iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Sientir @sientir.com · 31/07/2026

I feel good about this one! #SMUSH

SMUSH for July 31, 2026

OBC
DAK
HLR

968 points

Perfect 💯 • 15-day streak

hankgreen.com/smush (John Green's Signature)

Sientir @sientir.com · 26/07/2026

Oooh! I see, a "Perfect" doubles your score. No wonder it makes scores so high! (Incidentally, this is my first perfect game, and I'm feeling pretty pleased. :D) #Smush

SMUSH from July 25, 2026

OHG
ETN
MSI

744 points

Perfect 100 • 9-day streak

hankgreen.com/smush (John Green's signature)

000

Sientir @sientir.com · 28/06/2026

If I'm getting this game, it's because it's a falcon? My only familiarity with Aarakocra is this Magic card, and that art looks like a falcon, maybe?

Aarakocra Sneak 3U
Creature — Bird Rogue

Flying
When Aarakocra Sneak enters the battlefield, you take the initiative.

1/4

"Shhh! I think I hear goblins. And I definitely smell them."

110

Sientir @sientir.com · 23/06/2026

I'm gonna have to jump in, like I bet a lot of the comments that I haven't read have. >_>

4×3 for June 23, 2026
151 points • No mistakes • Sub-90s

Yellow row first
Blue row
Green row
Purple row

(word in all four is in the middle each time)

four categories • three words • one shared
hankgreen.com/fourbythree (hanklerfish)

010

Sientir @sientir.com · 12/04/2026

Jade, one of your party members in Dragon Quest 11, can wear a bunny outfit. I feel like this is relevant to @beneceadraws.bsky.social's interests. ;)

A picture of an Asian-appearing woman (it's a fantasy world, so no actual Asia) wearing a typical bunnygirl outfit (fishnet stockings, a black leotard-jacket thing, and a bunny-ears headband). Also, she's wielding a spear. You know, like a proper bunny girl. XD

141

Sientir @sientir.com · 08/04/2026

This design is very cool! It functions well as a mono-red card, but it really rewards lots of colors, too. It's such a creative use of twobrid mana! #MTGStrixhaven #MagicTheGathering #MTG

010

Sientir @sientir.com · 03/04/2026

This name + flavor text is excellent! Well, I also love the very upset dragon in the art that the flavor text is quoting. #MTG #MagicTheGathering #MTGStrixhaven

Traumatic Critique — XUR

Instant

Traumatic Critique deals X damage to any target. Draw two cards, then discard a card.

"The *artist* should suffer for their craft, not the audience!"—Galazeth Prismari

The art depicts a huge blue dragon (flecked with purple) wearing glasses bellowing at a human-sized person (could be an elf, I dunno, too small to tell) that's holding brushes and a palette. Papers are scattered everywhere, the person is clearly leaning back from the force of the bellow, and it appears their easel has been knocked over, too!

061

Sientir @sientir.com · 25/03/2026

@magic.wizards.com This question is kinda hard to answer considering prize packs from my LGS... Do you consider prize packs something purchased? Entry fees do go towards paying for them. At the same time, that makes the cost indirect. I feel like this might muddy your data.

A question from the Wizards of the Coast survey about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles set (though it's a usual question for them to ask in these surveys). It asks how much money, in USD, I have spent purchasing Play Booster Packs.

Since I mostly buy packs as part of paper limited events, it is hard for me to evaluate.

000

Sientir @sientir.com · 23/03/2026

I don't know what's become of him these days, but back then, he told me about this wild game where something crazy had happened to a stage. That's how I heard about Guild Wars 1, and it was thanks to him that I started playing the game that would come to define so much of my life.

Althea's stage in Ascalon before the Searing. It has lovely stone arches, blue and gold banners, and ivy adorning the aforementioned arches. A statue of Lyssa is visible in the background, as is a blue sky and the Great Northern Wall. And also several trees.

The ruins of Althea's stage after the Searing. The stage itself is sideways, and any greenery is gone (as are the banners). The arches remain, (as does the overall shape, though you can't see it here—it's hard to get a good view of it). A lone, barren tree juts up in the front, and a doomed sky of reds and browns hangs overhead. The Great Northern Wall can still be seen in the background.

Oh, and there's a massive Searing Crystal on the right side (they glow purples and blues), which is clearly responsible for the destruction wrought here.

100

Sientir @sientir.com · 13/03/2026

I went to Renton the other day, and discovered that @magic.wizards.com has contributed to decorating the town! It was a neat surprise to see. :D #MagicTheGathering #MTG #photography #Renton #WizardsOfTheCoast

A picture of some kind of utility box decorated with Bloomburrow Magic art.

A wide shot of a wall mural for a Magic Secret Lair featuring Llanowar Elves.

A close, angled shot of a wall mural for a Magic Secret Lair featuring Llanowar Elves. While a less direct angle, this view lets you see some of the art that the vehicles obscured in the previous image.

070

Sientir @sientir.com · 13/03/2026

I think January and March went to a swap meet where they agreed to exchange weather... We had some unseasonably warm days in January, and now it's snowing in March! #snow #pnw

A picture of snow-covered branches laden with white flowers.

010

Sientir @sientir.com · 03/03/2026

This card is wild. What is with that arm?! Will WotC ever take us to wherever Yixlid is? Because this card still hasn't been "printed" yet (the Future-shifted gimmick). Also, the rulings expose some of the underlying "how it works" rules of Magic. gatherer.wizards.com/FUT/en-us/93...

Yixlid Jailer — 1B

Creature — Zombie Wizard

Cards in graveyards lose all abilities.

2/1

"I have an eternity to know the souls who are bound here, to behold their every facet. But moments from now they will be gagged and masked, and they shall be known by none other."

000

Sientir @sientir.com · 19/02/2026

When they said the headmaster's office is in a cottage inside the school, they weren't joking! Dragon Quest 11 has been quite a bit of fun so far, mostly because it's really hitting that feeling of adventure.

A screenshot from Dragon Quest 11. In front of us is a quaint little cottage, which serves as the office for the headmaster of a very French-sounding school. And this cottage is indoors. You can see the rest of the school building around it, even! Also, there's quite a nice little garden around it.

021

Sientir @sientir.com · 16/02/2026

Ha! I meant DOOM, the classic FPS from the '90s, but it does, in fact, have a four-book adaptation that is ABSOLUTELY BONKERS that would've made for a much more interesting movie.

A picture of the four novels based on the DOOM video games: Knee Deep in the Dead, Hell on Earth, Infernal Sky, and Endgame.

100

Sientir @sientir.com · 15/02/2026

I don't know what the crap this changeling is supposed to be, but it's cool! It reminds me of Selkies, kinda. Also, I'm glad at least one scarecrow made it into the set! They were a big part of Shadowmoor, and the color changing ability feels right at home with Shadowmoor's color-caring scarecrows!

I dunno, it's some weird potato thing growing a weird, humanoid torso with spindly, spider legs growing out of the potato body. It has crystalline hair (if you can call it that), and arms that end in....well, definitely not hands, that's for sure! It seems to be in some kinda cave thing, maybe? There's water around. It's wild!

A seal body and a humanoid torso with long, black hair. Yes, this thing has six limbs, don't worry about it. It's on a bit of rock jutting out of a river, with dead trees around it.

A weird scarecrow collecting glowing rocks.

Foraging Wickermaw 2

Artifact Creature — Scarecrow

When this creature enters, surveil 1.
1: Add one mana of any color. This creature becomes that color until end of turn. Activate only once each turn.

1/3

It's like, too long of arms, no legs, spin and ribs, with wings. This is a scarecrow that should do the job of scaring crows, I should think.

Wingrattle Scarecrow 3

Artifact Creature — Scarecrow

Wingrattle Scarecrow has flying as long as you control a blue creature.
Wingrattle Scarecrow has persist as long as you control a black creature.

2/2

120

Sientir @sientir.com · 15/02/2026

Cinder Strike feels like a proper Shadowmoor flamekin to me! I really appreciate that. (I do like the idea of the rimekin, it's very clever, but they have a different feel.) Goliath Daydreamer has the right palette and pastel look. It feels like a sleepy Lorwyn giant!

A skeletal humanoid with dark flames is gonna punch something really devastating-like.

A skeletal humanoid that is ON FIRE with a nasty looking sickle.

A giant is using a large boulder as a pillow, which doesn't sound very comfy to me, but whatever. It has a tiny little book (that is actually normal sized) next to its chin. The art palette is very pastel.

100

Sientir @sientir.com · 15/02/2026

A clear reference to Pestermite, Glamermite captures the look and feel of a Lorwyn faerie quite well! Also, Lofty Dreams has a very Lorwyn landscape, and the faeries doing some kind of weird prank (I assume, from their POV) feels quite right!

Glamermite 2U

Creature — Faerie Rogue

Flash
Flying
When this creature enters, choose one —
• Tap target creature.
• Untap target creature.

2/2

A pink insectoid faerie (pixie-sized) flitters next to an elf's head, use some kind of magic on him.

Pestermite 2U

Creature — Faerie Rogue

Flash
Flying
When Pestermite comes into play, you may tap or untap target permanent.

2/1

A red and white insectoid faerie darts past the head of a sneezing giant.

A kithkin in a muddy trail among green grasses is floating into the air, presumably because of the four, insectoid faeries flying around them.

100

Sientir @sientir.com · 15/02/2026

I do want to highlight a few cards that I feel do do a good job of harkening back to Lorwyn and Shadowmoor, because I want to end on a positive note. First up! Curious colossus reminds me of Boldwyr Intimidator, the landscape feels Lorwyn-y enough, and the vibes are right for me!

Curious Colossus 5WW

Creature — Giant Warrior

When this creature enters, each creature target opponent controls loses all abilities, becomes a Coward in addition to its other types, and has base power and toughness 1/1.

7/7

The art depicts a giant that has clearly ripped up part of a poor kithkin's home and is examining the underside of the roof. It's a rather lovely landscape, but the kithkin are clearly traumatized. You would be, too, I bet!

Boldwyr Intimidator 5RR

Creature — Giant Warrior

Cowards can't block Warriors.
R: Target creature becomes a Coward until end of turn.
2R: Target creature becomes a Warrior until end of turn.

5/5

100

Sientir @sientir.com · 15/02/2026

Also, just looking at more art from Lorwyn/Morningtide gives an idea of what the plane looked like from there. I don't want to look at all of the five sets, but I feel like Lorwyn Eclipsed so rarely gets the right vibes! I dunno, I guess I wanted more things to feel like Morningtide's Disperse?

A panicked elf running from GIANT HANDS that are maybe made of water? I always thought of them as made from water. Could be clouds, but those are, in fact, water. The landscape is very green and vibrant.

Oh, the card? Yeah, it's Disperse, a 1U Instant that returns target nonland permanent to its owner's hand.

Also, the flavor text makes it clear they are hands of clouds: "Gryffid scowled at the sky. A perfect day for the hunt tainted by clouds. He wished them gone. High above, the clouds looked down, scowled, and made a wish of their own."

100

Sientir @sientir.com · 15/02/2026

There are other examples of these swirls in the landscapes of Lorwyn Eclipsed, and every single time I see one, I think of Avishkar instead of Lorwyn. Also, it really does bother me how...beaky the changelings are. :/ Like, when I think of changelings, I think of these guys. No beaks!

Woodland Changeling is just a 2/2 for 1G Shapeshifter with Changeling.

It is clearly trying to be an elf, and there might be some angry elves in the background? It's kind of a blue/cyan creature that's very blobby and curvy and wearing a leafy bikini.

A funky moose made of jello. Very stubby in the legs, but it has a great rack.

Some kinda weird alien walking in a field. It seems stuff is growing out of a goo left behind it, including a blob, a sword, and...an arm?!

Round humanoids that are very shiny and reflecting other beings in their torsos. Very alien.

100

Sientir @sientir.com · 15/02/2026

Also, another thing that shows up several times are these swirls in landscapes that make me think of Avishkar. Like, check out those swirls on Changeling Wayfinder (love the little guy, though) compared to Kaladesh basics.

Changeling Wayfinder is a little guy looking around, but in the background, just below its telescope, we can see some very swirly river meanders.

A plains that has a lot of swirling hedges.

A swirling terrace with clouds that look like swirls of milk in a coffee.

100

Sientir @sientir.com · 15/02/2026

Lorwyn Eclipsed Forests Lovely images, but none of them feel like Lorwyn or Shadowmoor to me. I could see the non-full-art being somewhere on Avishkar; Kaladesh's lands had a lot of swirls to them.

I'm guessing this is supposed to be an elven home? The background is beige, and there's a lot of twisty, wooden trees, with some kind of structure in the foreground. Leaves are around the place, as you'd expect.

Leafless, twisted trees form a misty wood. Some strange, almost beetle-like structure with glowing lights and what feels like a cavernous maw are in the foreground, and the eclipse in the background feels right at home in Dark Souls III.

A pretty forest glade. There is plenty of moss, but no leaves on the very rounded hoops of tree. There are some flowering plants, too, and water is flowing about.

100

Sientir @sientir.com · 15/02/2026

Shadowmoor Forests

A spooky forest with no leaves on the trees. You can see an orange sky in the background.

The edge of a dead forest, with green mist on the right and orange light and mist on the left. There might be embers.

The dark depths of a forest. It looks like there might be water? Probably scummy if so. This is a place where you get lost and never escape.

The edge of a dark, spooky, dead forest. The trees are brown and black, though there's a green light behind them. To the right we can see a yellowed field of grasses with an orange, sickly sky.

100

Sientir @sientir.com · 15/02/2026

Lorwyn Eclipsed Mountains These feel a bit too storybook for Lorwyn and Shadowmoor to me. The non-full-art land looks rad, but...where is it? It feels very Edge of Eternities to me.

Very smokey, this looks like it's probably a Flamekin village? There's a jutting bit of land absolutely mocking gravity in the distance, and round homes that look kinda like fired clay dot the place. A flamekin seems to be looking at from one.

It looks like the same flamekin village as the previous image (see previous image), except any greenery is gone, replaced by, um...blackened ground? Also, all of the water now appears to be MAGMA. There is an erupting volcano in the distance. A large chunk of land continues to mock gravity.

It looks like some mountains are about to get blown the eff up. Like, the chromatic aberration is intense around the edges of the twin peaks of this mountain, and it looks almost split in two. A glowing light can be seen behind it. The image is very magenta and red.

100

Sientir @sientir.com · 15/02/2026

Shadowmoor Mountains

A very red, very craggy place. The sky is red, the rocks are reddish-brown, and dead trees are hanging out.

I can almost hear a dastardly lion singing about being prepared...

SPIKES! Yikes! This is less a mountain and more the mother of all spikey crags. Also, a very sad, burned-looking tree is hanging out in the foreground.

A cliff with what looks like vicious jaws. Water appears to drool from the craggy mouth. Sharp rocks litter the place.

Wooded hills after being thoroughly scorched, then repopulated with brambles. The sky is still red. At least the rocky hills are somewhat rounded instead of being vicious spikes?

100

Sientir @sientir.com · 15/02/2026

Lorwyn Eclipsed Swamps Look, these are all lovely pieces, but...where are the lily pads?! The rush/reed/forbidden swamp hotdog plants? The flowers? The fog?

I'm pretty sure this is a boggart village. Lots of glowy spots (fireflies?), things dangling from trees (meat?), and stone huts surrounded by algae water. There are some nice reflections. A wooden, raised path leads through it.

Welp, this place is definitely haunted. Magenta will-o'-the-wisps float around, and if they're something else, I dunno what. A sort of hut made of branches is crudely constructed at the top of a tree, with a ladder leading to it out of the swampy water. A wooden path curves through the swamp. Also, a cage is hanging from a tree.

A twisted tree surrounded by pale, magenta/purple waters energy lighting is before us. I think there might be a purple sun behind it, but it's hard to tell. Oh, hey, there might be some lily pads in this!

100

Sientir @sientir.com · 15/02/2026

Lorwyn Eclipsed Islands I do like the full-art islands fairly well, but that Lorwyn one, while a cool piece of art, doesn't feel at all like Lorwyn to me. And what the heck is that non-full-art land supposed to be?! Are these supposed to be the transition places? It's a baffling image, imo.

It looks like an underwater merfolk village? There are definitely some merfolk swimming in the middle of the image, and there's some plants and stuff growing around. It might not be underwater, so maybe the merfolk are flying. They are established as being able to do that. It's very blue with hints of green.

This is a very clear image of shell-like homes glowing blue. There are some shells on the left side, and some figures swimming in the distance. There's a blue-tinged ring floating in the sky, probably the titular eclipse. There are trees and such, but not a leaf to be seen.

Look, I don't even know where to start. The background is some intense magenta, there's some kind of...spike? Of water? I think? Dominating the foreground. Glowing, blue lines that look like symbols surround it. And there are a lot of rocks. The water? looks kinda like the sky was mixed into it or something? It's very odd.

100

Sientir @sientir.com · 15/02/2026

Shadowmoor Islands

A foggy, water-logged forest with barren trees. In any other Magic set, you'd expect this to be a swamp, that's just how dismal Shadowmoor is.

It looks like some kind of sunken village, with blues and dark purples.

Vibrant blues with a purple haze in the background, and very sharp, pointy plants dotting the place.

Blue waters surrounding a island of grey...rocks? They look very slimy or something. And barren bushes or trees or something are managing to grip them. Also, there is totally a skeleton in the lower left corner. I would not drink this water.

100

Sientir @sientir.com · 15/02/2026

Lorwyn Eclipsed Plains I do like the idea of the Lorwyn/Shadowmoor full art lands, but why are is the Lorwyn one so yellow? Why isn't it more green? The Shadowmoor one is pretty good, though. Then there's the not-full art land. What is that?! (Alt-text for more thoughts on that one.)

A cute village with a shepherd leaving over a wooden bridge. Several windmills are visible, and there's a blue sky with wispy clouds in the background. Yellow grasses surround the village, though greener hills are behind it.

A fortress city stands before us, with several spotlight towers surrounded by spikes for defense. An angry river with yellow vapors is before us. Yellowed grasses are everywhere, including the hills behind us. It appears there is a moon in the upper left, and the Dark Sign from Dark Souls III is to the right. OK, probably not literally that, but it definitely looks like it!

The only non-full-art plains from Lorwyn Eclipsed. Swirly hedges are in front of us. They remind me of Avishkar. However, most of the focus is on the ENORMOUS YELLOW ORB in the background, looking like some kind of glowing, round crystal. It's probably supposed to be the sun? But it's too dim for that. Still really bright though. Surrounding it is a corona of magenta light. The entire thing feels like it comes from Edge of Eternities.

100

Sientir @sientir.com · 15/02/2026

What I mean is that Lorwyn -> Shadowmoor, Elves went Green/Black -> Green/White, Goblins from Red/Black -> Red/Green, Kithkin from White/Green -> White/Blue, and Merfolk from Blue/White -> Blue/Black. So seeing Shadowmoor versions of these with the "lost" color feels very weird!

Safehold Elite 1G/W

Creature — Elf Scout

Persist
2/2

Boggart Ram-Gang R/GR/GR/G

Creature — Goblin Warrior

Haste
Wither
3/3

Zealous Guardian W/U

Creature — Kithkin Soldier

Flash
1/1

Wanderbrine Rootcutters 2U/BU/B

Creature — Merfolk Rogue

Wanderbrine Rootcutters can't be blocked by green creatures.
3/3

100

Sientir @sientir.com · 16/01/2026

Some screenshots from #GuildWars. I still find the game beautiful, 20 years later. And honestly, something about it tends to inspire more awe in me than Guild Wars 2 manages to. I think the lack of a day/night cycle plays a part in that, as does the lower player mobility. Both affect the artistry.

In Witman's Folly, my Necromancer looks out over a frozen landscape. The sky is overcast, but the sun is glowing from behind clouds. Aspen-like trees are in the area. My pet, a Melandru's Stalker (large cat), looks onward beside me.

Prophet's Path in the Crystal Desert, most likely. My party stands on the sands, and in the distance, a large wurm is fighting sand elementals. The landscape of dunes is dotted with scrub grasses here and there, and massive bones rest upon the sands.

Looking out, likely in the Arid Sea. The entire landscape has a golden hue, thanks in large part to the sky. My character stands between two large rocky formations, and more can be seen in the distance, as the scrub-dotted sands stretch out before us.

My Necromancer stands in the Arid Sea. Rocks and dunes compose the landscape, and looming large over it all is the Lone Sentinel; an ancient and massive statue of a female Warrior. One leg is nearly entirely eroded, yet still, she gazes over the landscape.

040

Sientir @sientir.com · 12/01/2026

Also, to follow-up on something I mentioned in that article, here's my new lock screen! The base image is a somewhat modified screenshot from Guild Wars 1 that, due to recent updates, is technically no longer possible to take (an object was added by those pillars).

A screenshot from Guild Wars 1 showing mostly trees on an island in a very shallow lake. There are some ruined pillars on that island, and more trees and ruins on the shore.

On the left side there is text.

2026 — Theme: Honesty

This Year's Goals:
• Finish a Major Project
• Be More Time Conscious
• Keep Playing More Games
• Keep Up the Exercise
• Remember That I Can't See the Future
• Assume Better of Others
• Make Time for Pet Projects
• Remember These Goals

000

Sientir @sientir.com · 01/01/2026

I closed my eyes and clicked the pause button. I'll take kind-hearted!

The quoted post from Merriam-Webster (the dictionary), which reads: Take a screenshot of this GIF, and whichever new word you land on is YOUR word for 2026.

Let's. Go.

The word it landed on for me, my "2026 Word" is "kind-hearted."

000

Sientir @sientir.com · 18/12/2025

The year is 2025, nearly 2026. Guild Wars 1 gets an update that adds in the old character select screens. We haven't seen them since 2007. I am extremely hyped over this. We'd been told it was impossible. And yet, it has happened. (The first of these images is the one we've had since 2007.)

The Eye of the North character select screen that we've been looking at since 2007. It shows my Paragon on a mountain top. More mountains are in the background, along with large evergreen trees and an aurora.

The ancient, original Guild Wars character select screen, from before it was known as Guild Was: Prophecies. It's in some kind of encampment. There are banners, bonfires, and tents.

I remember it only vaguely, more of an impression, really. And yet, seeing it again...Marvelous!

The Guild Wars: Factions character select screen. My character stands on some sort of stone dais or column. Water—the ocean?—surrounds that stone structure. Rocks covered in vegetation jut out of the water. The clouds are brilliant in the background.

The Guild Wars: Nightfall character select screen. My character stands on a rock in front of water. A raised building is in the background, and there are a few boats as well. The sky is likely sunset, fitting for a game named "Nightfall."

082

Sientir @sientir.com · 25/11/2025

Wizards of the Coast seems to really like this particular card design, huh? #MagicTheGathering #MTG (I may be putting cards away, and I have these three side-by-side.)

Shore Up — U

Instant
Target creature you control gets +1/+1 and gains hexproof until end of turn. Untap it. (It can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.)

Magic Damper — U

Instant
Target creature you control gets +1/+1 and gains hexproof until end of turn. Untap it.

Octopus Form — U

Instant — Lesson
Target creature you control gets +1/+1 and gains hexproof until end of turn. Untap it. (It can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.)

120

Sientir @sientir.com · 28/10/2025

What? (This is from the #GuildWars2 update notes.)

Patch notes for Guild Wars 2, from the Open World->General section.

• All shrimp now display proper animations when killed.

010

Sientir @sientir.com · 22/09/2025

Well, this has been a fun and interesting little endeavor! I hope others have enjoyed it. I'll leave you off with a few more GW1 screenshots. I certainly have taken a lot of them over the years!

In Shing Jea, I think near Minister Cho's Estate. You can see a worn, cobblestone road. There are many planter boxes, though most seem empty. Pink and white flowering trees line the path. To the right are what appear to be torii gates with red paper lanterns hanging off of one of them. A moody, overcast sky can be seen, and some sort of building is silhouetted against it in the distance. Mountains lurk beyond.

From the tropical lands of Kryta. We can see an orange sky, like a sunset. It looks hazy. There are green and black hills or short mountains all around. Small rocks and various plants litter the area, and palm trees decorate the landscape.

The Chaos Plains of the Underworld, domain of Grenth, the god of death. The sky is a sickly teal, and a similarly colored mist escapes vast fissures in the grey ground. Dead trees are here and there, and ghostly apparitions patrol the area. Cliffs rise in the distance.

The Crystal Desert. The area is desaturated, a kind of pale, cracked earth, though sand dunes are around. Even the sky is brownish, looking parched. Enormous bones are nearby, and tall pillars can be seen in the distance.

This is clearly a desolate place.

000

Sientir @sientir.com · 22/09/2025

Compare this picture from GW1. It uses the same tricks—fog, atmospheric perspective—to make distant objects feel distant. They're even massive! But they feel more distant to me; things are in the midground that the tricks are making appear closer. Even more things are in the foreground.

A picture from Kaineng City in Guild Wars 1. Run down slums are in the distance, though Asian-style buildings are closer with worn red paint. The street appears broad.

100

Sientir @sientir.com · 22/09/2025

And all of that means that the smoke and mirrors used to make things feel distant is being undermined. Fog and atmospheric perspective are being used to make the buildings in this picture look distant, but they're too big to feel far away, and the ground doesn't lie.

A picture of New Kaineng City. There is a neat pattern in the ground, and fancy magical technology glows green around us. Cherry trees are in bloom in various places, which are quite lovely. A massive building is in the distance; it's so big, we can't see the top. Distance fog and atmospheric perspective are trying to make it seem far away, but it's only a couple of blocks at most.

100

Sientir @sientir.com · 22/09/2025

Like, look at this picture from a car. On the right side, you can see a distant city, and beyond that are mountains. But the skyscrapers appear to be the same height as those mountains, right? And those streetlights really tower over even those!

A picture taken while driving attempting to capture a distant city and even more distant mountains. While a suboptimal condition for taking pictures, it does demonstrate the effects of distance on the apparent size of objects. You can also see how lights take up a ton of space in the image relative to the distant buildings and even more distant mountains!

100

Sientir @sientir.com · 22/09/2025

So it's much, much harder for GW2 to present obstacles to player navigation, but stuff is just...bigger, too. Like, look at this view from GW1! It stretches out before you! Something about that grips me.

A picture of Shing Jea Island from Guild Wars 1. There's a dirt path in the foreground, and you can see mountains in the distance. There are also Asian-style buildings on the right. It's quite green, with a lot of trees. More dirt paths indicate directions to travel into the distance.

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Sientir @sientir.com · 22/09/2025

In Guild Wars 2, that's something you can climb, and it isn't even that much of a climb. Here are some mountainous scenes from GW1. Well, the first is mostly because I thought it was pretty as I was looking for an example. But that mountain in GW1 in the second can't be climbed.

I'm just including this Guild Wars 1 screenshot because I thought it was pretty...

This is from somewhere in Cantha. You can see the Asian-inspired architecture on several buildings, and mountainous terrain rises up the further you look. Trees and grasses are scattered around the area.

A mountain in Guild Wars 1. (Please ignore the UI.)

You can see it rising in the distance, and it feels at least somewhat distant, though it isn't that far. The ground is snowy, and snow-covered trees are in the distance as well.

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