Devlog [11.19.24]
Sindonic - Nov 20th 2024 03:35Hello, Sprouts
We want to provide a quick update on Guide 7. After receiving a lot of feedback last night, we realized that our guide tried to cover too much information at once, which ended up confusing and concerned many users that they would be declined or that their styles were being interpreted in an unflattering way. This was never the case, and first and foremost, we want to apologize for undue stress. We aim for our guides to be clear and straightforward, but this one didn’t hit the mark. We are genuinely sorry if it caused anyone stress.
To clarify, we’ve been approving submissions with Guide 7 in mind for months. Nothing changed in approvals since the last update, so users have nothing to worry about. If your art style were going to be declined, it would have been addressed by now.
We want to take this opportunity to remind the community that we are always open to feedback. We're committed to ensuring that our community feels safe and comfortable, and we know we dropped the ball this time. We hope our speedy response shows we sincerely value your thoughts and feelings about our progress.
Initially, we decided not to include the content of Guide 7 in the rules, thinking it would make it more straightforward and less intimidating if the information were hosted in a guide because we had no intention of enforcing Guide 7 strictly. However, we now understand that this wasn’t how it came across to the community, and that is all that matters to us. Based on your requests, we've moved many images from the original guide to the art rules to help clarify things.
We will take this time to outline what has changed, as Guide 7 has been completely overhauled based on last night's feedback.
Content Policy Update:
When we made the devlog, we updated the entire Content Policy for spelling and errors and added one extra line. This line was an update about groins, chests, and navals, and it was placed under rule 2.1 when it really should have been under rule 2.3. We have moved this line to rule 2.3 because 2.1 implies permanent ban consequences while 2.3 requires censoring. This is more in line with how we have enforced it. This was just haste on our part. We never meant to imply that users could be banned; that would be extreme. Additionally, we added the "Restricted Feature" image that was initially in Guide 7 for extra clarity.
As an aside, we also specified that top surgery scars are not a part of this restriction as we are not trying to limit expression.
This line has been moved:
"- Speech, writing, and images referencing restricted features.
Using shapes, lines, clothing, forms, or markings to accentuate certain areas will not be allowed. Avoid adding details that resemble crotches/bulges/groins, naval or belly buttons, mammaries, areolas, or genitalia."
All Negative/ Declineable Samples have been moved from Guide 7 to the Art Rules:
A new rule section, 5.7 Deniable Definition of Anatomy, was added to the art rules. We hope that being removed from the Guide and removing references to Section 2 will lighten the impact of implied seriousness. It is also explicitly worded to suggest that it is not strictly enforced. It is only to be used as a resource for declined users, and it is doubtful that it will occur to anyone for stylistic choices. We did not cover this well in the previous update, making it more straightforward to users that nothing has changed about the approval process despite applying a new rule.
Rule:
"Note: This rule only applies to art being submitted for official activities.
Artwork is rarely declined for muscle or fat distribution; declines typically occur from the definition of the chest or groin areas in Griffolk. Declines are thoughtfully given and depend on the overall context of the artwork rather than stylistic reasons.
The guide below does not provide black-and-white examples of what is and isn't allowed, and it is not strictly enforced. Users whose art is declined do not need to worry, as declines are not recorded as warnings or violations of the Terms of Service. This section is intended to help users understand potential reasons for declines without restricting artistic expression.
Typically, users referred to this section can resolve issues by editing or erasing just a single line. For further examples of acceptable anatomy, please refer to Guide 7 - Griffian Body Types."
Splicing Rules:
The specifications we added about human splicing were moved from Guide 7 with the images to rule 5.3 Splicing. Which has been split for clarity into the following:
- 5.3 Limb Splicing - General
- 5.3a Limb Splicing - Soulbond
- 5.3b Limb Splicing - Human Splicing
It was also re-written:
"Note: This rule only applies to art being submitted for official activities.
All Griffolk have access to Forms & Splicing, which allows users to creatively mix Griffolk, animals, humans, and other anatomical features to create unique creations. However, there are some limitations for humans to ensure drawings do not bypass criteria laid out in rule 5.7 Deniable Definition of Anatomy.
Griffia promotes creative freedom in interpreting our species' anatomy, so please note that this guideline is not strictly enforced. Users who are declined have nothing to worry about. Art declines are not recorded as warnings or violations of the Terms of Service, nor is this section intended to restrict how users choose to draw. See 5.7 Deniable Definition of Anatomy for more details."
More Images Added and Declineable References Removed from Guide 7:
Many users felt their style was not represented in Guide 7, which caused concern. They worried that they would be rejected or forced to change their style. In response to this feedback, we added numerous examples of Griffolk stylizations and removed any negative images that suggested potential rejections. Users indicated that including these negative images alongside positive examples created a misleading impression of what was expected and implied that they needed to alter their style to conform to the official one, as exaggeration was not represented.
We hope that the additional images will help, but please note that they will need to be redrawn at some point. Our goal was to promptly enhance these critical guides for the community's comfort, but we must move on because we are already significantly behind for 2024.
Closing:
Again, thank you to everyone who contributed to the update. Please continue to give us feedback so we can keep Griffia a fun and safe space for everyone.
- Griffia Admin
Griffsnuff, Kandy-Cube, Sindonic