Hi everyone,

One thing we have not made much mention of on the island is the donations, I'd like to hear people's thoughts on this.

In case you are not aware, Enchanted Island is provided free of charge to everyone to enjoy, but it's made possible by the donations we receive from players like you. If you like the new features, the community, the fun--the best "thank you" that you can provide is by donating to help the island continue!

The way you donate is to click "get more gold" on the top-left of your screen. You receive gold as an award for donating. We want the reward from donations to be special and meaningful so the items you can buy with gold will always be desirable. We will continue to come up with creative ways to make gold extra special. However, the benefits of donating, meaning, the things you can buy with gold, will always be extras, they will never be required for any of the core game-play. The core game-play will always remain free and we'll never think less of any players who choose not to donate.

Also, we will keep at least some ways for you to earn gold without donating. It will take longer and be slower, but it will be possible. For example, if we have a quest related to a premium gold seen you can complete this quest without donating any real money.

Some of you may feel frustrated at it being difficult to earn gold, but that's because it is supposed to be difficult to earn gold. :) That's what makes it special. If it was easy to earn gold then granting you gold for donating would not be much of a reward.

This game is made to be fun! You're here because you want to have fun, we want to enjoy your company. The entire island is being provided free for everyone at considerable cost to us, but we are not doing so as a charity or as a sacrifice to ourselves, we are doing so because we believe we can make something enjoyable enough that players will be willing to donate to support it, and we will reward those players who donate with extras. Again, these extras--while not required for the main game arc--will be desirable. Thank you to everyone who is here!

Happy casting everyone! Few questions for everyone:

1) For those of you who have not donated, have you considered it? Is there anything we could do to encourage you to donate?

2) Would donators like to be recognized as a "donation supporter" of the island? Maybe through a special badge or a designation on your avatar?

3) Any other ideas for "extras" that we should make purchasable with gold that would be an even better 'thank you' for donating?

I for one would have donated something if I could afford it. However I am unemployed and have 4 children. If in the future I am able to donate I would be more than willing to assist for this game.

I love Enchanted Island, but I, like Meela, am one of the victims of the current economy and have been unemployed for a very long time. I only wish that I could donate something to keep the island healthy.

Any chance for sponsors or would you rather not go in that direction?

I'm about to graduate college in spring with a degree in engineering, it's neither in my budget, nor as enjoyable as it is, do I feel the urge to pay, so sorry I can't give input as to what would convince me more.

Really great game and I love it, but I'm also not about to pay for it when I won't even pay to use a blog, website or MMO, sorry if that's a bit of a downer ^^;;

Dahlia has a really good idea though, are sponsors a viable option? They would be able to possibly advertise (small banners, whatever like the ads on facebook) and you guys would get some funding :)

@Meela, @Dahlia, and @Lunitari: I completely understand. We're happy to have you all just the same. You still helping make this place warm and welcoming for new wizards! :)

We will consider sponsors, we'll likely add some small sponsors at some point. But we have still set ourselves the goal of make this island so wonderful that the players will want to support it. We know not everyone can afford it, but we're confident we can make the island such that enough of you will. It's much more fun and rewarding to stay focused on what all of *you* enjoy and want to see, then on pleasing sponsors.

Well for me donating is redundant in a way. lol. But I like the idea of maybe a badge for supporters. As for extras, people who donate you could maybe grant them access to a special shop, where they can buy items based upon what teir they are donation wise. It could sell all kinds of accesories for wizard to wear.

@ Keith...I totally understand that. Once you get sponsors involved it becomes another beast. They start putting in demands on not only placement of ads but other requests as well.

I do hope you get more input in the AM on this topic. I'll try to think of something that would maybe help sway more players to donate.

Perhaps offering a (small) "Donor's Badge" would be okay. I would definitely be uncomfortable having my name appear in a donor's list of some kind, whether it was in a thread here or at the website.

What might bear considering is whether one could donate and choose to remain anonymous. Some of us might not want to be publically recognized for donating.

Another possibility is for a donating wizard to choose to remain completely ad-free. That is, if y’all decide Dahlia’s idea about the sponsors is the way to go with regard to this matter, individual wizards could donate a certain amount (or more!) to insure they would NOT have to navigate EI pages which also held ads.

I always like to support sites and games that I love. This is one where I can see that a donation(s) from me is in the future; I do have the desire to support this project. Right now I'm also unemployed so it's going to have to wait until I can find new work.

I do like Jaxom's idea. Supporters could maybe buy special robes or hats. That's cute. You could also sell certain effects for the character (i.e. sparkles, etc.) You could also have companions/pets. I'd love to have a little kitty standing at my feet, but there could be all kinds of beasts. Gaia online has little pet and beasts that you can carry (arms, shoulders) and at the feet. People donate a small monthly fee to get those.

I agree with Jaxom & Lisa, I would pay a small monthly fee to have a pet/beast as part of my character. (maybe a sugar glider huh). As well as being able to purchase different clothing/acsessories at any given time. I would like to support the game in any way possible.
Not so much on the badge thing as when other wizards visit your profile it may make them feel bad or that they are less because they can't help. Just a thought.

I agree with Lisa and Moon Willow. Things like robes, hats and companions are a good reward. Donor's badges make it a little "us and them" even if that is not the intention. And gaining gold seems a little unfair too because gold helps you in the game -- even though it is possible without it. You guys have made it easy to give small amounts which should help all of us except those with serious financial issues. That's good. I'm sure most of us will give a little something when we can.

Great feedback! Just to summarize (for my own benefit):

- Be cautious of badges, and if we do them, make them optional
- Donations could hide all ads (when we ad those)
- Special robes or hats or other clothing items
- A special option for pets/familiars

Good ideas, lots for me to think about...

Let players know how low the cost is to donate. I had no clue you could start with $1.99 and get the same amount of gold x100. Maybe a little banner screen similar to what was displayed yesterday would be a good way to let people know. Most players are not going to go searching for ways to donate, but if something comes across the screen that says if you donate 1.00 you can get xxx (3 clothing pieces) Farmland/Farmville has stuff you can buy with coins that are given to you and dollars you pay for... Just thoughts.

I think badges and maybe a special shop would be great. I also would not want my name displayed as it is a personal choice to donate.

I am a donationware developer and I understand full well the need to support the work of those developers that you appreciate and have been kind enough to allow you to enjoy the fruits of their labor, free of charge.

I will be more than happy to donate, as soon as I make enough from my own software to do so.

Unfortunately, most people do not understand nor feel the way I do, so donations for my work are small, few, and far between.

But rest assured, as soon as I can afford it, you'll get as much as I can afford to give.

As far as a reward, I don't need one. The game itself is the reward, and knowing I am contributing to support it is enough for me.

I like the idea of a special room to shop in for people who donate. Not just clothes, hats, animals, but special wands, seeds, pots, archive shell seeds, or send gifts to other wizards here! Badges would be good since you only have to spend as low as $1.99 to donate!

I guess I am a little confused. Since you are already offering gold for donations and the gold buys potions and seeds, would these other items being suggested here be in addition to the gold or would they be an option? I mean if one donates, would they get a choice of the gold or the special items OR would they get the gold and the items???

And, for players that do not donate, would they be able to eventually earn these items or would they not have access unless they donate?

I think that Amelia'a idea of using the banner/announcement to remind players that they can donate even small amounts like $ 1.99 and that they will receive playing gold for the donation would be great. I think that most of us forget about this option, since most of us probably do not go to the potion shop that often and when we do, we probably don't read the note about donations. Using a banner ad might be a nice quiet way to remind players what you, the elders, do for us in creating this game.

After reading Baya's post, even though I am very unemployed, I am looking over my expenses so I can contribute, even if it is only the $ 1.99, which really is such a small amount. She is correct that if all of the wizards did that, well I am sure it would help.

Personally, I am satisfied with the exchange of game money for real money. My only suggestion might be to give donors the option to trade real money for gold or silver. Sometimes silver might be preferable to some depending on the individual's need in the game at that time. And, if in the future there might be new shops with items other than potions and seeds for us to purchase, depending on whether those items sell for silver or gold, well...some might prefer receiving silver for a donation, others might prefer receiving gold.

Thank you all for the hard work and passion you all invest in creating this wonderful community and game. :)

@Dahlia:

Most of the items being suggested, I imagine those would be things people would purchase for gold. If so, then yes, players who do not donate would still be able to earn them (since they can earn gold). However, if we created a special donation-only shop then that would likely be available *only* through donations.

Everything mentioned above is definitely still in the idea phase, mostly I was interested in hearing what everyone else thought about how we can encourage donations and make it worthwhile for people.

- Good idea about silver as an option
- I also agree Amerlia's suggestion about reminding people is a good one.

Thanks!

Can not due to medical bills & Rx, present and upcoming. Does not help that have no Insurance so it is very costly.

@Keith: Thanks for the explanation and clarification. Much appreciated!

I sure hope all the wizards on the island think about making even a small donation. You all definitely deserve our gratitude and assistance. I mean, what we would all do if Enchanted Island went into foreclosure? I think that a great deal of wizard withdrawal and sadness would ensue.

Even the most rebellious and vocal of your wizards (kinda like teens) really do love this place and our elders.

Wizard community, let's all pull together, count our pennies and send a couple to the elders to help them pay the bills here in Brimstone.

Thanks for everything, elders!!!

Thanks @Dahlia for the encouragement. And @Baya too mentioned something similar in another thread. I was really touched by both your messages.

But just so everyone else knows, I don't want there to be any pressure to donate. If people don't have the money or don't want to for any reason whatsoever, we completely understand. I don't want anyone to feel like they have to justify not donating, or to feel guilty for not donating. No guilt! We're happy just to have you here! We are going to focus on trying to make it worth your while. We'll continue to add lots more free fun, and we'll continue to add more donation perk, but first and foremost we want everyone to be happy and have enjoy themselves.

We're in this for the long haul. Enchanted Island is not on the verge of disappearing, I don't want anyone to think that. My philosophy is, if you feel the donation is worth your while, you're intrigued by the perks, then fantastic! If not, no pressure or guilt from us or anyone else. Enjoy yourself here! The last thing we would ever want to do is create resentment. That would be very anti-wizardly. :)

My purpose in starting this thread was just to see if there were any ideas that people had for fun perks we could offer, nothing more than that. And I've gotten some good ideas.

Happy casting everyone!

@Keith, thank you for what you wrote :)

@Elders I've been saving up to invest a little money into the game, and I feel good that I've been able to contribute, even if only a tiny amount. Money is so tight for everyone right now, so I'm sure you know how it is.

I don't think us wizards want thanks for contributing, we're just happy to do it when we can. Also, we don't want those who aren't able to donate at this moment to feel bad. The badges probably aren't necessary for this reason.

You guys work so hard, and you've brought so many people so much pleasure that it really is worth every penny / cent! And I just know that every wizard on here would contribute if they could.

The only other things that I can think of that might help persuade more people for donations are:

1) Donating 10p of every £1 to a worthwhile charity, the rest goes to you hard working programmers!

2) Reminding people about donation opportunities at the end of the month when people lucky enough to be in work get paid, and are more likely to have some disposable income.

These are just a couple of ideas that I had in mind, and may not be suitable at all.

@Paulie: Very nicely said! :)

In a way to make up a little for not donating and also not doing offers (surveys) to raise funds, I have written about the game in a blog. Although it is written in Dutch, you might want to read it with help of the translation-plugin in the sidebar (at the bottom of it), or else by using Google Translate.

Cheers!

Of course it would help if I gave the url with it!
My apologies!
http://verbindingenwerk.nl/?p=70

how about giving people the option when they donate oh buying either gold to use as normal of gems that can only be used in the donators shop say one Gem = 10 gold or something

@ Mallory Thanks for giving us your blog address. I'll have a look at it (once I find the translation-plugin.

The translation plugin is 'behind' the little flags in the side. But you can also copy all text (Ctrl C) and paste (Ctrl V) it to Google Translate, which is here: http://translate.google.com/

I've donated gold before and I reckon as levelling becomes slower later on I'll have to donate again to keep the gold flowing :P

3) Any other ideas for "extras" that we should make purchasable with gold that would be an even better 'thank you' for donating?

I think avatar customisation is popular for that - a greater choice than usual for hair colour, clothes, etc.

I really love the special seed and that fact that they can be retired creates a real urge to use them while I can.

It would be great though if the gold quest badges would be seperate from the regular ones on the profile page so they don't create ugly holes in the bio for players who joined too late for the shells or who can't afford them.

I don't know why keith linked a 3 month old topic to the tree-decorating announcement...this doesn't seem to be an ongoing discussion to me.

A lot of people were complaining in the tree thread about gold, so he put this link in so they could perhaps understand the gold in this game.

Even before the £464 vet bill earlier this month I was struggling, so I'm not able to contribute; I would if I could!

Someone had the idea of a donators' shop; that would give people a choice of what they had as a reward - robes, a pet, a badge, a special awning for their cart, or whatever. Or even shoes!

I love this game. It is simple but very visually beautiful and emotionally pleasing. I am enjoying the winter/ Christmas plants and the gorgeous pots for them. I have spent 1000 gold for the tree decor quest(and am down to 80 left). Looking at the donation info, a 1000 gold would equal $10 in donations. I need more gold to complete the quest but can't imagine having to pay $15 to $30 bucks each quest. A computer game off the shelf is usually around 40 and would include lots of quests. I would donate if I felt the value of prize gold were more reasonable. Maybe one could donate $5 - $10 PER QUEST and be guaranteed the needed supplies to complete it?? I am going to try with what I've got but it doesn't look like I'll get to finish this one. (boohoo)

I don't think I was checking the forums when this thread came up, I know I didn't when I first started.

I actually like the gold/donations the way they are. I wish the special pots in Pursten's shop were slightly less expensive (100 gold instead of 200), but I've liked this game's method best out of what I've seen. I've played games where the only way to get their equivalent to gold was to donate, so there were things you automatically missed out on if you didn't and I felt like that forced me to miss out on things in something that was supposed to be free because I couldn't donate. I've also played games that had an exchange and you had to wait to come up on the list to be able to exchange XX silver for X gold. I think I missed out on what I wanted once or twice because there was a limit as to how much you could exchange and waiting to come up on the list could take some time. That particular game, I also felt was a bit of a hassle and I no longer play it.

I REALLY like that in this game, we all get a little gold now and then from leveling up or occasional other surprises like the Winter Fairy (which I understand gold was needed to get her help). Most of the time, I make just enough to cover the bills with maybe a [i]tiny[/i] bit of wiggle room. So far, I've donated once. I have a competitive streak, I was one plant away from entry into the Spectral Contest, and I wouldn't level up until the contest had ended. I donated enough to get the gold and gain my entry. I might wind up donating again for the ornaments, but I know I'll level up well before the deadline so I plan to wait and see what I'll need.

I don't see the point in an extra badge for donating, I'd feel pretentious if I had one and I'm sure those who try to get every badge and can't afford to donate would feel awkward about that being something that they can't attain. I think that certain ways to encourage people would bring some feelings of discord (like a special donations shop) because that would feel a bit forceful to me. Reminding people once in a while (like the link to this thread from the trees), I think is the best plan.

People will either donate or they won't. Sometimes it is how much they enjoy the game, other times it has more to do with financial obligations or other life burdens. I've gotten every badge that it is possible to get with only donating a small amount once for a contest, so I fully believe that if people spend their gold wisely they can do everything in the game without needing to donate if they don't choose so. I get that the point of these contests is both to be fun for us and to gain support for the island. I sometimes wish other wizards could see all the things you guys do and how you've made it possible for everyone to be able to play through everything at least eventually. Some games don't take that kind of consideration for their players and I'm really glad this one does. This is the first game where I've reached some sort of stop (caught up to you guys) and am still completely excited to continue playing and wait out for the next thing to come.

I wouldn't want a donor badge, and I wouldn't want any sign to indicate that I donate. If we could have some fancy thing (cat, special clothes, etc.) as an *option* in exchange for donating, that would work.

I think what you are doing is wonderful -- that is, every now and then gently encouraging us to donate. I really appreciate your saying that you won't discriminate against people who don't donate.

btw, I'm also unemployed -- I bet there are a bunch of us here, because unemployed people have more free time than those with jobs! Plus my husband is disabled, which means that he can't work AND that he requires lots of medical stuff, and it all costs extra money. But even I can afford $1.99. Thanks so much for this game -- it's a lot of fun!

Hey, what happened to the option to donate $1.99? Now the donations start at $4.99. I can donate $1.99 every now and then, but I can't justify $4.99 (see post above). Could you make the amount up to us, please?

I've donated a couple of times, usually when wanting to complete a quest and running out of the gold that Kendral gives us... and I'll happily do so in the future when I feel the desire.
I like the fact that there are low amount to donate, right through to higher amounts, especially for those of us outside the US, as the exchange rate can be a bit of a killer sometimes.

I did like the idea of there being some of each donation given to a worthy cause - something like supporting Breast Cancer, Alzheimers, or some other worthy cause that is close to the developers hearts.
This would make me feel more inclined to donate more often I think, as I'd know it's helping others :)

I do NOT think that we need a badge for donating... it kinda smacks of elitism to me, and something that may always be unattainable for some players.
However being able to have a familiar would be lovely!
I can see extra clothing, pots or other such things being appealing as well, though nothing too 'big' that others will covert too much.

ANOTHER THOUGHT...iF ONE BUYS POTS/ FLOWERS WITH GOLD , GETTING gOLD FOR SELLING THESE WOULD BE GREAT!

Here's an idea, although I am unable to donate, and do not see my situation changing any time soon:
Maybe donators could have the unique opportunity to change their avatars, not just their clothes, i.e. change eye color, hair color, hair style etc.

I wouldn't like any recognition for donations.The best reward and encouragement to donate would be to keep the Premium Shop well stocked with 'must have' products for all to buy if and when they can afford it. At the moment Pursten can't compete with the trader, fairy or the old man with his luck potions or green dragons and he isn't selling any crickets.The gems have limited good value. Similar creative designs as in 'growing gifts' would be nice, especially if we had a 'display item' option to display in place of one plant.

I agree that things are good the way they are. There are small rewards for donating - mostly that those people have a little more choice of new outfits and are more likely to be able to achieve the side quests as they're not resticted to level up gold. I don't think they need anything else.

I would like to see more options for using the silver we earn in the game. Once one masters all the silver seeds, there is not much to spend it on at the moment.

I know it's hard to earn gold, and seeing as I can't donate, can't you make something like 100 gold for 1000 silver?? or something like that? It'd be a bit difficult and would allow people to have more gold!

A suggestion..

I would really like if you could buy smaller increments of gold (i.e. $1 at a time rather than $5). Also, and more importantly, I wish Amazon Payments could be used. I have bought gold once via Paypal but have no plans to do so again. If I could use Amazon Payments, I would buy gold at least once a month.

I like Dew's suggestion.

Keith wrote in this thread they have no plans to have the option to convert silver to gold http://theenchantedisland.com/topics/6995

Many wizards have said (and I include myself) they have been able to complete gold seed quests and buy stuff in the premium shop without having to ever donate. We just save up our gold until we feel we have enough to buy stuff in the premium shop. This of course means missing out on some gold seed contests, but there's always some contest every month or so (so far that I have seen in my 7 months here) so not a total miss on the fun :)

@Flower, I agree with what you have said! :)

I know this is an old topic, but I was re-reading it myself and just wanted to thank everyone for their comments. It gives me more confidence that we've struck the right balance with things.

Also, we have added a "backup" donation system besides SpareChange. You can find this by clicking "get more gold" and then the last question in the FAQ, "Having trouble with SpareChange" will link you to the backup.

The backup supports Amazon Payments, and also has a $1.99 option. SpareChange is our preferred system for other reasons, but we realize it doesn't support these two options so it's nice that the backup system supports them.

Reading this thread made me (once more) aware what a special place this island is. Keith, honestly, I am in awe about your statements. You are so inspiring, so down to earth. You had the wish to create a peaceful, wonderful little island, where people can enjoy, use their wits to solve the quests, meet other friendly-minded wizards and you just did it :) That's so wonderful. Thank you so much!

About the donations: I would keep them as pure as your motivation. People who enjoy playing this game will have the natural wish to support it. Of course not everyone might be able to donate right now due to their financial situation. But the wish to do so is there, I am sure.

I am afraid that as soon as there are special things (badges, another currrency, a special shop for that new currency, even little items like hats, gloves...) available only for people who donate, then their will be inevitably a gap appearing between the donators and the non-donators. From this gap little nasty creatures like the smack of elitism and also covetousness might crawl out. Maybe not exactly creatures we want on this marvellous island, uh?

Maybe just remind us inhabitants gently once in a while that donations would be very much appreciated. Some wizards might simply never have even thought about the considerable costs for you to keep this island alive.

I agree with Seamoon. I've been on the Island for 7 months now and have seen numerous changes. I like that everybody can actually have everything available -- non-donators just get it more quickly. Others may miss out on a contest or two but thanks to the "recycling" of the gold seeds every month or so, everyone can eventual finish the gold seed quests except for the seasonal ones. I think more and more that adding things unattainable except by donation would create an "us and them" mentality I'd hate to see develop here. Thanks for all you do, Keith and Dude and for providing so much fun to so many people.