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Thought up something that might be a fun bounty for this month. (Someone keeps telling me that player-designed content is the future, so I'm going to let them prove it.) I'll give it until the end of May to close entries. I'm interested in finding ways to expand the options for metals in the game, particularly though welding recipes. I've got a list of things I'm looking for. Anyone providing any answer that I take will get a prize pack. Said prize pack is still to be determined, and will be made up mostly of a collection of things invented here, so I can't name them ahead of time.

1) A name for the skill or process whereby an Elemental hero might chemically or otherwise alter a base metal to make an improved metal. The elemental version might tend to focus on manipulation at the molecular level, or by applying massive amounts of heat.

2) A name for the skill or process where a Gadgeteer might do the same thing. Note that the gadgeteer version may be applied to some other non-metal processes, such as a means to upgrade caffeine, say. The gadgeteer version should be assumed to be some mechanical/macro-level process.

3) Names for new types of fictitious metals. I know I need at least 5, might need as many as 15 or more. Yeah, I know, seems complicated. When actually implementing this stuff, I'll try to keep it sensible. It's not necessary, but it may be useful to keep in mind these are likely to be upgrades from existing metals in the game. This definitely includes upgrades for titanium and plasteel. Probably also includes cybertronium. I think infernium is out, because it's pretty rare to begin with.

** Bonus points (karmically speaking) but no prize for listing any other material that really ought to be included in this spectrum. As noted in #3, infernium is out. Also, newt leather, which is a limited edition item (and hasn't even been implemented), is also out. I'm also going to declare that xentrium and irrhodium are already upgrades done by villains, and don't count as base metals. Am I forgetting anything else? Right now I don't really have leather or even much denim, but those might be things I could add at low levels.

*** Final notes: unless there's a complete lack of participation, or you're simply brilliant and everyone says so, please try to stick to 2-3 process names and your best 5-ish metal names per person. More than that and I'll be reading this stuff for all of June.

Entries due here in the forums by midnight on May 31. Mods and other similar insiders are welcome to participate.

Got one unofficial/joke entry for Vernonite as an upgrade for infernium, which obviously is out of the scope of the bounty, but still a good start. Also makes me think of Asimovium, or perhaps Seldonite, if we want to give a nod to a writer of science fiction.

Screw Elementals. They can just use their sissy magic to temper metals.


For Gadgeteers, I'd like to see something inspired by Supercomputing Skills, where the Gadgeteer can build a(pair of) device(s) to upgrade caffeine, sugar, and metals. I would think the metal upgrader would be some kind of forge, while the caffeine/sugar would be some kind of crazy series of apparatuses (apparatii?), like you would see in cartoon science labs; tons of beakers, Bunsen burners, alembics, retorts, calcinators, and all that fun stuff.


For metals, something needs to make use of the clockwork core to make clockwork clothing. Perhaps clockwork core + robotics kit? More interestingly, by using a process to "improve" metals, it would allow for robotics kit + $metal to make an upgraded metal, as opposed to a robot.

But, if we're just shooting for names, a good high level upgrade name would be "handwavium" (other popular variants: unobtainium, wishalloy, or element 404); pig-iron would work for a low level metal; for reference fun, you could also use illudium.

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The churches are empty / The priest has gone home / And we are left standing / Together alone
--October Project: "Dark Time"

Not really an entry, but the name "Arbitrarium" for a metal rings nice to me. And it can be an upgrade of any arbitrary thing!

OK! Names of processes...

For the elemental, how about Metamorph? It could be an actual skill (i.e. use pp) but be able to combine/change more things than the gadgeteer skill. The gadgeteer skill could be called Metalcrafting, and be passive (through the assemble menu). This would make combos harder to guess...

OR, maybe they will both be passive and the elemental skill upgrades a solitary item (gems, metals etc.), while the gadgeteer combines two metals... like... an alloy? For the coffee idea, maybe the elementals should be able to do that. Or maybe even naturalists? I mean, they ARE the most attuned to nature (coffee beans = plant from nature).

So, yeah. Metals? New items? How about... Café Arabica and Aurum (1st new coffee, 2nd almost useless but expensive?)
Or maybe magnetium, or literalite? Or possibly odorum, with non-combat effects, and dischorium, with + monster level effects?

Or you could just use real elements like seaborgium.

Sorry. I think I went over my limit. Err...
Yeah.

1) Keeping it simple with a 'Alchemy'. Alchemists back in the 1400's and before that were always trying to see if they could turn lead into gold. Somehow elementalists have cracked the code for it and been able to upgrade metals with their powers.

Another one I just thought up then, 'Atomic Surgery'. Implying that elementalists have the power of manipulating atoms into other elements (e.g. adding nuetrons, protons and electrons to carbon to make it silicon). Perhaps PP used=amount of protons, nuetrons and electrons added.

2) Continuing on from 'Improved Tinkering', I came up with 'Super-Improved Tinkering'. This would be in the form of allowing to access another workbench, 'Supe Things Up'. In your garage there is another room where there is some guy wearing a shirt that is too big for him and some of his friends that like to improve things. They offer their services if you bring them the right stuff. (combining 3 things at once type recipes)

3) Shinyium - Doesn't sound like it exists but you can't keep your eyes off it because it is that damn shiny.

Hardium - If AAA Grade steel and carbon nano fibers had a baby, this would be the result. It is just so hard that it cannot be penetrated.

Grass - Not the illegal kind. just ordinary green grass. Kind of itchy.

Perhaps continuing on with duct tape would be good for items with a small item drop % increase like boots and a shirt. Also thought up 'sticky rice' (black flakes+duct tape) as some kind of consumable food (probably sugar item as it is sweet).

That's about all I could think of.

Mayhaps Wonderflonium as an upgrade to one of the metals? maybe cybertronium?

And for Gadgeteer, how about Transmogrify (Calvin and Hobbes reference) for the changing stuff skill?

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1) For the Elementalists, I suggest it be a skill like Forge of the Salamander

2) For the Gadeteers, a skill named Flash Form

3) And I think someone needs to officially suckup...um I mean honor the mighty one who brings us this glorious game so I propose the following metal:

Rymeite

And/Or:

Plastanium (combining Plasteel and Titanium)

Titanium dulloxide (cause who really wants shiny Titanium)

Crytonite (maybe an upgrade for Cryptonase)

Russtite (gotten from russet lumps)

::slinks back to the Coyote Cave whilst the heckling begins::

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1) It's pretty lame, but i was thinking of something along the 'Inferno' lines. Dunno what to put with it though!
2) For the gadgeteers, Joule heating.
3) Tarantulam, Cebresinium, Keschetium, Rynosium, Roostorion.

Yes, they're stupid

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Buying Stainless steelbreaker, n-barrelled shotgun and Seppia's cephalopod skullcap. Pm me here or ingame!

Can we call the Elementalist Skill 'Temper Tantrum'? You throw a fit and rage against the [metal], throwing the strongest [element] attack you've got, and end up with [new elemental material]. The process leaves you feeling drained and you lose X PP.

Gadgeteer... Dwarven Robot Scourge >.> You build a robot with the knowledge of the ancient dwarves (which used to live under Twilight City) and they alter your base metals into strong metals, and after so many the robot breaks down. Would probably be gained from a sidequest of some sort.

New materials... Hydrite, Electrolite, Pyrite >.> I don't think the other three elements would work, as far as naming goes. Elementalists can't do sonic, acid, or psychic damage, right? >.> But those three would come from the the Elementalist process, and just have the obvious element (strength indicated by the name, making them all different items, i.e., titanium < plasteel < improved titanium < improved plasteel). The Dwarven skill would upgrade metals to a new strength. Titanium could be called... Gigantium. Plasteel... Kevlaristeel? I can't really come up with a good one for that >.> But yeah, Elemental would be for giving it primary elemental attributes, Gadgeteer would be for upgrading strength. In short:

1) Elementalist skill 'Temper Tantrum', creates elemental materials.
2) Gadgeteer skill, 'Dwarven Robot Scourge', creates a robot dwarve to strengthen your base metals
3) New materials: Hydrite, Electrolite, Pyrite (with strength indicators in the name corresponding to the base metal), Titanium -> Gigantium, Plasteel -> Kevlaristeel

1.for elementals something along the lines of elemental barrage as in science when you bombard something with different energies you get different things.(lightning could go for radioactive or a new electric metal.wind could over a couple of turns change the surface of a metal.water could degrade but in turn giving a new metal.so forth and so on.)

2.as for gadgeteers something like (insert clever name here).process wise it should involve magnetism and electricity as a way to bring things out of or put things into items to make new ones.i think someone else said it but i thing there should be another part added to the lab for this.

3.metals well thats alittle harder but five.1.i like quark. like the dog from honey is shrunk the kids but it reminds me of the stuff from futurama when frys dog was found encased in dolomite.(random)
2.plastikium a very low form of metals the lowest.yeah the lowest.
3.gonium=highest should have something to do with non-combat adventures
4.idleonium-upgrade for xentrium taking away more time or giving extras to go with the(-) duration
5.cryonia-a metal so tiny it will put a tear in anyones eye(increased chance for foe fumbles)

For Elementals: Atomic Alchemy, or Atomic Flapdoodle. Or Alchemical Flapdoodle. Your choice.

For Gadgeteers: Gazwhizmizology. You know, the study of mixing stuff with other stuff to make more stuff. Or something.

Fake metal names: Doreniam, Shazamiam, Shantiam, Metalium, Rollium, Boroccia, and Lanyardiam?

I have no clue. Also, Shantiam for great justice!

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Just because it isn't nice doesn't mean it isn't miraculous.-- Interesting Times

For number 3, obviously:
Supertanium
Awesomatium
Megaoid
Hyperanium
Ultracoolioid

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TheK3vin- #325

http://soundcloud.com/thek3vin

It's as good as the players can make it good. Did that person actually mean design as in game design of mechanics? That's a far more interesting proposition than something like Spore, where the player designs stuff out of base mechanics.

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Part 1) Transubstantiation, Thermo-mutation

Part 2) Atom Smasher, Particle Acceleration

Part 3) Braunium, Dmitrium, Cavorite, Unbreakable Diamondium, Gauze

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Oh jeez. I screwed up. What I meant was this:
1. Cock-and-ballsium
2. Cock-and-ballsium
3. Cock-and-ballsium
4. Cock-and-ballsium
5. Cock-and-ballsium

Player-created content is the future! I told you, Ryme! Glad you finally came around.

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TheK3vin- #325

http://soundcloud.com/thek3vin

Elemental: Alchemical Inferno
Gadgeteer: Transmutational Welding Arts

Fratrium, Solstium, Lunarium Bicarbonite, Electrium, Nimoirium

Yay!

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He DEFINITELY has pointy ears.

1)For elemental: Elementallurgy or Mystical Metallurgy.

2)For gadgeteer: Molecular Mayhem or Molecular Monkeying. If you want to be all old-school about it and make a nod/reference to old sci-fi movies/horror movies call it something like Mad Science 101 or just Mad Science.

3)Hellium, Scifium, Heroium, Villainite, and Impossiblite.

Weird Science!
(Plastic tubes and pots and pans...)

As for material names, all I have of the top of my head are joke mineral names (ite).

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Magi, I don't suppose the upcoming adventure editor for Spore counts as game mechanics design? Sure, you're still working with the set conditions and actions and such, but you can still create mechanics from those... kinda... or something.

K3v has a point. And moderation queues can get so long... there's always tossing everything to the community? Give 'em a report button and tell 'em to sift through a few dozen things of their own accord.

1, 2:
(Pah, I'm not gonna bother. Plenty of great suggestions already. May or may not put something up later, probably not.)

3:
tritanium- (Three-ply titanium?)
tritaintium- (Tainted tritanium, of course.)
transpariplasteel- (Star Wars reference! Transparent plasteel, simply enough.)
parasteel- (Could actually be a fabric used in parachutes, with merely the supposed strength of steel. Find it instead of getting souped-up plasteel, or something.)
metatronium- (Meta-gaming... cyber... well, that's what I can think of.)

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Metranomium? Using a clockwork core so that your metal keeps time?

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The churches are empty / The priest has gone home / And we are left standing / Together alone
--October Project: "Dark Time"

That would have to be Metronomium. Metronome. Also, a random "metal" coming to mind after looking at Metranomium. Omnomnomnium. Edible metal? Gr, I had another one too, but I forgot. D:

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Um, well, I guess that works.

Meta-gaming, coordinating outside the game itself, or some similar definition. In any case, meta- has a correlation with 'greater than' or 'outside', though I'm too lazy to look it up now.

Metronium? Hm. Too bad we already have Xentrium.

Omnomnomnium is amusing.

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Well, I can't belive no one has posted this entry for an awesome metal yet: Malkamite. It can't get much better than that. I also like Randomite and Azerdium.

For the gageteer skill I'd like to see The Density Intensifier(inator). (Bonus points if you get that reference!)

The elementalist skill should be Smelting, or Metal Smelting if you want to be more specific, or Smelting Inferno to give it a more elemental flavor. Also makes me want to get a Smelt Foe combat skill (instead of smite foe.)

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"no one" had posted it because it's an "ite" D: AN ITE!
Don't you people understand?!

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Well, I've got a hat!

Temper Tantrum is awesome. +1

New Gadgeteer Skill:
Molecular Refinement (Passive)
Allows for the construction and use of a Molecular Refinement Engine in your hideout.

Molecular Refinement Engine (Hideout)
Through a combination of nanoscale construction and high-energy particle bombardment the Molecular Refinement Engine allows for the production of exotic Allotropes of common materials. Molecular refinement is highly energy-intensive, requiring an amount of Wonderflonium equivalent to the material to be refined.

Example:
1x Wonderflonium + 1x Cybertronium == 1x Allotropic Cybertronium

There has got to be something to do with nanotechnology. Or nanites. Nanites would work well for the Gadgeteer.

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Why do you have to rain on my parade and crush my dreams Olaf?

so if Malkamite is the mineral, then the metal should be Malkamonium or Malkion?
I guess Randomite should be renamed to something like Randium as well.

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Duskite
Twilite
Dawnite
Vigilite

Nocturnium
Alegrium
Desparium

polysteel

elementalist: Inner Furnace
Your inner fire has advanced to the point that you can now personally refine things.

EX: Vigilite smelted w/ Twilite -> Nocturnium

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=D

Okay, here goes.

Elemental Process:
Possibility - Catalyze. Molecular chemical changes imbue the material with new properties and strange energies.
Possibility - Syncretion. Restructure the atomic lattice within the base material to create something completely different (though this seems more like a Psion thing)
Possibility - Superheat. You apply heat to see when it will burn, but try as you might, no fire ever forms. When you have reached the your limit, you discover that the incredible heat has created something entirely new.

Gadgeteer Process:
Possibility - Restructure. Sounded good in my ears. Involving making minute changes to the layout of the material until it somehow changed completely. Possibly involving nanotechnology. And lasers.
Possibility - Realloy. While testing to see how this metal reacts with some of the stranger components in your lab, you stuble upon an entirely new allow, composed of... come to think of it, you can't remember all of what you did to it.

Metals:
Omnilite (Also possibly the name of a megacorporation) [Gadgeteer]
Igneum (Related to volcanic rock, possibly through Elementalists) [Elemental]
Pnakalite (Exotic/Alien/Psionic/Crystalline/Take Your Pick) [Psion]
Ferilite (Material produced organically by unknown plants/creatures) [Naturalist]
Come to think of it, those materials could form the basis for class-specific equipment and/or organizations. Or at the very least be related to a specific class.

Thixalium (Semi-Liquid Metal)
Harnite (???)
Slindite (Sounds pointy, sharp, and thin)

Mimetic polyalloy?

It sounds best if you talk about it in a thick Austrian accent, obviously.

I actually LOL'd at "Temper Tantrum", "malkamite", and "omnomnomium". Funny stuff, guys.

Anyway, my 2 chips' worth:
Elemental conversion: "Total protonic reversal", which changes some of the protons in the material into anti-protons. Normally, this would cause every molecule in your body to explode at the speed of light, but your elemental skills enable you to mange the process.
Or "Quantum Billiards", in which you bounce a subatomic particle around in the crystalline matrix, and cause the atoms to rearrange into new configurations.

Gadgeteer conversion: Helter Smelter and Sole Forge (You can only afford one smelter, and a Sole Forge.)

New materials: Elysium (the opposite of infernium?)
Opprobrium (perhaps if you hit with a weapon of opprobrium, it either weakens or enrages your foe?)
Byzantium (A very ancient and highly complex material?)
Aquarium (How did this fish tank get here?)
Adnauseum and tedium (You get tedium by processing 100 chunks of adnauseum)

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Doesn't everything? >.>

Yeah I'm gonna have to go ahead and +1 Omnomnomium.

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TheK3vin- #325

http://soundcloud.com/thek3vin

Omnomnomnium. Necessary, otherwise it sounds...odd.

Glad people like it though. Woot.

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No. I like Onomnomium. Your idea sucks.

Only joking, thought it was a bit off myself.

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TheK3vin- #325

http://soundcloud.com/thek3vin

For Part 3

Ironmantium (homage to Iron Man brother of the Ferric man)

Adamantium (Adam Ant + Wolverine shout out)

Metallicatium (the heaviest of all metals)

Ok, didn’t really take the time to read all the other entries because… because; so if I repeat anything sorry but here goes.

For the Elementalist: Options O (for obvious): Alchemy, it does wonders for turning led to gold and all that…
I also can’t help but think that as an elementalist I would love to have an ability called Reality check, you know just to mess with the non-metal stuff. Now I know elementalist powers are based on… the elements, but there has to be some sort of reality warping involved in spontaneously creating large very hot fires and tornados and hurling them at people.

For the Gadgeteer: Metamorphic oven. Inspired by the process in which rocks are super heated, often under extreme pressure, with no melting and changed into some other rock, I’m sure it would work just fine on metals too. Granted this does sound more like an item, but hey, their Gadgeteers, the name kind of screams “ITEMS PLEASE” plus I would love to see what an oven like this would do to a peep; or a very sugary latté… mm instant caramel latté.

3) Lets see… I’m just going to pull some stuff out of thin air here so:
Azurite
Diamindium (titanium and diamond)
Zircite
Hyplasteel (temper steel enough and it either gets much better or much worse)
Higunwarpium

Also just to throw it out there, Aggregated diamond nanorods, also called Hyperdiamonds, real stuff and incredibly odd; it’s supposedly harder than diamond.

Also, carbon nanotubes. Strong stuff too.

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1) Tantric Tempering (Elementalist skill): Through meditation you can transform your inner turmoil into an intense heat, allowing you to subtly manipulate metal and metal alloys to make them stronger. Or, according to an alternate explanation, you throw a hissy fit of such epic proportions that any metal in your vicinity will become stronger in a desperate attempt to appease your wrath. This would amount to a simple increase in power for metallic items and equipment.

(EDIT: haha, beaten on this. Guess I should have read the thread first.)

2) Conductivity Conductor (Gadgeteer skill): This one's kind of vague even in my mind, and it pulls more from the Gadgeteer's knowledge of all things electrical rather than all things mechanical, but think about this. Suppose that every metal has some sort of intrinsic property. The gadgeteer can bring out that property by fashioning pieces of metal into antennas (which can then be welded to equipment--helmets would be the most obvious choice), allowing them to detect different things depending on the metal used. Maybe your opponents' thoughts or combat-useful stats? Maybe (gasp) items or chips? Maybe increasing your initiative or other stats? Or maybe some metals inhibit the absorption of certain things. For example, you could fashion a tin-foil (or some other foil) hat, which grants resistance to psychic damage. Perhaps you could also rig up a battery using two different types of metals as cells, that could be used to power certain...special...devices...that haven't been named yet. Different metal combinations would create different kinds of batteries with different strengths for different uses. You would definitely have to brainstorm with this one, but hey! Science!

3) Stubbornium (play on Adamantium), Squeedlium (a heavy metal vastly superior to Meedlium), Upsidaisium (the antigravity metal, a Rocky and Bullwinkle reference), Blingium (for making the pimpest accessories), and Medium-rarium (a strangely soft reddish-brown metal that smells bad if left out too long and an obvious KoL cross-reference that will make the universe implode if implemented).