Updates: The Matchmaker

Updates: The Matchmaker
Posted 2023-02-22 12:58:30 #961686 We wanted to talk about some elements of the event that have not gone to plan so far, offer an explanation where we have one, and find out what you would prefer to see from us. Bugs, bugs, bugs There have been quite a few strange, unpredictable bugs. We are still working hard to try and fix the worst ones, and we very much appreciate your patience during this process. This is just a call that if you have been experiencing any bugs, please remember to check the Bugbox for any existing reports that you can offer additional information to. If no report exists, please feel free to make a new one. The Bugbox is linked on every page in the site's footer, and the red button on the sidebar begins a new report including details about the page you are currently viewing. NPCs! Or lack thereof We are glad you're enjoying the dating and the curated NPCs for that side of the event, and we hear you - there are not enough dateables for Non-Binary and Female genders. We always intended for there to be an even spread of NPCs available for each gender identity so that the event was fair, but as we got closer to release we realised there was not enough time for all of the artwork to be finished for each of the NPCs. We had prepared the details and writing for 38 NPCs but a little under half had portraits actually finished by launch. We have already released an additional NPC since launch (Wisp) and have a couple more in the works before we need to refocus on other things. Next year we absolutely intend to make this a more even spread across the genders. For now, we've considered a few different options and have settled on the following: For 2023 only, we will be enabling all NPCs for all players regardless of the gender that the player chose. Warning: We will be updating flavour texts to remove gendered language over the next few days. Until that is done, we need to warn any players who chose a gender that reflects their real life identity: interacting with the new NPCs you reveal may unintentionally misgender you in interactions. They can be discovered through your daily event quest. We can only offer our apologies for this oversight, we didn't intend for there to be an uneven spread and for it to so vastly affect currency gain. We hope that you can understand that we cannot realistically offer any currency compensation here as currency rewards are based on activity in the event and we can't measure activity levels of something that hasn't been logged. We appreciate that may not seem fair to some, but we accept responsibility for the situation and can only apologise again for the unfortunate circumstances here. New NPCs We wanted to share two of the extra NPCs that are in the works to be added for this current year, they will be added on Saturday: New Achievements We have also added some new achievements for the Matchmaking side of the event! Please note that the counters for these achievements will only start counting as of this news post. Match Made in Hell - Made a negative match Love At First Sight - Made a really good match (+6 score plus) Can You Feel the Love? - Made 10 successful matches Matchmaker Extraordinaire - Made 50 successful matches Sorting Out The Riff Raff - Kicked Out 10 Wolves Dating Expert - Sent Out 100 Dates Dating.. for no reason? We've heard your feedback regarding the Dateable Wolves and how much you are attached to them and regret not being able to have them in your pack after the event is over. Maxing out the wolf and making it fall in love with you should mean something. We didn't add it as a mechanic due to imbalances, which some of you understood and tried to find a way around. We considered possible solutions and we think we've come up with one that will probably be most immersive without changing any mechanics or suddenly importing thousands of wolves at once. For a bit of insight to our considerations: * If we introduced them as claimable, breedable wolves, their patterns would have to be very uniform and common, otherwise players would (understandably) focus on maxing out wolves with rarest bases or patterns. That defeats the point of the minigame's fun and character personalities. * Giving them different looks and just a matching name or personality would also be disappointing; you can do this yourself with a claimed wolf. * If we introduced them as unbreedable, frozen wolves, it'd cost everyone a frozen slot per wolf. And the options would only expand every year. So we've had a different idea, one where you'd get to enjoy the Dateable wolves' silly faces and personalities for much longer. For each maxed out NPC you would receive a decoration that would be positioned in the same space as a wolf, and this decor will come with 20 uses which we believe will be more than enough to be able to use it persistently until the event comes around again. We will also create a new item that can hide the original wolf's art, and one of these will be given for free with the decor. We hope this idea resolves the desire to keep the mate you've fallen in love with during the dating game! Since this was invented after the event came out and thanks to your feedback, the full release of this will be slow. We will work to add the functionality in for Tier 3 of the event, but until the art is completed it will just be a placeholder item. We will try to update you in Community news when decors are finished. We have already completed one with this idea in mind!

Posted 2023-02-22 12:58:30

#961686

We wanted to talk about some elements of the event that have not gone to plan so far, offer an explanation where we have one, and find out what you would prefer to see from us.

Bugs, bugs, bugs

There have been quite a few strange, unpredictable bugs. We are still working hard to try and fix the worst ones, and we very much appreciate your patience during this process.

This is just a call that if you have been experiencing any bugs, please remember to check the Bugbox for any existing reports that you can offer additional information to. If no report exists, please feel free to make a new one. The Bugbox is linked on every page in the site's footer, and the red button on the sidebar begins a new report including details about the page you are currently viewing.

NPCs! Or lack thereof

We are glad you're enjoying the dating and the curated NPCs for that side of the event, and we hear you - there are not enough dateables for Non-Binary and Female genders.

We always intended for there to be an even spread of NPCs available for each gender identity so that the event was fair, but as we got closer to release we realised there was not enough time for all of the artwork to be finished for each of the NPCs. We had prepared the details and writing for 38 NPCs but a little under half had portraits actually finished by launch. We have already released an additional NPC since launch (Wisp) and have a couple more in the works before we need to refocus on other things.

Next year we absolutely intend to make this a more even spread across the genders. For now, we've considered a few different options and have settled on the following:

For 2023 only, we will be enabling all NPCs for all players regardless of the gender that the player chose.

Warning: We will be updating flavour texts to remove gendered language over the next few days. Until that is done, we need to warn any players who chose a gender that reflects their real life identity: interacting with the new NPCs you reveal may unintentionally misgender you in interactions.

They can be discovered through your daily event quest.

We can only offer our apologies for this oversight, we didn't intend for there to be an uneven spread and for it to so vastly affect currency gain. We hope that you can understand that we cannot realistically offer any currency compensation here as currency rewards are based on activity in the event and we can't measure activity levels of something that hasn't been logged. We appreciate that may not seem fair to some, but we accept responsibility for the situation and can only apologise again for the unfortunate circumstances here.

New NPCs

We wanted to share two of the extra NPCs that are in the works to be added for this current year, they will be added on Saturday:

New Achievements

We have also added some new achievements for the Matchmaking side of the event! Please note that the counters for these achievements will only start counting as of this news post.

Match Made in Hell - Made a negative match
Love At First Sight - Made a really good match (+6 score plus)
Can You Feel the Love? - Made 10 successful matches
Matchmaker Extraordinaire - Made 50 successful matches
Sorting Out The Riff Raff - Kicked Out 10 Wolves
Dating Expert - Sent Out 100 Dates

Dating.. for no reason?

We've heard your feedback regarding the Dateable Wolves and how much you are attached to them and regret not being able to have them in your pack after the event is over. Maxing out the wolf and making it fall in love with you should mean something. We didn't add it as a mechanic due to imbalances, which some of you understood and tried to find a way around.

We considered possible solutions and we think we've come up with one that will probably be most immersive without changing any mechanics or suddenly importing thousands of wolves at once.

For a bit of insight to our considerations:

* If we introduced them as claimable, breedable wolves, their patterns would have to be very uniform and common, otherwise players would (understandably) focus on maxing out wolves with rarest bases or patterns. That defeats the point of the minigame's fun and character personalities.
* Giving them different looks and just a matching name or personality would also be disappointing; you can do this yourself with a claimed wolf.
* If we introduced them as unbreedable, frozen wolves, it'd cost everyone a frozen slot per wolf. And the options would only expand every year.

So we've had a different idea, one where you'd get to enjoy the Dateable wolves' silly faces and personalities for much longer.

For each maxed out NPC you would receive a decoration that would be positioned in the same space as a wolf, and this decor will come with 20 uses which we believe will be more than enough to be able to use it persistently until the event comes around again. We will also create a new item that can hide the original wolf's art, and one of these will be given for free with the decor.

We hope this idea resolves the desire to keep the mate you've fallen in love with during the dating game!

Since this was invented after the event came out and thanks to your feedback, the full release of this will be slow. We will work to add the functionality in for Tier 3 of the event, but until the art is completed it will just be a placeholder item. We will try to update you in Community news when decors are finished.

We have already completed one with this idea in mind!

Posted 2023-02-22 13:00:15 (edited)

#961689

Coollllllll
Edit: Oh crap im first!

🏳‍🌈Moon (NC)
#65358

Posted 2023-02-22 13:02:26

#961691

thank you for being an amazing staff team!!

droid
#2564

Posted 2023-02-22 13:02:29

#961692

Love the decor idea!

Olive [Frozen unless DMd]
#11320

Posted 2023-02-22 13:02:36

#961693

Yay News!!!

sierra royalty
#105206

Posted 2023-02-22 13:02:39

#961694

What an awesome update and in my opinion quite good compromises, too! Love the decoration idea, and the new NPCs are cute (I love the fish one).

Thank you so much for your hard work on this event, despite all the bugs and mistakes that popped up I think it's still a very good, cute event and only has potential to be even better next year.

I can only really speak from an art perspective, but so much art had to be made and it's all still so high quality and wonderful.

Thalath
#2575

Posted 2023-02-22 13:02:57

#961695

I'm glad to see bugs are getting fixed, and the decor seems like a great idea and very cute!!

birds
#15462

Posted 2023-02-22 13:03:27

#961696

Can't wait to see the decor items!!

☁️CottonPup☁️
#98042

Posted 2023-02-22 13:03:37

#961697

Love the update. Thank you 💕

Hijinx Nyx
#16331

Posted 2023-02-22 13:03:54

#961698

oh i adore that idea thank you so much!

PeachMilk 🍑
#724