Jump to content
angelicdragonpuppy

Make a Kickstarter for DC Updates

Recommended Posts

/Prepares to get hit with a lot of rocks.

 

Ok, so. DC has been around for ten years now, and in that time, there have been a lot of pretty simple suggestions that have been around for years and STILL NOT BEEN ADDED. A few off the top of my head:

 

- Heal BSA to cure sickness (suggested before 2010)

- Accurate breeding / action timers ("this dragon can breed again in 1 day 5 hours") (suggested ???)

- Tabs for scroll sorting (suggested in 2010)

- Platinum trophy with 8th egg slot (suggested in 2014, probably earlier)

- Way to reverse refusals (suggested in 2014, probably earlier)

- Allow dead dragons to have their names removed (suggested in 2013)

- Allow people to claim names off inactive scrolls (suggested ??? by TJ himself, still hasn't happened)

 

These are just some of the simplest ideas. Other, more complex ideas include:

- A store to buy dragons (suggested in 2015 / should be noted that different ways to obtain prize dragons were proposed earlier)

- An unfreeze BSA (suggested ???)

- More BSAs in general (no particular one, but the subforum is filled with lovely ideas. Reconcile, Identify, Adopt, Multiply, Boost, Harmonize, Prank, Wrap... plus suggested changes to teleport to alert people when they're locked or accept only part of a trade)

- Higher CB Christmas / Valentine limits (suggested in 2015, should be noted that bred Christmas / Valentine limits weren't lifted until Christmas 2013. Wow!)

- Kicking dragons that sit in the cave for too long to the AP (suggested ???)

- Change how breeding works (suggested in 2015)

 

So I've been wondering why all these things have sat around for years and the only reason I could think of was: DC is an entirely free game (hallelujah!) which means there's not much incentive to spend time programming exciting new features (oh noes)

 

Obviously that's only my guess at why, but there it is. Which led me to think... what if DC launched a Kickstarter or some other fundraising thing where when certain goals were met, promised features would be added in? Ideally if they weren't all reached they'd still be added in time, but it would be a nice way to both hasten progress and give something back to a game we've long enjoyed. Obviously donating would have no in game reward other than, hopefully, getting the cave some sweet new features.

 

I hope I'm not coming off as a jerk here. I just really, really want to see some of these great suggestions that have waited for years take flight, and I'm willing to plop down some sweet dragon gold if that would help it happen. I realize the donation function is a thing, but I'd be more willing to give if I was sure something would happen as a result. Otherwise I'll just keep loading those tasty Amazon ads and let myself be seduced into buying things to help keep DC running, haha.

Edited by angelicdragonpuppy

Share this post


Link to post

I want to see some of these things happen too - but I think if money were the issue, TJ would have crowdfunded already. He's certainly savvy enough. And he has said, more than once, that the site does make plenty to keep itself going.

Share this post


Link to post

He would have to answer this himself, but not everyone thinks about crowdfunding in a sense like this.

Share this post


Link to post

I'd love the idea, but in my opinion not everyone has the means to support this and DC's player base might not be large enough to fulfill goals for different additions. I'm unsure of how many users are indeed active, but many of us have financial situations that do not allow to give this kind of aid. It's not a bad suggestion by any means - it can still be set. The only thing that can't be guaranteed is how many people will be able to help.

Edited by andromedae

Share this post


Link to post

I'm just looking for something, ANYTHING the user base can do to help see these things happen. Heal has been suggested since BSAs were first a thing. Most of the other listed suggestions have several years behind them, too.

Share this post


Link to post

From kickstarters I have backed in my time (many) there is no real indicator of time....

Share this post


Link to post

I like this because unlike other suggestions involving money, it gives benefit to everyone who plays, whether they can donate or not. So I'm all for it.

 

The site paying its own bills isn't the same thing as making enough money for TJ to afford to invest large amounts of time programming for it, also. It seems like TJ earns enough from DC to afford its basic maintenance and upkeep costs (server, et cetera), with maybe a little left over as an emergency fund or a small income for TJ personally (which he thoroughly deserves IMO if he does indeed get any). But it can't be pulling in enough to pay him a reasonable hourly wage so he can afford to invest his time in doing a bunch of stuff for DC instead of working a normal job or spending time with his friends and family/otherwise having a life.

Edited by Lurhstaap

Share this post


Link to post

Oh man, this has been a silent gripe of mine for a while!

I see ideas in the suggestions section that are around for years, generate tens of pages, span months long discussions.....and to what end?

 

I don't even think it's a crowdfunding thing...I just think that TJ and/or the mods don't like the idea or don't want it, but instead of saying so and closing that thread to give people some closure, they just leave it running. I'd rather see finite yes/no answers to these things so we know what the status of those suggestions is.

 

All of those things that you listed in the first post...maybe TJ doesn't WANT to add any of them, no matter how much the majority of people posting on their respective suggestion threads on the forum like them. And if that's the case, I'd rather just know (hey we're not going to increase the holiday dragon cap or let you unfreeze dragons) so that we can move on and think of new suggestions rather than pointlessly debate ones that won't happen.

Share this post


Link to post

Oh man, this has been a silent gripe of mine for a while!

I see ideas in the suggestions section that are around for years, generate tens of pages, span months long discussions.....and to what end?

 

I don't even think it's a crowdfunding thing...I just think that TJ and/or the mods don't like the idea or don't want it, but instead of saying so and closing that thread to give people some closure, they just leave it running. I'd rather see finite yes/no answers to these things so we know what the status of those suggestions is.

 

All of those things that you listed in the first post...maybe TJ doesn't WANT to add any of them, no matter how much the majority of people posting on their respective suggestion threads on the forum like them. And if that's the case, I'd rather just know (hey we're not going to increase the holiday dragon cap or let you unfreeze dragons) so that we can move on and think of new suggestions rather than pointlessly debate ones that won't happen.

I don't think this is the case. If only because I've seen instances of TJ stepping into a thread and saying no (or maybe, please give more info/answer questions, or 'I'd like to but', or... et cetera).

 

EDIT: I DO wish he were more generally communicative about his plans, progress, and such, tho'. Not EVERYTHING has to be a surprise out of the blue.

Edited by Lurhstaap

Share this post


Link to post

I dunno if I want to support this or not, but I do want to say that this sounds more like a Patreon type thing rather than a Kickstarter thing.

Share this post


Link to post

Have now added dates things were suggested, when I could find them.

 

Heal: BEFORE 2010.

Tabs: 2010.

Allowing dead dragons to have their names removed so they aren't lost forever: 2013.

Higher Christmas / Valentine limits: Only in 2015, but until CHRISTMAS 2013 we were still at only 2 of those breeds, ever, bred ones included.

Stealing names off inactive scrolls: can't find the exact date, but it was years ago--and was proposed by TJ himself, in a news thread, as a thing that was coming.

 

Like Lurhstaap, I know TJ has a real job and a real life and it's a blessing that the game is still alive at all... but at the same time. Progess is. So. SO. Slow. That throwing extra money around as an incentive is the only way I can think of to make it worth his time to add these features. I mean, come now! Heal is as basic as it gets and has been waiting MORE THAN SIX YEARS! Arghhh! I love this game but updates other than new dragons seem to come at glacier pace. I'd happily forfeit a few months of new releases if we got some very useful feature updates instead. Dx

 

@Jazeki: With Patreon isn't it more of a repeating monthly / yearly fee for repeating rewards, though? This is more a one-time pay, one-time reward thing, although yah maybe kickstarter isn't the ideal platform. Some sort of crowdfunding platform, though. What's that one that's like kickstarter but just for good causes instead of developing products...? Gofundme?

Edited by angelicdragonpuppy

Share this post


Link to post

I mean, I love new dragons, but... same here.

 

And money is about the only reasonable incentive we CAN offer. We certainly can't threaten him. ;p

Share this post


Link to post
I dunno if I want to support this or not, but I do want to say that this sounds more like a Patreon type thing rather than a Kickstarter thing.

Yes - as ADP says - Patreon requires you to set up a monthly payment. It's the reason I never back ANYTHING there.

Share this post


Link to post

I see some basic problems with this idea. For one thing, the site is coded solely by TJ, who has shown no willingness whatsoever to share the coding with anyone else. He's said that money isn't an issue.

 

He also has a full time job. If you check his Ask-a-Mod thread I think he says what that is, but I expect it pays a whole lot better than DC or than DC with a Kickstarter. If time is the issue a kickstarter would presume he'd quit his job to code full time for DC. I don't know what he thinks about that but I don't think that would be a smart idea.

 

He's shown no hesitation in saying "Never going to happen" on other things. Maybe he just hasn't made up his mind yet on them. Maybe he's somewhat opposed but willing to hear ideas still. Maybe a bunch of things besides money are the reasons we don't have what we've asked for.

Share this post


Link to post
I don't think this is the case. If only because I've seen instances of TJ stepping into a thread and saying no (or maybe, please give more info/answer questions, or 'I'd like to but', or... et cetera).

I haven't seen resolutions to some of the threads that have been around for years. I guess if he is going in and sharing his opinion on things, it's just not definitive enough to end a discussion.

 

Like the Heal BSA thread that was started in 2010...in six years, why hasn't that been given a finite yes/no answer yet? I am all for facilitating discussion, but I don't think a simple BSA needs 6 years to flesh out whether TJ likes it or not and whether it'll make it onsite or not. I can see discussion for several weeks, maybe months if it's a busy time with a lot of suggestions, but otherwise....I feel like suggestions should be given their due consideration and then decided on, not pushed along indefinitely.

Share this post


Link to post

If nothing else, Fiona, I'm hoping that maybe this suggestion will prompt

him to tell us if there IS anything we can do. Half these suggestions have waited over three years. That's a really long time to just be pondering over whether they're worth doing or not.

 

I'm hardly expecting him to quit his real job for a little kickstarter--goodness, no--but maybe if we can get a nice amount of donations it'll inspire him to spend a couple months he might otherwise just program in new dragons programming in something more expansive.

Share this post


Link to post

Double posting so it isn't missed but argh. I'm just tired of wondering if all the time we spend trying to flesh out suggestions is largely just time spent wasted. I feel that way about DR a lot too, since every release for years now has either been an already released spriter or event spriter. I just want to know if we're doing nothing but running pointlessly in circles. sad.gif

Share this post


Link to post

 

@Jazeki: With Patreon isn't it more of a repeating monthly / yearly fee for repeating rewards, though? This is more a one-time pay, one-time reward thing, although yah maybe kickstarter isn't the ideal platform. Some sort of crowdfunding platform, though. What's that one that's like kickstarter but just for good causes instead of developing products...? Gofundme?

Patreon is a monthly thing, but I also think it would encourage monthly updates. But the one you probably want is GoFundMe.

 

 

Share this post


Link to post

Patreon can also be set to payout per update/item created. It probably still wouldn't be worth it to TJ, but it does have that option.

Share this post


Link to post
Double posting so it isn't missed but argh. I'm just tired of wondering if all the time we spend trying to flesh out suggestions is largely just time spent wasted. I feel that way about DR a lot too, since every release for years now has either been an already released spriter or event spriter. I just want to know if we're doing nothing but running pointlessly in circles. sad.gif

well we did get the azure glacewings and rosy s2 solstice hatchies which seemed pretty nice

Share this post


Link to post
well we did get the azure glacewings and rosy s2 solstice hatchies which seemed pretty nice

SphinxLucida was an event spriter from 2014, and Odeen, who's been in cave quite a few years now, made the updated Solstice hatchies.

Share this post


Link to post

Is it possible that some of these suggestions don't get implemented because he doesn't want them to be?

Share this post


Link to post
Is it possible that some of these suggestions don't get implemented because he doesn't want them to be?

Then why doesn't he just say so? He's said no to some things. But these are suggestions he's left open for years without putting an end to.

 

If he doesn't want them, ok, fine, but say no so we can quit hoping and wasting our time arguing for them.

Share this post


Link to post
SphinxLucida was an event spriter from 2014, and Odeen, who's been in cave quite a few years now, made the updated Solstice hatchies.

well yeah but the updated solstice hatchies the thread asking for them was like a couple of yeas old right? and then we got them. with no word about it from tj

 

and the azure glacewings were on the completed dragon request list going by what people were saying in the release thread and a lot of releases arent from the completed dragon request list right?

 

 

so we do get some stuff tj just never tells us when which seems to be the main issue here

Share this post


Link to post


  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.