SingSong

The Little Tree? I remember you. I've always liked your art. 

I like your avatar, KingofCrows.

Thanks for joining us!

Welcome! Your site has added so many new color options in the Magic Puddle since I last checked. Very cool. Glad your site is doing well. 

@Digital Thanks for letting us know.

And I was wondering how the notifications worked because I would get them without having earned any power in between. That makes sense now.

1 minute ago, runeowl said:

 

I was pressured into evolving my unicorn from its baby form because of all of the notifications Would it be possible to choose to keep 'em a baby, even if they're ready to evolve? Maybe as simple as limiting the number of notifications that remind the user to evolve their adopt, haha. 

RIP tiny unicorn child, hello big pony

 

 

Haha! Good point. I noticed that. I was pressured as well.

It gets so annoying, you finally give in. You have to remember not to post with the pets you don't want to level up. But if you want to display them? Out of luck.

Maybe there could be a "Turn off Notifications" option next to where it says "Evolve" on the adoptables' page?

Swab

Seconding what everyone else has said. I look forward to hearing more about your game project.

Welcome, by the way! It's nice to see another pixel artist! ^-^

Haha! Yes. We have cameras everywhere. We see everything. No one goes unnoticed. 

Welcome! Glad you like it so far. 

You can get a Core Member badge when you're ready to make a post. It will show people that you're an artist.

Quoting Digital: "Remember that to become a Core Member is relatively easy, requires a post in our looking for work forum and a minimum number of posts every 90 days to maintain your user title."

Good luck on finding some projects to help!

I concur with PaulSonny! Great to see another game owner around. Hope you like our forum and stick around.

I'll do my best to get something done for it by the end of the week. This seems pretty fun. ^-^

I like these updates a lot. I'm very impressed by your continuous hard work and dedication. You rock. 

23 hours ago, Sparren said:

but my understanding so far is that much of what you can do with a program like GIMP or Photoshop can also be achieved programatically using GraphicsMagick.

 

That's what I was imagining, too. Okay, looks like I do understand it then.

23 hours ago, Sparren said:

For a better idea of what I mean have a look at some of the 'mogrify' command options available (http://www.graphicsmagick.org/mogrify.html). As you can probably see mogrify allows you to transform an image in many different ways. (Layering images to build a composite would use a different command called 'composite' http://www.graphicsmagick.org/composite.html)

 

Wow, I can see the power in that. So cool.

23 hours ago, Sparren said:

Yeah. I can kind of imagine why though.

Such a project is a large undertaking and not only will it require lots of continuous support and documentation, but the demographics it is probably most attractive to (minors and those unable to afford lots of custom code upfront) likely aren't too flush with cash. Therefore unless it develops a large following and/or a great monetization strategy I imagine it is hard to make a project like this profitable long term.

 

Those are my thoughts as well. I'm actually surprised MysidiaAdoptables is still around for those reasons. These projects are a lot of work for (most likely) little pay. I do, however, like the idea MyVirtualPetSite had about releasing additional features that people would have to pay for in order to add to their sites. I think that had the potential to be profitable, but I do remember that some ways they went about things made people lose interest. The main factor was that updates were scarce after the first month, so that alone killed the project. The other big thing is that you couldn't customize your layout unless you paid from what I remember. On these kinds of projects, you want people to be able to create things of some kind of quality without paying, because the non-paying members probably fit into the category you mention and don't have cash to spend, but they have some time to spare. If they put their time into making a good product, the main pet site platform will receive some traffic simply due to that, and some of those newcomers may be willing to pay for something.

23 hours ago, halichu said:

oh really?? I actually never heard of that! I just hear how emotional the girls are versus the boys.  I know a lot of girls who are clingy to their moms! But I'm sure she is going to be clingy to my husband since he is going to be a stay at home dad while I work  I think it's honestly just who they grow up with more!

 

Yeah, it may be that. I also think girls may prefer the lax natures dads typically have versus the strictness of moms (because it generally works out that way that moms end up being the ones that lay down the law).

23 hours ago, halichu said:

Oh yes! I totally agree. I wasn't very comfortable with my parents.. at least telling them about stuff because they would either A) get angry or B ) be extremely judgemental. So I definitely know what NOT to do when it comes to expressing their emotions/feelings.

 

Yep. Same case with me. At least we both learned how we don't want to handle things with our kids, so that's the bright side of things. >_<

23 hours ago, halichu said:

Awee thank you! My contract actually just got extended today until June 2nd and I give birth July 6th. My boss just asked if I would be willing to work past June 2nd and I said yes so I'm only going to be off for like 2 weeks before I give birth D: I am SUPER exhausted and cranky most of the time, but I really like what I do.

 

It's good that you like your job. But two weeks? Madness. Looks like Madilyn will be a Cancer? Too bad. A little longer and she would be a Leo, which I have to say are the best (that's me!). But really cool. Summer babies are awesome. But the thing I remember from elementary school is that barely any of the kids in my class remembered to show up at my birthday party, because it was at the end of July. So there's that.

Cool. I'll look out for your sneak peak.

19 hours ago, chocoshrooms said:

 

Hello! Oh wow, I'm surprised someone remembers me, especially since I haven't been active. :0 How are you?

I haven't made adoptables on Deviantart for a while due to a busy schedule, unfortunately. 

 

 

How could I forget! I met you through Pepper-head, so it was easy to remember you, too.

Bummer! Well, I hope that life has been treating you well and that you've been able to get some art done in between everything else.

Thanks for joining! Don't forget to check out our Easter contest. It ends when May begins:

I noticed that you have two games on your product page that say "coming soon". Any idea when we'll be able to see a preview of those? 

So, the main reason I suggested this game is because it used to be freeware on Windows computers. I was curious about how many people remembered it and of those that had played it before what they thought about it after returning to it after so many years.

The current generation has been spoiled with high-detail graphics and 3D images (so much so that it's hard to impress people aesthetically now), but there still is a place for simple puzzle games, right? Most of the popular mobile apps tend to be remakes of old arcade games, and there will always be a group that prefers the touch of nostalgia over anything new that is offered.

Most of us that are developing a game now don't have the resources or even the desire to create 3D games with elaborate animation and are taking a more minimalistic approach. So I thought about this game and how we can learn from older games and decide what elements are worth keeping the same and what things we should do differently,

Is it possible to imagine this particular game as a mobile app if the art were updated? I would say, of course!

What about this game do you still think works when compared to modern games?

What do you think needs to be changed (aside from the art)?

Anyway, I'll put my two cents in toward the end of the week. I hope someone will play with me.

These are my scores thus far:

Hey, Choco. I remember you, of course. How have you been? Still making adoptables on Deviantart?

Awesome! It's great to have more on my "to-do list" of pets to level up.

Personally, I like the idea of it showing 3 random games every page load. That way, while I'm browsing the forum I may encounter one that catches my eye,

Yay! I was watching our member count and knew this milestone was coming up.

Thank you @LIZ for this adoptable!

And thanks to everyone else for your contributions to our community here.

On 4/16/2017 at 8:38 AM, Sparren said:

Sounds pretty cool. It's unfortunate the game isn't still around I would have liked to try it out.

I never used MyAdopts so I'm not sure it would have been realistic there, but I can imagine something along those lines being possible with image layering suites like GraphicsMagick. The complexity would depend upon how the parts were drawn since in order to build a proper looking pet each part would have to be specially mapped with each connecting piece. A possible work-around for that would simply be to allow players to layer the parts manually (similar to how ChickenSmoothie allows players to dress their pets), and then generate the permanent 'official' pet image from that once they confirm they are happy with the combination. Of course that would still limit how the parts had to be drawn a bit and open the door for some poorly built 'troll' pets.

Anyway, to get back on track a bit... I think games like that really go to show what can be achieved when designers aren't restricted by their lack of coding knowledge. Having more tools and opportunities to build up a game without having to invest so much time and money up front for a programmer to build everything from scratch could allow some really unique and interesting games to finally see the light of day.

2

Don't fret too much. It was the product of only a few weeks, so there were only about a dozen pages on the site. It wasn't a complete game to play.

I keep seeing people mention GraphicsMagick. I'm kind of confused what it does still. From their site, it says it can:

• Create a composite image by combining several separate images

Is this the function that you're referencing? Would it basically layer these pieces together as one image, so you don't have to save all the combinations and upload them yourself?

But I understand what you're trying to say. There are possible ways to get around that issue. However, without having much knowledge about programming, I don't know how much of this would have been doable on a platform like MyAdopts that doesn't give you access to the backend programming (like MysidiaAdoptables does).

And yeah, I agree. Having something like this would allow more people to make games. Artists would be more capable of creating sites (without having to hunt down a programmer), and maybe more people would even just make small, fun games (rather than feeling like they need to invest years into making for-profit games because of the financial investment they put into making the site).

On 4/18/2017 at 1:43 AM, Sparren said:

I guess it's not looking great for that project then... Thanks for letting us know.

These types of projects don't seem to do well long-term, for the most part, unfortunately.

Does anyone recall MyVirtualPetSite? https://www.facebook.com/myvirtualpetsite/

The site domain no longer works. That project seemed to have potential. I was looking forward to Jade's project as well.

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll check these out.

On 4/18/2017 at 6:11 AM, Nate said:

Dont bother with all these "brain training" rubbish out there. They get boring VERY fast. 

The DS also has an eShop on it, and sometime you get pickup some good deals (and some free games too)

 

Thanks for the tips.

On 4/18/2017 at 10:39 AM, Syntax said:

 I also really enjoyed the Harvest Moon games but they were a little too subtle/not fantastic at explaining how stuff worked. It took me awhile and looking up instructions on how to do things to really get into it but I loved building my own little farm and keeping animals and crops.

 

Hm. I really don't like having to look up things online. I feel like I'm "cheating" even though it's the game's fault for not being clear enough, and it ruins the experience for me. 

But I do want to have my own little farm, so I'll put it on my list anyway, haha.

22 hours ago, Regnant said:

 

StarFox Command is a pretty fun strategy game, and also has a variety of different endings and types of challenges.

Okamiden is also awesome (and just beautiful) and it doesn't matter if you have played Okami (PS2) or not. It may make it more fun, but not a requirement

If you are OK with a bit of extra work to play it, I highly highly recommend Tales of Innocence. It's an amazing 20hr heavy storyline based game with a great group of characters. It's my #2 favorite game! You can find downloads of the Japanese NDS file easily, and then an English translation patch is available at http://a0t.co/innocence/. You then need to get an NDS flashcart and a memory card. If you are really interested, I can send you the info of where I bought mine and how to set it up.

 

 

I've been meaning to play Okami. Thanks for the input. These seem like games I would enjoy. ^-^

On 4/18/2017 at 7:02 AM, halichu said:

 

Haha I know! I'm so nervous because everybody I know says they are more difficult since they are more emotional, but I don't think that's necessarily true. I mean.. once puberty comes, sure.

I'm super excited because I'm a photographer so I'm going to do a lot of mommy and me sessions (if you ever heard of those). But I'm also doing it with my husband where they will wear all plaid and match with colors and such. And yes.. I work full-time (and might get extended for another month in the next 2 weeks) until I stop working.. 4 weeks before giving birth lol. So I am pretty exhausted right now.

And yes! We do have a Facebook page, but I haven't been updating it yet until we get more features fully developed since I have been jumping back and forth between some. It's called Lurania Kingdom so you will find it on Facebook if you look for it!  I'm hoping to release more sneak peeks in the coming month when my contract ends!

 

 

 

Yeah. The girls in my pregnancy class were mostly hoping for boys because they say boys cling to their moms while girls tend to do the opposite. My girl is really clingy to me though, but I do spend the most time with her. I wonder if things will change when she gets older and she'll be closer to her dad.

I think the most important things to do with girls (or any child in general) are to be accepting of who your child is (faults and all), listen to what she says and be understanding, and create a healthy relationship that fosters open dialogues (because if your child can't talk to you, they will go to someone else who's not as fit to give advice). These are just my thoughts though. Only time will tell if I know what I'm talking about, lol.

Can't believe you're still working. I was so tired back then. I couldn't have done it. I salute you. Have fun taking your photographs. I've tried to get as many videos and photographs as I can in the past months. Babies sure do change a lot.

I'm following your project on Facebook now. Looking forward to what you have in store. But don't stress out about creating any sneak peaks. Take your time and relax.