Hi everyone!

Three small things:

1. A "No Thanks" button was added to the Frog summons. This was by player request as several pet frogs were being a little disruptive with their singing and dancing.

2. The "Equip" button for Seeds, Pots, and Wands (when in the satchel), had been renamed the "Use" button. This is to make it consistent with the "change seeds", etc, dialogs which use the word "Use" for changing seeds, etc.

3. I added one male and one female outfit to the Pursten's Premium Shop. These are small variations on the original outfits. As a small thank you for some of our most dedicated players, these outfits are only available to players at level 50 or higher.

Happy Casting! : ))

Thanks for the update :)

Thanks for the update, Dude! :)

Re new outfits : 400 gold and no nose!!?

Thank you for the updates, Dude!
And I do appreciate having something special for the level 50+, but I must admit to being disappointed that racial diversity continues to elude our little island :-/ Four new outfits since a good long discussion in the forums 2 months ago and none of these outfits diversify the homogeneous colours of our island. I am still holding on to a bit of hope that something new will come soon but I must admit to also losing some hope.

Luna.. I must agree with you today.

Dude.. sorry but I will have to pass on these outfits... don't get me wrong... the thought of something for 50+ lvl players is greatly appreciated. I am just disappointed that none of the new outfits have diversified island.

Will pass on them also..Saving for the holiday's

Very nice. I'm not there yet, still a way to go yet but rewarding those high level players is a wonderful thing.

Hi luna and Meela,

I have given additional thought to this topic since last time we discussed diversity on Enchanted Island. Here are my thoughts:

We have a diversity problem. It should be fixed.

The root of the problem, at the start of the game, we present the fiction that "you" have washed ashore on Enchanted Island and have begun training as a wizard. We then present a [i]very[/i] limited choice of avatars that are meant to represent the "real you".

If I had to do it all over again, we'd choose a fiction that allows you to role-play as someone who is [i]not[/i] the "real you". You'd create a character to play as. Not all the characters would need to be the same. But the setting / fiction would be adjusted to match the technological capabilities of the avatar system. Better technology would lead to more variety of avatars, worse technology to more homogeneity.

Better still, might be a fiction that allows you to role-play as a non-human character. We could all be robots in a post-apocalyptic world growing plants to try to bring the earth back to life. We could be visited by cute, but mutated, creatures from the old world who bring us energy capsules and seeds to grow.

But, we didn't do that. Instead our fiction is that we are playing our real selves in a fantasy setting. So, it's an utter and complete failure that we don't provide a diverse enough set of avatars to allow people to feel somewhat comfortable playing as a rough facsimile of themselves.

So, we've painted ourselves into a corner. There are really (as I see it) only two ways out:

1. We change the fiction of the game after over a year. The avatars are changed so everyone is a green elf, for example. The intro is reworded to explain that you are a green elf born on Enchanted Island.

2. We improve the technology of our avatar system so players can create facsimiles of their real selves.

Unfortunately, I don't view the first option as a very good one. We've been running this game for so long, that the risk is that we instantly alienate enough players that the game is put in jeopardy. People are resistant to change. When we make even [i]very[/i] minor changes, some players become disproportionately upset.

The second option would be plausible, but a major undertaking. To represent real people almost requires the most advanced avatar system. Imagine a low tech solution: If you could choose between 3 skin tones, but not change hair style, etc, would that be enough? Or, would it be borderline offensive? I don't know.

So, I don't mean to give an impression of apathy, or that I'm simply paying lip service to this issue. It [i]is[/i] a problem. It [i]should[/i] be fixed. It's just a major undertaking, and I'm not yet sure how to approach it.

Thoughts?

Thanks for the new outfit, Dude. A nose would be nice:) However, I like the new summer threads!!!

As regards skin tone. I like everyone being the same skin tone, as it provides a uniformity amongst the island. We can slip out of ourselves, and be one family.

As there many who are not that skin tone naturally, it would be interesting if everyone's skin tone would change each month. So, at the beginning of every month, everyone becomes a new skin tone, be it a mediterranean olive, a chocolate brown, a pale porcelain color, light tan, etc. A diverse range of ethnic groups could be represented in the rotation.

I think if the same hair with different skin tones might look a little strange... There are many games that don't have full-blown avatar customization, but still have a variety of pre-made characters to choose from. Going with the 3-choice line of thought, what about a Caucasian player, an African player, and an Asian player? The three would have different skin tones and hairstyles (because it definitely would not make sense for all three to have the same styling), and you could pick which one you liked better. It also allows for a wider diversity than what currently exists. =)

Edit: With regard to the 3 types of players... the Caucasian one could be what's currently available. The African one would have a browner skin tone - the guys could have a mini-afro, maybe? Don't know about the girls... maybe those braided hairstyles? (Sorry, don't know what they're called.) The Asian girls could have the same hairstyle as those Halloween kimono outfits, or just straight hair (with a clip?) =)

Dude...I certainly understand the dilemma and how hard it is to figure out a way to rectify the situation to suit the majority of players. I also appreciate the time you took to express your thoughts. A couple of months ago there was a thread started on the topic ( http://theenchantedisland.com/topics/14446) .. and I think the BEST way to handle the situation would be as another player suggests in that thread:


Marnie the Mystic 2 months ago

@luna, well, could be anything, really. Green skin, golden skin, green hair, webbed feet, purple. Etc.

Actually, it could make a fun contest or poll. Have artist revise current female/male avatars to fit some human/elf or human/something appearance. And have people VOTE which ones they like best. (And it would keep it still one avatar that could be one picture for clothes -- since the graphics are all one graphic and currently can't be layered.)

Let the players pick which elfish appearance they like best. :-)


there are a lot of thoughts and opinions in the thread and a revisit of it might help give some other ideas on things. I totally agree that a total reconstruction of the avatar system for the ultimate customization would indeed take a lot of time and for quick fix to the issue of lack of diversity it wouldn't help.

Amma the Brave has an interesting idea of each month the avatar skin tone changes... it would be cool (I really like the idea) but again I think that this would take a lot of time to actually implement..as you would still need many different drawings of each avatar and the multitude of skin ranges as well as write the coding.

The quickest fix of all would be slowly start to introduce a few new avatars with skin/hair color changes. It could still be the flat drawings without the need of layers. It could be the original avatars that the artist has just modified to fit a different race.. the clothing wouldn't need to be changed at all. I would place them for sale within the clothing shop in the supply room (unless it is a premium outfit...such as the Halloween/Winter outfits.. then of course for sale within the premium shop). I would also recommend the announcement be made when they are introduced that this is the beginning steps of a long process to diversify the island. I (could always be wrong but) think many players on the island would be very accepting of the fact you are trying to diversify the island.

ooh, I kind of like having outfits becoming available for high-level players...it's just the fact that it's right now and that it's on a timer right when I wasn't sure if I wanted to make the gold for the wands that just came out, and I'm also still working on the ancient seeds. now I'm not sure what I want to work on...it's making me feel a little more anxious, after having the blossom seeds available for so long and changing the pace a little I suppose.

as for the avatars, I really think that having further customization is the only answer. the issue is, it could be super-complicated. you guys used to say that it could be done if there was a 3RD elder... and... well I guess that didn't work out. but there's no way you can take on such a big project without more man power anyways. and then there's the issues on how to price things...like we pay for "outfits" now, but should you have to pay for hair color or skin color? too many choices can be difficult...and then people will want even more choices so it will never be enough!

Maybe there could be a couple of basic things to choose from that are free, but then a few things that are not. Like I can change the color of my skin from lighter to darker for instance, but if I wanted to change it purple then it would cost gold?

the other issue is, what will this do to our existing outfits? because I might like having changed my hair and eye and skin color, but still want to wear the actual outfit from last year of halloween or something like that? But what if we could keep those outfits in the form of clothing without the person underneath, and those set png images could be overlaid on the customizable person separately? I mean, the clothes already fit everybody, so it's really the person itself that needs to be changed. I am trying to think about what takes time and difficulty...and a simpler interface is probably better. if we could easily pick the few elements of the person that we wanted, and that image was exported, would you be able to put it under the clothing as a regular image and without messing up the coding wherever our avatars are and stuff too much?

that whole idea might actually be harder than the original thing...I'm really not sure. I'm just trying to think of where things could be made easier and simpler so there's not this huge program having to open every time we want to do something I guess.

Another idea. Instead of introducing new skin tones to preexisting outfits, create an Image shop, where one can buy a variety of outfits. We are in a fantasy world, so why not liven it up a bit. There could be a samurai outfit, ninja, hula dancer, a woman with a beautiful sari, male with New Zealand tribal tattoos, an Inuit in fur. The world has far more diversity than three skin tones, why not be more representative? Instead of redrawing all of the outfits we already have with avatars of two more hues, create new ones, interesting ones. The new identities would embrace and represent different ethnic groups, as well as some fun ones. An elf, or warlock thrown into the mix would be fun as well.

I was wondering if the new outfits will continue to be around? I have played for quite awhile but not as much as some. I am currently at level 45. Will they last long enough for another 5000 casts?


I appreciate the discussion on diversity and agree with a lot of what is being said. Everyone has such great ideas! But I realize that it will be a huge undertaking as well.

Thank you Dude for all your hard work :)

@Jen: There's a timer set at 90 hours, so... probably not? =(

just got to level 48 on my way up!!!!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but when displaying images, aren't you able to put into the coding the location of where you want the image to appear? For example, the wands that every wizard here has. It appears in the left hand, rather than sticking out of our hair or being on the ground. Wasn't that done by specifying where the image will lie on top of our avatar image? Same goes for pets. They don't all appear in the same spot, and the butterfly even "hides" behind the wizard. (meaning you're able to control the which layer is on top, right?)

Keith released a demo video when he created the thread on customization a while back. From what I can tell, you guys had a lot of ideas on hair, outfits, and even accessories.
http://theenchantedisland.com/topics/129

Couldn't different skin colors be the "base image" or the image that is in the very back, while hair, outfits and whatnot are place over it?

@ Dude, thanks for the "No Thanks" option on the frog summons, I really appreciate it :)

Just a quick question:

Are level 50+ players the only ones able to see the new outfit in the premium shop or can everyone see it? If everyone can see it then there is a problem, cause I can't, there isn't a clothes section in the premium shop, for my anyway.

Ally, I think it's like the Berry Seeds, Nocturnal Seeds, and Dragon Seeds that were sold in the Premium Shop. If you don't meet the requirement, you can't see it in the shop. (in this case you'll have to be level 50 in order to see it)

@ K, Thanks

Thank you for the little changes, Dude!

As for the outfits/avatars, I'm one of the players who would be disappointed to have the avatars turned into green elves etc. Not to the point of leaving the game, but I like the fact that this game starts out with a "realistic" premise of us being washed ashore an island, so I'd love to be able to keep the human appearance. I think your idea of simple customisation could work. As Alatáriel suggests, if there was a Causcassian, African and Asian avatar, they could all have the same hair, if that hair were black - since IRL, that is the colour that goes across ethnicities. I don't really see how this would be offensive or inappropriate for male or female avatars.

Hmm Micca, that's true... black hair would fit all of them, but I think it would still be nice to have some brown or blonde colors as well. Just for variety. =)

And yeah... I'm not a big fan of the green-elves idea, either.

@Dude,

Maybe this is premature or not a good approach, but I wonder if a discussion among some of the more technically savvy players would be useful in looking at ways in which a revamping of the avatar system could be approached. Not at all to imply that you can't work out all the details yourself, my thought is just that perhaps throwing a bunch of available brainpower at the technical hurdles might yield some novel approaches.

Layering of the avatar components is definitely the most flexible method, but could obviously be pretty complicated, and depending upon the code platforms and versions being used could be unfeasible (lots of browsers and browser versions to support). Pre-rendering of the various combinations of components (even if not a full pre-rendering of all combinations but "lazy" pre-rendering based upon those combinations actually in use or desired by players) would be simpler at runtime but would present storage issues that would only grow as more options become available.

Depending upon the platform hosting EI, another solution could be an intermediate package/library that could generate a single avatar image on the fly from the constituent components/specifications, so that the presentation code would still only have to deal with a single image (no need for extensive layering), but without the storage overhead of pre-rendering (though one or more level of caching would be wanted to prevent tons of unnecessary regeneration of the avatar).

Just some thoughts. Sounds like this particular issue has a good deal of player interest and support and is probably worth the effort to get right, and perhaps depending upon the solution the effort and work could be leveraged for other features or aspects of EI.

Cheers.

I agree with Meela, that a revisit to the thread she mentions would/could be beneficial for anyone interested in reading some ideas made by other players during that discussion. I personally feel many of those ideas are quite good, especially by Inge and Marnie.

I would suggest a first step to introduce some diversity to the island would be to evaluate and see what can be done with current NPCs. We all see them, even players who don't venture into the forums, that could be the beginning to presenting to players that diversification of the island is happening.

Then it should be decided by you, Dude, whether you want a big customisation system added to the game. Because as Ariel points out, many players have outfits they have already purchased that they really like, what place would current outfits have? I like the rather simple customisation method available as it is, as in I like that we pick an already put together avatar without having to deal with the loading and scrolling through of customisation systems available in other applications/games on FB. How about using the basic avatars and outfits available and seeing what can be done to alter or enhance them? In the thread Meela mentions, a few players have given suggestions on how the current avatars can be altered, can those suggestions actually be used and are those suggestions agreeable with the original avatar designer and you? So each avatar is given say 5 different skin tones- white/pinkish, light brown, brown, black, and purple/green/blue. Depending on the outfit or the mood of the person altering the look would depend on the eye and hair colours. It would be a lot of work since I think there are about 60 outfits that have been available in the game, but it would be a start.

A way to deal with not making players purchase the preferred skin tone for the outfit they already own, there could be a week or so where players are allowed to trade their old outfits for the matching new skin tone outfit.

I know my idea isn't for a total customisation system, and even though the total customisation systems available in other games seem great, they seem to take up a lot of system resources to load, use and function (I don't know programming so this is just my impression). I think such a system could take away from the uncomplicated magical spirit of EI, if that makes sense. Right now it could be 5 skin tones but in the future more could be added.

And to avoid having this be too big of an undertaking for you, Dude, perhaps you could enlist the assistance of players who have the knowledge and skills to help with this? If my memory is correct, isn't this how Growing Gifts had so many plants? Users entered contests and created the plants and pots? That could be a solution to involve players more and prevent you, Dude, from being overworked?

These are just my ideas right now. I have been thinking about this and would really like to see a solution finally emerge from all of these discussions on diversity on EI. I really believe a step needs to be taken, an action needs to be made. From what I have seen/read these discussions have been going for the past 6 months if not more, popping up every 1-2 months and assurances made each time. A positive step would be to start somewhere, and that's why I first suggest the NPCs then going from there.

Thanks for reading, and apologies for writing so much :)

got to level 50 today and there are no gold outfits in the shop now, gutted

@Eve: Yeah, the same thing happened to me. I wasn't aware that the outfits were going to be for a limited time only. That's a *huge* disappointment.

@Dude: Will these outfits be back again? It would kind of be nice for those to be permanent for *all* players that reach level 50. It would be something to look forward to. Something to work towards. Quite honestly I've been looking forward to leveling up for a long time now just so I could have a crack at the new outfits. Thanks for listening.

@Eve and Katie: I'm sture the outfits will return. : ))