Family Name: Flybel

Region (NA/EU): EU

Suggestions/Comments:

I am writing this post based on my experience with the in-game photo gallery (Esc -> Community (F9) -> Photo Gallery (0)) on EU. My oldest posts are more than a year old but I started actively posting pictures to it over the last two months and my gallery appears on the rankings. However watching the performance of my posts as well as posts of others, I've noticed that the gallery feels quite "dead" and I would like this to change.

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Problem 1: Overall Exposure

I believe that most players don't know or have forgotten about the in-game photo gallery. In my own gallery, the only pictures that really gain views over time are fashion photos, which show up on the pearl shop under the outfit or underwear featured in the post. On the other hand, parts of the gallery that are quickly accessible, such as the top galleries or recent posts, don't seem to get nearly as many visits in comparison, as even "clickbaity" posts don't get viewed more. There are just a lot more people posting pictures than people who really engage with and appreciate others' pictures.

Solution 1: More active promotion of the photo gallery through community events

I made my first own post on the photo gallery to participate in the [Port Ratt Memories] event. I also participated in the [Summer Break] event which asked users to comment on other people's posts, and the most upvoted pictures are from this event. I would also welcome other types of active promotion, which focus more on bringing attention to existing posts, instead of requiring creating own posts to participate. This could be using in-game announcements talking about the photo gallery, events focusing on finding "hidden gems" or monthly shoutouts for the best pictures posted in-game, similar to what BDO Monthly does with forum posts. I hope that Community Managers will consider these ideas.

Solution 2: More ways to access the photo gallery outside of the game

Posting pictures to the photo gallery requires being in-game, but viewing, liking and commenting shouldn't be restricted in the same way. I wrote a suggestion to add the photo gallery to the Black Desert+ app and I think this would help a lot to make it more visible, as well as help creators see how their own posts are doing. Perhaps the same could even be added to the website?

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Problem 2: Like Farming and Spam

Another problem stems from people's ability to like their own posts, which essentially becomes mandatory for people who post regularly. Likes are important to get long-term visibility, and as there aren't many people liking other people's posts, the most effective way is to post as many pictures as possible and liking them. This puts people who try to create high-quality pictures at a disadvantage (coming up with a good idea and getting the perfect shot takes time!) and makes browsing the gallery less enjoyable. Furthermore, pictures are quickly pushed out of the first page, reducing their chances of being discovered.

Solution 1: Disable liking your own posts and/or use a different ranking metric, e.g. likes/picture

The order of posts and rankings uses the total number of likes, rather than ratios. People who mostly like their own pictures without getting many likes from others have a similar number of likes as the number of pictures posted. Comparing likes with the number of posts might indicate the quality of someone's posts.

Solution 2: Automatically merge multiple posts into one

A post can contain up to six pictures, however there are many pictures posted in succession on the same day, often from the same session. Posting them separately rather than together allows a user to get more likes on their own. Therefore, pictures posted within a specific time from another in the same category by one person could be automatically added to the first post, making sure that the system is being used correctly.

Solution 3: Increase overall exposure (see Problem 1)

The best way to reward high-quality pictures and punish spamming would be if the majority of votes come from the community, rather than the poster and their friends. This requires that more people use the photo gallery to look at pictures, like and comment on them.

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I started using the photo gallery to share meaningful content such as dye options for outfits on the pearl shop, but also try to create high quality images of my characters, scenery and other aspects of the game to showcase its beauty. The photo gallery with its integration in the game and the pearl shop is a great platform for that and challenges me to work with only the tools that the game gives us. I would really like to see it receive more attention by players and staff, and I hope that we will see even more quality pictures by players soon!

I agree that this gallery is a pretty good way to highlight specifics moment inside the game and share with community. I also regret that this content is not getting as much attention than it should. I think the way you explained how to improve this system is definitely intresting and deserv developers attention. Making event around it, And add this feature to Black Desert App, would be awesome in this regard!