Hello everyone and welcome back to Builders Discuss. Today’s topic is actually a bit of an extension to last week’s discussion but with a narrow focus. Specifically I wanted to get your opinion on Perkspreads, we all know that every build must have a list of the perks, without which you would be unable to play the build, which is why it’s one of the only two requirements we enforce when it comes to builds. How this list is presented varies depending on the builder. However it would seem that for the most part the preferred method of displaying this list is the “Perkspread”. I have a love/hate relationship with perkspreads, they are something I never really liked in builds but fell in the trap of doing them because everyone else did them. In fact they are so ubiquitous that many seem to think the spread itself is the requirement. Anyway on to my question...

What do you think of the use of Perkspreads? Do you like them or hate them? How do you utilize them in your builds? I’ve tried a few different approaches to this which I’ll get into with my own response later. For now the floor is yours.

-Vargr

For me the perk spread is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it is often one of the first things I look for when I take a look at a build--it's a bit of pre-reading, kind of an at-a-glance strategy I like to use to help me know what to expect before I even read the build. Like Lee says, sometimes my initial thoughts and preconceptions turn out to be quite different from the actual product, but any surprises I get tend to make me like a build all the more.

The down-side is if perk spreads are poorly put together, they become more of a distraction than a help. Busy images or poorly chosen fonts/font colors tend to be the two greatest detractors. If you have to squint and work at reading a perk spread, then it's probably best not to include it. Another bothersome, but less prevalent issue is when a perk spread has an image that doesn't match the build's content, theme, or mood. Again, though, this isn't quite as common... but it does happen sometimes.

While I like adding perk spreads to my builds (all of them have one), it does concern me when I occassionally hear someone say that they are holding off on posting a build they are working on, or just won't post a build at all because they don't know how to create a spread. A perk spread does not a build make--it's a tool in the box, but certainly not the only tool for presenting perk information.

Yet, look at all the emphasis placed on them. For proof of this, just look at how people write the word. You'd be surprised how often we capitalize 'perk spread' here in The Vault when circumstances don't actually require it (myself included: when I re-read this before posting, I found that I had capitalized 'perk spread' 4 out of the 6 times I had it written down xD).

Still, I love me dem perk spreads :D

I have a love/hate relationship with perkspreads, they are something I never really liked in builds but fell in the trap of doing them because everyone else did them. In fact they are so ubiquitous that many seem to think the spread itself is the requirement. Anyway on to my question...

What do you think of the use of Perkspreads? Do you like them or hate them? How do you utilize them in your builds? I’ve tried a few different approaches to this which I’ll get into with my own response later. For now the floor is yours.

Man, I love you Vargs! Perkspreads can suck my todger. In the hands of the gifted they are things of beauty but even so I can't help fight the feeling I want to peel the text off the image and see the art beneath. I think that can be were perkspreads fail. To truly grab me the font and colour needs to resonate with the same harmony as the background image. It is more than a case of chucking words onto a backdrop, it is about finding the right way to do it. It is a skill as hard as anything worth pursuing. That I can't do it, or couldn't during my building days, probably speaks of a deeply wounded pride somewhere. That and my own hypocrisy as I love to get a picture and slap words onto it and say "look at my art!"

So I think the point I am making is that I never used them. I preferred to list the perks and try to let the spirit of the build inform the reader what perks should be chosen. Hell, I remember once being advised that I take my level thirty build to level forty as it was considered too low level. My arguement against that was to say the next perks to be chosen should now be self-evident... your sword arm gets a little better and your shield arm a little stronger, the skill of archery just slightly more instinctual.

Ya know what, balls to perks altogether! :D

I think maybe it is time for me to shut up, but when I play a build, even though the perks are vital, they are less important than the theme, the spirit, the builder is conveying.

What makes your knight or your archer different from that knight or that archer can legitimately be the chosen perks. Yet to me what makes your knight or your archer stand out from the crowd is something deeper. It is that feeling when you put the laptop down and say "I wanna play that build." I don't think any perk or perkspread has ever given me that feeling.

For me, the perkspread can actually potentially summarize your build in one image, become the true snapshot of the build, so to speak. The font, text, imagery represent the aesthetics of the build and the perks are your basic blueprint on how to play it. I tend to do two spreads, an early one to show players where to focus in the beginning of the playthrough, and a final perkspread. Selecting the image is of utmost importance in its construction. To me, the image has to be strong enough to capture the flavor of the build being presented, but also artistically balanced enough that adding writing to it will not detract from it. You can still get a semblance of what is happening in the image. 

That being said, If I lost the perkspread, or decided to approach perks in a different way, I don't think people would notice. I certainy hope people don't read my builds just for the perkspreads. The perkspread is only a part of my build and not a particularly big part. I work on a slew of other things first, but everything I work on in a build gets my utmost attention. Skill icons, perkspreads, the writing, the gameplay, the story and I think that is what it boils down to, how much attention you put on a build. The perkspread is a place where people are going to notice very quickly how seriously you took your build. And you may have taken it seriously, but if your perkspread is not strong or is off, they are gonna think the rest of your build is off too.  For me, builds are a way to make art. It is an expression of creativity that can really inspire people to play your build, or - and this I like better - insipre them to create as well. I tend to show my perkspreads to friends so they can tell me what they think. 

[blockquote][b][url=/profile/LissetteLongChapper]Lissette Long-Chapper[/url] said:[/b]

 The perkspread is only a part of my build and not a particularly big part. I work on a slew of other things first, but everything I work on in a build gets my utmost attention. Skill icons, perkspreads, the writing, the gameplay, the story and I think that is what it boils down to, how much attention you put on a build. The perkspread is a place where people are going to notice very quickly how seriously you took your build. And you may have taken it seriously, but if your perkspread is not strong or is off, they are gonna think the rest of your build is off too.  For me, builds are a way to make art. It is an expression of creativity that can really inspire people to play your build, or - and this I like better - insipre them to create as well. I tend to show my perkspreads to friends so they can tell me what they think. 

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I've been giving this a bit of thought over the last couple of days, the whole presentation and perkspread aspect of building. Been deep inside my mind-crypt! So thanks for these discussions keeping me entertained. One of the things I picked up on is that the common theme seemed to be builders following a trend and making their builds better each time in a totally natural and organic way.

I also wonder if that means now that as a community builders here have plateaued. I think if you ask builders who have been doing their thing for a while if they are pleased with their first attempts, quite a few would answer that their first looked lke ass. So each subsequent build was a journey of self-improvement as they picked up techniques, gained inspiration and generally incorporated more and more attention to detail into their work. That is to be respected to the utmost. I pretty much have "must do better" scarified onto my forearm.

That drive to make each project as good as one can possibly make it is so relatable and also something which unlocks more of an individual's potential each time. We only need to look at the Fallout Comic Book event to see that a friend of ours has unlocked more skills in terms of presentation.

However, is that drive for perfection also a limitation in its own way? At what point does the artist put down her paint brush and say, "this is my masterpiece. I will never paint again"? If that day never comes, and the artist still fnds joy in what she does to make the doing of it worthwhile, what does that drive for perfection do to the community around her? Basically, if the artist picked up her skills through the following of trends and inspirations, and by trial and error over many years until the point where she can say she has reached a degree of perfection she is satisfied with, what does that give back?

There are two areas of this site riddled with self-doubt and fear: Character Building and Lore. In both cases those who know are held up on a pedestal whether they wish it or not. Those who wish to know will rarely ask for help becasue pride can be a huge barrier to overcome.

I am somewhat reminded of the sublimity of an ochestra compared to the humble charm of a street busker who misses a note, smiles, and carries on. For the former there were many years of intense training, dedication and ambition. And a lotta love. For the latter there is maybe still that, but the simple joy of just doing is perhaps more apparent.

"The fight lasted for a long time. I don't recall when I realized I was destined to lose, but when it ended, I was not surprised with the outcome. With a sense of unusual and true modesty, I bowed to him. But I could not resist asking him as we left the arena to the sound of thunderous applause how he had so secretly grown to become a Master.

"'I never had a choice to rise in the Temple,' Taren replied. 'Every day, I cleaned the training chambers of the elite classes and then the beginners'. So you see, I never had the misfortune to forget those early mistakes, lessons, and techniques while observing and learning the ways of the Masters.'

Is there anything to be said for consciously not striving for perfection each time? Or does one's pride make that an impossibility?

Hey Phil, what's that non-Lissette quote from?

Sorry Golds. Master Zoaraym's Tale.

[blockquote][b][url=/profile/Phil2]Phil[/url] said:[/b]

Sorry Golds. Master Zoaraym's Tale.

[/blockquote]

Thank You :D

Alright, finally getting around to answering my own question.  As I said already I've had a love/hate relationship with perkspreads.  Sometimes they are awesome and fit thematically with the build.  Sometimes they are a great snapshot of the build that is presented in an aesthetically pleaseing way.  Sometimes they are a pile of hot garbage.  Theoretically they are easy to make (just slap some text on a picture and viola) practically they are anything but easy.  It really takes an artists eye to make a good perkspread.  I know a thing or two about composition and color theory and even some of my spreads look kinda crappy if I'm honest.  Part of this is because I simply felt that a build needed a spiffy perkspread so I slapped one on there.  However, I've dabbled with other techniques that differ from the 'classic' perkspread see my Grave-Worm for an example or my recent Rito'rishaj'iit which I personnally like and will probably continue to use this method of conveying perks in my future builds.