Let's talk about MONEY! Oh yeah, we're going there...

Money?

Money! Gimme! *makes grabby hands*	33.6%	[ 130 ]
Money is evil! *makes warding off evil hand gesture*	17.6%	[ 68 ]
Monkeys? I like monkeys! Oh wait, you said money...	27.6%	[ 107 ]
Eh, doesn't affect me, but I love poll gold!	21.2%	[ 82 ]
Total Votes:			[ 387 ]

[siskataya]

The anti-social cookie

For the Gold shops vs the Cash shop:

I know for me it feels like the Cash shop get a lot more attention over the Gold shops. They get more updates, and even though its around the same size it just seems better.

I know the Cash shop will produce a lot more color choices then the GS. The CS get all the amazing blues, reds, creams, purples, pinks, greens, ect.

I love the GS to death, but they are seriously lacking in matching colors to the items we get. The lady Jane and the mummy item has a nearly impossible to match blue to it. I would love to see item come out in the Gold shops with that kind of blue!

I think that if the color pallets could be redesigned to work together to enhance each other, it would be great! Have the super awesome (and I'll guess difficult to make) items come out in the Cash shop and then with the following Gold shop update use the colors (the wine purples, greens, the blood reds, the navy blues, the new gorgeous soft chocolate brown).

I believe it would open up a lot of choices when it comes to creating avatars.

Thank you so much for answering my question, and for the articulate feedback! If I understand you correctly, you'd like more gold shop updates, and for gold shop items to have colors (or recolors) in shades that better match the cash shop items so they harmonize better and will make people more excited about both cash shop and gold shop items? That is an interesting idea, and I will certainly pass it along! biggrin

[siskataya]

CDracula1

But...but I like doom. sad
It's even in my (not username) normal internet name.

@ Sisky:

I'm not really upset about Club Verge.
You're giving people benefits for spending a lot.
Benefits that weren't there before.
Sure - most people won't be able to afford the high-tier items there.
But before they didn't exist to get anyway.

You're giving people opportunities to get "epic" items.
I just wish you'd use features like this and merge them in with other features a bit more.
Perhaps make new epic recipes and sell them in Club Verge.
Gain revenue while spiking a bit more interest in other features such as zOMG.

Even though you've pretty much abandoned zOMG, it's still one of the best games in gaia purely because it links into Gaia in so many ways.

Plus, you could do things like sell Gold items in club verge too, just insanely expensive like in denier cri. How about giving more uses to wing stickers? Add wing sticker items into the shop too.

I'm not upset at the fact that club verge is expensive.
I'm just upset at the fact you could be using it a lot better and be merging it more naturally into the websites features.

Then again, honestly you probably don't care about my opinion.

Thanks for the feedback! If you like doom, then who am I to stop you?! DOOOOOooOOOooom!

And thanks for the suggestions on introducing new "epic" items in various places around Gaia, as well as introducing gold items in Club Verge. These are very interesting suggestions! I think I'll have to keep a spreadsheet of all these awesome suggestions biggrin

[CDracula1]

The Undead Suitor

is it weird that you guys have spent more time explaining yourselves than anything else lately

Not really.
Since the update of Club Verge there have been too many threads with people going slightly...crazy.
If the staff didn't address this then the userbase would increase in worry and "doom theories".
( You don't want your userbase thinking your in a financial crisis and that the website might shut down any second due to lack of funds - which some people have been thinking along the terminology of "If they're asking for that much they MUST need it desperately!" )

[siskataya]

Krissim Klaw

When it comes to cash, one of the things I always liked about Gaia was cash wasn't a necessity. Everything that could be purchased with cash could also be purchase with gold. It made the game have an even playing field either way you wanted to play the game. Now however you are literally being cut off from certain areas unless you have spent enough cash recently. As a long time member it feels strange for an official Gaia run guild to say, "Hahaha, nope you are not extraordinary enough to enter." I could understand not being able to purchase items from the new shop Verge but I am not even able to step in the door to window shop and try on the new items.

There is a lot more I want to post but I got to finish painting the ceiling so I guess I'll just slap this out there till I'm done.

Heya Krissim! Thanks so much for the post and expressing your feelings about Club Verge. I'll pass along your input to the team. One thing I want you and all Gaians to know is that you are all important to us, and we are working on a lot of new perks/rewards for Gaians that aren't based on money. I'm sorry this is taking longer to roll out, but it simply is a more complex process to quantify that type of loyalty. Not to worry though, I have some good ideas (at least I think they are good!) and I think people will like them biggrin

P.S. - Remind me to link you to some mantis art I found!

P.P.S - Good luck painting the ceiling - don't get dizzy! eek

[Hasuki Aatisuto]

Yeata Zi

Thank you for addressing this.

Hopefully the doom theories are over. :/

To be honest, I don't think Sisky's topic is going to help alleviate the problem. There were threads STILL going around about Gaia possibly going down under even after Sisky posted a topic assuring people they are NOT. =/

Vices can really mess people up. *sighs*

Anyway, wonderful topic Sisky.

[CDracula1]

siskataya

Thanks for the feedback! If you like doom, then who am I to stop you?! DOOOOOooOOOooom!

And thanks for the suggestions on introducing new "epic" items in various places around Gaia, as well as introducing gold items in Club Verge. These are very interesting suggestions! I think I'll have to keep a spreadsheet of all these awesome suggestions biggrin

Well I do come up with suggestions when I'm not busy harrassing the sites features for potential loopholes and other ... things~
The main point really was "Dont limit a shop on a certain type of currency."
What is stopping you from getting really inventive and completely going crazy?
You could even have shop items which use Wing Stickers, Orbs, Gold AND gaia cash all for one purchase.

"Oh, it needs wing stickers, guess I'll participate in more events."
"Oh, and orbs. Guess I'll play some zOMG! and see if I like it."
"Gold... time to play zOMG and Booty Grab. Maybe even some HoC and convert essence to gold."
"Cash? Well it seems like it's not THAT much cash, so I can spare $5 or so."

Mixing and matching. Would be nice to see.
Also you've stopped me on many occasions.
Even personally I believe.
Then again I have caused you guys pains.
( Could you get Zero Omega to show me some more of those Landscape paintings he does? )
( And harass him to do more. )
( And shoot him in the head with a nerf gun. "Hazer asked me too. -sings doom song-" )

Okay that last request was a bit much. biggrin

[Azavezel]

Gold Shop items are way more static and bulky than Cash Shop items, historically. While this is slowly being remedied, the emphasis on "slowly" here makes it incredibly hard for me to really care. In my due honest opinion, lifting some of the limitations and bans from the CrossStich contests would be incredible helpful (No need for extra poses or body mods, but at least arm/leg slimming with pants and shirts would honestly make a massive difference in quality and purchase rate).

Then there's the fact that Gold Shop items have a much more flat coloring and pixelation than Cash Shop items. Now, I don't know if this is a stylistic thing, or some requirement (I find it incredibly hard to believe that 98% of gold shop items being flat in pixelation and coloration is a coincidence--I really do), but it's downright depressing looking at a GS update and seeing nothing work due to the flatness clashing with virtually every cash item that exists. Let alone glitches that are constantly reported and never touched upon.

Lastly, it seems even some bundle items are even lower quality than before--with a significant difference compared to RIGs. But that doesn't always mean the bundle items are worse--there's been two RIGs where the items (save for the multi-millions of course) were all incredibly low quality pixelation-wise, and bundled items were much higher.

Some insight on this, and not dancing around the subject like has happened ever since the Cash Shop first opened, would be really great to have. It's incredible sad getting hyped for a gold shop update only to find the items are "usual gs item quality" where the only items that seem to work with non gs items are for female avatars--male stuff is way too bulky.

[The anti-social cookie]

siskataya

The anti-social cookie

For the Gold shops vs the Cash shop:

I know for me it feels like the Cash shop get a lot more attention over the Gold shops. They get more updates, and even though its around the same size it just seems better.

I know the Cash shop will produce a lot more color choices then the GS. The CS get all the amazing blues, reds, creams, purples, pinks, greens, ect.

I love the GS to death, but they are seriously lacking in matching colors to the items we get. The lady Jane and the mummy item has a nearly impossible to match blue to it. I would love to see item come out in the Gold shops with that kind of blue!

I think that if the color pallets could be redesigned to work together to enhance each other, it would be great! Have the super awesome (and I'll guess difficult to make) items come out in the Cash shop and then with the following Gold shop update use the colors (the wine purples, greens, the blood reds, the navy blues, the new gorgeous soft chocolate brown).

I believe it would open up a lot of choices when it comes to creating avatars.

Thank you so much for answering my question, and for the articulate feedback! If I understand you correctly, you'd like more gold shop updates, and for gold shop items to have colors (or recolors) in shades that better match the cash shop items so they harmonize better and will make people more excited about both cash shop and gold shop items? That is an interesting idea, and I will certainly pass it along! biggrin

That is exactly what I was thinking. I love Gaia and have since 06. I'm sure I will be with the site until the end. Siskataya, I've always admired your avatars because the look so awesome. You work with colors (orange) that aren't so easily match. I think color harmony would be great, and I know the amazing artist we have can totally pull it off.

[Arli]

Thank you SO much for clarifying everything. I am very excited to see what's coming down the pipe for Club Verge. It's fairly easy get into Club Verge if you think about it. Is it alright if I link this thread to my SF Thread about Club Verge?

[CDracula1]

Hasuki Aatisuto

Yeata Zi

Thank you for addressing this.

Hopefully the doom theories are over. :/

To be honest, I don't think Sisky's topic is going to help alleviate the problem. There were threads STILL going around about Gaia possibly going down under even after Sisky posted a topic assuring people they are NOT. =/

Vices can really mess people up. *sighs*

Anyway, wonderful topic Sisky.

If it still carries on, an announcement might help boost this threads popularity.

[The Undead Suitor]

CDracula1

The Undead Suitor

is it weird that you guys have spent more time explaining yourselves than anything else lately

Not really.
Since the update of Club Verge there have been too many threads with people going slightly...crazy.
If the staff didn't address this then the userbase would increase in worry and "doom theories".
( You don't want your userbase thinking your in a financial crisis and that the website might shut down any second due to lack of funds - which some people have been thinking along the terminology of "If they're asking for that much they MUST need it desperately!" )

This isn't the first siskataya explanation thread though, its like..the third in the last couple months.

(I don't think Verge has suggested any "financial problems" more than say.....the 3 layoffs in a row or anything)

[Chibi Halo]

Part of the problem I'm seeing around the community is that some people who choose not to spend a dime on Gaia or only occasionally buy a little bit of Cash here and there think they should have been rewarded first because they're more important than people who spend a hundred or more every time a new monthly box shows up. This division between people who spend money and people who don't and the haves and have nots is really driving a wedge into the community. The people who don't spend money on the site are feeling like they should be given everything first and the people who are still in Club Verge should get nothing.

This attitude extends to how they treat people who spend money on the site, especially the ones who can afford to buy the most expensive items. They act like they're basement dwellers living with their parents with no job going into debt just for a few pixels on a website. I've literally seen people claim these people have "no real lives" because they choose to spend $250 to get a box of monthly luxury items and that people with jobs have real lives. They act like the people in the guild don't know what it's like to work for a living and they're the only ones who do.

Something honestly has to be done to remove this divide and the thoughts that you in the HQ want elitism on the site and are doing everything you can to foster it. They seriously think all you guys care about is getting more money from people. That's why a lot of them are all "but the last sale with the Halos more than paid off the site" and don't understand that the costs at HQ last longer than just one month that these are ongoing costs. They don't understand there's more than just paying your salary. Maybe in a way that doesn't leave them feeling like you're begging for money you should make them aware that as a business you have a lot more to deal with than paying for admins, artists, and developers and buying new ammo for your Nerf guns. A lot of them don't understand what business means because when someone says Gaia's a business they think that just means you guys want more money. I do think some of them need to be given a crash course in dealing with ongoing business expenses. It would stop a lot of the money hungry and greedy comments from people and certainly get them to appreciate the people who spend their money on Gaia a little more.

[siskataya]

The Undead Suitor

is it weird that you guys have spent more time explaining yourselves than anything else lately

Not really, when one is consistently confronted with wild conspiracy theories, user suggested business ideas that make no sense and get others riled up for no good reason, and some general misunderstandings about how businesses run. Nothing wrong with clarifying if it can help some people! biggrin

Note: Originally my post stated "business ideas that make no sense and others riled up for no good reason". I meant to put "user-suggested business ideas" to allude to the fact that some people have suggested various business models to us that don't make sense, but which other people then think we are implementing and which makes yet other people upset. Just wanted to clarify the typo in case anyone quoted the original post as I don't believe we, as a company, have made any business decisions that don't make sense. People might not agree with all of them, but they do make sense biggrin

[Rubeus Emperor]

siskataya

Banning me so quickly?
I was trying to have a civil conversation here.
If you feel like talking to me about this and more please contact me through skype.
I appreciate that in the ToS it states you can ban me for any reason at any time.
But please at least wait until we've finished talking to eachother.
Or until we can talk to eachother out of Gaia.
My skype is

satanichair

Please add me and talk to me on there.
Regarding the bans and regarding suggestions for the website.
Plus I wouldn't mind talking to you on mic instead of text.