Yeah. I definitely love 's idea and think it would leave the door open to a lot more fun options that aren't "easy" for everyone but some users would really like.

100% total love for this idea. I know a lot of newer folks who are really intimidated by one aspect of the blue building requirements, would love having another option to go to.
I'm all for expanding the trading card option to any non-removable item collection as well.
I love plushies, but have no interest in the trading cards, but I had to get a bunch of really boring looking items for the access. (Seriously, am I the only one who really dislikes these? )

The one issue I see with more demanding requirements is the disappointment that would follow. No matter how you slice it, the BB content is underwhelming. You can quest, you can buy stuff for special currency that you earn by questing there, you can adopt/change an existing pet into a bumbus. That's it.

Now imagine having to put all the effort of training your pet to lvl 150, or training them for a job and reading all the books to them and waiting a month or more for it to be employed for enough days to qualify for the top-tier job position. Just to get access to something lackluster that barely even impacts your gameplay. I can't speak for anyone else, but I'd feel really disappointed. ._. I don't like bumbii that much, there's very little in the BB shop that's of interest to me (and I can buy most of it from user shops anyway), and the quests are only really a must-do during quest-a-thons.

If the site is going to have more demanding requirements to access a certain feature - that's great! And I do agree that the BB should not be something you can just unlock in 1 day and be done with it. But I also feel that the BB is definitely not giving enough back to qualify for a drastic increase in effort required to unlock it.

I agree.

When I joined the site the Blue Building was a big secret and it was a freezable offence to reveal what was in it. There weren't many trading cards for sale back then so getting 25 was quite a challenge. Then there were all those forum posts to make. I was so disappointed when I got in - if I'd known what was there I wouldn't have bothered.

Making current requirements more demanding would just result in disappointment.

Having more demanding requirements to access a new feature would also result in disappointment unless the rewards were something that players felt they must have.

Same here! I still remember all the hush-hush around the BB! And when I finally got in, I was so incredibly disappointed. I didn't really bother with it that much until it was revamped.

And yes, that's the point I was trying to make before I tripped over my own thoughts - more demanding requirements should go toward features that have more things of interest to give back to the users. This is also why the Omen Map is disappointing right now - with Merana being available to everyone when she shows up on the map, the only real point of interest on the islands is Carl. The biggest motivation to complete the map is getting Shinwa's quests done when she sends you to do a quest for Carl. Making the map requirement for the BB accept the uncharted map would make that map a tiny bit more interesting to users who otherwise don't care for questing.

LOL the disappointment factor. Yep, I sometimes talk to newbies all excited about getting close to fulfilling the requirements and I make sure to congratulate them about the accomplishment, but at the same time tamp down their expectations.

Though I, personally wasn't that disappointed when I got in, because for me the effort hadn't been much. I found the bldg early and had next to nothing done to get in, so pretty much forgot about it. By the time I visited again, I was nearly there, think I only had to buy a couple of cards and I was done.

Omen Islands though, back when I made that map was very useful simply because of the OD vending. Once they tanked vending, of course, that didn't count for much anymore.

Yeah, it's a lot easier to find out what's in the BB now so you can decide for yourself if it's worth it or not. x) Back then it was all secretive and mysterious, nobody was allowed to tell you what's inside so you subconsciously built up this whole giant hype around it and it was such a letdown.

Yeah, vending definitely kept the Omen map prices up back in the day. Then Merana kept them somewhat relevant because it was the only place you could get a hydrus pet without spending CSC on a Miracle Potion. :P And now the map is something you can prettymuch afford right after you finish your Wizard Quests for the day.

Since the forum points were basically removed as a whole almost, or very nearly before someone comes swooping in to correct me, and a lot of us (myself included) have posting anxiety... the Blue Building just needs revamped as a whole, requirements and all.

I've been lowkey spamming to get in; but personally I'm finding some of the other requirements much harder to reach.

I do agree, however, that requiring forum posts for anything is always a bad idea. At least any number in excess of single digits.

Yes please. My account is 11 years old and I still don't have BB access because I don't really enjoy posting on forums, and I don't want to start spamming different threads with dumb/unnecessary posts. It's incredibly frustrating.

100 posts is not hard to do.

At extremely quick glance, there appear to be 50 easy to do game threads for dailies. Yes, it might seem slightly spammy, but posting in these boards is also requiring you to interact in and around the site (which is kind of what's intended.) If you don't want to post in the game forum, then go start critiquing HAs or asking for newbie advice for battling. Or venture into chit chat and find a topic. Or go discuss other creative venues. Like it or not, this is a social site. It's not spammy if you actually put in some time...

The 100 forum posts are both easy to complete and encourage exploring the forums and the site.

I am all for changing up the BB requirements. I don't even mind scrapping the 100 forum posts - I just think the reasoning I see here is a bit flawed.

"2) I've come across a number of new people who have posted in a topic only to be told off for doing so because it's over 3 months old. The topic is then locked. This must be awful for people who are anxious about posting anything. Why should people who are anxious about posting be forced to just to access one part of the site?"

AGREED!!

I disagree that this is a social site. Subeta has tons of things to do, many of which don't require interacting with other players at all. To me, this is a pet site and most, if not all, of what I do on Subeta is geared toward my pets.

It took me six years to get into the Blue Building because of the 100 posts requirement. I have since become more involved in the social part of Subeta, so I've gotten tons of posts since then. But that doesn't mean I was ready and willing or had the time to get into the social scene before, and many others either don't want to or can't because of various reasons.

I think that having "rewards" for certain parts of the site that you can get only if you interact with that part of the site makes sense. Like the forum points - you can only get them if you talk on the forums. Or plot prizes - you can only get them if you participated in the plots. But restricting access to a whole area of the site due to not wanting to post on the forums, especially since the forums have very little to do with the Blue Building, makes little sense.

In addition, with forum prizes and plot prizes, even if you don't participate, you can find ways to obtain the items if you earn enough. It's the harder, more expensive road, but it's doable. But there's no way to get into the Blue Building without those posts.

And it is sad and cringey to see many eager new players get dinged by their enthusiasm to get access to the Blue Building.

[Edit]Just wanted to add that I like the idea posited above about having a bunch of options that users can select which ones they want to do. Like "complete 6 out of these 9 things" or something like that. People would still probably need to complete one or two tasks that they don't really like, but they'd at least be able to choose the lesser of whichever things they think of as "evils".

We can even get CSC with sP. The Blue Building is the only thing on the site I can think of which doesn't have an alternative way of doing something.

Agreed.

Just wanted to say I also like the idea of adding more options to get BB access, as well as not needing to compete every single one. If the idea is to get people to interact with the site, then wouldn't offering different options do just that? Show new people different aspects of the site that they can try, and discover what they like best?

I mean, speaking personally, I didn't join Subeta because I liked talking to people on forums or was particularly good at games or restocking, nor did I care for battling or playing dress-up. I just saw the art for a common Celinox, thought it was pretty, and wanted one. Eventually I tried all those other things, and wound up liking some of them, but after all this time the main reason I'm still here is because of relatively easy access to as many beautiful/cool/amazing pets as I can afford the space for. (Then shower them with their own little treasure items that also, for the most part, look amazing.)

That was my experience, but I don't expect or even want everyone else's experience to be the same. I want new people to be able to find out what works for them and what they like best about the site. Getting access to the Blue Building could be a novel way to help with that - could being the key word there. Someone who's been more active or has a better memory for Subeta history can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think the requirements for the Blue Building have changed since I started over a decade ago. But Subeta itself has changed dramatically. It's long past time imho for the Blue Building requirements to reflect that change.

Going by the list in Post#6 I don't think they've changed since I started 14 years, 8 months, 1 week ago.

Honestly, I just wish they'd increase the blue building's relevance. Pretty much the only reason to get in is if you want a Bumbus or if you actually want to shop in the blue shop. Do some quests, reveal more shop items the higher your rank. What's fun about that? That said, I don't think 100 posts is terrible to reach. Yes, it's a pet site (even if the emphasis seems to be more on wearables but I DIGRESS) so post around in the pet forum. Gush about your pet, ask for tips for your pet's TC, color, species. The favorite pet/pet name/pet profile/TC threads don't count as user run games as far as I'm aware,

Post 5 times a day for 5 days minimum, you'll have those 100 posts done in a month.

That said, I wouldn't mind if they offered more/additional options as well, but if they're going to do that, they need to reevaluate the blue building's importance.

This is still terrible for people to reach if they suffer from anxiety so posting anything in the forums is a big ordeal. If they want things from the Forum Shop they can buy Raffle Tickets from other players to turn into forum points or buy the items directly from other players. Why should they be forced to make 100 posts for the Blue Building if they want to get in?

PS: We're all different. I have no problems making forum posts but I had to skip the puzzles in the last Morostide plot because I was physically incapable of doing them.

This is kind of the point I was trying to make a few posts above when I said that I view this as a pet site in response to saying this is a social site.

The great thing about Subeta is that it can be so many different things. People often find the niche that they're interested in and hang out there for the most part, and that's cool. I like the pets. Chocolate likes the social aspect. Some people are all about the wearables, and I used to know a user who loved hoarding the collections.

By making a list of various tasks that need to be completed for the Blue Building that users can choose (say, 6/9 or 10/15 or whatever), they get to (a)test out the parts of the site they think they like and which drew them here in the first place, and (b)try out a few new things that they might otherwise have not, with little risk involved.

Maybe the Blue Building could be revamped, but maybe that's not all that important. If the tasks help the user to get acquainted with the various things Subeta has to offer, to become comfortable with the site, and - possibly most importantly in the long run - to stick around for a long time, then it doesn't matter as much what happens when you unlock the building. :)

I suffer from anxiety too, and I know everyone experiences it differently. However, sometimes you have to do things that make you anxious. As someone who works in retail, I have to forcefully push my social (and otherwise) anxiety aside in order to have a home to live in. A few meaningless forum posts on a website that really doesn't matter in the bigger scheme of things shouldn't be made into such a big deal. Just because we have a disability doesn't mean we should let it disable us without a fight.

But I DO think that a large part of posting anxiety is due to the issues we've brought up to staff about forum rules. Until those get fixed, well... I can see your point.

Honestly, there needs to be more options to do on this site, period. It's stayed relatively the same for years on end and there's very rarely anything new and exciting. Games are low payouts and often unsatisfying, there's questing but that's repetitive, there's not much to do that's 'interactive'