Ruten β Support
About Ruten
Ruten (ζ΅θ»’) is an ambient art companion. A small planet floats on the corner of your screen. Six lineages of life live on it, predators chase prey, lifestreams rise from continents, and a kanji calendar tells the era, lunar month, solar term, and time.
Heraclitus said, "everything flows."
Kamo no Chomei wrote, "the river flows ever onward, never the same water."
Ruten places these two voices, a thousand years apart, on the same sphere.
Features
- π Two world modes β Ranman (vivid Earth) / Wabi-Sabi (skeletal, contemplative)
- π¦ Six lineages with predator-prey food chain
- π
Kanji calendar β era year, lunar month, 24 solar terms, kanji-numeral clock
- π Optional gentle notifications on each of the 24 solar terms
- π± Home Screen widgets (small / medium / large)
- πͺ· Optional meditation bell in a Japanese pentatonic scale
- π Tap a creature to mark it as your favorite β it becomes immortal
- π Japanese / English
FAQ
The screen looks dim or empty
Ruten intentionally uses subdued colors. Try switching to "Ranman" mode in Settings for a more vivid Earth-like view, or "Wabi-Sabi" mode for a contemplative skeletal world.
I can't hear the meditation bell
Settings β Ambient Sound must be on. The bell rings only every 7 to 18 seconds, by design β it's meant to be sparse. The silent switch on your device will mute it. The app does not interrupt other music you may be playing.
The widget shows the wrong language
After switching language in the app, the Home Screen widget may take a few minutes to refresh.
Solar term notifications aren't arriving
- Settings β Solar Term Notifications must be on
- iOS Settings β Ruten β Notifications must be allowed
- Notifications fire at the time you set in Settings, on each solar term day
Why doesn't tapping mark the creature?
Only creatures on the visible side of the planet can be tapped. Drag to rotate the planet so the creature you want is in view, then tap.
What does the Tip Jar unlock?
Nothing functional. It is purely a gesture of thanks to the maker. The only effect is poetic: once you have tipped, a single shooting star will cross your sky each time you launch the app.
What is "Ranman" and "Wabi-Sabi"?
Ranman (ηζΌ«) means "in full bloom" β a vivid, abundant world. Wabi-Sabi (δΎγ³ε―γ³) is a Japanese aesthetic of restraint and quiet imperfection. Ruten lets you switch between the two as you like.
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- Attenai β Three philosophers debate your everyday questions
- World Prism β 6 subjects answer your questions
- SAPIENTIA β Cross-reference PDF search for researchers
- Sokura-Chat β Three friendly characters answer your curiosity
- SoundCraft β All-in-one instrument practice tool
- ScoreLibrary β Music score management
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