Platonix
(?)Community Member
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- Posted: Thu, 23 Feb 2012 05:16:08 +0000
[Continuation of transcript begun last post.
...oh **** *** it, page split. I was afraid of that.]
February 22nd, some more
We do have plans in the works, but they are not solidified yet and until they are don't want to get peoples hopes up >.<
Hopefully needless to say, many of us on staff want to see more plot developments. smile
Having two updates is not likely right now, as we don't think we're producing fast enough for that.
We do plan to make more of the Gaia world accessible through the Towns upgrade, and as we actually have plans to create new areas after events. I'm looking forward to having new towns and areas in the Gaia world myself.
Gaia has very specific audiences and it actually don't overlap well with the everyday TV viewers, so we spent money on on-line advertising instead. Though it would be really fun to see Gaia on TV.
Not sure about the details to that. We plan to support user designed items but details are still sketchy for now.
I was pretty certain that we had contacted with the author, and it would be terrible if we didn't. I'll definitely check with the team and see what had been done for the author. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.
Long post =P
We'll add these to our list of bugs to fix. Please realize that we must prioritize bug fixes so we fix the most severe bugs first (so display bugs are probably lowest priority).
Some of the bugs are actually side-effects of a security policy we need to make sure that old (read "broken" ) browsers aren't exploited. The "child" selector-operator (">" ) is not available because we need to make sure that character is not used to exploit the page.
It's on the list, sit tight smile
A lot of these are really hard questions to answer (and some we wouldn't answer, regardless).
Understand that who-is-on-what project is pretty flexible around here, and we change as necessary to meet the demands of the business. So, [JK] is helping out on a new fantasy game, but that doesn't mean that he will never ever ever touch zOMG.
Also understand, per DARKNRGY's response, that bug fixes are definitely something that the team is looking at -- it's not good if the bugs are impinging substantially on the user experience.
In general, first-order revenue for zOMG (i.e., power ups and whatnot) is not more than a few percentage points of overall revenue, although that can vary from month to month (i.e., spike when Bloodstone went on sale). Second-order (i.e., people that buy stuff OTHER than zOMG stuff but stay primarily because of zOMG) is very hard to estimate; not sure there's a rigorous way of answering that question.
When we were evaluating new content (other than DMS -- DMS was partially completed already from previous efforts), the estimates ran about one to two man years, all told. Kind of depends on what you put in it, of course.
You might very well be right. Second Life looked like it was done and then they reinvested and brought it back. The question is a little bit larger than having a successful plot, good game mechanics, a solid community. The market is constantly changing, the demographic shifting, truly brutal. I have a dream for a game (totally unrelated to Gaia) which I think would be the best game ever, but it will never happen because there is no market for a spaceship FPS right now.
Heya Hi-Potion!
Thanks for the awesome questions. I'll try my best to answer these for you!
a) Regarding the issue of the Homestuck items, I am not sure about this, or what happened regarding contacting the artist about these items. I will be happy to look into this matter, and see what might have happened in this specific case. I do know that we take issues of copyright seriously, so I'll escalate this issue up to people that will be in a position to help get things resolved for all parties.
b) Shhhh, it's all hush-hush! I mean, erm, what's Crossstitch? erm.. ninja
c) And I love the idea of a CI (RIG) with international clothing and items - what a cool idea! I'll definitely forward this along to the art team. Imagine all the possibilities of such an item. I think it would be super cool. Thanks for sharing the idea!
d) As for the con info, you'll want to speak to DJ Helsing about that - he'd have the info you need!
Anyway, take care!
Sisky
1. No
2. Not to my knowledge
3. That decision was above anyone currently managing Gaia's head.
4. The Social team is always making new games, I don't know or have specifics on how they operate and why.
5. Don't know and don't know. (more a question for social team, not ours)
6. We give the answers we have, they won't magically change?
7. I can pass that along.
8. We would like to at least get someone to fix the bugs, but that hinges on a lot of unsure things.
9. Possible but don't know.
10. Not sure what your asking here. I know I wished we could have done more with it. I had plenty of ideas to tie it with site events that we could not manage to make happen.
11. Both, I manage and develop for Gaia, why? Because I love Gaia!
Please PM me links to any topics you have in Bug Reports and I will look into it.
Please make sure you fill out the Bug Report in the manner specified in the Bug Reports Announcement (including screenshots if possible).
I know it's frustrating and I'd like to help you get it fixed.
We'd love to do more for Gaians but one challenge we have is that we had been building features and event for 9 years now. With 3 dozen games and features it is an impossible task to update everything at once, and unfortunately most updates are done when it's overdue for an update.
At Gaia we continue to have a team that's focused on serving Gaia members, while there are other teams building other things. It's a simple equation where Gaiaonline can support X number of devs and artists, while other titles can support Y number of devs. If we don't make other games, we would not have X+Y number of staff in the company, and we would only have X number of staff on board. Hope that makes sense...
Yeah, I think part of the issue here is that we don't necessarily want to reveal formulas that haven't been found yet. Why do you want the comprehensive list? Just to know what you shouldn't sell Starter Polos(*) because they'll be used in the backwings formula?
(*) Just an example. Starter Polos are not, AFAIK, used in a backwings formula.
Actually, with certain qulifications of course, we don't.
Personally, I have no interest in playing another game.
Especially one that has no place with the established Gaia Canon.
I play zOMG! because I love Gaia, and I love being able to take my avatar into zOMG!, wearing all of the items that I pay for in the Cash Shops and MP, and even earning a bit of Gold to supplement those purchases.
If I'm going to play a game that has essentially nothing to do with Gaia other than perhaps being able to be launched from the site, I might as well go and try one of the other games I constantly see advertised here and elsewhere on the web.
While all of us who play zOMG! regularly would love to know that there were going to be new areas for us in the future, I think a lot of us would settle for merely having the glitches that constantly frustrate existing players and deter new players from getting thoroughly hooked on the game, fixed, and having our Events.
Even recycled Events.
Gaia could easily advertise zOMG!, and do so to a targeted audience by placing ads alongside their current Facebook properties.
They could increase internal usership by adding to the number of Alchemy components that can be only found in zOMG!
We have already proven our willinglness to pay for new content through the sale of BB Head Start Tickets and Bloodstone Items.They could institute a "pay as you play" model on new areas, while leaving the existing content free to play, thus keeping the game free to start and attractive to new users, while generating revenue for new content.
And those are only my ideas (or ideas I've appropriated from discussions with other concerned zOMGaians.
There have been more feasible suggestions in this ATA, and there could easily be more were we to ever be honestly brought into the discussion.
I think recycling event is a great idea. If you can't/won't give us new ones...then why not pacify us with giving the old ones again? Is there some reason Gaia can't do that?
Recycling is much easier. Last time we recycled a zOMG event, though, there were many complaints IIRC.
This for sure.
People with good senses of humor would find this funny and want to try out the site.. imo
If you liked those, be sure to keep an eye out cause we have another video soon that you'll probably like. It's no commercial but hopefully you'll enjoy it, just stay tuned and keep your eyes peeled!
Yes there is a winner chosen, DJ should have announced it, and if not, we'll be announcing it soon!
Soul Crash might not make it to Gaia as it's a published title and we only have rights to release it on Facebook. Sorry.
Contact a moderator to see if your trading pass was revoked for some reason.
...oh **** *** it, page split. I was afraid of that.]
February 22nd, some more
Narumi Misuhara
chris4u 25
hello guys!,
I'm a long time fan of gaiaonline, first time poster of ATA, I want to know if you guys have any plans to make more recent mini comics or manga story lines. When they were coming out in the past i always got a thrill to see what you guys came up with (and also a few chuckles along the way xd ) but it seems like the comics has become lackluster and it's main characters seems to be forgotten in time... i mean what IS out is still good, but they are now few and far between... so is there anything in the works?
I'm a long time fan of gaiaonline, first time poster of ATA, I want to know if you guys have any plans to make more recent mini comics or manga story lines. When they were coming out in the past i always got a thrill to see what you guys came up with (and also a few chuckles along the way xd ) but it seems like the comics has become lackluster and it's main characters seems to be forgotten in time... i mean what IS out is still good, but they are now few and far between... so is there anything in the works?
We do have plans in the works, but they are not solidified yet and until they are don't want to get peoples hopes up >.<
Hopefully needless to say, many of us on staff want to see more plot developments. smile
Lanzer
Fractale
TO LANZER
1: Is it possible to fit 2 gold shops in per months, to accompanied more user requested items?
2: Do the staff have plans to start exploring other areas of the Gaia world, in the near future? We have 4 main towns on the outdated world map, with a 5th (Halloweentown) having no shops or anything in it, a few things like Durem Caves, the wall of Gambino, and the reclamation facility scattered in between, and we've seen the city of Dref Dur in the manga, but that hasn't yet been added to the map. Why isn't the map getting updated and expanded into new territory as it should?
3: Have you guys ever considered actually making a serious, legit Gaia commercial? I think you guys could get floods of users if you manage to make a commercial for tv, showcasing some of the best Gaia features and communities, and have it in one of the time slots during the Superbowl 2013. Would Gaia have enough funds to pull something like this together; to draw in more users?
4: I'm happy there's going to be a new shop for user-created items. Can you provide any info about this new shop, like who's going to be running it? More importantly, will this Crosstitch store be appearing in a new part of town on Gaia in the world map that hasn't been used (like Halloweentown), or added, yet (like Dref Dur)? I'll be pretty sore if it's a shop that takes up space in Durem, Aekea, Gambino, or Barton, when there's already so many shops there. (don't forget, Gaia is an entire world. You can branch out to new areas ad towns to avoid town overcrowding, you know...) HintHint
TO NARUMI MISUHARA
Mortok brings up a good point. Why does the staff want to create extra work for themselves by tying the world map update and expansion into a cohesive story in an event? Why can't you guys just...oh, I don't know....draw some maps, including all the areas we have, and add them to the world map? Or make a user contest where users can draw and submit different maps for all of these areas, and spare your artists the workload of doing it themselves? (with the exception of adding the winning maps to the Gaia world map)
1: Is it possible to fit 2 gold shops in per months, to accompanied more user requested items?
2: Do the staff have plans to start exploring other areas of the Gaia world, in the near future? We have 4 main towns on the outdated world map, with a 5th (Halloweentown) having no shops or anything in it, a few things like Durem Caves, the wall of Gambino, and the reclamation facility scattered in between, and we've seen the city of Dref Dur in the manga, but that hasn't yet been added to the map. Why isn't the map getting updated and expanded into new territory as it should?
3: Have you guys ever considered actually making a serious, legit Gaia commercial? I think you guys could get floods of users if you manage to make a commercial for tv, showcasing some of the best Gaia features and communities, and have it in one of the time slots during the Superbowl 2013. Would Gaia have enough funds to pull something like this together; to draw in more users?
4: I'm happy there's going to be a new shop for user-created items. Can you provide any info about this new shop, like who's going to be running it? More importantly, will this Crosstitch store be appearing in a new part of town on Gaia in the world map that hasn't been used (like Halloweentown), or added, yet (like Dref Dur)? I'll be pretty sore if it's a shop that takes up space in Durem, Aekea, Gambino, or Barton, when there's already so many shops there. (don't forget, Gaia is an entire world. You can branch out to new areas ad towns to avoid town overcrowding, you know...) HintHint
TO NARUMI MISUHARA
Fractale
has the staff been planning anything for events to involve the world map, and making it mre interesting than just clicking around to find Holiday NPC's on the map pages? Is the world map going to get more love in the form of updates, soon?
Narumi Misuhara
Soon ...probably not, I do want to try to get some of the World maps updated through events but until we can better tie events with a cohesive story there really isn't a whole lot we can do with it for events.
Mortok
Ooooooooooooor they could just draw a new map that includes all the current areas from the existing story. There's no good reason they couldn't do that, and it would, in fact, be far more practical than any of the ideas listed here, all of which would involve building flash games/environments and other stuff almost completely from scratch.
Mortok brings up a good point. Why does the staff want to create extra work for themselves by tying the world map update and expansion into a cohesive story in an event? Why can't you guys just...oh, I don't know....draw some maps, including all the areas we have, and add them to the world map? Or make a user contest where users can draw and submit different maps for all of these areas, and spare your artists the workload of doing it themselves? (with the exception of adding the winning maps to the Gaia world map)
Having two updates is not likely right now, as we don't think we're producing fast enough for that.
We do plan to make more of the Gaia world accessible through the Towns upgrade, and as we actually have plans to create new areas after events. I'm looking forward to having new towns and areas in the Gaia world myself.
Gaia has very specific audiences and it actually don't overlap well with the everyday TV viewers, so we spent money on on-line advertising instead. Though it would be really fun to see Gaia on TV.
Not sure about the details to that. We plan to support user designed items but details are still sketchy for now.
Lanzer
Hi-Potion
Ello! Three things!
So, yeah, I just was wondering what happened with the Homestuck fiasco? I was taking with Rachel today (she's Andrew Hussie's girlfriend, she also handles his copyrights) and she informed me that she was approached by a Gaia artist, who said that they could not talk about legal matters and was never heard from again, nor was she forwarded to anyone who could talk about legal matters. And, honestly Gaia higher-ups, this seems kinda dodgey. Why hasnt anyone talked to her? I mean, the items are clearly Homestuck inspiried, and even though clip-art cannot be copyrighted, they were still clearly borrowed from Andrew Hussie's work andif the artists wishes to adress you about the matter, they still have a right to be contacted and not brushed aside. I mean, you guys even contacted that Bento Bunny lady, who obviously stole those designs from other places since they were not her original idea, but you still avoid talking with Hussie? I mean, it's been months and no progress has been made as of yet. So, could someone, not some dinky artist, but someone who can talk legal issues or whatever talk with Rachel, please? Anyways, her email is: rachel@whatpumpkin.com
I would appreciate if someone would just talk things over with her, she's been really patient with this, even if her co-worker hasnt been. I've been a Gaia fan and benefactor much longer then I have been a Homestuck fan and really hope that the right thing will be done.
Also, when will we see Crosstitch open up? All of the designs looked so cool! Plus its such an amazing idea! Who will the NPC running it be?
And, lastly, will we ever see a RIG with an international clothing theme? Ive seen alot of Gaians requesting this, in the GCD atleast, plus itd be a cool way to release stuff that wouldnt go into Josie's shop.
OH! One more thing! Im involved with alot of local, small cons in the bay area, and I was wondering how we could get some fliers and price cards to hand out to those events?
So, yeah, I just was wondering what happened with the Homestuck fiasco? I was taking with Rachel today (she's Andrew Hussie's girlfriend, she also handles his copyrights) and she informed me that she was approached by a Gaia artist, who said that they could not talk about legal matters and was never heard from again, nor was she forwarded to anyone who could talk about legal matters. And, honestly Gaia higher-ups, this seems kinda dodgey. Why hasnt anyone talked to her? I mean, the items are clearly Homestuck inspiried, and even though clip-art cannot be copyrighted, they were still clearly borrowed from Andrew Hussie's work andif the artists wishes to adress you about the matter, they still have a right to be contacted and not brushed aside. I mean, you guys even contacted that Bento Bunny lady, who obviously stole those designs from other places since they were not her original idea, but you still avoid talking with Hussie? I mean, it's been months and no progress has been made as of yet. So, could someone, not some dinky artist, but someone who can talk legal issues or whatever talk with Rachel, please? Anyways, her email is: rachel@whatpumpkin.com
I would appreciate if someone would just talk things over with her, she's been really patient with this, even if her co-worker hasnt been. I've been a Gaia fan and benefactor much longer then I have been a Homestuck fan and really hope that the right thing will be done.
Also, when will we see Crosstitch open up? All of the designs looked so cool! Plus its such an amazing idea! Who will the NPC running it be?
And, lastly, will we ever see a RIG with an international clothing theme? Ive seen alot of Gaians requesting this, in the GCD atleast, plus itd be a cool way to release stuff that wouldnt go into Josie's shop.
OH! One more thing! Im involved with alot of local, small cons in the bay area, and I was wondering how we could get some fliers and price cards to hand out to those events?
I was pretty certain that we had contacted with the author, and it would be terrible if we didn't. I'll definitely check with the team and see what had been done for the author. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.
carbonphyber
Knight Yoshi
Have some questions/concerns/plain curiosity.
Sorry for the long post sweatdrop
Quote:
- Do you plan on updating the Current template profile to remove the option to add the panel for the no longer existent VJ feature?
I've noticed some issues with the CSS that can't be used with at least the Current profile template because of the filter you use.
- Some things that can't use the first level select ">", the double quote "
- --The current filter is a serious hindrance to creating an effective less code is more layout, will this be changed and when can we expect to see that change?
Why is there no report option for profiles? I have seen many profiles with flashing images, remove navigation parts (if not the whole nav bar), offers of cybering, users stating they're under age, sexually explicit images. I see these all the time, and its not very effective to PM a moderator with the profile in violation as PMs can easily get overlooked. I even started a thread in the SC forum, which I don't see why it wouldn't, from a logical standpoint, be there to begin with.
Once in a while in a rare glitch, on the Current profile tamplate, the page will grab the beginning content from a custom or media panel and try to use it as a background for the root HTML element in the default "/* User-chosen Profile Theme */" part of the embedded CSS.
Do you actually plan on updating the social networking side of Gaia?
- Have the ability to add friends to self-created user groups.
- --This would go great with this proposal Friend Arranger
That we have the ability to hide/lock content from the general public, from the public, specific users, user groups, or everybody.
- --e.g. the about section from the public, friends of friends, etc. While displaying interests to them, friends lists, etc. Sure you can use CSS to "hide" it. But, its still in the HTML, and disabling the CSS on Classic profiles would reveal the content. But this method also hides it from everybody.
Have the ability to allow your status visible on your profile, like if you set a status that you'll be away from Gaia for a while as a status, it can be set on your profile based on account settings of who can see what type of content based on who they are and what group their in (same as stated above)
The ignore system is broken. There's a whole SC thread about this check it out
-- The whole social side feels like it needs a serious overhaul on privacy and organization. I hate to reference it but, Facebook has better settings and so does Google+. I do understand the time and resources going into this would be a downside, but without progress how could you expect the site to keep going in the long run?
Do you plan on re-organizing the account settings pages? I see notification settings for stories, gold, Aquarium, etc on the front page of the account settings, but there's a notices page already. As well why not use AJAX to load data to a single page when a link is clicked?
And speaking of "friends list", on the friends page it use to be that we would only see 15 of our friends, that number was increased to fifty. However, now if you have less than 50 friends the page stretches. The table row elements are static in the page, why? This means that you have to scroll down to the bottom to use the remove button or move to top buttons, and I have seen in the Q&A forum where new users and even some older users who weren't aware of this. So why are the elements static to the page instead of generated on the fly, on a per-friend basis?
Why is Backyard Monsters out of date? If you go to FaceBook or G+ you can see they have a couple of additional things. Such as having a backyard in hell, and having a champion chamber, other monsters get additional abilities. Here's my biggest concern about it, we spend all that time leveling up the champion and if we want to switch it we have to juice it and start all over, which can be a serious issue if you're a high level because then your near defenseless to other high levels. So its a lot of time wasted if you want to change champions. As well what about users that happen to buy their champion levels, that's money wasted.
Can we expect to see an "outfits" arranger? I know I'm not the only one who has done this, create a more favored avatar outfit later, and want to move it towards the front. But to do so you must delete outfits before it.
This would be a rather small update, but can we get a link to send a new message on the mail tab? Either before the "inbox" link or after the "saved" link.
Something that should definitely be pointed out is that the staff, (you guys), keep asking for feedback for events. For instance, the Halloween event. You said you took past events and combined them to make the best event by far. But anybody that was around for Halloween of '09 knows that, that the Halloween event for that year was the best event by far, and the most interactive while being fun. Yes, Gaia is a forum based site, and I'm not saying to not have forum based events with it, but the events need more interactivity like with the Overseer and S.I.N battle, where it was a constant power struggle. That event, for anybody that was around when it happened, pretty much set the bar for how events should be. And it just feels the events since then have been a bit of a let down with user interactivity on things you can do.
In the forums, some threads get scrollbars if for instance the ending text has a smaller than average font size, example. There are also other parts of a post that will get a scrollbar for instance floating something to the right and having a small font-size. Will this be fixed?
Sorry for the long post sweatdrop
Long post =P
We'll add these to our list of bugs to fix. Please realize that we must prioritize bug fixes so we fix the most severe bugs first (so display bugs are probably lowest priority).
Some of the bugs are actually side-effects of a security policy we need to make sure that old (read "broken" ) browsers aren't exploited. The "child" selector-operator (">" ) is not available because we need to make sure that character is not used to exploit the page.
Uncle Kenny
Knight Yoshi
[bold added by next post. -Platonix] Can you speak for some of the other questions? Such as Backyard Monsters, report button for profiles, account settings organization, outfits arranger and some of the other questions?
As well, for the filter I realize why you have it so that somebody can't end the embedded stylesheet prematurely, and add scripts. But surely you can set the filter to be better detecting to allow it?
As well, for the filter I realize why you have it so that somebody can't end the embedded stylesheet prematurely, and add scripts. But surely you can set the filter to be better detecting to allow it?
It's on the list, sit tight smile
Panagrammic
WideEyed
For roughly the last fifteen months, we have been repeatedly told that zOMG! does not generate sufficient revenues to warrant its further development.
Just recently we were told that, despite our best efforts to boost those revenues through increasing our user base and purchasing zOMG! Specific Items, not only will zOMG! receive no further development, but that we should also not expect any further glitch repairs or Seasonal Events such as the annual Easter Egg Hunt, Halloween or Christmas Events.
We were informed that the last Developer assigned to zOMG! has been reassigned to a new project and that, as it stands at this moment, it is unlikely that zOMG!’s current “limbo” status will ever change.
Seeing as this has all been explained as a purely business decision based on revenue generation and potential, we would like to know more about zOMG!’s financial performance.
Specifically:
Roughly how much did zOMG! specific sales generate in 2010? (sales of zOMG! Powerups)
Was there a noticeable increase in zOMG! specific revenues in 2011?
What were the percentages?
Does Gaia have any estimates regarding zOMG!’s ancillary revenue generation? (sales of Items that, while not specifically to be used in zOMG!, were purchased by people who’s principle activity on Gaia is playing zOMG!)
What would be the cost of maintaining a Development Staff for zOMG! that would be sufficiently large enough to allow for incremental upgrading of the game over a gradual period, say a new area similar to DMS once every six months or once a year?
What would be the cost of maintaining a Development Staff for zOMG! that was sufficiently large enough to allow for glitch repair and Events only?
How much would zOMG! need to generate in order to justify that allocation of these resources?
What percentage of Gaia’s overall, user generated revenues can be attributed to zOMG!
On a per capita basis, how does this compare with users who’s principle activities on Gaia do not include zOMG!
We have been told that the issue is not strictly related to zOMG!’s current and potential revenue generation, but also the potential revenue generation of the new projects for which zOMG!’s developers have been re-assigned.
What does Gaia anticipate the difference in potential to be? Twice zOMG!’s? Three times?
We have always been told how important we zOMGaians are to Gaia, and that our passion and loyalty to zOMG! and through it, Gaia itself, is appreciated by Gaia’s decision makers, yet we often feel disconnected from the decisions being made that effect our game. We would appreciate the opportunity to speak directly with one or two of the people who make the decisions regarding zOMG!’s future, so that all of the vague rumour and speculation could finally be cleared up, and we could finally be allowed to understand the rationale behind what so many of us deem to be an irrational decision.
Thank you.
WideEyed
Just recently we were told that, despite our best efforts to boost those revenues through increasing our user base and purchasing zOMG! Specific Items, not only will zOMG! receive no further development, but that we should also not expect any further glitch repairs or Seasonal Events such as the annual Easter Egg Hunt, Halloween or Christmas Events.
We were informed that the last Developer assigned to zOMG! has been reassigned to a new project and that, as it stands at this moment, it is unlikely that zOMG!’s current “limbo” status will ever change.
Seeing as this has all been explained as a purely business decision based on revenue generation and potential, we would like to know more about zOMG!’s financial performance.
Specifically:
Roughly how much did zOMG! specific sales generate in 2010? (sales of zOMG! Powerups)
Was there a noticeable increase in zOMG! specific revenues in 2011?
What were the percentages?
Does Gaia have any estimates regarding zOMG!’s ancillary revenue generation? (sales of Items that, while not specifically to be used in zOMG!, were purchased by people who’s principle activity on Gaia is playing zOMG!)
What would be the cost of maintaining a Development Staff for zOMG! that would be sufficiently large enough to allow for incremental upgrading of the game over a gradual period, say a new area similar to DMS once every six months or once a year?
What would be the cost of maintaining a Development Staff for zOMG! that was sufficiently large enough to allow for glitch repair and Events only?
How much would zOMG! need to generate in order to justify that allocation of these resources?
What percentage of Gaia’s overall, user generated revenues can be attributed to zOMG!
On a per capita basis, how does this compare with users who’s principle activities on Gaia do not include zOMG!
We have been told that the issue is not strictly related to zOMG!’s current and potential revenue generation, but also the potential revenue generation of the new projects for which zOMG!’s developers have been re-assigned.
What does Gaia anticipate the difference in potential to be? Twice zOMG!’s? Three times?
We have always been told how important we zOMGaians are to Gaia, and that our passion and loyalty to zOMG! and through it, Gaia itself, is appreciated by Gaia’s decision makers, yet we often feel disconnected from the decisions being made that effect our game. We would appreciate the opportunity to speak directly with one or two of the people who make the decisions regarding zOMG!’s future, so that all of the vague rumour and speculation could finally be cleared up, and we could finally be allowed to understand the rationale behind what so many of us deem to be an irrational decision.
Thank you.
WideEyed
A lot of these are really hard questions to answer (and some we wouldn't answer, regardless).
Understand that who-is-on-what project is pretty flexible around here, and we change as necessary to meet the demands of the business. So, [JK] is helping out on a new fantasy game, but that doesn't mean that he will never ever ever touch zOMG.
Also understand, per DARKNRGY's response, that bug fixes are definitely something that the team is looking at -- it's not good if the bugs are impinging substantially on the user experience.
In general, first-order revenue for zOMG (i.e., power ups and whatnot) is not more than a few percentage points of overall revenue, although that can vary from month to month (i.e., spike when Bloodstone went on sale). Second-order (i.e., people that buy stuff OTHER than zOMG stuff but stay primarily because of zOMG) is very hard to estimate; not sure there's a rigorous way of answering that question.
When we were evaluating new content (other than DMS -- DMS was partially completed already from previous efforts), the estimates ran about one to two man years, all told. Kind of depends on what you put in it, of course.
DARKNRGY
Mademoiselle Kit
ZOMG does have the potential to do this. It is an original MMO with an interesting storyline and plot--moreover, it allows us to use our avatars to save the Gaia world. This works in Zomg's favor. Since HQ is all up in facebook's junk these days, if you could find a way to port zomg, or even advertise zomg on facebook, usership would no doubt increase.
I am just astounded that Gaia would even consider throwing away what used to be their baby, what has so much potential without even trying. Want more money? Release more powerups and buddies--us hardcore players WILL buy them. Want more users? Work on fiixing the glitches, add hope of an expansion, and advertise a bit. These things could be done with little effort and little money, but it would increase revenue, players, and above all else, satisfy a very pissed-off userbase.
I am just astounded that Gaia would even consider throwing away what used to be their baby, what has so much potential without even trying. Want more money? Release more powerups and buddies--us hardcore players WILL buy them. Want more users? Work on fiixing the glitches, add hope of an expansion, and advertise a bit. These things could be done with little effort and little money, but it would increase revenue, players, and above all else, satisfy a very pissed-off userbase.
You might very well be right. Second Life looked like it was done and then they reinvested and brought it back. The question is a little bit larger than having a successful plot, good game mechanics, a solid community. The market is constantly changing, the demographic shifting, truly brutal. I have a dream for a game (totally unrelated to Gaia) which I think would be the best game ever, but it will never happen because there is no market for a spaceship FPS right now.
siskataya
Hi-Potion
Ello! Three things!
So, yeah, I just was wondering what happened with the Homestuck fiasco? I was taking with Rachel today (she's Andrew Hussie's girlfriend, she also handles his copyrights) and she informed me that she was approached by a Gaia artist, who said that they could not talk about legal matters and was never heard from again, nor was she forwarded to anyone who could talk about legal matters. And, honestly Gaia higher-ups, this seems kinda dodgey. Why hasnt anyone talked to her? I mean, the items are clearly Homestuck inspiried, and even though clip-art cannot be copyrighted, they were still clearly borrowed from Andrew Hussie's work andif the artists wishes to adress you about the matter, they still have a right to be contacted and not brushed aside. I mean, you guys even contacted that Bento Bunny lady, who obviously stole those designs from other places since they were not her original idea, but you still avoid talking with Hussie? I mean, it's been months and no progress has been made as of yet. So, could someone, not some dinky artist, but someone who can talk legal issues or whatever talk with Rachel, please? Anyways, her email is: rachel@whatpumpkin.com
I would appreciate if someone would just talk things over with her, she's been really patient with this, even if her co-worker hasnt been. I've been a Gaia fan and benefactor much longer then I have been a Homestuck fan and really hope that the right thing will be done.
Also, when will we see Crosstitch open up? All of the designs looked so cool! Plus its such an amazing idea! Who will the NPC running it be?
And, lastly, will we ever see a RIG with an international clothing theme? Ive seen alot of Gaians requesting this, in the GCD atleast, plus itd be a cool way to release stuff that wouldnt go into Josie's shop.
OH! One more thing! Im involved with alot of local, small cons in the bay area, and I was wondering how we could get some fliers and price cards to hand out to those events?
So, yeah, I just was wondering what happened with the Homestuck fiasco? I was taking with Rachel today (she's Andrew Hussie's girlfriend, she also handles his copyrights) and she informed me that she was approached by a Gaia artist, who said that they could not talk about legal matters and was never heard from again, nor was she forwarded to anyone who could talk about legal matters. And, honestly Gaia higher-ups, this seems kinda dodgey. Why hasnt anyone talked to her? I mean, the items are clearly Homestuck inspiried, and even though clip-art cannot be copyrighted, they were still clearly borrowed from Andrew Hussie's work andif the artists wishes to adress you about the matter, they still have a right to be contacted and not brushed aside. I mean, you guys even contacted that Bento Bunny lady, who obviously stole those designs from other places since they were not her original idea, but you still avoid talking with Hussie? I mean, it's been months and no progress has been made as of yet. So, could someone, not some dinky artist, but someone who can talk legal issues or whatever talk with Rachel, please? Anyways, her email is: rachel@whatpumpkin.com
I would appreciate if someone would just talk things over with her, she's been really patient with this, even if her co-worker hasnt been. I've been a Gaia fan and benefactor much longer then I have been a Homestuck fan and really hope that the right thing will be done.
Also, when will we see Crosstitch open up? All of the designs looked so cool! Plus its such an amazing idea! Who will the NPC running it be?
And, lastly, will we ever see a RIG with an international clothing theme? Ive seen alot of Gaians requesting this, in the GCD atleast, plus itd be a cool way to release stuff that wouldnt go into Josie's shop.
OH! One more thing! Im involved with alot of local, small cons in the bay area, and I was wondering how we could get some fliers and price cards to hand out to those events?
Heya Hi-Potion!
Thanks for the awesome questions. I'll try my best to answer these for you!
a) Regarding the issue of the Homestuck items, I am not sure about this, or what happened regarding contacting the artist about these items. I will be happy to look into this matter, and see what might have happened in this specific case. I do know that we take issues of copyright seriously, so I'll escalate this issue up to people that will be in a position to help get things resolved for all parties.
b) Shhhh, it's all hush-hush! I mean, erm, what's Crossstitch? erm.. ninja
c) And I love the idea of a CI (RIG) with international clothing and items - what a cool idea! I'll definitely forward this along to the art team. Imagine all the possibilities of such an item. I think it would be super cool. Thanks for sharing the idea!
d) As for the con info, you'll want to speak to DJ Helsing about that - he'd have the info you need!
Anyway, take care!
Sisky
Narumi Misuhara
twister of shadows
Dear lanzer, please answer any question you want:
1. Is there any plans of the servers being taken down for zOMG!
2. Is there any plan to transfer [ JK ] and swarf back to zOMG! ? If so when? (its ok for non-specific)
3. Why did you transfer the developers of zOMG! to something else?
4. Why are you making a new game? wasn't your previous games profitable?
5. How much money did zOMG! make recently? wasn't it enough to keep our developers.
6. Do you like to give the same answer to all the zOMG! users?
7. Could you tell the artists that are running alchemy to remove gnome figure recipe requirement?
8. Is there any plan to hire new developers for zOMG! ?
9. Will zOMG! ever have any developers other than what it has?
10. besides lack of resources and interest for zOMG! , was there any feeling of neglect towards it?
11. Are the developers controlling gaia or the managers? if either, why?
1. Is there any plans of the servers being taken down for zOMG!
2. Is there any plan to transfer [ JK ] and swarf back to zOMG! ? If so when? (its ok for non-specific)
3. Why did you transfer the developers of zOMG! to something else?
4. Why are you making a new game? wasn't your previous games profitable?
5. How much money did zOMG! make recently? wasn't it enough to keep our developers.
6. Do you like to give the same answer to all the zOMG! users?
7. Could you tell the artists that are running alchemy to remove gnome figure recipe requirement?
8. Is there any plan to hire new developers for zOMG! ?
9. Will zOMG! ever have any developers other than what it has?
10. besides lack of resources and interest for zOMG! , was there any feeling of neglect towards it?
11. Are the developers controlling gaia or the managers? if either, why?
1. No
2. Not to my knowledge
3. That decision was above anyone currently managing Gaia's head.
4. The Social team is always making new games, I don't know or have specifics on how they operate and why.
5. Don't know and don't know. (more a question for social team, not ours)
6. We give the answers we have, they won't magically change?
7. I can pass that along.
8. We would like to at least get someone to fix the bugs, but that hinges on a lot of unsure things.
9. Possible but don't know.
10. Not sure what your asking here. I know I wished we could have done more with it. I had plenty of ideas to tie it with site events that we could not manage to make happen.
11. Both, I manage and develop for Gaia, why? Because I love Gaia!
carbonphyber
ToushinYusuke
Hey Lanzer and Dev team.
Got a few questions...
When the yahoo aps was updated to fix the footer in FF9, alot of others have now had issues with coding on other versions of FF.
Pop up windows align left, cant change, save, etc in invo. There is no more drop down menus on the my gaia page and the text formatting box is now at the bottom for some users instead of above comments or the posting box in forums.
The drop down menus in the forums / when searching for a user to goto their profile / send pm etc do not work either.
This has been a month.
I have talked to one dev about it, but seriously... this isnt funny. -.-;;; I can live with everything else but I REALLY want to change my avatar.
Can someone take some more time to look into this and fix it?
Also, will zOMG now that it has been put on the back burner still get events? Such as easter event? Halloween? All of us really look forward to these events. ( dont know if this has been answered yet. )
Got a few questions...
When the yahoo aps was updated to fix the footer in FF9, alot of others have now had issues with coding on other versions of FF.
Pop up windows align left, cant change, save, etc in invo. There is no more drop down menus on the my gaia page and the text formatting box is now at the bottom for some users instead of above comments or the posting box in forums.
The drop down menus in the forums / when searching for a user to goto their profile / send pm etc do not work either.
This has been a month.
I have talked to one dev about it, but seriously... this isnt funny. -.-;;; I can live with everything else but I REALLY want to change my avatar.
Can someone take some more time to look into this and fix it?
Also, will zOMG now that it has been put on the back burner still get events? Such as easter event? Halloween? All of us really look forward to these events. ( dont know if this has been answered yet. )
Please PM me links to any topics you have in Bug Reports and I will look into it.
Please make sure you fill out the Bug Report in the manner specified in the Bug Reports Announcement (including screenshots if possible).
I know it's frustrating and I'd like to help you get it fixed.
Lanzer
.~.Lady_Aji.~.
Evening, Lanzer.
When will you stop this vicious cycle of releasing and abandoning new features? All this is doing is giving your site a bad reputation of not being able to maintain your features. The only reason Homes and Towns are getting updates now is because the userbase had to keep pestering you about it until something was done. Now, I hear that zOMG! is getting shelved so that you can focus on more facebook games.
Why so much emphasis on facebook? Have you forgotten about Gaiaonline and its users? Have you even thought to promote this site and its features through your facebook games? I find this to be upsetting and a bad business move. I know you're better than this. Time to shape up or ship out.
Since zOMG! isn't going to be getting updates anytime soon, can you allow swarf some time to fix the game's glitches? Like the orb count visual glitch, the lag, the broken quest chains and silent NPCs. How can you expect to get more people playing zOMG! if it's broken? And another thing. Can you at least release DMS to the public permanently and add games to Buccaneer Boardwalk?
Edit: Here's something else that I would like to know. If you have a separate team working on facebook games, why pull staff from Gaia's features to work on them?
When will you stop this vicious cycle of releasing and abandoning new features? All this is doing is giving your site a bad reputation of not being able to maintain your features. The only reason Homes and Towns are getting updates now is because the userbase had to keep pestering you about it until something was done. Now, I hear that zOMG! is getting shelved so that you can focus on more facebook games.
Why so much emphasis on facebook? Have you forgotten about Gaiaonline and its users? Have you even thought to promote this site and its features through your facebook games? I find this to be upsetting and a bad business move. I know you're better than this. Time to shape up or ship out.
Since zOMG! isn't going to be getting updates anytime soon, can you allow swarf some time to fix the game's glitches? Like the orb count visual glitch, the lag, the broken quest chains and silent NPCs. How can you expect to get more people playing zOMG! if it's broken? And another thing. Can you at least release DMS to the public permanently and add games to Buccaneer Boardwalk?
Edit: Here's something else that I would like to know. If you have a separate team working on facebook games, why pull staff from Gaia's features to work on them?
We'd love to do more for Gaians but one challenge we have is that we had been building features and event for 9 years now. With 3 dozen games and features it is an impossible task to update everything at once, and unfortunately most updates are done when it's overdue for an update.
At Gaia we continue to have a team that's focused on serving Gaia members, while there are other teams building other things. It's a simple equation where Gaiaonline can support X number of devs and artists, while other titles can support Y number of devs. If we don't make other games, we would not have X+Y number of staff in the company, and we would only have X number of staff on board. Hope that makes sense...
Panagrammic
Corinth Maxwell
Considering how this thread is more than likely probably on either Page 4 or Page 5 by now, I can only PRAY that my question gets an answer, since it's not a re-hash of the same thing being said over & over right now. cat_whee
Anyway.......Can someone on the staff provide us with a fully-detailed "official list" of exactly which Avatar, Housing, Game, zOMG, "Special" (i.e., giftboxes), and/or Aquarium items not directly associated with Alchemy, are currently being tagged, listed, and/or used as "alchemical components"? It doesn't seem to make much sense for users to be in the dark about what does or doesn't go into a formula, especially if & when we likely have potential formula components sitting in our inventories and/or being drawn from the Daily Chance that, for all we know, is just a bunch of useless crap that we'd rather sell or otherwise trash instead of hoard for months on end.
Anyway.......Can someone on the staff provide us with a fully-detailed "official list" of exactly which Avatar, Housing, Game, zOMG, "Special" (i.e., giftboxes), and/or Aquarium items not directly associated with Alchemy, are currently being tagged, listed, and/or used as "alchemical components"? It doesn't seem to make much sense for users to be in the dark about what does or doesn't go into a formula, especially if & when we likely have potential formula components sitting in our inventories and/or being drawn from the Daily Chance that, for all we know, is just a bunch of useless crap that we'd rather sell or otherwise trash instead of hoard for months on end.
Yeah, I think part of the issue here is that we don't necessarily want to reveal formulas that haven't been found yet. Why do you want the comprehensive list? Just to know what you shouldn't sell Starter Polos(*) because they'll be used in the backwings formula?
(*) Just an example. Starter Polos are not, AFAIK, used in a backwings formula.
Panagrammic
Android Amber
WideEyed
DARKNRGY
We all want something new and shiny.
Actually, with certain qulifications of course, we don't.
Personally, I have no interest in playing another game.
Especially one that has no place with the established Gaia Canon.
I play zOMG! because I love Gaia, and I love being able to take my avatar into zOMG!, wearing all of the items that I pay for in the Cash Shops and MP, and even earning a bit of Gold to supplement those purchases.
If I'm going to play a game that has essentially nothing to do with Gaia other than perhaps being able to be launched from the site, I might as well go and try one of the other games I constantly see advertised here and elsewhere on the web.
While all of us who play zOMG! regularly would love to know that there were going to be new areas for us in the future, I think a lot of us would settle for merely having the glitches that constantly frustrate existing players and deter new players from getting thoroughly hooked on the game, fixed, and having our Events.
Even recycled Events.
Gaia could easily advertise zOMG!, and do so to a targeted audience by placing ads alongside their current Facebook properties.
They could increase internal usership by adding to the number of Alchemy components that can be only found in zOMG!
We have already proven our willinglness to pay for new content through the sale of BB Head Start Tickets and Bloodstone Items.They could institute a "pay as you play" model on new areas, while leaving the existing content free to play, thus keeping the game free to start and attractive to new users, while generating revenue for new content.
And those are only my ideas (or ideas I've appropriated from discussions with other concerned zOMGaians.
There have been more feasible suggestions in this ATA, and there could easily be more were we to ever be honestly brought into the discussion.
I think recycling event is a great idea. If you can't/won't give us new ones...then why not pacify us with giving the old ones again? Is there some reason Gaia can't do that?
Recycling is much easier. Last time we recycled a zOMG event, though, there were many complaints IIRC.
Uncle Kenny
Shinju_hashimfo
jonjon21428
You should make BigLanky14 do more of these emotion_awesome
This for sure.
People with good senses of humor would find this funny and want to try out the site.. imo
If you liked those, be sure to keep an eye out cause we have another video soon that you'll probably like. It's no commercial but hopefully you'll enjoy it, just stay tuned and keep your eyes peeled!
Zero Omega
I will personally vouch and fight the fires of 1,000 seas to have Lanky continue to do those! Only because I like watching him be completely silly and ridiculous! ninja You never saw this post~ Bwahahaha!
Lanzer
SS2-SITH LORD
Good Evening Admin. Please! Answer any or All questions!
I have three questions, and an ongoing issue to make you aware of if you're not already.
1. Was there ever a winner in the Fortune Cookie contest? I don't remember seeing a winner announced.
2. Is Soul Crash going to be brought to Gaia? I would really like to play some of the games you have on facebook but refuse to join. I know of others who feel the same way.
3. Do you have a date set on Monster Galaxy being released on the site? DJ Helsing mentioned it in the monthly video.
And the issue is with Aquariums! ( Big surprise right? )
Seriously though. There are still Ghost fish in peoples tanks. Gaia is loosing out on profit because of this and this problem is spiraling out of control! There are gaians with fully ghosted tanks right now and earning profit from them! I will find proof if need be!
Also! Thank you for the Cash shop release yesterday! BIG SKYRIM FAN!!!!
I have three questions, and an ongoing issue to make you aware of if you're not already.
1. Was there ever a winner in the Fortune Cookie contest? I don't remember seeing a winner announced.
2. Is Soul Crash going to be brought to Gaia? I would really like to play some of the games you have on facebook but refuse to join. I know of others who feel the same way.
3. Do you have a date set on Monster Galaxy being released on the site? DJ Helsing mentioned it in the monthly video.
And the issue is with Aquariums! ( Big surprise right? )
Seriously though. There are still Ghost fish in peoples tanks. Gaia is loosing out on profit because of this and this problem is spiraling out of control! There are gaians with fully ghosted tanks right now and earning profit from them! I will find proof if need be!
Also! Thank you for the Cash shop release yesterday! BIG SKYRIM FAN!!!!
Yes there is a winner chosen, DJ should have announced it, and if not, we'll be announcing it soon!
Soul Crash might not make it to Gaia as it's a published title and we only have rights to release it on Facebook. Sorry.
Panagrammic
Toxic Necessities
Hello there.
My gaia has been locked out of the market place for some odd reason. It's stayed that way since I first made this account and I'm not really too sure what I can do to fix that. Can someone please help me with this problem of mine?
My gaia has been locked out of the market place for some odd reason. It's stayed that way since I first made this account and I'm not really too sure what I can do to fix that. Can someone please help me with this problem of mine?
Contact a moderator to see if your trading pass was revoked for some reason.
Lanzer
Thank you for joining us on this week's ATA everyone! The response is overwhelming and I'm sorry we can't get to all your questions. Please join us again on next week's ATA if we couldn't get to your question day. See you next week!