Gaiapedia:Sandbox/Gaia Workshop/FAQ

Q: WHAT KIND OF REQUESTS CAN I MAKE?
The Workshop has 2 types of Requests:


 * Fix Request - a request to fix some problem with Gaia, a single problem per Request. You must include the Gaia URL to show us where to find it. Submitting Fix Requests is FREE.
 * Build Request - a request to create something new on Gaia. Submitting Build Requests costs 6K GC.

Q: WHY CAN’T I SUBMIT A REQUEST RIGHT NOW, IS THE WORKSHOP BROKEN TOO!?!?
Maybe, but probably not. There are just limits so we don’t overload the system!


 * No more than 50 requests may be in ‘Review’ status at any given time (global limit).
 * No more than 10 Build Requests may be in ‘Review’ status per user.
 * No more than 5 Fix Requests may be in ‘Review’ status per user.

Thank you for your patience. We are still getting this system ironed out with your help.

Q: WHAT HAPPENS AFTER I SUBMIT A REQUEST?
There are five phases your request can go through. (The Workshop automatically informs Gaians about request status changes and about refunds via Private/ Direct Message.)


 * Review - when a request is created, it is set to ‘Review.’ The Gaia team will review requests during this phase and will either delete it (if it is rude/inappropriate), reject it (if it is too large, not detailed enough, etc) or move it to the ‘Voting’ phase. A request can be cancelled by the request creator with full refund at this point. Rejected requests will be notified so that you can update it in order to it move to ‘Voting’ status.
 * Voting - users can upvote (+1) and downvote (-1). The vote total is calculated by summing upvotes and downvotes. Each up vote on a Fix Request costs 18K platinum, while down votes cost 36K platinum. A Build Request up vote costs 150 GC, while a down vote costs 300GC. As soon as a Fix Request request reaches 40+ these votes are used to fund the estimation of the request. A Build Request does not need votes to fund the estimate, the funds to submit the request cover the estimate. If the estimation for a Fix Request is less than 1 hour, they will go ahead and fix the bug. If it is more, it will be sent to the next phase.
 * Crowdfund - if we find during the estimation that additional funds are needed to complete the request, the status is set to ‘Crowdfund,’ showing the amount needed. Users can now donate GC to fund the request. Simple fix requests can go without this phase/ status if the cost to fix is covered by the estimate.
 * In Progress - as soon as the crowdfund minimum is met, the request is given to developers to perform the work.
 * Done - after the request is completed, status is set to ‘Done.’

Q: WHAT IF SOMEONE ELSE HAS ALREADY SUBMITTED AN IDEA I LIKE? OR ONE I DON’T LIKE?
There are three ways that Gaians can influence a request:


 * Gaians can comment on requests submitted by others. Negative or inappropriate comments will be deleted.
 * Voting - the more votes a request has, the higher it is moved on the priority list. 40+ votes are needed to estimate a request, moving the request forward to either ‘Crowdfund’ or ‘In Progress’ status.
 * Donating to a crowdfund - each request may be funded via crowdfund. Until the minimum donation is met, the request can not be executed. Once it is met, the status is moved to ‘In Progress,’ where it will be completed.

Q: HOW ARE THE PRICES OF REQUESTS, CROWDFUNDING, AND VOTING DETERMINED?
While the value of platinum and GC are always in flux, the amounts we charge for voting, fixing, and building are roughly calculated based on the cost of 1 developer hour. In other words, 40 votes are needed to make an estimate because it costs us at least 720K platinum (converted to USD) to pay them for the hour of their labor.

Q: IF I CANCEL MY REQUEST, CAN I GET A REFUND?
Requests can be cancelled/rejected/refunded until they have ‘In Progress’ or ‘Done’ status.

If any request is rejected or cancelled prior to estimation, it will be refunded. The first votes needed to estimate the job will not be refunded once the estimation has taken place. After that, all votes can be refunded. All crowdfund contributions will be refunded if the campaign fails to achieve its goal with the time limit.

Q: MY CAMPAIGN IS NOT GAINING ANY MORE TRACTION AND I HAVE NOT REACHED MY GOAL. WHAT NEXT?

 * If a Request has not received any new votes in over 1 month, it will be rejected and refunded.
 * If a Request has not received any new funds during crowdfunds in 1 month, it will be rejected and refunded.
 * If any given request has not reached the minimum crowdfund amount in 1 year, it will be rejected and refunded.

Q: WHO CAN I CONTACT ABOUT MY REQUEST?
The more questions we get, the less time we have to build, so please only contact Marvin (NPC) if you truly must ask something more. Thank you!