Materials are items that fall out of defeated enemies and certian objects. The materials can THEN be used to make items, equipment and weapons. but in order to make the item/equipment/weapon, you will need the cresponding recipe. Recipes are used to show how many crowns, energy, and materials are needed to make the recipe, and they allow you to make the cresponding item/equipment/weapon. The materials can ALSO be purchased at the token shop at the bazaar.
The sky is up and the ground is down. Grass is green, clouds are white. Sometimes in the Clockworks its night time, sometimes its day, sometimes you're in a graveyard, sometimes you are in a terminal.
http://wiki.spiralknights.com/New_Player_Briefing