Welcome to Gaia! ::

If there's demand I'll update it.

Made some new images for the thread. n.n You like? Anyway, I know you're all bloodthirsty for an update domokun , and it's coming, so don't worry. whee I'm redoing some other stuff in the thread as well. xp

Hello readers! As you know, Halloween is almost upon us! And apparently, it'll be the most insane update Gaia has seen. ^^ I don't know about you, but I can't wait to see the chaos! xd Also, this year's Halloween celebration is supposedly far better than last year's. Another reason to get excited about it. whee

Also, some of you may have seen some avatars in strange poses. eek Yup, in case you weren't aware, Avatar System 2.0 is in development. To sum it up, new poses are being made so you can hold things. These things can include weapons, fishing poles, instruments, and possibly even some other stuff. >.> Here are all the strange avatars I have come accross:

darknrgy, B5, and 72squared are programmers for Gaia. R A M Z A, on the other hand, had his avatar by accident (I'm not too sure of his though, I just saw a screencap).

All old items will work with all new avatar poses. Also, just because poses might come out, this does not mean that items to hold will be available soon. o_o;; And weapons are still going to come out with Beta version most likely in November. The avatar rewrite we might very soon though, and could possibly even be connected to the Halloween event, though nothing has even been confirmed.

If you don't already know, the great administrator VO has updated his journal and given us a ton of info. ^o^

1. Avatar Rewrite in the works!
2. You'll be able to have long hair....with hats on! biggrin
3. Fishing is coming soon!
4. Halloween event under development! 3nodding Can't wait!

The thread has been completly updated. n_n Be sure to check out all the sections for new information, links, etc. Also, it appears we have the journals now! biggrin But that's not it, it's been found thanks to some scroungers that the journals still have a lot more coming. smile You can expect more templates, fonts, styles, a building, and an NPC for the journals. surprised Also, this source has confirmed that a new town is in development. eek

Whee, preview of GAIA Fishing!, and VO's got a new sig image announcing the development of the battle system! So apparently, fishing will be here within a month, and we may see some other features soon as well, probably the journals.

As for the Update FAQ, I did some more updating. Mostly in the Update Preview and Feature Discussion posts. More updating to be done though. ^.^

Dear Users,

We've just uploaded a small preview for GAIA Fishing!

You can view it HERE.

We are currently very far into its development and hope to release it within the month. We'll keep you posted as we get closer to launching it.

Enjoy! 3nodding

Started reorganizing the thread. Moved some stuff around, added a section. I still need to update the contents, so those don't work. :3 I also need to update the Updates & Features section. And I'm adding an Admin Interview section, you may have seen the Reserved post that seems out of place. XD Bah, got to go, I'll finish later, bai! Also~ spread the word about this thread. I'm getting tired of all the false info in the Q&F.

Another interview with Ling. It's on Page 15, check it out! ^^ Some nifty info includes the Personals, Invisibobs, expected beta release, flash and the battle system, and also an upcoming feature. =X

First of all, some more clarification on that darn purple box. It probably will come. I noted before it probably won't, but actually, it probably will. So there. blaugh Next, it turns out we may see soot faces appearing again in the future. Apparently recent avatar problems have cause soot faced users to lose their beloved dirtiness, and a lot of disapointment has been the result. But at AX a user discussed it with Lanzer, who was contemplating using the salon as a source for future soot faces. As for any upcoming new features, it seems Gaia Fishing is still the hot topic.

Gaia fishing has stirred up quite a bit of excitement around here! In the Feature Discussion post, I linked to a somewhat lenghtly thread where many users posted some great info. whee Also, VO has a nice lil' banner in his signature. eek Very cool.

Ooh, rollback. Scary . >.< Ah well, I guess those two trunks weren't that great. xp Okay, so back to updates. Apparently, the "Purple Box" was blown into way more than it really was. First of all, it's most likely there isn't going to be a purple box. >.> If there was, it would be extremely rare, I mean, rare to get, then you have the also extremely rare chance of getting any thing good out of it.

I updated the thread and added all the information from AnimeExpo's Gaia Panel. I still need to update the contributer's list and update preview a bit. I'm also trying to get more info too. But I wish more people knew about this FAQ, soooo many less questions to answer in the Q&F. sweatdrop

If you've been on today, then you're probably aware of the current PM situation. Everyone's PM account is set on Ignore while the administrators finish installing the new PM Ignore feature. Can we expect the buddy list too, since some new buddy list errors have popped up? eek

With another great opportunity to gather information on the future of Gaia Online, I thought I should make another announcement. AnimeExpo, a popular anime convention, is coming up and the Gaia staff is planning on attending. Many Gaians are preparing to ask questions. If you would like to also, I suggest visiting Mikle's AX Spy Network. Also, I compiled some questions for e.s.p.y. to ask, you can see them here. Have a fun time, those who are attending! biggrin

Yay! Gaia Online has now been updated and looks very spiffy with it's new format. Sorry again for my recent absence, things seem to be going smoother now. Back to the site. xp Now the site requires a flash player....flash is a cool thing that allows you to add some spiffy stuff. It's done using a program by Macromedia called...Flash ( xp ). Anyway, if you've been off of Gaia since before the reformatting, note that they've changed the forum index twice...they redid it when they redid the whole site, but it only had pictures, so they redid it to have descriptions. In other news, the latest thankyou items have been released, the Devil Horns and Angelic Pendent. These items, much like the Bear and Monkey Pajamas from last months thankyou letters, have alternate versions. Maybe this is something we can expect from now on in donation items? Oh, and if you don't know how to get the alternate version, just click the item twice. 3nodding

Thanks to Mikle for gathering lots of great information. The character house system will include the buddy list, ignore list, profile, inventory (I've heard it will be like a closet confused ), possibly chatting/instant messaging/private chatting, and more. Also, there will be a "birthday event" but it will require a buddy list, and most likely will not be an item (like the uncommon/rares). There will be some sort of karma system, though it will use features to estimate karma as Lanzer said at the Gaia Panel at FanimeCon 2004. Plus, there will be job classes (this was also confirmed at the Gaia Panel) and one confirmed class is that of the rifleman. Note that all game elements including the RPG, story, weapons, armor, classes, battle system, RPG items, etc. will not be released until beta later this year.

The Gaia Personals is currently undergoing reconstruction. We will return with more features and options to better serve you. ^_^

The Update FAQ thread has been created to absorb the FanimeCon Gaia Panel information thread and to provide a standing place for update references and information.

New Stuff ::
- GAIA Journals - Now you have your very own space on GAIA to write out your thoughts!
____Announcement: Gaia Journals are here! by kaia9
- Thread Subscription - Keep track of your topics, all on GAIA!
____Announcement: Thread Subscription & Subnavigation by kaia9
New Items ::
Donation Items ::
Bani Clips ~These cute little bani clips not only warm your heart, but your ears as well.
Any Gender, Ear Slot - September 2004 Donation Item

Goti Clips ~The Goti are sacred horned creatures often associated with dark magic and the occult. Aren't they cute? ^.^
Any Gender, Ear Slot - September 2004 Donation Item

Store Items ::
Purple/Brown/Black Beatnik Sandals ~These sandals reveal not only your toes, but your innermost fears of being just a single drop in an ocean of other drops that walk, talk, and act the same whilst forced to coexist in a society of robots.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Any Gender, Feet Slot - 950g @ Gambino Outfitters

Midnight/Rust/Raven Beatnik Pants ~No one you know owns pants even remotely like these. I guess that makes you sort of special.. but whatever.
Male, Lower Body Slot - 1100g @ Gambino Outfitters

Purple/Brown/Black Beatnik Skirt ~Unconventional and exotic ... much like you want to be.
Female, Lower Body Slot - 1350g @ Gambino Outfitters

Blue/Green/Black Beatnik Top ~You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake.. but with this shirt, you can look like one.
Any Gender, Upper Body Slot - 1200g @ Gambino Outfitters

Brown/Black/Blue Aero-D Sneakers ~Shoes so fast, even you will feel smarter wearing them.
Any Gender, Feet Slot - 1475g @ Durem Depot

Brown/Black/Blue Aero-D Pants ~Lots of ventilation for the little ones.
Any Gender, Lower Body Slot - 3200g @ Durem Depot

Red/Green/Plum Aero-D Top ~Sleek styling on this top makes you feel like a airplane!
Any Gender, Upper Body Slot - 3000g @ Durem Depot

Blue/Red/Green MehTRO Sports Jacket ~No matter how good this sports jacket looks, it doesn't change the fact that those pants you are wearing suck.
Any Gender, Jacket Slot - 2890g @ H.R. Wesley

Acid Wash/Tan/Black MehTRO Jeans ~These jeans have been prewashed, beaten up with a baseball bat, and run over twice by a bull dozer. For this reason, you're gonna have to pay a lot for them.
Any Gender, Lower Body Slot - 4969g @ H.R. Wesley

Blue/Red/Yellow MehTRO T with Cross ~No matter how hard you try to deny it, FITTED is definitely IN.
Any Gender, Upper Body Slot - 1900g @ H.R. Wesley

New Hairstyles ::
Girls Hunter Orange/Blonde/Blue/Green/Purple/White/Pink/Red/Brown/Black
(Pink Shown) ~ Female, Hair Slot - 900g @ Salon Durem

Girls Wish Orange/Blonde/Blue/Green/Purple/Gray/Pink/Red/Brown/Black
(Blue Shown) ~ Female, Hair Slot - 1300g @ Salon Durem

Guy's Hunter Orange/Blonde/Blue/Green/Purple/White/Pink/Red/Brown/Black
(White Shown) ~ Male, Hair Slot - 900g @ Salon Durem

Guy's Flatty Orange/Blonde/Blue/Green/Purple/White/Pink/Red/Brown/Black
(Green Shown) ~ Male, Hair Slot - 1650g @ Salon Durem

New Merchandise ::
- GAIA Mini Wing Girl's Baby T $11.99
- GAIA Flame Shirt $11.99
- GAIA Barton Town Poster 24x36 $2.99
- GAIA Gambino Beach Poster 24x36 $2.99

The following has been announced to be released soon. eek Though no official dates have been established.
- Gaia Towns ~ Before Otakon?
- Gaia Housing v1.5 ~ Before Otakon?

Here's all the information I have on all known future updates and features. If you know of any information not listed here, please contact me and let me know. ^^ Enjoy!

1. Can you give any clues to what events similar to the Olympics we can expect? It was lots of fun! ^.^ Those NPC's rock.
Halloween, Christmas, New Years, and various other events scattered in between. smile

2. Who's the NPC on the GAIA Fishing preview? Is it Reinhart?
No, he is not Reinhart.

3. When will we see some of the less active NPC's, like Rina, Agatha, Peyo, and Rufus involved in an event? :3
You'll see them all eventually incorporated into the GAIA story as the site progresses and develops.

As for fishing, we haven't worked out all the specifics yet, but fishing will generally be very easy to access for all users and we hope it'll be fun for everyone. ^^

Best wishes,
Ling

Hello again ^^

1. Will Gaia Interactive be visiting any other conventions this year?

Highly unlikely. Con season is pretty much over for us this year. sweatdrop

2. Inventory management has been the topic of many discussion on Gaia Online. As of right now there is no limitation on the maximum number of items allowed in ones inventory but it has been hinted that in the future there will be some sort of limit, and to store the other items there will be some sort of storage feature. Is this true, and can you give any more details as to the limits?

This question would be better suited for the developers.

3. Not too long ago the Personals forum was closed due to many problems with users and content. It has been stated that it will include new features to help control the posts there. What might these new features be, and do you know when the Gaia Personals will be reopened?

We've tossed around several ideas but haven't settled on any yet. One of these ideas includes a search feature for users to search for other users with similar interests, thus avoiding seeing posts they'd rather not see.

4. With the new avatar feature, will sootfaces be okay? Also, some users have "invisibob" avatars which they got by opening the YGS event while their character was deleted. They like their avatars, and were wondering if they'd be safe. Know anything?

Would be best to ask developers @w@ We understand how much users like the "invisibobs" and if at all possible, we'll try to preserve them.

5. Any clues to what features we can expect this month?

Hopefully, Gaia Journal!

6. It has been said that beta will be reached in September, but the pace of development seems to suggest a later development. Do you have an idea of what month beta will actually be released?

Ideally we wanted it released in late September, but due to the recent database troubles, it is no longer forseeable to release it that soon. A more possible release date is November.

7. Us who are regulars over in the Battle Suggestion Thread are going crazy with ideas for the future battle system! We would LOVE to discuss them with you guys, whether it be a couple of you or just darknrgy. We also understand you guys are busy, so it's okay if you don't have the time. ^^;;;

Hey this isn't a question :] (but because darknrgy will be programming it, I don't think he'd mind well thought out PMs concerning the battle system)

8. Do you have any idea if the battle system will use Flash?

The possiblities are currently being discussed. If the entire system is not done in Flash, it will most likely have some elements of Flash involved.

9. Are there plans for a Halloween celebration on Gaia? How's it looking? (not to ask for details, just excited! )

No details yet, but yes, there will be a Halloween celebration. ^^

10. I was wondering if you guys could post the images shown at the cons. A ton of users couldn't attend, and they want to see too, but all that's available are really blurry camera shots... you can't even make anything out. Just blurs of color.

It would be best to ask VO about this one.

Thanks again! Please reply if you can, if you're too busy I understand. :3 Keep up the great work! YOU GUYS ARE THE CHAMPS! @w@

You're welcome.

Hello ^^

I don't know the answers to 1 and 2.

3. The avatar rewrite will allow for additional 'poses' to be able to hold things like, oh, I don't know, weapons? wink

4. No. There will be no inventory wipe in beta.

Hello SykoSilver ^^

Unfortunately, I don't have any of those preview images on my computer. ^^;; You might have better luck asking L0cke or VO because they illustrated them.

I'll try my best to answer your questions.

1. A pet system like Neopets for example has been suggested many times from several users on Gaia and whether it will be released as an upcoming feature has still been uncomfirmed. Will there be some sort of pet system feature for Gaia Online?

At this point, there are no definite plans set in stone for a 'pet system' in GAIA Online. We've entertained the idea, but currrently have our hands full working on the guilds system, friends list, journal system, and housing. eek If we do indeed decide to focus on a 'pet system,' it won't be implemented until well into beta.

2. It has been said that there will be some sort of Birthday event for Gaia users. Do you know if there will be any items given out as a result of such events, whether these items be new ones or previously released ones?

Again, there are no immediate plans to implement a birthday event for users on GAIA Online, and thus, we have no details on what such an event would be comprised of. ^^;;

3. Besides the birthday events, many users have suggested a join date event as a more efficient alternative. Basically the event would happen one year after the user joined. Has this been discussed and decided on, and if it will exist will users who have already been on Gaia for over a year recieve events?

To my knowledge, the idea of having the event on a user's join date has been discussed, but no set decision has been made.

4. Inventory management has been the topic of many discussion on Gaia Online. As of right now there is no limitation on the maximum number of items allowed in ones inventory but it has been hinted that in the future there will be some sort of limit, and to store the other items there will be some sort of storage feature. Is this true, and can you give any more details as to the limits?

Hmm, you'd be better off asking Lanzer about this one. @w@;;

5. In the past the administrators have stated that there will be character houses which may include many profile related features. At FanimeCon 2004 VO decided not to comment on the feature, though at AX some previews were given that looked fantastic. Can you give us any info on how it will work?

The housing feature will utilize Flash. Simple actions such as dragging and dropping furniture onto a pre-determined grid will be there. More advanced functions will arrive in later versions.

6. Not too long ago the Personals forum was closed due to many problems with users and content. It has been stated that it will include new features to help control the posts there. What might these new features be, and do you know when the Gaia Personals will be reopened?

I have no knowledge of what the new features will be, nor do I know when the Personals will return. @w@;

Sorry about the ambiguity of some of the answers. Please keep in mind that my answers may not be accurate since we are continuously changing things in development for the better. ^^;;

- Ling

New layout. The new layout will stay as is. There will be no options where you can change it.

Journal System. You'll be able to have your own Journal, you can change the layout, do custom things to it. You will recieve gold everytime you write in it. Other users will be able to leave comments as well.

Language Filtering. It's official, there will be no filters.

Housing. You'll be able to have your own home. There will be different stores where you can purchase furniture for it and other accessories.

Casino. You will be able to gamble with other users. You will not be able to recieve old donation items such as halos or miniwings, only gold.

Battle System & Weapons. They'll be release some time in the fall, and so will beta testing. A lot will be happening then, so be ready.

Tattoo Parlor. One will open very soon, you will be able to purchase tattoos. Removing may cost gold, it's really not official yet.

Make-up and Avatars. There will be a new feature where you can paint your avatar's face. Such as mime, clown, etc.

Girl clothing on guys: Guys will be able to wear skirts soon.

A lot of new features will be added this fall, but there's no exact date as to when.

Well, honestly, I don't know what forum this belongs in, nor if there are threads about it already, and frankly, I'm too tired to do the research so move/erase however you see fit.
This is just stuff from the top of my head they mentioned :

New housing feature (Probably coming with beta). - Seems like theres no real use for it, but they did say you'll be able to customize it, move furniture around. They also mentioned there will be rare furniture to find, etc. They showed a couple of screen shots of how the houses would look like, and they seemed to be fully completed, so it shouldnt be far off. Vo also mentioned in version 2, you'll be able to do stuff such as click on the bed and your avatar would get into bed.

Mini Games - They should screen shots of atleast one, a fishing game. Seems cool, they mentioned that their main focus is to make games multiplayer, but for the beta release ( scheduled for fall ), it will probably be single player.

Casino - I forgot what exactly they said about it, but similar to the mini games, it'll start off as one player and eventually add multiplayer elements.

Quests - They said they will be adding a lot of sidequests, stuff you can do as a group or individually to earn items. I'm thinking scavanger hunts?
They again also brought up the back wings, and how they will only be obtainable thru a REALLY really hard quest.

Friends list - Apparantly, the friendlist is coming soon, but alongside it, they're adding a journal function, for all you livejournal freaks. Some of the features they mentioned are being able to customize it, allowing only either your friends, or everyone, or noone to comment on it. And you will get gold for posting.

Day/night feature - Didnt really mention much about this. They did show screenshots of how the towns would look, but they were just the halloween maps with the pumpkins edited out. Only other thing they mentioned about this was that it will run on a universal time.

Other little tidbits:
Apparantly, the amount of money they spend on servers/bandwidth, and the amount they get from donations breaks even.

Lanzer mentioned something about lots of stuff ( something like 5 updates ) coming in july alone.

The raffle winners recieved Mini NM wings, and Mini Angelics. Not sure who the two were (bastards).

They're opening a tattoo parlor very very very soon.

New hairstyle will include a bald head, with or without shaolin monk dots.

They're gonna add facial hair for guys.

They're gonna make Romani glasses available for girls..and..Skirts available for guys? o.O

There will NOT be an option to switch between the old and the new layout, So those who hate the new layout, sucks for you..(read; brace)

They're working on features to give owners of the thread more control, I.E. delete posts and stuff (Not just for guilds, as previously mentioned).

They also mentioned a crossdressing feature, but didnt seem to have many details on it, so it's probably still in the early stages.

Body fur will NOT be available anytime soon, because it's too hard to have it work with items.

There will be sidequests/missions for guilds, that only guild members can participate in.
I guess i'll add more if I remember. Any questions before I go to sleep?

First up you know how people are always saying "no way that they would redraw all the avatars to be in a diffrent position". Wrong, they have been doing it.

Also it's not set in stone but I was talking to L0cke and he mentioned the way that the old items might become availible. Like trunks and boxes an event item that randomly generates items, only any item in gaia. Could get a halo and you could get Peasant Booties.

Look at all the items on gaia, the chances of actually getting the items are so slim. It's just a way to keep them possable to get for the newer users coming in.

But the point is to keep items avaliable on some level. If a person was to join now his or her ability to get say even minnis at this point would be insanly hard. the chance of getting a donation item at all would proably be under 5%.

Any item on gaia could pop out of them. keep in mind that it was strictly in the thinking phase still as far as I could see.

The early Sealed Envelopes was a mix up, when you donate you get letters for that month and that month only.

I asked about my personal agenda to get existing items in more colors and it dosn't look that will come for a long time.

The next bomb to drop, after beta and the battle system are put into place there ar plans to give some items the ability to do special things like increase gold growth or chances of getting rare events.

-Reinhart the npc is an old man miner and will be involved with a mini-game
-There will be efforts to make more of a storyline for the npcs
-In the next town there will be a pretty boy that will give Ian a run for his money
-The avatars and items have been redrawn to support different posses
-The battle system will be planed out fully in the next few weeks, taking influences from the battle suggestion thread & many other games including Final Fantasy Tactics
-If you do not want to be part of battling when weapons come out there will be ways to remove yourself
-weapons will range from vary old style to vary new and have some fun ones like whack-a-noodles
-Darkngry is working on the improvements for the guild forums, and after he is done His next project will be the battle system
-avatars will have there own houses
-ling mentioned a pet system and the idea of having them be able to have items as well (this is probably in the far future)
-Quests will most likely be done through Gambino's Mansion
-The early Sealed Envelopes was a mix up, when you donate you will get the letters for that month and that month only
-The admin have a few mules for testing purposes but use there admin accounts when just surfing on gaia
-in the future there may be an event item like blue boxes that can generate any item on gaia, anything from halos to Peasant Booties in the hopes of making getting the older items a bit more available.
-The salon will get 2-4 new hairstyles a month
-after the battle system and beta have come items will have attributes and abilities, how this will be implemented for existing items hasn’t been decided on yet.
-several items are planed to be made available for both genders.

If I remember anything else I'll update it.