Implementation of gift cards.

[Reya SmallVerse]

I think it is ridiculous that you are saying more research is required. In this day and age with development tools and Artificial Intelligence available that explanation honestly comes across as an excuse rather than a genuine reason. To me it feels like the team simply does not want to prioritize improving the game. The game is something that I care about. I want to see it get better.

I am a software engineer myself so I understand that features like a gift card payment method are not implemented overnight. They require planning and testing and development. But that is why I am frustrated. This suggestion has been around for such a long time yet nothing meaningful has been done in that direction. The team has had a lot of time to work on this feature.

The only reason I care enough to keep bringing this up is because the game was a part of my childhood. I genuinely want to see the game succeed again. Instead it feels like the focus is on generating revenue from long-time players like me than on making the game as popular and enjoyable as it was back in 2009. I want the game to be fun for everyone not for people who have been playing it for a long time.

Your response does not explain why the feature is not being considered. It just says it needs research, which is something that could be said about virtually any feature. I would rather receive an explanation about the real obstacles than a generic response that does not address the suggestion. I want to know what is really going on with the game and why things are not getting done.

At this point it honestly feels like the teams priorities are focused on monetization than on rebuilding the game into the experience that made so many of us fall in love, with the game in 2009. As a long-time player of the game that is disappointing to see and I hope the team starts putting the level of effort into meaningful improvements as it does into monetization of the game. The game needs to be improved. I hope the team will do that.

Hi Johnny,

Firstly, thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed response. It's clear that your feedback comes from a genuine place of wanting to see SmallVerse succeed, and we do appreciate that.

I wanted to provide a little more context around my previous response because I don't think it fully explained our reasoning.

When we say that research is required, we're not referring only to the development work involved in creating a gift card system. There are a number of other things that have to be considered first, such as payment processing, regional availability, fraud prevention, accounting, taxation, customer support, and ongoing maintenance. If physical gift cards were ever something we explored, there would be additional logistics to work through as well. Those are the areas I was referring to.

Another thing we've considered is that SmallVerse already has a fully online Store where players can purchase gifts directly for one another. Because that option already exists, we've generally focused our development time on areas where players don't currently have another solution, or completely new additions. That isn't to say gift cards wouldn't have value. We understand why you'd like to see them. It's simply one of many ideas we have to weigh against everything else we're working on.

I also wanted to touch on your concern about monetization. I can understand why it might seem like that's where much of our focus is, especially since Store updates are some of the most visible updates we release. The reality is that a large amount of our work happens behind the scenes. Stability improvements, quality of life changes, moderation tools, mission improvements, internal systems, content release scheduling, and other foundational work often aren't as noticeable, but they take a considerable amount of time and are just as important to the long-term health of the game. Our goal has always been to continue improving SmallVerse while making sure the project remains sustainable. Those two things go hand in hand.

At the moment, we're focusing our efforts on other development work that we believe will have a broader impact on the overall player experience. That doesn't mean your suggestion has been dismissed or that we don't see value in it. It simply means we're trying to make the best use of our development time while continuing to move the game forward.

We genuinely appreciate you sharing your thoughts with us. Even when we don't move forward with a suggestion right away, we still discuss it internally and take it into consideration as we plan future updates. Hearing what players care about is important to us, and we hope the community will continue sharing ideas as SmallVerse continues to grow.

[Johnny Jackson the 2nd]

Hi Johnny,

Firstly, thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed response. It's clear that your feedback comes from a genuine place of wanting to see SmallVerse succeed, and we do appreciate that.

I wanted to provide a little more context around my previous response because I don't think it fully explained our reasoning.

When we say that research is required, we're not referring only to the development work involved in creating a gift card system. There are a number of other things that have to be considered first, such as payment processing, regional availability, fraud prevention, accounting, taxation, customer support, and ongoing maintenance. If physical gift cards were ever something we explored, there would be additional logistics to work through as well. Those are the areas I was referring to.

Another thing we've considered is that SmallVerse already has a fully online Store where players can purchase gifts directly for one another. Because that option already exists, we've generally focused our development time on areas where players don't currently have another solution, or completely new additions. That isn't to say gift cards wouldn't have value. We understand why you'd like to see them. It's simply one of many ideas we have to weigh against everything else we're working on.

I also wanted to touch on your concern about monetization. I can understand why it might seem like that's where much of our focus is, especially since Store updates are some of the most visible updates we release. The reality is that a large amount of our work happens behind the scenes. Stability improvements, quality of life changes, moderation tools, mission improvements, internal systems, content release scheduling, and other foundational work often aren't as noticeable, but they take a considerable amount of time and are just as important to the long-term health of the game. Our goal has always been to continue improving SmallVerse while making sure the project remains sustainable. Those two things go hand in hand.

At the moment, we're focusing our efforts on other development work that we believe will have a broader impact on the overall player experience. That doesn't mean your suggestion has been dismissed or that we don't see value in it. It simply means we're trying to make the best use of our development time while continuing to move the game forward.

We genuinely appreciate you sharing your thoughts with us. Even when we don't move forward with a suggestion right away, we still discuss it internally and take it into consideration as we plan future updates. Hearing what players care about is important to us, and we hope the community will continue sharing ideas as SmallVerse continues to grow.

At this point, it genuinely feels like you're not reading a single suggestion. It looks like you're just feeding everything into AI and copy-pasting the same generic, polite response back to us without actually considering what players are saying.

[Reya SmallVerse]

At this point, it genuinely feels like you're not reading a single suggestion. It looks like you're just feeding everything into AI and copy-pasting the same generic, polite response back to us without actually considering what players are saying.

I understand that this is how you feel, and I respect that you're being honest about it.

From our side, we've explained our current position on the suggestion and the reasoning behind it as openly as we can. I also understand that our answer isn't the one you were hoping for, and that's okay. Not every suggestion will align with the direction we're taking or the work we're focusing on at any given time.

That doesn't mean your feedback is unwelcome or ignored. It simply means that, after considering it, we've come to a different conclusion for the time being.

One thing I do want to clarify is that suggestions genuinely are read and discussed by our team. Over the past several months, we've implemented changes, adjusted existing features, and started new projects directly because of feedback we've received from the community. Not every suggestion will ultimately be implemented, but every suggestion is considered and becomes part of the conversations we have when planning future updates.

We know that actions speak louder than words, and we'll continue doing our best to improve SmallVerse in ways that benefit the community as a whole. Thank you again for taking the time to share your perspective with us.

[Johnny Jackson the 2nd]

I understand that this is how you feel, and I respect that you're being honest about it.

From our side, we've explained our current position on the suggestion and the reasoning behind it as openly as we can. I also understand that our answer isn't the one you were hoping for, and that's okay. Not every suggestion will align with the direction we're taking or the work we're focusing on at any given time.

That doesn't mean your feedback is unwelcome or ignored. It simply means that, after considering it, we've come to a different conclusion for the time being.

One thing I do want to clarify is that suggestions genuinely are read and discussed by our team. Over the past several months, we've implemented changes, adjusted existing features, and started new projects directly because of feedback we've received from the community. Not every suggestion will ultimately be implemented, but every suggestion is considered and becomes part of the conversations we have when planning future updates.

We know that actions speak louder than words, and we'll continue doing our best to improve SmallVerse in ways that benefit the community as a whole. Thank you again for taking the time to share your perspective with us.

Thanks for the detailed reply. I want to push back on a couple of points, though.

You've said the suggestion doesn't align with your "current position" and "the direction you're taking," but you haven't actually said what that direction is or what specifically about the suggestion conflicts with it. That's not really an explanation — it's a restatement that a decision was made. If there's a concrete reason (technical constraint, resource limit, conflicts with another feature, etc.), I'd genuinely like to hear it. If there isn't one you're able to share, that's worth just saying directly.

I also want to flag the "we've made changes because of community feedback" point. That may well be true, but it's not evidence about this suggestion — it's a general reassurance that doesn't answer whether mine was seriously evaluated or just filed away. If it's been discussed, I'd appreciate knowing what the actual objection to it was. If it hasn't been discussed in any real depth, I'd rather hear that than a polished version of "no."

I'm not asking you to implement it. I'm asking for an actual reason, since "we considered it and landed elsewhere" isn't one.

Also, please don't remove my photos showing the players of the game you're using AI to write these replies. Thank you.

[Adriella Spencer]

Imagine the *audacity* one must have to receive not just one, but THREE official replies (an honour that the majority of other contributors don't get) and still cannot accept the result. Wow! Let this thread die, please, because I am certain that grilling and insulting staff is unlikely to motivate them to do what you want them to do.

[Johnny Jackson the 2nd]

Imagine the *audacity* one must have to receive not just one, but THREE official replies (an honour that the majority of other contributors don't get) and still cannot accept the result. Wow! Let this thread die, please, because I am certain that grilling and insulting staff is unlikely to motivate them to do what you want them to do.

"You got three replies" isn't the compelling argument you think it is. A decision doesn't become correct through repetition, and criticism doesn't become invalid because staff have answered multiple times.

[Adriella Spencer]

Reya, you probably shouldn't have bothered replying to this thread which is clearly a command disguised as a suggestion. Please don't be turned off by this rude and entitled behaviour. There are many other players who are humble enough to make a suggestion for consideration, mature enough to accept when a decision has been made and wise enough to LET IT GO when it is clear that it's not gonna happen. They wouldn't bully you into conceding to their request. I promise you, most of us used the almost 10 years away from SW to grow up.

[Johnny Jackson the 2nd]

Reya, you probably shouldn't have bothered replying to this thread which is clearly a command disguised as a suggestion. Please don't be turned off by this rude and entitled behaviour. There are many other players who are humble enough to make a suggestion for consideration, mature enough to accept when a decision has been made and wise enough to LET IT GO when it is clear that it's not gonna happen. They wouldn't bully you into conceding to their request. I promise you, most of us used the almost 10 years away from SW to grow up.

The irony of you preaching about maturity while writing an entire paragraph defending a company’s refusal to listen is honestly impressive. Calling someone “entitled” for continuing a discussion on a feature request is a lazy way to dismiss criticism instead of actually addressing the points being made.

A suggestion does not magically stop being valid because a few people decided the conversation should be over. Communities are built by players who care enough to push for improvements, not by people who blindly accept every decision and then attack anyone who disagrees.

Also, the “we grew up in 10 years” comment is hilarious considering you’re spending your time insulting another player for having an opinion. Maturity isn’t blindly defending decisions you agree with; it’s being able to handle criticism without acting like disagreement is some kind of personal attack.

If you’re satisfied with the answer, great. Nobody is forcing you to continue the discussion. But pretending that asking for better communication or improvements is “bullying” just makes it look like you’re more interested in shutting down conversation than actually contributing anything meaningful.

[Johnny Jackson the 2nd]

bump................................

[Reya SmallVerse]

Hello all,

At this point, we've provided the explanation we're able to give regarding this suggestion and how we've reached our current decision. While we understand that some may disagree with that decision, a different outcome is not likely at this time due to the reasons mentioned in my previous responses.

The Suggestions section is to allow members of the community to share ideas, opinions, and constructive feedback with the team. We welcome differing viewpoints and respectful criticism, as those discussions often help us review ideas from different perspectives. However, once a suggestion has been reviewed and the team's position has been communicated, we do not consider prolonged arguments or disrespectful exchanges between community members to be productive or constructive.

Your suggestion has been documented and will remain available for future consideration should our plans change. As with all suggestions, we'll continue evaluating community feedback alongside the direction and needs of SmallVerse over time.

With that, we'll be closing this thread. Thank you for taking the time to share your suggestion with us.