Ask the Design Team!

[ravenscape]

I was thinking about how our FAQ thread needs to be spruced up, and I realized that I could have lots of help with the FAQ's if I handle it right ;).

So, ask away. Ask serious questions, ask silly questions, ask whatever you like, and the Design team will answer in kind. :D

Who wants to start?

[IrishGrace]

cute idea!

My 1st question: Who makes the decision of what gets made and what doesn't?

My 2nd question: How do you determine what 20-30 items get made out of the tons of submissions you get each two-week period?

[ravenscape]

Good questions!

My 1st question: Who makes the decision of what gets made and what doesn't?


Captain America and I make the first pass at the decision. If we need a tiebreaker, or if we aren't sure if an item would be permitted (or a good idea) for some reason, we ask our Staff Liaison.

If, after a 3 way discussion we are still not sure about something, then we ask Erwin. Usually, when we ask Erwin it's because an item request makes us think that maybe our overall policy needs to be changed, or at least looked at based on new info.

My 2nd question: How do you determine what 20-30 items get made out of the tons of submissions you get each two-week period?

That is the really hard part. Sometimes I think Solomon had it easier being asked who gets the baby :).

What we do, is go through the list first to look for items that are not acceptable for some reason, or that are too similar to something that we already have. If that gets us down to 20 or 30, then our work is done and our job was easy :thumbsup:

If we still have too many items, then the next thing we do is look at the requests of people who had more than one request thread in the go-round. We'll try to figure out which of their requests is most important to them, or will be the coolest thing to add, and discard their other requests for this go round. This is one reason why it's ok to re-request in another go-round. Your chances might be better next time.

Then we look at items that are kind of similar to something requested earlier. So, if we just added Scooby Doo-related stuff to the armory, the next go-round we might decide not to add requested Deputy Dawg stuff. The novelty would wear off if we do that sort of thing too often.

If we're STILL way over 30 items, then we look at who is requesting for the first time, or hasn't had a request accepted in a few go-rounds. We give them priority to get the list down to a manageable size. So, if you've had requests accepted frequently in the past, you might not be accepted once in a while so someone else gets a chance to have their idea added to the armory.

[ravenscape]

Oh...and here's an anticipated FAQ

raven: So, who's your staff liaison, anyway?

raven: Teshi is our new staff liaison and she's doing a FANTASTIC JOB! :clap: :clap: :clap: rgbivens was our staff liaison before that, and had been with us since the armory conversion last summer. We REALLY REALLY miss his input :cry:. But we're glad he still drops by to give us a hard time.

Am I talking to myself?

* wanders off muttering under breath

[plum]

see, i was wondering these things. very nifty! thanks for answering.

Are there any plans in the mix for revamping the organization of the armory?

[ravenscape]

see, i was wondering these things. very nifty! thanks for answering.

Are there any plans in the mix for revamping the organization of the armory?

I saw a thread a few weeks back, where Erwin mentioned that he would like to redo the armory interface. The Design team has ideas, and a lot of members have posted improvement suggestions in the Suggest New Features forum. I imagine that a lot of the changes we'd like to see will be incorporated in the next revision of the CF Characters.

[TheSerenityPrayer]

Under the "suggest new features forum" when a member asks something about the characters. Does the design team get an opinion to what will or wont get done?

For example: Right now there is a question about the equip/ unequip being done with a few clicks, then your done. Instead of waiting for the page to load and reload so on and so on.

[TheSerenityPrayer]

How do you guys get the cloths to fit the characters?

[ravenscape]

I think several design team members posted support on one of the threads suggesting a more streamlined equip/unequip process. :thumbsup:

The design team usually gets asked about possible changes, but not always. It's more an opportunity to provide input than to participate in decision, though. Just one more piece of info for Erwin to think about in the decision process. A lot of the suggestions don't really have anything to do with our work on the items for the characters.

Like all members who enjoy the characters, we'd like to be able to do stuff with fewer mouseclicks, and have more flexibility in choosing the number of special items to equip. I'd like to be able to trade off a belt or shield for another special item sometimes. Or when I'm using a one-piece outfit, trade the pants slot for a special item.

[ravenscape]

How do you guys get the cloths to fit the characters?

We draw the clothes on top of a character body, and then delete the body and save the clothes to a .gif file.

[Borris]

We delete bodies and keep their clothes? That just doesn't sound right. :sorry:


:D

[ravenscape]

We delete bodies and keep their clothes? That just doesn't sound right. :sorry:


:D

That's right...the clothes are -- wait for it --

















LEFT BEHIND!





:sorry:

[Borris]

You funny! And you're not just drawn that way. ;)

[Rose D.]

hehe, this thread should be fun.. :D ^_^

[IrishGrace]

Another question...
I don't know how many of y'all were actually here designing stuff under the old system, before the dolls, but if you were and are still here, which did/do you find easier, the dolls or the little itty bitty things we used to have?

[LibertyChic]

Another question...
I don't know how many of y'all were actually here designing stuff under the old system, before the dolls, but if you were and are still here, which did/do you find easier, the dolls or the little itty bitty things we used to have?
Oooo! Ooo! That would be me :clap:


*ahem

The little itty-bitty ones were a kinder, simplier time. But I'm continually amazed at what raven and captain america are doing with the armory now. The quality has gone way, WAY up. :thumbsup:

[ravenscape]

I think at least 3 of the active team members were involved in the old system, too. Making teeny tiny pictures recognizable can be a huge challenge!

[plum]

are re-design/re-make requests considered the same way as new requests?
oh, same Q for bad fit fixes?

[ravenscape]

are re-design/re-make requests considered the same way as new requests?
oh, same Q for bad fit fixes?

We try to handle bad fit fixes asap. re-design/re-make requests are usually handled like new requests, unless one of the designers is already working on a re-design for the item as part of our ongoing in-the-background armor upgrade work.

[Teshi]

Oh...and here's an anticipated FAQ

raven: So, who's your staff liaison, anyway?

raven: Teshi is our new staff liaison and she's doing a FANTASTIC JOB! :clap: :clap: :clap:

ROFL, yeah, it's been backbreaking :P

The pixelsmiths are awesome. It's a joy getting to hang out with them and see their work in progress.

[Veiled Viper]

Hey,nobody told me about this thread!:P
I was making the little armor pieces before we had the characters.That tiny size was too constricting,IMO.
It only allowed for a few select # of pixels per icon.
The new character system demands higher quality designs because of their greater size.
I just wish I coulda had some input on designing the actual figures themselves.;)

[kopilo]

Although potentially making your jobs more difficult, would you like to ever work with semi-transparentcy colours?
Such as can be done with portable network graphic files.

[Veiled Viper]

Sure,but Erwin says we have to stay with GIF files.
:)

[kopilo]

Thanks, :)

BTW What would the official Armory team like to see more of in the armory?

[ravenscape]

I'd like to see more menswear, and more historical clothing, special items and backgrounds. And I love working on the SF/Fantasy stuff.

[kopilo]

I'd like to see more menswear, and more historical clothing, special items and backgrounds. And I love working on the SF/Fantasy stuff.
Awesome, btw what does SF stand for?

[ravenscape]

Science Fiction :clap:

[Veiled Viper]

I'd like to see less discord and more peace in the Character forums.
:)

[kopilo]

Science Fiction :clap:
hehehe, ohh wait, ohhh no, oohh no! I missed Doctor Who tonight! (new series) noooooooo! *placebo dies*

[Redeemed_Warrior]

do you guys want this stuck? :)

[ravenscape]

Sure, thanks!

[Redeemed_Warrior]

stuck :)

[Veiled Viper]

Sure.:)

[overnight]

When a person makes a suggestion (like myself) I saw where it was on the July 15 to be considered list (at least I think it was) do you let the person know if it was made or if iit was not made etc via a PM or or something like that?

[ravenscape]

When a person makes a suggestion (like myself) I saw where it was on the July 15 to be considered list (at least I think it was) do you let the person know if it was made or if iit was not made etc via a PM or or something like that?

We update the request thread when the item is made or the request is declined. So, the request thread will show up again on your control panel when there is an update, or a question from the design team.

[HikariKitKit]

I was wondering. If a person makes their own clothes, is there a way that they could be added to the site, if they're good enough?

[HikariKitKit]

and if they can, how would someone go about getting that done?

[Veiled Viper]

Armor Requests (http://www.christianforums.com/f444-armor-requests.html)

Start a thread for your item here.;)
We reserve the right to edit your items (if accepted).

[HikariKitKit]

thankies~! ^-^

[Tariel]

is there any way to find out what the chances are of my request being added, or do I just need to stick with the old fashioned way of holding my breath whenever I come on and checking the "Newest Items Added" thread? ^_^

[ravenscape]

Hi Tariel. Your request thread will be updated with news before Newest Items thread is updated. Sometimes it's by only a matter of minutes, though, depending on if Angel4Truth is online and checking for new items at about the same time they're added.

[Tariel]

Hi Tariel. Your request thread will be updated with news before Newest Items thread is updated. Sometimes it's by only a matter of minutes, though, depending on if Angel4Truth is online and checking for new items at about the same time they're added.
ok :thumbsup: thanks ^_^

[Million Pieces]

Is there a place to request new or redo's of Character Items, as hairdo's, eyes, etc.?

[ravenscape]

Is there a place to request new or redo's of Character Items, as hairdo's, eyes, etc.?

Yes there is. It's the Armor Requests Forum (http://www.christianforums.com/f444-armor-requests.html), which is a subforum of this one.

[chaoschristian]

Raven,

Would it be too much of a hassle to ask that the Request threads (still lovely, btw) be stickied so that we don't lose them off onto the second page?

. . .

:scratch:

:idea:

Or am I just being a lazy snot for not subscribing to them?

Never mind!

:sorry:

[ravenscape]

Raven,

Would it be too much of a hassle to ask that the Request threads (still lovely, btw) be stickied so that we don't lose them off onto the second page?

. . .

:scratch:

:idea:

Or am I just being a lazy snot for not subscribing to them?

Never mind!

:sorry:

Keeping them available for easy reference is a GREAT idea!

I'd rather not sticky them, because they eventually become non-news within a few weeks of all items being completed, so it would make work for a moderator to sticky and unsticky them.

What I CAN do, is make sure that "active" request threads stay on the first page of the forum.

[Veiled Viper]

Is he talking about your list of threads or individual requests?

[chaoschristian]

Is he talking about your list of threads or individual requests?

Raven's request collection threads.

Stickying all the request threads would be a might OCD, yes?

[Veiled Viper]

:D
Thanks for clarifying that!
Love your new avatar!

[chaoschristian]

Love your new avatar!

Well, I was going to use the cover of King Crimson's debut album, but I didn't want to give raven a stroke.

[Veiled Viper]

Ooooh,is that the one with the big screamin' mouth?
That'd be even cooler!

[chaoschristian]

Ooooh,is that the one with the big screamin' mouth?
That'd be even cooler!

I won't use that here, but I know a place where I can use it. ;)

[ravenscape]

T'wouldn't give ME a heart attack. I'm a fan of King Crimson going back to...gee...I dunno...Kindergarten?

Oh wait. I didn't attend kindergarten :sorry:

It's all in the context, though. The image out of context can certainly be disturbing

[chaoschristian]

it's all in the context, though. The image out of context can certainly be disturbing

True. For example, it does not make good giftwrap paper.

[ravenscape]

True. For example, it does not make good giftwrap paper.

Depends on the gift ;)







:sorry:

[GasTank]

Have you ever thought of making a hammered dulcimer in the musical instruments section? I would love it!!!

[Rose D.]

Have you ever thought of making a hammered dulcimer in the musical instruments section? I would love it!!!
You can request that item yourself, by starting a new thread over in Armor Requests (http://www.christianforums.com/f444-armor-requests.html). Your request will be considered along with the others, with a fair chance of being made. :)

[GasTank]

Thank you!

[heatherq17]

How often do you make items?

[Veiled Viper]

We never stop making items.
:)

[chaoschristian]

Space Marine armour.

Safe request or doomed from the start?

[ravenscape]

Space Marine armour.

Safe request or doomed from the start?

Depends. Starship Troopers a la Heinlein? probably ok. Warhammer? probably doomed...

[kopilo]

Why would warhammer be probably doomed? O.o

[chaoschristian]

Raven is right.

If one were inclined to be offended, then the Warhammer 40K universe is bound to offend.

Although, there is not much visual difference between a trooper from the Mobile Infantry and a sargeant in the Imperial Guard . . . mmmmmm

[Bigfatcat]

um... a question:
i'm new here and have got some questions- what is this Armour Of God stuff on the forum?

[LibertyChic]

um... a question:
i'm new here and have got some questions- what is this Armour Of God stuff on the forum?
If you look to the left of many of our posts, you'll see a character. The items you purchase to dress the character up in are referred to as the "Armor of God" here.....You need blessings to purchase character parts and armor pieces.

[~InHisHands~]

What kind of program would a person need on their pc to be part of the design team and what would a person have to do to become a designer?

[ravenscape]

Hi LunaticRed,

You can check out this thread (http://www.christianforums.com/t3134422-looking-for-a-few-good-pixelsmiths.html) for info on how to become a CF Pixelsmith :)

[~InHisHands~]

Thanks Raven

[kopilo]

Have you thought of creating a Pixel smith starter pack?

Such as a zip file that contains the basic bodies and some how-tos for different things (such as setting a transparent background, forum policy, etc)?

Also would this be of any use?

[ravenscape]

We haven't thought about it, to be honest. The design team doesn't have a standard set of tools, and many of us use different applications. It's an interesting idea, with pros and cons. We'll definitely give it some consideration.

For now, all the body parts can be copied or saved from the CF Characters pages. The thread I linked in post 68 has some useful how-tos, in the first post and in the latter section, around post 60 and beyond.

[treblebass]

I was wondering if you guys could perhaps create more insruments. I usually play upright bass, and that would be the ultimate assessory..

[kopilo]

It also would be nice to see some DJ equipement, but alas the right place to make a request is here (http://www.christianforums.com/f444-armor-requests.html).

[treblebass]

It also would be nice to see some DJ equipement, but alas the right place to make a request is here (http://www.christianforums.com/f444-armor-requests.html).
nice:thumbsup:

[ahmunmun]

I was wondering why the sassy blue ponytail got remade. I really like it the way it was before. :(

[ravenscape]

I was wondering why the sassy blue ponytail got remade. I really like it the way it was before. :(

You can check out this thread (http://www.christianforums.com/t3761879-announcement-please-read-doll-site-requests-policy.html) for an explanation of why we've done several redesigns during the last week or so.

[ahmunmun]

You can check out this thread (http://www.christianforums.com/t3761879-announcement-please-read-doll-site-requests-policy.html) for an explanation of why we've done several redesigns during the last week or so.

So the blue hair was too much like another copyright item? Oh well, too bad, because it was really nice before....

[ravenscape]

Yes. It was waaaaay to close to a hairstyle form the elouai doll site.

[JosephD3000]

could you guys make a black great helm
it has a gold cross on it:)

http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/greatsword_1916_85285229
this is what a great helm looks like

thanx for all your hard work designers!!

[kopilo]

*Sigh* please make any requests as a new thread in the Armor Requests (http://www.christianforums.com/f444-armor-requests.html) section.

[LynnMcG]

Can someone help with the alignment of my character's hair and shirt? No matter what I put on her, there's a gap. I love this hair! It's actually looks just like my own!

Thank you!

[ravenscape]

*squints

I don't see the gap. Where is it?

[Veiled Viper]

Looks great to me,too.:)

[Shotweb001]

I have just one question....













































































































































HOW DO I SHOOP DA WOOP?

[Shotweb001]

desu Desu Desu Desu Desu Desu Desu Desu Desu Desu Desu Desu Desu Desu Desu Desu Desu Desu Desu Desu Desu Desu









































































I Want Jesus To Anally Penetrate Me, Plz.




Dose Any1 Kno Jesus' Fone #???

[kopilo]

*squints

I don't see the gap. Where is it?
Here, I've circled the spaces I've found in orange, you might need to save the image and zoom in.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c219/Koplio/CF/blah.jpg
I think these are what LynnMcG is reffering to.

[LynnMcG]

Here, I've circled the spaces I've found in orange, you might need to save the image and zoom in.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c219/Koplio/CF/blah.jpg
I think these are what LynnMcG is reffering to.
shoot! I think I just hit "report" by accident kopilo! I'm sorry!!

Yes, that's the gap I'm talking about. Thank you!

[J4Jesus]

I dont know where to put this thread. But this item needs to be redesigned.
No matter what I wear it with it looks like its growing out of my stomach LOL. the only thing you can wear it with so it doesnt do that is with short shorts! That way it shows thru the legs :eek: instead of coming out your tummy! :doh: You dont wear furs with shorts.

http://www3.christianforums.com/images/items/bratmantlewhite.gif

[ravenscape]

These cloaks were especially designed to be worn with the generic pants that my character is wearing. It's a "period" costume from the ancient British Isles.

[blackbyrd]

Hi Raven! I think y'all do a great job. When requests are made are notifications made if the armor item is created or denied?

[ravenscape]

Thanks!

Yes. What we do is update the request thread when either the design is created or the decision is made to decline the request. We also post the new designs in the "New Items" sticky thread at the top of this forum.

[blackbyrd]

thanks!

[Margolit]

First, let me say you guys do a great job! However, I am curious about something:

I noticed there was a Feb. 1 "To Be Considered List", and now a March 1 list. What about items requested in-between them that have been acknowledged, but have not been added to the armory, been rejected, or appear on the latest list?:confused:

[fade2241]

I hope to be utilizing this thread soon lol

[ysl_75]

I am quite confused when i see everyone have dress for their CF Character but i cant find...can you help me?:confused:

[ravenscape]

First, let me say you guys do a great job! However, I am curious about something:

I noticed there was a Feb. 1 "To Be Considered List", and now a March 1 list. What about items requested in-between them that have been acknowledged, but have not been added to the armory, been rejected, or appear on the latest list?:confused:

Hi, sorry I didn't see this question earlier. The Feb 1 list was a little shorter than usual, so I started the Feb 15 list in a later post in the same thread. We'll probably do both lists at once when we get to them.

I am quite confused when i see everyone have dress for their CF Character but i cant find...can you help me?:confused:

The dresses are in the Armor section: BreastPlates -Top - Dresses. Good luck!

[Melly Monster]

How does one become apart of the team?

[ravenscape]

Click this link:

Looking for a few good Pixelsmisths!! (http://www.christianforums.com/t4661813-do-you-want-fame-and-fortune-as-a-cf-character-designer.html)

(Also in my signature)

[DiscerningSoul]

I bought stuff, but my charater doesn't show, is there still something I need?

[Million Pieces]

You need a Body. Don't worry, it's easy. and you're halfway there already.

1. Go to the CF Characters Main page, and click on GET CHARACTER ITEMS. You need to Get (buy) one of each of the 5 parts of the body/features. Body, Eyes, Mouth, Nose/Eyebrows and Hair.

2. Go back to the CF Characters Main page, and click on EQUIP CHARACTER ITEMS. You need to Equip each of those 5 Body Features, one at a time, for your character to appear.

3. Go back to the CF Characters page and click on GET ARMOR ITEMS. This is where you Get/buy the clothes! this is the part you've already done.

4. Go to the CF Character main page again and click on EQUIP ARMOR ITEMS. This is where you Dress your character! You'll do this in the same way you EQUIPPED your Body/Character parts.

[SingingElk]

This may be an odd question, but I don't know where else to put it. I would like to see the option of putting some other creature in the space occupied by the character. I like Wildlife, Deer to be specific. I would like to put an Elk gif in that spot instead of a Character.

People tend to think of the character as being you on these boards. I am a Fantasy writer, I would rather see one of my creations-Singing Elk in that corner instead.

[ravenscape]

Hi SingingElk,

The way the characters and armory work right now, I don't think it would be possible to substitute an animal figure for the character figure. If Erwin gets a chance to do some recoding of the armory it might be possible, though.

[SingingElk]

I came up with a livable solution with the character an avatar captions. If you put your mouse over them, it become clear which one represents me.

[prayergal]

What I think would be helpful is if the computer would stay in the same area until you are finished equpping or unequipping so one does not have to do so much back and forth. That would save a lot time of the different stores loading each time. Do you know what I'm talking about? Sometimes, I want to buy or equip or unequip more than one thing. But it always leaves that section so I then have to click back to get the section I was in to re-load. That seems inefficient to me.

I know little to nothing about computers though so maybe there is nothing that can be done about that.

[chaoschristian]

prayergal:

Thank you for your excellent suggestion. We are currently collecting the various and sundry ideas submitted by members over time to improve the armoury and are working with Erwin on possible changes and improvements that will make the armoury experience a better and more enjoyable for one and all.

[Borris]

Hi SingingElk,

The way the characters and armory work right now, I don't think it would be possible to substitute an animal figure for the character figure. If Erwin gets a chance to do some recoding of the armory it might be possible, though.
with God, all things are possible. http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j176/hopperace/bo3.jpg

[Redstiletto]

I have a question for design team admin member type person. :)

I am not sure who to ask so I am going to put it in here for you to decide, but it's top secret, so please pm me, and it's rather urgent too. :)

Thanks!

~Red

[.:drew:.]

That's right...the clothes are -- wait for it --

















LEFT BEHIND!





:sorry:

That is soo fun :D

Regards,
Drew

[.:drew:.]

Have you ever gotten any members to assist in determine what is the new trend and what is not popular and so on? In choosing the selected items to be in the CF shop area for future purchases and so on.

Regards,
Drew

[LibertyChic]

Have you ever gotten any members to assist in determine what is the new trend and what is not popular and so on? In choosing the selected items to be in the CF shop area for future purchases and so on.

Regards,
Drew
If I understand your question correctly, we follow trends by watching how often we need to restock items....

Did I understand that correctly? Or was the distraction of my hubby, four children, three cats, a dog, a chinchilla and a turtle too much. ;) :D

[.:drew:.]

If I understand your question correctly, we follow trends by watching how often we need to restock items....

Did I understand that correctly? Or was the distraction of my hubby, four children, three cats, a dog, a chinchilla and a turtle too much. ;) :D

Hmmmm..maybe..back away slowly without her noticing ^_^

I was wondering if you have a 'selected' few members on CF to 'help' in determining whether this item or that item is AWESOME or not to be display for the next NEW thing for the CF shop thingy..

:holy:

Regards,
Drew

[mrghost]

I recently purchased a synth keyboard for my character the keys should be on the side or placed so there near the musicians hands. this profile shows that I would have to reach over the controls to play the keys, backwards, I'm Good, but not that Good to play it backwards, kind of funny, I thought.......:)

[LibertyChic]

Hmmm. :scratch:

Will have to give this one some thought as if we turn it around, the keys won't show at all, and no one would know what it is....hehehe

*pondering*

[ravenscape]

Keith Emerson plays it backwards and upside down. And you should see what he does to a Hammond organ.

:D

[SingingElk]

Look what I did. You don't even have to have a doll body to make a character! I really like the versatility of this program. I am quite happy with the character I have created. She isn't a doll.

[Million Pieces]

Sweet, Mr. Ghost! I'm loving the blue Nashville!

I gotta get my Silver Falcon showing again. What I need to do is take some devoted time and make a band. LOL

[Light So Shine]

I'm just interested to know, does anyone have any suggestions about improvements I can make to my character? Also, how do I get rid of the black line? You can probably see it.

Thank you.