Dev Log 204
Forum Index > Core > Announcements >
![Niet [Adam]'s Avatar](https://pokefarm.com/upload/:J/avatar/Niet_Icon150.png)
Welcome to my brand new Dev Log. Here I will be posting updates and information about my development work.
Most recent Update - 30 Jan 2024 The overall structure here will be as follows: Garthic will collect and respond to questions people have, and then I'll post an update that will prompt a whole bunch of new questions. Sounds like fun! Please subscribe to this thread to make sure you are notified of updates, as they won't trigger the flashing News dot. Discussion will take place in a new Subforum, /forum/5 -- each time we post an update, the existing thread will be closed and a new one will begin. This should help keep everything well organised. And now here's Garthic with questions and answers!
Most recent Update - 30 Jan 2024 The overall structure here will be as follows: Garthic will collect and respond to questions people have, and then I'll post an update that will prompt a whole bunch of new questions. Sounds like fun! Please subscribe to this thread to make sure you are notified of updates, as they won't trigger the flashing News dot. Discussion will take place in a new Subforum, /forum/5 -- each time we post an update, the existing thread will be closed and a new one will begin. This should help keep everything well organised. And now here's Garthic with questions and answers!
Clip from Pokémon anime, re-lined by me
-- OMNOMNOM!Featured story:
Injustice
Feedback welcome!
![Garthic [Jamie]'s Avatar](https://pokefarm.com/upload/Novan-chan/Avatars/bdy_garth.png)
First up, let's answer the questions that were posed in the announcement thread regarding the reboot about a week ago!
Then on to Niet's Dev Post.
Q: Was the "Reboot" really shelved just because people said 'no'? A: Let's get the Elephant outta the way. No - it's not that simple. This is further explained a little later on but that was thrown about a little bit so we wanted to get it cleared up first and foremost. Q: With the "Reboot" being scrapped, does that mean that all the work done was wasted? A: No. Not at all, actually. In fact, we didn't say it was 'wasted' or 'wasted time' for that matter. To add on to that, it's actually not wasted in the slightest - Just because it's not being used for PFQ doesn't mean that it isn't being used for something else. Yes, this does mean we're working on a second project. No, this does not mean we are stopping support for PFQ. Q: Some things that received backlash in the past weren't removed or changed, so what's going on here? A: Difference in scale. The changes we have planned are very large and the game that people would come back to after 'upgrading' the website would basically be the same by name, but not by substance. The things being talked about that were added despite backlash didn't change what PFQ is to such a large extent. Q:Foundational coding issues were mentioned as part of the reason behind the "Reboot" - what's happening with that? + Why was the Reboot shelved? + Will future updates be possible with the 'spaghetti code'? A: Nothing. This is a bit of a long explanation made short - If anything does need adding, it can be done even if it requires the messing about that we were looking to make easier, but the thing is that we didn't just want to 'rebuild' PFQ over again. What we want to make is something that is so much more than what PFQ is - but it was made very clear to us that a number of people like PFQ for what it is right now -- That is not what we would've been making. We had to make a choice because the plan was to upend what PFQ is and make it... Well, more - and there was issue taken with that. Which is fine, by the by, we understand that we're talking about changing something in a BIG way that people do like as it is. This isn't just a 'users' thing, either. It has been expressed by some staff members that they share the same concerns and we can absolutely understand that. We decided to take this as a sign that it would be better for us to, instead of simply running a single project, to allow people who like what PFQ is, to enjoy it... Exactly as it is. (Note: This doesn't mean "no updates" or anything like that - again, PFQ WILL still be supported with content updates/tournaments etc.) So now we are working on our second project - that's it, pretty much. We'll give it a name some time later on, but it is not a "Reboot" and any idea of one has been shelved, at least for the moment. What we're working on could be considered as kind of a sequel, we suppose? Either way, despite the mess-about that will come about as a result of the funky-foundation that is PFQ's baseline code, the fact is that updates (for the most part) can be done despite that mess-about... So if the thing we're working on now is going to be "number 2" in the line of games we make then we don't need to do that anymore. This way people can also make the choice not to join the new thing we're working on if they don't want to - which is different from us upgrading this website because that would've been a 'no choice'-scenario. Q:Can we see suggestions from the approved sub-forum implemented? A: Yes. It was appropriately pointed out that for some such suggestions a ridiculous amount of time has passed. This needs rectifying - not necessarily all done at once, of course, but just worked on as part of a queue in general. Q:What about suggestions that were rejected because 'the Reboot would fix it'? A: They are absolutely open for discussion once again - please feel free to suggest these things again / BUMP relevant threads or if you're feeling particularly adventurous, PM a Mod about getting a thread removed from rejections because of that specific rejection reason! :D Q: Why don't you have someone to do 'news updates' for you on-staff? A: Uh. Well. This is awkward. Hi. My name is Garthic and my favourite colour is Blue. Now why don't you tell me something about yourself? :D In complete seriousness and my being silly aside - there's no excuse for it. We were lacking in our communication and this is us adressing that and fixing it. We'd prefer to let our actions on that front speak for us in place of our words. Such actions will mean a lot more than us merely saying we're going to do something - it's far better if we actually do it. --- I just want to note that some questions were not about the topic at hand and were noted but skipped on for the purpose of this thread - these are specifically for the update and, for example, not the events being run. (On which note, if there are any such issues remaining, please feel free to post any queries in the help forum!)
Q: Was the "Reboot" really shelved just because people said 'no'? A: Let's get the Elephant outta the way. No - it's not that simple. This is further explained a little later on but that was thrown about a little bit so we wanted to get it cleared up first and foremost. Q: With the "Reboot" being scrapped, does that mean that all the work done was wasted? A: No. Not at all, actually. In fact, we didn't say it was 'wasted' or 'wasted time' for that matter. To add on to that, it's actually not wasted in the slightest - Just because it's not being used for PFQ doesn't mean that it isn't being used for something else. Yes, this does mean we're working on a second project. No, this does not mean we are stopping support for PFQ. Q: Some things that received backlash in the past weren't removed or changed, so what's going on here? A: Difference in scale. The changes we have planned are very large and the game that people would come back to after 'upgrading' the website would basically be the same by name, but not by substance. The things being talked about that were added despite backlash didn't change what PFQ is to such a large extent. Q:Foundational coding issues were mentioned as part of the reason behind the "Reboot" - what's happening with that? + Why was the Reboot shelved? + Will future updates be possible with the 'spaghetti code'? A: Nothing. This is a bit of a long explanation made short - If anything does need adding, it can be done even if it requires the messing about that we were looking to make easier, but the thing is that we didn't just want to 'rebuild' PFQ over again. What we want to make is something that is so much more than what PFQ is - but it was made very clear to us that a number of people like PFQ for what it is right now -- That is not what we would've been making. We had to make a choice because the plan was to upend what PFQ is and make it... Well, more - and there was issue taken with that. Which is fine, by the by, we understand that we're talking about changing something in a BIG way that people do like as it is. This isn't just a 'users' thing, either. It has been expressed by some staff members that they share the same concerns and we can absolutely understand that. We decided to take this as a sign that it would be better for us to, instead of simply running a single project, to allow people who like what PFQ is, to enjoy it... Exactly as it is. (Note: This doesn't mean "no updates" or anything like that - again, PFQ WILL still be supported with content updates/tournaments etc.) So now we are working on our second project - that's it, pretty much. We'll give it a name some time later on, but it is not a "Reboot" and any idea of one has been shelved, at least for the moment. What we're working on could be considered as kind of a sequel, we suppose? Either way, despite the mess-about that will come about as a result of the funky-foundation that is PFQ's baseline code, the fact is that updates (for the most part) can be done despite that mess-about... So if the thing we're working on now is going to be "number 2" in the line of games we make then we don't need to do that anymore. This way people can also make the choice not to join the new thing we're working on if they don't want to - which is different from us upgrading this website because that would've been a 'no choice'-scenario. Q:Can we see suggestions from the approved sub-forum implemented? A: Yes. It was appropriately pointed out that for some such suggestions a ridiculous amount of time has passed. This needs rectifying - not necessarily all done at once, of course, but just worked on as part of a queue in general. Q:What about suggestions that were rejected because 'the Reboot would fix it'? A: They are absolutely open for discussion once again - please feel free to suggest these things again / BUMP relevant threads or if you're feeling particularly adventurous, PM a Mod about getting a thread removed from rejections because of that specific rejection reason! :D Q: Why don't you have someone to do 'news updates' for you on-staff? A: Uh. Well. This is awkward. Hi. My name is Garthic and my favourite colour is Blue. Now why don't you tell me something about yourself? :D In complete seriousness and my being silly aside - there's no excuse for it. We were lacking in our communication and this is us adressing that and fixing it. We'd prefer to let our actions on that front speak for us in place of our words. Such actions will mean a lot more than us merely saying we're going to do something - it's far better if we actually do it. --- I just want to note that some questions were not about the topic at hand and were noted but skipped on for the purpose of this thread - these are specifically for the update and, for example, not the events being run. (On which note, if there are any such issues remaining, please feel free to post any queries in the help forum!)
So by now you've picked up that we're not "rebooting" PokéFarm, but rather we're making something more like a sequel. A brand new game, sharing the same setting but with vastly different mechanics. Players will be able to choose whether to join us on the new project, or stay here, or both!
Today I want to share with you the major changes to Interactions.
PFQ currently gives you the option to feed any of the five "basic" berries to any Pokémon you meet. While it does hint you towards the preferred one, it's all a bit strange. Where do those berries come from? How are they different to the ones you grow in the Garden? And should you feel bad for feeding them the wrong one by mistake? On top of that, Pokémon with no berry preference are actually quite significantly penalised because they don't get the "preferred berry bonus."
The current plan to resolve this in the new game is to remove berries from the interaction process, and just have... "Pet the Pokémon", to go along with "Hold the Egg".
A small gesture of affection helps the Pokémon grow!
The details are of course subject to change - everything is - but that's the current plan.
Suddenly there's no need to sort your Fields by flavour, every interaction is equal. You'll be able to sort Fields however you want, maybe by type or as a living Dex... without suffering a gameplay disadvantage.
Additionally, berries from your inventory would be usable as Consumable items, which when eaten grant an amount of EXP depending on how well-liked the flavour is, and also how rare/strong the berry itself is. In this way, you can take the berries you've grown in your Garden and feed them to your Pokémon for more EXP!
Question for you: What should we call this new game? We could be boring and call it "PokéFarm 2", "PFR", or other things like that, but one thing I learned after moving from PF1 to PFQ is that there are now a lot of "broken" links out there that point to PF1 stuff still. It also would imply that PFQ is somehow being replaced. I personally feel that this new game should have a totally new name. It doesn't have to follow the "PokéSomething" pattern either. It can be anything, so long as it does a decent enough job of conveying what the game is about. I'm open to suggestions, even if they're just vague ideas. Sometimes a vague idea from one person can trigger a specific breakthrough in another! So feel free to discuss ideas and see what we can come up with. Dev Log Discussion #1
Oh yeah, and I just released four more evolutionary lines for Galar. They're in the Lab. Have fun!
A small gesture of affection helps the Pokémon grow!Question for you: What should we call this new game? We could be boring and call it "PokéFarm 2", "PFR", or other things like that, but one thing I learned after moving from PF1 to PFQ is that there are now a lot of "broken" links out there that point to PF1 stuff still. It also would imply that PFQ is somehow being replaced. I personally feel that this new game should have a totally new name. It doesn't have to follow the "PokéSomething" pattern either. It can be anything, so long as it does a decent enough job of conveying what the game is about. I'm open to suggestions, even if they're just vague ideas. Sometimes a vague idea from one person can trigger a specific breakthrough in another! So feel free to discuss ideas and see what we can come up with. Dev Log Discussion #1
Oh yeah, and I just released four more evolutionary lines for Galar. They're in the Lab. Have fun!
I'm bad at introductions to posts, so here you go.
Introduction successful - now moving on,
Q: What other differences will there be between PFQ and the new project?
A: It's all very nebulous at the moment... Without saying too much (because I don't want to wind up lying), there are plans for a story/quest-system - one such example of this being utilised would be in that, you, as a Pokémon Farmer / Breeder, could take requests from Trainers who want specific Pokémon, types of Pokémon, Pokémon with IVs / Evs in a certain way... Y'know, such and so forth.
Effectively, you can actually fulfil your role as a "Farmer" and provide assistance to others in the world from the gameplay perspective that is offered.
This is one such example that we are working on which will be expanded on in a later announcement - I'm not going to say any more than this since this is basically what the actual Dev Logs themselves are for but these are the kind of systems that we're working on.
Q:Will there still be Shinies / Albinos / Melanistics? + Breeding and hatching eggs? + How will getting specials work? Yes - the fundamental mechanics of the game will still be there. If you like PFQ, this is basically aiming to be that, but more. As for the functionality behind these things, Niet wants to bring these up in his own Dev Log post to talk about them more at a later stage because there are some significant overhauls. The actual question that was asked in the thread regarding shinies etc. and how to get them was: "Will getting those [specials] be based on luck (as it is on PFQ) or on some kind of questline/progressable action (something you can control and work towards)?" The answer... Is. Yes. As mentioned above, details will be provided a wee bit later - but will be the subject of its own Dev Log post.
Q:Will there be any kind of transfer between PFQ and the new project? I want to cover a bit of miscommunication on Niet's part and just clear it up. When he said there will be no "Transfer", he stated 'transfer' in quotes because he was referencing the aforementioned manner of Transfer in relation to the previously planned 'reboot'. This is different. Unfortunately, Niet's choice of words weren't the best, given that he used the exact same word - but now with speech marks!™ Hopefully clears that up and we apologise for the mix-up. Now, the answer is "yes, but not immediately" - and we're selecting... Very, very tentatively, what it is that we are going to be doing. Definitely can transfer Pokémon, though, when it's added - for the time being, think "Pokémon only". It's not liable to stay that way, but that's the safe bet at this time. The reasoning as to why not immediately boils down to a fact that we already stated, wherein we wish to allow PFQ to continue running as well as this new website. If we open up transfer immediately, this is almost incentivising (not just inviting) a mass exodus from PFQ to the new project. This isn't what we want. At all. Our plan is to support both games. Inviting the growth of one at the expense of the other doesn't really accomplish this. We want people to find out if they like the new project on its own merit, rather than being stuck there because they transferred things - transfer is one-way. It would absolutely suck if we opened the project, people transferred things, and then it was realised that actually... They don't like it. So we're aiming to stave off that issue by delaying it at the start. We'll have more information on this when we know more, but for now, that's all the plan we have.
Q:What makes the Developer(s) feel like the new game will be worth joining? A: Put simply, the sheer number of limitations in terms of exponentional growth for PFQ are too many. While the core of the game itself is fine and it has admittedly been a little bit left in the background of what is now "the new project"... The fact is that the only reason for that is because this 'new project' was originally the "Reboot", which would've been a straight drop-in replacement for PFQ, changing everything forever. Since that's the case, we're taking a break from development on the new stuff to give PFQ some of the love that it deserves.
Q: The Galar release was something of a footnote to the Dev Log - how come Eben didn't do anything for it? A: Because Eben didn't have an update every time something from Alola was released and he's not having an update every time something is being released from Galar, either. While his story is certainly tied to the overall releases of the Galar Pokémon on PFQ, it's not tied to each and every single round of releases.
Q: Will Niet be changing character? A: Not that we're aware of :p
Q: Will we need to make new accounts? A: Yes, this website will be functioning on a completely different database.
Q: What will happen to the content updates for PFQ? A: Same answer as I gave in the previous Q&A. It will continue to be supported. They will not stop. See the above response as to why there's been a bit of a drought lately.
Q: Will the new project have Interaction Points, or will there be a new system? A: All interactions will be equal in terms of base IP (Interaction Points) gained, but there may be other factors that influence the exact amount. For instance, we could employ the V~wave to boost EXP and IP gain by a small amount, whether static or percentage based. Details would need to be worked out, this is just an idea that we've come up to answer your question.
Q: Will there be more to do with the Pokémon? A: The aim for this is 'yes', the details are still being worked on, however. Consider it a good thing, this means more content for future Dev Logs and something for you to give input on, should you wish to! :D
Q: The previous FAQ didn't mention being strictly Pokémon related. Is it? A: While in theory we could just make our own website with just our fakemon... We love Pokémon. We'd like to think you guys love Pokémon too, given the nature of the website and all!It's like the one thing we agree on! :p
Q: I think the new project should be more like an RPG, like the official games --- A: I know this isn't a question, but I'd like to point something out here! Spreading information and all that <3 This is actually how you get shut down. It is our difference that actually gives some small footing / safety net, because we're not a rip-off or a clone, we are a "derivative work". That being said, there are actually plans for some "RPG"-ness, but it's not anything close to the official games.
Q: Why is the new website something we should consider a 'sequel'? A: That was a manner of speaking and not to be taken entirely literally, but to answer the core of the question... The huge changes that will be coming, having started work from the ground up. At the end of the day, this new project is going in a somewhat different direction than PFQ is, we think it's a better one but with how we're handling this, people will be free to choose where they wish to spend their time. To be clear, we're not saying that we don't like PFQ anymore or anything like that. You can like what something is but have your own vision of how you could make it even better - that's all this is for us.
Q: Why announce the sequel by showing us a tiny update to a current system, then expect us to want the sequel over the reboot? A: That's a bit of a far-reaching assumption you've gone to right there. I offer the reminder that the 'reboot' is "shelved" because the scope of what we're working on is not "PFQ" anymore. This means that we can, and are planning on / working on, back-end maintenance and updates which are things that we will mention when they're done. Ultimately, doing these in steps rather than in one big dump will allow us to 'reboot' without... Well, 'reboot'ing anything. It will take time, but it will be done.
--- Now, this question isn't something that really pertains to the Dev Log but it is something we know people will want answered. Q: Where's Meltan? A: Honestly, we're still not sure how we want to implement it. ... We really need to get that done, though. Sorry for the wait on this one.
All that said and done - the next post belongs to Niet c:
Q:Will there still be Shinies / Albinos / Melanistics? + Breeding and hatching eggs? + How will getting specials work? Yes - the fundamental mechanics of the game will still be there. If you like PFQ, this is basically aiming to be that, but more. As for the functionality behind these things, Niet wants to bring these up in his own Dev Log post to talk about them more at a later stage because there are some significant overhauls. The actual question that was asked in the thread regarding shinies etc. and how to get them was: "Will getting those [specials] be based on luck (as it is on PFQ) or on some kind of questline/progressable action (something you can control and work towards)?" The answer... Is. Yes. As mentioned above, details will be provided a wee bit later - but will be the subject of its own Dev Log post.
Q:Will there be any kind of transfer between PFQ and the new project? I want to cover a bit of miscommunication on Niet's part and just clear it up. When he said there will be no "Transfer", he stated 'transfer' in quotes because he was referencing the aforementioned manner of Transfer in relation to the previously planned 'reboot'. This is different. Unfortunately, Niet's choice of words weren't the best, given that he used the exact same word - but now with speech marks!™ Hopefully clears that up and we apologise for the mix-up. Now, the answer is "yes, but not immediately" - and we're selecting... Very, very tentatively, what it is that we are going to be doing. Definitely can transfer Pokémon, though, when it's added - for the time being, think "Pokémon only". It's not liable to stay that way, but that's the safe bet at this time. The reasoning as to why not immediately boils down to a fact that we already stated, wherein we wish to allow PFQ to continue running as well as this new website. If we open up transfer immediately, this is almost incentivising (not just inviting) a mass exodus from PFQ to the new project. This isn't what we want. At all. Our plan is to support both games. Inviting the growth of one at the expense of the other doesn't really accomplish this. We want people to find out if they like the new project on its own merit, rather than being stuck there because they transferred things - transfer is one-way. It would absolutely suck if we opened the project, people transferred things, and then it was realised that actually... They don't like it. So we're aiming to stave off that issue by delaying it at the start. We'll have more information on this when we know more, but for now, that's all the plan we have.
Q:What makes the Developer(s) feel like the new game will be worth joining? A: Put simply, the sheer number of limitations in terms of exponentional growth for PFQ are too many. While the core of the game itself is fine and it has admittedly been a little bit left in the background of what is now "the new project"... The fact is that the only reason for that is because this 'new project' was originally the "Reboot", which would've been a straight drop-in replacement for PFQ, changing everything forever. Since that's the case, we're taking a break from development on the new stuff to give PFQ some of the love that it deserves.
Q: The Galar release was something of a footnote to the Dev Log - how come Eben didn't do anything for it? A: Because Eben didn't have an update every time something from Alola was released and he's not having an update every time something is being released from Galar, either. While his story is certainly tied to the overall releases of the Galar Pokémon on PFQ, it's not tied to each and every single round of releases.
Q: Will Niet be changing character? A: Not that we're aware of :p
Q: Will we need to make new accounts? A: Yes, this website will be functioning on a completely different database.
Q: What will happen to the content updates for PFQ? A: Same answer as I gave in the previous Q&A. It will continue to be supported. They will not stop. See the above response as to why there's been a bit of a drought lately.
Q: Will the new project have Interaction Points, or will there be a new system? A: All interactions will be equal in terms of base IP (Interaction Points) gained, but there may be other factors that influence the exact amount. For instance, we could employ the V~wave to boost EXP and IP gain by a small amount, whether static or percentage based. Details would need to be worked out, this is just an idea that we've come up to answer your question.
Q: Will there be more to do with the Pokémon? A: The aim for this is 'yes', the details are still being worked on, however. Consider it a good thing, this means more content for future Dev Logs and something for you to give input on, should you wish to! :D
Q: The previous FAQ didn't mention being strictly Pokémon related. Is it? A: While in theory we could just make our own website with just our fakemon... We love Pokémon. We'd like to think you guys love Pokémon too, given the nature of the website and all!
Q: I think the new project should be more like an RPG, like the official games --- A: I know this isn't a question, but I'd like to point something out here! Spreading information and all that <3 This is actually how you get shut down. It is our difference that actually gives some small footing / safety net, because we're not a rip-off or a clone, we are a "derivative work". That being said, there are actually plans for some "RPG"-ness, but it's not anything close to the official games.
Q: Why is the new website something we should consider a 'sequel'? A: That was a manner of speaking and not to be taken entirely literally, but to answer the core of the question... The huge changes that will be coming, having started work from the ground up. At the end of the day, this new project is going in a somewhat different direction than PFQ is, we think it's a better one but with how we're handling this, people will be free to choose where they wish to spend their time. To be clear, we're not saying that we don't like PFQ anymore or anything like that. You can like what something is but have your own vision of how you could make it even better - that's all this is for us.
Q: Why announce the sequel by showing us a tiny update to a current system, then expect us to want the sequel over the reboot? A: That's a bit of a far-reaching assumption you've gone to right there. I offer the reminder that the 'reboot' is "shelved" because the scope of what we're working on is not "PFQ" anymore. This means that we can, and are planning on / working on, back-end maintenance and updates which are things that we will mention when they're done. Ultimately, doing these in steps rather than in one big dump will allow us to 'reboot' without... Well, 'reboot'ing anything. It will take time, but it will be done.
--- Now, this question isn't something that really pertains to the Dev Log but it is something we know people will want answered. Q: Where's Meltan? A: Honestly, we're still not sure how we want to implement it. ... We really need to get that done, though. Sorry for the wait on this one.
All that said and done - the next post belongs to Niet c:
Well that was a lot of questions. Hopefully Garthic's answers help address a lot of the immediate concerns. I've also been taking notes and will be using your feedback to (hopefully!) improve my Dev Log posts. I would just ask for some patience though. It's a massive change going from long silence to informative posts, and I'm sure mistakes will be made. I'm trying :)
Today I'm bringing a big patch to PFQ, containing four updates varying from minor to significant. In that order: 1. Right-mouse-button clicks in Fields Suggestion The right mouse button no longer pops up the context menu on Fields when clicking, so you can use both mouse buttons to "twiddle" your fingers and get more clicks with less physical movement. So that's cool. 2. "Nothing" in Boxes (Suggested by Garthic in my DMs) This has been removed. There is no longer a 1% chance of Boxes containing Nothing. Instead, that percentage point has been added to the Big GP reward. Woot loot! 3. Z-Crystals at any time Suggestion 1 - Suggestion 2 If you activated your Albino Radar without a Z-Crystal, and then decide you wanted to use one after all, you can do that. You will need to pay the IP cost again (same as charging to a higher level, you don't get a refund) but at least now you don't have to wait until the next day any more. If you used a Z-Crystal, however, you can't change items. You're stuck with that Crystal until the end of the day. This only applies if you didn't use a Crystal to begin with. 4. Egg Timer overhaul Suggestion, as amended by Garthic The Egg Timer has received the following adjustments: - It now uses Party Clicks, not Field Clicks. This is to encourage interacting with more people, not with the same people repeatedly. - The number of interactions required to reach max level has been reduced accordingly. - EXP gained per hour has not changed. This is going to be a tough one to balance, but that's what's been done so far and we'll see how it goes and if it needs changing again in future.
These updates will be going live shortly after this post. In particular your Egg Timer level will reset, as it shifts from counting all interactions to counting Party interactions. This is something it wasn't counting at all before, so it has no data for today and must start over. I apologise for the inconvenience.
EDIT: I forgot an update I did the other day! Kinaster's breeding rate has been greatly improved. So that should help there.
As a general note regarding the "Approved Suggestions", many of the older ones are entire features that were considered "nice to have", back when PFQ was still in early days and we didn't have any particular direction we were going in. I need to review those ones and decide if they still fit with the game we have today. Several of them, I feel, don't. As Garthic touched on, work continues almost daily on back-end things. The bits that you never actually see, but that are nevertheless essential to keeping the game running. On that note, Dom (aka "Server Guy" - the contact at our hosting company who helps keep the server running) has been investigating the lag. We believe it to somehow be related to connection issues between the main server (the one running code) and the database server. For some reason, they don't always talk to each other properly, and that's where the lag appears to be coming from. We've already found one issue that was contributing to it - an issue in some security software was blocking connection ports. That issue was reported and the bug was fixed, so in a way you guys playing this game helped improve the Internet for millions of websites! But there remain other factors that are still a mystery and are being worked on. Thank you for your patience during this time.
Finally, I'd like to just mention that we're doing several Dev Log posts close together to get the ball rolling, but gradually - over the next weeks and months - we'll be scaling it back to a more routine occurrence, possibly once per week. Just mentioning that now so there's no worry when we slow down the posts later on. Dev Log Discussion #2
Today I'm bringing a big patch to PFQ, containing four updates varying from minor to significant. In that order: 1. Right-mouse-button clicks in Fields Suggestion The right mouse button no longer pops up the context menu on Fields when clicking, so you can use both mouse buttons to "twiddle" your fingers and get more clicks with less physical movement. So that's cool. 2. "Nothing" in Boxes (Suggested by Garthic in my DMs) This has been removed. There is no longer a 1% chance of Boxes containing Nothing. Instead, that percentage point has been added to the Big GP reward. Woot loot! 3. Z-Crystals at any time Suggestion 1 - Suggestion 2 If you activated your Albino Radar without a Z-Crystal, and then decide you wanted to use one after all, you can do that. You will need to pay the IP cost again (same as charging to a higher level, you don't get a refund) but at least now you don't have to wait until the next day any more. If you used a Z-Crystal, however, you can't change items. You're stuck with that Crystal until the end of the day. This only applies if you didn't use a Crystal to begin with. 4. Egg Timer overhaul Suggestion, as amended by Garthic The Egg Timer has received the following adjustments: - It now uses Party Clicks, not Field Clicks. This is to encourage interacting with more people, not with the same people repeatedly. - The number of interactions required to reach max level has been reduced accordingly. - EXP gained per hour has not changed. This is going to be a tough one to balance, but that's what's been done so far and we'll see how it goes and if it needs changing again in future.
These updates will be going live shortly after this post. In particular your Egg Timer level will reset, as it shifts from counting all interactions to counting Party interactions. This is something it wasn't counting at all before, so it has no data for today and must start over. I apologise for the inconvenience.
EDIT: I forgot an update I did the other day! Kinaster's breeding rate has been greatly improved. So that should help there.
As a general note regarding the "Approved Suggestions", many of the older ones are entire features that were considered "nice to have", back when PFQ was still in early days and we didn't have any particular direction we were going in. I need to review those ones and decide if they still fit with the game we have today. Several of them, I feel, don't. As Garthic touched on, work continues almost daily on back-end things. The bits that you never actually see, but that are nevertheless essential to keeping the game running. On that note, Dom (aka "Server Guy" - the contact at our hosting company who helps keep the server running) has been investigating the lag. We believe it to somehow be related to connection issues between the main server (the one running code) and the database server. For some reason, they don't always talk to each other properly, and that's where the lag appears to be coming from. We've already found one issue that was contributing to it - an issue in some security software was blocking connection ports. That issue was reported and the bug was fixed, so in a way you guys playing this game helped improve the Internet for millions of websites! But there remain other factors that are still a mystery and are being worked on. Thank you for your patience during this time.
Finally, I'd like to just mention that we're doing several Dev Log posts close together to get the ball rolling, but gradually - over the next weeks and months - we'll be scaling it back to a more routine occurrence, possibly once per week. Just mentioning that now so there's no worry when we slow down the posts later on. Dev Log Discussion #2
I'm still just as bad at introductions and I honestly hate Mondays.
This is not a good mix.
Here, have this - I'm gonna get a coffee =w='
Q: Why was the update done around midday and not at reset?
A: Because there bugs. If it was done at reset then Niet would have been in bed until about 8am (that's when he woke up this morning anyway) and would have been unable to fix the bugs that presented themselves.
So... Yes, it was something of an inconvenience to release it in the middle of the day - but I think it's fair to say that, all things considered, that inconvenience is better than it being broken for 8 hours and then Niet coming online to fix it which already took a few hours.. x:
tldr: When we were faced with the choice of 2-4 hours vs 10-12 hours, we chose 2-4, which we presume is what would've been preferable for everyone.
Yeah, it reset things and it was an inconvenience, but at least it wasn't 3x longer which was the alternative ^^'
We need sleep xP
Q: Can Party interactions be added to the Timers bar? A: Really this should've been in a suggestion thread - I'll explain why real quick in a tldr fashion. If it was in a suggestion thread then it would've been seen by now and possibly could've been implemented. As it stands though, I don't really care that it wasn't in a suggestion thread because that is a good idea and we'll look in to manners of implementation. Right now we're thinking of changing the "Today's Interactions" widget to have a slightly different formatting where it's "2500 / 1500" where 2,500 is your total interactions and 1,500 is your Party interactions. We'd also add it to the Today's Interactions page itself, of course. So that's basically "You've made 2,500 interactions, of which 1,500 are party clicks". We decided this may be the best idea because "1,500 / 2,500" could look like a progress bar, when it isn't xD
Q: Will we be able to keep our username / reserve our username? A: So I'm going to less answer this directly and more talk to you about the issues that we're presented with when this kind of situation comes up. Some people are asking if they can have usernames that have been taken, but they have been inactive for an extended period of time. Other people are wanting to make sure that their username isn't taken by someone else. These two 'camps' don't work together. You cannot have both. We're going to do our best to make sure that we please as many people as possible with future implementation for things on the new project. But I mean... Someone is going to be upset no matter what we do. Even if we add a string of numbers to the end of a username to serve as an identifier (see Discord for an example of this), I feel like there's going to be someone saying "I want that number" xP My point with that is nothing more than, ultimately, it'll never be perfect, but we'll certainly our best and, you know, we're open to suggestions that don't involve ripping the username from someone else ^^'
Q: Perhaps increase EXP.Share's output? A: Honestly, that would be a step back. We've favoured field clicking so heavily that there was next to no benefit for party clicking outside of getting people to click you back. But why bother doing that when you can do it for yourself? After those 1.5k clicks, you can go right back to field clicking and reap the benefits just as before - there is no need to increase the power of the EXP.Share.
Q: Why don't people just use the custom CSS feature that PokéFarm supports to make party clicking easier? A: Because, as someone correctly pointed out, we shouldn't be using the fact that people can customise / change these things as a crutch. If something can be improved then we shouldn't be saying, "well go on, you do it then". No, we should be doing it. Custom CSS is there to help, not to replace - it's not there to fix bad design, it's there to customise. Besides that, it doesn't work for everyone so it's not a catch-all where as just making core improvements is.
Q: Why not make the Egg Timer work on both field clicks (5k) and party clicks (1.5k) ? A: Because that would undermine the entire point of this update. I've had numerous people telling me of their eggs hatching so fast with this update because people are actually party clicking as a result of this change. The data that we have has shown a3-4x 50-100% increase in the number of eggs being hatched since we made this update on the 18th. ( Note that this doesn't mean it's definitely worked, the data pool is too small to make such a claim - that's just what the current data shows!)
Niet will give more information on this in his part of the Dev Log post. :)
This doesn't take away from the fact that party clicking needs to be made better, in the slightest, by the by - this is just our observations on the facts presented to us.
Q: Will PFQ's trading system get an update to allow trades with multiple items and Pokémon? A: It's something we can certainly look at.
Q: If the plan is to support both games, why not have a two-way transfer? A: Oof, now you're asking the hard questions. So... To sum it up. Transfer isn't perfect. Data is lost on transfer and there's no way to get that information back. Example: PF1 to PFQ transfer reverts Pokémon to level 1. They lose happiness. etc -- This is all caused by fundamental changes in the system. In other words, these 'losses' are not something that you can 'work around'. Once changed, there is a good chance that they are not compatible for a Transfer in the other direction. ...That doesn't mean we're not already trying for this, though c': Whether or not it can be accomplished is... Well. A different matter entirely.
Q: Will PFQ events be more interactive and engaging? A: Well, that's kind of subjective xD But such is the aim, yes. We're still working on improving the system so we can do more with it. I'll be honest, having worked on the new project for a while and effectively having built a new system to do the same job has afforded us some new ideas to build upon for the system here on PFQ. ...Of course, that system was originally meant to replace the one here so there are similarities we can utilise for future improvement.
Q: What's the incentive to field click now? A: Uh, well... Faster overall interactions which leads to -- > Interaction Points. > Breeding Cycles (1 per 64 clicks). > Credits ("It's like printing my own money" - Toy Story 2) > EXP.Share Usage > Lucky Egg Usage > Boosting Garthic / Niet counters (this one's a bit indirect but still, it's a thing) > Interaction based tournaments (not always relevant, but it's still an answer) > Dojo training bags (if you care about that) All these things are done faster / easier through Field clicking and not party clicking and I bet I could think of more if I took the time ^^
Q: Empty parties are annoying - fields give a free click, what about parties? A: The initial thought is "maybe filter empty parties out". The problem with that is that this means it would have to load in the party information before showing it to you - and then, if it turns out it has to filter some out, it would have to go and get some more users to fill the now empty spaces. THEN it has to load their parties to ensure that these ones have things in their party (see: are valid) and if not, potentially repeat forever. ...Not...Great. We've also seen some complaints regarding loading times - uh... This kind of 'fix' would make them potentially infinite. ...Uh. Yeah. We're not doing that xD 'What about a free click, like the fields?' I hear you say. ...Maybe. It does seem a little unfair for say, someone to have moved things in to fields and they're looking for some more eggs - you load their party at this 'empty'-moment and suddenly this person is deprived of interactions because they were... You know. Playing the game. That's also not a fair fix... But it is a potential fix so we'll offer some consideration to it. For now, though - no. Later? Maybe.
Q: What about the premium currency? A: You'd be able to transfer it - this is actual money that's been paid so. You know... We don't feel it would be right to lock it to one game like most other games out there do. I think we can do better than them, and I hope you agree.
Q: "because right now it looks like the daily interaction goal only counts party clicks as well?" A: Nope. That's wrong. If we changed that then we would have said so. The update applies to what we say it applies to. If something else is affected by it then that is a bug and should be reported as such. In this case, we double-checked, just to be sure and fortunately, this claim is incorrect. All interactions are counted, as they should be.
Q: Why didn't the News button flash to indicate a new post? A: Because the way that works is that it updates on first post, and first post updates. These are new posts - not first posts, or updates to the first post. To be candid, there's a reason we said to subscribe :p Moving forward, I will just force a silly update to the first post of some description to make it do the flashy-boi. I'll figure that one out when I go to do it after posting this xD
Q: "Will we be starting out with the Kanto pokedex and gradually add the other dexes in site updates or minigames like you're doing with Eben and the Galar region? Or will all the dexes be added in the one sitting?" A: That sounds like a gameplay related question to me - and is something that we don't have information at this time. ... Thanks for the idea, though :p [/joke]
Q: Maybe lower the number of party clicks a bit more? A: We're gathering information in order to make an informed decision. No solid answers at this time, but I will mention that it's better to have the numbers start out a bit too high and lower them - rather than the alternative of them being too low an then being raised.
So. I do just want to open by apologising for sort of being here but also not being. This is my first week back home after 2 months of being in America with madam waif (Sei! <3) and her family. So... As you can probably imagine, my own family are wanting to see me, as are my friends now that I am back home! Now while I do have this overwhelming desire to sit in my house all day (the graphics outside suck - and the content updates are terrible!), I do... You know. Love and miss my family and friends. I'm not very social, I'll admit, but... For them, You know - for a couple of weeks (especially given that it is my birthday next week), I'm willing to put up with the idea of putting some shoes on xP Maybe I'll even walk outside c: It's also very different, I have to admit. I went to Florida to visit Novie, Belial, AlyssaNights and Elfonzo while I was with Sei and we also met a new fellow who was a lot of fun! Which all of that was lovely but I've gone from having, effectively, a summer... To... Lovely old British weather. ...It snowed today. Niet informed me of that and the first thing I said today was a fun little quote: "My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined" ...So that in mind, I hope you don't mind if I finish this off with a little bit of fun as I aim to pick my mood up a tiny bit. Time for a bonus question that you should not take seriously. Q: Where have you gone? Where are you!? A: Don't worry. We've been working on some fantastic products to help you feel like we're there, with you, all the time. We have a (trademark pending) Garthic-style wacky arm-waving inflatable tube man - comes with free air pump to keep him waving all day! We've also taken some inspiration from our local Supermarket where they have a totally amazing... Cardboard cutout of a Police Officer. For them it TOTALLY deters crime! For us... We have a cardboard Niet. He solves a whole... 0% of coding issues... But he also doesn't cause any! Uhm... At least he's there! ...Speaking of Niet...
Q: Can Party interactions be added to the Timers bar? A: Really this should've been in a suggestion thread - I'll explain why real quick in a tldr fashion. If it was in a suggestion thread then it would've been seen by now and possibly could've been implemented. As it stands though, I don't really care that it wasn't in a suggestion thread because that is a good idea and we'll look in to manners of implementation. Right now we're thinking of changing the "Today's Interactions" widget to have a slightly different formatting where it's "2500 / 1500" where 2,500 is your total interactions and 1,500 is your Party interactions. We'd also add it to the Today's Interactions page itself, of course. So that's basically "You've made 2,500 interactions, of which 1,500 are party clicks". We decided this may be the best idea because "1,500 / 2,500" could look like a progress bar, when it isn't xD
Q: Will we be able to keep our username / reserve our username? A: So I'm going to less answer this directly and more talk to you about the issues that we're presented with when this kind of situation comes up. Some people are asking if they can have usernames that have been taken, but they have been inactive for an extended period of time. Other people are wanting to make sure that their username isn't taken by someone else. These two 'camps' don't work together. You cannot have both. We're going to do our best to make sure that we please as many people as possible with future implementation for things on the new project. But I mean... Someone is going to be upset no matter what we do. Even if we add a string of numbers to the end of a username to serve as an identifier (see Discord for an example of this), I feel like there's going to be someone saying "I want that number" xP My point with that is nothing more than, ultimately, it'll never be perfect, but we'll certainly our best and, you know, we're open to suggestions that don't involve ripping the username from someone else ^^'
Q: Perhaps increase EXP.Share's output? A: Honestly, that would be a step back. We've favoured field clicking so heavily that there was next to no benefit for party clicking outside of getting people to click you back. But why bother doing that when you can do it for yourself? After those 1.5k clicks, you can go right back to field clicking and reap the benefits just as before - there is no need to increase the power of the EXP.Share.
Q: Why don't people just use the custom CSS feature that PokéFarm supports to make party clicking easier? A: Because, as someone correctly pointed out, we shouldn't be using the fact that people can customise / change these things as a crutch. If something can be improved then we shouldn't be saying, "well go on, you do it then". No, we should be doing it. Custom CSS is there to help, not to replace - it's not there to fix bad design, it's there to customise. Besides that, it doesn't work for everyone so it's not a catch-all where as just making core improvements is.
Q: Why not make the Egg Timer work on both field clicks (5k) and party clicks (1.5k) ? A: Because that would undermine the entire point of this update. I've had numerous people telling me of their eggs hatching so fast with this update because people are actually party clicking as a result of this change. The data that we have has shown a
Q: Will PFQ's trading system get an update to allow trades with multiple items and Pokémon? A: It's something we can certainly look at.
Q: If the plan is to support both games, why not have a two-way transfer? A: Oof, now you're asking the hard questions. So... To sum it up. Transfer isn't perfect. Data is lost on transfer and there's no way to get that information back. Example: PF1 to PFQ transfer reverts Pokémon to level 1. They lose happiness. etc -- This is all caused by fundamental changes in the system. In other words, these 'losses' are not something that you can 'work around'. Once changed, there is a good chance that they are not compatible for a Transfer in the other direction. ...That doesn't mean we're not already trying for this, though c': Whether or not it can be accomplished is... Well. A different matter entirely.
Q: Will PFQ events be more interactive and engaging? A: Well, that's kind of subjective xD But such is the aim, yes. We're still working on improving the system so we can do more with it. I'll be honest, having worked on the new project for a while and effectively having built a new system to do the same job has afforded us some new ideas to build upon for the system here on PFQ. ...Of course, that system was originally meant to replace the one here so there are similarities we can utilise for future improvement.
Q: What's the incentive to field click now? A: Uh, well... Faster overall interactions which leads to -- > Interaction Points. > Breeding Cycles (1 per 64 clicks). > Credits ("It's like printing my own money" - Toy Story 2) > EXP.Share Usage > Lucky Egg Usage > Boosting Garthic / Niet counters (this one's a bit indirect but still, it's a thing) > Interaction based tournaments (not always relevant, but it's still an answer) > Dojo training bags (if you care about that) All these things are done faster / easier through Field clicking and not party clicking and I bet I could think of more if I took the time ^^
Q: Empty parties are annoying - fields give a free click, what about parties? A: The initial thought is "maybe filter empty parties out". The problem with that is that this means it would have to load in the party information before showing it to you - and then, if it turns out it has to filter some out, it would have to go and get some more users to fill the now empty spaces. THEN it has to load their parties to ensure that these ones have things in their party (see: are valid) and if not, potentially repeat forever. ...Not...Great. We've also seen some complaints regarding loading times - uh... This kind of 'fix' would make them potentially infinite. ...Uh. Yeah. We're not doing that xD 'What about a free click, like the fields?' I hear you say. ...Maybe. It does seem a little unfair for say, someone to have moved things in to fields and they're looking for some more eggs - you load their party at this 'empty'-moment and suddenly this person is deprived of interactions because they were... You know. Playing the game. That's also not a fair fix... But it is a potential fix so we'll offer some consideration to it. For now, though - no. Later? Maybe.
Q: What about the premium currency? A: You'd be able to transfer it - this is actual money that's been paid so. You know... We don't feel it would be right to lock it to one game like most other games out there do. I think we can do better than them, and I hope you agree.
Q: "because right now it looks like the daily interaction goal only counts party clicks as well?" A: Nope. That's wrong. If we changed that then we would have said so. The update applies to what we say it applies to. If something else is affected by it then that is a bug and should be reported as such. In this case, we double-checked, just to be sure and fortunately, this claim is incorrect. All interactions are counted, as they should be.
Q: Why didn't the News button flash to indicate a new post? A: Because the way that works is that it updates on first post, and first post updates. These are new posts - not first posts, or updates to the first post. To be candid, there's a reason we said to subscribe :p Moving forward, I will just force a silly update to the first post of some description to make it do the flashy-boi. I'll figure that one out when I go to do it after posting this xD
Q: "Will we be starting out with the Kanto pokedex and gradually add the other dexes in site updates or minigames like you're doing with Eben and the Galar region? Or will all the dexes be added in the one sitting?" A: That sounds like a gameplay related question to me - and is something that we don't have information at this time. ... Thanks for the idea, though :p [/joke]
Q: Maybe lower the number of party clicks a bit more? A: We're gathering information in order to make an informed decision. No solid answers at this time, but I will mention that it's better to have the numbers start out a bit too high and lower them - rather than the alternative of them being too low an then being raised.
So. I do just want to open by apologising for sort of being here but also not being. This is my first week back home after 2 months of being in America with madam waif (Sei! <3) and her family. So... As you can probably imagine, my own family are wanting to see me, as are my friends now that I am back home! Now while I do have this overwhelming desire to sit in my house all day (the graphics outside suck - and the content updates are terrible!), I do... You know. Love and miss my family and friends. I'm not very social, I'll admit, but... For them, You know - for a couple of weeks (especially given that it is my birthday next week), I'm willing to put up with the idea of putting some shoes on xP Maybe I'll even walk outside c: It's also very different, I have to admit. I went to Florida to visit Novie, Belial, AlyssaNights and Elfonzo while I was with Sei and we also met a new fellow who was a lot of fun! Which all of that was lovely but I've gone from having, effectively, a summer... To... Lovely old British weather. ...It snowed today. Niet informed me of that and the first thing I said today was a fun little quote: "My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined" ...So that in mind, I hope you don't mind if I finish this off with a little bit of fun as I aim to pick my mood up a tiny bit. Time for a bonus question that you should not take seriously. Q: Where have you gone? Where are you!? A: Don't worry. We've been working on some fantastic products to help you feel like we're there, with you, all the time. We have a (trademark pending) Garthic-style wacky arm-waving inflatable tube man - comes with free air pump to keep him waving all day! We've also taken some inspiration from our local Supermarket where they have a totally amazing... Cardboard cutout of a Police Officer. For them it TOTALLY deters crime! For us... We have a cardboard Niet. He solves a whole... 0% of coding issues... But he also doesn't cause any! Uhm... At least he's there! ...Speaking of Niet...
I'd like to talk to you about numbers. Numbers dictate everything. When you interact, numbers fly all over the place to determine things like how much EXP is gained, how many IP you get, Credits, increasing the Bonus Counters, advancing Tournaments that involve interactions and much more.
In this case, the numbers I want to talk about are those surrounding the Egg Timer update. The point of the update was to encourage Party interactions, which in turn allows people to actually hatch Eggs faster by using community effort rather than self-reliance. Self-reliance was never the point of PokéFarm - even as far back as PF1 - so I was keen to find out what kind of effect this change has had.
... I never could have predicted this.
On a typical day before the update, the number of Eggs hatched site-wide would vary between 20k and 35k - with the higher numbers occurring on Niet days usually. Total interactions made would range from 10M to 15M.
Sometimes these numbers are disrupted. Mass-Click Weekend, for example, would see the number of interactions made increase to 25M! But the funny thing is that the number of Eggs hatched would go down. As low as 20k sometimes. Of course the reason why is obvious: MCW encourages mass-clicking, which is best done on Fields that have been stacked for your convenience. It's great for getting the objective done, but not so much for actually progressing in the game.
So, what effect did the Egg Timer switch have?
Total interactions didn't change at all. It's still 10M to 15M per day.
But Eggs hatched... 100k to 120k. That's three to four times as many Eggs hatched. ** Erratum: see Edit at the end of the post.
This update was a resounding success. Activity levels stayed the same, but overall progression massively increased. It's now significantly easier to hatch Eggs - especially for newer users who don't have access to Lucky Eggs, the Exp Share, or other self-help bonuses.
Going forward, there may well be further updates that encourage Party-clicking over Field-clicking so that we might push these results even further.
But before doing that, we need to address the issue of Party clicking being "difficult".
Before I get to that, I do have a quick point to make: Level 9: 1,000 interactions = 2,400 EXP/hour Level 10: 1,500 interactions = 2,640 EXP/hour That's a 50% increase in Party clicks, for only a 10% increase in reward. I dunno about you, but personally I just get to Level 9 and then leave it at that. Level 10 isn't worth it to me, but that's just, like, my opinion, man.
I've collected some information, and this is best approached in two groups: desktop and mobile. While generally I like to avoid separating the two, in this case it's important. Desktop People like to multi-task. Maybe you want to click while watching a YouTube video in another window. You can't really do that if you have to keep moving the mouse around. So some of you use Custom CSS to stack all the buttons that you need to click. This is fine. You can do that if you want. However, this will not be made a standard feature: it may be functionally useful, but it's ugly as sin ;) That being said, I also noticed the almost complete lack of knowledge of the keyboard controls. You can in fact use the keyboard for interacting and this needs to be made more obvious. Therefore, a box will be added to the Multi-profile page detailing these controls - it will appear below the party until you dismiss it. This update is coming soon, but for now here's the details:
Combined, this means you can have your left hand on the numbers and D key, your right hand on the mouse, and interact that way for much less effort.
(You could even combine it with custom CSS to cut the "move the mouse" part out if you want...)
Mobile
Screen space is limited. Scrolling breaks the flow of interacting. So ideally, there should be no scrolling involved in interacting.
The "Reboot" actually already had a solution for this, and this is one feature that can definitely be implemented into PFQ for benefit here.
Fits exactly on a typical mobile device's screen!
Of course it'll look slightly different over here. The Pokémon will have berry buttons, and the assorted icons won't be shown - just the Pokémon's icon and the interaction controls.
This eliminates the need for scrolling on most devices (smaller ones may not quite fit everything but there's only so much I can do there...) and hopefully solves that problem quite thoroughly.
These updates will be released later this week, so you have time to prepare for change :) Dev Log Discussion #3 Please note: In order to ensure we don't miss your questions, please tag your questions with [question] -- we will use this tag to find your questions more easily. It's like a BBCode for summoning our attention! :D
** Edit: It has come to my attention that the stats I used for egg hatches were flawed. Unfortunately the database doesn't actually track "eggs hatched per day", it had to be reconstructed, and some data wasn't accounted for. The number of eggs hatched recently was fairly accurate, but older dates were less and less so. While the "tripling" figure turned out to be an exaggeration, the increase is still significant - between 50% and 100% more Eggs have been hatched daily since the update.
Before I get to that, I do have a quick point to make: Level 9: 1,000 interactions = 2,400 EXP/hour Level 10: 1,500 interactions = 2,640 EXP/hour That's a 50% increase in Party clicks, for only a 10% increase in reward. I dunno about you, but personally I just get to Level 9 and then leave it at that. Level 10 isn't worth it to me, but that's just, like, my opinion, man.
I've collected some information, and this is best approached in two groups: desktop and mobile. While generally I like to avoid separating the two, in this case it's important. Desktop People like to multi-task. Maybe you want to click while watching a YouTube video in another window. You can't really do that if you have to keep moving the mouse around. So some of you use Custom CSS to stack all the buttons that you need to click. This is fine. You can do that if you want. However, this will not be made a standard feature: it may be functionally useful, but it's ugly as sin ;) That being said, I also noticed the almost complete lack of knowledge of the keyboard controls. You can in fact use the keyboard for interacting and this needs to be made more obvious. Therefore, a box will be added to the Multi-profile page detailing these controls - it will appear below the party until you dismiss it. This update is coming soon, but for now here's the details:
Interaction Keyboard Controls
Hover the mouse cursor over a Party slot. This will highlight the interaction button(s) to indicate that it's the "active" slot.
With a slot "active" in this way, you can then press the numbers 1-5 to feed the corresponding Berry. Any number works for holding Eggs.
Press the Left/Right Arrow keys, or A and D, to navigate between profiles in the list.
Fits exactly on a typical mobile device's screen!These updates will be released later this week, so you have time to prepare for change :) Dev Log Discussion #3 Please note: In order to ensure we don't miss your questions, please tag your questions with [question] -- we will use this tag to find your questions more easily. It's like a BBCode for summoning our attention! :D
** Edit: It has come to my attention that the stats I used for egg hatches were flawed. Unfortunately the database doesn't actually track "eggs hatched per day", it had to be reconstructed, and some data wasn't accounted for. The number of eggs hatched recently was fairly accurate, but older dates were less and less so. While the "tripling" figure turned out to be an exaggeration, the increase is still significant - between 50% and 100% more Eggs have been hatched daily since the update.
The update mentioned above regarding "Compact View" has been implemented. It is always-on on mobile, and exists as a toggle (-gasp-) on Desktop.
Due to this change basically eliminating the need for scrolling, the auto-scroll toggle has been removed and it just snaps to the bottom of the party. This change has been reverted, as it interfered with split-screen on mobile devices.
Additionally, "About Me" has been removed from the multi-profile view. If you want to draw attention to something in there (eg. advertising a shop) then you may continue to use your Trainer Card to highlight this, and viewers can click on your profile name at the top of the page to go to the "individual" profile page.
Information about keyboard controls will be added later, as I want to look into the possibility of adding more keyboard controls than we already have, before doing this. Just means I don't have to implement the information, then change it later.
Well, this took longer than expected - I'll talk a bit more about why later on, but for now...
Q: Would it be possible to increase the bonus for level 10 radar a bit, to make that a bit more worthwhile?
A: No! :D
I'm only saying that with a :D because we *are* making it more worthwhile in a different way.
That will be covered in Niet's post, though, so I'd best not steal it from him.
Q: Will there be Custom CSS on the new site, so that codes to stack our party interaction buttons in an ugly but functional manner still work? :] A: You're getting a bit ahead of us there, I'm afraid! We're not even there yet >x>'And you should know that, Bel! :p <3 u
Q: Would it be possible to have a 'switch' to stack parties? A: If you know how to do it with code - developer or modder - then anything is technically possible. c: ...I know, I'm being silly, don't worry. It's something we'll consider - we're doing things step-by-step first though. If this hasn't already been made a suggestion (not gonna lie, I haven't looked since this is basically my first day properly jumping back in to work and I need to get this done) then please do make it one! That way it can be properly discussed :D
Q: ECEInTheHole made the following suggestion thread regarding keyboard shortcuts after posing a question in the thread: Link~ --Further context provided in 'answer'-- A: We've taken a look at this suggestion and we've concluded that it's basically a hands-free version of what we already have with the keyboard shortcuts on party-interactoin. (Meaning you don't need to mouse over anything anymore and can just hit the relevant keyboard shortcuts). We're okay with that - so yes, we can do this. Like. Right now. ;D
Q: I haven't seen the FabuBar hit 100% in months, is the target too high? A: Well, right now... 100% isn't your target, I mean it is, obviously, if you want that - but the 'goal' as far as the actual mechanics are concerned is 50%. The way it works right now is that 50% is your 'minimum threshold', everything else is basically... I guess think of it as 'overcharging'. Or to see it illustrated...
Notice that the flame covering the bar is almost perfectly at the 50% mark!
We're talking about if we should change it, though. It's been the same for years and it's worth reviewing.
Niet does have a little something to say on that front so I'll leave the rest to him.
Q: So the new project did away with feeding berries to Pokémon - could we feed them berries in place of petting them? A: Well yes, but actually no. There's still feeding berries to Pokémon - and their liked and disliked preferences are still taken in to account. It's just a different system and you actually use berries. Obviously this is minimal information but that's what Niet's here for when he gets to working / discussing that particular aspect of it later on. Of course, right now, we're working on PFQ, so that's not going to happen at this time. I guess, in short, the thing to understand from this answer is that there is still berry feeding in the new project - it has *not* been taken away. It's just different.
Q: Have you considered IP/Credit reward balancing, breeding rate increases and lowered egg timer numbers for party clicking? A: Yes - but balancing them is the hard part. Let me explain the issue. So, you have party clicking and you have field clicking. The comparison, theoretically, comes in the speed of clicking - but even that makes it more complicated. Do we compare 6 party eggs / Pokémon to one full field (40) (since that's both of them at full capacity)? Or - Do we match 6 for 6? Hecc, what about taking stacked and sorted fields, or spread fields? What about mixed fields? (some stacked, some not). There's more to it, too, like the fact we have our own little auto-clicking function if you drag the berry over the field that you wish to interact with. Do we account for the speed that we have assigned to that? All of these things (and more) change the variable that we would be looking at for considering the weight of party clicks vs field clicks. If we can't nail down that variable, we can't balance appropriately. We are still looking at it, even with these issues that I've posed. It's not that we've given up or anything like that - it's just... Figuring it out.
Q: Would it be possible to simplify the open 10 / clickback screens? A: Well, based on Niet's last post, I'm gonna say yes! Nothing much to say here other than to make note that this is something that was done. <3 Thank you for the question / suggestion (@all who gave input / feedback)
Q: Is addressing the lag issue still being addressed or will it be addressed further? A: It's always being addressed. We're in constant contact with our Mr. 'Server Guy' (Who I have since learned has the nickname of 'Doom' - we shall let him know :p ). We worked with him the past, actually. He's good at his job and he knows what he's doing. He monitors things server-side and brings things to our attention - which allows us to give him the go-ahead for minor alterations to make things a bit better and also allows him to point things out to us so we can make minor alterations to make things better.
Q: Is this what was done to party-clicking the end of your party-clicking fixes? A: Nope. We're just not doing it all at once. We've got a community here who can give feedback and help guide us along the way to making it... I want to say, "what it should be" - and we plan on making the most of it. We'd be fools not to. That does mean things go a bit slower (or in this case, 2 weeks slower, but I'll explain a bit more on that later) but in theory it means they're closer to being the best they can be. ...It also let's people give their input.
Q: Can you make the transfer function two-way by making it like the Time Capsule from Gold, Silver and Crystal? A: No. Let me explain why that worked for Gen I and Gen II. Very simply - they used the same data structure. Now look at Gen II and Gen III - was there transfer? No. Because the data structure changed, just like the data structure between PFQ and this new project is also completely different. Does this mean it's impossible? Absolutely not. Does this mean it's difficult? Yes. Like I said before, we're working on it and we're not just going to give up because it's hard. If we can find a way to make it work, it will be provided.
Q: Can the Daycare adoptions be increased? A: They can - but let me explain why it is what it is at this moment. Broadly speaking, the more casual players still don't reach the daycare limits, or the shelter limits - or the combined limits of the daycare and shelter, and in online game economies there has to be systems to drain money from the game. That's best done by essentially 'charging' the more active players to keep being active - it sounds bad when you put it that way, but if we didn't have that then inflation would run rampant. We've got enough issues with enconomy related things right now ^^' That all said... It is kinda low isn't it? We'll take a look at it, an update will be provided in the next dev log.
Q: What about a compromise of having the Egg Timer have a set number of party clicks vs. a set number of field clicks, so you can do whichever you prefer? Why do you seem to be against compromises? A: No. The entire point of this is to push party interactions. And at this time, we are against a compromise specifically because it is working - moreover, the compromises overcomplicate what should be a very simple thing. At least, right now, this is what it is. Trying to change it from this, when it *just became this* is too much, too fast. How do you expect it would be tested if it is constantly changed? You wouldn't be able to. In any case, don't take my word for it working. We did have some issues before with data points and we absolutely hold our hands up for that. We messed up. So in our collection of data, I have news. Whether that's good or bad is subject to opinion, but here it is. While we haven't tracked the daily party interactions until the update that changed that (16 days ago), they have been tracked - just generally, with no date tied to them - since interactions have been a thing. This was used for tracking event progress. Specifically in terms of usage, it would compare your number at the time of starting the event 'quest', eg. "4500" and let's say the event objective was, click 100 party eggs / pokémon, so it would figure that your counter needed to read "4600" before you could progress. Long story short, this means we have counted all the party clicks ever made. We also have counted ALL clicks ever made - you can see that on our stats page link here~. Put these two data points together and what do you get? A very accurate portrayal of how many interactions were party vs. field interactions. How? MATHS!Ihatemaths
If you take the sum total of party interactions that have been made: 1,448,443,695
And then you take the sum total of interactions made, ever (at the time of writing this post): 19,640,052,337
Then you divide the party interactions by the total number of interactions to get the percentage of the interactions that were party interactions.
That percentage is sitting at 7.375%
Now, keep in mind, we started tracking party interactions 16 days ago, so we can tell you - per day - how many interactions were party interactions vs. total interactions, which again, allows you to figure out how many were party vs. field.
That works out to between 20-30% with an increasing trend.
Again, don't take my word for it --
21st Feb 2020 - 2,620,770 party / 12,763,504 total = 20.5% party vs. field
22nd Feb 2020 - 2,472,123 party / 10,236,332 total = 24.2% party vs. field (24.15 but you round it up so...)
And let's jump to more recent days,
10th Mar 2020 - 2,981,659 party / 10,215,097 total = 29.2% party vs. field
11th Mar 2020 - 2,833,031 party / 9,317,116 total = 30.4% party vs. field
It's the same trend since the update. It's all above, at minimum, 20%.
---
I do want to just cover this and say that this isn't perfect and I'm not going to pretend that it is - but these data points do display a significant difference between the global average (which has obviously been minorly affected by the last 16 days) and the last 2 weeks.
Q: Stats are interesting, will there be more insights on this for other things? A: Where possible yes, as just evidenced - but in general, for efficiency reasons, as little information is taken as possible. There's no point slowing things down to record stuff that may never be needed. As it comes up, if you need it, then you start recording it.
Q: If pokemon are going to be petted, instead of feed with a berry, how would interacting with pokemon in a field work? A: Same as right now, or something like it. You wanna pet? You click 'pet button' and then you do some heccin' pets.
Q: Will the hotkeys be adjusted to fit with the new method of interaction via. a 'pet' vs. infinite berries? A: If the system itself changes then it makes sense that the hotkeys would change as well. Q: Will there be potential changes to the shelter passes / daycare adoptions? A: There are none planned at this time but we can definitely have a discussion about it.
Q: Party click is more intensive for the site and worse for users who have wrist issues, do you have any plans for that? A: Well, as far as we are aware, we removed the About Me's from click-back / multi-click etc. and that seems to have fixed the 'lag' issue. I would like to note that saying that party clicking is 'more intensive' for the site is strictly incorrect. Compare 6 interactions vs. 40, the 6 is easier. As for people with wrist issues, we're doing what we can to alleviate such problems - but ultimately, if you're playing to the point of hurting yourself, please stop. Don't hurt yourself. We'll do what we can and we'll take feedback on-board where possible (see Niet's updoot on the multi-click hotkeys, for instance) but your health is kind of your responsibility. Please, please, please don't hurt yourself. As much as we might like working on this and that people enjoy it, it's really not worth getting hurt over.
Q: Does hiding about me's work with clicklists? A: That's the multi-profile page, just user-edited. So yes.
Q: Will the ultra beast quest be fixed? A: Is it broken? I've heard no tell of it being broken. If it is, please report that. Thank you!
Q: Sorry to be a bother but when will the next DevLog be? A: According to my incredibly complex and mind-numbing calculations that I have been working on for a considerable amount of time... The next Dev Log post should be. . . . . . Right about... Now! :D
So... I want to explain why it's been 16 days since the last post. tldr: I've had a really bad two weeks. Like. How do I even start kind of bad. I've off-handedly sort of mentioned in the last post of DLD#3 but... I think I've figured out a way to explain what's been happening without breaking our own rules. So, 1st March is my birthday. Woohoo, big deal. I really don't care. But it's one of those 'go out with family' things with my family... And we went out. (I don't drink coke/pepsi often but when I go out I swear it's all I get xD) It was nice, we had a good night out, but towards the end of it something happened. It would appear that something was put in my drink that I didn't want in it and wasn't aware of it - I know it was towards the end of it because I didn't have much to drink over the course of the night. Fortunately, we left at that point and I went to bed at my aunt's house. The situation escalated at about 3am when I woke up and was very ill - I managed to go to the shower where I passed out, thus injuring myself. ...If this sounds bad - it is, for me, because as a result of what happened, I have sustained bruising and general injury on the right side of my torso and it's still there to this moment - but don't worry! It gets worse. I woke up in the shower 3 hours later. The house was flooded. While this isn't "my fault" as such... It's still me that did it and I feel absolutely terrible for it. Some of the electrics in my aunts house were damaged and, of course, I'm paying for it - I wouldn't have it any other way given the circumstances. So that was my birthday, up to now - I'm still in pain from what happened and that's why I've been away for so long. I roll around a lot when I sleep... Which has led to me jolting awake over the past 2 weeks (well, 11 days) after 2-3 hours sleep (if I've been lucky) in pain. I've made something of a recovery and I finally had a good rest (6 hours) and that's why I'm back doing this now. I have skipped on certain details due to reasons, but that's the crux of the situation. I am not a very happy person right now. c': That all explained... Here's Niet~
Q: Will there be Custom CSS on the new site, so that codes to stack our party interaction buttons in an ugly but functional manner still work? :] A: You're getting a bit ahead of us there, I'm afraid! We're not even there yet >x>'
Q: Would it be possible to have a 'switch' to stack parties? A: If you know how to do it with code - developer or modder - then anything is technically possible. c: ...I know, I'm being silly, don't worry. It's something we'll consider - we're doing things step-by-step first though. If this hasn't already been made a suggestion (not gonna lie, I haven't looked since this is basically my first day properly jumping back in to work and I need to get this done) then please do make it one! That way it can be properly discussed :D
Q: ECEInTheHole made the following suggestion thread regarding keyboard shortcuts after posing a question in the thread: Link~ --Further context provided in 'answer'-- A: We've taken a look at this suggestion and we've concluded that it's basically a hands-free version of what we already have with the keyboard shortcuts on party-interactoin. (Meaning you don't need to mouse over anything anymore and can just hit the relevant keyboard shortcuts). We're okay with that - so yes, we can do this. Like. Right now. ;D
Q: I haven't seen the FabuBar hit 100% in months, is the target too high? A: Well, right now... 100% isn't your target, I mean it is, obviously, if you want that - but the 'goal' as far as the actual mechanics are concerned is 50%. The way it works right now is that 50% is your 'minimum threshold', everything else is basically... I guess think of it as 'overcharging'. Or to see it illustrated...
Notice that the flame covering the bar is almost perfectly at the 50% mark!Q: So the new project did away with feeding berries to Pokémon - could we feed them berries in place of petting them? A: Well yes, but actually no. There's still feeding berries to Pokémon - and their liked and disliked preferences are still taken in to account. It's just a different system and you actually use berries. Obviously this is minimal information but that's what Niet's here for when he gets to working / discussing that particular aspect of it later on. Of course, right now, we're working on PFQ, so that's not going to happen at this time. I guess, in short, the thing to understand from this answer is that there is still berry feeding in the new project - it has *not* been taken away. It's just different.
Q: Have you considered IP/Credit reward balancing, breeding rate increases and lowered egg timer numbers for party clicking? A: Yes - but balancing them is the hard part. Let me explain the issue. So, you have party clicking and you have field clicking. The comparison, theoretically, comes in the speed of clicking - but even that makes it more complicated. Do we compare 6 party eggs / Pokémon to one full field (40) (since that's both of them at full capacity)? Or - Do we match 6 for 6? Hecc, what about taking stacked and sorted fields, or spread fields? What about mixed fields? (some stacked, some not). There's more to it, too, like the fact we have our own little auto-clicking function if you drag the berry over the field that you wish to interact with. Do we account for the speed that we have assigned to that? All of these things (and more) change the variable that we would be looking at for considering the weight of party clicks vs field clicks. If we can't nail down that variable, we can't balance appropriately. We are still looking at it, even with these issues that I've posed. It's not that we've given up or anything like that - it's just... Figuring it out.
Q: Would it be possible to simplify the open 10 / clickback screens? A: Well, based on Niet's last post, I'm gonna say yes! Nothing much to say here other than to make note that this is something that was done. <3 Thank you for the question / suggestion (@all who gave input / feedback)
Q: Is addressing the lag issue still being addressed or will it be addressed further? A: It's always being addressed. We're in constant contact with our Mr. 'Server Guy' (Who I have since learned has the nickname of 'Doom' - we shall let him know :p ). We worked with him the past, actually. He's good at his job and he knows what he's doing. He monitors things server-side and brings things to our attention - which allows us to give him the go-ahead for minor alterations to make things a bit better and also allows him to point things out to us so we can make minor alterations to make things better.
Q: Is this what was done to party-clicking the end of your party-clicking fixes? A: Nope. We're just not doing it all at once. We've got a community here who can give feedback and help guide us along the way to making it... I want to say, "what it should be" - and we plan on making the most of it. We'd be fools not to. That does mean things go a bit slower (or in this case, 2 weeks slower, but I'll explain a bit more on that later) but in theory it means they're closer to being the best they can be. ...It also let's people give their input.
Q: Can you make the transfer function two-way by making it like the Time Capsule from Gold, Silver and Crystal? A: No. Let me explain why that worked for Gen I and Gen II. Very simply - they used the same data structure. Now look at Gen II and Gen III - was there transfer? No. Because the data structure changed, just like the data structure between PFQ and this new project is also completely different. Does this mean it's impossible? Absolutely not. Does this mean it's difficult? Yes. Like I said before, we're working on it and we're not just going to give up because it's hard. If we can find a way to make it work, it will be provided.
Q: Can the Daycare adoptions be increased? A: They can - but let me explain why it is what it is at this moment. Broadly speaking, the more casual players still don't reach the daycare limits, or the shelter limits - or the combined limits of the daycare and shelter, and in online game economies there has to be systems to drain money from the game. That's best done by essentially 'charging' the more active players to keep being active - it sounds bad when you put it that way, but if we didn't have that then inflation would run rampant. We've got enough issues with enconomy related things right now ^^' That all said... It is kinda low isn't it? We'll take a look at it, an update will be provided in the next dev log.
Q: What about a compromise of having the Egg Timer have a set number of party clicks vs. a set number of field clicks, so you can do whichever you prefer? Why do you seem to be against compromises? A: No. The entire point of this is to push party interactions. And at this time, we are against a compromise specifically because it is working - moreover, the compromises overcomplicate what should be a very simple thing. At least, right now, this is what it is. Trying to change it from this, when it *just became this* is too much, too fast. How do you expect it would be tested if it is constantly changed? You wouldn't be able to. In any case, don't take my word for it working. We did have some issues before with data points and we absolutely hold our hands up for that. We messed up. So in our collection of data, I have news. Whether that's good or bad is subject to opinion, but here it is. While we haven't tracked the daily party interactions until the update that changed that (16 days ago), they have been tracked - just generally, with no date tied to them - since interactions have been a thing. This was used for tracking event progress. Specifically in terms of usage, it would compare your number at the time of starting the event 'quest', eg. "4500" and let's say the event objective was, click 100 party eggs / pokémon, so it would figure that your counter needed to read "4600" before you could progress. Long story short, this means we have counted all the party clicks ever made. We also have counted ALL clicks ever made - you can see that on our stats page link here~. Put these two data points together and what do you get? A very accurate portrayal of how many interactions were party vs. field interactions. How? MATHS!
Q: Stats are interesting, will there be more insights on this for other things? A: Where possible yes, as just evidenced - but in general, for efficiency reasons, as little information is taken as possible. There's no point slowing things down to record stuff that may never be needed. As it comes up, if you need it, then you start recording it.
Q: If pokemon are going to be petted, instead of feed with a berry, how would interacting with pokemon in a field work? A: Same as right now, or something like it. You wanna pet? You click 'pet button' and then you do some heccin' pets.
Q: Will the hotkeys be adjusted to fit with the new method of interaction via. a 'pet' vs. infinite berries? A: If the system itself changes then it makes sense that the hotkeys would change as well. Q: Will there be potential changes to the shelter passes / daycare adoptions? A: There are none planned at this time but we can definitely have a discussion about it.
Q: Party click is more intensive for the site and worse for users who have wrist issues, do you have any plans for that? A: Well, as far as we are aware, we removed the About Me's from click-back / multi-click etc. and that seems to have fixed the 'lag' issue. I would like to note that saying that party clicking is 'more intensive' for the site is strictly incorrect. Compare 6 interactions vs. 40, the 6 is easier. As for people with wrist issues, we're doing what we can to alleviate such problems - but ultimately, if you're playing to the point of hurting yourself, please stop. Don't hurt yourself. We'll do what we can and we'll take feedback on-board where possible (see Niet's updoot on the multi-click hotkeys, for instance) but your health is kind of your responsibility. Please, please, please don't hurt yourself. As much as we might like working on this and that people enjoy it, it's really not worth getting hurt over.
Q: Does hiding about me's work with clicklists? A: That's the multi-profile page, just user-edited. So yes.
Q: Will the ultra beast quest be fixed? A: Is it broken? I've heard no tell of it being broken. If it is, please report that. Thank you!
Q: Sorry to be a bother but when will the next DevLog be? A: According to my incredibly complex and mind-numbing calculations that I have been working on for a considerable amount of time... The next Dev Log post should be. . . . . . Right about... Now! :D
So... I want to explain why it's been 16 days since the last post. tldr: I've had a really bad two weeks. Like. How do I even start kind of bad. I've off-handedly sort of mentioned in the last post of DLD#3 but... I think I've figured out a way to explain what's been happening without breaking our own rules. So, 1st March is my birthday. Woohoo, big deal. I really don't care. But it's one of those 'go out with family' things with my family... And we went out. (I don't drink coke/pepsi often but when I go out I swear it's all I get xD) It was nice, we had a good night out, but towards the end of it something happened. It would appear that something was put in my drink that I didn't want in it and wasn't aware of it - I know it was towards the end of it because I didn't have much to drink over the course of the night. Fortunately, we left at that point and I went to bed at my aunt's house. The situation escalated at about 3am when I woke up and was very ill - I managed to go to the shower where I passed out, thus injuring myself. ...If this sounds bad - it is, for me, because as a result of what happened, I have sustained bruising and general injury on the right side of my torso and it's still there to this moment - but don't worry! It gets worse. I woke up in the shower 3 hours later. The house was flooded. While this isn't "my fault" as such... It's still me that did it and I feel absolutely terrible for it. Some of the electrics in my aunts house were damaged and, of course, I'm paying for it - I wouldn't have it any other way given the circumstances. So that was my birthday, up to now - I'm still in pain from what happened and that's why I've been away for so long. I roll around a lot when I sleep... Which has led to me jolting awake over the past 2 weeks (well, 11 days) after 2-3 hours sleep (if I've been lucky) in pain. I've made something of a recovery and I finally had a good rest (6 hours) and that's why I'm back doing this now. I have skipped on certain details due to reasons, but that's the crux of the situation. I am not a very happy person right now. c': That all explained... Here's Niet~
Got some quick little updates for you today, before going on to announce an overhaul. So be prepared for change ;)
Update 1:
After reviewing interaction data gathered since the implementation of the Egg Timer, it has been decided: the target for Level 10 Egg Timer has been reduced.
Before: 1,500 Party Clicks
After: 1,250 Party Clicks
Update 2:
The "hover a Pokémon in a Party and press a number key to feed it" functionality has been expanded. Now, if you press a number 1-5 when you aren't hovering a Pokémon, then the first Pokémon on the page will be fed. This means you can just hit the numbers before moving on to the next party. However, this only applies to the Multi-Profile page.
Update 3:
"Skip empty parties" has been added as an option to the Online Users page, alongside sorting and quantity options. This setting is on by default for the "Open 10" and "Clickback" quick-links, but off by default on the actual Online Users page.
Unrelated Update 4:
The presentation of the FabuBar♥ has been updated to make it more obvious that "half full" is the goal, and anything beyond that is bonus.
The bar now counts from 0-100% as normal, then continues up to 200% for the maximum bonus power.
This should hopefully make it clearer what the goal is, and feel less like it's constantly being failed and more like it's actually well-balanced and responds to community efforts.
And now for something completely different. An overhaul to a long-standing feature: Scour Missions. Let's get the "bad" change out of the way first - and then I'll show how it's not a "bad" change at all. The energy system will be removed, and instead replaced with a fixed 48-hour cooldown. Instead of requiring users be online every hour to pick them up, you can instead leave them out for several hours - up to 12. When you retrieve them, it will be as if you had sent them out for that many missions. So let's say you send them out in the evening before going to bed. When you wake up in the morning, maybe 8 hours later, you can retrieve them and get 8 missions' worth of rewards. If you leave them at least one hour, then a partial hour will give you a random chance of getting one extra mission, based on just how long it was. For example, 1h30m would give one reward, plus a 50% chance of a second. So for "optimal" results you should collect them every 12 hours on the dot, rotating between four "squads". But depending on your schedule or present needs (eg. if an event or tournament is going on) you may want to vary this but you'll need more Pokémon to do so. It is recommended to keep a Field dedicated to Scour Pokémon. Just in case you send a Pokémon out by mistake, you can cancel within a short time to get it back without triggering the cooldown. And what of Scour Area preferences? How are you supposed to find them out with the 48-hour cooldown? Well that's easy: you don't. Preferred areas will instead pull from the Nature/Flavour preferences. Pokémon that are neutral to flavours will like the City and dislike a random one. This information will be told to you from the first time you send a Pokémon out, so there will be no need for "test" missions. Existing preferences will be wiped in the transition to the new system. All of these are extremely major changes to a very core system. This will require proper downtime and maintenance. When the update is ready, I will make another announcement explaining when Scour Missions will be made temporarily unavailable. You'll then have time to complete existing missions and retrieve the Pokémon - otherwise their missions will be cancelled without reward. So keep an eye for the flashing News dot! That's all for now. See you next time! Dev Log Discussion
And now for something completely different. An overhaul to a long-standing feature: Scour Missions. Let's get the "bad" change out of the way first - and then I'll show how it's not a "bad" change at all. The energy system will be removed, and instead replaced with a fixed 48-hour cooldown. Instead of requiring users be online every hour to pick them up, you can instead leave them out for several hours - up to 12. When you retrieve them, it will be as if you had sent them out for that many missions. So let's say you send them out in the evening before going to bed. When you wake up in the morning, maybe 8 hours later, you can retrieve them and get 8 missions' worth of rewards. If you leave them at least one hour, then a partial hour will give you a random chance of getting one extra mission, based on just how long it was. For example, 1h30m would give one reward, plus a 50% chance of a second. So for "optimal" results you should collect them every 12 hours on the dot, rotating between four "squads". But depending on your schedule or present needs (eg. if an event or tournament is going on) you may want to vary this but you'll need more Pokémon to do so. It is recommended to keep a Field dedicated to Scour Pokémon. Just in case you send a Pokémon out by mistake, you can cancel within a short time to get it back without triggering the cooldown. And what of Scour Area preferences? How are you supposed to find them out with the 48-hour cooldown? Well that's easy: you don't. Preferred areas will instead pull from the Nature/Flavour preferences. Pokémon that are neutral to flavours will like the City and dislike a random one. This information will be told to you from the first time you send a Pokémon out, so there will be no need for "test" missions. Existing preferences will be wiped in the transition to the new system. All of these are extremely major changes to a very core system. This will require proper downtime and maintenance. When the update is ready, I will make another announcement explaining when Scour Missions will be made temporarily unavailable. You'll then have time to complete existing missions and retrieve the Pokémon - otherwise their missions will be cancelled without reward. So keep an eye for the flashing News dot! That's all for now. See you next time! Dev Log Discussion
Cannot post: Please log in to post