Beginner's Guide to Project O

[Milt]

Table of Contents
I. . . . . Introduction
II. . . . . . Our Mission
III. . . . . . . What is a Genome?
IV. . . . . . . . . What is Talent Priority?
V. . . . . . . . . . . What are Relationships?
VI. . . . . . . . . . . . Our Data Threads
VII. . . . . . . . . . . . . How to Contribute
VIII. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Glossary
IX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conclusion



I. Introduction

In this guide, you’ll learn the ropes about our project, threads, and contribution processes. You'll also be introduced to the concept of talent priority: an in-game mechanic that determines where any talent may be placed in a pet's genome. Links to other threads will be provided throughout this they become relevant; you won't be required to read through them, but they're worth checking out if you have the time.

Without further ado, let’s get started!



II. Our Mission

Project O was originally founded on June 27th, 2011, by PunkyMax. From the beginning, we've positioned ourselves as the central hub for researching talent-order mechanics and genome-reading techniques. Our work also paved the way towards the genome calculator: a technological marvel that deciphers pet genomes. This calculator was once considered a pipe dream up until the late 2010s and finally became a viable alternative to old-school genome-reading techniques by late 2020. We work alongside the Wizard101 Central Wiki to provide the highest quality knowledge base for the pet-hatching community. We’re very proud of the accomplishments and milestones we've reached in this challenging field.

At Project O, we have three primary missions:

(1) Research talent priority and other related mechanics.
(2) Collect talent priority data for our databases.
(3) Assist the community with our data and knowledge.



III. What is a Genome?

A genome is simply a set of 10 talents. All pets have two genomes: one for talents and one for derby abilities. For simplicity's sake, both talents and derby abilities will be collectively referred to as "talents".

You might be forgiven for thinking that all talents within a genome are random, but thankfully this isn't really the case. 1st-gen pets -- pets received via any method other than hatching (e.g. boss drops, Crowns Shop, hoard packs, etc.) -- share the exact same set of talents depending on their base species. So all 1st-gen Firecats share the same genome, all 1st-gen Fennec Foxes share the same genome, and so on. The Wizard101 Wiki is the go-to resource for most pets' 1st-gen genomes. 1st-gen pets are also extremely valuable to Project O, especially if they’re difficult to get outside of hatching (e.g. Frostbound Grimhorn).

Pets received via hatching on the other hand inherit their talents through both of their parents barring a couple exceptions like Pip Boost and Sunbird Call.



IV. What is Talent Priority?

Every single talent in the game has a unique hidden number tied to it called priority -- the official term used by KingsIsle, by the way. These hidden priority values are how the game determines which talents are placed into each slot. Talents with lower priority values are placed toward the genome's upper slots, while talents with higher priority values are placed toward the genome's lower slots.

As an example, have you ever noticed how in pets whose genomes contain both Spell-Proof and Spell-Defying, Spell-Proof always seems to appear above Spell-Defying?



This observation isn't just a mere coincidence: it's the direct result of Spell-Proof having a lower priority value than Spell-Defying. This same principle extends to all other talents from Furnace to Balance-Sniper.

Sadly, the exact priority values for all those talents aren't known to us – they’re buried deep within the game’s source code after all. Instead, we have to recreate those numbers from scratch by documenting how each talent relates to one another across countless genomes, the data for which can be found in our databases.



V. What are Relationships?

A relationship describes how two talents are known to be ordered in-game. For now, you only need to be familiar with two categories: ranked relationships and unranked relationships. A relationship between two talents is considered ranked when it is currently known. For example, Spell-Proof and Spell-Defying have a ranked relationship because Spell-Proof is above Spell-Defying (and vice versa). Meanwhile, a relationship between two talents is considered unranked when it is currently unknown, meaning we don't know which talent is above or below the other. The vast majority of relationships are ranked as seen from our data -- it's the remaining handful of unranked ones that Project O really cares about.

At this stage, the only terms you really need to remember are above, below, and unranked. They're the most common. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. There are many more relationship types below the surface, many of which so technically precise that they fall outside the scope of this guide.

(Fun Fact: Project O's official definitions for "above" and "below" are so precise that they're technically not opposites of each other.)



VI. Our Data Threads

Prior to 2018, Project O maintained separate threads for talents and derby abilities. We've since consolidated them into one thread: Project O's Data.

To learn more about our database structures, please check out our Guide to Understanding Project O’s Data.



VII. How to Contribute

In order to contribute to Project O, you must submit a new finding. A new finding is a set of evidence or arguments that proves which of the two unranked talents are above or below. For ideas on potential new findings, you can either look under the Unranked List columns on the database tabs visit the Task Board tab in Project O's Data.

For evidence, we’re mainly interested in genome screenshots like the one shown below.



Please note how the pet’s genome is set to “Full Talent View”, not “Original View” (which is the default mode). This is mandatory. To turn on “Full Talent View” mode, click the small icon as shown circled above.

It should go without saying, but one of your screenshots should show a pet that has both unranked talents in their genome. If both talents are manifested: fantastic! You've got an easy finding on your hands. Manifestation isn't required though: we understand that getting both talents manifested can easily get very expensive and likely not worth the effort. If you decide to take this shortcut, however, you will need to explain why you believe your pet has both talents. Come prepared. You will be expected to demonstrate logical reasoning and genome-reading skills. The Expert’s Guide to Project O should help you acquire these skills, but let's hold off on it until you feel absolutely ready.

Or you can take advantage of the genome calculator inside our Excel spreadsheet. Our calculator is specifically designed to do all that heavy deciphering work for you. If you do use our calculator in your findings, you must include the calculator's verification code and the workbook's version number.

Once you submit your finding, we’ll then decide whether to accept or reject it. If it's accepted, we'll enter it into our databases; and if we reject it, we’ll respond back and explain why it was rejected. New findings will usually be rejected if they violate the Project O Guidelines – you'll definitely want to read through them if you wish to contribute.

Here are a few good examples of what a new finding typically looks like:

1. Blade of Fire is above Life-Bringer (just a simple screenshot, nothing else needed)
2. Vehement Vanquisher is above Ally Volcanic Shield (a simple logic puzzle; pay close attention to how everything is presented)
3. Rally is above Huge Rally (a slightly tougher logic puzzle; notice how each logical technique flows from one to the next)

VIII. Glossary

Term	Definition
1st-gen Pet	A pet that is received by any means other than hatching.
Data Thread	A thread which contains Project O's order data for talents or derby abilities.
Full Talent View	An in-game mode which displays all 10 talents within a pet's genome.
Genome	A set of 10 talents or 10 derby abilities.
Genome-Reading Service	A service which attempts to reveal talents within a pet's genome.
Known Relationship	A relationship which describes how one talent is above or below another.
New Finding	A set of evidence or arguments which prove how two unranked talents are related.
Ordered List	A list of talents which attempts to emulate how each talent is ordered in-game.
Original View	An in-game mode which only displays the 5 manifesting talents within a pet's genome.
Priority	A hidden number assigned to each talent that determines its relative order.
Priority Order	An in-game mechanic which orders all talents by their hidden priority numbers from lowest to highest.
Ranked	Synonymous with "Known Relationship".
Relationship	A status which describes how two talents are ordered.
Task Board	A thread where contributors can find and take tasks that lead to new findings.
Unknown Relationship	A relationship which describes how one talent has no known order with another.
Unranked	Synonymous with "Unknown Relationship".
Unranked Table	A data table which keeps track of all unranked talents

IX. Conclusion

My goodness, we’ve covered quite a lot today! If you’ve made it this far, thank you so much for sticking with me on this journey. I hope that I was able to help you understand our project and our mission better.

If you’d like to learn more about our project, I strongly recommend making the Guide to Understanding Project O’s Data your next stop; and if you want to take your genome-reading skills to the next level, look no further than the Expert’s Guide to Project O.

Thank you all for reading, and have a wonderful day!

[PeechezNCreem]

"Sadly, the exact priority values for all those talents aren't known to us – they’re buried deep within the game’s source code after all."

This isn't true, it's easy to get.

[Milt]

"Sadly, the exact priority values for all those talents aren't known to us – they’re buried deep within the game’s source code after all."

This isn't true, it's easy to get.

I noticed.