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COFFEE! TEA! OWLS! TOOLBELTS! and MORE! ...Okay, also a hat.

by eli

YOWZA! Summer Game is ROARING towards its triumphant completion, but the SHOP DROPS DON'T STOP! Check it, players:




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With T-SHIRTS and the mysterious GOLDEN BUNDLES coming in the final drop on 8/25, there are still a few more surprises in store for next Friday! So, stay tuned, and....

THANKS FOR PLAYING!

Comments

Really excited for the coffee! Any chance we could get notifications when the coffee orders are filled, instead of on Friday mornings? If not, no sweat, I appreciate that you guys are already getting us the freshest batch of roast :)

Does anyone have an estimate on how many points each golden bundle will be, or how many will be available? Just wondering whether to spend my cache now or save for next week!

Ferielp, all orders are packed on Thursdays and delivered by Friday at noon. We'll be picking up fresh coffee every thursday and it will be ready for pickup for you that friday. Remember you can check your order status from your aadl.org my account page, and that when the notifications go out on Frindays at noon, that means your order was packed and is ready for pickup!

Woo hoo! New prizes in the game shop...
I have to admit the owl toy is adorable.

~TRUTH344

Are there going to be any new messenger bags up for grabs this summer? And how many points are the Golden Bundles going to cost, please?

Please add me as a friend -- my code is SWEET646

Sorry, all, we don't have any new backpacks or messenger bags planned for this year. And the T-shirts come at the end because they are made to order, and it clogs up packing day when there are too many other things on Tshirt orders that can't be filled yet.

So what are golden bundles? Well, here are a few tidbits: They will not include any items that were new this year, nor any items that have never been in the shop before, so don't get your hopes up for a cutting board nor an ipad in a golden bundle. Also, they're going to be super-expensive, because they exist primarily to drain excess points out of the SG economy. They will be in limited quantities, and you'll only be able to buy one. Not one of each, but only one golden bundle, so you'll need to choose wisely! But they will include some super-rare and wonderfully weird items from SGs past, so you're really going to want them!

Remember, Summer Game is going to change COMPLETELY for 2018. All the parts you love will still be here, but we are talking about some MAJOR changes to make the game more welcoming, less frustrating, and more sustainable for everybody! Let us know if you have any other questions, and THANKS FOR PLAYING!

Phew, glad I snapped up an owl pants for my son before they were gone. He's been looking forward to it!

@mariekakaye a staff member posted just above your comment that there won't be any new backpacks or messenger bags this year. :( I'm very sad too, I was playing in the hopes of getting one!

The golden bundles are shrouded in so much mystery I can hardly wait! I'm afraid now that I didn't save enough points to get one. :(
-TALL963

My kid got a SG fox pants, so had to order the owl pants. My "kid" is 23 years old.
TB

Very curious about the golden bundles and what past treasures they may hold. Also very curious about the Summer Game getting an overhaul and debuting all shiny and new next year. Thanks to all the staff for putting in so much work on the SG and giving us so much fun (and a little frustration!) every summer.

I'm happy to hear there will be some changes next year.
The games are fun, but change is good.
Looking forward to what happens next!

I am another one waiting for the chocolate, and I'm hoping it doesn't run out of stock before I check out with it lol.

Would there be any value to showing all the items for the summer at once, and releasing them in batches each week? That way we can manage our finances (points) and there's less need to have a finger on the refresh button on a particular Friday to get a specific thing.
-TALL963

@gardenfaerie:
You are a kid at heart! I felt a little silly going for the goblin codes at the Downtown branch in the Youth section. But the librarian was very helpful and not looking down her nose at an old guy in the kid section.
TB

Super glad that I managed to get an umbrella...it sure came in handy this morning.

And in terms of being "too old" for things like this, I think we're seeing a rise in gamification as a way to keep people of all ages engaged in different pursuits. Look also at the intense growth of board gaming as a hobby in the past few years. You're never too old to have fun, and the Summer Game (particularly the scavenger hunt elements, online and around town) really embraces that. I'm really glad that the library offers a summer game for adults (many don't), and I'd be happy even if that consisted solely of the reading card! That said, I'm really looking forward to seeing what changes come next year, as well. I'm sure they'll be awesome.

I have a question, as well. Are existing Summer Game points going to carry over into next year's game, even with the changes that are afoot?

I just love the little owl!!! I missed getting a fox, they sold out quickly. I'm happy to hear about tshirts too. My mom created her own account this year solely for a tshirt, tho' she's ordered other things now.

I wonder what will be new next year - sounds exciting!

STEP967 (Me) & Dream734 (Mom)

Yes, I am saving my points for the golden bundles.. Though some of those badges are hard:(

Yes, I am saving my points for the golden bundles.. Though some of those badges are hard:(

I agree about the badges being harder this year...I do hope next year has badges that are less frustrating.

That's a good question, MeganH, so I'm going to second it. With the major changes that are coming, will our current points carry over to next year?

The design of prize distribution for SG 2018 is barely getting started, but we know we won't be throwing away anyone's leftover points! However, a big part of golden bundles is hoping to decrease the amount of points outstanding among you Summer Game one-percenters. It's very likely that SG 2018 will have a totally different way of distributing prizes based on how much time and effort players put in, but "YOUR POINTZ ARE GONE NOW SORREEE" is not one of the potential outcomes. We're talking about buyouts, conversion rates, head starts, auctions, all kinds of ways to make sure that our players all feel that they are getting excellent value for their accumulated points without the economy of the Summer Game being dominated by points from previous years, etc. We'll have a whole post about this and discussion with all of you after SG 2017 ends, so don't worry, and don't think for a minute that you need to cash out or lose everything! We wouldn't do that to you! But we are hoping to redevelop a way to get great prizes out to players, in direct relationship to how much they play, without requiring players to be glued to their computer on friday nights for fear of missing out on something great. The shop so far has been super fun, but it is increasingly unsustainable as SG continues to grow, and since we have to rebuild SG from the ground up for the new website, it's a good time to make a big change. Stay tuned! All will be grokked in fullness!

I really look forward to the Summer Game every year. I hope that the changes you're making for 2018 aren't too drastic/dramatic...

OMG, I'm a 1-percenter in something??! SWEET! :) Althoug, imho, higher points do already translate into higher time spent. Let me tell you. It's a good thing i have no life, ha ha.

I've definitely been playing this at the expense of household chores. At least I've mastered how to fold laundry while finishing a badge :)

@MeganH

Excellent points about gamification. I'm glad it's finally gained a lot of mainstream validity because it really helps people in a lot of ways. I use a gamified productivity app, and it's really helped me get stuff done, remember things, and prompted me to introduce new things in my life - plus, it's really cute and has some good puns. (It's called Habitica, if anyone's interested. There's an app and also has a website so you can use it in a browser.)

@eli

I can see how the game shop isn't sustainable as more players join and play. I imagine it's quite expensive. But I'm not sure how reducing accumulated points is going to help that or help those who are frustrated by not getting an item they wanted. I've bought everything I wanted from the shop thus far and didn't need to dip into previous years' points. If I thought something good was being released, I made sure to check the shop Friday night. There were always many many left when I bought mine (cutting board, coffee, etc). And as we mentioned previously in this thread, more points in the bank usually equals more time spent anyway.

You also mentioned auctions, but if you're looking to reduce frustration, auctions aren't the way to do it. I used to participate in an online points-for-auction thing, and the items almost always ended up going to the person with the most points and the most free time. Soon after the auctions took that turn, I stopped participating in that website.

I'm sure there are many details you chose not to divulge, but these are my thoughts based on the information given.

I JUST GOT MY TEXT FOR MY PRIZES AND I'M SO EXCITED. ALSO GOLDEN BUNDLES NEXT WEEK, AND WE'RE HOURS AWAY FROM THE NEXT PRIZE DROP!!!! SO EXCITED.

They did have a new messenger bag after all!!! Glad to snatch one up so when last year's wears out I can move on to the one from this year. I love that bag. I get so many compliments too. I use it every day.

I've been having so much fun with this year's Summer Game!! I only wish the summer wasn't so short...

The plush owl toys are adorable. I was super excited to pick mine up.

I'd love to see a plush kitty cat in the future, if possible!! (The owl and the fox were really cute this summer...)

[ { friend code: SWEET646 } ]

Wow. It's Tuesday, and there's still chocolate in the store.
Yes, it's expensive, but...
besides being darn tasty, it has really cool AADL logos that melt in your mouth!

I'm tempted by the milk chocolate, but I'm holding out to see how many points the t-shirts and Golden Bundles will prove to be..

friend code: SWEET646

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