Missions In Commercial Spaces

[Hannah Music]

I totally agree with what everyone above has said. Its very strange that no one on the SV staff has responded to the post...

Regardless, it seems silly to reject a mission based on something that isn't formally written anywhere. This may be a bigger discussion, but maybe its necessary to have a more searchable form of rules? Whilst in the trading post the other day a helper was mentioning rules that I was personally unaware of, this seems like another instance of this?

Anywho, as someone who occasionally tries to grind missions for xp, doing the same few over an over can become boring/repetitive. You would thing SV staff would want more options so that players dont get bored...

[Adriella Spencer]

I played the mission and it's cute.

It may feel unfair but it's understandable why the mission was not approved. Putting a stamp of approval on a mission that is in and entirely about a shop indirectly puts a stamp of approval on the shop. It could be seen as endorsement of the shop, which will be seen as biased by others. If your mission is approved then every shop owner would do and want the same. It makes sense that the SV team would play it safe and not open that can of worms.

I think you should transfer the mission to its own space and maybe put a door to your shop in there

[Trixi Fang]

I played the mission and it's cute.

It may feel unfair but it's understandable why the mission was not approved. Putting a stamp of approval on a mission that is in and entirely about a shop indirectly puts a stamp of approval on the shop. It could be seen as endorsement of the shop, which will be seen as biased by others. If your mission is approved then every shop owner would do and want the same. It makes sense that the SV team would play it safe and not open that can of worms.

I think you should transfer the mission to its own space and maybe put a door to your shop in there

Firstly, thank you for playing the mission! Secondly, I understand your point. However, in response to any potential 'endorsement', as other players have outlined, this never used to be a rule in the old SW days. And missions were approved in spaces that sold items, from paintings to sculptures. So what mine, and others' point is, is that why change this rule for SV? I can understand the point, but if it's a mission that doesn't directly encourage or pressure you to make a purchase, and the SV staff vet it to ensure this (as they vet all missions anyway and are the only ones who can give the ultimate stamp of approval), I don't see why this would be an issue

[Trixi Fang]

I totally agree with what everyone above has said. Its very strange that no one on the SV staff has responded to the post...

Regardless, it seems silly to reject a mission based on something that isn't formally written anywhere. This may be a bigger discussion, but maybe its necessary to have a more searchable form of rules? Whilst in the trading post the other day a helper was mentioning rules that I was personally unaware of, this seems like another instance of this?

Anywho, as someone who occasionally tries to grind missions for xp, doing the same few over an over can become boring/repetitive. You would thing SV staff would want more options so that players dont get bored...

I agree with you. And I too find it odd that SV staff have not only refrained from engaging with this topic to provide any explanation (I did email them on the subject, but they refrained from directly providing any answers as to this and instead referred me to the forums to make a post, which is the reason I started this thread), but also seem to have multiple 'unspoken' rules that are not made clear or indeed listed anywhere. It's not just confusing but frustrating when trying to navigate them

[Grace Judes]

Bumping this! I really see no issue with this, and hope it's remedied. Also, not all users can afford multiple spaces, so why not allow them to use one for multiple purposes?

[Mya SmallVerse]

Hey everyone,


I understand the concerns regarding missions being rejected for having items for sale in the space.

To clarify - approved missions are intended to be fully focused on delivering a creative, story-driven gameplay experience. Mission spaces should be designed around the storyline and player interaction, rather than including elements that promote shops, items, or sales. Because of this, missions that include items for sale or direct/indirect shop promotion are not eligible for approval.

Additionally, shop-based spaces are subject to frequent changes, such as items may be moved, sold, replaced, or the space itself may be remodeled or removed entirely. Commercial spaces also cannot be in instanced mode either. This can directly impact mission flow, break tasks, or create an inconsistent experience for players. Keeping approved missions in dedicated, story-focused spaces helps ensure long-term stability, fairness, and quality.

This has been a consistent standard in how missions are reviewed to ensure the Approved Missions category remains centered around gameplay and creativity. While this specific point wasn’t explicitly outlined in the current written guidelines, it has been part of the original policy in both SW and SV. We’ll be updating the guidelines to make this clearer moving forward.

Non-approved missions can still include shop elements, but any mission submitted for approval must remain focused solely on the mission experience itself.

We appreciate the feedback and will ensure the guidelines better reflect this standard going forward


~
Mya SmallVerse
Moderation Lead

[Trixi Fang]

Hey everyone,


I understand the concerns regarding missions being rejected for having items for sale in the space.

To clarify - approved missions are intended to be fully focused on delivering a creative, story-driven gameplay experience. Mission spaces should be designed around the storyline and player interaction, rather than including elements that promote shops, items, or sales. Because of this, missions that include items for sale or direct/indirect shop promotion are not eligible for approval.

Additionally, shop-based spaces are subject to frequent changes, such as items may be moved, sold, replaced, or the space itself may be remodeled or removed entirely. Commercial spaces also cannot be in instanced mode either. This can directly impact mission flow, break tasks, or create an inconsistent experience for players. Keeping approved missions in dedicated, story-focused spaces helps ensure long-term stability, fairness, and quality.

This has been a consistent standard in how missions are reviewed to ensure the Approved Missions category remains centered around gameplay and creativity. While this specific point wasn’t explicitly outlined in the current written guidelines, it has been part of the original policy in both SW and SV. We’ll be updating the guidelines to make this clearer moving forward.

Non-approved missions can still include shop elements, but any mission submitted for approval must remain focused solely on the mission experience itself.

We appreciate the feedback and will ensure the guidelines better reflect this standard going forward


~
Mya SmallVerse
Moderation Lead

Hi there Mya,

Late to this reply, but thank you for responding.

I do understand your concerns regarding missions in commercial spaces. However, I do stand by my initial statement and would like to highlight again that, back in SW, missions taking place in commercial spaces did occur. And I would have thought, if the space is large enough to accommodate growth, and the items involved in the mission (like in my space, for example) are left untouched (i.e. the tables in the centre isle, the chickens outside), I don't see what the harm is once it's vetted by your team, so long as no pressure to purchase is enforced. It leaves the players with more choice. On this particular subject, I have done yet more audience research on the matter, and many users agree that it would provide additional interest, and nuance in the game, and they did not see the harm providing no mission items were moved/removed. I, and many others agree, that this is not only a great shame but a missed opportunity if the mission maker has gone through all the proper channels to ensure mission stability (i.e. secured a large space, if instancing cannot be enabled), and no outright pressure to make a purchase is enforced. I feel that this could easily be achieved with a few additional rules to make missions taking place in commercial spaces fair and achievable.

On a related note, you mentioned that 'missions that include items for sale or direct/indirect shop promotion are not eligible for approval'. Does this mean that, were I to re-create my bakery in a different space, with no items for sale, that the mission I make there would not be eligible for approval within your current guidelines? I would love to re-create it, given that I've received such a lot of positive feedback for it, but I don't want to potentially waste any hard-earned currency if it were not to be deemed eligible before I even begin.

[Penguin Disco]

Haha, also true! And I think, given it's an unspoken rule in SV (nowhere does it say commercial space missions aren't allowed, yet they told me it was the reason they refused mine), and it was allowed in SW (after being vetted, and ensuring there's no pressure to purchase anything), I don't see why it shouldn't be allowed. I really hope the SV staff take notice of this, for the benefit of all users

With no disrespect to any of the SV staff, some fellow mission makers and I were recently chatting about how some of the mission testers are nit-pickier than others. If you haven't already, perhaps you could try submitting it again to see if you get a different response.

Also, if a SV Team Member is reading this, could we get a response to confirm/deny this policy? Just so we can all see it in writing?

[Teko Equinox]

There may be room for a more controlled approach. For example, allowing missions in commercial spaces as long as they are clearly separated from shop elements and provide genuine gameplay value, rather than incentivizing purchases or directing users toward items for sale.

[Aribella Lafonte]

@Penguin, did you not see that Mya, who is Staff, responded and explained as to why shop spaces with missions cannot be approved? She also stated that better clarification on Guidelines will be coming soon to include this information. It is also fairly clear that missions such as this won’t be approved so submitting it additional times and pushing an issue most likely won’t help, it also takes time away from the tester that has other missions to test.

I can agree that when Trixie first posted in Community Help asking whether or not there were any guidelines/rules against having a mission in a shop, I couldn’t see any guideline written that indicated that it couldn’t. Guidelines are what we refer to so if it’s not written, then we take it as anything goes. If it’s an existed guideline that testers follow to determine approval and if it is a reason that a mission can be rejected, you bet your bottom that those “unspoken rules” better be posted and clarified in the Guidelines that we are to follow. It’s not fair to reject our missions otherwise. This includes providing more information and clarification on what is found to be creativity, the size of a space, etc since these have been reasons for rejection as of late. And there is one specific tester, unless guidelines have been tighter and more specific, that rejects a lot of missions. There is certainly a lack of consistency among the testers following these guidelines so it really depends on luck to who is testing one’s mission that day.

I can also agree with Adriella and understand Mya as to why missions in shop spaces are not able to approved. The biggest reason I would have against them is that shops move frequently and I wouldn’t want to go there to play a mission that I see on panel and that the mission is nowhere to be found. I would also hate to feel pressured into buying something. Let’s face it, shops and reselling are a big part of the community and when there is one mission that could be seen as advertising a shop, there will be a lot more. It’s one thing that simulation missions dominate the panel, it’s another when it’ll be an actual shop. For me, I feel that it would take away from other missions that may hide among them that have more as far as storyline so the overall mission playing experience may be less enjoyable for those wanting more. Then add competition among shops and it’s just something more than we need that starts with approval of one shop space.

I do however, remember a mission on SW, I believe the art gallery was called the Seven Sisters or something like that, but they had a couple missions in the space that I would play. While I wouldn’t like to see missions in shop spaces, I do hope that missions in places such as art galleries or museums will be considered since these seldom move and offer more of an engaging experience than role play or purchasing an item.

In conclusion, I do think an updated modification to the Guidelines is needed and to include any unknown guideline or pertinent information we don’t already know is added. The number of rejected missions have been ridiculous lately and the lack of clarification within the Guidelines is a big part of the problem. I do believe I have also stated the need for this a good year ago as they were too vague. And for the love of God, can we please have some consistency among the mission testers and if one is being too harsh, please give them a good talking to, because I think a lot of us are getting fed up with it by now.

[Trixi Fang]

There may be room for a more controlled approach. For example, allowing missions in commercial spaces as long as they are clearly separated from shop elements and provide genuine gameplay value, rather than incentivizing purchases or directing users toward items for sale.

I couldn't agree more - that was my stance entirely. Trying to encourage players to make a purchase should never be acceptable for a mission taking place in a commercial business space. It should utilise creativity, ensure there's enough space so that mission items are in their separate place, away from any areas that might be remodelled, and not pressurize the player in any way to make a purchase

[Trixi Fang]

With no disrespect to any of the SV staff, some fellow mission makers and I were recently chatting about how some of the mission testers are nit-pickier than others. If you haven't already, perhaps you could try submitting it again to see if you get a different response.

Also, if a SV Team Member is reading this, could we get a response to confirm/deny this policy? Just so we can all see it in writing?

I'd love to try, certainly, especially given that a large chunk of my mission takes place outside, away from the shop floor, and doesn't use anything that would be moved at a later date. I'm sure they won't reconsider, but it would indeed be wonderful to make missions in commercial spaces viable, and to make it fair, ensure they meet certain criteria

[Trixi Fang]

@Penguin, did you not see that Mya, who is Staff, responded and explained as to why shop spaces with missions cannot be approved? She also stated that better clarification on Guidelines will be coming soon to include this information. It is also fairly clear that missions such as this won’t be approved so submitting it additional times and pushing an issue most likely won’t help, it also takes time away from the tester that has other missions to test.

I can agree that when Trixie first posted in Community Help asking whether or not there were any guidelines/rules against having a mission in a shop, I couldn’t see any guideline written that indicated that it couldn’t. Guidelines are what we refer to so if it’s not written, then we take it as anything goes. If it’s an existed guideline that testers follow to determine approval and if it is a reason that a mission can be rejected, you bet your bottom that those “unspoken rules” better be posted and clarified in the Guidelines that we are to follow. It’s not fair to reject our missions otherwise. This includes providing more information and clarification on what is found to be creativity, the size of a space, etc since these have been reasons for rejection as of late. And there is one specific tester, unless guidelines have been tighter and more specific, that rejects a lot of missions. There is certainly a lack of consistency among the testers following these guidelines so it really depends on luck to who is testing one’s mission that day.

I can also agree with Adriella and understand Mya as to why missions in shop spaces are not able to approved. The biggest reason I would have against them is that shops move frequently and I wouldn’t want to go there to play a mission that I see on panel and that the mission is nowhere to be found. I would also hate to feel pressured into buying something. Let’s face it, shops and reselling are a big part of the community and when there is one mission that could be seen as advertising a shop, there will be a lot more. It’s one thing that simulation missions dominate the panel, it’s another when it’ll be an actual shop. For me, I feel that it would take away from other missions that may hide among them that have more as far as storyline so the overall mission playing experience may be less enjoyable for those wanting more. Then add competition among shops and it’s just something more than we need that starts with approval of one shop space.

I do however, remember a mission on SW, I believe the art gallery was called the Seven Sisters or something like that, but they had a couple missions in the space that I would play. While I wouldn’t like to see missions in shop spaces, I do hope that missions in places such as art galleries or museums will be considered since these seldom move and offer more of an engaging experience than role play or purchasing an item.

In conclusion, I do think an updated modification to the Guidelines is needed and to include any unknown guideline or pertinent information we don’t already know is added. The number of rejected missions have been ridiculous lately and the lack of clarification within the Guidelines is a big part of the problem. I do believe I have also stated the need for this a good year ago as they were too vague. And for the love of God, can we please have some consistency among the mission testers and if one is being too harsh, please give them a good talking to, because I think a lot of us are getting fed up with it by now.

I entirely understand your stance on the matter, Aribella. I too would not want to play a mission where there was any pressure to purchase, or be concerned about having it take place in an area of the shop that could later be remodelled. That was entirely my point. Not only would it break the immersion and make it unfair on the player, but it wouldn't prioritize mission stability, which is crucial for longevity and ease for the player. It was also confusing to have my own mission rejected, based on unspoken rules. If the SV staff were ever to reconsider, I think there should be certain criteria that has to be met if any mission is to take place in a space of business, and never make the user feel pressured to purchase any items, at any time. But I think it's a shame if they don't reconsider, given that so many players I have personally talked to find no issue with the matter, so long as it meets all the points I've previously stated to ensure immersion, stability and freedom for the player.

[Trixi Fang]

Hey everyone,


I understand the concerns regarding missions being rejected for having items for sale in the space.

To clarify - approved missions are intended to be fully focused on delivering a creative, story-driven gameplay experience. Mission spaces should be designed around the storyline and player interaction, rather than including elements that promote shops, items, or sales. Because of this, missions that include items for sale or direct/indirect shop promotion are not eligible for approval.

Additionally, shop-based spaces are subject to frequent changes, such as items may be moved, sold, replaced, or the space itself may be remodeled or removed entirely. Commercial spaces also cannot be in instanced mode either. This can directly impact mission flow, break tasks, or create an inconsistent experience for players. Keeping approved missions in dedicated, story-focused spaces helps ensure long-term stability, fairness, and quality.

This has been a consistent standard in how missions are reviewed to ensure the Approved Missions category remains centered around gameplay and creativity. While this specific point wasn’t explicitly outlined in the current written guidelines, it has been part of the original policy in both SW and SV. We’ll be updating the guidelines to make this clearer moving forward.

Non-approved missions can still include shop elements, but any mission submitted for approval must remain focused solely on the mission experience itself.

We appreciate the feedback and will ensure the guidelines better reflect this standard going forward


~
Mya SmallVerse
Moderation Lead

Hi there Mya, I would really appreciate your feedback regarding my question in my previous reply to you above regarding my potential re-creation of The Bon Bon Bakery's mission in another space