who remembers custom items? once upon a time ago, you used to be able to donate to the site, and in return you'd get a special, official item in your honor. i want to say was one of them (debilees dream dragon? someone else will probably remember better than i do). then they took this function away for reasons i don't remember, then like a decade later CWs became a thing. which is almost like that, but way too restrictive for my tastes.

because CWs are well, CWs. if you're like me and your interest in wearables is limited, then it's hard to get invested in anything that comes wrapped up in a mandatory wearable clause. personally, i'm wearing the only CW i give too much of a damn about, if that says anything. on the other hand, i can think of approximately a million non-wearable items i'd love to see on this site that staff doesnt seem in a screaming hurry to make (read: TC fodder like nobody's business). my question is why can't i pick up the slack here?

bring back custom items. charge a base CSC price for users to submit their concept to the site in the same way CWs do. we'd provide art, name, description, item type/use, etc. then, assign those items a rarity 90-99 (to maintain a balance between exclusivity and obtainability), and toss them out into main shops. or, craft out a special section of the MC where all custom items stock for N million sp, all the time. the former would bring back some incentive for users to restock, while the latter would undoubtedly provide an attractive sp sink (edit: i have been made aware of some flaws in the "r99" scenario and personally am highly in favor of a perpetually stocked, flat rate CI shop, preferrably for sp prices. however, i'm leaving the old suggestion in here for posterity). but most importantly, it would avoid running into that extreme exclusivity that frankly taints so much of the CW trade. that way, if i wanted to submit a plushie, that plushie would be available in general circulation so that any given plushie collector would theoretically be able to obtain that item. no one would necessarily be at a disadvantage in the same way they would if only 10 plushies were released ever (ala CWs)

the only reservation i have is regarding weapons, but i think they could easily be regulated by restricting any weapons submitted to the lower tiers, and giving BAs the final say when it comes to statting said weapons. just so, you know, we don't suddenly get a hundred god/demigod weapon submissions...

but i mean, how many of you guys have made an item suggestion thread or five, had a handful of your friends agree that they'd love that particular item, only to have the thread go completely ignored by staff for months/years/indefinitely? it's all well and good to give suggestions, but the fact of the matter is a lot of really good suggestions just end up being so many farts in the wind. i'd sure as shit love to see some good machetes on this site, but it's been half a year since i made a thread about it, and afaik no staff member so much as glanced at it. if custom items were a thing, you'd bet your ass i'd have done it myself by now. i would waste so much of my money on this feature, both irl and onsite.

edit: for the sake of clarity, i am in no way advocating "private" CIs, as we have with CWs. i'm of the belief that allowing that to happen in the custom wears market was a big mistake- a mistake that should not be repeated in a potential custom item market. anything released through this hypothetical feature would be 100% for public use.

also, quoting myself downthread regarding the item function debate that has arisen:

Strongly agree. The market for custom items is clearly there, and I think it extends past wearables. There are so many TC items I want that don't exist and have been suggested for years and if I could just draw and/or commission them myself it'd be so much easier. And god yes @ the items just going into regular circulation rather than being in controlled slots (like how did "private CWs" happen? what is that?). This is so win/win/win - we get the specific items we want, the site has another (probably) popular thing to charge CSC for, and then there are more sP sinks/restocking incentives

I am so proud my thread managed to sprout so many good suggestions thread, between the atebus one and this one. MANLY TEARS.

Seriously, full support. If I waited until I got the minions/food I wanted (like site artists consider pulled pork poutine a priority), I'd still be playing when I'll be 80

This would be great, A+ especially that they wouldn't need to be slotted for.

Important note: I'd like these to be eligible for at least name/description changes by staff down the line, if necessary. Just saying.

You said earlier that you wouldn't want them to be staff-drawn, but if they were user-drawn and went through the same process as custom wears, would that be a fair compromise?

So I totally support them coming back. But since said there were some issues...

1. I would support user drawn ones, just like CWs.
2. I would also support artist drawn ones- but have it limited. Since 'artist time' is minimal for things like this, maybe have like, one day a month that you take slots... say 20 items? And then over the next month (or however long that is needed) those 20 items are slowly released. Once they are all released, another batch is opened up. Basically, regulate the number of items that are created to not overwork artists.

Please yes please please please yes. I would love some TC items :D

i can definitely understand the appeal of having staff-drawn items, but at the same time i feel like that has too much of a potential to go back down the road of "staff ends up drawing more custom items than regular items," which i THINK was the reason they stopped doing them in the first place (dont quote me on that), and i'd hate for this concept to get shot down on those grounds alone.

but i mean, there wouldn't necessarily be anything stopping a staff artist from taking commissions for CIs on the side. arent there a few who draw/have drawn CWs as commissions/personal projects in the past? you ~never know

I supported the idea of staff drawn custom items (like the oooooold school way, you pay for an item, staff pick it up and draw it, and it becomes a r90+ item onsite and you get a copy) in regards to like, a fundraiser based thing (recode, or hey our pockets could use padding because summer isn't a big spender time or whatever).

I also fully support the idea of Custom Items working exactly like Custom Wears that're straight to shop, minus the wearable part (they'd literally just be an item with no function other than TC/shops/galleries/vault.. no purpose). For 1k csc you get a copy of your item then it goes directly to your shop forever and ever for 250 csc (and you get, idk, 25-50 csc). Just as a means to get TC items you want onsite without having to deal with the cost and wearable version of a Custom Wearable (and from the get go it'd be straight to shop so none of that private drama). I wouldn't support any of these items having a function (book, food, etc) just because it wouldn't be fair for collectors.

This idea I really like.. like 85% of the way. My only fear would be what happened in the days of old with the staff drawn user purchased custom items that were mandatorily r90+... basically there were HUNDREDS of them and you never ever saw any of them stock because there were just soooooo many. The idea of there being 100+ r90+ books and foods and stuff kinda makes me want to cry already.

However, if the rarity was more like.... r65-95 randomly chosen by staff depending on what the item is and how many other items like that were already made, then I'd totally be on board with this. And what I mean by that (them picking the rarity) is like, say the first week they get... 50 book submissions. Having 50 r90-99 books is just, ridiculous, so they make.. 5 r90+, 15 r80-89, 15 r70-79, and 15 r65-69. I know there'd probably be a huff about well why isn't my thing r95 instead of this other one, but the only other option would be to make everything a lower rarity (r65-75).

admittedly the main shop restockable (r99 or whatever) option isn't my favorite of the two i suggested in the op, but i wanted to list it bc it was brought up on the rsing feedback thread. but yeah i hadn't considered what it would do to high rarity items if there were hundreds/thousands of them in circulation...

but i feel that just argues further in favor of a permanent stock shop with flat rate pricing (which i know has mentioned his fondness for).

but assuming something like a special division of the MC or a skitters-esque shop for CIs, i'm not sure i buy your argument that it wouldn't be fair for collectors if CIs had functions? not trying to be argumentive, i just want to make sure i'm not overlooking a huge loophole in my logic here.

what i'm really trying to cement into this suggestion is the notion of availability, otherwise i'd agree with the idea that the items should be functionless.

I think I like this idea, but I'm not sure. These would need to NOT count for books read, food eaten, plushies collected, etc achievements. Then I would support it 100%.

As for taking up staff time, I don't think that's a good idea. I'd much rather the staff focus on their own projects so we get the proper attention to regular items for everyone else. Site artists can get in on it if they want, just like CWs, but there should be no pressure for them absolutely.

They're going to be millionaire center items, or main shops items. They're just user-funded site items. Therefore, there is no reason why they shouldn't count for achievements.

I see zero problem with them being collection items because the userbase is not in charge of distribution. I'm sitting with Satyr there and agree with the idea.

Okay, I think I was misunderstanding the idea. I would agree as long as they're available through those means, and not sold like CWs. Because that would be fair to everyone. I think it was the comparison to CWs that threw me off.

[edit] I'm also really tired so that's also probably why. xD

Yeah, it's cool. I thought it was clear in the original post that they're not going to be like CW, concerning distribution, but maybe it's clear to me because I read the original idea this afternoon?

:D

Yeeeaaaaah, probably. :p Maybe I need to go to bed lol.

yeah, i definitely don't endorse having custom items counting toward collector achievements/etc if they were sold similarly to CWs (in user-specific shops for CSC, that is). if that's the only way staff will agree to implement this feature, then i would 100% agree that they should be largely functionless.

any potential function of CIs is very secondary to the sheer existance of the items themselves. i for one would be completely willing to negotiate away functionality if it meant getting this feature implemented.

i'm just being very ambitious in my initial suggestion, because i would absolutely love to see CI deployed as a huge, ongoing sp sink project.

(also i am very, very opposed to the concept of "private" CIs because that is something that never should have happened with CWs. not that anyone has brought this up, i just wanted to get it out there)

I personally wouldn't want elitist snooty private CI either, which is why I'd probably nope out of the idea, if it was managed by users.

I think this is a seriously great idea, the evaluation process would be the same as CWs, except for the no wearable part, so really, it's a win-win to me.

Well okay, I had to run for a shower or I probably would have thought about my post a touch more and elaborated!

So, back story: this argument, well it wasn't really an argument per say discussion happened offsite (tumblr, where 75% of the internet 'arguments' are these days). There was a post or remark made about "why the hell can't we just have Custom items uughhhh I don't need the wearable version fff", and the masses went "AMEN! AMEN!" and chimed in and said it wouldn't happen because chances are a lot of people wouldn't want just a Custom Item with no other uses (which I call shenanigans on, because I would in fact like a TON of stuff because I have bought ballpark 300 CWs and I think... 10 are in my wardrobe... you can prob guess where the other 275-290 are so umm.. yes. Yes I would) and that it wouldn't be fair to allow people to make Custom Items with uses.

If they were to function, exactly like Custom Wearables do (you can make privates, you can hoard 10 for yourself, you can take slots, or you can shop them direct forevers), then no. These items couldn't have any other use because that'd be 100% unfair for very obvious reasons (HAHAH I'MA MAKE 50 PRIVATE BOOKS SUCK IT TOP SCORES 9 EVER, and imagine plushies/beanbags/stickers... which have achievements tied to them for completion.. hell naw the spite is too strong with some people).

HOWEVER, at the time I don't know if the direct to cash shop option existed, or I hadn't thought about it at the time BUT if Custom Items were only capable of being direct to cash shop forever and ever (and/or didn't count towards collections, like CWs don't) then yeah all's fair in love and war. I mean I could have a book war with another user but they'd have to live with the fact that as a single woman with a nice job a roommate and no spawn (outside of a dog, but he doesn't count according to the irs) I'm fucking ready to throw down.

HOWEVER however I really really really like the idea of a Skitters/Alegarten/BotB styled shop sink thing! You pay a handful of csc (1k?) to get your thing in the shop (as long as it's approved) and all of these things go into a special shop for flat rate of sP. I really like that a lot, and it's a great sink which is what the site apparently almost wants more than csc!

It's not going to be controlled by the userbase, like it was said in the original post. The concept Satyr had is that items would be either released in main shops as restockables, or in a shop akin to the Millionaire Center.

The reason why is pretty much because we all realized the way CWs was a failure. I don't want post-approval custom items to be sold in the cash shop.

Like, you'd buy the right for a CI in the cash shop for like, 500 CSC, but it's not going to be released in the cash shop. More like, MC or restockable shop or whatever. We already have enough Cash Shop release with official items and CWs. Let us have ourselves some mad money sink yo

Anyway, I think direct-to-cash shop for a CW is already in the range of 1K, so I'd like it to be cheaper for submission than a CW, because not-a-wearable.

alright in that case, it sounds like we're pretty much on the same page re: functionality.

like ideally i'd love for people to be able to submit books/plushies/weapons/what have you, because that would attract that much larger of a crowd to CIs (and would nix the "people dont want items that don't function" argument, even though you and i both know that is absolutely not true).

but of course, this all hinges on the notion of availability. i am the last person to suggest that an item of which only 10 exist should count toward collections/books read/whatever.

but regardless of the function/no function debate, i am heavily in favor of a flat rate SP store for CIs, because then they'd do the double duty of sweeping up CSC via submission fees, as well as sinking SP via user purchases. that way i could go broke on subeta and irl at the same time!