So, what’s next on the schedule? (Part 4 NEW for 2020)

Home Forums Windstone Editions Ask Melody So, what’s next on the schedule? (Part 4 NEW for 2020)

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  • #1601470
    Melody
    Keymaster

      Like Ela_Hara said, there are two message systems on Kickstarter: private messages and open comments.

      The “comment” system on the Kickstarter page is like Windstone’s forum, where everyone can see what you wrote and any replies from the KS artist. The direct message system is like Windstone’s PM system, private between you and the artist. Both are day/year stamped, I’m not sure about hour/minute, but they do stack “in order” of time of receipt.

      StormDancer, I like your idea! Also “Mystic Dragon” or “Young Mystic Dragon” would be appropriate.

      Should we use the “open comments” thing on Kickstarter for claiming dragons?? That way others could see for themselves which dragons were claimed by who… or would that infringe on people’s privacy? Kickstarter users invent their own user-names just like on forums, so it isn’t like you would be identifiable.

      #1601473
      Natasha
      Participant

        Like Ela_Hara said, there are two message systems on Kickstarter: private messages and open comments.

        The “comment” system on the Kickstarter page is like Windstone’s forum, where everyone can see what you wrote and any replies from the KS artist. The direct message system is like Windstone’s PM system, private between you and the artist. Both are day/year stamped, I’m not sure about hour/minute, but they do stack “in order” of time of receipt.

        StormDancer, I like your idea! Also “Mystic Dragon” or “Young Mystic Dragon” would be appropriate.

        Should we use the “open comments” thing on Kickstarter for claiming dragons?? That way others could see for themselves which dragons were claimed by who… or would that infringe on people’s privacy? Kickstarter users invent their own user-names just like on forums, so it isn’t like you would be identifiable.

        I’ve of two minds – transparency is good, but it also leaves people open to being badgered from pushier people if they know where a favorite they missed out on went.

        Seeking Test Paints & GBs ! Please get in touch if you'd trade/sell. I'll remove pieces from list by owner request
        ANY Red Eyed Unis
        ANY Test Paint Bat
        UNIS:
        The Purple/Yellow Baby Uni of Awesome
        Male- Snow Leopard TP
        White Lighting Male, Pony, Colt and Grand - I have Mom, Baby, & Young
        Ponycorns: Golden Zebra and/or Spotted Skunk
        Mother: Okapi
        Gothic - Mahogany
        PEGS: Male Midnight Calico, Male Bloodstone, Mother Starlight Rain
        DRAGONS: Male Coyote

        #1601515
        Ela_Hara
        Participant

          You may want to use the direct message to the Artist feature for sending claim emails. Then use the general open comments to highlight which dragons/numbers have been claimed and to post any updated photos with claimed dragons ‘X’d out.
          Would this work? Melody will still be able to tell who emailed to claim which dragon first because the direct messages I believe are still date/time stamped and probably would come into her email in the order Kickstarter received them.
          I definitely believe that Melody, or someone at WS should enter this information into a spreadsheet to capture the person claiming a dragon(s) and perhaps when it was claimed and their email address, so that no one is confused. It would make Ms. Susie’s life easier as well when getting the claim boxes for Backers together and knowing what hasn’t been claimed yet.

          What do you think?

          IN SEARCH OF MY NEXT GRAILS:
          Black Peacock & Butternut Adult Poads
          Kickstarter 'Rainbow Tiger' Bantam Dragon

          *~*~*~* Ela_Hara: The DragonKeeper *~*~*~*
          *** Come visit me on deviantArt at http://ela-hara.deviantart.com

          #1601517
          LZ
          Participant

            I would not like to be badgered if I never say anything about wanting to trade my piece, and yet it happened whenever I posted pics of my bean Poads. So, no, please do not do public claiming of pieces.

            Looking for...

            Sitting young oriental dragon koi gold and white

            #1601518
            sherry10151982
            Participant

              I know the whole idea of backing a project is to get what you really want and pick it out yourself; however, in the essence of being good sports to the well being of the Windstone staff, why not just make everything a grab bag? It would be A WHOLE LOT EASIER FOR THEM!!!! The dragons are going to be kick ass anyway!! *waits for forum members to throw bricks and pans at me*

              #1601520
              tig3r06
              Participant

                I know the whole idea of backing a project is to get what you really want and pick it out yourself; however, in the essence of being good sports to the well being of the Windstone staff, why not just make everything a grab bag? It would be A WHOLE LOT EASIER FOR THEM!!!! The dragons are going to be kick ass anyway!! *waits for forum members to throw bricks and pans at me*

                I won’t be participating in this one for the sculpts, but I agree with you! Grab bag with batches divided by color groups like pink or more general-cool or similar. Then trading after is much easier!

                #1601522
                Natasha
                Participant

                  Here’s my two cents on what I think would work well. Obviously these are just suggestions, and Windstone n Co should do whatever makes things flow easily for them.

                  1. Just make it a blind GB. Mention that while Windstone has no liability for trades gone wrong, that the forum website can be used to facilitate trades.

                  2. Make it a color GB – You sign up for one of several categories of Dragon GBs and get something from that grouping – I.E. a “warm tones” group, cool tone group, etc. People can trade again as above.

                  3. People get to claim from class pics. The most “Fair” ways I can see is you either have a few higher tiers that get “First pic” “second pic” etc. Or, it’s all based on luck. Once the kickstarter is funded, run each person’s name through a random number generator. Give people a week to pick/rank their “top 10” and message it to you. You could then line up #1 in the number generator, and they would get their #1 pick. Next person gets their #1 pick (Or #2 pick if 1 is taken, and then on down the line). Obviously, this gets tricky if say all 10 of someone’s picks are already gone, but maybe that’s when Melody could try to paint something similar to keep up with demand.

                  Again – just suggestions! I’ll obviously back the kickstarter no matter how it’s set up!

                  Seeking Test Paints & GBs ! Please get in touch if you'd trade/sell. I'll remove pieces from list by owner request
                  ANY Red Eyed Unis
                  ANY Test Paint Bat
                  UNIS:
                  The Purple/Yellow Baby Uni of Awesome
                  Male- Snow Leopard TP
                  White Lighting Male, Pony, Colt and Grand - I have Mom, Baby, & Young
                  Ponycorns: Golden Zebra and/or Spotted Skunk
                  Mother: Okapi
                  Gothic - Mahogany
                  PEGS: Male Midnight Calico, Male Bloodstone, Mother Starlight Rain
                  DRAGONS: Male Coyote

                  #1601524
                  Scathach
                  Participant

                    I would not like to be badgered if I never say anything about wanting to trade my piece, and yet it happened whenever I posted pics of my bean Poads. So, no, please do not do public claiming of pieces.

                    I’m with you. Privacy is paramount.

                    Life is beautiful.

                    #1601576
                    whisker hunter west
                    Participant

                      Like Ela_Hara said, there are two message systems on Kickstarter: private messages and open comments.

                      The “comment” system on the Kickstarter page is like Windstone’s forum, where everyone can see what you wrote and any replies from the KS artist. The direct message system is like Windstone’s PM system, private between you and the artist. Both are day/year stamped, I’m not sure about hour/minute, but they do stack “in order” of time of receipt.

                      StormDancer, I like your idea! Also “Mystic Dragon” or “Young Mystic Dragon” would be appropriate.

                      Should we use the “open comments” thing on Kickstarter for claiming dragons?? That way others could see for themselves which dragons were claimed by who… or would that infringe on people’s privacy? Kickstarter users invent their own user-names just like on forums, so it isn’t like you would be identifiable.

                      I would not use the “open comments” as the official dragon-choice messages. The public comments could be good to get call-outs for what color-batches people like (potentially including Kickstarter-backers who aren’t Windstone forum participants), but there would be too many issues for the Formal Choice – privacy being a Big Issue, and I’m also not sure how well you can track the chat-messages on the creator’s side.

                      There’s one other message system I forgot to mention earlier – the Project End Questionnaire. “Congratulations! The project has been successfully funded! You pledged at XYZ level, your rewards were XYZ. Please fill out your backer survey at the link to get your rewards.” That questionnaire is where backers fill in (1) shipping address, (2) email for delivery of virtual rewards, (3) apparel size, etc. The survey is sent out when the project creator is ready to start fulfillment, or to get the information they need for fulfillment. For projects I’ve backed that have customization options, the PEQ is where those choices have been made / recorded. If BackerKit is being used for the rewards distribution, then the PEQ is done through BackerKit’s system.

                      I will openly admit I have never run a Kickstarter or handled any survey / shipping project like this. I do however have to keep track of large amounts of data and information at work and somehow keep it organized for sanity. I couldn’t help but think how I’d set it up, and here’s what I would recommend:
                      – DO NOT allow formal choosing-of-the-OOAK-dragons before the Kickstarter has finished.
                      –> What this does: allows you to lock in the # of backers at each pledge SO YOU KNOW HOW MANY DRAGONS TO MAKE before the masses start arguing over who gets what dragon
                      –> Caveat: Try to get people to commit via message to a “category” (cool, warm, pastel, splatter…). You can also let people message or comment on their favorites, so you know which are the Surprise Popular color schemes (I’m thinking of a certain mahogany young ori…), and can decide if you want to make more. You can also then warn people that “Make sure you have a back-up, that’s a really popular dragon!”.

                      – DO finish up ALL the [# of paid-at-Funded-date dragons x % extra in each color batch] and get ALL the class pictures assembled, before opening up for the formal choosing-of-the-OOAK-dragons
                      –> What this does: if everyone can see ALL the dragons in the pile, then they can lock in their favorites ONE TIME ONLY. “These are your options, make your choice FROM THESE OPTIONS, that’s all, folks!*”

                      – ONLY THEN open up the formal choosing-of-the-OOAK-dragons, even if it took months to get all the dragons painted after the final surge of backers doubled the number of dragons you needed!
                      – Use the official survey (PEQ), which can be looked up to verify choices by either creator or backer.
                      –> “List your top 10 choices for your dragon from the IDs in the class pictures. If you have a batch preference (ex. cool, warm, neutral) but no specific dragon choice, please list those batch(es). If you prefer to be surprised, please write “True Grab Bag”. Non-replies will be treated as True Grab Bag.”
                      – The surveys should be time-stamped when they are filled out and submitted. That will create the “paper trail” you can use to determine who goes where in the choosing order.
                      – BUT WHAT IF THERE ARE CONFLICTS? TOO MANY PEOPLE CHOSE THE SAME DRAGONS!!! Here is where you use the direct message system. Notify the backers who landed too low in the choice-queue and missed all 10 top favorites. Ask them to review the updated choices, and choose a new list of favorites.
                      –> You can still keep their choice priority from the original survey submission, or re-set the queue as needed to keep the order fulfillment flowing.
                      –> Note: Sometimes the surveys only allow re-take updates to the shipping address, so re-taking the survey may not work for updating choices. Direct messages would be the “safest” update method.

                      * BUT I WANT MORE DRAGONS! I GOT A BONUS / RAISE / INHERITANCE / TOOK OUT A LOAN, I CAN BUY MORE NOW!!!
                      Someone wants to add on a dragon or three? Great, good for them! If Melody wants to keep painting, why not? BUT – those extra last-minute orders? They will COMPLETELY fudge up the “one choice, only after all the options are available” queue system. So Windstone can do what every single other KS project I’ve backed has done when overloaded with add-ons AFTER the project closed: “Thank you for your additional order! The add-on rewards will be made available after the primary project fulfillment has been completed.”
                      – Does it sound bitchy? Yes, yes it does.
                      – Does it mean a delay in getting your extra dragons? Yes, yes it does.
                      – What dragons would you get to choose from? The ‘leftovers’ from the main batches, and new dragons painted after the main fulfillment batches are done. Add-on queues would probably be set by the timestamps from directly messaging Windstone / Suzy once an Add-On Batch Class Pic is posted. Rinse and repeat for as long as the add-on orders keep trickling in.
                      BUT I LIKE THE NEW ADD-ON DRAGONS THE BEST! CAN I SWAP MY MAIN-FULFILLMENT CHOICE FOR ONE IN THE ADD-ON BATCH?
                      – Sure – via the normal forum swap! By this point, your main-fulfillment dragon should have shipped, and returns should only be for Problem Dragons, not color choices.

                      Continuing the family tradition of being obsessed with shiny things.

                      #1601580
                      Kim
                      Blocked

                        I don’t think it needs to be that complicated. Melody already said what her plan was and I like the idea of a bunch of pieces in different colours being pictured and if a bunch of people pick the same ones, then Meloday can just paint more similar ones as people pick. It’s probably easier to do that in a way than having to tell people they missed the ones they want and have to pick others and have to keep updating pics. Just leave pics up and paint more of whichever ones are popular til people stop picking them. If there are more detailed ones that are kind of one of a kind, maybe those can be in a different tier than simpler ones that multiples can be painted of.

                        Looking for rainbow or pink & teal grab bags!

                        #1601598
                        Bodine
                        Participant

                          I have a question off topic a bit. I have noticed in your streams and pics that y’all always have jackets on.Is it because of trying to heat a factory costs are so high or because of the sculpts/gypsum itself has to be chilly?Curios.

                          Every act matters.No matter how small💞
                          (Wanted......Brimstone Lap)
                          Male Hearth....one day🤞Dream on.

                          #1601676
                          whisker hunter west
                          Participant

                            Continuing the Kickstarter option rambling…

                            – KS Update Feature:
                            Every KS project page has an “Update” tab, which acts like the page’s blog. Updates are also emailed out to backers, at least for backers with an email linked to their account. Melody / Windstone could post the Dragon Lot Pictures as an “Update” post, with a 2-for-1 efficiency: pledged backers will get the pictures in their email inbox and everyone (including potential backers) can look up the pictures on the KS page too.

                            Updates can be posted starting the day of the launch and done as many or as few times as the KS creator wants. You could start by posting the original batch picture(s), then in subsequent updates post pictures with the chosen dragons X’d out once the Choosing-of-the-OOAKs starts.

                            Also, updates can be Public (visible to any who visit the KS page) or Backer-Only (visible only to backers of the project). The update title appears on the KS page, but the post body is “locked”. For example, if you wanted to tease people, you could post examples of the dragons in process for everyone to see, but limit the numbered Dragon Lot Pics to only active backers. Or you could post fulfillment updates that only go to backers, and keep Dragon Pictures public so potential backers can see more examples.

                            Continuing the family tradition of being obsessed with shiny things.

                            #1601772
                            Melody
                            Keymaster

                              I have a question off topic a bit. I have noticed in your streams and pics that y’all always have jackets on.Is it because of trying to heat a factory costs are so high or because of the sculpts/gypsum itself has to be chilly?Curios.

                              This is CORVALLIS -it is usually lovely and cool, if not freezing cold.
                              We do have heat, but in this big sheet metal building with a high ceiling and paint booth exhaust fans going, Unless it is roasting outside, we all wear extra layers.
                              The gypsum actually gives off heat when it cures.

                              #1601774
                              Melody
                              Keymaster

                                Like Ela_Hara said, there are two message systems on Kickstarter: private messages and open comments.

                                The “comment” system on the Kickstarter page is like Windstone’s forum, where everyone can see what you wrote and any replies from the KS artist. The direct message system is like Windstone’s PM system, private between you and the artist. Both are day/year stamped, I’m not sure about hour/minute, but they do stack “in order” of time of receipt.

                                StormDancer, I like your idea! Also “Mystic Dragon” or “Young Mystic Dragon” would be appropriate.

                                Should we use the “open comments” thing on Kickstarter for claiming dragons?? That way others could see for themselves which dragons were claimed by who… or would that infringe on people’s privacy? Kickstarter users invent their own user-names just like on forums, so it isn’t like you would be identifiable.

                                I would not use the “open comments” as the official dragon-choice messages. The public comments could be good to get call-outs for what color-batches people like (potentially including Kickstarter-backers who aren’t Windstone forum participants), but there would be too many issues for the Formal Choice – privacy being a Big Issue, and I’m also not sure how well you can track the chat-messages on the creator’s side.

                                There’s one other message system I forgot to mention earlier – the Project End Questionnaire. “Congratulations! The project has been successfully funded! You pledged at XYZ level, your rewards were XYZ. Please fill out your backer survey at the link to get your rewards.” That questionnaire is where backers fill in (1) shipping address, (2) email for delivery of virtual rewards, (3) apparel size, etc. The survey is sent out when the project creator is ready to start fulfillment, or to get the information they need for fulfillment. For projects I’ve backed that have customization options, the PEQ is where those choices have been made / recorded. If BackerKit is being used for the rewards distribution, then the PEQ is done through BackerKit’s system.

                                I will openly admit I have never run a Kickstarter or handled any survey / shipping project like this. I do however have to keep track of large amounts of data and information at work and somehow keep it organized for sanity. I couldn’t help but think how I’d set it up, and here’s what I would recommend:
                                – DO NOT allow formal choosing-of-the-OOAK-dragons before the Kickstarter has finished.
                                –> What this does: allows you to lock in the # of backers at each pledge SO YOU KNOW HOW MANY DRAGONS TO MAKE before the masses start arguing over who gets what dragon
                                –> Caveat: Try to get people to commit via message to a “category” (cool, warm, pastel, splatter…). You can also let people message or comment on their favorites, so you know which are the Surprise Popular color schemes (I’m thinking of a certain mahogany young ori…), and can decide if you want to make more. You can also then warn people that “Make sure you have a back-up, that’s a really popular dragon!”.

                                – DO finish up ALL the [# of paid-at-Funded-date dragons x % extra in each color batch] and get ALL the class pictures assembled, before opening up for the formal choosing-of-the-OOAK-dragons
                                –> What this does: if everyone can see ALL the dragons in the pile, then they can lock in their favorites ONE TIME ONLY. “These are your options, make your choice FROM THESE OPTIONS, that’s all, folks!*”

                                – ONLY THEN open up the formal choosing-of-the-OOAK-dragons, even if it took months to get all the dragons painted after the final surge of backers doubled the number of dragons you needed!
                                – Use the official survey (PEQ), which can be looked up to verify choices by either creator or backer.
                                –> “List your top 10 choices for your dragon from the IDs in the class pictures. If you have a batch preference (ex. cool, warm, neutral) but no specific dragon choice, please list those batch(es). If you prefer to be surprised, please write “True Grab Bag”. Non-replies will be treated as True Grab Bag.”
                                – The surveys should be time-stamped when they are filled out and submitted. That will create the “paper trail” you can use to determine who goes where in the choosing order.
                                – BUT WHAT IF THERE ARE CONFLICTS? TOO MANY PEOPLE CHOSE THE SAME DRAGONS!!! Here is where you use the direct message system. Notify the backers who landed too low in the choice-queue and missed all 10 top favorites. Ask them to review the updated choices, and choose a new list of favorites.
                                –> You can still keep their choice priority from the original survey submission, or re-set the queue as needed to keep the order fulfillment flowing.
                                –> Note: Sometimes the surveys only allow re-take updates to the shipping address, so re-taking the survey may not work for updating choices. Direct messages would be the “safest” update method.

                                * BUT I WANT MORE DRAGONS! I GOT A BONUS / RAISE / INHERITANCE / TOOK OUT A LOAN, I CAN BUY MORE NOW!!!
                                Someone wants to add on a dragon or three? Great, good for them! If Melody wants to keep painting, why not? BUT – those extra last-minute orders? They will COMPLETELY fudge up the “one choice, only after all the options are available” queue system. So Windstone can do what every single other KS project I’ve backed has done when overloaded with add-ons AFTER the project closed: “Thank you for your additional order! The add-on rewards will be made available after the primary project fulfillment has been completed.”
                                – Does it sound bitchy? Yes, yes it does.
                                – Does it mean a delay in getting your extra dragons? Yes, yes it does.
                                – What dragons would you get to choose from? The ‘leftovers’ from the main batches, and new dragons painted after the main fulfillment batches are done. Add-on queues would probably be set by the timestamps from directly messaging Windstone / Suzy once an Add-On Batch Class Pic is posted. Rinse and repeat for as long as the add-on orders keep trickling in.
                                BUT I LIKE THE NEW ADD-ON DRAGONS THE BEST! CAN I SWAP MY MAIN-FULFILLMENT CHOICE FOR ONE IN THE ADD-ON BATCH?
                                – Sure – via the normal forum swap! By this point, your main-fulfillment dragon should have shipped, and returns should only be for Problem Dragons, not color choices.

                                I am going to try to get everybody the dragon they want… somehow. I think I will post a preview of the KS page, and-or the class pic of the dragons before it is live so people can plan.
                                The biggest issue in choosing dragons is that I will be painting more during the campaign, so people may see a new one they want more than the one they chose. No limits though! You can have all you want. I may need to limit people to one choice at a time, we’ll see what happens.
                                Maybe I should post the class pic, let folks mark it up and post it here, so I can see which dragons are the popular ones, and which are the turkeys, -then paint more of the popular colors?

                                ( I think I made the mistake of painting too may green-based ones again! I did this with the KS poads™ too. It’s my favorite color. I am going to spend the rest of the week painting some other colors to balance them)

                                #1601816
                                LZ
                                Participant

                                  So lots of gypsum molding is done during winter, to keep that exothermic heating going? LOL

                                  *makes grabby hands at blue and silver dragon*

                                  Looking for...

                                  Sitting young oriental dragon koi gold and white

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