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Badge Drop #1: The Countdown ENDS!

by nicole

It's here, it's here, it's finally HERE! Summer Game 2018 is off and running!

Can you hear the sound of puns rolling off the conveyer belt?

Can you smell the smell of scavenger-hunting shoe soles burning up the hot pavement?

Can you feel the enthusiasm? CAN YOU TASTE THE CAPS LOCK?

GOOD, because the GAME is ON! A lot is changing this summer--including (but not limited to):

-The Summer Game SHOP, which will be CHANGING  PROFOUNDLY.

-TEXT CODES, which this year can be texted to our regular phone number (734) 327-4200!

-LOGGING, which will  get you 50 cool points for each day that you log something NO MATTER HOW MUCH TIME OR PAGES YOU SPEND! Plus, a future badge series for people who log a lot throughout the summer!

-POINTS-O-MATIC, which will be back this summer, and for the first time, POINTS-O-MATIC POINTS will count towards your Summer Game Shop Balance!

-NEW REVIEWER MODES, where you just might GET A BONUS FOR WRITING A REALLY GREAT REVIEW! 

-AND MORE!

All this, so that we can improve the WAY YOU PLAY!

We know you're thoroughly modern people. You're hip to the times. You're up for a change. But we also know what you've been waiting for. ALL. YEAR. LONG.

They're small. They're round. They start with B and end with you rolling in a pile of pretend points!

And honestly, what could possibly be more modern than investing your REAL TIME into a MADE-UP CURRENCY on the INTERNET?

NOTHING, that's what!

Badge Drop #1

The Ride Stuff
Spot the Ride
Ride The Ride
A2CAF 2018 Alley Catcher
A2CAF 2018 Megafan
The Lunch Room
Black Bear Bonanza
Bee My Honey
Meet Todd!
Tractor Factor
Macaroni Style
Primates, Phyla, and Prawn Gobies
Avengers Assemble
Roman Empire
Mind Over Manor
Amazon Dot Gone
Amble Through The Arb
Wonka Mile In Hatcher Library

 

So come spend some time doing made-up things with us! Have some fictional fun, learn some far-out facts, and then, of course, GET THE STUFF!

Still STUMPED  over GETTING STARTED? Try ANY or ALL OF these options:

-Visit each AADL location and collect codes!

-Head to the AADL catalog and review some things that kept you busy this winter!

-Check stuff out, read books, watch movies, listen to music, or USE YOUR LIBRARY any way you wanna! 

-Get started with our GETTING STARTED badge series! 

Now pick a direction, stop your waiting and your hybernating, and GET GOING! THANKS FOR PLAYING!

Comments

I'm so happy to see comments enabled on the badge pages! This will make sharing hints and idea so much easier. Thanks for everything!

I'm really loving the new menu on the left for easy access to entering codes.

And the search bar in the header of every page is saving a lot of tab-switching as well.

And I've also noticed the new, high-up placement of the code on catalog pages. No more scrolling endlessly down the page, hoping you noticed the little blue link hiding among all the other little blue links.

Nice job! And I'm only half an hour into the summer.

I'm so excited for another summer game!! I noticed that the badges on the badge list aren't grayed-out like they normally are before you complete a badge (turning them colorful when you complete them). It makes it harder to see what I've done. Is this an intentional change? Thanks!

I agree with @madglynm, it would be helpful if badges-not-yet-earned were somehow distinct from badges-already-earned. (Of course I'm still waiting for items that can't be renewed to look different from items that can on the 'my account' page, as was the case on the old site, but I digress...)

I'm finding it harder to move around in the game, since the pages are no longer visually distinct from the main site, but I'll get used to it in a few days.

Would it be possible to add "Summer Game Blog" under quick links? I only found the blog through a google search- not on the aadl site.

Thanks, as always, for making the summer game!

I am curious: Do the Points-O-Matic and Directory Correctory still exist? And the program where I'd mark reviews as "helpful" or "not helpful?" Last summer I found a bunch of interesting stuff to read when I was marking reviews -- well-written reviews are rare, but fun to discover, especially when they convince me to try reading a book that I otherwise wouldn't have heard of.

Points-O-Matic will be back this summer, and for the first time, Points-O-Matic points will count towards your Summer Game Shop Balance! And we also plan a new review reviewer mode, and if your review gets reviewed, and enough review reviewers review your review favorably in review, YOU WILL GET A BONUS FOR WRITING A GREAT REVIEW. So, stay tuned for all that!

It looks like there aren't points for comments and friend codes any more. Is that true? I'm for that, to avoid extra comments and I spent way too much time on friend codes last year, but am just wondering. Thanks!

I second the comments above about (1) graying-out badges not yet received - will make it much easier particularly as the summer progresses and there are tons of badges!; (2) add Summer Game Blog under Quick Links. Also, loving the catalog link at the top of each page - so helpful!

I was curious about podcasts, would they go under stream or website or possibly audiobook? I listen to The Adventure Zone podcast (a fun and exciting Dungeons & Dragons podcast,) and to Levar Burton Reads and am not sure which category to list these under.

Clearly so much work and assessment went in to improving the game and integrating it into the new website. Well done!
I’m sure you’re fielding lots of little bug fixes. Our family is navigating one: my kid and I share the same library account (she’s only 10) but are two distinct players for the game. We’ve discovered we can’t access the site at the same time. That actually makes sense and we just make sure if one of isn’t actively playing, we close the window. What we’re struggling with is that even though I switch over and press the button to “make active” her card, it doesn’t take. We get a banner at the top saying any points will now be applied to her game card, but that’s not the case. We go to badges and it’s my badges, not hers. I already claimed the 50pts for reading and then she tried to claim hers and it wouldn’t take because it had reverted back to my game card. Any suggestions? Thanks, Mama Myers

I'm getting "access denied" errors going to the links from the getting started pages. They work a little better now that I signed in to comment, but try from an incognito window, the getting started flow is pretty confusing when you're not logged in:
https://aadl.org/summergame/pdf/youth (I haven't signed up yet, this gives a different error when I'm logged in.)
https://aadl.org/summergame/player/new gives an access denied error if you're not already logged in.

Should my kids register on the site and then sign up at that page?

I'll second the comments re: grayed put badges or some indication that you've completed them. As the summer goes on, it really helps to have that visual! And I also was wondering about adding friends. Is that not an option this year?
I love a lot of the changes. Thanks so much for all the work that goes into this program!

I'm having a problem texting codes. I was using the shortcode from last year and never got a response to my text (nor any points), so I put in the phone number and never got a response to my text codes, and so I put in `NEWPLAYER` and never got a response.... does texting codes not work anymore?

For anyone having trouble texting codes to the old 4AADL, this year it'll just be our regular old phone number, (734) 327-4200! All the codes sent there should send back a response! I'll put this in the drop post.

I really liked that badges were showed semi grayed on the badges page until earned in the old play website. This helped me quickly pick up where I left off. Can this feature please be re-added? @andrewjmac please?

When MEL-CAT comes back online - maybe a good idea to make a badge that also teaches summer gamers how to use it?

No worries y'all, greyed out badges showing that you haven't earned them yet should be back by this week's badge drop. We hear ya!

When you complete a badge, it doesn't go full color the way it did last year or when you hover over it with the mouse.

Graphic for blog posts

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Subjects
Summer Game