User:Mendel/Quiz1

Below you'll find 7 textures culled with Texmod from a recent game session. Most of these I have not actually seen myself in-game, so I'm quite interested in finding out where they are actually used. Of course I do know what locations I have visted, and I may provide those later as a hint if nobody finds them.

To take part in the quiz, add as much information below each image as you can: where is it found? what does it depict? what do the symbols mean? Write whatever comes to mind. If your information cannot easily be verified in-game, provide links (you can add those later). Everybody who contributes information that does not repeat earlier info gets points awarded by me.

You do not need to sign your information; in fact, I'd prefer it if you didn't. I have to look at the diff anyway to make sure nobody cheats with time stamps. ◄mendel►

Scoreboard

Item 1: 7 glyphs


add information about this image here


 * You know those cloths hanging about in Vabbian libraries? I think it's something like that... Perhaps a rug? --- [[Image:VipermagiSig.JPG|Ohaider!]]-- (s)talkpage  09:53, 14 September 2008 (UTC)


 * Vabbi is correct, and in fact in the back of the library I've seen flags hanging from another area of this texture. I haven't seen the part with the letters used, though. 2 points to Viper for placing this in Vabbi, 8 points to whoever find these in-game. --◄mendel► 23:43, 17 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Isle of Solitude --Macros 01:39, 18 September 2008 (UTC)


 * That's what you saw, but it's not even on the same texture tile as the one I am asking about. Good effort, though. --◄mendel► 09:11, 18 September 2008 (UTC)


 * Oh, but they aren't exclusive to Vabbi. Spotted in Venta Cemetery (mission). [[Image:Entropy Sig.jpg]] (T/C) 02:52, 25 September 2008 (UTC)
 * 8 points to Entropy. It's time I made a scoreboard. --◄mendel► 10:26, 25 September 2008 (UTC)

Item 2: cloth


That looks like a camping tent.
 * Looks more like a photo than anything else Random Time  13:08, 14 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Probably a tent in Kryta somewhere, although it's probably used multiple times. Maybe you can find one in Lion's Arch.[[Image:Entrea Sumatae.png|Entrea Sumatae]] Entrea   [Talk]  15:07, 14 September 2008 (UTC)


 * Or it's a bag/backpack of some sort. --- [[Image:VipermagiSig.JPG|Ohaider!]]-- (s)talkpage
 * Possible, but it looks like it has an open side on it. It certainly doesn't look like any salvage kit or any other bag-like thing, although to be fair I haven't dropped any to see hat their model looks like, so that is a possibility.[[Image:Entrea Sumatae.png|Entrea Sumatae]] Entrea   [Talk]  15:20, 14 September 2008 (UTC)

Not a Krytan tent. Checking to see if Ascalon has one like this. There are some similar ones, but none that are identical. Entrea   [Talk]  15:42, 14 September 2008 (UTC)


 * Hint: This texture is loaded on the Isle of Solitude guild hall, but I haven't been able to find it in the scenery. 2 points to macros if it is indeed a tent, 5 points to whoever finds one (7 if it's not), and 3 points extra to whoever discovers it on that Isle. --◄mendel► 23:43, 17 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Might belong to one of the NPC traders, which I can't check because I don't have the Isle of Solitude. --Macros 01:33, 18 September 2008 (UTC)
 * *cough*[[Image:Entrea Sumatae.png|Entrea Sumatae]] Entrea   [Talk]  03:24, 18 September 2008 (UTC)
 * I don't have the Isle of Solitude either, i.e. I always go there via the ambassador (thanks, Entrea), and since there are no NPCs in the "showroom", that can't be it, I believe. If you were right, surely the NPCs in Kamadan or Kodash would have the same tent? --◄mendel► 09:11, 18 September 2008 (UTC)

Item 3: wall


That is obviously a statue of Dwayna.


 * Unlikely. Dwayna's statues are made of bricks. There's cloth wrapped around the breasts. I actually doubt it's any statue of a god, but rather a generic statue.. --- [[Image:VipermagiSig.JPG|Ohaider!]]-- (s)talkpage
 * Dwayna's statue is gray in ToA, has that crack in the face, and the bottom part of the image looks like it's used in the pedestal that the statue floats on.


 * Still, the cloth is completely out of place... And the bottom part is just a stone circle afaik. --- [[Image:VipermagiSig.JPG|Ohaider!]]-- (s)talkpage
 * Clarifying: this is the statue used in explorable areas in Prophecies, ToA, Zin Ku, and the Chantry. The Factions and Nightfall statues are different because they are part of the res shrine, smaller, and a different color.

Macros gets 5 points, I've examined the statue, and you can even see the cracks on the face (it's mirrored). The bottom strip is used for the wide low wall ring around it. I can't recall having been in any of these locations in that game session, but I may be mistaken, or the list is not complete. --◄mendel► 10:42, 14 September 2008 (UTC)


 * Hmm.. odd that some parts on the file above are lacking on the in-game model. Still, I stand corrected. --- [[Image:VipermagiSig.JPG|Ohaider!]]-- (s)talkpage  10:45, 14 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Well remember, it is in pieces, so those pieces could either have their own texture or be very difficult to point out, due to the fact that they don't connect to anything.

Item 4: circle



 * AoB concept art? Random Time  09:37, 14 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Reply to "concept art": GW loaded these textures in an actual game session. --◄mendel► 09:43, 14 September 2008 (UTC)


 * AoB cast icon overhead. --- [[Image:VipermagiSig.JPG|Ohaider!]]-- (s)talkpage  09:52, 14 September 2008 (UTC)


 * Solved. 3 points to RT, 2 to Viper. Extra points: Under what circumstances would this image not be seen on someone newly casting Avatar of Balthazar on-screen? Assume the space above the head is also on-screen. --◄mendel► 10:04, 14 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Why does RT get 3 points and Viper 2? Isn't Viper the one who got it correct?


 * What? That's lame :( I didn't get the chance to give the correct answer sooner. Anyways, I don't see how this could not be loaded when casting. If the caster is offscreen, it would show the animation when the caster goes on screen (I once had my whole party off-screen for a long fight. They can on screen and I had to wait 5 seconds cause of all those cast animations playing. Frekaing epic :D ) --- [[Image:VipermagiSig.JPG|Ohaider!]]-- (s)talkpage  10:13, 14 September 2008 (UTC)
 * That's easy. have your TexMod set to "replace texture with green" and select that texture. When they use it, it will just be green :P


 * RT got 3 points for narrowing it down to AoB, once you try the skill the image is hard to miss. Everybody got the same chance, I took great care to do the uploads and announcements near simultaneously.
 * I didn't say it wouldn't be loaded. The Texmod answer is incorrect (and anyway, a better way would be to make a custom package that replaces this texture with a transparent one); please assume GW has not been modified in any way. --◄mendel► 10:51, 14 September 2008 (UTC)


 * Still, I know those icons by heart (cause they're, imo, easy to recognise). He just narrowed it down before I could give the exact answer. --- [[Image:VipermagiSig.JPG|Ohaider!]]-- (s)talkpage
 * Ok, my next guess would be: after you activate the skill, but before the icon shows up. If you use it, you'll notice there is a tiny delay before the icon appears over your head. That covers the "newly casting" part.
 * Assume you see the character and the space above his head throughout the whole casting sentence. Clarifying "not be seen": you may be able to see the edges. --◄mendel► 11:09, 14 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Another casting symbol is in the way. [[Image:Entropy Sig.jpg]] (T/C) 11:31, 14 September 2008 (UTC)
 * On the same character? I stipulated that the space above the head could be seen. --◄mendel► 12:00, 14 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Use something with no aftercast delay. And/or a nearly instant spell like Glimmer of Light at 1/16 seconds. [[Image:Entropy Sig.jpg]] (T/C) 12:04, 14 September 2008 (UTC)
 * I need to try whether that works with AoB. Anyway, it's not what I have in mind. --◄mendel► 14:04, 14 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Just zoom into a first perspective view of your character. Silver Sunlight [[Image:SSunlight.jpg|19px]] 14:35, 14 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Is this location-dependant or situation-dependant? (or technology-dependant?) I was going to get all clever and give a screenshot where AoB wasn't shown in my character's reflection (proving they are a vampire!) but it actually does reflect. [[Image:Entropy Sig.jpg]] (T/C) 15:00, 14 September 2008 (UTC)

{subst:ri} Silver Sunlight, in first person perspective, I'm not able to tilt the camera up high enough to see the space over my head, so no points. Entropy, not enough time has passed for me to give hints. --◄mendel► 15:44, 14 September 2008 (UTC)


 * Zoom out slowly, by holding the scrollwheel? --- [[Image:VipermagiSig.JPG|Ohaider!]]-- (s)talkpage  15:53, 14 September 2008 (UTC)
 * I repeat: Assume you see the character and the space above his head throughout the whole casting sentence. You'd be transparent or semi-transparent if you did that. --◄mendel► 16:00, 14 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Well, my last guess would be reusing it after you get the bug which makes your character invisible when an avatar ends. Though I highly doubt it. --Macros 21:15, 17 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Hint: There is no special location or situation involved, but it does depend on a certain other factor (i.e. not every dervish can do it). 3 points to who gets it after this hint. --◄mendel► 23:43, 17 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Ok... is the dervish too tall? --Macros 01:25, 18 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Yes. Which dervish is always too tall? --◄mendel► 09:11, 18 September 2008 (UTC)


 * MOX. Still ,the animation does play, and I think you can see it if you get a view-from-the-top. It's possible with some walls, like the Paddo-arena in RA. --- [[Image:VipermagiSig.JPG|Ohaider!]]-- (s)talkpage  12:42, 18 September 2008 (UTC)


 * I've been trying to look from above, and all I could see was a circle edge, much as you can when you get the animation "twisted" in respect to the golem's body. Balthy's head remains inside the body. 2 points to Macros, 1 to Viper. --◄mendel► 12:49, 18 September 2008 (UTC)

Item 5: symbol


add information about this image here

This seems to have everybody absolutely stumped. I could post the full texture of the object that this is a cutout of, but given that it's the trademark item of a NPC in Lion's Arch, that'd be too easy. I think I saw part of the symbol on a skill icon, but I don't remember much more. You get 4 points for finding the symbol with that hint, and another 5 are available to spread among those who help find out what it means. --◄mendel► 23:43, 17 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Aha! The anvil! Stands for armor/armorer perhaps? --Macros 01:25, 18 September 2008 (UTC)
 * [[Image:LA Anvil.jpg|thumb|left|Anvil in Lion's Arch]] <- Finally found it. Are you sure it is unique to LA, though? [[Image:Entropy Sig.jpg]] (T/C) 02:49, 18 September 2008 (UTC)
 * [[Image:Glyph of Elemental Power.jpg|thumb|Glyph]] 4 points to Macros. I never said it was unique to L.A., in fact, I'm certain it is not - that's why I thought this one would be easy. (Have you seen the swords and shield behind that anvil? If we ever need a new wiki icon...) You can find this anvil in Ascalon City with Sedgwick; and in fact both appear on the Tyrian guild halls, it seems. However, in the Canthan guild halls (I checked Isle of Meditation and Imperial Isle) you can find the same anvil with a Canthan weaponsmith, even though they use quite different anvils in Cantha (these look more like a boat's hull). As concerns the symbol, Glyph of Elemental Power does look related, doesn't it? --◄mendel► 09:11, 18 September 2008 (UTC)


 * Not really, imo. A circle with an A in it, point on top (some mess around it), compared to a wide circle with a stylised Fishhook.. --- [[Image:VipermagiSig.JPG|Ohaider!]]-- (s)talkpage  12:43, 18 September 2008 (UTC)

Item 6: 16 glyphs


Floating characters that come up from faction's urns? just a guess, I'd have to go check to compare. Ezekiel  [Talk]  10:18, 14 September 2008 (UTC)
 * I think you're right Ezekiel. There's some in Imperial Sanctum (location).
 * I was thinking of checking Seitung Harbor as there's one down near the water, but I don't think I'll login to GW till tomorrow.


 * Ezekiel is correct and earns 5 points. --◄mendel► 10:54, 14 September 2008 (UTC)
 * I'm going to award extra points for additional information about the characters. --◄mendel► 11:04, 14 September 2008 (UTC)


 * The majority are in Kanji, something a bit out of my range of expertise. however, the remainder are Katakana, Japanese in origin. Character 3 is "no", while number 8 is "fu". The remainer are kanji, it seems, and to make things a little tougher, written in a very straight font; presumably, at least a few of them would normally contain curves, which makes tracking down the characters tougher for someone who doesn't already know all the kanji.
 * I can say that it's most likely all written in Japanese, since both Japan and China use kanji in their writing, but only Japan uses katakana and hiragana as well.
 * And on a further note, I would hazard a guess that at least a few of them don't have any particular meaning, other then their syllabic sounds. No fancy "life" or "death" symbols floating out of there (as far as I can tell). --[[image:GEO-logo.png]] Jïörüjï Ðērākō.> .cнаt^  17:17, 14 September 2008 (UTC)
 * I am giving you 2 points, with a third point promised if the others turn out to be, in fact, Kanji. I'd been guessing Korean (NCsoft and all), but then I have no clue. --◄mendel► 14:07, 25 September 2008 (UTC)


 * I think it's unlikely that they are supposed to relate directly to "real" characters, making it a coincidence that 3 and 8 look like the katakana ノ and フ. 1, 2, 6, 9, 11, 12, 14, and 16 bear no resemblance to any kanji I can find.  There are only a few where I can even recognize any radicals.  Number 10 looks like it might consist of 土 over 灬, but I can't find any character like that in WWWJDIC.  Number 13 might be 口 next to 十, which would be 叶, but again, I'm calling coincidence.  &mdash;Dr Ishmael [[Image:Diablo_the_chicken.gif]] 15:17, 25 September 2008 (UTC)

Item 7: animal


Pygmy/Aggressive Hippopotamus maybe?
 * I think it's more Berserking Bison, if that's the case then the hair and horns would be separate; the bumps on the head would be where the head bends out to meet the horns. Actually, the lower jaw would need to be a separate piece as well to explain the chin. Ezekiel  [Talk]  12:30, 14 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Change that to Rampaging Ntouka, same basic family but a closer match. Ezekiel  [Talk]  14:14, 14 September 2008 (UTC)
 * I hadn't considered the possibly that the horns weren't part of the skeleton (ironic), so I disregarded the Ntouka. But if you make the horns just a texture, and not part of the model, it is a perfect match. That or, this is simply the "shiny" texture for it and the horns don't shine. --Macros 20:04, 14 September 2008 (UTC)
 * I have been trying to verify your theory by looking at a Ntouka in Turai's procession and examining the textures displayed, and I couldn't find this one there. Needless to say that's not where I got it from. I agree with Macros that this could be "functional" texture, but why is it so angular? This is one of the textures that are a complete mystery to me. I do have some hints that I'm holding back, but I want to wait a few days (maybe until Wednesday?) to post them to give others a chance to participate. --◄mendel► 00:03, 15 September 2008 (UTC)


 * I have grabbed this texture from the Isle of Soltude guild hall, but was unable to spot it there. A shadowmap with a similar shape was also loaded, I've added that above. Since I don't see a "real" texture (and no real animal), I'd guess it is a sculpture or similar, but I can't discover it. --◄mendel► 23:43, 17 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Some mountain in the background can be seen to use the "shadowmap" (the white texture), so the question remains: where is the animal? --◄mendel► 23:47, 17 September 2008 (UTC)


 * It's a fossil under the ground! But, anyways, when I overlook the East (iirc) shore of my hall, I see the "water crashing on shores" animation.. i nthe middle of the sea. So it might be somewhere irrational (sky/sun? Heck ,there's a black hole in the Crystal Desert skies, who knows!), or where you cannot even see it. --- [[Image:VipermagiSig.JPG|Ohaider!]]-- (s)talkpage  12:45, 18 September 2008 (UTC)
 * It looks like the big yak thingies that stand around in snowy areas (yak's bend, outside olafstead etc.)Grabbing that texture with Texmod it's a near perfect match shapewise, except the back legs are stretched downwards instead of bending the way they are on the yak. This could also explain the angular thing, wouldn't need as great detail since it's only part of the scenery.
 * The only problem with this is that I couldn't find this texture when browsing through the loaded ones while looking at a yak, I didn't look thoroughly, because I had a 1000 loaded, but I didn't notice it scrolling through. I really can't imagine where it would be on Isle of Solitude though. GW-Viruzzz 16:15, 2 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Use the * key to limit the textures to the ones you are actually looking at (sort of). Still weird, is there a yak sculpture on a mountainside somewhere? --◄mendel► 22:25, 2 October 2008 (UTC)