Howdy, players!
Today we are excited to announce an array of updates that we are making to World to Build. Over the last several months, we have been working to perfect our move to voxel-based avatars. We wanted to make this blog post to give you an insight as to what is included in this update that’s coming soon, so hang with us and let’s explore what we’ve got for you!
Spirit’s Facelift
Spirit is getting a makeover! We know that Spirit means a lot to our community, and we wanted to incorporate it into our new brand. We have big plans for Spirit in the future and plan to make the mascot part of everyday play.
Currency
We are updating our website currency to a more streamlined version of the previous currencies. Bux are becoming BuildBux, and Bits are becoming Qbits. BuildBux will still be obtained through memberships and individual packages that can be purchased. Qbits will be obtained through world visits and daily logins.
Existing currency attached to player accounts will automatically convert, so no action is needed from our players!
We are exploring options to create additional currencies for different features in the future. This may include a specific type of currency for clubs, trading, and more. However, we haven’t made a decision on that just yet.
Player Avatars
We’re updating our avatars once again. We are opening up new possibilities for players to get creative. This update will include a new way to build avatars, right from the world builder itself!
We are saying goodbye to our current avatars…
And we’re saying hello to the new possibilities!
With our current system, players are able to wear 3D items and player clothing that are uploaded to the Marketplace. While customization is possible, we have not implemented a larger variety of options (like eye color, eyebrows, and faces) for players to make their avatars unique. The 3D items, such as hats and body parts, are uploaded by members of the World to Build team. Player clothing is uploaded by players.
We determined, through your feedback, that this type of customization is not a efficient way for players to express themselves with their avatars. Sometimes we just don’t know what players want, and we don’t have enough quality clothing in the Marketplace to make up for the lack of customization we provide. With that, we are announcing a new system that will allow players more free-reign over the way they look on World to Build.
Our goal for player customization is to have a system where players can add uniqueness and expression to their avatars. It is a lot easier for us to allow you to create an avatar that is unique to you. The alternative (like our old system) is for the World to Build team to create body parts, avatars, and faces over a long period of time that matches what our players want. Even doing that, there will always be players that have their own unique style that we cannot match.
Our new system provides players the ability to “draw” their own avatar one body part at a time with a voxel-based block system. Then, we will compress those blocks into a single avatar that becomes you.
Players can buy different body parts, or make their own. The way you dress up won’t change too much. We will still allow you to mix and match body parts like you do clothing and hats currently. The only part of avatars that players will not be able to create for now are hats (and other objects that you will wear as an accessory).
There are some exclusions to the rule of no player-made hats or accessories, however. We will allow leniency with small additions to heads, like sunglasses or hair. If your object meets the guidelines and doesn’t violate our terms, it will be accepted.
Player clothing is just… complicated. At least it was. Right now, players have to download a clothing template, draw on it, upload it, wait on a moderator to review it, and then wait to see if it even came out right on their avatars.
With our new system, players can create an object that they can draw clothing onto. That way you’re seeing your clothing in real-time, and you can draw it on your actual avatar’s pieces so it fits just right!
Marketplace
The Marketplace is going live once again! The Marketplace will include content from both the World to Build team and players alike. Players will be able to submit designs they make through the new voxel editor for review, and if approved they will become public designs for sale.
Depending on the quality of the design and a final decision from the World to Build team, players who have an approved design selling on the Marketplace may receive a commission of sales generated by their design!
Additionally, we are adding sets to items so players can find matching parts easier. For now, only World to Build team members can create sets for items uploaded to the Marketplace.
Account Settings
Account settings were updated in order to make the experience more user friendly. We also added previous billing history (no personal information), and an account’s suspension history. As a quick note: we made some changes to the suspension system, so some suspensions were expunged as a courtesy. But we still urge all players to follow the rules. 🙂
You may notice a block feature in the screenshot above. We’re working to finish off this feature, but it will not be available during this specific release.
Profiles
Profiles are receiving an update with all features available. You will be able to message other players, send and cancel friend requests, view their backpack, and more. We also updated the achievements panel to highlight the area more.
Right now we are drawing up some new achievement ideas, so the area should fill up pretty quickly if you are an active player.
Some Other Updates
- The friend request feature is being fixed (and upgraded).
- You can also remove friends from your friends list if you want.
- Player’s personal friends lists are receiving an update to show how long you have been friends with a certain player.
- The reporting feature for inappropriate content is being fixed for all content.
- Account achievements were not loading for some players, but we’re fixing that.
- Free players will be able to create up to 100 total worlds, but may only have up to 20 visible at a time.
- Referral codes are being removed. Players will be able to refer one another with #user tags instead.
- Avatars have been removed on the community forum for the time being. Avatars will show up as initials according to #user tags.
- We’re adding a “Help” page with Frequently Asked Questions, how to contact us, and more.
- We made an update to sorting on the player search page.
- Suspended accounts no longer show to the public.
- We will now require birth dates from players to provide them with curated content. Players under the age of 13 may not be provided certain features for safety.
- We are in the process of creating a cross-platform launcher in order to bring World to Build to other operating systems. We’ll announce more on this as we get closer to release.
Now that we are all caught up with a majority of our features and design, we can now work towards adding new features for our players to enjoy. We hope to have some awesome additions out to our community soon.
As always, we appreciate player input and want to find ways to help players be more creative. If you have any feedback or suggestions, please post a new topic here. If you notice something isn’t working right, please submit a bug report and we will get it fixed.
See you in-game!
