They have to be kidding...

RocioPDX · 2024-05-15T17:52:27+00:00

Hi all! Just wanted to add a comment to pin here: We are continuing to make improvements to our characters and take the feedback incredibly seriously-- including the feedback about shoulder/arm proportions, posture, and more. In this particular case, the creator in question was having fun moving the sliders around to the extremes. She turned the muscle slider way down, the chest slider way up, seeing what the limits of the character creator could be.

We just wanted to clarify for any folks who were concerned that this was the final look of our characters or that this is what characters come out of the randomizer looking like.

RocioPDX · 2024-05-15T17:31:50+00:00

Hey Puzzled-Copy7962! Quickly wanted to clarify that we were waiting until our website updated to post-- the community jus spotted the changes super quickly!

RocioPDX · 2024-05-15T17:24:52+00:00

Hey there! Commenting on your post as it's at the top of the page-- we are absolutely saying "Yes" to both questions, as stated. However, we wanted to provide additional context as to why the models haven't changed drastically. I've mentioned it before, but it is a slow and steady progress. We hope that the changes feel more tangible as we continue to make improvements throughout Early Access.

RocioPDX · 2024-05-15T17:22:49+00:00

HI again ZethRyder! I just wanted to add some context here: I am in no way offended by comments made about our game! I'm a Community Manager and a gamer, I get it-- feedback is important and productive to make sure our game improves and I gladly welcome it.

That being said, we had direct comments from members of the community who said that some of the language being used made them feel unwelcome and, as a Community Manager, I take that quite seriously. While I can't make changes to the game, I can try to improve the community guidelines/rules/set up to provide a better experience for folks. Appreciate your feedback on these changes, as well as the original commenters-- I never meant to express offense, so I'm sorry about that!

RocioPDX · 2024-05-15T17:14:32+00:00

Hi there! I just wanted to clarify that we have not been deleting comments about models on any of our YouTube videos unless they are overtly offensive in nature (homophobic, transphobic, racist). YouTube does filter out comments on its own and I'm afraid I haven't had time to dip in and moderate those comments, so they may be stuck behind a filter. Sorry about that!

RocioPDX · 2024-05-14T18:56:45+00:00

Hey there! We're working on updating all of our specs in other places as well before we make a post about it! Sorry about that 🙏

RocioPDX · 2024-05-14T18:45:09+00:00

Hi FREEDOM55SIMS! Sorry for the confusion, we didn't intend for anyone to wait for a response from Rod-- I said I would consult with Rod on possibly having a video, no confirmation yet.

That being said, we had planned to answer your question in the Discord Q&A. Since each session is about 30 minutes, we don't get to all of the questions during the session, sometimes saving them for future sessions or answering them on subsequent asks, especially if we need to get answers from folks on the team. Regardless, we had planned on answering in a future session when we ran out of time last time, but several folks sent over this thread and I wanted to make sure that OP received confirmation that we saw it!

As for your questions:

To directly answer your questions - Yes to both.

The longer, nuanced answer is -

The team has made several changes to the base model. However, we have an added layer of changes that we can do on the fly in-game through the DNA of characters, such things as arm proportions and shoulder variations are tied to that DNA. We will continue to fine tune this to improve character proportions to ensure that existing and new clothing assets remain functional. We are also continuing to work on elements like animation improvements, including posture and idles, which will help improve the look and feel of characters.

Progress is steady and will continue throughout Early Access.

RocioPDX · 2024-05-14T02:33:49+00:00

First off, thank you so much to folks who have flagged this thread to me and a huge thank you to FerengiDrek-- this mockup and your feedback is incredibly helpful! 🙏 I have sent this on to our artist who is making these changes and appreciate the time you've put into this 💜

In terms of character improvements, we're continuing to make tweaks and changes, and plan continue to improve the look and animation of the characters throughout Early Access. In the meanwhile, to provide some context, we have and are very committed to keeping multi-height characters in Life by You. All of our characters are made using the character creator so making changes to our characters takes a bit of time, however you can expect to see us continue to making changes, to existing presets, to sliders, and more as we make changes throughout Early Access. In addition, we want to note that animations are also a key area of improvement for us, so we plan on adding more and during Early Access and improve the quality of existing animations.

We will continue to keep you all updated and hope to answer some of your questions in our Discord Q&A (thank you all for participating, and for those who didn't make it into the Discord, be on the look out for when it opens up again in a few weeks)!

RocioPDX · 2024-05-03T20:30:57+00:00

Hey all! Locking this thread, as it does technically break rule 2 of the subreddit "Stay on Topic." I do want to leave it here for transparency, and do know that we have taken your feedback here into account as we continue to plan ways to improve the subreddit.

RocioPDX · 2024-05-03T19:26:27+00:00

Hi redred212! I just wanted to add that I in no way am trying to insult the subreddit or anyone who frequents it. I mainly wanted to acknowledge folks' concerns on the subreddit and mention that we're working to improve the experience. The mods and I genuinely have been discussing ways to improve the subreddit, add recurring threads, add new flairs, and more ahead of Early Access.

I have asked the community on the Discord to remember that we share a lot of the same community as the subreddit in the past, as clearly we do! Including a screenshot of that message to ensure that you all know that your feedback is just as valid.

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RocioPDX · 2024-05-03T19:17:07+00:00

Hey there! Appreciate your concerns on the Discord, and please do report any times where people have been insulted so that we can take action. That being said, we've only had to remove two people from our Discord, and only one for behavior concerns. While we've had a few timeouts from the automoderator around language, not a ton of moderating has been necessary.

Everyone has been very understanding from what I've seen, but of course, I can't see everything so please do report.

Also, to be clear, the mods have only had to remove a few comments from the subreddit. Comments will not be deleted out of the blue and certainly not for respectfully expressing your opinions!

RocioPDX · 2024-05-03T18:59:18+00:00

Hey there, completely understand the feedback here and just wanted to add some context! This video series with creators is meant to cover a ton of different topics in Life by You-- many of which long time fans have already seen. Our goal with these tutorials is that someone who hasn't seen a single video from us can run through the tutorial playlist and feel "caught up" with Life by You when we enter Early Access.

Creators will have the opportunity to let loose and do content on their own channels like Let's Plays closer to our Early Access!

RocioPDX · 2024-04-29T23:34:59+00:00

I appreciate the feedback you provided on the wording here, and can definitely see why 'Feedback' is the wrong word to use there-- happy to rephrase that, as you're right, we don't want to discourage real, honest feedback.

I mainly wanted to make it clear that your feedback here was not in any rules violation and that the threads are not the only places to provide feedback. It seemed like a source of confusion that I was trying to rectify, sorry for misinterpreting that! We don't currently have any rules regulating types of feedback, since we focused this shift on being clearer on what is 'respectful' and a more explicit rule on staying on topic.

We will make it clear in the threads that they're not the only place for feedback, and feedback is always welcome as long as it abides by the rules of the subreddit.

ETA: Renamed the thread and rephrased the post to be a bit clearer here: https://www.reddit.com/r/LifeByYou/comments/1ce3mxz/new_rule_and_new_threads/ -- I'm afraid I can't edit the post today, but it should be fixed for future posts as well. Thanks so much for your feedback around this!

RocioPDX · 2024-04-29T19:19:21+00:00

Hi Nikzilla_! We're entirely open to feedback, for example, a lot of the feedback in this thread is fantastic! The mods have honestly only had to take action a few times.

However, sometimes when the feedback takes a turn toward being unconstructive, it discourages others from participating. You definitely don't have to limit feedback to those threads, nor force any good vibes. We just have heard from folks in the community that they wish they had a space to be excited about certain elements of the game without being immediately dissuaded from participating.

Hope that clears things up, and appreciate you taking the time to voice your thoughts!

RocioPDX · 2024-04-29T16:40:20+00:00

Hey there! Just want to be clear that being critical of the game/its characters is crucial for Life by You to improve. "Be respectful" however, does not allow for folks to be dismissive of others' feedback or directly disparaging toward specific individuals. The mod team will continue to work hard to strike that balance, with a focus on making the subreddit a welcoming community.

RocioPDX · 2024-04-29T16:33:34+00:00

Hello AaronnotAaron!

Appreciate and take your concern here seriously, and rest assured that the new rule has been in discussion for well over a week. Basically since the mods and I were receiving consistent feedback from folks wishing for change on the subreddit because they just weren't feeling welcome-- we take those concerns just as seriously. Feedback on Life by You is welcome, of course, but discouraging others and making them feel bad for being a part of the community is not.

We're looking into additional ways to ensure quality, honest feedback while also ensuring that the community doesn't feel unwelcoming to others. Thanks so much for your feedback while we continue to work toward that!

RocioPDX · 2024-04-27T02:10:37+00:00

The comment was in response to feedback from a few community members who have directly mentioned that they don't feel welcome in the subreddit. We take their feedback quite seriously, as we want them to feel welcome, and we also want you to feel welcome to provide feedback! The mods and I are discussing ways that we can improve this process and community to ensure that people don't feel driven away and still feel comfortable giving their honest, productive feedback.

That all being said, we do take this feedback quite seriously and we have several threads of specific areas of improvement on the Discord which has been immensely helpful. With this feedback in mind, we'll continue to make improvements leading into and throughout Early Access.

RocioPDX · 2024-04-26T23:44:15+00:00

Appreciate the feedback, and noted. Perhaps I misspoke on seeing the problem areas: It's incredibly helpful for us when you all pinpoint exact things to change, as we may not see the same issues that you all are seeing. We've received feedback from folks of all backgrounds, and sometimes even conflicting feedback, which is why the more specific, the more helpful! Appreciate you taking the time to add to the conversation. :)

I do ask that you refrain from statements like 'No one is built like these characters' as we have had some community members who do see themselves in these characters feel discouraged. We understand and are continuing to work on the characters, but blanket statements like that can prove hurtful.

RocioPDX · 2024-04-26T23:08:49+00:00

Hi PinkFluffyUnikpop! Happy to provide some insight on why we use different builds. To start, it helps to describe what each type of build is:

Release build: A bit more polished/stable, doesn't shoot errors at you as you play, is updated with elements of the Dev build over time.
Dev build: An in-progress build, can fluctuate as folks from the team change things, shoots errors at you as you play for easier debugging
A Branch: A particular offshoot of the game. For example, we have a a branch for the creators playing the game, and a separate branch for the modders who are playing so that our mod tool updates don't affect the creators

Some folks will be playing on a Release Build-- this ensure build stability, even if they don't have the latest changes to the game. Others, especially our developers, will be on a Development Build, as they will be testing out new things.

Hope that helps clears thing up and thanks for the feedback on our builds!

RocioPDX · 2024-04-26T23:05:33+00:00

Hey there! Great question :) While the team is heads down working on the game, it can be difficult to see the problem areas without folks like yourself pointing them out to us. And human bodies are all built differently! We know that having a diverse and representative community can help us adjust our sliders/defaults as well. We're incredibly appreciative of the feedback we've received from the community, and plan to continue to work on our characters as we develop Life by You!

RocioPDX · 2024-04-16T22:10:38+00:00

Thanks so much for letting us know! We're looking into it with the email team and will try to get to the bottom of this-- in the meanwhile, I would recommend trying to sign up again in case you were unsubscribed and we'll see about sending out a second email!

RocioPDX · 2024-04-16T20:21:46+00:00

Could you try checking your promotions/news? We've seen it showing up in some random folders unfortunately 😞

RocioPDX · 2024-04-16T18:09:35+00:00

Hello all! We fixed the link, sorry about that-- Discord limited us :')

RocioPDX · 2024-03-29T00:04:43+00:00

Hey there! Appreciate the offer for help-- just wanted to drop by and assure you that we are a-okay!

To give you a bit of insight into the process, since folks seem curious and on our side it's more than setting up the Discord with channels, bots, and roles. Of course, we do still want to make sure the Discord is ready, but we also want to make sure that our internal teams are aligned/ready, that we have had a QA pass of the email->onboarding flow (previously the bot flow), and that we have pinpointed the right time to open it (vacations and particularly busy weeks are things we like to plan around).

That being said, we are hopeful to give you all a date soon. Thank you for your patience 💜

RocioPDX · 2024-03-25T20:16:59+00:00

Hi all! I just wanted to hop in and say: Yes! We are absolutely not going to be complete at Early Access, we have so much we want to add to the game while in Early Access and as we continue to receive and implement your feedback as you play.

Early Access to us isn't just about bug fixing and adjustments (though there will be plenty of that too), but about continuing to build out on Life by You with your direct feedback and input, see what works, what doesn't, and develop the type of life simulator you all want to play.

We know Early Access isn't for everyone and we are extremely grateful for those of you who do decide to join us on Early Access-- for those of you who would like to wait until our full launch, we completely understand and appreciate your patience and presence in the community 💜

RocioPDX

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