Trove Creations Digest - Issue #16

Newsweek Review [Top]

The most pressing news for the Trove Creations community this past week is confirmation about the slow down in items and creations being accepted from the reddit. The sidebar was updated (with no changes to what was being requested) so that the next update is indicated as being on 7/17. Additionally, on the livestream the Devs indicated that priority is being given to polish existing creations in preparation for launch so adding new content is temporarily on hold (editor note: other than noo lairs/dungeons - these are a pressing need. See the subreddit for more details). Nevertheless, even though items being added to the game have slowed down the moderators on the subreddit will still be making passes through and approving content for eventual submission.

In the same getting-ready-for-launch vein we got the final details for how Trove is going to re-batch game files for faster and hopefully less painful patching. Dev jonmcevoy stopped by the forums to give the breakdown for what is changing and how modders and other item creators can access the game files. Once the system is fully in place we will provide a step-by-step guide for accessing files. See the full forum post here.

Twitch.tv Stream Recaps [Top]

Friday 6/19 saw the regular weekly Trove stream. There was no item creation stream this past week (we are due for one but it might be held off until after launch).

Trove Livestream (6/19 stream archived here)

• More details for the new Tomb Raiser class were showcased. Staff was confirmed as the weapon type, and the basic carriage of new model looks very similar to the Ice Sage (passive aura, split cloak on back) but with summonable skeletal minions (similar to Adventurer's chickens). 
• The Devs indicated that with the push to launch player made creations submitted through the Trove Creations reddit are more or less on hold as they focus on polishing up existing content. If, and only if, they finish what needs to be polished early they said it is possible that they will be able to add some new creations before launch.

See full livestream notes here.

Top Player Made Creations with Interviews - Week of 6/14-6/20 [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.)

Player creator WinRAR-exe (IGN: Bruce_Wayne) offered the top-rated [Dungeon] The Pyramid of Twotonsofcandy. See the full post here.

What was your inspiration for this item?

My inspiration was my own addiction to adventure. I wanted to create something that we could see in Indiana Jones movies. Places with constantly changing visuals, traps, lore, and adventure. I originally wanted to create an Egyptian dungeon but I had no fitting biome for it. Therefore I decided to merge the Ancient Egyptian style with the Candorian one and it proved to be quite fun!

What was your biggest challenge in creating this item?

The cool features that lie within the depths of this dungeon were driven by my inspiration and it was not challenging for me to craft them. The challenge instead moved on to be the dungeon's optimisation and I can tell you it cost dearly. Because of the detail I had to sacrifice around 80% of interior decoration props! But fortunately my detail in blocks holds it's own ground even without them .

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

Dungeons take time, that is certain. Mine took me over 5 weeks and only because I was lazy (shame on me :D) . Once you start with your dungeons, make sure to work on them only if you are willing and motivated. Otherwise the dungeon will end up rushed and bland. Also, be aware of the other challenges that stand in the way such as when dungeon files are not loading, the time it takes for the dungeon to be reviewed, and so on.

The adventure in Trove is only beginning and we have plenty of creative players here. Therefore, join in as this dungeon is only a taste of things to come!

Player creator stedms (IGN: Stedms) offered the top-rated [Noob Lair] Noob Hill. See the full post here.

What was your inspiration for this item?

I just kind of went with a camp on a hill inspired by a bit of my backyard from my childhood. We had a gravel pit with paths that winded in and around a mound that from certain angles kind of looked like a face to us. Looking back it was probably dangerous to play there but yeah, my inspiration for this one was a gravel pit with the cave structure kind of looking like roughly like a face from certain angles.

What was your biggest challenge in creating this item?

Honestly this one went pretty smooth. I kind of went straight from my previous lair design into this one so with that momentum I didn't hit too many snags. If anything was a challenge it was just trying to come up with a few extra variants for this one as I had to think about what direction I wanted to take those different pieces. Compared to other designs where I sometimes have weeks in-between working on them this one was really quick c:

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

Well if I could say anything it would be to keep working at it. Whether it's an item or a lair there's almost always some place where you can make some improvement so keep pecking away at it and be open to criticism. After all even if you're not 100% with the whatever is being suggested it can never hurt to see where it takes you, as long as you back up your original  ^_^

Player creator AndreX_0 offered the top-rated [Sword] FireJaws. See the full post here.

Player creator Milecar12 (IGN: Yalfoosh) offered the top-rated [Deco] Rare Squirrel. See the full post here.

What was your inspiration for this item?

My inspiration was, of course, the Rare Birds and Bears. I spent a few days thinking what a good animal was. Of course since I also enjoy making fun of memes, I intended to do Rare Frogs (AKA Rare Pepes), but had more ideas for the Squirrels.

What was your biggest challenge in creating this item?

My biggest challenge was getting the base shape. At first I created my shape, like, on air, but then later I downloaded a picture of a squirrel's left side and then I edited the picture and added a 12x12 grid. After that, it was pretty easy giving it a 3rd dimension. I'd say the hardest of the 7 I created was the bone one, which I also think is the worst because of 12x12x12 limitations.

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

My words of inspiration would probably be: "Don't give up." If you work on something, even if it sucks, it's going to end up fine. You just have to do one thing, and one thing only: Give your item a soul.

There's not much I want to add. I mostly hope that with the nearing release of Trove there will be a flood of new and ambitious artists. I like colorful things, and more art styles make Trove very colorful.

Player creator chancyjohnson (IGN: Silk) offered the top-rated [Mask] Female Desert. See the full post here.

What was your inspiration for this item?

I've been playing with quite a few female players for the past few months (I'm male), and I really started noticing how few feminine options were available. My goal was to create something that was specifically geared toward female players that was just as cool (or cooler) than the options available.

What was your biggest challenge in creating this item?

My biggest challenge in creating this item was that I am not female. I didn't know what the response would be to my creation, but I knew I wanted to try. 

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

One reason that Trove is such a great game is that it is designed to be inclusive- loot sharing, challenges that make you work together, club worlds, and community designs all exist to bring players together. I love being a part of the Trove community and I want to take part in this inclusive attitude. But there is still work to be done! I would personally like this mask to spark a flood of submissions that support our female players. That doesn't mean pink stuff. It means gear as kick-ass as they are.

Community Contributions from "Radiant Uber Dragons (with Badges) Edition" - 6/16 [Top]

There were no new player made creations added (last added 4/28)

There was 1 new noob lair added in this patch (last previous addition 5/4)

See the official patch notes here.

See updates to the item database here.

Reader Survey [Top]

Last week's poll surveyed readers about what new weapon type they would like to see added. In the top three (out of 27 votes) were Fist weapons (11 votes), Spear (6 votes), and daggers (6 votes).

This week's poll asks about dungeon creation (arguable the least made creations): "What stops you from making dungeons?"