Virtual Dust

Everything that collected virtual dust on my hard drive

[23456df]

Well, it's time to say it...

There's too much randomness in Slime Rancher 2!

How much? It feels like it's not a farm simulator anymore, but a gacha simulator!

There was some randomness in the first game, but it wasn't as overwhelming. Like all the randomness is only the search for golden ginger and randomness in the quests of Victor and Ogden, and then we are running around one specific location, and not the whole map, and then the kookadoba with glitches there appears guaranteed, always just the quantity changes.

And extractors give on average more resources and, most importantly, stably in one specific place!

In a word, in the first part, the gameplay is much more straightforward. Here is a goal - do, and randomness does not affect much. In the second one, it's random what you'll do today and how much time you'll waste!

[23456df]

The cards say... That I don't know how to read tarot cards... But no one's stopping me from drawing them! Maybe someone will tell me something! Like when and what the next update will be about.

[23456df]

These eggs are already shell-less, of course, but I painted them anyway. (They didn't mind. I think…) You can hunt them later, but it's unlikely that you'll be able to knock on them.

[23456df]

Interesting… But it's better to play from a computer.

[famouslandbird]

Okay so Since I'm back to talking about Evoland, I'd like to write out my theory on the Kuro and Giro cycle, and why I actually frequently specify them to be different people.

First im gonna put my pieces of evidence:

1) Our first introduction to Kuro, the opening scene, which we later learn to be the magi testing whether their special force agent(? Don't know what to call it, but he's a special guy) is operational. The scene itself has implications, like Kuro needing to be instructed to walk, and look, but what interests me the most is how the cutscene ends. The sound effect that is played in the white screen is that of the cannon used to launch things into the anomaly. Not the magilith, the cannon. This is important because it established that Giro didn't get to the future using a magilith. Another important detail is what the researchers say - they say that because he is perfect, they will be able to activate the machine. The machine theyre talking about is the project, multiple MRC npcs basically confirm this with dialogue like "were counting on you for the project to survive", but important to note that by the point of Giro getting shot into the anomaly the project wasnt even close to completion- in game when we as Kuro go (or return) to the MRC an npc researcher says "you're already back?" Like very little time has passed since they sent him away, and we can learn the project is less than 50% complete(the guy who's playthrough im watching to see this doesn’t dialogue the robots sadly so I can't confirm exact dialogue, cuz I can't access the game itself rn)

2) Project being in the anomaly. There is also only one project MRC npcs also give more evidence for the loop being mirror like instead of hard reset, as they say the fished the stone of time out of the anomaly, and it can only end up there after the Ceres fight, which, another important detail to note, this means that no one leaving the project post end boss fight took the stone.

3) Giro knows about Ceres, is hunting her, and attempts to drain her of her power. Magi do not mention any specific threats to the project. Giro also has to find some way to get to the empire era

4) end cutscene of fina pressing buttons to reveal and entering Kuro that she runs to. It could be possible those buttons do something but the game implies them to be useless.

So, what does all this indicate.

We clearly know Giro/Kuro to be a clone, or otherwise mind wiped candidate that applied to be part of the MRC project. The magi had made the project to prevent the end of time, which they believed would be caused once the anomaly swallowed the world whole, so they made The Project, a machine that warps reality and bends time to by, uncertain means, do something to the anomaly (prevent it from expanding?), but it obviously can't manage itself, so Giro was chosen to man the project, from the inside of the anomaly, and was sent there to prepare for its arrival.

However, that's only the beginning of the first loop ever, where there was no project in the anomaly yet, and Giro likely helped it be set up, and that's when Ceres had first attacked it, presumably after realising how it is responsible for the loop(uncertain, also lots of ramifications there but I won't discuss them in this post), and it caused the loop we see and know in game. But in the regular loop, Giro lands in the anomaly and comes in contact with.. the project. Its not supposed to be there yet, but maybe they're ahead of schedule, so he goes in to do his job. There, he is informed about Ceres, the threat she poses, where in time she approximately occurs and that she needs to be captured and disarmed, and instructed to head to a lab in the empire era and assume the title of Prof Giro. He is then transported by the project in time to the empire eras, maybe even directly into the lab, where the opening of the door is done by/coincided with Fina pressing the buttons. Here is why i distinguish between Kuro and Giro. When the loop is already active, there had already been a whole series of events involving a previous Giro/Kuro before the new Giro arrives to continue the loop. The person who enters the lab in that end cutscene is not only not Kuro that Fina is expecting metaphorically/personality wise, but is an entirely new different clone from the future, there to perpetuate the cycle. The Kuro from the previous loop presumably dies, or is the old man npc in the game.

[quibbs126]

Okay so I'm not entirely sure if I understand what you're saying, mainly because I'm a bit stupid and usually need a while to fully understand things being said, and also all the Evoland 2 time travel stuff is confusing anyways

But my understanding is that final cutscene with Fina in the Laboratory up to Ceres portalling him is Giro, and then everything after, up to the Ceres boss battle is Kuro, yeah? And that Kuro's existence only comes about via the time loop (which would tie him in with Ceres, who shares that feature (maybe that could also explain why she can't erase him? Because he's tied to the Project via this like her?))

Though I'm pretty sure I understand some of the details wrong

Okay I can understand some of this logic. For one, it can explain how Sid confused Giro with Kuro in his backstory, because they were one and the same, and like I said, possibly explains Kuro and Ceres' intrinsic connection. And maybe also the Project being involved in the "creation" of Kuro could explain why he looks like a teenager when Giro probably wasn't, maybe he got "reset" back to how he was supposed to be when he first time travelled to the Past Era

Though I do question why Giro and Fina would have gotten together, because again, Sid exists. Was Giro just like "alright I guess you're my lab assistant" and did Fina either not recognize this wasn't Kuro, or convinced herself that helping Giro could bring back the Kuro she knew? I mean I can believe she went a bit crazy with the final few cutscenes, but I don't know

I'm also not sure why then Fina would have died/disappeared, if Giro didn't get rid of her. And also, I think in his first message he says he "disposed of the defective model, him and the woman" or something like that, something that implied there were two people, the "defective model" likely being Kuro

And also, there's something up with Giro and Ceres, but I can't quite put my finger on it. You're correct about the fact that the Molecular Research Center people never mention Ceres, and yet Giro knows of her, and seems to have specifically come to this era to deal with her. Is that what you mean when you're talking about how the Project would've changed Giro? Like sometime in between when he was first sent on his mission and when he first comes to the Laboratory, he learns about Ceres and makes it his mission to get rid of her, presumable through her tampering with the Project?

So then with that logic, the timeline we're first given to understand makes more sense; G was sent back to help with the Project, loses his memory and becomes Kuro, but then by the end of the game, his dealings with Ceres and the Project somehow bring back to him his original goal and he becomes Professor Giro when he meets back with Fina again?

I don't know, like I said, this is all so very confusing

But back to that bit about Giro and Ceres being strange, I want to point out that from what I understand, his intent was to destroy her, and when he couldn't, he made the Weapon as a way to weaken her, so the Weapon wasn't part of the original plan (which fittingly would make it an "Anomaly"). But also, I think in the final log (which I don't have saved) he says he plans on letting her out of the device and questioning her, which implies to me that he doesn't really understand what exactly Ceres' role in all of this is, and also that the Weapon, which Kuro is programmed to fire, was never part of the plan

It's not entirely relevant to your point, but it might have some relevance when it comes to Giro, and I have not fully fleshed out this information into a coherent thought either, so I just wanted to bring it up as potential info

[famouslandbird]

Dw, time travel is confusing, youre not dumb. and also I write very weird, especially since it's late right now for me. plus I made a mistake so it makes sense you were confused

Now that you've pointed out Giros first message, it's all a lot more clear that i made a mistake and where. Kuro does return from the void to Fina, that IS Kuro in the final cutscene. Giros first message directly states that he did away with both Kuro AND Fina. When he says he arrived to this time period and tracked the defective model, that's how he found the lab! Thank you, I'd completely missed that, this changes everything!

I've made some graphs to illustrate my new theory

It was Kuro in that cutscene, and Sid is Kuros and Finas kid. In Giros lab there is writing on the walls that is clearly not by Giro, which details attempt to "return to our time" which is most likely by Fina, since "our" could not describe just Kuro. They were stuck in the past, so they were bracing for Giro, but, he. Desposed of them both.

So actually Fina never got with Giro, only with Kuro, and they disappeared because Giro likely killed them both. Also, I completely forgot about Giros messages, so yes he did mean to destroy her but couldn't, likely because as you said, she's also linked to the project, or as I believe she's linked somehow to Tiki, the time guardian. This is based on the fact, as you said, Giro decides to question her, he's starved for information. Means the project doesn't know everything which is weird, if she's directly linked. Giro/Kuro are tied to Ceres in a roundabout frustratingly vague way, but by my theory Giro/Kuro are tied to the project because they are designed to manage it - the captain of the project, basically. Hence, why Ceres can't erase him(or more specifically teleport him away, none of the characters actually seemed to have been erased just, transported into an identical room or into the same room in the future, post battle), project literally cannot do that, as it can't override the guy with admin privilege.

So, basically. At the final boss Ceres battle, she reveals to Kuro he's in a loop. He becomes defective, abandons his mission, but (electronic implants? Tracker?) Shows his location. This is why the project sends Giro to the same timeline - it needs to replace the defective captain/acting hand of itself with a working one, so he can deal with the Ceres threat. Giro arrives from the future, kills both Kuro and Fina, waits until Ceres is born, Desposes of Menos and Velvet, kidnaps her, attempts to destroy her, can't, makes the weapon instead, gets amnesiaced and turned into Kuro, game events happen, final battle with Ceres aaannnd cycle begins again. So I guess you could say the final boss battle is a point where a new loop starts?

Also, question for your opinion. Do you think Ceres retains memories from past lives or do you think she knows what she knows only from what Giro talks about in her presence?

[23456df]

I would also like to understand where the original G came from. This is a clone specially created for the mission, or a volunteer. It's possible that Giro replaced Kuro not physically, but mentally. That is, at some point, the personality of G split into Kuro and Giro, in fact, into 2 people. And during the events of the game, Kuro is active, which knows nothing, yes, of course, Giro flew out once and activated a weapon, and that he clearly remembers the events of the cycle, like Ceres, perhaps. And yes, Giro killed Kuro in a way, just not literally, but by replacing his personality.

[23456df]

I decided to make a valentine card on the theme of Evoland, otherwise there was no content for a long time. I wasn't really going to do it, but I decided that it was worth it, otherwise it would be somehow wrong. Fortunately, the idea was not difficult to implement.

[23456df]

The sixth and, as of now, the final installment slug-slimes. Of course, that is, until new slimes are released.

[23456df]

THE ETERNAL pain of a colorist! Usually instead of ready-made paint, I buy pigment and mix the paints myself with a base medium, because it's cheaper. And I constantly run into problems with this.

[23456df]

Most likely, this is exactly how Reno would treat Ceres!

He despises humans. He doesn’t even regard demons enslaved by humans as true demons. So why on earth would he heed Ceres a hybrid? Especially since, in his eyes, she appears as a human-pig hybrid would to us: a grotesque abomination. To serve her would be to sink lower than an animal.

What amuses me most is that Reno didn’t just insult her - he insulted himself to the exact same degree!

Would it have come to blows? Ceres is far stronger than her brother… and their clash would have been nothing short of epic.

[23456df]

No, don't get me wrong — I'm not saying I didn't like the artwork. In fact, it's confidently knocked the previous favorite off the top spot and is now my all-time favorite piece of art based the game.

It's precisely its official status that surprised me. Yes, her pose doesn't reveal anything, but that doesn't change the fact that the only thing she's wearing is a heavily torn cloak.

Anyway, here are three possibilities: Either I'm so inattentive that I simply didn't notice any clothing, or I'm so corrupted in my perception, or this really does depict exactly what it appears to depict.

[23456df]

Very interesting costumes!

Why is Gigi hanging out with Mochi? There’s a theory that the people from the expedition to the Core were (or will be?) from Myles Tech, and now she’s trying to prevent any possibility of an apocalypse! Although, of course, Mochi isn’t listening to her!

Yes, I know the Pale King didn’t throw Hornet into the Abyss! And yes, Gigi is cosplaying as Rumi because of the markings and her purple/pink hair.

The idea for Beatrice’s costume came from Reddit I really liked it back then, though I’m not too fond of it now. Why Victor specifically? Well, some of his lines directed at Beatrice are just way too ambiguous!

[23456df]

The farmer sleeps while the work gets done!

Or, in short, that’s pretty much how my gameplay looked after I built drones (in Part 1 too, by the way)—just fast-forwarding through days until they gathered enough resources. And of course, my very first drone was sent straight for diamonds!

And those ghost drones! Sure, hunting them down might be fun… but narratively speaking, are we ever gonna get an explanation for them? Like, where did they even come from?

About Beatrice—yep, her hair really is that long; the devs confirmed it themselves. And don’t even get me started on buns—if you tie that much hair into a bun, even the lushest mane ends up looking surprisingly modest. Also, I totally thought her plush slime was tiny, but turns out it’s actually pillow-sized! Though honestly, if it were any smaller, it’d probably be pretty awkward to sleep with.

[23456df]

This is the very art for which I decided to take part in slimetober! The idea for it had been marinating in my head for a long time, but now there was a reason to bring it to life.

That fateful day when Gigi's nightmare began...

I also want to share my thoughts about Gigi and her storyline, so be prepared for a wall of text.

First of all, the idea that Tora and Hobson had a child still doesn't compute in my head, because they are genuinely too old for that. I mean, I know the saying "There is no fool like an old fool", but for both of them to get hit by it at once, and for it to actually result in a child... that seems a bit over the top. And red-haired Gigi, apparently, takes after her father, not her grandparents.

Secondly, Gigi struck me as somewhat... two-faced. She masterfully balances on the edge between a frightened child, a manipulator, and that annoying friend who can do crazy things and get into trouble because of it. I got the persistent feeling that she is hiding something from us. And I'm not just talking about her hiding her true nature (although that too), but also about her words. Gigi claims that those people were bad and only wanted gold. However, she herself trades artifacts from the Labyrinth on the black market! Furthermore, her description of the events of that day seems very strange to me, as if she's holding something back. I got the feeling that she lied to us about certain things. Gigi says her memory is damaged, and that could explain the contradictions in her stories. I tried to write it off, thinking, "Well, if her hair glows, I don't even want to imagine what's going on in her head." But after the ending, I was left with the feeling that we're being strung along.

And thirdly, about the ending itself... WHY DID THE CHARACTERS' STORYLINES END UP GOING NOWHERE AGAIN? Why did no one call us after the Labyrinth was opened to ask about it? Why didn't Tora call and tell us about meeting Gigi and the hardships of parenthood, but instead, Ogden and Bob called and gave us another stone and a cypress?

Well... We were promised something, and those words that we would be able to see Gigi's lost memories were specifically "when", not "if". And also multiplayer!

[23456df]

The same animation, but from a first-person perspective. The evil cube is temporary because when the character's mesh is visible, the FPS in the program immediately drops from 24 to 3. So, we either need to optimize it somehow or wait until they implement DLSS in Blender... with a proper image editor and GPU-accelerated simulation!

[23456df]

A small animation backstage

[23456df]

My permanent reaction to the insanity that hyperslimes keep pulling.

I initially wanted to add a caption like "Where to?!", but then I realized that it's all pretty self-explanatory anyway (I'm still not great at drawing faces and emotions), and everyone has probably already added their own internal "battle cry."

[23456df]

To be honest, it's quite difficult to comment on this art...

It seemed to me that this prism was not just a ball, but something alive and intelligent! Therefore, at the beginning of the year, I created a humanization of the core, inspired by this idea. And after the battle with him, this image appeared in my head.

By "stabilization" and "I hope she can become a part of this world," it could mean anything at all, including... Otherwise, she wouldn't have resisted what we did to her!

Is this considered a "Labyrinth"?

Still alive