The Real Indiana Jones

Ah, yes, all excellent points... But at this point, I am thinking of it more with the "mind of an investor", so to speak. Like I said, I am not worried about the little bit of prize money at all, but I am forced to decide if I want to continue to put any more time and energy into this project, or if I should just consider that time and energy as "sunk costs" and simply "cut my losses" at this point. I have three software patents and three algorithmic forex accounts I could be spending my time and energy on, and I am sure that all of us have important careers and rewarding relationships with loved-ones we could be spending time on instead. If Lego isn't going to publicize the site at all, then they are making it almost impossible for any original unlicensed projects to compete. I think that is one of the reasons we see so many good-quality original ideas become "abandoned projects" on Cuusoo/Ideas. Time to "Let It Go", I think! =)

Oh yes, I love the scientific projects too. I wasn't saying anything negative about anyone. And yes, it relies on a lot of fluctuating factors, but it seems like most unlicensed sets have a nearly impossible time. But hopefully, now that I've signed away all the rights to the designs, they will be able to incorporate them or use them in a different way in the future. Like I said, I would have gladly done it all for free if they had asked me to, so I do not see it as any loss at all! =D That was my main point... I think that Cuusoo/Ideas is a lot of fun and a great success, so it's no problem at all if I don't win anything... I would have done it all for free anyway!

Yep, it's definitely looking like all of the Cuusoo/Ideas winners will be either be new pop-culture licences, or major real-world scientific projects that have over 10,000 people working on them. On one hand, that is definitely cool, because new licenses and current real-world projects generate more publicity for Lego. And on the other hand, it's a bummer that we will probably never see a fully unlicensed set ever pass 10,000 ever again. Ah, mixed emotions! On one hand, it is a bummer that my sets will probably never pass 10,000 within one single year. Even if it gets picked as a Staff Pick, that visibility only lasts for three days, because that carousel only has three total slots. But on the other hand, I'd be perfectly happy if they went ahead and used the rights I signed over on all my various designs, and used them for free later on at some point, like for some cool new historical locales developed in-house for The Lego Movie II and III. In fact I would have gladly done it all for free! That's how I am looking at it! =D

OK, then I should ask the question a different way... What (if any) unlicensed (or semi-licensed) projects are moving fast enough to have any reasonable chance of reaching 10,000 within a year? Are there any at all with a chance of passing?

Hmm... Well there was definitely a burst of activity last week, but now it looks like the vote rates have returned to normal. Essentially, if Lego does not publicize this site at all, then there is no hope for any unlicensed sets to ever pass! Did I miss something? Is there any unlicensed set that is getting enough votes to pass within one year?

First just find one of their projects, then click on their name by their avatar, and then go to their "Projects Tab". It is like the old "Projects Page" from Cuusoo. Have fun! =)

Yes, "relevance" is a brand new metric, so maybe it will become clear as the site compiles more data on the connections between voters (?) And try looking at the page on a full computer, and make sure you are logged in... Which projects appear under "Projects of Interest"? I am wondering if they are the exact same for everyone, or if they are customized to be different for each person. That would be cool.

Does anyone know what kind of secret formula creates the "Projects of Interest" box on the home page? It only appears after you log in, so I have to assume that it is based on your own personal data somehow. It also seems to be the main factor that drives the "Recommended For Me" suggestions in the search filters. My "Projects of Interest" box is showing me five projects right now, all by GlenBricker and DarthKy, (The Guild, Lady Sabre, Doctor Who, Legend of Korra, and Wayne Manor) perhaps because I have supported lots of their projects already. Is everyone getting those same exact recommendations, or different ones? What sets are you all seeing in your "Projects of Interest" boxes? It's the first row of sets you see on the home page, if you are logged in. I'd say it is important, because if those are targeted to the user's tastes, and if they are shown first on the home page, then those will be the ones to get the most click-thru.

Aw, can't we get the "Clutch Power Points" and the appropriate badges for all of the projects, and progress, and activity we have done so far? Well, my last one is at 98 now, so my "Luminary" badge should activate retroactively tomorrow... Anyway, it looks awesome... I am still exploring! =D

Hi everyone... Now that Cuusoo has officially finished the Beta Phase and gone live as "Lego Ideas", we are all discussing it on a new thread: http://www.eurobrick...showtopic=94814 See you there...!

Yay! If the boxes say "Lego Ideas" on them, then it will nudge more fans toward the site... The box art and "Ideas" logo should show up in the print catalog too, I suppose...! I'm excited!

It took me a moment to see the new orange bar too... It says: "Approximately 21:00 UTC, LEGO CUUSOO will go offline for an estimated seven or eight hours and be replaced with LEGO Ideas. Links to LEGO CUUSOO will automatically redirect to LEGO Ideas." So I will take a look at midnight USA Time... Should be good!

I think that Lego Ideas will look super one year and one week from now... All of the projects that are going nowhere will be cleaned off, and if people are serious about their chances, then they can simply repost them again at that time... So they will all have maximum visibility, and they will all be starting from exactly the same starting line, for maximum fairness. It will be fascinating to see how it all plays out! =)

Yes, plus a lot of fans here have been insisting that the votes of the core buyers should count extra, and now, they get their wish... If you log on with your "Lego ID" account, then your vote will be attached to a record of every set you have ever bought through the Lego Store for the last several years... So yes, every vote from the hardcore AFOL demographic will now have more weight behind it. I hope everyone is happy about that! And at the same time, their other goal is to draw in lots of new fans, so they will take it all into consideration. In the end, it will make Lego stronger!

I definitely think that they will begin to publicize the new "Lego Ideas" site in general, and that will generate more viewers and voters moving through each day. Otherwise, yes, they would just be setting it up so that only 7 to 11 projects ever had a chance of ever passing in the future, and that would strangle their whole marketing initiative! And no worries, If people are signing in with their "Lego ID" account, then they will be able to easily tell which votes are coming from hardcore AFOL fans, and which votes are from more casual fans or new fans, or young kids or adults coming out of their Dark Ages, and they will take all that data into account when they make decisions! I think it will be a huge improvement, at least because it will give Lego complete control over the layout of the platform... I can't wait to see it! =D

Yes, exactly. After the site "goes live" next week, Lego will obviously start to actively publicize it, so all the fans will know it exists. That is the one critical factor that a lot of people are forgetting. The number of visitors and voters should increase by at least 3x, or perhaps even 10x or more... So projects that would have passed within 3 years will now pass within one year or less, especially if they have a nice head start from being in the Beta Phase. And I agree, they will undoubtedly improve the interface for searching, and the time limit will force apathetic lurkers to finally press that button! It will be like "Cuusoo on Fast Forward"!

Yes, the one year rule will speed things up dramatically, and it will combat "Cuusoo Apathy". Now fans will be forced to support a set, or else risk losing it forever! And yes, it seems like all of the rules on customized parts will continue, since they did not specify any changes there. And Thanks to the mod for making a brand new thread! =)

:laugh: :laugh: "On April 30th, the LEGO® CUUSOO beta will end to be replaced with LEGO® Ideas. For details click here: http://lego.cuusoo.com/transition." Here are the most important changes: "What' s new in the LEGO Ideas terms version 1.0 compared to the expiring LEGO CUUSOO terms: 1. Beginning April 30th, 2014, all Projects will have one year to reach 10,000 supporters. Existing projects will receive a full year starting April 30th, 2014 and ending May 1st, 2015 to qualify, and will keep their existing supporters. Projects published after April 30th, 2014 will each receive one year from their publication date to reach 10k. If a project doesn't reach 10,000 supporters within the year, it will expire and will no longer accept supporters. After that, you're welcome to re-submit and try again with the same project, but it will re-start at zero supporters and must reach 10,000 unique supporters within one year's time to be considered in the LEGO Review. 2. If you are between 13-18 years old you may now create and submit projects, but if your project reaches 10,000 supporters, we will require written permission from a parent or legal guardian before your project is considered in the LEGO Review." (.....it continues, see link.....)

A Warg from the Hobbit set 79002 might work, or something like the Fenris Wolf from the Vikings set 7015. Or alternately, GlenBricker also did a neat little Gargoyle design as Cuusoo Project 11198 that he might be willing to contribute! I like it better than the gargoyles on the official Arkham Asylum set 10937.

Ah, yes, thanks for the reminder! It's been so many months of waiting for info, I am starting to forget how the system works! And so the Exo-Suit still doesn't have an official set number in BrickSet yet? Set 21107 will actually be "MineCraft: The End".

No worries, If you make it just 25% less in every dimension, it will still be very big, and the price will be reduced by over 57%...! Or if you make it just 20% less in every dimension, the price will be reduced by almost 48%...! I think we've all seen how the cost increases/decreases cubically with 3-D models. Oh, hey, plus, When is the Ecto-1 car scheduled for release? Can't wait!

Excellent... Supported! "Theme!! Theme!! Theme!!" =D

Very true! My imagination runs wild sometimes. Whatever it is, I am sure it will be excellent. In the meantime, I have lost track of what sets are still under review. The Cuusoo Site lists the winners, and it lists the ones that have been decided, but it does not give a full list of all the ones that are still under consideration. Can someone give us all a re-cap, or is there a blog page that keeps track of it? I thought that GlenBricker has a permanent page for that, but I don't see one.

Oh yes, I have seen lots of images from Peter Reid's book... But for the Cuusoo project proposal, you can see that he had to use the mold that is currently in production, simply because that is the strict rule on Cuusoo against suggesting new molds. So the fact that they are sketching a new helmet is interesting. I have a feeling they will make a new classic helmet, mostly for the Lego Movie sequels, and secondarily as a Cuusoo bonus. And whether or not it turns into a rebooted theme depends entirely on the sales numbers, of course, just like any other set in the universe. I think it will be the next MineCraft, as I am optimistic by nature. And History is populated by people who said "no, it will never happen" until it did. So far, we know just that the AFOL focus group saw "something that made them squee" that they can not reveal! What do YOU think it was?

Sure, my thinking goes like this: 1) We know they are making sequels of The Lego Movie. 2) And those sequels will feature more lands and characters from Castle, Pirates, Space themes, etc. 3) But not every spaceman will have a broken helmet. (In fact, we can clearly see in the concept art that they are showing a non-broken classic style helmet.) 4) So they will do a new mold of a non-broken classic style helmet for the rest of the space explorers. 5) And if it is ready to go, then they would probably just go ahead and include it in the Cuusoo Exo-Suit set. (Exactly as it is plainly shown in the concept art.) And so I am just looking at what is plainly shown in the concept art, and not focusing on the logo so much. The original Cuusoo design made it clear from the start that it would be a Classic Space figure... but official sketches showing a new helmet mold, and the teasing possibility of a re-booted theme are new revelations. If so, it makes absolute sense. I am guessing that the second movie (circa 2017) will focus on Castle, and the third movie (circa 2020) will focus on Space. This gives them a chance to start creating space nostalgia and making money immediately... And then they will do it again after a few years, and make even more! Go Lego!