Avatars

[No one]

[spoiler]

 

Ann. 3773 - [2015-12-28 18:05:14 - Stage 13] - Permalink

Avatars fixed and released!
The avatar shop has been recoded entirely and the database format for storing the shop has been rewritten. This should mean that it shouldn't have any issues where you dont see many avatars (provided no one mucks with the database manually). All people should be able see 8 normal avatars, and if they are unlocked the feature, 2 golden avatars.

We have also released a number of the older avatars on long forgotten accounts so there are some really nice ones there. Thanks to dst for doing the shuffling and releasing of old avatars.

[/spoiler]

 

With today's announcement, I wanted to get myself a new avatar.

But I am having a little trouble "understanding" the system.

 

I opened my page and I see next to my avatar these 4 choices:

• Transfer avatar to your vault (Free)
• Replace current avatar (1 credit, current avatar goes to shop)
• Replace avatar and transfer current avatar to your vault (2 credits)
• Discard avatar, returns it to MDShop (you receive 1 credit)

 

Well, without filling the ATC field  I can't transfer the avatar to vault as it sais : "No ATC entered" and then it breaks the page.

 

If I want to take the ATC from my own avatar and use it ... it does nothing.

 

The question is : How can I take a new avatar ?

 

 

[Chewett]

Go to shop, Buy avatar.

Although... I assume you dont mean that unless you just had a massive brain malfunction, so can you be more specific?

[dst]

If you buy an avy from the shop without storing your current one, you'll lose it.

[Chewett]

If you buy an avy from the shop without storing your current one, you'll lose it.

 

Yep thats how it works.

[No one]

Consider that I don't have a massive brain malfunction, I can read and think and I want to keep my avatar. How can I keep the current avatar and still buy a new one?

Edited December 28, 2015 by No one

[DARK DEMON]

If I recall correctly it was always like this, No One. 

 

I believe you transfer it to your vault first (first option), then you have no avy, then you buy one?

Edited December 28, 2015 by DARK DEMON

[No one]

Thank you DD.

Now, please read my first post again and add feel free to comment.

 

Well, without filling the ATC field  I can't transfer the avatar to vault as it sais : "No ATC entered" and then it breaks the page.

 

If I want to take the ATC from my own avatar and use it ... it does nothing.

[Aeoshattr]

You need to have a third person to hold your current avatar, then you're left without an avy, then you take the avy you want from the shop, put it in your vault, and then take your old avy from your vault and put it back on (or something like that). I don't like it, but this is how it is at the moment (might've missed a step or two, only done this once and it was a pain in the back side).

[DARK DEMON]

Ah, misleading question in bold then.

 

Aeo posted the "solution" before me yeah^

 

However, perhaps a proper fix would be to buy ATC's instead of avatar replacements?

 

Or maybe, have you considered that maybe it is supposed to be this way? Like an additional cost for getting a new avy? IMO it doesn't need a fix. This is a good way to prevent hoarding of avys, or at least cause a pain in the back side for those who try :P. 

Edited December 28, 2015 by DARK DEMON

[No one]

 

However, perhaps a proper fix would be to buy ATC's instead of avatar replacements?

That is indeed a good idea.

 

As for hoarding ... it is easy to do that. VERY easy. Fortunately it is limited.

[Chewett]

That is indeed a good idea.

 

As for hoarding ... it is easy to do that. VERY easy. Fortunately it is limited.

 

I have been trying to get some people to redesign the avatar management/costs system for a couple years but never really got feedback or anything fixed from the avatar people. When discussed before with the council we couldnt find a decent solution to all the costs and other things.

 

 

The current system, with the buying an avatar returns your current one to the shop is based on when there was no way to store avatars. Since when buying one you would return your current one. This page was never redesigned when the avatar storage was added.

 

Im welcome for someone to redesign the entire way of it works, you can contact me for more information.

[Neno Veliki]

heres a suggestion for some changes that could hopefuly simplify things:

 

• buying avy in the shop or by atc doesnt equip it automatically but instead puts it to the vault by default (if theres room, if no u get the message to make room)

• in the avatar vault, “trade your avatar” section we keep the window for entering atc and everything else as it is but lose the drop menu with options because the vault is now default. storing in vault is free.

• in the “avatars in your vault” next to everything thats alrady there we add a drop menu next to each owned avy with options where that avy will be used. options could be: “main avy” (it shows as your main avy regardless if u have a role or not), “name of your role” (used for that role), “name of your other role” (used for other role) and keeps going on whatever amount of roles u have, after that option “clear” (avy isnt used, or to remove the avy from the role it was assigned to). “clearing” avy doesnt make u lose it, it just doesnt show anymore but its still in the vault.

 

there can also be a line next to each avy that will say if its used and where.

 

equipping avys costs 1 credit, stripping is free. every equipping pushes eventual previous avy to the “clear” option and it stays in the vault and is not going back to the shop.

 

for discarding and sending avy back to the shop theres a check box next to each avy that needs to be checked and double confirmed prior to sending avy to shop and losing it completely. after its confirmed avy goes back to shop and u receive 1 credit for it.

this should be the only way u can lose the avy with the actions u perform in the vault so no more accidents can happen.

6 month inactivity rule remains too.

 

max vault space remains 8 and it grows with roles (if someone gets more than 8 roles).

 

so, as we now have the new “role avatars” feature, in the Role tags section next to each role it can show the icon of used avy too.

 

 

i hope this isnt too confusing.

[Aeoshattr]

heres a suggestion for some changes that could hopefuly simplify things:

 

• buying avy in the shop or by atc doesnt equip it automatically but instead puts it to the vault by default (if theres room, if no u get the message to make room)

IMO this would solve most of the issues people have right now. I love it!

 

 

6 month inactivity rule remains too.

 

The reason I dislike this rule is because some of us commission personalised avatars, rather than use the ones in the shop :( so if I commission it, it gets released after 6 months and someone else gets it, that avatar will be exactly Aeoshattr in all ways, but slapped on someone else's face. It's like... I get something specifically made for me, and it's treated as if it's just some other random avatar. I'm not sure if I'm conveying my frustration with it properly.

I'd say only avatars that were initially released into the shop (not given directly by the artist to the owner) should be re-released into the shop.

 

 

max vault space remains 8 and it grows with roles (if someone gets more than 8 roles).

 

so, as we now have the new “role avatars” feature, in the Role tags section next to each role it can show the icon of used avy too.

 

http://magicduel.invisionzone.com/topic/16706-add-avatars-to-the-role-tags-interface/

Pleeeeeeeaaaaase? 

[Ars Alchemy]

 

I have been trying to get some people to redesign the avatar management/costs system for a couple years but never really got feedback or anything fixed from the avatar people. When discussed before with the council we couldnt find a decent solution to all the costs and other things.

 

 

The current system, with the buying an avatar returns your current one to the shop is based on when there was no way to store avatars. Since when buying one you would return your current one. This page was never redesigned when the avatar storage was added.

 

Im welcome for someone to redesign the entire way of it works, you can contact me for more information.

 

Is there any, any to recover these if discarded before it can be set into your vault?  Common logic would state that a user recognition would be prompted before permanently discarding anything so personally important as a player's Avatar.

Edited January 2, 2016 by Ars Alchemy

[Aethon]

Buying an avatar, and having it go straight to your vault, will only worsen the avatar "hoarding", in my opinion.

It'll be like giving someone a free sprint around the supermarket -- they'll throw things into their basket that they don't even really need, just saw and wanted because they could.

At least now, if you really want an avatar, you have to go through a little struggle/annoyance to get it.

Whilst I'm all up for people having more than one avatar, I think it should be a lower limit and only condoned if the player actually uses them for RP reasons.

These are my personal opinions though, of course.

Edited January 2, 2016 by Aethon

[DARK DEMON]

Buying an avatar, and having it go straight to your vault, will only worsen the avatar "hoarding", in my opinion.

It'll be like giving someone a free sprint around the supermarket -- they'll throw things into their basket that they don't even really need, just saw and wanted because they could.

At least now, if you really want an avatar, you have to go through a little struggle/annoyance to get it.

Whilst I'm all up for people having more than one avatar, I think it should be a lower limit and only condoned if the player actually uses them for RP reasons.

These are my personal opinions though, of course.

 

THIS.

 

To follow up from my previous and Aethon's post, I think avy's are no longer considered special, which is sad and which is why I think its supposed to remain this way.

 

2 years or so ago, many of the oldies used to tell me how having an avy in the first place used to be a big deal and how its a part of your character rather than a cool thing to display. IMO this is why its not supposed to be able to change so lightly. People want to make sure that THEY get all the good looking avatars whether or not it fits their character, it seems, denying other newer players who might fit that avy more.

 

I'm a little surprised from the inside to see that instead of newbies its the vets who are complaining and who want even more avatar control, despite having services to have a custom avy made at their whim.

Edited January 2, 2016 by DARK DEMON

[Aeoshattr]

More avatar "control" features are good. TBH I really like the idea of assigning an avatar to a tag and thus connecting it formally with a role. Or making the avatar vault somewhat more fluid.

 

Indeed, some people grab the good looking (or old) avatars either to hoard them or to re-sell them. To be fully, fully honest... I couldn't give less of a schnitzel. It's easy and quite cheap to get an avatar commissioned, one that is mostly guaranteed to suit you, rather than wait for something nice to pop up in the avy shop. Does this do MD a disservice? Maybe? Maybe if more people do things like me (and just never shuffle the avy section), MD loses. But I vastly prefer commissioning my own avy, which comes directly to me and fits the exact description I sent rather than browsing and fiddling around the shop section without knowing if I might come across something that fits or I like.

 

Also... Gonz and Neno aren't that expensive, even by newbie standards. IMO it would be considerably more expensive to shuffle the avy shop until you get something you like rather than commissioning them directly.

 

TL;DR - control features = good. Hoarding = bad.

[Ary Endleg]

I think that people should be enabled to store their active avy themselves in their vault. Currently vault features are messy.

 

(on side note I wonder how shopping for avatars works if you are in illusion, does it breaks stuff? :p )

 

As for fuss, expensiveness and hoarding... In my opinion not worth it, shuffling the shop is expensive, having multiple avys is pointless since it costs 2 creds to swap between them. Getting avy commissioned is much easier and cheaper not to say that you might sometimes find people giving them up for free.

 

Now that I think of it, the above mentioned 2 cred avy swap can be obviously done for free (or for 1 cred cheaper not sure) if you have somebody to help you with atcs. That means system is flawed to even enforce it's current status quo since it can be bypassed with help of another player.

[DARK DEMON]

I also prefer getting an avy custom made to suit my role but for some it might be the other way around: an avy they saw in a shop guiding their role/items/behaviour etc.

My point being: hoarding makes the avy shop loses its purpose since commissioning offers a lot more freedom (i.e. youre legit forcing them to get one commissioned if they want a "good" avy). And to prevent hoarding, there is a cost.

Not that it can really prevent it, of course. But it's a pain in the ass for anyone trying, like someone said.

Edited January 2, 2016 by DARK DEMON

[Chewett]

I have Ars and No one who are currently working on proposing a new avatar system, if anyone else is interested in being involved please send me a PM.

[Chewett]

This has been resolved.