Those updates sound pretty nice, I'm sure the transparency in what's happening behind the scenes helps with the users. A lot of websites really do struggle because of the lack of a good dev by their side. But it's nice to hear that your still trying to move things along on your own. That sort of dedication is definitely inspiring to see. I'm sure a game will be a major bonus and help spike up the activity, since most forums these days do get boring quickly and a fun game by it's side helps boost the traffic. I was browsing through the shops and noticed that the consistency in the art styles varies a bit item to item. What style are you going for these days? Is it supposed to be a softer shading style like gaia has or a more detailed, rough around the edges look?
While I do agree that having a functional website isn't bad at all. The overall aesthetics are very important to attracting new users. There are a lot of things that jump out at you as outdated through out the website and while they aren't a deal breaker it would be something to improve upon. Web design is moving forward at a very high speed these days, they are always coming up with new innovative designs and while you don't have to be "hip" or up to date as everything is, keeping things moderately moving forward will show the public that you are trying to keep up with the times. As Toho mentioned, having a site look the same for the past 10 years will give you the impression that nothing is getting done, even if it's a small thing like a change of a banner or some colors and icons will spark up a conversation and excitement. But in overall, it's nice to hear how you guys are trying to improve everything. I'll stick around and see what the winter event brings. I'm a big fan of christmas event items. = u =