The last newsletter was in 2019. 3 years ago.

With so many changes (Non-unique pet names, the new authorization system)....that might be a good ROI to invest in???

"Hey, we have a new auth system (that's been running for about a week now, the worst of the bugs should be gone, don't worry) , and you can now have non-unique pet names and a revamp of the CW system that makes it easier and cheaper to submit. So come log in and check out what you've missed while making sure your account doesn't get locked into the old system!"

The worst of the bugs aren't gone if you are a battler. We aren't supposed to battle outside of battle quests until the database is restored. No ETA for when that will be though I'm sure they are doing their best to fix things as soon as possible.

Newsletter is a good idea if they can get the site stable etc.

Pardon me - what?

Like, is this why we're not getting challengers anymore?

Sopheroo No, this isn't related to not getting monthly challengers.

It has only been from when the database decided to explode a few days ago. They are now saying we can battle outside BQs just try to only do it with challengers you didn't max out before with your pet. Works for me since I keep a spreadsheet for my 50 battle pets. I'm not sure the casual battler is going to remember that for all challengers/pets.

I certainly don't remember what my guys have or have not done. =/ so I'm kind of stuck waiting. I know the BAs probably don't want to do an impromptu challenger reset, but if it's part of the only fix, then it is what it is. We can't be stuck here waiting too long cause Keelhauliday is coming up and we should be getting the pirates to fight.

This is the first post I've wanted to make on the forums since 2017 since I saw this question. Can I say i'm happy with the current number of players? Honestly no i'm not. My account is about to be 15 years old so I've been around for a good majority of when the site was at its most active and it was honestly so much fun having a decently healthy user base, even with the bad moments. The site has been bleeding users for years now. There's really not much to say in terms of advertisement, any bigger events don't have grand set ups or pay offs like they used to, and the amount of activities to do on the site haven't changed all that much in recent memory. It's just daily quests or shopping or making/purchasing custom wearables if you're into that for your avatar and battling pets and that's kind of it.

The most exciting thing I could say I've done in recent memory was fix all my broken pet profile images that Photobucket messed up. Otherwise it's mostly a check in here or there once in awhile when logging back in. Even if the online user count isn't entirely accurate right now, it's not hard to see that Subeta in its current state is probably only averaging maybe 200-300 active users a day if even that and I have no idea how many fall into my age range being one of the older users on the site. I want to see new players and hate that everything right now feels like it's been in this weird static limbo for so long.

I don't know the level of resources that are available for staff and I know running any kind of pet site can have its difficulties, but if the site is going to survive into the future, something has to change. I like Subeta and I want to see it thrive if that's still possible by attracting new and maybe some old players back.

i haven't read through the whole thread but i'm probably gonna suggest the same things that have already been suggested. i took a 10-12 year hiatus and yes there have been changes in that time but more or less i feel like i'm back in the same pet site i was on in 2010, just with more items. nostalgia is great but a business can't thrive without growing and evolving and in some ways, subeta is like any other business. they depend on consumers supporting the product. and if you're bleeding out customers over a period of years but your progress on projects that have been ongoing (also for years) is not increasing to make up for the consumers losing interest, that's a recipe for disaster.

not enough transparency/communication between staff and consumer is also a HUGE PROBLEM. why would i want to stick around when i feel like the company doesn't care to let me know what's going on CONSISTENTLY. REGULARLY, and projects that seemed like big deals a year or 2 or 3 ago seem all but forgotten. it looks like there used to be systems in place to let us know what's going on and what projects are taking priority at any given moment, but they are inactive now or abandoned?

make deadlines for things. be transparent and CLEAR about what is being worked on and what is on hold so we can stop asking questions and not receiving answers. if it's a matter of not enough staff, i recommend getting more and not putting it off any longer. this is not going to get better on its own and it's going to take a monumental amount of effort and will to get things moving in a more purpose driven and less chaotic direction.

i honestly don't understand what has happened to put the site where it is now, but i'm not judging either. i'm saying my opinion is if subeta doesn't get its fecal matter together, the current trend is going to continue until all we have is a handful of die hards and a handful of people just checking in every few weeks or months to see,

'oh, it's still broken. i'll check back again maybe.'

all that being said, i do love subeta and hope it recovers from the stinky funk it's in now. <3

I wish there were more users, but if that happens the lag is probably returning again like it always does during events sometimes. I love subeta so much - until now it's the only pet side I frequently go to, but it is kinda outdated so I hope one day more updates will come and make the site more livelier than it currently is. I've been supporting this side for years but it doesn't hold up too well against the current times and as much as I love it, I have to admit that. I use the wardrobe all the time but there are still problems with it and it's not the only thing around here having problems and everyone knows that. Subeta needs more supporters but also needs more staff so the site can uphold to modern standards which it currently does not. I've been with subeta during all these years, but at some point you have to admit that the site just isn't running very stable and that's a huge issue.

I'm a newer user so I may not have the same perspective as a lot of older players since there's no nostalgia factor for me, but I don't think the small user base is a problem per se. I do wish the forums were more active, but I think a dedicated user base and more tight-knit community is a better solution to that. Many larger communities suffer from the reverse problem where there are so many users everyone blurs and becomes just another username on the screen, so there's a fine line to thread there.

re: forum activity specifically, i think the fact that everything's so divided is part of the problem.

smaller user bases thrive with a few very broad subcategories. many hyperspecific subcategories make more sense to divide more active forums so discussion doesn't get buried in five seconds.

i try to keep up with new forum posts but it's hard with so many different subcategories to monitor.

I think you hit the nail on the head with that! I'm not sure how feasible it is at the moment, but certainly worth bringing up as a suggestion to the staff if it hasn't been yet. Some categories could definitely be merged. I also think looking into a "live chatroom" feature in the vein of other forums and forum-based communities could be beneficial.

It's a bit hidden (ironically, haha) but a while ago mentioned squishing the forums down, here's the thread. Slow progress, but it's nice to know he shares the same sentiment.

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I'm really excited to see how things go as the site modernizes & streamlines a bit. I know a lot of older users are apprehensive about change but innovation is a sign of growth. The site could really benefit from making things more user-friendly and intuitive to navigate. V2 (the wardrobe/CW market) is a great start so far, there's even a universally-recognizable menu dropdown icon which is something Subeta kind of struggles with lol

Seconding what others have said about advertising, and acknowledging that it might be beyond their current budget. It might take an organized effort from us users, like we used to do; remember the days of referral banners? I have no idea how any of that would work (put your referral link in your bios lmao) but it would be interesting to try getting the word out there to our other friends who might be interested.

[edit]What just happened to my post, omg.

This is the first time I'm hearing about trying to not to battle outside of BQ. Like.. why was that not on the front page?

EDIT - to clarify - I saw the post about them fixing Battle issues, but not that it was being requested for us not to battle certain challengers.

I think it was in Discord (which I don't use) and then in the Battle forum stated in the Battle Chat. I guess because they said no one would be punished the request didn't make it to the news. As you said, when it was fixed and how they fixed it was in the news.

Adding my two cents a few days late..

I am a veteran user who occasionally checks back to see - ope it's still the same ol' same ol'. And while I admire the nostalgia factor (Subeta basically got me through my personal life during 5th grade in 2004-2005) I find myself bingeing Subeta for a month or so, getting tired, and shoving my pets into the resort for a hiatus of whoever knows how long. Don't get me wrong, I love being able to come back and being comfortable on my old comfort site... But, the amount of users on the platform isn't a very good indicator. It does make me a bit nervous, as the future of Subeta doesn't look too bright with only 200-300 users on at any given time. I'd just hate to check back in after a hiatus one day and find it no longer exists. Now, I don't have any brilliant ideas on how to fix that.. I never was the most creative person. But I would absolutely be willing to be a part of any positive, move-forward change, be that financially or by sharing links to bring in more folks, etc.

I guess the thing is, for me, is that petsites themselves are so dated. They need a twist Subeta's niche is the incredible art for the Human Avatar system, but that doesn't call much attention when its kinda sequestered to the playerbase and forums.

I feel like Subeta could make a huge niche for itself just by making an avatar maker on Android/iOS, and advertise it as an almost standalone experience for making character images. Like, a DM could use it to make images for their TTRPG campaign or something.

The sheer volume of art assets would instantly make ot better than most other paper doll type resources out there.

That, or new content, like 2D Vtuber models for Gold Accounts or something like that.

There's more to Subeta than just sating petsite nostalgia. It just needs a little exposure.

I honestly wish the forums were more active just because I'm trying to get into the blue building and there's barely any active threads for me to comment on.

I would prefer if everyone else left for a bit so that I could get things from Freyalise. 😅

T.G_Lee - Try joining a Forum Group called 'Posting Frenzy'. They have a specific forum there called 'Posting' that has a good chunk of threads where you can post your results from all your dailies. It's how I got into the Blue Building, and also forum-based achievements.

It's here: https://subeta.net/forums.php/groups/#/group/8686

Good luck!