Talk:Guides/Incense

Observations

• It would appear that adding herbs change the scent and increase the quality
• Adding resin reduces quality and nudges the stats in a certain direction

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More Observations:

• Adding herbs can increase or decrease the quality.
• Adding resins can increase or decrease the quality.
• Resins have potential to reduce the quality significantly.
• However, repeated use of the same resin or herb will eventually cause quality to increase.
• Repeated use of the same resin can cause one or both stats to change.
• Incense scents (five times fast, people!) exist on a linear axis that goes: Musk -> Flowers -> Pine -> Citrus -> Clove
• It's *much* easier to trend your scents toward Clove than toward Musk. (As a result, I am inclined to think of this as some sort of quality scale, with Musk being highest and Clove lowest quality)
• I have not yet observed the nature of the boost changing: It always seems to stay hopeful, serene, etc. (Could this be a constant?)

--Umopepisdn 05:54, 18 February 2009 (EST)

Wild theories

Since I don't see much posted, I thought I'd maybe go ahead and throw my early ideas up here to spark discussion today and for future generations to ridicule.

Resin Clock theory:

Imagine the current state of your incense to be represented by an analog clock, complete with hour and minute hands.

• Stats are mapped along the edge of the clock in (possibly equal) sections. For example, Str might occupy the area between 12:00 and 2:00, Dex between 2:00 and 5:00, etc.
• The current positive and negative stats are indicated by the section the clock's hands are pointing to. For example, suppose the minute hand is at 1:00 and the hour hand is at 3:00, you might have a +str -dex incense.
• Each resin has a point on the clock where, when added to the incense, it exerts an influence on the hour and/or the minute hand.
• Resins whose influence put stress on the hands of the clock, by pulling them in directions counter to the ones in which they're already pointing, will diminish the quality of the resin proportionate to the stress they place. For example, let's say I apply Umbrella Palm resin, which attracts the hands toward a point in the 7:00 section of the face. The hands are pointing in the opposite direction, stressing the hands and diminishing the incense's quality significantly.
• Resins whose influence reinforce the current directions will have a positive impact on quality.
• Repeated application of resins causes the hands to shift and, eventually, to have a positive impact on the quality.

(I would put this in, but not really sure where it fits, and not really comfortable restructuring things. So, on the talk page it goes, and if someone more experienced wants to move this over, cool. If not, embarrassment is somewhat limited ;))

--Umopepisdn 05:54, 18 February 2009 (EST)