Frequently Mentioned Issues

[The Admin]

Site Feedback: Frequently Mentioned Issues (FMI)

Welcome to the Site Feedback forum. Site Feedback is dedicated to hearing your suggestions, comments, complaints and even love for GaiaOnline. There are many fantastic suggestions and ideas out there, but there are some we wish to bring up here. Below is a list of the most frequently mentioned issues (FMI) with a synopsis of the subject.

Please note that these Frequently Mentioned Issues may be changed, updated, or modified at any time. While Gaia appreciates suggestions and comments, if your topic is one of the FMI's mentioned below and does not meet the criteria for discussion for these issues it may be moved. Please read carefully and help us help you by being sure that you are adding new suggestions or ideas rather than repeating something we have already covered.

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• In the works
• Community Issues
• Avatar and Item issues
• System and Feature Issues
• Economic issues

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[The Admin]

In the works!
These are constantly being considered.

• Personals
  The Personals feature was removed in 2004 but we would love to see it return. However, in discussing the possible return of the Personals, it was decided that it should be an entirely new feature, which will take time to create. Threads asking the feature be returned without suggesting possibilities of how it should work will be recycled.
  
  
• Mini-Games
  More Mini Games are planned. You can suggest them, but threads asking for more Mini Games without going into detail on specific desires will be recycled. If you have more specific suggestions on games you'd like to see in Gaia, such as, "I'd like to see a game like leap frog, where you have to try and get through moving objects." or, "I'd like to see a poker game where I could play against other users." you can feel free to make those suggestions.... however, those threads really belong more in the Gaia Gaming Discussion Forum than here in Site Feedback and might be moved there if they are created here.
  
  
• Cross-Gender items
  This is currently in the works, but there is not any final list of what will or will not be made to use for both genders.
  Any threads suggesting this will be recycled.
  
  
• NPC Stores
  Stores are added as Gaia's world grows. Please suggest new stores and the items they can contain, but threads just suggesting more stores and/or items on general terms and items that are below will be recycled:

• These are all constantly being produced, and we know you want them!
  If you wish to suggest any items in these categories in general terms, please use the Official Item Suggestion Thread:
  
  • Weapons
  • Backwings
  • Plushies
  • Instruments
  • Eye contacts
  • Piercings
  • Tattoos
  • Wigs

[The Admin]

We already take these issues into consideration, and threads containing these topics will be recycled.

Community issues:

• You are ruining the economy with new features that offer gold!
  This is brought up with every feature that is released. With every feature that we bring out, we try to keep this concern in mind. Staff does watch the economy, and keep track of changes with every new release. If needed, adjustments have been made in the past and will be made again to make sure everything remains on an even keel. Overall, the features that offer Gaia Gold as a prize have little negative affect on the economy, and we also have features that remove gold from the economy. As the prices the users set go up, this is the best way to achieve a balance.
  
  
• You should be screening/stop putting/get rid of bad ads!
  Due to how internet advertising works, we cannot screen the advertisements on Gaia in advance. It's unfortunate, but sometimes bad advertisements do appear on Gaia. If you see one please take a few minutes to report the bad ad so we can get it removed. If you don't report it correctly then it may not be possible to get it removed.
  
  
• Get rid of CAPTCHAs!
  A CAPTCHA is a simple test where you are asked to enter two distorted words from an image. ReCaptcha's are the words that you need to enter to post in the Arenas, profile comments, Journals and sometimes in the forums. The ReCaptcha is important because it tells us there is a person behind the screen and not some nasty bot. Disabling bots from posting helps keep unnecessary gold from entering the economy, which means more controlled prices wink
  For more information check out reCAPTCHA's website. Currently, we feel it is important to keep them there.
  
  
• Deletion of old/unused/never logged/etc.. accounts
  The system depends on a numbering system of accounts. If an account with a number is removed, the accounts are then out of order, and will cause system failures. Keep in mind, there is always the possibility of the original owner returning to use the account.
  
  
• Stripping of old/unused/never logged/banned/etc.. accounts
  We have users that drop by every so often even though they are not actively posting, some accounts are activated long after the email was received, and some users are granted a second chance when they are banned. The items that the accounts contain and the username still belong to that account unless it is seen fit to change their account in some way.

[The Admin]

Base avatar and item issues:

• Fix the layering!
  Please go to the Avatar Item Glitch Report Thread to report these problems. That icky "green goo" and items covering others in a way that does not seem reasonable can be reported by giving us the list of items your avatar has equipped at that time of the avatar save and what you feel needs to be changed. We can fix these issues, or change as we see needed, according to the purpose of individual items. Not all items will be changed as the artists meant a good deal of them to layer as they do.
  
  
• Naked avatars/nude avatars
  A "naked" avatar only has the Basic Grey Underwear automatically equipped under these terms. The base of the avatar is not meant to be used in a fashion where it is completely nude. We have items that tread this line, and they are allowed to be used because Gaia artists created them, but items are not going to be created and should not be used in a way that the base is not covered appropriately. We need these to be brought to our attention so they may be fixed.
  Threads asking for this will be recycled.
  
  
• Avatars missing legs, arms and heads
  There may be items that layer where the items disappear, as well as parts of the main avatar base. These are not meant to be used this way. There are some items that remove the avatar base's limbs and/or torso and replace it with something else, so this is an issue that needs to be brought to Gaia's attention so it may be fixed if those items are not equipped.
  
  
• Making current hairstyles into wigs
  We have wigs available in many different equipable forms. Wigs are meant to be hairstyles that fit well with a theme that can be changed at will, and the Salon hairstyles are meant to be more semi-permanent so it is more realistic!
  Threads asking for this will be recycled.
  
  
• Items from Movies, Games, and other Copyrighted Media
  Please suggest away! As long as they do not fall within another category within this thread, we want to hear what you want to see available for your avatar. This means that pointing out to someone that they are suggesting a copyrighted item and that an exact duplicate cannot be made is completely unnecessary and irrelevant to the suggestion.

[The Admin]

System and feature issues:

• Baby/Family/Marriage system
  There is not anything conclusive about this subject. Please note that these are still on the table for possibilities.
  Threads asking for this will be recycled if they do not go into detail as to how you wish the system to work.
  
  
• Let us sell/trade zOMG rings!
  Rings that you equip in-game are bound to your account. This means they cannot be sold or traded off the account, something known as "soulbinding". This was intentional, and done by the developers after zOMG was released due to issues that arose with gameplay. Please do not ask for rings to have the souldbinding removed. As a side note, rings that are not ever equipped can be upgraded as normal and are not soulbound.
  Threads that are asking for rings to be unsoulbound will be recycled.
  
  
• Let us sell our overseer/aquarium!
  Each account is given a single overseer and aquarium item which is frozen to their account and cannot be sold or traded. These items are not like normal items, they were not intended to be sold to other users.
  Threads asking for the overseer/aquarium item to be unfrozen will be recycled.
  
  
• Mass limited edition item re-releases
  This applies to re-releasing items (such as Monthly Collectibles or Event items) of the exact same appearance as their initial release, in the way they were released. We retain the right to recolor, edit and release them in any form as we see fit. Generally, they will be released in a practical fashion so they retain a good amount of their investment value and individual special qualities.
  Threads asking for this will be recycled.
  
  
• Fix all the bugs before you add new features!
  Sometimes, things just break, and new features are rolled out to be companions for other features that might be broken, or just something separate entirely. Our developers are constantly working on those bugs to fix them, and sometimes are working on other things that take priority. We can't stop bringing out features because one or two things of something else need to be addressed on something else. We have teams that are divided into working on separate things, and just because one feature is pushed does not mean that something else is being ignored.
  Threads asking for this will be recycled.
  
  
• Shut down the site for a week to fix everything!
  Gaia works on a coding system that is almost like a breathing being; you cannot kill the entire thing to see why the heart and lungs do not work. If the site is down for an extended period of time, we would not be able to see why features do not work because they would not be used, which defeats the purpose of actively testing and using these features to fix them.
  Threads asking for this will be recycled.
  
  
• Time limits on posting and sending private messages! (Flood Control)
  This limiter is in place so 10,000+ people submitting something at once do not overload the system. It reduces the strain on the servers when our users submit messages simultaneously.
  Threads asking for this will be recycled.
  
  
• Free Gender changing and name changing
  This information at one time was not available to be changed, and it is a remedy for those who want a spur-of-the-moment change when they join, or if they made a mistake when they registered the account. These features are not going to be a free service since changing genders and your username affects many features, and is taxing on the site.
  Threads asking for this will be recycled.
  
  
• This feature is not working. Fix it!
  The best way is to troubleshoot your system to make sure it is optimized to load and run the features of Gaia Online. If it is something that Gaia needs to fix, please make the appropriate bug report in the Bug Reports and Technical Assistance Forum so we may formally address the issue if it is our system. You can go here to check how to report properly.

Your thread may be moved to the Bug Reports and Technical Assistance Forum if it contains the proper information for a Bug Report

[The Admin]

Economic issues:

• Prices of Limited Edition items
  Users are able to set prices of these items, and they fluctuate constantly due to supply and demand. If the going rate on something is high, it's because there actually are users around with that much gold or value in items who are buying them at those prices.
  
  
• Gaining Gold is too hard! We need more ways to earn gold!
  There are many ways to earn gold on Gaia; in fact, practically everything you do lets you earn it. If you're unsure how to earn gold then check out this Gaia gold guide for help. Generic suggestions about gold-gaining (We need to earn more gold!) will be recycled, but if you have a specific idea for a new system or feature in which you can earn gold, then you are welcome to suggest it.
  
  
• Mass-grants of large sums of currency and items
  Granting a large sum of gold at any one time to the entire user base on a regular basis is counter-productive to how our economy functions, and is only given when it is a controlled distribution.
  
  
• Marketplace 5% "Tax"
  This is a permanent gold sink and it's purpose is to both keep the economy in balance and to prevent certain types of Marketplace abuse. It will most likely not be removed, but may be altered.
  
  
• Gaia Cash
  Gaia cash is a virtual currency on Gaia, primarily used to purchase Cash-Only items and Monthly Collectibles, and is completely voluntary to purchase. Gaia Cash can also be used to buy regular gold items from NPC stores as well, but there are certain differences between Gaia Cash and Gaia Gold that are not going to change:
  • Gaia Gold can not be converted to Gaia Cash.
  • Gaia Cash can not be transferred between accounts.
  There will be times where Gaia Online will grant Gaia Cash at its sole discretion, and you can also get free Gaia Cash through offers found here.
  
  
• Interest Earning Bank Accounts
  An interest earning bank would widen the gap between richer users and not-so-rich users, something we want to avoid. We encourage everyone to earn gold from active participation on Gaia, rather than this type of passive investment. Thus, this is a feature that will not be implemented because it will impact the community negatively.
  
  
• Non-Player Character (NPC) store prices
  Prices in the stores are meant to be something that helps keep the economy in balance by removing gold from the economy. The prices of common items will not continuously fluctuate in the stores after the items are rolled out and finalized.

Any threads discussing or asking for the issues in general in this post will be recycled.