Suggestions

The number of entries on festival contests has been shrinking, and quite a few people (artists and players) have been unsatisfied with it. This thread is just a lot of changes that I think could help refresh the scene, from higher to lower priority. You can support some and not others, but I'd love to discuss on why, haha

1. Fest cycle sub-theme(s)
   
   Alright, hear me out: We'll soon reach 10 years of fests, with the same overall theme for every single one. The aesthetics are becoming stale, as there's only so many ways you can spin the usual flight elements into creative ways. Some are tired of it, not submitting anymore or being interested in the skins themselves
   
   This suggestion would make it so every fest cycle (so for example brightshine 2023-greenskeeper 2024) would have an extra sub theme that artists could play with (maybe tied to the apparel/familiar theming?)
   
   A random example: let's say the next fest cycle sub-theme is sci-fi (please don't focus on if sci-fi fits or not, it's just the first thing that I thought about). Artists could use the normal flight themes, but now they could also explore sci-fi designs for all fests!
   
   Some themes would be "easier" to make fit some flights than others (Sci-fi for lighting is easy, but what about nature? Or shadow?), but I think that's a feature. It could bring unconventional themes each cycle, give fest skins something to look forward to, both for artists and players. If someone doesn't like that theming? That's fine, not only normal skins could still be allowed, but there's also a decade backlog of themed skins for people to enjoy.
   
   Some theme ideas: Warriors, Relics, Astral, Adventuring.
   
   
2. Increase number of slots
   
   I won't go in depth on this one because you've probably read multiple forum threads about this: More winners would make artists more likely to submit, since a lot have been frustrated with the small number of winners, and repeat winners.
   
   It's a vicious cycle, where people don't submit because the number of slots is small > pickings become barren, and repeat winners are more likely to be chosen > people feel discourage to submit because the number of winners is small, and some people are more likely to win > the number of submissions get smaller and the same people are more likely to get picked
   
   I'd say add 6 new slots that are bought with festival currency. 80 currency pieces each, perhaps.
   
   The reason why this isn't on the top of the list is that this would create a small surge of new players, but I believe it is a short term improvement compared to making the fest contest feel more freeing and interesting. Not only that, but slots must always be readjusted to compensate for the new breeds, but also the effort it takes to grind for them in one week.
   
   
3. Increase winner prizes
   
   NOTE: This could probably lead contests into being more toxic if no other changes were made, and have unpredictable results if the above were added, so I'm more cautious about bumping the prize. Ty @/brightmyth for the context!
   
   This is a simple one: The rewards of the skin contests haven't scaled well, and while some people don't enter for the prize, others do. My recommendation is 3kg + 10 skin blueprints, instead of 5 (allows for a free 10 slot limited run!).
   The economic impact of this, even with increased slots, is pretty negligible.
   
   
4. Non-Elemental Festival Skins
   
   This is the lowest priority for being its own thing, that probably deserves its own thread more, and because it's not exactly solving the issue with elemental fest skins, just creating a new system. Still, skin contests for things like the marketplace, Swipp or NOTN would be super fun! Give people a bit of a fresh air would remove the slog of just elemental fest skins all the time, even if for a bit.
   

Support! I’d especially love to see non-fest skin contests again…. Like we had for the gem MP and swipp! It’s so sad the swipp trade skins got cycled out with no new ones coming in
as an artist, I’d find sub themes really helpful! The elemental themes are so broad but at the same time so limiting…. Just a Little nudge in a direction would help loads!
All and all a good write up and something I can really get behind :]

I like the idea of certain themes, or increasing the amount of slots. I'm not sure increasing the fest prizes would be healthy. Right now the people who enter are mostly entering for prestige and community spirit. Bigger prizes would certainly increase amount of entries but create a lot more friction and competitiveness each month. It's been bad enough already with the current measly 2000g + 5 pack blueprint prize.

@brightmyth do you think the prizes have a bigger effect on competitiveness compared to the slots? At least in a way that increasing slots wouldn't decrease the intensity of it and higher prices would make things more toxic. It's not something I thought about tbh so I'm genuinely asking haha

support, i just really think the prize vista should be tradable too

[quote name="@bakugames" date="2023-03-30 14:36:23" ] do you think the prizes have a bigger effect on competitiveness compared to the slots? At least in a way that increasing slots wouldn't decrease the intensity of it and higher prices would make things more toxic. It's not something I thought about tbh so I'm genuinely asking haha [/quote] I think so, yes. If not necessarily the prize, the fact that there's something big to win. Right now if you win a fest, the prize is 2000g. It's actually less than the profit you'd make from one full run if you had printed it as a UMA instead (assuming accent price 500g and skin price 850g). I can't put a value on the blueprint or vista, but I treat those as bonuses rather than the main event. There's been... a lot of discontent lately with people winning multiple fests... and that's just based off the nebulous concept of 'it's not fair to other people who enter and don't win.' I can't imagine how much worse it would get if there was a real profit incentive to win a fest. Especially if people feel staff's judging standards aren't transparent enough. I do think increasing slot WOULD decrease competitiveness. Right now there's only 14 skin slots each fest. Every time I look at the next month's contest, I'm already making calculations to myself about how many slots will be taken up by 2-3 of x new breed and 2-3 of the flight's representative breeds. So having more slots gives people more of a chance to enter knowing there's a lot more wiggle room for them to get silly and draw something staff might like but not pick if there were less spaces on the roster. edit: [quote name="@Incantamentum" date="2023-03-30 14:41:32" ] support, i just really think the prize vista should be tradable too [/quote] Oh absolutely it's kind of a waste when that vista prize goes to repeat winners. I wish I could hand out extras to people because festivals and coli skins are the only ways to get the damn thing.

full support, i think it'd make the contests more fun :^) and i'd definitely submit more entries if any of these were to be added :o i think that non-fest contests would also be a bunch of fun !!! i would love to experience at least one on my time here ^^

I’d love skin themes that go on all year, it’d be cute and I can see it going along really well with whatever theme has been chosen for the familiars!

@brightmyth hmmm, if I put a clarification that the prize increase should be done only with the slot increase, would that help? Or do you think it's better to not mess with it overall?

Sorry if I missed something on your post orz

1. Love this idea a lot. A themed year? Fantastic. Brilliant.
2. Obvious yes. More slots have been needed at least for a year.
3. I would like to see the impact of 1 first before doing this, I think
4. Frankly... I don't think skin artists need any contests... so as much as I would like more site skins, I really want to see some other kind of contest before we get yet another skin contest.