Suggestions for Patch 337 and further game growth

[Cheyenne]

Dear Developers,

 

 

 

I'd like to explain to you a chance to make a 180° degree turn, reclaim lost customers as well as entice new one's.

 

When you’re paying for a service month-to-month and it’s not creating any new content (for a while), communication is crucial. You need to keep your customers engaged and this where an unique opportunity for you opens, with the coming update you have the unique opportunity to make a brand new beginning.

The community simply loves to feel informed, ETA's for updates would surely be no harm as well as a more active dialogue with the community, I can understand that there is much frustration just as certain trolls looming around but I think I can speak for the vast majority when I say there are also people who offer some well thought out constructive criticism that any business manager would be foolish to ignore.

 

During that process I am sure it would be a very mature gesture to thank the community for their perpetual patience with more than just words.

For instance both

 

- An XGold Compensation (Like you have done before)

 

- A voucher/coupon for former subscribers as well as existing one's to redeem for let's say a 5 % discount on their next subscription because you are so confident in the new content and mindset that it will surely keep us staying entertained much past that.

 

As Ash and others suggested on forum, maybe even a buy 1 sub, get 1 free special limited time offer during special yearly events ( Would have been perfect for Valentine's day, wouldn't it for example you and your partner? ) This will also be helpful for the times during the non prepaid game card availability issue at the moment as some can only purchase subscriptions with paypal and services like that, that only the pre-paid cards supported.

 

Furthermore, it still is new content that keeps us coming back for more and while some might lose themselves in endless debates in which direction this game is supposed to sway, we all desire more, for the incurably romantics, the social butterflies as well as those driven by desire and carnal experiences.

Some might want new poses, others clothes, I personally would love a fresh new location very much!

 

Of course it is a straining task for existing content creators so why not give others a compelling reason to join the team? The startup screen sounds like the perfect fit for an advertisement to hire more qualified personnel for the project. I strongly believe there is plenty here, some might just not be aware of the topics hidden in the maze of our forum.

Just put it out there and see what comes about with it, surely there is no harm in displaying activity and more importantly, the will to change and improve, after all, we all want the game to thrive 

That being said I would like to propose a new way to compensate our passionate designer and that is via community donations, I am not very versed on that field so feel free to interpose thoughts at any time, it's much appreciated.

 

Of course that does not seem like an ideal scenario for many but it is a start that might just set things in motion, the donations would obviously go to those freelancing designers dedicating their time, energy and passion to create a more flourishing experience for all of us and it would be purely optional, just imagine everyone on here would donate 1 $.

 

I've been in talks with Ash and others and he even suggested a perk system to fulfill certain wishes and projects the community could suggest or perhaps even vote for, similar to what FrenchTouch did on her forum posts.

 

The bottom line is, I strongly believe that our free working designers deserve a proper compensation and in the interest of a growing game, opportunities to get paid would only facilitate the process.

Details aren't ironed out yet as it is still in the talking/suggesting stages and I suppose there could be a third person installed from the SexGameDevil development team to collect said funds and pay them out in the spirit of preserving anonymity to the highest possible degree, I know many of you, including myself cherish that very much.

 

Thanks for reading and all the input 

 

PS : A special thanks to Ash for the brainstorming

[OrygynalPsyn]

I agree with what has been said by Cheyenne, communication is key and lets face it we all have the same goals in mind and that's for

 

the community to  move forward as well as succeed. I also think that the designers has shown their talents and

 

given for free. I am in awe on this especially in this day and age.(thanks creators and designers!!). Also, listening to your customers 

 

ideas and desires would seem to be a step in the right direction in making money for you. Make customers satisfied and

 

happy; and as it goes a happy customer is a returning one. I am not foolish to think that all desires and wishes can be met or offered;

 

but if you as mentioned; could gather peoples ideas, have a wide spread community vote on the ideas being given; would bring forth a

 

nice change maybe small at first, but gradually would be more noticeable. Ultimately though, word of mouth is still a top form of

 

advertising. As I have mentioned, a happy customer will be one who returns, and spreads his/her satisfaction with the improvements of

 

the game. Just my two cents worth.

[TheCriticalMrHits]

I'd like to show my support of all that has been said here. Communication from the devs is always welcome, even if they are telling us that something is being delayed.

I'm also posting to bump this topic in a relevant way. Great suggestions Cheyenne, I would be willing to make an occasional donation to the cause, if it meant new content was created and released faster, and I'm sure I'm not alone.

 

I'm also posting because I missed this line of OrygynalPsyn's post the first time I read it, and I fully support and agree with it.

 

 a wide spread community vote

 

I think a vote on the log-in screen would be a great way to get the people who don't know about (or just don't use) the forums to contribute their opinion. Even if it was a little multiple choice check-box that popped up (under the 'now hiring' sign that Cheyenne suggested) when we logged in that asked:

 

What kind of new content do you want to see next?

 

Pick One:

New Poses.

More Locations (including a third player house template, etc).

New Clothing.

More Home customization props. 

 

That would do two things perfectly, it would give the devs a way to get input from nearly all the active players, no matter their level of forum activity, and it would give us something to point out if people complain or troll about what is (or isn't) being produced. In fact, displaying the official poll results on the startup page after the vote closed would be a good way to silence most of those complaints before they were voiced.

[Guest RobT]

Not really sure why people expect stuff for free. They had a special, they just had a yearly sub for pretty much half the price. Not really sure why they would want to do that multiple times a year. At the end of the day this is a business and the idea is to make money. As far as asking the community, why???? You guys dont even know what you want yourself. Its pretty clear from all the posts. If they cater to one group, another gets all pissy etc. They cant win in the forums. If they arent pissing off the hetros, they are pissing off the Ts's, or the gays or whomever.  

 

 Frenchy was giving you stuff and shes not even a dev. she did it because she was being nice and what did that get her??? people bitching. 

She should have told half of you to get bent and not made another thing but she is too kind for that. 

[Cheyenne]

Why thanks for all the resoance and sort of bumping the topic, constructive input is always appreciated. I like to be thought-provoking to inspire progress in the myriad of ideas on here.

While I am pretty sure many ideas are redundant suggestions, I strongly believe some are not and also well deserving to be illustrated and get the creative juices going.

As for the community, I think very differently, I am confident that the vast majority of it has a very good notion of what they want but while a clearer voting system might come in handy, the bottleneck lies in the update frequency and that is where I suggested to focus and invest on.

 

We all have our desires and while I am not aware of any bitching I am very sorry to hear that, I am sure everyone has their own passions and visions with it, which is all good and inspiring in the greater picture but I suppose some carry on displeasure or even frustrations about the current update cycles and voice them in the wrong places.

 

For those confused or still without morning coffee, the kicker here is actually pretty simple, more incentives equal more designers and that in turn offers more possibilities to cater to different tastes, alleviate the workload and also reward their dedication and prioritization.

 

For the so gallantly put "free stuff", I think of it as marketing strategy and advertising, the 2 for 1 subscription is a little too far fetched to be realistic but I am sure all of us dedicated customers would feel very welcomed and valued to have our continuous patience rewarded.

Just imagine the power and sheer possibilities of alluring advertising, I won't recite any business models here but who doesn't feel appealed by discounts in such a money driven world together with the unwavering confidence of new content to capture the audience again. I am just thinking out loud here but how many customers would have returned if they found a mail with a grand advertisement for the Patch 337, a discount voucher, maybe even an ETA for new content and job advertisements for additional workpower to further the growth of the game ? Surely there is no harm in giving it a try, set an impulse and instill hope.

 

I am merely counselling here and offering a path, everyone is obviously entitled to their own opinion. Granted the Pre-paid card hick-up is a bummer.

 

I hope I could eludicate all questions and thanks for reading

 

[TheCriticalMrHits]

Not really sure why people expect stuff for free. They had a special, they just had a yearly sub for pretty much half the price. Not really sure why they would want to do that multiple times a year. At the end of the day this is a business and the idea is to make money. As far as asking the community, why???? You guys dont even know what you want yourself. Its pretty clear from all the posts. If they cater to one group, another gets all pissy etc. They cant win in the forums. If they arent pissing off the hetros, they are pissing off the Ts's, or the gays or whomever.  

 

No one was asking for something for free. There is a difference in a hand-out (here, have some xgold because whatever! just take it!), and a consolation (As an apology for our lack of communication/updates, have some xgold). In the case of the consolation, it's both an 'apology' and a 'thank you' that was earned by remaining loyal during a time when the company admits they were making mistakes, or could've done things a bit better.

 

I think the idea of discounting the Subs multiple times per year, for a couple of days each time, isn't as bad as you try to make it seem. You mention: "At the end of the day this is a business and the idea is to make money." If I ask $60 and I get nothing, I'm literally not making money. If I then reduce the price by half and actually get the $30, I'm not as well off as I would've been at full price, but now my business has some kind of income. If the choices are nothing or half the asking price, I think the only correct choice is to make the sale.

 

Not a vote in the forums. A vote on the log-in screen. The whole point of the log-in vote is to... actually I'll just quote myself, from the post directly above yours.

 

I think a vote on the log-in screen would be a great way to get the people who don't know about (or just don't use) the forums to contribute their opinion. Even if it was a little multiple choice check-box that popped up (under the 'now hiring' sign that Cheyenne suggested) when we logged in that asked:

 

It's absolutely true that everyone wants something different, and that people will get mad and bitch about any decision that is made, but I also addressed this concern already in my last post.

 

 

That would do two things perfectly, it would give the devs a way to get input from nearly all the active players, no matter their level of forum activity, and it would give us something to point out if people complain or troll about what is (or isn't) being produced. In fact, displaying the official poll results on the startup page after the vote closed would be a good way to silence most of those complaints before they were voiced.

 

Because at that point, with the results visible every time you log in, any bitching will go something like this:

 

"I'm mad because they're focusing on clothes. I want more poses."

"Well the community voted and clothes got the most votes, so that's what's being made. Try to spark some interest in poses on the next vote."

 

 

 Frenchy was giving you stuff and shes not even a dev. she did it because she was being nice and what did that get her??? people bitching. 

She should have told half of you to get bent and not made another thing but she is too kind for that. 

 

 

I wasn't around when Frenchy (is that short for FrenchTouchs?) was giving us free stuff (unless she's still doing it, in which case WOOT! keep it up Frenchy!), but rest assured I would've spoken up if I saw people bitching about player created content, as I agree that is uncalled for and particularly rude.

 

P.S. People who spend their time creating things for this game for free are amazingly selfless in this act, and are under-appreciated I'm sure, so let me take this moment to personally thank any and all content creators. I am but a player, and relatively new at that, so I'm sure my voice carries little weight, but I'm putting every gram of that accrued weight into this message, as I truly mean it:

 

Thank you, content creators. Thank you very much. Don't let the haters get to you. Please keep it up, as you truly are appreciated.

[Guest RobT]

No one was asking for something for free. There is a difference in a hand-out (here, have some xgold because whatever! just take it!), and a consolation (As an apology for our lack of communication/updates, have some xgold). In the case of the consolation, it's both an 'apology' and a 'thank you' that was earned by remaining loyal during a time when the company admits they were making mistakes, or could've done things a bit better.

 

I think the idea of discounting the Subs multiple times per year, for a couple of days each time, isn't as bad as you try to make it seem. You mention: "At the end of the day this is a business and the idea is to make money." If I ask $60 and I get nothing, I'm literally not making money. If I then reduce the price by half and actually get the $30, I'm not as well off as I would've been at full price, but now my business has some kind of income. If the choices are nothing or half the asking price, I think the only correct choice is to make the sale.

 

Not a vote in the forums. A vote on the log-in screen. The whole point of the log-in vote is to... actually I'll just quote myself, from the post directly above yours.

 

 

It's absolutely true that everyone wants something different, and that people will get mad and bitch about any decision that is made, but I also addressed this concern already in my last post.

 

 

 

Because at that point, with the results visible every time you log in, any bitching will go something like this:

 

"I'm mad because they're focusing on clothes. I want more poses."

"Well the community voted and clothes got the most votes, so that's what's being made. Try to spark some interest in poses on the next vote."

 

 

 

 

I wasn't around when Frenchy (is that short for FrenchTouchs?) was giving us free stuff (unless she's still doing it, in which case WOOT! keep it up Frenchy!), but rest assured I would've spoken up if I saw people bitching about player created content, as I agree that is uncalled for and particularly rude.

 

P.S. People who spend their time creating things for this game for free are amazingly selfless in this act, and are under-appreciated I'm sure, so let me take this moment to personally thank any and all content creators. I am but a player, and relatively new at that, so I'm sure my voice carries little weight, but I'm putting every gram of that accrued weight into this message, as I truly mean it:

 

Thank you, content creators. Thank you very much. Don't let the haters get to you. Please keep it up, as you truly are appreciated.

Sorry yes, Frenchy is FrenchTouch

[Medusa00]

Yea, hire somebody to design a third set of underwear. 

[LoveOfDiscord]

Make it so that you can receive offline messages from people, or your conversations are saved, yes it might be a little extra storage space in your database to keep everything, but i'm sure i'm not the only one that would like this feature added.
 

[Guest TrixyTrump]

Cheyenne,

What ever came of this?

Seems Dev's are fine with taking free advice to figure out how to fix things with 2.0.

Why not allow plenty of the talented people to help?

Many have already done most of the work!

Damn, offer the people a free month, that could not hurt the bottom line.

 

Just my 2 cents!

 

Trixy

[TashaTight]

Not sure if this the right place to bring it up, but would really like to see after patch 2.0 that it move more forward more options with user type rooms, go a bit more away from public zones. Plus add the existing Public areas to user room options, feel like most are moving over in user based rooms lately, which makes feel like getting more options to make user based hot spots that interest user. Likely a much better idea than hanging on to the static existing developer created ones, that less and less it seems visit now.

 

Think be better to develop and expand options what type of user rooms you can open, add existing public zones to those, like some already using the infamously considered by most Cheat tool to make anyways now.

 

Took the liberty of quoting myself, but really think if 3Dxchat going to move forward, it need to place for of ability in hands the user to make clubs, themes or RP rooms they/community wants or asks for.  

[Laure083]

Make it so that you can receive offline messages from people, or your conversations are saved, yes it might be a little extra storage space in your database to keep everything, but i'm sure i'm not the only one that would like this feature added.

 

Hi,

 

A very good idea )

Sometimes I would like post a little words to my love to say for example "I will come back this afternoon / or I think / love you..." when she is not online

 

I hope devs does it quickly

 

Laure

[Cheyenne]

Oh, thanks for all your interest! I am afraid my appeal to the Dev's came at an inoportune time and didn't seem to make a dent in all the preparations for 2.0.

It was yet another adamant attempt to encourage user content but maybe it'll regain attention now that there's a discussion again, there can never be a shortage of content on here after all .

 

For any other features, I suggest you guys might want to peruse the forum a bit, we've gathered hundred's of pages with a sheer plethora of marvellous ideas that are repetitvely offered up by our visionaries every other moon.

 

By all means feel free to make some noise.

 

Cheyenne

[Maxx]

I'm all for user created content. I'm a downright advocate of it actually.  Look how just user created content has kept SL going  all these years.  It's really a no brainer for the long term.

 

However, they could spend 6 months on building the back-end for that to happen alone and at the cost of new content.  Does anyone really want 2.0 delayed any further at this point?

[Guest TrixyTrump]

Maxx, I by no mean want to delay the final version of 2.0.

But, like Cheyenne said, I am here to make a little noise.

It seems at one time they did use a bit of player ideas, FrenchTouch.

 

I was also giving a shout out to the talented people that have spent their own time, to show examples of what could be done.

And their creativity of their modified rooms.

 

Just hope this does not get forgotten, once again.

 

Trixy

[Maxx]

Having been making clothing in another beta unity 5 game now for the last year I can tell you if it is setup on the back-end well it is very fun and creative to do.

For what it's worth, for the brief time I've been here, there is either too much that needs done by too small a Dev team, or they have a specific vision of what they want to do and will not deviate from it.

All those pages and pages of wished for clothing and positions have yielded nothing. Only a user market for profit (maybe xgold or credits) is going to get such things developed quickly. However, it still needs a back end developed if large amounts of content available instantly upon upload is desired.

That doesn't appear to be their desired path. Hopefully, they can get what they have finished in a timely fashion and begin adding new content after.

[TashaTight]

Having been making clothing in another beta unity 5 game now for the last year I can tell you if it is setup on the back-end well it is very fun and creative to do.

 

For what it's worth, for the brief time I've been here, there is either too much that needs done by too small a Dev team, or they have a specific vision of what they want to do and will not deviate from it.

 

All those pages and pages of wished for clothing and positions have yielded nothing. Only a user market for profit (maybe xgold or credits) is going to get such things developed quickly. However, it still needs a back end developed if large amounts of content available instantly upon upload is desired.

 

That doesn't appear to be their desired path. Hopefully, they can get what they have finished in a timely fashion and begin adding new content after.

 

Just think unlike Second life, i think most people here would not be interested in additional micro-transaction systems inside on top what they already pay in subscription fee. I talked to quite a few users/subscribers of different products from the competition, sometimes just generally curious people when i mention 3Dxchat too. Among many of those i talked with the subscription fee if often the deal breaker for them, they think website and video trailers look great but pricing they think is to high.

 

Think if you add micro-transaction market where you pay in Xgold to a degree the creator feel it is worth it to them to do, as non volunteer work like in second life. I think it would meet a lot of opposition from those subscribers who feel they're no getting content for what they're paying, but instead are double charge part on developers side and part of product creators who wish to earn some money too then.

[Guest Twiggy]

I agree with Kimmy, I don't think we need a place where others can come in and make their own business and profits creating content.

There has been enough people willing to do it for free, just to add to the game and also say they enjoy doing it.

3DX does not need hundreds of people doing that, it just needs to open the door to allow people add content and there will be enough will be willing to do so.

It would also then need a system to allow the community to vote on what should be added, say a page in these forums where people can submit what they have done, and at the end of every week, fortnight or month, which ever suites the devs.

Then the content that has been voted for is added to the game.

 

Some simple things can be done and be added to V2 that would not take much time at all to add, it would take only a matter of hours if what I understand is correct.

More time would actually go into someone setting up things in these forums to allow review of the submitted items than would be needed to add it to the game in fact.

What I am talking about here has been suggested several times, simply supplying a way for us to make texture maps for clothes that are already in the game.

That would allow people to design colourful patterns to go on the clothes we already have and could be very easily set up.

I know it is not bringing in new clothing itself but at least it would be a start and could be built on from there.

All it needs to add this to the game is the following, a couple of additions to the controls in the change room.

 

1. A button to press to download the default texture map of the selected clothing item.

2. A button to open up a tab to browse and select the file that the user created containing the new texture file.

 

If I am correct and I am fairly sure I am that file can then be temporarily loaded into the game for that user only in the change room.

The user can see the texture applied to that clothing item on his or her avi to see how it looks, can then go back and fix anything that didn't work out right or if it is finished, take screenshots and submit them to the forum for approval.

People then view them in the forum and a selection method can be set up so the most liked ones can be seen to be the ones wanted by the community.

[Guest TrixyTrump]

 

What I am talking about here has been suggested several times, simply supplying a way for us to make texture maps for clothes that are already in the game.

That would allow people to design colourful patterns to go on the clothes we already have and could be very easily set up.

I know it is not bringing in new clothing itself but at least it would be a start and could be built on from there.

 

Twiggy, I love this idea, would be or should be a quick fix. 

I hate looking like a copy, of the lady next to me.

I like to express my own individuality.

 

I will be holding out hope!

 

Trixy

[Maxx]

Clothing you would get for free i'm sure. I and others - I imagine, would be willing to make some free clothing. However, it isn't quit as easy as you may think. I'm curious, has anyone ever sent the Devs/Owner(s) - whoever is in charge, a request for the 2D maps of the in-game clothing? Was there every a reply about a map pack of the 2D clothing meshes?  It certainly would be interesting to know why either way.

 

There would be a lot of back-end needing created if you wanted to go the user route where an individual can texture there own clothing in game. . Curio has been working on creating and refining exactly what is suggested above. There are ways that one could simply upload a texture while your dressing you're avi that would appear on it. So for instance, say I find a free to use leopard texture I want to apply to a t shirt  off the internet. I could click a button, choose it from my hard drive and upload it. Boom! Viola!  A simple texture. They would have a significant amount of work to set that up to do. Add to that the complexity that say shoes present. You don't want that leopard texture on the laces and on the sole. That would look stupid. You would need the ability to upload multiple textures to different parts of a shoe mesh (black for sole, maybe brown rope for the laces and the leopard texture to the tops of the shoes.

 

So as you can see there would be a lot of work for them to do to set this up.

 

 

That being said, there is still the option that if 2D maps of the existing clothing in 3DX where made available, those who wanted to contribute could send them the clothing  file for the Leopard skin shoes as an example - that the Devs would make available.

 

I agree it would be nice to see 2.0 grow into more than the original is. It could lead to longer retention of customers for sure.

[Guest Twiggy]

From what I have seen most of the texture maps for clothing and even shoes are included in one map, they simply separate the different parts in that one map.

For example, a dress may have 5 different parts, back, front, hem, neck and such, all the parts are in one map, the 2 sides side by side, the hem a the bottom and neck up top, straps further to the side and so on.

Sometimes there are things like bump maps, which is virtually just the same map in grey scale that has been darkened in certain places to represent a rise in the material, ie stitches.

As you say with the shoes you mentioned you don't want the leopard skin on the soles, but for anyone that knows what they are doing they do that in the texture map, the soles are in a different spot on that map to the skins of the shoe.

Making the maps is not as simple as just applying a texture you find on the net to the texture map on the dress or shoe or what ever.

There is things like stitches, hems joins buttons and a lot of different things go into the design that goes on the map.

But there are people that know how to do that and are doing the same thing for other games that know exactly what to do and how to go about it.

It is not just a matter of finding a pattern like a leopard skin(square block) and applying it, a fair bit of work goes into the texture map for each piece of clothing.

But as I said there are quite a lot of people that know how to do that, all they need is the original map to apply their designs to.

Once that is done, the rest is as simple as I have said and if I am right in scripting being possible to pull a texture file into the game, that one users game, then that is as simple as I said as well.

 

A sample of a map...

 

 

As I said, there can be other maps required to bring in how the item reacts in light and bump maps, but they can all be supplied the same way and the people who do know what they are doing know what needs to be done.

[Maxx]

It can be as simple as just dropping one texture on a clothing mesh. Some meshes you can get away with it (some dresses, T shirts, etc). Naturally, just dropping a texture on something doesn't provide the detail one can get if they have the 2D mesh maps.  For example:

 

 

Now if 3DX would provide the unwrapped map on the left, it could be taken into Photoshop or even Gimp and you could texture the individual pieces which when wrapped become a 3D mesh on the right - a dress.

 

As for Bump maps, specular, parralex, maps, etc... to add that ability  for users would take even more work on the back end by the Dev's to create that. I personally would love it if they did. You can get even more detailed when more of Unity's goodies are unlocked and provided to the users (us). However, since the Dev's have already done the hard 'bumps' to their meshes in Maya most likely, even just adding a main texture map with various individual parts textured would be kewl.  Llike the shoes example from before. The soles, the top of the shoe, the laces,  all could be textured with the above 2D map.

 

However, there are more complex meshes that could not be done in that manor - like a mans suit due to all the pieces (jacket, vest, shirt tie). Those maps can get confusing to figure out where all the pieces go.  You could always check out Curio and get the clothing meshe maps they have there if you want to see it for yourself. It's rather kewl to be able to make your own clothing.

 

Good luck with your quest to get the Devs to provide these kind of abilities. It would be very nice if one day in 2.0 or 3.0 for that matter this was part of it.

 

The Dev's don't get enough credit really. Creating this kinda world takes a lot of talent, time and energy - and staff.

[Guest Twiggy]

Yes now I think you know what I mean, whereas in your 1st comment I don't think you did.

I feel it could be started with just certain items, ones where only the texture map is needed and can be fairly simply altered, like the dress I have in the picture below.

It would only need a simple setup like I have shown in that picture, just a way to get the original texture map, and a way to find the altered map and load it.

A download button that downloads the map to a directory, and a test button that allows you to browse and find the new map file you have created.

That file is then temporarily applied to the dress and can be seen on your avi while you are in the change room only.

People can download the texture map, use Photoshop to apply their own design, then go back to the change room to test it.

And as I said before, can take screenshots and submit them to the page in the forum for like a contest to see which get added.

It also then gives them a start that could be added to, later they could add others that need bump maps altered and then it could also be set up for people to do completely new clothes of their own design.

It has to start somewhere and after having put a lot of thought into it, I think this is the best way to do that, well for what I can come up with anyway.