Crafting / Customisation Standards

Tibitha

While the Crafting Guidelines help file is pretty extensive I've notice quite a few corrections coming back on designs that isn't really covered by the help file. Both from a language usage point of view (where it can be ambiguous) to materials to just general guidelines.

I figured perhaps we can try and keep track of those corrections and in the process create a more comprehensive standards document, which may or may not be useful, depending on how consistent they are. Either by updating the wiki page (http://wiki.achaea.com/Crafting_Standards) or just posting the correction here and someone else can update it.

Kez

No clockwork anything.
No live food.
Food may not have a face.
No opinion words (I might not find the same things flavourful that you do... it's gotten very hard to design things)
No spilling/dripping "not everyone will eat messy"

I'm probably the only one that would run into most of those.

Tibitha

Kez said:

Food may not have a face.

But... what about Chico the clown ice creams, we can't have those? :frown: 

Kez

I don't know. I tried to cook a head once and got a rejection letter with naughty words in it.

Tibitha

Remind me not to come over for dinner if you ever invite me  

Kez

@Tibitha

Design9774   Designer: Kez   Owner: Kez

             Private: N   HideMark: N

This design cannot be shared. It has a passcode of 0

This is a cooking design.

Type: pie  Ingredients: 4 meat, 2 fruit, 1 dough, 1 sugar

Appearance (short_desc)

a human mincemeat pie

When I invite people for dinner, they ask if they're a guest or a dish.

Anedhel

So, what's the consensus on the following?

For example: "The dogs' barking woke me up."

I've had this both approved and rejected, and it drives me nuts that it's not clear if that's fine or not.

Also, semi-colons; (hee) are they allowed, or not? Once more, approved and sent back.

Finally, hyphens? The following case specifically: "I don't know- could we check later?" The use of hyphens for breaking up a sentence like that has -also- been approved/rejected.

I really don't care, one way or another, I'd just like a little consistency, so I don't waste time submitting something that'll be sent back for something relatively minor.

Kez

There is a written standard for semicolons and emdashes (hyphens but not).

help 9.37.5

EMDASHES

--------

These are used when you want to add something that expands upon what you have

already written, and are especially important after the sentence should have

been closed.

The flavour of the secret ingredient - garlic - lingers in your mouth.

(correct)

The flavour of the secret ingredient, garlic, lingers in your mouth. (correct)

Long after you swallow the food, you can still taste the secret ingredient -

garlic. (correct)

Long after you swallow the food, you can still taste the secret ingredient,

garlic. (incorrect)

SEMICOLONS

----------

Semicolons are used to join two complete sentences that are related to each

other. The sentences must both be complete and must both touch on the same

immediate subject. The second complete sentence is not capitalised.

The ring has different types of gems. Sapphire chips surround small emeralds.

(correct)

The ring has different types of gems; sapphire chips surround small emeralds.

(correct)

The ring has different types of gems; Sapphire chips surround small emeralds.

(incorrect)

The ring has different types of gems, sapphire chips surround small emeralds.

(incorrect)

The ring has different types of gems; sapphire chips around small emeralds.

(incorrect)

The ring has different types of gems - sapphire chips around small emeralds.

(correct)

Antonius

Anedhel said:

So, what's the consensus on the following?

For example: "The dogs' barking woke me up."

I've had this both approved and rejected, and it drives me nuts that it's not clear if that's fine or not.

I'm by no means an expert, but that example sentence seems like it would be impossible to tell without surrounding context. How many dogs are being talked about?

Klendathu

Antonius said:

Anedhel said:

So, what's the consensus on the following?

For example: "The dogs' barking woke me up."

I've had this both approved and rejected, and it drives me nuts that it's not clear if that's fine or not.

I'm by no means an expert, but that example sentence seems like it would be impossible to tell without surrounding context. How many dogs are being talked about?

At least 2.

Anedhel

Yes, at least two!

Krypton

There's nothing grammatically incorrect with it. But "The dogs barking woke me up." is also correct, so the approver probably just preferred that stylistically.

Adaele

These are just a few rules I have run across in my designing adventures. 

-You may not use any subjective terms. In other words,  you can not make the eater do, say, or feel anything regarding the design. 
-All words that have a UK alternative in spelling must be UK spelling.
-Be careful of passive voice when describing something. 
-Use proper sentences.
-Do not use any term that is modern or only of our world.  
-Commas and accent marks may not be used in the title because it interferes with listing for inventory. 

Atalkez

Don't use Latin.

2453289423049823492323 languages of the world are okay. You can even make up random shit like Chikchiktata, but don't you DARE use Latin!!!11!

Melodie

No words that would require an accent in any way, including souffle and etc, since accents cannot be reproduced in Achaea.

Blujixapug

Atalkez said:

Don't use Latin.

2453289423049823492323 languages of the world are okay. You can even make up random shit like Chikchiktata, but don't you DARE use Latin!!!11!

I think the best reason for not using Latin is that if you translate it using some online dictionary, you're begging for someone who's properly educated and actually knows Latin grammar to come along and say, "Um, you've used the incorrect conjugation here. Did you intend for this to mean 'Dawns of is Gold'?"

The furthest I went was taking some nice-sounding Latin etymology, and fiddling with it and morphing it into names, when I was feeling creatively barren and needed a starting point.

Atalkez

Blujixapug said:

Atalkez said:

Don't use Latin.

2453289423049823492323 languages of the world are okay. You can even make up random shit like Chikchiktata, but don't you DARE use Latin!!!11!

I think the best reason for not using Latin is that if you translate it using some online dictionary, you're begging for someone who's properly educated and actually knows Latin grammar to come along and say, "Um, you've used the incorrect conjugation here. Did you intend for this to mean 'Dawns of is Gold'?"

The furthest I went was taking some nice-sounding Latin etymology, and fiddling with it and morphing it into names, when I was feeling creatively barren and needed a starting point.

In this particular instance, it was a single word that is steeped in Ashtani lore that was going to be the name of my weapon.

I changed the one single Latin word to an English word and suddenly it gets approved. It's really quite bad reasoning in my opinion.

Halos

Atalkez said:

2453289423049823492323 languages of the world are okay.

Local cuisine terms also aren't allowed where more generalized terminology exists.

'Vindaloo' isn't allowed. 'Curry' is. Melodie said:

No words that would require an accent in any way, including souffle and etc, since accents cannot be reproduced in Achaea.

Arguments can be made for unusual crafting words that exist in-game and have been introduced in regular usage by admin (not by player crafters) such as étouffée, bisque, jambalaya, andouille, and crema de menthe. 

Melodie

Arguments can be made, but I've been told no when I asked, and have had submissions rejected for it. I just decided not to pick that battle.

Taken from other experiences, no plants are allowed in crafted designs anymore either (I assume this exempts cooking, all things considered). I was also told this extended to "anything that was previously alive", but how far and what is defined as okay and not (for instance, we do still have wood, leather, and bone schematics/patterns), I'm unsure of.

Shirszae

That phrase seems uselessly loose.. Skin and fur were part of things previously alive too, for example, and I can't imagine them forbidding people from using either. It'd be pretty stupid, at least. 

Aereidhna

Along with no clockwork anything, no compass anything unless it's clear it's decorative or symbolic - not an actual compass.

Regarding plants, I was told 2-3 months ago that they were permitted as long as there was some indication they were dried/dead, but maybe they outlawed them altogether afterward? (Or it was just a fluke.)

Melodie

I did point out plenty of plants were dried/preserved in some way, but was told that was a change from "many months" ago, and even included the dried/preserved/dead versions (I was trying to use wilted/dead lycopods on a thing). 

Aereidhna

Melodie said:

I did point out plenty of plants were dried/preserved in some way, but was told that was a change from "many months" ago, and even included the dried/preserved/dead versions (I was trying to use wilted/dead lycopods on a thing). 

Well, that sucks! Good to know, though. Thank you.

Lorielan

In this particular instance live plants were writhing their way through a design, and having living things incorporated into the handicraft of mere mortals isn't something we've ever allowed.

Plants, flowers, fur, beads, splinters of wood, so long as they are firmly dead/inanimate, are fine in tailoring and such.

Melodie

Lorielan said:

In this particular instance live plants were writhing their way through a design, and having living things incorporated into the handicraft of mere mortals isn't something we've ever allowed.

Plants, flowers, fur, beads, splinters of wood, so long as they are firmly dead/inanimate, are fine in tailoring and such.

I removed the writhing bit, though, to make it completely inanimate (I understood I pushed the boundries on that one), and was still told it was not okay, though. I've since destroyed the letter, but when I re-submitted with the moving bit taken out, I was told (even when I pointed out some other plant-y stuff I own and is on public) that while yes, it was once okay, even dried/preserved plants aren't okay anymore and haven't been for a "long time", now.

Not trying to complain, just being clear I was given a very firm no. I had to re-write it to be stitched silk instead.

Sena

Lorielan said:

Plants, flowers, fur, beads, splinters of wood, so long as they are firmly dead/inanimate, are fine in tailoring and such.

It seems that multiple people have been told otherwise, that no dried/preserved plants or even wood were allowed.

Dairon

I've used crownwood in my shield, lash (pommel), and bow. Not sure if this is an exception though.

Shirszae

Customisations are usually far more lenient than tradeskill designing.

Tibitha

Sena said:

Lorielan said:

Plants, flowers, fur, beads, splinters of wood, so long as they are firmly dead/inanimate, are fine in tailoring and such.

It seems that multiple people have been told otherwise, that no dried/preserved plants or even wood were allowed.

Aye as I mentioned in another thread, I attempted to make a wooden crown festooned with dead flowers. Both the wood (not allowed in jewellery) and the flowers (no plants) were sent back over the course of multiple iterations. I eventually had to compromise with a bone crown festooned with paper flowers.

Skye

I could've sworn we used to have wooden options for schematics

Klendathu

What's becoming abundantly clear here is that what rules that are in place are either misinterpreted or not widely known. Would it not make sense to publish the de facto list somewhere publically available so that both the designers and approvers have a single source of truth?

I would suggest publishing it somewhere on the Achaea website, rather than (just) in game, so people who work on designs whilst not logged into the game can still access it easily.