Hey all! I'll be responding to everyone very soon. In the meantime, I've given the PPT prize to everyone who's answered the poll questions up to this point. Thanks so much again for the feedback and see you soon!

Thank you for the halloween extension!

1. I agree with what others have said about the smaller sprites being nice for keychains and pins, I think evolutionary line themed merch with the pixdex sprites or each overworld sprite with their egg arranged with a background accent of brush strokes or something like that could be a nice idea, maybe even a tiling pattern that matches each pixpet.

2. Being able to add small ponds with the water tiles is a great idea but with there being 4 variants each it looks like you need quite a few of them to do anything, which works for a nice long term goal, though I haven't gotten any of them yet nor seen them used so I can't say much else. I think stone paths or maybe fences to partition gardens could be another variant.

Everyone who answered the poll questions up to this point has been given the PPT prize, but let me know if that's not the case! Thanks everyone!

@Digraska

• First of all, thank you so much for your thoughtful advice! Your point about unique vs. generic pets is a valid one, and it's a point that I remember making myself when the art team started discussing merch a while ago. Having said that, after more thought I now believe unique and generic pets both have their advantages, and therefore I think it'd be good to have a balance of both in our merch. As you implied, unique pets catch the eye because they're clearly "from something" so they're good conversation starters. In terms of online shopping though, people who've never heard of Pixpet (which is most people) may be more likely to stumble across our generic pet merch while searching for something similar. For example, someone who searches for "cute dragons" might stumble across our Drax merch and buy it just because it meets their tastes, regardless of what it's from. Of course, I say this but I also have to worry about appeasing Redbubble's algorithm, which favors sellers who upload new designs regularly. So there's always a chance that the merch shop may fail simply because I can't make new designs often enough to satisfy the algorithm. We'll see though, and I'm straying from my point lol. Point is, I agree with both you and ShinySaturn, i.e. both unique and generic pets can be beneficial. As for Pixpet's mascot, I was always under the impression that Xeldron is the mascot because it's the first thing that an unregistered user sees. It may be a generic dragon (no offense to Skimbo/Komodo), but Pixpet comes from very dragony roots and I wouldn't want to change or hide that lol. I also agree with ShinySaturn's point that generic pets can be recognizable, although I might add that there are multiple factors that go into this, such as a unique style, brand tenacity (sticking around for decades), and consistent promotion -- all of which has kept Neopets alive, and hopefully will keep Pixpet alive. We've been a bit lacking in the promotion department (or at least inconsistent) and one of the reasons I chose Redbubble is because they have the largest reach of any print-on-demand site, so hopefully just having a presence there will expose more people to this little corner of the net.



• As for payment methods, here's what Redbubble accepts. Please let me know if your preferred payment method isn't here, and we'll work something out. 😊







• I absolutely agree that making any business decision blindly could be a disaster, which is why I'd like to hold polls like this more regularly (if Cherche approves, lol). Luckily we don't pay anything to use Redbubble since they do everything for the seller free of charge (we only have to provide the designs), so Pixpet won't lose money even if it doesn't work out. Preorders are a great idea for limited merch, which could be fun so I'll keep that in mind.



• As for being able to choose/display favorite pets and pals, we do have two methods for this, although it might not be what you're thinking of. You can select your favorite pet in the forum profile settings, but this will only show in the forums under your avatar. Of course the forums are...admittedly a ghost town. 😅 The other option is to literally mention your favorite pets/pals in your profile description, or in pet descriptions. Your idea for issuing reminders could certainly help; I'm just hesitant about it because I wouldn't want players to feel like we're pestering them for their opinions, heh.



• Hopefully HappyElanda's recent post here helped to clarify why it's been so difficult to make water tiles with transparent backgrounds (basically, difficult to make a water rug look natural without partial transparency, and we use gifs, which are tricky in that regard). But we'll keep trying to figure something out for this in the future, as it makes sense to expect this and I like to think we have a team of wizards who can do anything. xD



• As for diluting the item pool with more items, we definitely hear you and this is something we're currently discussing. While it's not set in stone, we're considering adding more shop NPCs to the Adventure who might sell things like tiles and other items that would fit better in that setting. Again, not set in stone but we completely understand this concern and will figure out a remedy.



• I'd love to hear your thoughts on pumpkins! Feel free to make a separate thread if you'd like to discuss it. :)

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@TailedThief

• These are wonderful ideas for merch designs! I'll definitely note them down. I'm also glad to have a player who knows the similarities between Pixpet and DrA, because I don't. 😆 Very clever group and pairing ideas too. And Vivid Altudrax is pretty much guaranteed, don't you worry!



• I'm sure HappyElanda (who made the tiles) will take note of everything you said. I've also poked her about more path options. As for water tiles with transparency, that's of course a perfectly reasonable thing to want. Hopefully her recent post clarified somewhat why this has been difficult to do (basically, difficult to make a water rug look natural without partial transparency, and we use gifs, which are tricky in that regard) but we'll keep trying different methods to achieve this. Thank you so much for the ideas!

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@icearashi

• Yup, pets will definitely be drawn in different poses and expressions for the non-pixel merch designs. Scenes are also planned, especially for holidays. Pixel faces for smaller items are a great idea, so I'll take note of that. You're the second person to suggest the ancestry paintings translated into merch designs, so that's looking more and more likely! Xeldron is guaranteed, so no worries there (not in the first set, but there will definitely be a legendary series). You're the first person to suggest specific pixpals too, so I'll note those down. Bloombler and Cupiqua I'll take note of, although those will probably be after I've done all the iconic ones (starters, their evos, and the classic legendaries). Pixpets interacting with pixpals is something I've been wanting to draw as well, so I'm glad we agree on that!



• I've poked HappyElanda about more paths for sure (and she responded with a saluting birb emoji, which I took as a solemn oath XD) so hopefully we'll see more of those! Technically I can't make promises for other artists, but it's clear that a lot of players want more paths lol. If she doesn't, I will! And thanks for the helpful suggestions and examples!

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@cynderplayer

• Alrighty, another point for ancestry paintings as merch designs! Noted 😄



• 2x2 tiles could be interesting! It could certainly allow for more detail on the tiles. I'll ask HappyElanda if she's willing to try that.

Thanks a ton for the ideas! :D

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@RoamingDesolation

• I'm glad to know that you like the idea of the pet sprites on merch!


• I'll definitely forward your kind feedback to HappyElanda (who made the tiles)! Thank you!!

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@Acura

• Ooh, those ideas for the sprites would be neat! I'll take note of that, and the tiling pattern idea as well. Thank you so much!



• The idea for more paths seems to be a popular one in this thread, so I'd be surprised if it didn't happen after this. I've let HappyElanda know about this idea, so we'll see what happens! And partitions/fences are actually something that has been discussed for years, but I guess we never got around to it for some reason? I'll have to ask Cherche since I'm not sure if there's a different reason they haven't already been made, but either way it makes perfect sense to want that type of item.

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@kiradai

• I can definitely see us putting the Halloween pixpet sprites on merch in the future, so no worries there. And Noo-Long is pretty much guaranteed to end up on merch since it's a classic legendary. 😄 Also you have a good point that sometimes the overworld sprites can be hard to discern depending on their size and what direction they face. I think we'll probably only use the front-facing overworld sprites, and even then only the ones that are easy to tell what they are. The dex sprites are certainly more fun to look at though, so those will end up on merch for sure.



• Sheets of ice are a great idea for another tile set, so I'll let HappyElanda know about this. Thank you for the good suggestions!

Sooo.... I had ideas. Obviously, this is entirely reliant on being able to do all over prints and other more complicated production techniques, but it was easier to draw it than try and describe it. Fair note to anyone who has never used one, generally quick-print shops don't do all-over prints. So this is just me aiming real high.

So here's an iconic Pixpet design (with an embroidered pixpet), a simple design, and a repeating design. Two and three use the same base wiggle-design. My other thought for simple designs are various pets and pals printed on or in the pocket of a shirt (not shown).

View Pic Here

Another idea I had - merch based off the various paintings - like the Portrait of Specter. The same way using the sunset banner is a subtle but obvious PixPet-ism, something like Specter's portrait is also something unique to the game that doesn't necessarily read as "video game merch".

1. Yes. I can also imagine to have the large Pixpet Sprites in a large size shirt print. So anyone who wants can count the pixels. I like pixels.
I mostly like to see Drax, Altudrax, Luputrix, Parrogrine, Kyagrowl, Techtagon, Oecko, Noo-Long, Xeldron, Ignix.
Maybe a collage with some of them.

I also like the Idea of pairs.

I saw Lutipaw already has something to interact with (a fish). Maybe it is possible to create a nice high-resolution-Artwork with this.

I like the designs made by FlyByKime. I think the middle one could also work with a "normal" print.

2. I like the Beach-tiles. Still not found the reverse-edge-tile. Maybe next summer.
A Variation with water/grass could also be interesting. But we have so many different grass types.
Water tiles with transparent background could be nice. Wouldn't it be possible to use PNG-files for static images? Then the transparency thing would not be that problem.

About paths:
It could be nice to have some variations to the grassy garden path. Some suggestions have already been posted.
It would also be great to have L, T and + tiles to connect paths.

And thanks for asking us.

@Digraska @TailedThief @ckolb

Regarding water tiles with a transparent background, I know this isn't exactly what was asked for, but do you think these would be acceptable as a "one size fits most" water tile?

(Spoiler for people who don't wanna see item concepts)


Edit: Also just to clarify, these aren't in the game yet, just concepts!

@BK47
That's such a cool idea! It's a great workaround the technical limitations of the gif extention.
I would love to see this style used where possible. Use that edge idea for things in the future, for sure. The pool is perfect in every way.
The natural water, in my personal preference, would look better with lower edges when creating smaller bodies of water. With tall ledges like this I can imagine this to be a lake, or river, or a cliffside with water below.
Larger scale bodies of water would look good with tall edges, yes, and the way I understand it, this height looks to be chosen to match the height of the water in the pool, which does standardize them a bit, but it would limit creative choises down the line if this was the only height used. Visual variety, or consistency of style/design - that's going to be for the devs to choose.
Especially for things like pre-created, solid items like ponds or clusters of puddles, as illustrated by someone earlier in the thread. For them I think lower edges would work better, as they would be smaller items, maybe 2x4 at most, and probably generally more often 1x1 or 1x2 or 2x2, and at that size, deep, tall edges could or could not work, depending on what's being made.

Understandably, the other user interested in transparency of ground around bodies of water wanted there to be a "shoreline" variant, just like the water tiles we currently have. This version with edges is very different, and wouldn't allow users to create ocean/sea coasts or pond shores or puddles with a "gradual" ground to water transition. For those varieties of bodies of water, considering the technical limitations, it seems the water attached to ground is the only option.

Excellent idea, it makes me happy, and now I am excited with what things the devs end up doing with bodies of water!

@Digraska @TailedThief @ckolb

Sounds like there's a strong consensus to raise the water level!

How's this?



I still have an idea for attempting a transparent shoreline -- I'm thinking of experimenting with dithering to mimic partial transparency in a gif, so we'll see how it goes. If I don't post a concept for it in a few days, I'm probably having trouble with it. XD Only reason I did the pool/ditch first was because I knew they could be done -- this other idea, not so sure :s

@/TailedThief
I do like variety and will certainly discuss it with the art team. Using the taller edge for deeper bodies of water does make sense. I'll also take note of what you said about premade bodies of water looking better with shorter edges. Thank you again! 😊

@/ckolb
Stairs/ladder is a great idea for a pool tile and would be easy to make! Will do that, and thanks for the idea!

Haven't gotten to play much lately as I settle into a new schedule, but let's see:
1. I'd be interested in anything with bird pixpals and pets. Same for the dino ones and Crumblets. I am thinking of a Crumblet design of all the variations chilling on a plate or something haha

2. My sibling has gotten the tiles and I saw them, I think they look neat! I assume they're meant to be placed and shaped by the individual player, which is great. I think adding more of this kind of item would be good :D

1. Merch of some of the ingame sprites would be pretty neat! I think they'd work best on pins or other accessory designs, versus larger items like shirts - personally I think those work better for unique artwork, not so much the pixel designs.

2. I think these tiles are cool, but it would be time consuming to get enough to make an impact on a yard. The only thing I can think of would be having a compatible flooring pattern for the water and the sand of each tileset, which would make it a bit easier to create designs without having to slap a tile on every pixel of space in your yard.