Anoua

Hopefully a lot. For Animal Acres have a major goals system update that has been in the works for a while and is really close to being done now. Still some to finish adding, finish testing, and reward balancing to finish up. But I am pretty excited to finally get that released. For Eliyo I have a lot planned as far as content updates and more art which is definitely needed. Eliyo being still in beta there is a lot planned for it still that I want to add. The past couple weeks I have really been working to finalize some details so I can get the necessary art filled in for everything. I plan to make it a lot more explorable, and just adding some more things to do besides battling and breeding as well. Stay tuned!

What do you enjoy doing for quests and what makes them really grab you? Any examples of really fun quests (doesn't need to be pet site specific)? What don't you like to see or do for a quest system? I've played a lot of games with questing and really enjoyed it, but when I think about pet sites tend to think the generic fetch item quests, which can be fun, but in the past had normally meant using the user shop search to find the cheapest one, buying it and turning it in. So no real game play or exploration going on. It's really just a means to an end, which is the reward. In general quests I do like tend to be part of the game play experience and encourage exploration of the world. For instance with Skyrim there are a lot of quests that are about going into locations and fighting. So exploring the world, sometimes leading to cool discoveries or rewards outside the actual quest reward. Some of them at the core are pretty much fetch item quests, but it's a specific item at a specific location, so you can't really bypass it by fast traveling to town and just purchasing it, you have to go through the location and find it. Anyone else have thoughts on quests and likes or dislikes with them?

@volka Oh honestly. Of course I do more than just change an email because someone messaged me. But this thread isn't about that so no I did not go into details about my process nor do I intend right now, especially not when I find your tone and attitude to be one of disrespect, and again it would be off topic anyway. My point in mentioning it was I would have to manually handle the situation, including verification yes and then if appropriate updating an email. If you would rather do things differently than that is your prerogative but I manage my games how I would want them to be managed for games I play.

@volka Not sure if you are referring to my comment, but I feel like you are since no one has mentioned manually changing emails as an option. So I will clarify that Eliyo and Animal Acres both let you change your email yourself right in your account settings.

Hey good job on releasing your site! Does the A in ARPG stand for art or something? Would be good to explain that somewhere for people not familiar. Edit: Finally see it listed on the 'Game Vision' page. I checked FAQ and Game to Eniv and couldn't find it. I think it'd be beneficial to add information on these pages for those who aren't gamilar with the genre. Anyway things look nice, the main thing is just a lot of confusion on what I am being presented with. It seems there is not really user accounts, but instead the Eniv are purchased by contacting you in some way, and sending money through something like paypal, then it's manually added to the site? I guess you update the accounts manually too. But I didn't really see how you 'start taking part in the game' by following the listed accounts. All I am seeing on them is links back to your site. Which does have some information, but for people like me without prior ARPG knowledge, it's still a bit unclear. I am probably not your target audience anyway since I don't have time to draw or write short stories, but just wanted to point out some of the confusion so it could be addressed and you could potential reach a larger audience. Note: I noticed your deviant art group link on the contact page is broken.

I am a full stack web developer PHP on the backend JS on the front end. I am stronger in PHP than JS, but have worked with both plenty. For me I definitely prefer a framework for the PHP portion, though if it's a js heavy site a framework would probably be helpful there too. I love having a framework. Unless I am designing a really small fairly static site then integrating a framework makes my job a lot easier and just more enjoyable too. It already has basic things built in such as routing (allows you to have web.com/page instead of web.com/page.php for a simple example), validation tools, built in ORM (object relational mapper, maps database to the php code), etc... Things that are necessary or good to have and that I don't really want to do myself. For framework choices I do love Laravel. Hard to explain, but it just looks nice and is enjoyable to work with. I especially love Eloquent it's ORM. I strongly prefer to work with it, it's name is an accruate description. It has a standalone package and I have taken advantage of that on numerous occassions. For Animal Acres, which is half of Fat Free Framework I ported in Eloquent as well. I tried to use Fat Frees ORM for a while, but it was just too clunky and I felt like I was constantly forgetting the exact syntax and having to reference the docs or my own code, which is just a pain. Eloquent for me just feels natural. For basic operations I can just code without referencing anything. For yourself you may just have to try some and see what you think. It can be helpful to learn some basics before just jumping into to a framework though, just so you can differentiate between what is PHP and what is the framework. And just get a feel for things without as much added complication. For PHP there are definitely a lot of resources, this is pretty helpful. But do pay attention to the age of any resources you look at. My husband has been learning, and I had pulled a couple free courses for him, and they were just bad primarily because of the the age. The ecosystem has changed a lot, and PHP has improved a lot. You don't want to learn bad habits by learning from outdated resources.

I think sending an email to the original email like in Method 2 is probably a good idea or at the least not a bad one. Though the message should be about the email being changed, unless you are proposing only if the password is immediately changed after too send an email. But it doesn't hurt to send an email with the option to somehow recover the account. Could even be a reset the email back to the original and go through the password reset process. But I haven't done this with Eliyo at this point. If there were issues and someones account was breached I would try to manually resolve the issue. Though people are responsible for their own passwords too. But I haven't really ran into this scenario anyway, more situations where people needed me to change manually their email since they didn't have access anymore (well this was for Animal Acres which older) and couldn't remember their password.

The more details the better. I like to have the project mapped out in details so I can just jump right in and program and know I am doing what they want to do. For my own personal projects there can be some leeway since stuff can be in my head how I want it, though writing it down does help to remember correctly. But for non personal project it definitely slows me down. I either have to guess, which is stressful and can often be wrong, or I have to stop and ask them waiting on them before I can continue which is obviously not ideal. A specification that includes mocks ups and detailed text are ideal. And if I don't have these I do stop and ask for them at the least a detailed description of what is wanted. For side projects I think staying motivated is also brought on by enjoying the game or concept and owner communication. Hearing back that the updates are working or even if there are just some tweaks keeps me focused and motivated on getting it done. So really communication could be summed up as the biggest factor then since that does encompass telling me what is wanted along with after things have been turned in.

My husband has been going through a PHP course on udemy that is pretty good. It's Laravel specific and might be hard for a complete beginner to follow (he has been taking other non php course already and one php specific beginner coarse that wasn't great so wasn't starting from ground zero) but the instructor has a lot of different courses some that are just PHP and beginner level that might work for you even if this one doesn't. Here is a link to that coarse, https://www.udemy.com/php-with-laravel-for-beginners-become-a-master-in-laravel/ And the instructor, https://www.udemy.com/user/edwin166/?key=taught_courses&taught_courses=2 He is a character, I hear my husband playing the videos a lot and I think he is easy to follow and entertaining. Note: these course are always on sale for 10-12 dollars.

Check out our brand new layout! This is currently the default layout, but otherwise is available as Peaceful Pines when you select a specific layout. Hope you enjoy the new theme as much as I do. Let us know what you think below! View full news

It's not abusing the pet/animal for a couple reason. The number one reason in relation to games is because it's not real. There is no pet/animal involved at all. A lot of pet games don't even have much in the way of AI, so other than your own imagination there isn't anything that even makes the creature feel alive either. So if you imagine being forced or whatever that isn't the usual lore for games but a personal view being imposed. I personally don't see real life breeding for specific traits abusive either*. It's not usually forced (artificial insemination being another topic I am not talking about), but instead just a natural process of being introduced when the female is in heat. * This is assuming the traits are not detrimental to the animal being bred and the animals are well taken care of. Obviously this isn't always the case; breeding live animals definitely CAN be done abusively. I do think animals should be treated with kindness, but I don't believe animals and humans are the same level. But believe it is right for humans to be over animals to own them and use them for things (such as companionship, herding ship, riding, etc... but not for abuse) as I believe this is the natural created order designed by God. I understand others see this differently, and if your world view is we are all the same level or whatever, you may not be able to accept human ownership over animals at all, and so in that case I would imagine any type of selective breeding would be seen as wrong. But that isn't really my world view so I don't have a problem with it. As for breeding for a profit in real life I don't have a specific problem against it, but I think it can often be hard to do so and still treat animals as they should be. And in games breeding for profit I have no problem with it since it's a game and there are no actual animals involved. As for why I enjoy breeding in games; I like to see the outcomes. What pretty colors can I get, see my pets lineage continue on, collecting more pets etc... I think personally doesn't count for as much in games generally, because in most games personality literally doesn't mean anything. In games where it does I like to see how the personalities are affected across generations too and just see how things pass on. In my head I am not over breeding my animals, starving them or trying to cause pain, nor am I 'forcing' them to have babies in a way that would be abusive, so it doesn't bother me. Most games I play have a cool down between breeding anyway, so feels like there is time to rest up. In real life I also see real life babies, animal and human, as blessings in general, so tend to have a more is merrier approach and I think that probably transfers to how I play games and use breeding features.

Honestly just depends what you are going for. Getting to pick in some way can help form attachment to the first pet, as the player has some choice in the matter. This would be especially important in sites that limit the total pets pretty heavily like neopets does as each space is pretty significant. But even in sites where you can have many it can just make that first pet more significant which can be tie to your game. You can form attachments to random pets too, but you may also get one you don't like. So this type of scenero would likely be better where the amount of pets you can have is less limited or you can collect them all. As for having some type of quest to get a pet that can be a way to immerse the player in the game or make the introduction more meaningful. I think either way can work, it just depends on what type of game you want. And then other games you don't really get handed a pet at all, but need to buy it by earning in game money. I've played many like this and enjoy them but it does give the game a steeper learning curve in the beginning. Even ones where many give out free pets plentifully to newbies you'll see others complaining the game is too hard and quitting. This challenge isn't necessarily a bad thing, plenty stick around still, but I thought it worth mentioning since retention seems to be the biggest challenge with these games I've seen. As for choosing which method to go with it's not really an easy answer. You just have to decide what type of game you want or have and decide based on that which fits in best with that world.

I think there is definitely a balance to it and pros and cons for each situation. But time is a limited resource, so definitely something to consider. You are probably a bit more pro package than I am, but I do agree that they can be a great asset. And I personally am very pro framework as well. Keeps me from having to rewrite basic functionality (routing system, authentication, and a good orm to name a few). Of course you can roll your own, but for me it's just a waste of time as what is out there is going to be better than what I can do or take way too much time which is a limited resource. And I think packages can help in that same manor when you really don't need a custom solution. However I do see some drawbacks with long term maintainability. For example when upgrading my project (Eliyo) from Laravel 4 to 5, it was a big hassle upgrading the packages. I really didn't use a lot of packages outside of the framework, but the one package I am thinking of also had updated versions for 4 to 5, but I essentially had to rewrite that portion of code, because the versions weren't really compatible. My custom code however, upgraded without needing anything additional. Now I did have a couple other packages that didn't need anything, which was great, but I remember the one that did. And I would imagine this would have been even greater had I went package crazy using packages for everything. And I mean there is no guarantee a package will continue to be maintained at all. You can of course try to get a good one that is being updated now, but if your project lasts long term, you might need to rewrite or find a different package down the road. Which is really just a pain, especially for something simple like the Online users list mentioned above. I think in that case the benefit doesn't really outweigh the long term costs. However, even with that said, I think they can be pretty useful and can definitely save time while still allowing a more full featured site so are definitely worth considering as an option. Also think the points mentioned of what to look for were great, especially the one about being extendable as you likely will run into something, even if minor, that needs customized.

Hey welcome Chibisaurus. Best is pretty subjective, but what type of sites do you generally like? Do you play any currently? I have two games myself, Animal Acres and Eliyo which are pretty different. Animal Acres is a pretty standard sim from older days though I have been adding updates. Then Eliyo I designed from the ground up, but it's still in Beta and I do have more features I am planning to add before I'll consider it out of beta. Battling and breeding are the main focuses there. I personally enjoy Sylestia myself, but hardly play any anymore just because I am busy. Still it has some cool RPG elements which I enjoy, and has fun breeding options too, hex based system. Some newer ones include Novilar and Tattered Weave which are probably worth checking out if you haven't.

I prefer fantasy ones, but tend to like ones based off real creatures especilly dogs and foxes.

Two new parts have been discovered for the Preat! A fluffy curled tail and a larger ear. Want to discover the new parts yourself? You'll have to breed to unlock them because these parts haven't been found on wild caught Preat so far. Interested in playing? Eliyo is completely free to play! So check us out today: http://www.eliyo.net/ View full news

Oh wow that's pretty cool. She is a pretty light purple right now.

The Preat is receiving some attention with two exclusive markings and a new tail! The markings are Dorsal and Splatter and can be seen below. The dorsal marking spans a line from head across the back with some striping on the head and where the shoulders meet. The splatter has splattering on the feet and face portion. The new tail is a short tail modeled after a white tailed deer. View full news

@Dinocanid Well I can't say I can spend all by free time on programming either lol. I definitely take breaks too, and some weeks I really don't have much mental energy left to program at all after work. So just depends what I am working on, and sometimes just how excited I am about my own projects. Excitement to get something out can take me far even if I would otherwise be too tired. But even so after a while my brain just needs time to not think too.

I can get that way if I am struggling with programming something for a while and not getting to the solution within a smaller amount of time, which does happen depending on what I am working on. But getting solutions and solving things has a pretty positive effect on my mind and mood too so tends to balance out. And then the standard stuff I do regularly I enjoy and I can really program all day and keep going on those days.

Nice, wasn't expecting another one already.

@Digital Exactly. So not critiquing negatively, just not necessarily my favorite type of critters. A good choice for the season though and it is lots of others peoples favorites. And either way it's fun to get new ones.

@Kesstryl The game is fully developed in some sense, but it's not really complete. Being a web game there are always things to update or new additions to add. And it's an old game, so as I go through updating it allows me to update things to modern standards, making it more attractive and user friendly as well. And doing it in part like this allows the live site to stay running even as different areas are refactored. If I wasn't planning to make maintain it or make any updates/changes then it wouldn't really be worth it. But the idea is to get it up to date for the modern audience.

Eliyo I designed on Laravel which I am still satisfied with. I initially started with Laravel 4 which was fairly new at the time. But now it's on Laravel 5. That update was a pain, but I was glad to finally get the switch over with. For Animal Acres it came with just plain PHP. And it's currently a bit of a hodgepodge. I am converting to Fat Free Framework for the base. So page by page have been switching over to using the framework following a model view controller paradigm instead. When I first started the conversion I was using fat frees object relational mapper for the database, but have since added Laravel's Eloquent to Animal Acres as well and like that a lot better. Fat Free's is very clunky and limited, always felt like it was slower down development so was a good switch. But does mean some areas use fat frees, some use eloquents and some of my models are duplicated as well right now. I also added blade (html template language from laravel) to fat free recently and that has been a welcome switch too. But again does mean my base template is a bit odd to account for it's different uses, plus the duplication from pre fat free area that haven't fully been migrated yet.

Oh wow, not sure I am going to like this or not, but kind of exciting to see what it's going to look like. Ah I have too many I need to advance still.