Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 20

Thread: What are you *doing* FR? (Staff, Culture, Playerbase, etc., etc.,)

  1. #1
    PabstBlueRibbon's Avatar
    Joined
    Jan 2017
    Posts
    144
    Userbars
    4
    Thanks
    91
    Thanked
    123/68
    Mentioned
    39 times
    Time Online
    9d 1h 35m
    Avg. Time Online
    4m

    What are you *doing* FR? (Staff, Culture, Playerbase, etc., etc.,)

    But that's the truth, I think. FR's staff seem geared more toward... preservation than innovation. Or put another way, they seem more invested in controlling the environment they've set up (preventing botting, becoming increasingly restrictive with content et al) than in implementing new core features, or even the features they promised during the kickstarter. Making images is still work, of course, it's a real job and a very important part of any petsite's longevity! But it can't be the end-all be-all or eventually user retention will fold and you will lose your relevancy.

    It doesn't help matters that FR's notoriously bad at listening to any kind of feedback whatsoever; they have a very "that's nice, but I know best" mentality and it's one of the main sticking points I have with them as staff. Many times they've inadvertently engineered total userbase meltdowns simply by not addressing the players and explaining what's happening; their policy of hunkering down and waiting for things to pass only makes their reputation worse. Transparency goes a long way, and though I can't deny that they have improved a bit compared to when I first started playing, the bulk of their policies continue to vex me.

    But that's... a topic for another thread!
    @(you need an account to see links) And here's the other thread, lol. (I typed up a reply that kinda derailed away from the other thread's topic so here we are.)



    Transparency goes a long way, and though I can't deny that they have improved a bit compared to when I first started playing, the bulk of their policies continue to vex me.
    They've improved? I've been in the game since the day after it opened, and honestly, I think they've gotten worse.

    I can't guess how long you've been there, but there was a time in the first 2 years where the (you need an account to see links). And actually explain exactly what was going on, and we were all totally cool with it. The Akirbeak familiar? That started as a (you need an account to see links) about Akiri watching everyone's lair during a big downtime, and one of the artists whipped up a familiar in like 2 days.

    Now, you say anything half-jokey or moderately scary about anything and it might get you banned from the place.


    Now? They've basically abandoned the Ask the Staff thread in it's entirety (the last time it was(you need an account to see links)). Art errors have been piling up for years and are never addressed (ej. tundra lionfish, still no info on whether that was intentional or an error, and the current issue with met/allo on banes), the apparel has gotten lazier somehow (bad use of warp-tools and not taking actual physics of the materials into account when drawing them on, the steampunk redo has been the worst so far, what with it loosing the steamy grit and putting giant plastic gears everywhere) and at this point I think Adventure Mode (and Points) is never going to happen.

    And let's ignore the mess that the new 'canon' that is the Bounty of the Elements. There's a literal Emperor eating everyone the Light domain, the Tidelord's gone, Nature briefly unleashed Extinction-level weapons on Plague, and doesn't actually have it under long-term control either. And... well, everything's still going around as normal. That's pretty in-story critical stuff to not address for 2 RL years, with no signs of ever actually addressing it.

    Oh, and there was this whole war thing that's been goingon with the Beastclans for a few years now ((you need an account to see links))... sorta never went anywhere either, except that we got an NPC on the dom-boards now that does........something?


    I'm not really sure where their focus is to be honest. It's like they wanted to make a gritty game, changed their minds for the children!, the changed it again, then decided a Cloverfield-level monster attack and cannabalism ("I easily knocked over the flimsy architecture, and sifted through the rubble with my snout until I found my quarry, warmth filling my mouth as I bit down with a sigh.") and graphic war injuries ("Almon watched in horror as an Imperial fell. The giant had been completely overtaken by the growth. Vines crawled out from its body, while a tree and several saplings rose from its back.") is totally fun, but only if they do it.



    Meh... I don't even know what they're going for anymore. It's like they have a dozen ideas, but have decided to implement them all badly because they're afraid to commit to any given direction. So decided to just be passable and mediocre all the way through.
    Last edited by PabstBlueRibbon; 01-03-2020 at 12:55 PM. Reason: Spacing

  2. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to PabstBlueRibbon For This Useful Post:

    Achyfi (01-10-2020),AyBeCee (01-12-2020),Natalie (10-17-2020),tryannarawr (01-19-2020)

  3. #2
    Saiyan Race
    j03's Avatar
    Joined
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    13,722
    Userbars
    166
    Thanks
    5,906
    Thanked
    33,077/6,608
    DL/UL
    23/36
    Mentioned
    3,867 times
    Time Online
    563d 5h 25m
    Avg. Time Online
    3h 13m
    Quote Originally Posted by PabstBlueRibbon View Post
    They've improved? I've been in the game since the day after it opened, and honestly, I think they've gotten worse.
    So here's a question, and it might be more appropriate as its own topic/thread... but why are people still playing? What's keeping users engaged?

    I apologize in advanced... I don't mean to hijack your post, @(you need an account to see links).
    (you need an account to see links)
    (you need an account to see links)(you need an account to see links)

    ------------------------
    [02/24/2013] Stealth CORE is made into the first standalone Neopets auto-player.
    ------------------------


  4. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to j03 For This Useful Post:

    Natalie (10-17-2020),Pachirisu (01-09-2020)

  5. #3
    PabstBlueRibbon's Avatar
    Joined
    Jan 2017
    Posts
    144
    Userbars
    4
    Thanks
    91
    Thanked
    123/68
    Mentioned
    39 times
    Time Online
    9d 1h 35m
    Avg. Time Online
    4m
    @(you need an account to see links) Nah, this is in discussions for a reason, and it's a very good topical question. Especially considering where this spun off from. Do you dump coding resources into a dying game?


    For me at least,

    The community's always been toxic (as most was recruited through Tumblr), so I was never one for the forums aspect. However, there are cool people in the game (I've met medical personel, another guy who got me into learning gimp and blender, a filmographer from Australia, someone else who passed on python information and wrote offline bio formatting programs, writers of many genres), so there is a tiny fraction of very interesting people to talk to if you can find them amid all the gender politics and fortnite masses. Since there's always the backbone of a topic of mutual interest (FR) while we don't converse very often, when we do, it's fun talking, if brief and far apart, if things hit a wall about RL work/hobbies, we fall back on "Look at this cool gene plan!" and it keeps things moving.


    For non-community related interest. It's always been the art and customization (prior to the eye thing) for me. I am completely capable of making any sort of creature I want. Either through colors, genes, apparel down through to custom skins, custom art, custom html coding in the bio spaces.

    And then there's the collectible angle, some people focus on old dragons, low-ids and then apply the above customizations to it, making another level of engagement (finding the right palindrome ID, then scattering it to the right colors, then deciding on genes, then applying layering tricks to make apparel that doesn't technically exist, then throwing on an accent to add a special apperance effect, then writing out some kind of AU Harry Potter/MLP fanfiction out of it in the bio). And you've made yourself a fully unique art-piece.

    With overall high art quality in all of those aspects, or in what you're willing to pay for (if you commission a custom skin).


    That's a combo of features basically no petsite I've seen offers along with a generally high art quality level overall (any glaring issues aside). That's basically why the forums melted down when the eye update happened, it either ruined previous completed art-pieces or set goals that could no longer be obtained except through ludicrous and very unrewarding effort, or people had to settle for a non-perfect completed collectible (because lining up color/genes/id/apparel & eyes was now functionally impossible).


    The interesting thing about DR blog, it is full of salt and vtriolic bile. That wouldn't be there if people were indifferent about the game or it was a click-baity time-waster that no one was really invested in.


    FR has a lot more going on for players to interact with, and relatively little that is directly dependent on the community, so that's one of the big things that keeps people in the game and actively playing in some fashion, even as they foam at the mouth about it.

  6. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to PabstBlueRibbon For This Useful Post:

    MadameNova (01-14-2020),Natalie (10-17-2020),Synth Salazzle (01-03-2020)

  7. #4
    Synth Salazzle's Avatar
    Joined
    Mar 2017
    Posts
    2,555
    Pronouns
    Any
    Userbars
    70
    Thanks
    4,522
    Thanked
    4,202/1,682
    DL/UL
    15/0
    Mentioned
    195 times
    Time Online
    76d 1h 42m
    Avg. Time Online
    42m
    Quote Originally Posted by j03 View Post
    So here's a question, and it might be more appropriate as its own topic/thread... but why are people still playing? What's keeping users engaged?

    I apologize in advanced... I don't mean to hijack your post, @(you need an account to see links).
    For me it's because I have an obsession with dragons honestly. And it's a petsite for ONLY dragons. Something I've been wanting for years.

    I hate the userbase, I hate 90% of the community and nothing else about the game is remotely appealing anymore.

    I would unironically say that this fanbase is more toxic than homestuck at this point and I don't say that lightly.

    userbar: Charmander

    Roland SP-55 by: Honeycomb
    My contributions:
    (you need an account to see links)
    (you need an account to see links)
    (you need an account to see links)
    (you need an account to see links)
    (you need an account to see links)
    by: hearts
    Ryu art by dankRUSE

    Chegg

    by: Rattata


  8. The Following User Says Thank You to Synth Salazzle For This Useful Post:

    Natalie (10-17-2020)

  9. #5

    Joined
    Jun 2018
    Posts
    13
    Userbars
    0
    Thanks
    5
    Thanked
    21/12
    Mentioned
    2 times
    Time Online
    16d 19h 33m
    Avg. Time Online
    11m
    I joined post-kickstarter, so I did join after the staff would converse it seems. It really is such a shame that FR's major problem is itself -- people come for the art, they come for the dragons -- I too am here to make pretty dragons, because outside of that aspect, there's not much going for it. The coliseum literally puts me to sleep if I play it, the community is a cesspit mucked up from the dregs of tumblr's dissolving corpse, and the staff care too much about what doesn't matter and don't give a shit about anything that does.

    Some of my friends and I share our hatchlings and dragon plans, but beyond that the best way to enjoy this game is to make friends outside of it or play it on your own. I feel like it'll limp along for a while to come, but I don't think the staff will ever really resolve anything they've set into motion, except to further and further limit what people can do with their lairs. There's a chance it'll get sold to someone else down the line, but given how that's worked out for Neo, I doubt anything would improve.

  10. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to anagram22 For This Useful Post:

    MadameNova (01-14-2020),PabstBlueRibbon (01-06-2020)

  11. #6
    Nivinnin's Avatar
    Joined
    Jan 2020
    Posts
    1
    Userbars
    0
    Thanks
    3
    Thanked
    0/0
    Mentioned
    Never
    Time Online
    2h 1m
    Avg. Time Online
    N/A
    So, how about those fans on gaolers and fixing metallic/alloy a month after they came out, subsequently ruining peoples' projects and current dragons? Fun times. How many times have the admins avoided talking to the userbase when there's an issue?

  12. #7
    Synth Salazzle's Avatar
    Joined
    Mar 2017
    Posts
    2,555
    Pronouns
    Any
    Userbars
    70
    Thanks
    4,522
    Thanked
    4,202/1,682
    DL/UL
    15/0
    Mentioned
    195 times
    Time Online
    76d 1h 42m
    Avg. Time Online
    42m
    Quote Originally Posted by Nivinnin View Post
    How many times have the admins avoided talking to the userbase when there's an issue?
    Every single time lol

    userbar: Charmander

    Roland SP-55 by: Honeycomb
    My contributions:
    (you need an account to see links)
    (you need an account to see links)
    (you need an account to see links)
    (you need an account to see links)
    (you need an account to see links)
    by: hearts
    Ryu art by dankRUSE

    Chegg

    by: Rattata


  13. #8
    PabstBlueRibbon's Avatar
    Joined
    Jan 2017
    Posts
    144
    Userbars
    4
    Thanks
    91
    Thanked
    123/68
    Mentioned
    39 times
    Time Online
    9d 1h 35m
    Avg. Time Online
    4m
    Quote Originally Posted by Ahsoka View Post
    Every single time lol
    Lol, the Art Errors thread is an indexed list of all the f's the staff doesn't give about treasure art.

    That gem art though... They fix that real fast. (Even though now I've scrapped a couple of banes that were going to get those genes because now they've changed.)

  14. The Following User Says Thank You to PabstBlueRibbon For This Useful Post:

    Synth Salazzle (01-09-2020)

  15. #9
    Synth Salazzle's Avatar
    Joined
    Mar 2017
    Posts
    2,555
    Pronouns
    Any
    Userbars
    70
    Thanks
    4,522
    Thanked
    4,202/1,682
    DL/UL
    15/0
    Mentioned
    195 times
    Time Online
    76d 1h 42m
    Avg. Time Online
    42m
    Quote Originally Posted by PabstBlueRibbon View Post
    Lol, the Art Errors thread is an indexed list of all the f's the staff doesn't give about treasure art.

    That gem art though... They fix that real fast. (Even though now I've scrapped a couple of banes that were going to get those genes because now they've changed.)
    I know right? Fuck over everyone who doesn't buy gems. You fuckers can wait for your updates.

    userbar: Charmander

    Roland SP-55 by: Honeycomb
    My contributions:
    (you need an account to see links)
    (you need an account to see links)
    (you need an account to see links)
    (you need an account to see links)
    (you need an account to see links)
    by: hearts
    Ryu art by dankRUSE

    Chegg

    by: Rattata


  16. #10
    PabstBlueRibbon's Avatar
    Joined
    Jan 2017
    Posts
    144
    Userbars
    4
    Thanks
    91
    Thanked
    123/68
    Mentioned
    39 times
    Time Online
    9d 1h 35m
    Avg. Time Online
    4m
    As luck would have it, a friend of a friend of a friend remembered that creepy locked lair's player.


  17. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to PabstBlueRibbon For This Useful Post:

    AyBeCee (01-18-2020),name500 (01-21-2023),Natalie (10-17-2020)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •