Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Why The Two Month Wait?

It seems that this is an issue a few can't seem to swallow.  Why the two month wait on the gift?

Simple.  It's to make sure that the hunters go on the hunt.  They know that if they want this gift, or the gifts on this hunt, the only way to get them is to go on the hunt.  Now, I am not being so unreasonable as to ask that they NEVER be made available, like another hunt has asked, just that you wait 2 months.

Why 2 months?  Because, this makes the wait long enough for the hunters now to want to just do the hunt to get them, rather then wait, and is makes it so that the newbies between now and then get a chance at getting the item.

We want people to WANT to be on this hunt.  There are SO MANY hunts going on right now, that sometimes people don't have time for them.  I know that in the month of June there are something like 4 major hunts going on. I know that I won't be able to go on them all and I pick up some of the things along the way, when a shop has others that is on the SL Discovery hunt, as I'm working on that hunt with a friend.  But I won't get to them all.  So far I am the first to list a hunt in August, but that doesn't mean others won't come along.

What I need to do is make this hunt different then the other hunts.  There has to be a reason why someone would come on this hunt.

So, that being the case, I've invested a LOT of money into getting scripting done for this hunt so that the hunters will want to finish the hunt.  I've got 2 scripters working on it now, and a third in the wings should one of the other ones not pull through.  This doesn't come cheap, as I can't script my way out of a prim.  

This new hunt will make it so that if they touch every single prim/gift, they will unlock the final prim/gift.  And since I know that I've now told everyone and his little brother what I'm trying to do, another scripter is going to start working on the same thing for someone else to put in their hunt.  So I need something even more to make the hunters want to go on this hunt.

Thus the exclusive gift.  But it's not like the gift can NEVER be sold.  I'm only asking that it not be sold for 2 months.  This way people know it's gonna be a long time before they can buy it and rather then wait, they'll go on the hunt.  Plus, it gives newbies a chance to buy the item later.

I added that part because I didn't want to cheat people out of not having it at all later.  I know someone that wasn't able to go on the Peace On Earth hunt and didn't get the Zhao Shoes that were in that hunt, so when Zhao reused it's gift for the Bunny Hop, they were really happy.

I have done a few things to try to distance this hunt from other hunts.  One is that on completion the hunter gets a bunch more gifts.  Of those that have signed up so far, half have agreed to give a second gift for the end of the hunt.  So there are going to be some great gifts there if the hunter finishes.  Another is to have it so that people can't just go out and buy the gift in September, making it a "well I'll just check later and buy it, I don't have time now to mess with this hunt, I want to go on the other hunt".  Another is that the hunt is limited in size, to keep people interested.  And lastly it's for only lesser known shops, to showcase some of the new talent in SL and some of the older shops that just never got noticed fully before.  Big names still aren't allowed in this hunt like in the last hunt.

I am sorry to the shops that can't wait 2 months.  I got one note card saying they were pulling out because "I want to make them available immediately after the hunt while my store name is fresh in their minds".  I don't understand this, because any item in the store will still get them in. If they liked it in the hunt, and want to buy one, they will come back. If they only got one in the hunt, but need more, like is often done with plants, then maybe something can be done for that hunter.  You still don't need to put it up for sale right away.  Do something similar, but different enough that this makes the hunt item exclusive.  Know what I mean? 

I hope that this has answered why I am doing this the way I am doing it.  If you have any more, drop me a note card.  Thanks!

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