Home Artists Posts Import Register

Content

I've said it a few times, but I'm finally posting today to get some feedback and discussion on the pinup votes. Why? There are a few problems with the current system:

Problems

  • Vote numbers getting so high that it makes new characters impossible to win for at least several months
  • Vote numbers so high it determines the winner before voting even starts
  • Some people may pledge wanting to see a character but may take so long that they never see it done before they have to leave/pledge is up, etc.

Now, I know not all of these problems are solvable. I just want them to be a bit less predictable and static. Something more exciting and dynamic. Lot of times people think their votes don't matter (they do!) but I'm glad a lot of people vote anyway!

Solution #1

So my first idea is more of a simple adjustment. Votes themselves get wiped and do not carry over. If 30 people cast a total of 80 votes for a character, that 80 only counts for the current month. However, what does roll over is the number of people voting for said character. So when next month starts, they won't start 80 votes ahead, but 30.

Overall, this would keep a similar system, same number of votes and all that, as well as keep the rollover lead proportional, while not letting the numbers get quite that high.


Solution #2

This is more like a whole new system, but also a lot more dynamic, bear with me a minute.

Under this solution, I'd make a new 'theme' every month! A few days before each month, I'll make a post offering up a theme for the next month's pinup vote. On that post, people will be allowed to suggest characters. I'll then curate the suggestions down to say 6-10 or so, and post them on the first of the month for casting.

Themes could be like...tentacles, scifi, bondage, public sex, thicc ladies, femboys, powerful girls, etc... there's literally endless themes. Some characters could fit multiple themes.

So then the theme would go up, and ya'll would vote like you do now, with one exception: instead of splitting up your votes between several characters for the $5 and up tiers, you'll do a ranked-choice vote like I do with my request streams. 1$ pick only 1, 5$ can pick 2, 10$ picks 3, and the $25 tier could pick 4 or 5, and you'd rank them first choice to last. $25 might have the option to simply double up their first pick or something instead, since the list of characters will be shorter.

Anyway, I'd count it up like my request stream system does. This might sound complicated but I assure you it's not. The upsides are that themes are fun, themes change and it'd be fresh each month, a mostly-new list of characters, but the downside is there really isn't a way for votes to roll over using this system. Cause an OC that fits one theme might not fit the next month theme, and so on.

Other Ideas

  • Could have a changing roster, but remove the 'theme' part of it.
  • Comment below! This isn't final at all, I'm open to ideas and if anyone has a unique addition or suggestion, let me know and I'll update this post with it!

I'll never change anything about this Patreon without first asking you all, or telling you, if I'm determined on it, ahead of time. So as of yet, nothing's changed, this is just an idea of sorta where I'm leaning with this.

Thank you all for the support and feedback!

Comments

E. S. Lapso (Sky)

As someone who has been steadily voting for Ink Eyes for a while I really like system 1 as an option.

Anonymous

Sounds to me like #2 can work with #1, but that's just me. If I had to pick, I would like #2. The existing roster has stayed the same for a while, not that I'm complaining.

Reshicario

Youre solution #1 sounds alright to me

Wat

Whichever you personally prefer is ok with me, I'd just like to participate without having to type in votes manually as comments each month :P

Antoine Davis

Both ideas sound great, i mostly like #2 since to me the roster is fine, but like i said that's me. Also that themes do sound cool, i mean not that you haven't done themes for the pinups, but main themes that can be picked sounds pretty cool. Although, the themes that you pick are still cool, and that I'm fine with how things are, but i do like the though of having a bit more choice/variety of choices for pinups of each month, but yeah that's just me, either way this is pretty interesting.

Rhys Wilde

Honestly I don't see why votes need to roll over at all, you should just wipe all of them every month no matter what. I've been a supporter for a few years now and I never vote because the counts get so high. I'd definitely cast a vote monthly if they wiped afterwards.

Anonymous

Do whatever you have to do, i don't have problem with both options. I just came here for your art.

Anonymous

I like the overall idea of #1 and the smaller roster size that's in #2. Hmmm if I had to choose between the solutions I'd probably go with #1 because if I've understood this correctly characters that consistently don't get as many votes would eventually win due to the amount of people overall who had voted in the past will win out over a more popular character. I think what I just typed made sense...

Anonymous

I would like to give #1 a try.

Richard Awesome

Number 1 sounds more interesting. My only issue with theme is the sheer dominance of certain kinks.

Drynwyn

I say you just pick each month based on what you would like to draw or go for something similar to request stream drawings that can be knocked fairly quickly gets you through the queue quickly. Barring that, I do like #2.

Iquanadon

Number 2 sounds good to me

Trinity Managarn

I'll have to go with #1, but either is fine! Or maybe a mix where you have a voting for the theme or seeing a rotating theme like #2, and then you vote on the roster like #1 Basically, Vote for a Months theme and then the characters?

K_H

Number 2 sounds interesting but number 1 seems like a better solution for the time being.

Somerse

I like idea number two.

Anonymous

Both are good solutions but I'd have to go with option #1.

Cult of Dust

Gotta go with number one. Themes aren't as important as characters, and popular characters will rule it more.

Anonymous

I think you would get more "upsets" if you hid the vote totals and shuffled the order of pictures in the voting thread. I think seeing a character near the bottom and hundreds of votes behind makes it discouraging to vote for them.

Cult of Dust

And a minor question on one, will the number of people who voted roll over? IE, if 10 vote one month, and then 20 the next month, does it become 30 for the third? Or does it stay at 20? And if you want to go crazy, you could count unique votes only.

TouchFluffyTail

Which of these two options would you think would require the least amount of effort on your part to calculate each month? My preference would be the least amount of effort 'wasted' calculating the vote, and more time put into productive things be they Patreon related or not. I like the idea of option #2 and think it would be more interesting for you, though with other artists who've done similar it's ended up feeling like nothing I ever had any interest in got illustrated. And made it feel like characters I was interested in would never come back up for a vote. As long as it may take with the current solution, or solution 1, at least you can see the progress on characters you're interested in giving you further interest in next month, or the month after. I think option 1 would keep people interested for longer, where option 2 could result in people getting frusterated and giving up if they don't see a character they like get illustarted after a couple months, as there aren't any indicators to keep them interested like a continually growing tally. Perhaps that's just how I see it though.

fluffkevlar

That's a good point I forgot to state. Originally it was to help votes not seem wasted by disappearing each month, but no it's not absolutely required.

Volpethrope

#1 has a massive flaw you didn't touch on or might not realize - less popular characters, especially niche ones that only a smaller portion of the patrons might like, literally CAN NOT win in that system. Fandom characters and your OCs will always drown them out and win within a month or two. The changed rollover system will prevent them from ever accumulating enough votes to top a more well-known character. The biggest draw for me with your pinup voting the entire time you've been doing it is the investment. When I vote for a character after paying my sub for the month, those votes are permanent until the character wins. Barring a total drought of interest that removes them from the roster, of course, but you're now doing consolation pics, so it's fine. And since the pinup and the fan interaction with its choosing and creation process is the central feature of this page, removing that permanency would be terrible, at last for me. #2 features the same lack of permanent investment that I've come to enjoy here, especially after spending over a year voting for less popular characters who are only just now starting to trickle to the top. Obviously I get other things out of this and it's partially just to support you, but suddenly wiping all of that investment would feel like half my pledges for more than a year were wasted. I feel like the theme cycle is an interesting idea though, and I agree that the bloated vote totals make it harrowing to vote for a newer or less popular character. Let's modify this a little. If we want lower values overall, I suggest changing the votes per pledge tier to be the number of characters you may vote for. However, since many people simply prefer just voting for one or two, give the higher tiers the option to invest in fewer for slightly higher numbers, but still less than currently. Something like $1 votes for 1, $5 votes for 2, $10 votes for 3 OR puts 2 votes on 1, $25 votes for 5 OR puts 2 on 2 OR 3 on 1. At most, the highest tier is only putting 3 votes on a single character. You can even theme the votes, like bronze/silver/gold (or something themed for your world). Alternatively, you could mostly use option 1, but with the "number of people = rollover votes" being permanent, not just into the next month (I assume you meant that, but the wording was a little ambiguous). I would add onto that suggestion part of what I described above, and give the $10 and $25 tiers more weight for their rollover. Probably just 2 and 3 rollover votes, respectively. Someone else said to hide the totals, and I'll argue against that - totals provide transparency so the voters know there's no tampering or favoritism. Maybe only show the post-vote totals with the winner each time, and on the actual vote post, shuffle them and don't display any numbers. Someone could seek that information out if they wanted by looking at the previous winner announcement, but don't have it shoved in their face and influence their confidence in a less-popular or newer character. To go with that, you yourself should never acknowledge or comment on totals or who might win on the voting posts. It's a subtle effect, but it has the potential to alter the outcome. For the theme vote thing... I wouldn't want that to replace the primary voting. I like voting for a *character* I want to see you depict first and foremost. I like how you suggest/request ideas after the winner is decided. Makes it easier to steer it towards that character specifically and fit their personality/aesthetic. Perhaps do something of an event for special occasions like holidays or secondary pinups (like X-mas Vikna!) where you provide a smaller list of characters appropriate for that theme and do a runoff vote for that image. Overall I love the persistent investment into specific characters more than any alternative, but I'm curious to see how things play out regardless. I just personally don't want to lose the permanency given to past votes, especially because those votes were paid for. I believe there needs to be confidence that we get a return on that investment. :D

Lupo Mikti

I really like the idea of the themes and like others I'm not really sure why votes need to carry over each month. I do like that you continue to count votes submitted after voting closes to be put in for next month though and that won't really work if you go with number 2. So I'll have to go for number 1, but maybe you can also do a theme vote for the higher tiers, like say $10 tier and up gets to do the ranked choice voting for a theme (after the winning character is chosen) while the character vote continues as described in solution 1. Instead of choosing characters to fit the theme, we'd be choosing a theme to fit the character.

Commodore Cougar

I like the idea of option B, I think that could help keep things more dynamic. If there were a way to incorporate the current ranking (if not the vote count) of the existing roster into the new system so that those characters get initial preference, then I think that might help satisfy the folks who've 'invested' their votes in the more niche characters over the last couple years.

Adleisio Cefnfor

I kind of like #2 a little more, but instead of curating it yourself, drop the themes and use an RNG to select the list. Nawka started with this and it seems to work. It prevents certain characters from being over done and it gives you the freedom to choose the situation they find themselves in. And it would give a more even opportunity to the more niche characters. You can even apply limits to the characters that can be suggested. I mean, I suggested Haku when you first started the pinups, and the only reason he won was because I and a select few others kept voting and it took over a year to get a pinup of him, and it wasn't even that he had fully won, but more that you did two in one month because of the lack of comic stuff. #2 means that the characters can change out more frequently and there is a higher chance if someone really wants to see a certain character, it can happen faster if they keep suggesting it and it end up being the best choice of the 6-10 on the list. The current system takes way too long for certain characters to win and I think the higher tiers have way too much voting power. You could easily have a handful of tier 4 people dropping 5 votes each on a character and have another character only getting one vote.

Anonymous

Ok, what if... now here me out, reset the rosters every month, like the more votes a character got a slightly higher chance they would have to get to be in next months roster. Ok like if all characters have 0 votes they would all get the same equal chance of getting into next month, but just reduce the number of characters by like 5 characters, and all the new characters on next months roster would all start with very little roll over. This is like an option 3 or something. Tell me if it makes sense.... we could work out a basic randomness program that would choose each of the characters randomly and the characters that aren’t chosen would have a higher chanced being in next months roster This would only effect what characters got on the roster and then people could still vote for whichever one is their favorite, but the roll over would have an effect of like 30 to 40 for some of the very loved characters. Ps. I absolutely love Tala and Zofie

Spartan277

I'd go with Number 1, it makes more sense an it allows those with less money to throw at you not be able to dictate characters as much as 5 others who only have a little.

iceFox

I’d have to go with Solution #1! - This one seems to be the most efficient when it comes to handling votes, and also has the advantage of not over complicating it, which is an issue with #2. Whilst , #2 does seem to be a good option, I’d say I prefer #1, as #2 has the added issue that some characters might never see the roster until a certain theme appears. For example, if we had bondage one month, and threesome the next, I doubt we’d see ARA within those two months.

Anonymous

This is why we need a randomness program to the roster that would only change The Who was on the roster and it literally could be anyone for any theme

Anonymous

Solution 1 sounds good

Anonymous

#1. In absence of better ideas and/or hiding the current vote totals at the start of voting to avoid despair induced nonparticipation as others have suggested, that's probably the best solution.

Hydrnaros

Solution 1 sounds great. It will keep things more balanced

Silvador

I have an idea... although it requires some more thought because it's about 20 seconds old. XD Keep the current method Patrons submit votes, but instead of counting all those numbers and applying that large number to a the voted-for character, introduce a tiered system. The top three (or maybe 4-5) characters from the current voting session recieve a number in accordance to the place they rank. e.g. The highest voted character recieves 3 points, the second highest gets 2 points, 3rd place gets 1 (maybe also 4th and 5th, or half a point for those). Characters that recieve a high amount of votes but don't make the top ranks don't recieve a point, but still remain in the roster. Characters that recieve no votes or a minimal number of votes recieve a strike. These points would carry over each month. Hopefully, since there is a minor difference between the points assigned, it would prevent the numbers from getting too high or "pointlessly" high. Some "testing" might be needed, but... it's an idea, anyway.

Silvador

I can confirm this. It seems to be a common trend in people to "vote for who is winning" rather than "vote for who you want to win" which, in my honest opinion, entirely defeats the point of a vote altogether. It's why Fluff changed to the current method of voting used in the request streams; because people kept complaining that they could see who was winning and then just voted for who was in front.

Anonymous

I havent been here that long so I dont really understand why or how the vote rollover came into existence. I dont really mind either idea but something more dynamic and different could be fun! if you do go with the first option, is there any idea to maybe reset accumulated votes every so often, or is that considered unfair? I figure that the number of votes get out of hand pretty fast, so maybe a reset once or twice a year might be a good idea? I also like the ranking system idea though like you do with your requests, that honestly seems the most fair. I think if I had to pick I'd go with the second option because that way groups of characters would get "their time to shine" in a way and you'd have the ranking system. just my two cents though!

Anonymous

I don't know if this was already suggested, but perhaps change to a weighted system? For example, you could base the winner on who had the most votes that month, weighted by how many old votes they had. A simple approach where you multiply the month's votes by half the old votes would turn out like this: Char A has 200 old votes and got 1 vote this month, so their value is 200 Char B has 50 old votes and got 10 votes this month, so their value is 250 Char C has 10 old votes and got 100 votes this month, so their value is 500 With this method, if a lot of people all voted for one character it could easily allow a newcomer to overcome a character who had been on the chart for months, while a character that had been steadily voted for over a long period of time would have a shot when the voting is less focused. It's also fairly easy to spreadsheet this approach.

WDG

I actually like the system as is.

Anonymous

The most inclusive system would be to have each vote be treated as a number, and then when the time's up have one of them be drawn at random. It makes every vote worth an equal amount, even if statistically the lower ends have less of a chance.

Synariel

I like the system as is. My primary fear is to keep the possibility for lesser known characters with a small following to one day win the vote and also keep the weight the higher tiers have on the vote.

Anonymous

You beat me to it. A raffle system like this would allow all of the current votes to stand, thus not alienating people for having their previous votes discarded. This would also allow for entries that are not currently the top to win, thus removing the issue of the winner already being predetermined. It is simple enough to be implemented without to much overhead, while bringing that "exciting and dynamic" element to the table.

Chaz

Solution 2 allows for the most creative freedom for you and the most variety for everyone involved. Sounds like a win/win.

SCPilot

I like Solution 1 because it gives all characters a chance to win.

Anonymous

I like the current voting system. I feel like solution one will make it so characters like Florence will never win. While we'll see lots of different characters I'm sure. The characters of somewhat medium popularity might never see the light of day. Especially with having two votes. I can play the long game with one vote and put the other on whoever I like who has a chance of winning on that month. It's hard to imagine exactly how the theme solution will play out, so I really can't comment on that, other than I like the current system and don't really see a good reason to wake the sleeping dog.

Vicki M.

I think a combination of the two (per-character runoff voting) is by far the best way to do things for the voters, but wouldn't #2 be difficult for you to tally? For that matter, would it be an option for you to set up a poll site somewhere and give each patron a unique ID for validation? I bet it'd be less work for you, -and- convenient for seeing where the votes are going. It's a shame Patreon's voting mechanics aren't more robust. I bet there are lots of very creative approaches to the problem that just wouldn't be viable with manual tallying.

Anonymous

I would suggest getting rid of the three strike rule or whatever it is at the moment. The characters who've received the lowest number of votes in a month are removed , I would suggest 3-5. . Once all characters are removed then move over to a new system. I like the second system out of the two you suggested as we see that certain characters will steamroll the vote so having some variance in theme allows other characters to shine.

Satanic Cabal

I'm fine with proposition #2.

kravlin

Honestly, My biggest issue is just that the size of the list is too long? 28 characters mean even a super popular character takes months and months to climb the ranks and that means that those votes are continuously being put behind this one character as it slowly works it's way out of the grouping. Working the list down to a more manageable number (10/15) means the vote wouldn't be spread as much, meaning I think you'd see a higher throughput of those less popular characters. But I also tend to vote for a less popular character so I feel like removing the vote month to month would heavily disenfranchise me. Why would I vote for a less popular character if that vote isn't going to count the next month?

Anonymous

I kinda like the way #2 sounds, but a lot of other people are offering pretty good ideas as well.

Anonymous

Solution 1 sounds better and more straightforward tbh.

Habilon

I am ok with any of these or sticking with the current system... though I do lean more to solution 1

Mari

I'd probably go for solution 2 being honest as it sounds easier to maintain.

Nightsound

Just a though but how bout instead of changing how votes are tallied instead have each one be tallied and the one with the highest number of votes be drawn and then reset each month. You’d have to have characters on a cool down, which you already do, so that the same characters get drawn though.

fluffkevlar

Yeah thats part of the reason I closed the waitlist. As more get drawn I'm not going to add new slots, I'm just going to whittle it down to 12-14 at most. I do want to keep the rollover in some fashion for that exact other reason though, yeah. Thanks!

fluffkevlar

Well the flag system is really just there to help me keep track of exactly that; what characters are getting the lowest votes each month

fluffkevlar

It'd be easier IF such a site existed, but I'm not sure that it does. I wish their vote thing was more involved too. Neither of these would be particularly difficult though, any more than the current anyway.

fluffkevlar

See I thought fans of less-popular characters would want things to switch as it makes them fall even further behind. I always want to keep some method of rollover though, for the long game and for votes not to seem wasted. Thanks!

fluffkevlar

You're not alone in liking the system as is! I may not change it as drastically if that's the case

fluffkevlar

Yeah, I think part of the reason it takes so long is the size and waitlist, both I'm going to adjust. I wouldn't say they have 'too much' voting power though. A lot, sure, but it's 25$ each month and I think it deserves to be rewarded, I've already put the cap of 5 per char, down from the 10 it was initially. A lot of the 25$ tier people actually frequently vote for lesser-popular characters as well, I've noticed quite consistently actually. So it's probably doing more good for them. But I do like the idea of themes to help pick either the winner or if not, at least the theme of the pinup itself.

fluffkevlar

I dont want it to be too random, I mean, it is support-based after all. A lot of people like the rollover, myself included. But I like the idea of using the votes to pick 3 or so characters and then random selection of those three, that's an idea. Just maybe not random over the whole roster. And thanks! I like those two a lot myself!

fluffkevlar

I like the take on choosing a theme to fit the char rather than the other way around, good point. But the rollover aspect comes from helping both lower tiers, as well as less popular characters, still feel their votes are counted and worth something, -anything- as one day they can help push a character through. I'm on several other Patreons myself, and they also use my voting kind of system, I think it's fair enough to most people. The ones that didn't have rollovers would have fairly obvious winners and thus kind of make a new issue instead of the current ones is all. Thanks!

dp

number two sounds nice - more diversity by that maybe

Skeleton Man

I like the theme idea and I would like to give it a go at least for a couple of months to see how it does :3

Maplesburg Publishing

I'd like to suggest a semi-randomized system. First, it will be convenient to have fewer characters on the roster, so I suggest taking the 5 with the most accumulated vote up to this point characters. Characters lower on the current roster can be used to replace these as they are chosen. Second, we vote as we do now on these 5 characters, but votes do not carry over. Third, you convert the number of votes to a percentage. Fourth, you use the percentage to assign each character a set of numbers consecutively from 1 to 100. I suggest beginning with the character with the highest percentage. Say the character with the most votes got 30% of the vote: then that character is assigned 1-30. If the second highest has 20%, then they get 31-50. The third with 15% would get 51-65 and so on up to 100. Then you use a random number generator to pick a number between 1 and 100, and the character whose number you picked wins. It prevents the unfortunate popular character of the week phenomenon where we see multiple Patreon accounts doing the same character because even a character with few vote might win. And no character will be doomed to permanent losses because eventually, they will get lucky after being on the roster long enough.

Silver Fenn Xara

Option 2 would be best as it will encourage even new contributors who just arrived in the month to give their vote. It also would track things much more effectively.

Anonymous

Option 2 sounds like a great idea. It gives a sort of flavor of the month vibe that i totally dig.

Diamondstorm

The thing I like about your current system is that even less popular characters have a chance if a few loyal voters keep adding to them each month. It may take longer, but they'll eventually end up on top and get drawn. Voting systems with no rollover mechanic, or even a changing roster make it very hard for characters that are "less well known" to win, if ever. I've seen other artists have this problem numerous times, and it can be frustrating when you know the character you want to win hasn't got a chance against "the popular choice". That being said; I'd encourage you to keep some sort of rollover, but just reduce the size of the list, fewer characters will make the outcome less predictable, and really that's the only problem I see the current system having. I don't think much can be done about the long wait times for characters. After all you're only doing one pinup a month, it's reasonable to expect a bit of a wait for certain characters.

Zagura

I think version two would allow the artist to have at least some control of what they’re drawing and direction of the image. :v make it good for both parties.

SwiftKitten

I liked the first idea.. but i thought it should be tiers.. like.. if a champion has less than 100 votes.. every vote counts toward the next month if they have 200 votes. only 2 votes per person can stay toward the end of the month ... if they have 300 only one vote per person can stay at the end of the month... this would allow the new options that people like to still quickly get votes... but higher ones to go up slower

Sonny Starbrite

I don't know, seems like either listed option above someone will lose out, especially the loyal voters for less popular characters. The current system isn't actually broken, it's quite fair to all characters up for vote. It's why I've stayed here for almost 3 years now and recently jumped to highest tier to help move some underdogs along better. Over my 3 years, I've had a few I voted for that eventually won, just had to be patient. If it's one thing I've liked about current voting, is being able to vote on a character until it finally wins, whether it takes a few months or years, but they're guaranteed to get their HD pic drawn as long as they get enough votes per month to remain on the list. Under either new system, all that goes away with votes being reset every month, certain lesser popular characters that have slowly climbed up the score card to finally get drawn will never get enough votes under either new system in any given month, ever. Some voters will NEVER see their votes counted for what they voted for if they're always voting for the underdog who never wins because votes don't carry over. Call me old fashioned, but I like the current system where every vote counts eventually and seeing the less popular underdogs win here occasionally that would never get a chance otherwise. Under either new propsed system, I don't see these underdogs ever reaching the Fluff's drawing board. I think current voting system frustrations on why it's taking too long is because the list is just too BIG. Of course some characters will take years, you got 28 characters! 28 is way too many and could take 3 years or more for some less popular ones(underdogs) to reach the winner's circle. I'd like to see the current list just get reduced to 12, keep current voting system in place, see how it rolls and it should help take less time for a character to reach the #1 spot, even the less popular ones. To purge the list down to the top 12, you could take those bottom 16 that were removed from the list and insert them back onto the playing card each month to fill in extra spot freed up with their current votes still intact, then start back doing new characters once those 16 have had a chance on the playing card again. Of course, there is always still the risk of not getting enough votes and being removed too, helping move the 16 back onto the list a little faster. My vote is sticking with current system, just reduce contestants from 28 to 12. This still gives underdogs and their loyal voters a chance that wouldn't win otherwise along with the more popular ones. But if these are the only two options we have now, Option #1 sounds more fair, even though underdogs & their loyal voters probably won't have a chance to ever win here again. Besides Fluff, you're doing one pinup a month, it's should come expected by everyone that there may be a longer wait for certain characters, especially the underdogs. Remember the old saying, "The best come to those who wait."

Anonymous

I suppose the problem with the second is that you may end up overwhelmed by the number of characters suggested; therefore the first suggestion may be the way to go!

Anonymous

Most random Question ever. You wouldn't happen to play Battlefield V would you?