Hello Everyone :-]

First off, as a newbie to the site, I'd like to say that I do enjoy playing here quite a bit. I like that breeding, training, and acquiring dogs is a bit of a challenge here. But, I often get a bit frustrated when it comes to finding information on how to play and navigate here on Alacrity.

I know that there is a newbie hub that allows people to ask questions and have them answered by special helpers, but sometimes, they can't be there to answer every question immediately. I am one of those people who likes trying to answer her own questions first before resorting to pestering someone else for the information, but have noticed that information that should be quite obvious... isn't. Here are some suggestions on how to make the site a bit more friendly to us newer members. :)

1.) Placing the TOS and The Rules at the top of the page so that newbies will see them right away and will have no excuse for not knowing what is allowed/prohibited.

2.) Updating the 'Welcome to Alacrity!' video to reflect how the current links at the top of the page look. That is one of the first things I clicked on as a new user, and then immediately got confused because it shows you how to navigate through links that don't show up the same way now.

3.) Providing a text script of the contents of the Welcome and Breeding videos so that a person can scroll down to read the information instead of having to scrub through the video repeatedly to find information (maybe even with screenshots on the side).

4.) Updating the Ala wiki to match the information found on the site, providing picture examples when possible.

5.) Adding a section to the Ala wiki that explains how breeding for markings/colors works on the site (definitions of coat color, white markings, tan markings, secondary markings, opacity, and how markings are passed on to subsequent generations), how creating a custom works, how to purchase bones, upgrades, and perks, etc.

6.) Adjusting the fonts of the links on the 'Submit an Issue' page to make it more obvious to users that there are issue archives that they can check to see if their question has already been asked/answered.

7.) Removing tag pictures from the forum menus. They cause lists to sprawl and look confusing/disorganized.

8.) Reorganize the forum sections so that they immediately stand out. It looks confusing when the thread count shows up bigger than the actual forum section (I am guessing it's the thread count... '53 total' etc. could mean something else?).

9.) Making information about TP, inbreeding, and line-breeding extremely apparent to new users since those three things are what other players care the most about. For example, I assumed that people on this site were okay with line-breeding since that is how the majority of animal breeds are established in the real world. I was wrong.

10. Renaming the link categories at the top to titles easier to remember (mainly Life and Earthly Goods). Possibly adding additional categories or two to help with organization of subcategories (ex. why are Foundation Auctions and The Pound under different categories despite the fact that they are both ways to acquire a dog?).

11.) Add a direct link to user shops to make it easier to start searching for an item.

12.) Add a link to the item catalog so that after searching for an item, a user can click a link that will take them to a list of shops selling that item.

13.) Adding a pup predictor for customs (for people who enjoy breeding for colors and markings).

14.) Making marking/color outcomes a bit more predictable and less random. I know there are items that help promote the passing on of markings (wolf items etc.), but if the site is trying to be somewhat realistic to the real world (a sim), it only makes sense to do the same for folks who enjoy looking at their dogs as much as they do having them place in trials. As a new person, when I hear I can breed dogs here, I think that there will be some sort of coat/marking reliability since that is how genetics work in real life.

15.) Updating the Games page to look a little more fun. Maybe include a screenshot of each so that learning which game is what comes quickly.


16.) Adding a more visible notification when your dog has completed an agility trial (like a message or notification placed at the top of your page... similar to the notification you receive upon completion of a beauty show). Maybe include a link that will take you straight to the results page? I know that you can get there by going to your dog's profile page, scrolling down to the Daily Log, clicking the most recent trial your dog placed in, and then clicking a link to see the final results. But... I think maybe this could be accomplished in a few less steps!

That's all I've got for suggestions. :P I am not trying to nit-pick this site in any way, shape, or form. I just noticed that the site's layout itself kind of slows a person down from being able to jump into the game quickly.

The faster us newbs can figure out how the game works and where everything is, the quicker and more likely we'll be to spend $$$ on it. ;)

Feedback is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
~Ionic


*Added number 16 on Oct. 6th, 2011