MessyAcademy
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Discord changes! (Feedback/Suggestions)
🕑 Added 2021-10-06 03:14:09 +0000 UTCI have some interesting news to share with everyone today! I've been considering this choice for a while off and on, but I wanted to make sure it didn't feel like a stab in the back to any supporters and give a heads up post about it with some time to prepare for it.
Okay, so moving forward with the rest of development on MA. We're going to completely open up the discord server, allowing anyone for fans to join without paying the $1+ access cost. I feel like this would benefit everyone greatly, bringing everyone who enjoys the project together closer as fans or supporters, being able to show their love for the game and possibly gain some friends, feel a bit closer to the project.
Before any supporters freak out about this, if you haven't noticed already within the discord server. I've made some changes and adjustments to the server roles, making sure everyone in the server currently who has supported the project has the special role/rank of "Patreon Supporter". This isn't a limited time thing either, anyone who comes along and decides to support the Patreon, paying $1+ should still gain access to the server and gain the new role/rank as well.
What is new though, is that there will be a public accessible invite for the discord server hosted on Patreon, itch.io, Twitter, etc. Those who join the MA discord server through this link will be given the "MA Fan" role/rank instead of the other one mentioned above. Currently there isn't much difference between the two roles/ranks, just letting people know if you're someone who has supported the project.
We would like to listen to some feedback and take suggestions on possible little perks or other benefits linked to being a "Patreon Supporter" vs a "MA Fan". Just some random examples, maybe a special discord channel that can only be seen/accessed to the supporter role? Maybe some tiny extra perks like being able to use emoji's from other servers in the MA one, etc. (Please any ideas are welcomed!)
Another important thing to mention is that in the MA discord, when we post Patreon links to new posts made. Those can only be accessed by those with active Patreon tiers, so there's nothing to worry about with all that. The public posts channel when we do have some open to public posts made and linked in that channel, that on the other hand of course is always accessible by anyone. (Just want to be clear only active supporters can access our Patreon posts through discord.)
Oh! One final thing, Kickstarter supporters don't worry! You are considered "Patreon Supporter" role in the discord too! It's just that we didn't want to create a "Kickstarter Supporter" role for a very few if it'd feel kind of odd or more confusing.
~Possible worries~
(1) - Public access might open up the door for trolling accounts or spam, other similar problems. This is a worry to us, as we've never had any major problems before and we'd hope that people joining won't go out of their way to cause problems.
(2) - Spoilers.. <.< Considering we'd have fans who aren't active supporters. They're always one update release behind supporters, so it'll be easier for spoiling content at times. I think to be honest, there isn't really any major worry about this that I've seen in the server before. I'd say this is a lighter concern and if it feels like there's more spoiler drops popping up often, we can always make a new text channel or two purely tied to the game versions for discussion.
(3) - It might take some tinkering around to ensure that roles are being given out automatically and kept. I know in the past when people support the Patreon, they'd gain access to the server and automatically get their role assigned instantly. But I think what would happen with that is once said person stopped supporting the Patreon or cancels their recurring payment, somehow the bot in discord realizes this and takes away the role? (So I'd have to keep an eye on this in the audit logs on discord and make sure your role sticks for good instead of disappearing.)
~Ending~
I'm looking to open up the discord server to the public fans by this upcoming weekend. I want to make sure there's enough time to give everyone a heads up and prepare themselves for this adjustment to the MA discord server. Plus I'd like to gain some ideas before then as well. ^^
We hope that this news isn't taken in a bad way, by all means we do want to make sure people are happy. Let us know your thoughts, insight on this, regardless if it's good or bad, etc. <3
Comments
Glad to hear that! ^^ I know there's been cases in the past where I'll come across fans who aren't quite grounded in how they can keep in touch with the project, besides following us on Patreon. We do have a few hosting sites and socials, but nothing quite brings everyone together more than a discord server by the sounds of it. I think it'll be very good and healthy to see growth in this way, naturally we do have to ensure supporters are getting enough benefit/perks from supporting us and for good reason. So we're hopeful that this won't end up feeling like anyone currently supporting us will lose in this situation. Thanks for the recommendation! ^^ I'll give some of those ideas consideration! We do want to have a bit more involvement from fans/supporters pop up throughout development, stuff that feels like they've had a part in the project besides simply helping with funding. (Which is important ^^") But when we're able to do some hosted polls, events or things pop up every so often for development. We'd love to open things up in fitting ways. Anyways, wall of text aside! ^^" Thank you for the ideas and thoughts!
Izzay
This seems like an excellent idea to increase the reach of MA. Discord communities are the best ways for fans to keep in touch and feel connected to a project/etc which will grow and consolidate MA. It's a very common thing for creative endeavors such as this. I'd recommend https://blog.patreon.com/19-patreon-rewards-for-podcasters-to-offer-their-fans for some ideas. You can do some double dipping with concept art in exclusive discord patreon channels, as it grows do a Q&A there. Throw in a poll for a differently colored shirt for a character et cetera. As long as it's exclusive and makes people feel involved it'll do.
