaming Trove much as on Earth?  And so I went with implementing some of the most well known paleontological findings; mammoths and dinosaurs.  The fact that Trove has Raptors at all is an indication that there is some relevant pre-history to Trovian lore. 

There's a lot of subtleties in the lair that can only be noticed with dedicated exploration such as tusks in the wall, bits of obtainable and unobtainable resources like bones to gather; digging and exploration pay off the most as I wanted to implement as much as I could of the Excavation experience – without excluding the reward. 

What was your biggest challenge in creating this item?

I don't even know where to begin.  This was my first lair attempt in a long while since the Tainted Lord and in addition to re-learning some things I had to absorb the updates to the criteria which actually gave me more room to work with.  ON TOP OF ALL THAT I actually started the basis for this lair back in March.  Before I started on the lair I submitted a few deco pieces I had vaguely planned on using. I “completed” the design of the lair some time in the beginning of April only to realize I had sort of mixed up the height to be 60 underground and 30 above (backwards!) which meant I had to re-design the entirety of gameplay area that had taken me much, much longer to create than the “decorations” of the dinosaur remains and mammoth itself.  Little by little I chiseled away at piecing it together until I decided to OD on coffee and forgo sleep for two days to get it over and done with last week. 

As indicated by my above paragraph…  This entire lair was a huge challenge – mainly because I “winged it”.  I had no specific plans, no specific concept art, no specific reference; just an idea. 

What words of inspiration do you have for other player creators out there?

All creations do indeed start with a basic idea; but I highly recommend building the idea itself before making whatever it is you intend on making.  Doodle some, make a sketch, make notes; figure out your direction before jumping shoulder deep into it (like I did...). 

The thought that “oh, it's a simple idea; it should be simple to make!” is an incorrect one – a simple idea lacks definition and therefore direction; build up the idea first.

Please note that there is a lot of mag-railing going on in some of the Excavation lair variants specifically because the Permafrost/Tundra only appears for Elite portals and up meaning it is a bit more likely that a player would possess the mag-rider required.  If ya wanna make a mag-rail intensive lair/dungeon then it should most likely be more optional as opposed to my own lair – such as the Neon Pagoda tower whereby the mag-rail will indeed always lead to the appropriate portal however it is not necessary to ride it and if one chooses to ride it then it is laden with traps and trap indications to be quite interactive. 

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Player creator totterroll (IGN: Teruso) offered the top-rated [Staff] Dragons Charge. See the full post here.

What was your inspiration for this item?

I guess I wanted to make a staff that was somewhat in the shape of a dragon (and to make sure people would get what it was). I checked if there where any in the game already but all I could find where staffs that resembled dragonheads.

What was your biggest challenge in creating this item?

Probably the shape. The shape of the body and the shape of the head. It took a while to get them right.

What words of inspiration do you have for other player creators out there?

Make something you have fun making. Don't focus too much on getting something in the game. But also to listen to other creators and the mods, they know what they are doing.

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Player creator nekit_380 offered the top-rated [Pistol] Mechanical Knifegun. See the full post here.

 

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Player creator SkyRider3217 (IGN: SkyRider3217) offered the top-rated [Deco] Neon Drake. See the full post here.

What was your inspiration for this item?

My main inspiration was based off of a few things. Ultimately it was based off of a friend's creation, the Azulian Drake, which that was based off an already existing item called Li'l Dreamy but was made to look like the Azulian Dragon (well only the Adult Dragon). I just went on with making it into the Neon Dragon that everyone knows and loves. I kept it as being an Adult dragon cause I have heard that not many people like the head design of the Legendary Lambent the Neolord.

What was your biggest challenge in creating this item?

My challenge for getting this item is the size limitations. It is usually hard to compress such large models to a more chibi/smaller form while keeping it's look.

What words of inspiration do you have for other player creators out there?

There are few things I would like to say to all the designers out there:

*"Think outside the box" - Now this might seem a little repetitive and you might hear it anywhere you go, but this is proven guidance. If you have something that might seem "out of the ordinary," just do it. Work your way to giving your idea to the public!

*Take the suggestions and criticism as helpful guides and tips. As a College student myself, I have to learn to accept criticism, even if it may be harsh. Use that criticism to make it better to please more people.

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Player creator Ermak619 (IGN: Kati3katka) offered the top-rated [Melee] Jack the Ripper. See the full post here.

What was your inspiration for this item?

The ripper is a melee weapon in Fallout 3.

What was your biggest challenge in creating this item?

The model clipping into the Knight's shoulder.

What words of inspiration do you have for other player creators out there?

Sorry, but I find it difficult to offer much advice here.

Community Contributions from "Frosted Mini Update" - 8/18 [Top]

6 new player made mods were introduced in this patch - Milambit's Sail Pack (4) and FriedSushi's Manta Ray mounts (2)!

There were no new quest areas added in this patch.

36 new bow styles and 68 hats were added for a total of 87 new player-made creations.

See the official patch notes here.

See updates to the item database here.

Reader Survey [Top]

This week's poll asks about paying for faster creation implementation (including mods!): "How much of your credit reward would you give up to get your creation fast-tracked for implementation?"