3D Printed “Asheron’s Call” Name Plate / Fridge Magnet

Introduction

Uzik Al Faddim was born in the rain at the outpost just outside of Yaraq. He was an experiment.

Late in 1999 I heard rumors about something called an “MMO.” I’d been playing games for a long time by then, and even written a killer Star Trek game of my own in pBasic. A new type of game was big news.

The Yaraq outpost consisted of one lonely vendor in a tent. I didn’t have the money to purchase anything. A road led into the distance, obviously to something, so I explored. As I left the draw I could see buildings in the distance.

The nearby town of Yaraq was much larger the the outpost. As I passed through the apple orchard I found items I could interact with on the ground. The apple orchard dropped, of course, apples. The armor vendor had much nicer stuff than the starter set, but I was still broke. I explored further. When I found the food vendor I got an idea. The game description mentioned it featured cooking as well as crafting. I collected the apples laying on the ground in the orchard and returned. The vendor would indeed buy apples!

While I was collecting fruit and waiting for the respawn I noticed the town had a cow as well. I started making regular trips back and forth to the food vendor, eventually amassing enough to buy a better weapon. I set off with my shiny new staff, with better stats than the starter weapon, and attacked!

Of course it killed me.

Through time, trial, and many errors I learned combat. Now cows fear me! They also drop “sides of beef” that sell for a LOT more than apples.

With my newfound skills, improved stats, and equipment I was soon terrorizing drudges in the nearby dungeon. While playing my wife appeared in the doorway saying I was “scaring the cats” with the noise, and what I was doing?

She joined soon after. We played together as a team, made friends all over the world, and scared the cats for the next five and a half years. We explored abandoned ruins, delved dungeons, got married, crafted and imbued weapons with arcane power, and climbed mountains so high we could see the edge of the world. Asheron’s Call was a huge open world without loading screens. A place of mystery and imagination we enjoyed exploring.

My wife indulged in her fantasy of being a fearless swordswoman wearing the only set of natural pure white armor assembled in the game. “It’s not how well you fight, it’s how you look while you’re doing it.”

Uzik became a "tank archer" powerful enough to survive hunting in the crater left after world burning mages fought to the death. Uzik was so squishy he had to run from combat many times, but his attacks hit like a freight train.

Along the way it became much more than a game to us.

In spite of Turbine’s dedication to their beloved game all things come to an end. Asheron’s Call officially closed after almost two decades having been the third most successful MMO in history. Though private servers exist where you can still play we learned the old saying “you can’t go home again” really is true.

In memory of those days I created this project as a reminder of the fun we had. You might not have played this particular game, but if you played in an MMO you'll understand.

Gathering the materials

The project has two options. You can 3D print and paint by hand, or print directly in color if your printer supports it.

You’ll need:

Hand painted:

• Any FDM type 3D printer
• PLA printer filament (any color)
• Spray filler primer
• Hobby knife for cleanup
• Metallic gold paint (Acrylic)
• Black paint (Acrylic)
• White paint (Acrylic)
• Detail paint brush
• 8mm x 2mm magnets
• Epoxy or super glue

FDM Color print

• Any FDM type 3D printer that supports pausing for filament changes
• Printer filament. Black PLA, Metallic Gold PLA, White PLA
• Hobby knife for cleanup
• 8mm x 2mm magnets
• Epoxy or super glue

Options:

Any brand of printer will work and any color filament is fine. Instructions are provided assuming an FDM printer. If you’re an experienced 3D printer owner you’ve probably already guessed possible alternatives. A DLP or SLA resin printer can easily produce this object. On an FDM printer any filament type is acceptable. I don’t recommend using materials prone to warping (ABS) though.

Steps:

• Load the provided STL file into your slicer of choice. The file is designed so NO supports or raft are necessary. If your printer has issues with curling turn on the “brim” option.
• Print the slicer output file. The total print time is approximately 1:45.
• Clean up any stringing or defects as needed using the hobby knife. You may need to apply primer to see some defects.
• Spray with primer and allow to dry. Filler primer helps smooth layer lines left by the printer. I recommend the lightest color primer you can find. The underlying color affects the look of the paint applied over it. A light primer gives a “brighter” appearance to the finished product. Do not apply too thickly or you may get drips.
• Paint as desired. The picture provided show my paint scheme.
• For the “brightest” result either prime with white or paint the print white first.
• Gold metallic paint is created by mixing metal flakes into a translucent carrier. The appearance is much better if under painted with a dark color. Paint the metallic parts black first, then gold metallic.

This version eliminates the need for hand painting by printing in different colors of filament. It does not require filament changing hardware, but does require your printer support the “M600” pause for filament change command. An SLA or DLP resin printer will not work.

In the attached photo you can see the layers of different colored filament laid down during printing. An thin layer of black at the bottom of the rivets in the "gear" is a trick called "outlining." The contrast helps their visibility.

I’ve provided a 3MF project file for Prusa brand printers. The project file includes the M600 instructions to the printer to pause and prompt when changing the filament is required.

What if you don’t have a Prusa printer?

Many printer manufacturers have added support for the “M600” command. With so many models of printers available I can’t provide specific guidance. You’ll have to research this yourself.

If your printer does support pause, or if you’d like to test by experimentation, you can slice the print and edit the gcode output to insert pause commands. Here’s a link to an online editor that makes it simple:

https://blog.prusaprinters.org/color-print_3993/

Upload the slicer output file, enter the filament change information, then download the edited version when you’re finished.

Filament changes:

• Change from Black to Gold @ 1:08. This is layer 78 @ 7.90 mm from the print bed.
• Change from Gold to Black @ 1:21. This is layer 87 @ 8.80 mm from the print bed.
• Change from Black to Gold @ 1:34. This is layer 98 @ 9.90 mm from the print bed.
• Total print time is approximately 1:45.

Steps:

• Load the provided STL file into your slicer of choice. The file is designed so NO supports or raft are necessary. If your printer has issues with curling using the filament you’ve chosen turn on the “brim” option.
• Print the slicer output file. If you’ve edited the slicer output print the edited version instead of the original slicer output.
  • The filament should be loaded in this order:
    1. Black. On a Prusa printer a filament change is requested at the START of the print. You’re prompted to remove whatever filament is in your printer now. The first color should be Black.
    2. Gold (at about 1:08)
    3. Black (about 13 minutes after previous change)
    4. Gold (about 13 minutes after previous change)
    5. White (about 11 minutes after previous change)
• Clean up any stringing or defects as needed using the hobby knife

Glue two magnets into the holes on the back.

When the glue dries apply to the fridge!

The filaments used are nothing special except for the metallic gold. I chose the RepRapper filament for appearance and I was not disappointed.

I used a slow drying epoxy glue. Any glue should work fine.

Online editor to insert filament changes: https://blog.prusaprinters.org/color-print_3993/

An overview of Asheron’s Call: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asheron%27s_Call

Community run game servers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asheron%27s_Call