Illegal designs fall into two distinct categories that require different approaches to resolution.
The first category consists of imports that were accidentally approved by an admin despite containing errors or violations of the current design guidelines. These mistakes can happen during the approval process when an admin overlooks a missing trait, incorrect marking placement, or other design guideline violation.
The second category encompasses designs that were once completely legal but have become illegal due to subsequent updates to the design guide. These changes might affect marking ranges, trait availability, or other design specifications that were acceptable when the character was originally created.
While illegal characters may sometimes be disabled, it's important to note that not every disabled character represents an illegal design. Characters can be disabled for various reasons including owner inactivity, character death within the game's lore, or simply while waiting for an alternate image to be submitted. To understand why a specific character has been disabled, you can check the notes tab located next to the traits tab under the import image, which will provide the specific reason for the character's current status.
Accidentally Approved Designs
When an admin accidentally approves a design that violates current guidelines, the resolution process depends on the nature of the error and the owner's willingness to make corrections. If an admin or another player notices it right away and lets the player know of the illegality, and the player is willing to fix the design issues immediately, admins will waive the fee for an Ares' Mirror or Pocket Mirror if needed, allowing the correction to be made without cost to the player. This approach encourages players to maintain design integrity while not penalizing them for administrative oversights.
However, if the issue involves missing or adding traits without the items needed, or markings that are positioned out of their acceptable range, we will ask the player if it is alright that we remove the needed items from their inventory manually to correct it. This is mostly a formality so the player isn't blindsighted by the removal of the items, we expect the answer to be a yes. If the player says no, doesn't have the items that need to be removed, or is somehow illegal even if items were used, we will do one of three things:
- Ask that they fix the design to make it legal. This usually leads to us disabling the character with a note saying the design is illegal and needs to be fixed before we undisable it.
- Allow the design to remain as-is but let the player know and make a note in the image notes that any future changes to the character will trigger the requirement to fix the illegal elements. This includes rebirthing the character or adding new traits or markings via items.
- Allow the design to remain in its current state and cover the items ourselves since it was an admin error. However this is usually for very small things that was clearly because the guides were lacking or because it was legal in a previous itteration of the design and never fixed.
The first two can be fixed by either adding the missing trait/removing the added trait to the character's design, using appropriate items, or by using a Trait Edit or Chimera Scroll to match the character's design to what it actually possesses.
Regarding Trait Edits, keep in mind they can only turn a trait or marking into another of their kind, and only at the same rarity or lower. Trait Edits also cannot impact Unique traits/markings. Chimera Scrolls ignore the rarity restriction, as well as the "same kind" rule for mutations, but not for regular traits. Chimera Scrolls also can't change any trait into a Unique, if the trait is not already a Unique.
Previously Legal Designs
When design guide updates cause previously legal designs to become illegal, the required corrections depend on the specific nature of the changes.
If a marking's acceptable range has been modified, making current placement illegal, admins will waive a Flicker trait for you if needed. If it is illegal even with Flicker, we'll ask you to reposition the marking back within the new acceptable parameters when you next make changes to the character.
For more significant changes that would substantially alter a character's appearance or require extensive modifications, admins may waive the cost of Trait Edits, Reality Essence, or trait application items. This helps players adapt to major guideline changes without bearing unfair financial burden for compliance.
Character Updates
Character modifications require immediate fixing of illegal design elements. Even if just updating the color of the lineart or adding a simple trait or changing a background, any existing illegalities must be addressed as part of the update process. This provides an opportunity to bring the entire design into current compliance.
Please note that changing the build will require an Ares Mirror, but using Legacy does not. Legacy also receives some additional flexibility regarding marking ranges, as the different posing may naturally accommodate slight variations from the ranges applied to standard imports. This accommodation recognizes that legacy poses may display markings differently while maintaining the overall design integrity.
Backgrounds
Characters with outdated backgrounds from previous versions of the game should be updated when any other design changes are made. Unlike trait modifications, background updates don't require special items and can be performed freely whenever desired, even outside of fixing for legality. This allows players to keep their characters current with the game's evolving standards without additional cost or restrictions.
Keeping backgrounds current not only ensures your character meets current standards but also takes advantage of improved artwork and design elements that enhance the overall presentation of your character. While not immediately required for characters with older backgrounds, updating them during regular character maintenance helps maintain a cohesive and current appearance across your collection.