Wizard Wednesday Recap, 2023-08-09
Shortly after Elf and Dotta's introductions, Bearsnake joins in from SIGGRAPH (Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics & Interactive Techniques).
SIGGRAPH
Elf asks how SIGGRAPH is, and Bear says it's really cool, though he feels like he is the wrong person to be there. Bear says that he feels Elf, Wazir, FrogEater, or Dotta may be better suited. He says he's gathering pictures and information from companies to try and find one that would be able to assist with rigging the 3D Wizards' faces for VTubing, etc. Dotta says he would love face rigs.
Bear says he has been to SIGGRAPH before when he was representing his old VR company, and he feels, even this year, the tech showcased is not yet consumer-ready. "A lot of it is just looking into the future about what may be on the horizon."
Elf says that he once attended CES and felt similarly about the tech showcased there. Bear agrees and notes that SIGGRAPH is more of a B2B conference rather than consumer-facing. He says it's still a great time to be there after the recent launch of 3D Wizards.
Cult Questions
Why Has This Been Such a Good Week?
Elf then launches into Cult Questions, starting with one from Bear himself who asks, "Why has this been such a good week?"
Derek Kolstad Gets a Wizard
Elf turns to Bearsnake to answer his own question. Bear says that he feels like everything the team has been working on is coming together. Bear also says that he had a 2-hour meeting on Monday with Derek Kolstad that went really well. Bear and Nalgene helped him set up a crypto wallet and gave him a Brown Hat Wizard that he picked out. Bear says he thinks Derek is also going to write some lore for his Wizard.
Bear says there is also a lot incoming for the 3D collection and the comic book is starting to move. He says the pre-sale for the comic starts in a few weeks. He says he's hesitant to talk about anything else too early.
3D Opens New Doors
Elf tells Bear not to say anything he isn't comfortable divulging, but adds that he has seen 3D open up a lot of new channels to different projects and people. A common theme he's hearing is that Forgotten Runes is the only project that knows how to build game-ready assets.
Bear says that he will allow Elf to pat himself on the back, because it's true. He says the reason 3D Wizards are working so well is because Elf has the industry experience and the whole 3D team is amazing. "There's expertise that some people just don't have."
Forgotten Runes Comic Progress
Elf also says that he had a big talk with comic artist Reilly Brown this week as well and reiterates how thrilled he is to have Reilly on the project. He notes Reilly's knowledge about the industry and storytelling. "He's not someone who is just drawing for a paycheck."
Bear agrees and says that publisher Titan is feeling very confident about how the comic will be received. Bear talks about including a Forgotten Runiverse Game code in the physical comic that will yield in-game resources that he estimates to be worth ~$20.
Bearsnake says stores that order at least 2 of the 3 different cover variants will receive a free Issue #0 as another incentive.
"We're just trying to build in as many hooks as possible."
He notes it will also be helpful to include interior pages about the TV show. Bear talks about the overlap between comic book readers and the Forgotten Runes ethos as an example of why he believes the comic will perform well. He says he's always thinking about what else they can include, but Titan feels Forgotten Runes is already overdelivering. Elf shares Bear's excitement about the comic launch and says that he can't wait to go into a physical store and see Forgotten Runes books on the shelf.
Jelly Donut Holders Net Free Shadows Ordinal
Elf then continues with more Cult Questions and directs a question about the third item that will net holders a free Shadow Ordinal. Unlike the first two items from the Athenaeum collection, the third item is from the Forgotten Souls collection, revealing it is the Jelly Donut. Dotta notes that free Shadows Ordinals will be given to all current Jelly Donut holders. This also applies to Jelly Donuts that result from Wizard burns with the Sacred Flame between the present and the mint of the Shadows collection.
Shadows to Be Inscribed on Exotic Sats
Dotta also says the team has been working with an external partner to acquire "exotic sats" for the Shadows mint, but doesn't want to reveal information about it until the team has the specific satoshis. He also says they will be inscribed with "interesting mechanics."
He doesn't want to go into the details of the Shadows inscription until it is complete. He speaks about the process on Ordinals in which the entire collection is inscribed and revealed before the "mint." Collectors are able to see the collection before deciding to mint.
Dotta notes the team "isn't in any particular rush" for the Shadows mint. The next step of the process is the actual inscription of the collection. Elf asks Dotta to describe what a rare sat is for listeners who might not be in the know.
Dotta says that the Shadows will be on "exotic" sats, rather than "rare" sats. These satoshis have "attributes around when the transaction happened for that Bitcoin that assign sentimental value for people who like to collect these." He says it's a nice touch on top of the art. Dotta says the details for the Shadows' exotic sats will be revealed at the time the collection is inscribed.
What Is Magic Machine Shipping Next?
The next question concerns the next thing Magic Machine plans to ship, and if that has a certain timeline.
Bear says, "We're not falling for that!"
Elf says the team has a handful of things they're planning out that they need to decide what to focus on next. Dotta says the Shadows mint is in the pipeline, though there is no rush to get those out. The team is doing an internal competition of Battle for Goblintown this week for playtesting. The Battle For Goblin Town Mint date is still TBD. The Runiverse game is still in development, which he says is coming along. Dotta says the team has other projects they want to do, but they don't want to announce anything due to the dynamic environment.
"You should know, that we for sure are not slowing down. We still have everybody grinding to get these experiences out."
Bear says it's a fun time because 3D was a "big push and was a perfect example of why it's important to take your time and do it right." He says part of why this week was so amazing is that the 3D collection unlocked so much from a business standpoint. Bear says:
"I think we're all here for the long run, and you only have one shot to make a first impression, so we're going to do it right. Being patient has paid off for us so far, and I don't think we're going to stop that strategy."
Dotta notes that it's a weird time for NFT projects at the moment because there isn't an appetite for mints in the market. He says this also means that there can't even be a meaningful airdrop. "In this market...it just doesn't take or have the effect that you want."
Dotta says the team is brainstorming for things that strengthen the core community and the core mission — things for fun and to strengthen the tokenomics. Bear talks about an idea of a connected constellation of experiences that people can spend their time with.
Madotsuki Talks Forgotten Runiverse
Madotsuki steps up to speak more on the Forgotten Runiverse game. He notes the team is doing a lot of internal testing and responding to feedback before pushing something playable to the larger community. He references the idea of getting it right before launch.
Madotsuki says in the coming months, there will be a gradual marketing push into the game, but the team will release it for more open testing when they feel it is ready for that step. Though they anticipated it to be sooner, they want to make sure it's in the right place first.
Dotta Speak About Forgotten Runes' Tokenomics
Then, Dotta shares some thoughts around the Forgotten Runes' tokenomics. He notes all of the different Character collections of the Runiverse and how Magic Machine would like to start building more things that tie them together. Dotta mentions the holiday-themed Forgotten Runes experiences, and while he loves those, they take months to build an experience that only takes place over a couple of days.
He wants to turn their attention to more ongoing, continuous processes, like the Sacred Flame mechanism. In response to a comment in the Discord around successful teams releasing both creative assets as well as custom tooling, Elf says he's seen a lot of people wanting to mod their 3D assets. He has received DMs from people asking for small changes.
Elf says the team is thinking about how to create tools, services, and ways to make customizations, but doesn't have anything definitive yet. Though the team can't honor every request, he says to DM him if there are small changes you would like to your 3D model.
Dotta says he believes the main mission of Magic Machine is to create tools and infrastructure. When they creates games, lore, and experiences, they're paving the path.
"Forgotten Runes succeeds when it's something that people build on because of the tooling and the IP."
Dotta mentions that creative tooling is something he would really like to explore when the team gets time to catch their breath. On the subject, he speaks about his idea of creating maps of the Runiverse as a sharable protocol that people can build on top of.
Cult Questions, Cont.
Other Forgotten Runes 3D Collections
Then, Elf turns to another question around 3D models for Souls, Warriors, and Wizards' familiars. Elf said the Souls are about 50% done as far as texturing, and will then need rigging. He started modeling the Beasts on Tuesday.
Though Elf would like to make them, the familiars are lower on the 3D priority list. Dotta notes the problem with animals is the vast differences between their skeletons, gaits, and animations. Elf says the humanoids are different because they work across all 10,000 characters.
What Happens When Yuga Labs Asks You For Something?
Next, Bear receives a question about Yuga's approach to Forgotten Runes for Legends of the Mara and "what happens when Yuga Labs asks you for something?"
Bear says:
"To flex a little bit, we are really well-respected by most of the founders in the Space who are actual builders."
Bearsnake says when he gets on a call with other projects, 85% of the time, they already have Wizards and either want to talk because they're like-minded, want to know how Magic Machine did something, or they want to partner on something. Bear also notes that Yuga now runs 10KTF and mentions Forgotten Runes long-standing relationship with them.
"Just like we have a lot of respect for them, I think they are just big fans of what we're doing. We take it as a badge of honor that they reached out."
Bear says they walked through the proposal, and Yuga "made it quite easy for us to say yes...We want to support anyone who's trying to do real work here...They reached out and told us what they wanted to do, we discussed, and we thought it was a good idea, and we did it." Dotta says he's enjoyed all of their interactions with the folks at Yuga.
"They take a lot of heat just because they have the biggest target on their back, but they're all really good, talented people."
Bear says Legends of the Mara can be thought of as the tip of the iceberg. Elf says the first interaction the team ever had with Yuga was a tweet from Garga. Dotta says it was a thread where Garga wanted to be able to talk about other projects that he liked.
The next tweet was basically, "I like Forgotten Runes," and that was the end of the thread.
Has Magic Machine Been Following the Loot Project?
Then, another question comes in regarding the project "Loot" who the community member says has made "impressive advances with Starknet." Dotta says that he likes Loot and he still holds his Divine Rose. Dotta says he likes what Loot is doing, but even saying it like that is a bit of a misnomer because of the decentralized nature of the project. He says he has a few derivatives like Explorers and Maps, but he hasn't played what they're doing on Starknet. Dotta says he thinks that Starknet is great and he mentions he wanted the Runiverse Game on Starknet to begin with, but it wasn't quite ready.
He does think the Loot project struggles with centralized cohesion and says even the project itself realized there is too much freedom. Dotta says there have been movements in the Loot community to agree on a central narrative.
"You kind of have to tame infinite potential before you can get a group of people to come together and build on top of it."
He says he's even tried to think of Forgotten Runes Loot.
Bearsnake also gives a shoutout to Dom and the team at Blitmap, because they are also coming out with a comic that he says looks "so freaking sick," and highly recommends checking it out. Blitmap is also using Titan as a publisher as well.
Elf remembers the Loot project, and says that it was partially an inspiration for the Forgotten Runes Athenaeum, as it brought about the nostalgia of having an inventory of items in RPGs he played as a kid.
Wizard Spells & Game Changers
Dotta also notes that someone even made a Forgotten Runes Loot derivative of "Wizard Spells." Madotsuki notes that it was a low-key mint and some may be still available to claim for Wizards, as it was a free mint only requiring gas. Madotsuki also notes a website for the Wizard Spells that generated an AI image for the spell using a GAN and says the site was built by TV, Niski, and Ozzz.
Bearsnake then takes a moment to give thanks and shout out the Game Changers team, as they just wrapped up Season 1 of their web3 gaming focused Twitter Space series. He shouts out Bridge who helped lead production on the show as well as Bored Elon, Jitcy, Lachness, and Nalgene. Bearsnake says he thinks the show was a success, and there were a few episodes with ~1000 listeners. He says he's excited to pick it back up for a second season in the future. Bear also notes happy accidents have happened on the business side as a result of the show as well.
The conversation then returns to the Wizard Spell project, and Madotsuki speaks with the team about the GAN AI that was used to create the spells' images. Elf says that looking at AI art from a year ago feels so nostalgic. Dotta says the first Spell claims were 700 days ago.
When Should the Community Take On Project Vs Leaving It to Magic Machine?
Then, Elf speaks to a question concerning the best times to lean on the community for development of a project versus letting Magic Machine handle it. Elf notes that they're finding that it's difficult to incorporate Cult projects into Magic Machine official projects.
Elf says the difficulty in incorporating Cult-led projects into Magic Machine projects is that the team is already devoting 100% of their bandwidth. He says that they are unable to complete even nearly-finished Cult projects because they already have so much on their plate. Dotta notes he believes the DAO comes into effect in cases where community members are looking to finish their Cult projects.
The question is then rephrased to ask how Magic Machine should incentivize building on top of the project. Elf says there are tons of ways to incentivize building on Forgotten Runes, the first being the nature of true token and IP ownership. He notes Binary Star and the strive for legally compliant distribution of revenue and royalties. Elf says it's an ongoing conversation.
Dotta says it's hard to generalize, and the incentivization to build on Forgotten Runes has to be looked at on a case-by-case basis. Dotta says the project is still in the phase of "booting up" and laying the creative foundations of the world. Dotta says that if you're a builder and want to make something that gets integrated in a tight way, to talk to the team, because he thinks they are willing. He then asks Elf if he wants to talk about modding.
Elf Talks Modding and DIY In the Cult
Elf returns to his conversation about receiving requests for changes on the 3D models, and says he is still figuring out the best way to deploy changes. He urges those who might want more in-depth changes to take it upon themselves to learn or lean on 3D savvy cult members. Elf speaks about FrogEater's demo session for 3D models, which was recorded and available to view for those who missed it. He says he believes Frog will do more of these kinds of sessions in the future. Elf says he would love to see a cottage industry of modding in the Cult.
Bearsnake says in terms of contribution, some of the easiest things community members can do are simply be active and talk about Forgotten Runes publicly. He says the Cult came in strong with the launch of 3D and he says the more Wizards talk, the more the project proliferates.
Elf also mentions the addition of new animations added to the 3D site. Now you are able to see your Wizard in a "GM" pose. You can also see them in a regular walk cycle as well as a dance (other than the Impy Shake). Dotta notes "glamour shots" that are also now available.
Elf's Vindication and Metaverse-Ready Models
Following this, Elf airs a gripe that he had with the NFT industry in the past year when "metaverse" was a very hyped term. A slew of projects were posting hi-res renders of their NFTs and touting them as "metaverse-ready." Elf knew even at that time this was not true.
Elf says he was showing the team how to make 3D models that would function in different metas and game engines, and he felt that the reaction most of the time was that they didn't look like the hi-res images other projects were posting. He says he now feels vindicated. Bearsnake says it was a time when it was easy to say things (and get away with saying things) that were incorrect just because people wanted to believe. He says the more Forgotten Runes just keeps doing what they're doing, the more people find and recognize the project.
Bear continues:
"It's one thing to say you're making a game, say you're making a comic, say you're developing a TV show, say you're doing all these things, and it's another thing to know how to fucking get it done."
Elf also gives Bored Elon another shout out for a tweet he had a strong reaction to. The tweet was about the concept of adult coloring books and "creators who give their fans lines to color in."
He says that has Forgotten Runes written all over it.
Cult Content
With that, the team closes out the show by reviewing Cult content gathered in Week 29 of the illustrious Tania del Rio's Cult Content Chronicle, followed by a narration of Wizard lore written by community member Ygduil.
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Marcofine's Wizard and Warrior by Daniela Ilustra
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Joan Dagger of Riffraff by @nest virgo
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Shadow Hats Art by DeeLo
