Official Mys v1.4.0 Ideas & Suggestions Thread

[Zyraph]

Maybe this symbol could be used?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...x_Alternative_dark_transparent_Background.png

EDIT: Here we go. Put myself to use and made this lol

I like that icon! I think I'd probably offer genderless dragons for my site...maybe allow for different genders to have different art (and some androgynous selections for the genderless ones) :3

Oh, snap! I just thought of an epic thing that could be included, though it might be more long-term.
What about, as far as adoptable generation, what if it were generated as one long code? Like, the adoptable type, its base stats, things like that? It would probably save on performance for SQL, because if the site is just updating a chain of alphanumeric code as one entry, instead of having to write a long list of things separated by column breaks, it might reduce the amount of data needed to be transferred between PHP and SQL, which could reduce load times. Just have the PHP side decode/encode when needed, and off it goes.

Again, it'd probably not be easy to program in at this moment, but then again since stats are currently being worked on, maybe nipping this at the start would be far easier than trying to get it to be done later on? Of course, the other side is, being able to generate those codes on the fly and also having fields change when certain stats are created/edited/deleted would probably make things a lot harder for updating, because it'd have to update the code on a massive scale, but...even at that, if the site was down for maintenance anyway, it could just do the regeneration process of the codes, making sure all the values matched.

I'm not sure how this would (could?) be implemented, but I do believe it's possible. Especially if this is going through a process of conversion into MCV anyway, it could just have a compression layer on top of the stats layer, which would compress the output of the stats when they're created, then push them to the database. Then, when requested, it could be pulled from the database, and then decompressed into its original stats, and then editable.

Just my thoughts. Really don't know if it's doable, but...it'd certainly be interesting :3

 

[MikiHeart]

Haven't read the thread, too many pages XD

But.. What about an MCP?

Moderation has to be implanted at some point. It's actually really important.
Ability to report pet names, stuff on a users profile, user abuse.
If adding a new system, or forum (Hopefully we'll get the latter apart of the script at some point <33. Still hoping), the ability to report comments and posts.

I also think that there should be a section where staff can view private messages. (Yes, I know, some people go "That's invasion of Privacy!" But if you have a dispute between users, you want to be able to see what was said. No he said she said. Also, it's actually common practice and I would recommend it. (Don't think that Neopets isn't reading everything you send through your site. You start pedoing and I bet they'll be on you like a hawk!)

Moderation is extremely important, and having mod levels is better than giving them admin levels. I'd rather have 10 mods under me doing all the little things, then risk giving them access to important things O_O

 

[IntoRain]

Haven't read the thread, too many pages XD

I also think that there should be a section where staff can view private messages. (Yes, I know, some people go "That's invasion of Privacy!" But if you have a dispute between users, you want to be able to see what was said. No he said she said. Also, it's actually common practice and I would recommend it.

Just a thing about this, you can see the private messages users send in your site in the database, evertyhing is stored there

 

[tahbikat]

I'm not sure if this has been suggested or is being implemented but can there be the option to "release adoptable to the wild"? This would actually delete the adoptable permanently. This will help keep the pound clear of unwanteds I think.

And maybe releasing (deleting) the adoptables can only be done at a certain level specified by the admin.

So for example, I'd only be able to release/delete adult creatures. Adult creatures are all level 3 and up on my site. I can't release a juvenile, which would be level 2, and definitely not an egg at level 1.

If there's already an option for a user to delete their adoptables then totally ignore me.

 

[MikiHeart]

Just a thing about this, you can see the private messages users send in your site in the database, evertyhing is stored there

Yes, I know this. But it's better to actually have an admin panel without the need to login to phpmyadmin.

That's the whole point of having an admin panel XD Otherwise everything would be done in phpmyadmin (I've known sites like that, and I have to say, what a hassle)

 

[IntoRain]

Yes, I know this. But it's better to actually have an admin panel without the need to login to phpmyadmin.

That's the whole point of having an admin panel XD Otherwise everything would be done in phpmyadmin (I've known sites like that, and I have to say, what a hassle)

Sorry, I said it in case you didn't know and were needing it at the moment.

 

[Zyraph]

Haven't read the thread, too many pages XD

But.. What about an MCP?

Moderation has to be implanted at some point. It's actually really important.
Ability to report pet names, stuff on a users profile, user abuse.
If adding a new system, or forum (Hopefully we'll get the latter apart of the script at some point <33. Still hoping), the ability to report comments and posts.

I also think that there should be a section where staff can view private messages. (Yes, I know, some people go "That's invasion of Privacy!" But if you have a dispute between users, you want to be able to see what was said. No he said she said. Also, it's actually common practice and I would recommend it. (Don't think that Neopets isn't reading everything you send through your site. You start pedoing and I bet they'll be on you like a hawk!)

Moderation is extremely important, and having mod levels is better than giving them admin levels. I'd rather have 10 mods under me doing all the little things, then risk giving them access to important things O_O

I can kinda agree with this, and I do believe something like this needs to be implemented. However, I do not believe admins need access to every PM. Moderation is an issue that should always be taken very seriously, but to compromise freedoms just because of moderation isn't exactly what most administrators should have in mind.

I propose a middle ground. This is something implemented in most forum systems that actually are up to scratch, but I'd say what needs to be implemented is a report function in general. Not just for pet names, and not just for user accounts. One that is able to call attention to pretty much anything, be it posts, PMs, users, pretty much whatever anyone has entered at one point in time, can be reported. Basically, a feature that, once someone is reported, all information about them can be viewed easily (except PMs, those must be reported on a case-by-case basis). If someone reports a PM from a user, the moderators can see the entire PM chain, with the offending/reported PM highlighted.

This would make sure it's not just "oh, this is what the user said," it's so we can get entire context. Sometimes, it's not just about a quote. Those can be misconstrued, especially in a very limited media such as text. We need context before making an unbiased opinion, and possible ruling, so I'd say something like this would be a greater need than simply seeing all PMs ever created. Plus, it cuts down on unneeded queries to the database. Sure, maybe a few hundred PMs wouldn't be so bad, but if you get thousands (or hundreds of thousands, like through DragonAdopters) and you'd not know what to look for.

I used to be a moderator for DrA, and then disappeared after the second year of operation or so. I also used to run the IRC channel it had. That's why I know some things on this ;3 Also, to my knowledge, DrA had a specific reporting function that worked with a "Report Forum." It would assign the reporter in a thread, quoting and linking an offending post or PM. This made moderation very simple, as we could easily decide on what to do for moderation, and talk to other mods in that thread. No user could ever see that thread unless they were a moderator, and even the reporter didn't have access, though we would PM the reporter to let them know the situation was handled. Maybe if we had a similar system we could implement, that would be very awesome.

EDIT: Also thought of an idea that would totally be awesome. Not sure if it's been mentioned/planned already, but how about URL shortener/API support? Like, for YOURLs or any kind of URL shortener. Some have their own API, and if there was a way to integrate that in, we could make shorter links to the adoptable pages, user pages, etc. I think it'd be epic!

 

[Hall of Famer]

umm MCP is planned for Mys v1.4.0. I am definitely interested in hearing opinions on what kind of moderations you would like to have in the next version.

 

[KaceKuma]

I will likely to revise the cash system in Mys v1.4.0, to make it easier to use multiple currencies. If not, I will still release a Mod to make this happen.

I saw you posted this in a thread in the past and would like to request this is going to be added in. I haven't had a chance to see if this has already been confirmed or already suggested yet, but I wanted to ask to see if it would be.
~KaceKuma

 

[Hall of Famer]

Actually I've been thinking, why do people want a multiple-currency system? I mean, it's definitely not difficult to make, just I dont see how useful it is. Maybe it's just me, if anyone can give a very good reason for it I will seriously consider the idea. ^^

 

[Kyttias]

• Normal currency is obtained from usual site activities (levelling up dragons), etc.
• Special tokens may be rewarded from playing games or solving puzzles to buy special items at a special store that only accepts that currency.
• Cash currency that people buy with real money via PayPal. You may wonder why we need a "cash shop" and why we can't just let users buy virtual goods directly with PayPal - not everyone can use PayPal, but they may purchase an amount of the currency and then send it to their friends as a gift. On many sites, items bought with real currency may be monthly or seasonal items that will never be seen again for sale, making them highly sought after.
• Forum participation points, possibly to be converted into ordinary currency, possibly to buy special items at a special store.
• Item drop currency (we can already sort of do this) - as your pet grows, it may have a chance of shedding something cool, like magical dust, shiny scales, or slightly glowing feathers (or whatever). If you gather enough of it, wouldn't it be cool to trade it in to a special store that accepts that item as a currency?

 

[Zyraph]

For my site, I was planning to implement multiple types of currencies. For example, different colored dragons can shed different colored energy, depending on what their color is. A red dragon gives red energy, a blue dragon gives blue energy, etc. This can be made to create specific items with different traits. Red can translate to flame, which can (eventually) raise the attack stat of a dragon. Blue can translate to water and raises defense.

Using this as a basis for multiple currencies, I can then create different types of items for different dragons, which raise different stats, which allows for a more dynamic battle system other than "Oh, my adoptable's level is 100, it'll beat anything 99 or under." It allows the creation of a "dragon type" system, a multi-tier crafting system, a stat change system, and a less predictable battle system, all because there's more than one currency.

One issue that could arise from this is if someone only has one dragon that produces one color, but there could easily be a currency exchange that can be put into place to prevent that. Of course, there should also be a way to prevent certain currencies from being exchanged (no ultra-premium currencies for common currencies unless they're in massive quantities, for instance).

Just by having multiple currencies, the game feels a lot more immersive. It can also be possible to have a common currency, one that people can change any other currency into, in order to change it into something else or spend it on things that only take that currency (like forum purchases or something). Does this make sense?


Also, as far as the MCP things, I'd take a look at some of the things implemented by different forum systems. Things like finding IPs for account banning (usually if there's extreme abuse of the system), an account warning system (which a mod can use if a user is being unruly), a report feature (so the mods don't have to watch every single little thing and users can report odd behavior/users breaking rules)...basically, things like that. I'd recommend making IP banning something that admins can do and not just moderators, since an IP is something that should never be leaked.

Other MCP abilities that could be included would probably involve account correction for certain things that didn't work as intended. For example, if a user tries to complete a quest or event and was never credited with their reward, maybe a moderator could have a means for making sure they get what they need. However, this could easily lead to abuse of the game, to the point that it's unclear if a user is being truthful or just wanting more funds and trying to lie about part of the system not working. I'm not entirely sure how to prevent such a thing, though...it'd be up to the discretion of the mods/admins for that, I suppose. I would recommend any action on that logged so that an admin can review such things and ensure there's no abuse of it.

Just my thoughts :3

 

[squiggler]

That's a good list, Kyttias! I'd also like to add loyalty currency- from logging in everyday or from being a member for X amount of time. It's a great way to encourage users to come back everyday and that way, if you update your site frequently, they'll see the new features. Plus, convince them to just come to claim their token- just 5 seconds- and you have a chance to interest them in something else! *evil laugh*

Here's an example from Kingdom of Knuffel:

Troth Tokens are a reward for regular members and can be claimed daily.
With Troth Tokens you can buy exclusive items in the Troth Tent.
The longer you come to Kingdom Of Knuffel for several days in a row, the more Troth Tokens you can claim per day:

Day 1-7: 1 [Troth Tokens]
Day 8-14: 2 [Troth Tokens]
Day 15-21: 4 [Troth Tokens]
Day 22-28: 8 [Troth Tokens]
Day 29+: 10 [Troth Tokens]

Once you don't claim your Troth Tokens for a day your count goes back to 1 Troth Token.

 

[Pear]

^The reason why I would really, really enjoy a multiple currencies system is if I could make it so that there was a currency option that someone could purchase, so that it could be used to fund the site's server costs and such. c: Using the normal currency to do that is pretty much pointless if the site allows money to be earned through clicks. c:

Edit:
Woah..One second I was looking at a different post, and when I posted there are a billion posts before mine. xD

 

[Hall of Famer]

I see, very nice explanation. I will consider making the multi-currency system into Mys v1.4.0, or at least release it very soon as a Mod after Mys v1.4.0.

 

[Zyraph]

That reminds me...I don't believe this was mentioned before, and would probably be kinda tricky to implement, but what would be nice might be a url shortener embedded in the script. Or at least an option to allow us to shorten urls from the longer ones that tend to be generated once a dragon hatches.

For example, I plan on using a custom url shortener which has its own API for link generation. If we could have a place to put an API token/secret into our installations, we could have shortened urls which would make sharing on different sites (like Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc) a lot easier. Plus, a lot of forums tend to have a limited amount of characters we can put into signatures. This would most likely solve that problem since we would only really have to link the page and the image in the code, and it would show the rest.

The biggest issue I can think of is generating a link for each image. If the shortener has to generate a link for every individual image, it might get a little chaotic, but the individual pages should be fine. Although, if we allow hotlinking for different images of adoptables anyway that others can select, then it would probably be easier to just make it so that it only shortens the page links and not the image links. Or maybe have a "master link list" of the individual adoptable images that aren't customized by the user, have those shortened, and allow the user to shorten their image links on their own if they feel the need.

Just a thought :3


Also, I've noticed I've made a lot of recommendations...I tend to get carried away with these kinds of things, I hope it's not too much ^.=.^;;

 

[FRivArt]

Because I don't see it here, I want to ask if, besides multiple alternates, will there/would there/could there be the option for gender dimorphic images? Not that alt 1 is male and alt 2 is female, but that there's alt 1 with a female image and male image, like in DC, ToD, etc...?

 

[Hall of Famer]

Because I don't see it here, I want to ask if, besides multiple alternates, will there/would there/could there be the option for gender dimorphic images? Not that alt 1 is male and alt 2 is female, but that there's alt 1 with a female image and male image, like in DC, ToD, etc...?

Well I do have plans for gender-based alternate forms/images. With the way I've coded so far, you can choose what conditions the very alternate form will apply. Gender is one such option, we use binary field with 0 = female, 1 = male, if you leave it blank(Null value) it will apply for both genders.

 

[FRivArt]

Wondering, since it wasn't an option in the current one, would there be an "evolving" description or a mod for this? Just its getting updated as the creature levels.

 

[Hall of Famer]

umm what do you mean by evolving description? Something like adoptables description changing with level?