On the rewards program thing, unless you create an account, there’s no indication that there is a reward scheme. Now that I do have an account, there’s still no real information (save for your post above) about how you earn coins (I’m purely guessing that if someone follows your unique link to a page, then that counts as a referral – but only from the word “referral” in the bit that summarises the account status), or where you spend them (found them used in the online store).
I strongly suspect that people who read my limited blog output already know about shifters from it’s first incarnation. But will link anyhow.
The other comment I’d make is that redux is taking a lot longer to get into a gripping read than the original. If I remember right, by about the 10th page the original was promising the kind of werewolf story I’d like to read with a certain amount of introspection about the nature of being were’ alongside an interesting plot (ex. alf/ahww here). I don’t know yet if redux will have the same feel (as readers we don’t know much about the characters so far). It’s difficult to recommend to people that they might like something if you aren’t even sure yourself yet! “Go read the new Shifters, it’s got much higher production values” doesn’t really have the kind of punch you need to get someone hooked.
Thanks for the feedback on the rewards program stuff, that’s an important issue to address and pass along.
Regarding the other comment about the Redux moving slower. In the previous version, I skipped everything after they arrived at the dance aside after a little decorating and moved to when they were ambushed outside right away. I was informed on numerous, sometimes painful occasions that this was too fast. I didn’t do enough establishment of character and environment, and plot. So I’m fixing that. This is currently on the same storyline. (Kat is being hunted by vampires, picks up her friend Ferrah, goes to school dance… you know what comes next) as the original, I’m just REALLY filling in the blanks I skipped over in order to give everyone a better idea of the characters, environment, climate, plot, etc than I did previously so I don’t have to do it later.
I do realize there is more than a few who read this pretty much purely for the tf sequences and such, and Its coming, I just don’t want to make the same mistake I did last time about being impatient and ending up at a dead end because I rushed it. Obviously only updating 1 page a week doesn’t help (if this was a graphic novel, you probably wouldn’t have an issue, you would have seen what you are looking for by now), but I already work two jobs to make ends meet. This doesn’t pay my bills, so other stuff gets priority, which is why I can only afford time for one page a week right now. I’m also not going to ask Mysti to donate any more time than she does without compensation.
I’ve found is that a lot of people know of Shifters, but a lot of them don’t know its back and updating again. Its sort of a “hey, this is back and updating” to people. If you do have a link already on your site/blog, just change it to your personal link and it will work for the testing. Like I said, don’t have to go out of your way to plug it per se.
But thanks very much for your feedback. I will bear it all in mind.
I’d be the first to admit that there’s probably a big gap between how I remember Shifters being and how it actually was. It’s been a few years since ’98, and I think those initial black and white pages are no longer to be found. Definitely don’t want you to rush it, and like the more cyberpunk feel of this version. It is your creation, and you deserve to do it the way you wish. I know I wouldn’t have the energy to keep producing even one page a week (assuming I could write or draw). I’ve got to admire your perseverance.
On the linking thing, you might also want to mention in any instructions that the personal link goes to the URL of the page you are looking at; if you’ve navigated using the next/previous buttons then it will be to that specific page, rather than the front/welcome page.
Also, do you have new link buttons to match the new art style? I’m still using one of these: Link to shifters
You’ve got a point about the link thing. I’ll see what I can do to make that clearer.
Actually they do still exist over on the old site. The whole archive is still up at http://shifters.comicgen.com. And yes, they are all the original pages. The first pages originally were color and I switched to B/W when I couldn’t keep up coloring with any speed. I was doing most of the pages traditionally at that point, in pencils and ink.
Actually I only have like one little button in the new art. Hmm.. I should probably make more. Do you have a size you prefer for your links section?
5 thoughts on “Chapter 2 – pg 8”
dingotush
On the rewards program thing, unless you create an account, there’s no indication that there is a reward scheme. Now that I do have an account, there’s still no real information (save for your post above) about how you earn coins (I’m purely guessing that if someone follows your unique link to a page, then that counts as a referral – but only from the word “referral” in the bit that summarises the account status), or where you spend them (found them used in the online store).
I strongly suspect that people who read my limited blog output already know about shifters from it’s first incarnation. But will link anyhow.
The other comment I’d make is that redux is taking a lot longer to get into a gripping read than the original. If I remember right, by about the 10th page the original was promising the kind of werewolf story I’d like to read with a certain amount of introspection about the nature of being were’ alongside an interesting plot (ex. alf/ahww here). I don’t know yet if redux will have the same feel (as readers we don’t know much about the characters so far). It’s difficult to recommend to people that they might like something if you aren’t even sure yourself yet! “Go read the new Shifters, it’s got much higher production values” doesn’t really have the kind of punch you need to get someone hooked.
ShadowsMyst
Thanks for the feedback on the rewards program stuff, that’s an important issue to address and pass along.
Regarding the other comment about the Redux moving slower. In the previous version, I skipped everything after they arrived at the dance aside after a little decorating and moved to when they were ambushed outside right away. I was informed on numerous, sometimes painful occasions that this was too fast. I didn’t do enough establishment of character and environment, and plot. So I’m fixing that. This is currently on the same storyline. (Kat is being hunted by vampires, picks up her friend Ferrah, goes to school dance… you know what comes next) as the original, I’m just REALLY filling in the blanks I skipped over in order to give everyone a better idea of the characters, environment, climate, plot, etc than I did previously so I don’t have to do it later.
I do realize there is more than a few who read this pretty much purely for the tf sequences and such, and Its coming, I just don’t want to make the same mistake I did last time about being impatient and ending up at a dead end because I rushed it. Obviously only updating 1 page a week doesn’t help (if this was a graphic novel, you probably wouldn’t have an issue, you would have seen what you are looking for by now), but I already work two jobs to make ends meet. This doesn’t pay my bills, so other stuff gets priority, which is why I can only afford time for one page a week right now. I’m also not going to ask Mysti to donate any more time than she does without compensation.
I’ve found is that a lot of people know of Shifters, but a lot of them don’t know its back and updating again. Its sort of a “hey, this is back and updating” to people. If you do have a link already on your site/blog, just change it to your personal link and it will work for the testing. Like I said, don’t have to go out of your way to plug it per se.
But thanks very much for your feedback. I will bear it all in mind.
dingotush
I’d be the first to admit that there’s probably a big gap between how I remember Shifters being and how it actually was. It’s been a few years since ’98, and I think those initial black and white pages are no longer to be found. Definitely don’t want you to rush it, and like the more cyberpunk feel of this version. It is your creation, and you deserve to do it the way you wish. I know I wouldn’t have the energy to keep producing even one page a week (assuming I could write or draw). I’ve got to admire your perseverance.
On the linking thing, you might also want to mention in any instructions that the personal link goes to the URL of the page you are looking at; if you’ve navigated using the next/previous buttons then it will be to that specific page, rather than the front/welcome page.
Also, do you have new link buttons to match the new art style? I’m still using one of these:
Link to shifters
ShadowsMyst
You’ve got a point about the link thing. I’ll see what I can do to make that clearer.
Actually they do still exist over on the old site. The whole archive is still up at http://shifters.comicgen.com. And yes, they are all the original pages. The first pages originally were color and I switched to B/W when I couldn’t keep up coloring with any speed. I was doing most of the pages traditionally at that point, in pencils and ink.
Actually I only have like one little button in the new art. Hmm.. I should probably make more. Do you have a size you prefer for your links section?
Silverwolf
Ben: “Vampire funk. Damn them, they got George Clinton.”
Karma: “I hope this doesn’t take long. I look like an Apple products ad for the iSuck.”