Admittedly, I’ve never been the creative type. When it came to the LittleBigPlanet franchise, I was always playing other creators’ levels instead of making my own, and the same goes for Media Molecule’s similarly ambitious Dreams. On Minecraft, I tend to let my friends and loved ones do the building while I gather materials for them or work on the interiors of their finished creations. And when I do create things, like my Animal Crossing island, I’ll often be content once I finish instead of being motivated to keep on being clever. However, I’ve always had an appreciation for Disney Dreamlight Valley’s DreamSnaps, as they’re a continuous source of clever ideas within the cozy game scene… which is exactly why I’m so bummed about them lately.
While I played a ton of Disney Dreamlight Valley at launch, it’s fallen out of my rotation, but that hasn’t stopped me from following the game. And, more specifically, the DreamSnaps community. Every week, I’ll watch as my fiancee spends several hours creating her ideal scene, giving feedback when she asks for it but generally just being enamored by her work. And the same goes for the DreamSnaps subreddit, which we’ll both look at regularly to see cool snaps that don’t pop up in her voting pool. Sadly, though, we’ve noticed more and more players getting snubbed for great pictures, while the photos my partner has sunk extra time into haven’t been doing as well as of late, either. Sadly, it doesn’t seem like this is bad luck, as the feeling of unfairness goes hand-in-hand with Gameloft’s recent changes to the DreamSnaps system.
DreamSnaps were introduced on July 19, 2023, and are a weekly photo competition where the Disney Dreamlight Valley community creates and snaps pictures of scenes that line up with whatever the theme is at the time.
Getting On Like Cats And Dogs Quest In Disney Dreamlight Valley
Help Lady find all Tramp’s bones during the Getting on Like Cats and Dogs quest in Disney Dreamlight Valley.
Disney Dreamlight Valley’s DreamSnap Changes Are Proving Problematic
While DreamSnaps would typically be just a fun, optional activity, they reward players with Moonstones — the currency used for Star Paths and in-game store purchases. Since players get a minimum of 300 Moonstones just for participating, some players will phone it in, taking a selfie instead of following the set theme. While this is always a bummer to see (especially when players have to vote between two users who didn’t try), these photos are at least less likely to do well compared to those who tried. Or at least, that was the case, as players who put in tons of effort are noticing that they’re finding less success than they did prior to the system’s overhaul.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
On paper, the changes to Disney Dreamlight Valley’s DreamSnaps seemed great. With DDV’s Puppy Love update, DreamSnaps were altered so that they would be determined entirely by player votes. Previously, players would get a boost in Moonstones for using a certain number of tagged items in their photos, but now, it’s entirely up to players to determine photo quality. In theory, this should be a good thing, as photo-making should be less restrictive since tagged items aren’t mandatory now. However, while the idea that removing tags would be beneficial seemed sound, in reality, it seems like it’s actually doing more harm than good.
First and foremost, the use of tags in Disney Dreamlight Valley’s DreamSnaps essentially gave players a “cushion” in case they were given an unfair shake in that week’s voting. Maybe they were paired up with a truly incredible photo instead of one of the many players who phoned it in, or maybe their DreamSnap wasn’t pushed to many gamers for whatever reason. In the old system, they still would have received a good deal of Moonstones despite their lower than expected placement because they used tagged items well. But now, they’ll simply be out of luck if voting doesn’t go their way.
Proof of Disney Dreamlight Valley’s New DreamSnap Problem
The other issue is shown in the image above from nueroredditor. Despite creating a truly breathtaking composition, they only received 900 Moonstones, their lowest reward “in months.” A majority of users in the comments were shocked, with some pointing out that there could be an issue with players having full control of voting. Essentially, the community decided that a seaside theme meant a New England vibe, with little room for interpretation. That meant that anyone who tried to do something different — like nueroredditor’s colorful outfit instead of a sailor’s costume — might not have been given a fair shake. This is just a theory commenters like Kind-Fun6939 shared to explain why a great photo like this only received 900 Moonstones, but conformity being rewarded makes sense… despite it being exactly what the new DreamSnap system was meant to avoid.
This was hardly the only example of players struggling to comprehend the changes. The image above from DreamSquid shows another 900 Moonstone payout for an on-theme photo. As a personal example, my fiancee also had her lowest score in weeks despite being on theme. Like the two above Redditors, she received far less Moonstones than she used to get prior to the change, with the DreamSnap able to be seen below. What makes this all the more frustrating is that there are likely people who didn’t try that are receiving the same amount (or slightly more) Moonstones. And if those that try continue getting less than they should for their efforts, the cozy game community is going to grow frustrated, and fewer people could bother trying hard with their DreamSnaps.
How To Unlock Pluto In Disney Dreamlight Valley
Pluto is a loveable companion that can be unlocked by completing a series of quests in Disney Dreamlight Valley.
DreamSnaps’ Moonstone Payouts Need a Change, And They Need It Soon
Personally, I’m not sure what the answer is. Maybe Gameloft should return to the tag system, or perhaps the entire voting system could use a rework. Many players dislike how similar photos will be paired up early in the week, forcing them to use their skips and then leaving them in a situation where they are voting for low effort photos constantly. There are surely a lot of great DreamSnaps out there that aren’t even being shown to the community, so maybe a way to see or tag high-effort photos would be beneficial. Unlimited skips could also be a change worth making. Based on the Seaside photo results, though, it does feel like something has to change.
While it may be a bit soon to mourn DreamSnaps, I am genuinely worried low-effort creations will become even more prevalent since people who put hours into their photos are feeling unrewarded lately. Maybe things will get better as the new system settles, but it’s hard not to notice a difference of thousands less Moonstones for a creation of the same quality. Fortunately, there are people who just love the art of digital photography and don’t care about Moonstone payouts, so at least I’ll have the DreamSnaps subreddit to fall back on if nothing is done about the in-game voting process. Still, it would be great if Gameloft heard the complaints following the switch to player votes, as the new format is making something that many looked forward to doing each week less appealing.
- Released
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December 5, 2023
- ESRB
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Everyone / In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
