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Amazon_warrior

CB Prizes: A User Guide

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* This thread is *not* a place to discuss raffle mechanics. Please take any such discussion to the Suggestions/Requests section.

* Standard forum rules regarding behaviour towards other users apply.

* Passing judgment on or being rude about what others choose to do or not do with *their own dragon(s)* will not be tolerated.

* If raffle winners past or present prefer to remain anonymous, please respect their wishes.

* Do not hassle CB prize owners, please.

* This thread is intended to be support for anyone who's won any kind of prize in the raffle, be it a "Prize" dragon or an Honourable Mention. Most of the advice is aimed at the "Prize" owners, but should also apply to other prizes (and spriter alts, if it comes to that, though you guys seem pretty clued up already).

* The guide below is based on my own experiences and what I've seen other Prize owners mention. I will gladly update it as and when others come forward with more advice and tips.

 

 

Introduction

It comes as a real shock to find that you're the proud owner of a raffle prize dragon of any kind, so this thread has been created to share the experiences of previous raffle winners and to provide advice and support for new prize winners. Hopefully the experience of winning a prize will be a bit less overwhelming this way. smile.gif

 

EEEK! I've Won A Prize!

HUGE congratulations! And DON'T PANIC! wink.gif

 

The Most Important Thing

It seems a really obvious thing to say, but your prize is YOUR prize. No one can take it away from you (umm, except TJ. Don't multi-scroll. Multi-scrolling is BAD.) or tell what you can and can't do with it. Your scroll, your dragon, your rules. If anyone makes you feel uncomfortable about your prize and what you choose to do with it, you should raise the matter with one of the mods to help you deal with it. Or another Prize owner. Or someone else you trust. The point is, DON'T SUFFER IN SILENCE! You're not alone, and the forums have strong rules regarding harassment and willful interaction between players.

 

When Do I Get My Prize?

The glib answer is "Whenever TJ decides to hand them out." Proper prize winners may need to comment here about whether you're expected to leave an egg slot free (though it seems a very good idea to, just in case). In previous years there has always been a small percentage of non-respondents and a subsequent re-drawing of some prizes, which always seems to take a good couple of weeks. The best guess anyone can make is "sometime in late January or maybe early February." Looking at news posts for the previous raffles gives a good idea of how it all works:

2014 Intro

2013 Intro 2013 Update

2012 Intro 2012 Raffle Update

2011 Intro 2011 Prize Update

2010 Intro 2010 Raffle Update 2010 Prize Update

 

Should I Announce My Win?

It's entirely up to you! (That's a bit of a running theme for this guide, actually.) The need to share good news with others is very strong, and it's very easy to get caught up in the excitement. Friends and family in real life may not get all the fuss over a bunch of pixels, whereas pretty much everyone here can understand and acknowledge your good fortune. It is certainly true that you will receive a *lot* of attention if you choose to go public. Expect your PM box to beg for mercy. Possibly your email too. However, you might also find that you get offered trades that you might never otherwise see if no one can find you. On the other hand, keeping your win private will give you peace and space to decide what you want to do with your prize without others trying to influence your decision.

 

In any case, I would advise giving yourself at least 24 to 48 hours of private squee-time to get the surprise out of your system a bit before you make any public announcements. It'll allow you a chance to get used to the idea and have a think about what you might want to do with your prize (as if you haven't already been plotting that for the last 12 months! tongue.gif).

 

If you decide to keep things private, you will need to delete any scroll links from forum signatures and hide your scroll name and possibly also your entire scroll to prevent stalking. Then sit back comfortably and watch the show that the rest of us who went public put on. rolleyes.gif

 

If you go public, be sure to keep a close eye on your eggs and hatchies. Your scroll will be stalked before and after the prizes are give out and all your growing babies will get more views and clicks than you may be used to. Your prize egg (when you get it) will be protected from dying of sickness, but none of your other eggs and hatchlings will have special protection, so do be careful if you have anything precious. It's a good idea to write a short note for your forum signature and/or profile detailing any decisions you've made about your prize. Having a public statement can help ease the PM flood a bit because it gives other users a clear idea of what to expect from you. If you seem to be dithering in the slightest, they will pounce on you because there's the tiniest chance that you might be convinced to trade or gift to them.

 

Dealing With Private Messages

As mentioned above, if you go public (or even if you didn't but didn't effectively hide your identity before you get your egg) you WILL get a LOT of messages. There is a common assumption among the userbase that 2nd gen gifts and trades always and only go to the first people to PM raffle winners, so many will rush to send messages to winners regardless of whether or not they are accepting enquiries in an attempt to get on any list they can. It sounds crazy, but you could easily go to bed with an empty PM box and find it full the next morning. PMs will be all sorts, ranging from simple heartfelt congratulations to shameless begging. Do not be surprised if some contain teleport links full of CB rares or mega trade offers in return for a 2nd gen IOU from your prize.

 

Ultimately, how you deal with this is (surprise!) up to you, but it is a good idea to consider how you might reply to such messages and what you will and will not accept. Your public statement comes in handy for telling people what you are and are not interested in. Remember that you will (hopefully!) have your prize forever and that rares of all sorts will also always be around - there is no rush to make immediate IOU trades for CB metals/Neglecteds/whatever. It's great to complete scroll goals but worth remembering that Rome was not built in a day! wink.gif When replying to PMs (and I do recommend that you try to), you can be more personal in replying to messages from people you know, but if you have a lot of PMs that are very similar and from people you don't know, you may find it preferable to write a short, polite message stating your wishes and then copy & paste it. Do this for your own sanity if nothing else - no one likes to find they've spent an entire day (or three!) doing nothing but replying to PMs about pixel dragons (well, I certainly didn't!). For too-pushy or rude PMs, see Sockpuppet Strangler's advice regarding harassment here, which I agree with. You DO NOT have to reply to pushy or harassing PMs.

 

It may seem overwhelming at first, but it does get easier and in general most people will accept a short polite reply and leave you in peace, whereas no reply can mean anything and nothing - to some people it may mean "shout louder, I didn't hear you the first time!" However, if you have declined or decided to ignore a message and the other person continues to pressure you for a trade or gift, it is time to consider blocking that person or contacting a mod for assistance. No one should ever feel forced into breeding if they don't want to. If you haven't already, please check out the forum notice about trading harassment.

Edited by Amazon_warrior

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Prize Dragons And Breeding

First off, NO you don't have to breed if you don't want to. AT ALL. Heck, last year someone even froze their prize as a s1 hatchie because they wanted that. That was their dragon and their choice. That said, a lot of people do choose to breed, either for themselves or for others, and for a very diverse range of reasons. And they breed all manner of lineages, too. For the sake of simplicity I have assumed that most people interested in trading and gifting will be breeding primarily 2nd gens, but what you breed your prize with is ultimately a matter for you and you alone. As the game has grown, so have the ways in which people have chosen to handle prize dragons and their offspring. You might choose to gift all your bred eggs or keep the 2nd gens and only trade higher gens. Or keep every single bred egg on your scroll. Or anything in between. Whether gifted or traded or even dropped into the AP, the offspring of prize dragons can have a big impact on the recipient, particularly in the early days. The pointers below are intended as a guide to some of the options available and possible pitfalls you may encounter. (For brevity - ha! - I'm treating 2nd gen Prizes and Prizekin equally in this discussion, since most of the same points apply to both.)

 

Lists - A Word Of Caution

Prize dragons (and especially the CB ones) have a habit of breeding poorly. This is the progeny of a CB silver Shimmerscale after about one year of breeding approximately once a week (I didn't count, but it's probably ~45-50 breedings total). COUNT THE SHINY ONES. NOTE HOW MANY THERE ARE. Right. There are definitely CB prize dragons that have bred more shiny eggs than that. There are also plenty that have bred fewer. In the whirl of exciting trades and lengthy gifting lists, it's very easy to get carried away and find that you've promised half of DC a 2nd gen prize egg. As hard as it may be, if you decide to do a list then you must be strict with yourself and others, or you might find you have the waiting list of DOOM with no end in sight. You won't enjoy that and nor will the people waiting and wondering if they've been forgotten. I thought I was being quite restrained with my initial list of 10 trades, 10 gifts, and 10 prizefail gifts, but at the end of a year of breeding I *still* have people waiting for 2nd gen Shimmers. I feel bad about that. It's not fun to always feel you owe someone something and it leaves you little flexibility if you suddenly want to gift to someone or snap up that really great trade. People on waiting lists, especially those waiting for IOUs for trades, can get justifiably tetchy if you start sending out random trades and gifts to others when they've waited a long time for their egg from you. Please try not to do that to them. (Nothing would make me happier than to find prize breeding rates much improved for this raffle and beyond, but I ain't holding my breath!)

 

Something For Yourself

Most people like to keep at least one or two (or many more!) offspring from their prize. They provide further trading or gifting opportunities and they look real pretty on your scroll. smile.gif But again, do bear in mind those breeding rates. It's easy to decide to have personal breedings only to find that every single one fails. (And personally, I find it rather embarrassing to end up trading for higher-gen lines from my own dragon. rolleyes.gif)

 

Gifting

There really isn't anything more wonderful than seeing someone's reaction when you gift them a 2nd gen egg from a prize dragon. Honestly. There are a number of ways to choose giftees - some people like to gift to friends and family or people they have seen doing positive things on the forums. Others like to gift completely randomly. There's also the possibility of doing lottos on the DC IRC, or going through any of the many gifting threads in the Trading section of this forum. However you decide to do it, have fun!

 

General Trading

There are probably as many ways to arrange dragon trades as there are people trading dragons. Have a think about the sorts of things you're interested in aqcuiring and make your interest known. Or ask for "offers" and see what turns up. If you're not sure about trade values and worth, check out the Trade Questions thread. It's definitely worth lurking there and reading to see what's trading for what before you accept an offer. You can publicise trades in different ways, through a note in your signature or profile or by posting a trade in the Trade section. If you get PMs about your trades, it's considered polite to send a short message declining offers you're not interested in.

 

IOUs

Trading of raffle prize dragons often begins long before the eggs have even arrived on the winning scrolls. IOU trading is not an official part of the game, but many users consider IOUs to be an essential part of trading and offer eggs or hatchlings now in return for the promise of a future egg (or eggs) in return. It is your choice whether you choose to accept such offers immediately and keep a list of eggs to give to those people in return. It is a risk, though the risk factor can be managed to an extent by choosing your IOU trade partners carefully and being realistic about timescales for payment and repayment. A good IOU is a great thing that can be a genuine benefit to both sides, an IOU that goes bad can be really horrible and acrimonious. Use common sense.

 

Prize Swaps

Always popular, especially for collectors who like to collect lines from as many CBs as possible and for lineage makers looking for that special dragon to complete a project. Clear communication is good here, but typically other prize owners are understanding about the vagaries of prize dragon breeding - after all, they own one too and they're probably going through something similar. Also, if you find you are approached by someone who has chosen to keep their prize a secret, respect their wish for privacy and don't share their details unless they give you permission.

 

Thank you shadesofchaos for these example lineage pairs! They're very handy for choosing possible mates (or even the gender of a Prize if you like a particular pairing very much).

 

Bronze Tinsel Combinations

Bronze Shimmer Combinations

Silver Tinsel Combinations

Silver Shimmer Combinations

Gold Tinsel Combinations

Gold Shimmer Combinations

All of the prizes x Holidays

 

Helpful Posts From Awesome People <3

Commander Wymsy's excellent post is here.

42 has some good advice here.

Rhynn Collins makes a very useful suggestion here.

Fiona BlueFire has some really great advice here.

 

 

Thank you for offering advice here, it's much appreciated. <3 I'm only one person and I can't think of everything! xd.png

 

 

If you're the owner of a CB prize of any sort and want to share your thoughts, please be my guest. If you want to offer advice but prefer to remain anonymous, feel free to PM me in confidence.

Edited by Amazon_warrior

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Thanks happy.gif

I'm sure this will come in handy to a few folks in the next month or so.

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Not a prize winner (though hopefully I will be tongue.gif), but I had to say that reading all of that made me have a lot of sympathy for prize winners. Yeah, it must be great to have a prize, but you have to take a lot of things into consideration and deal with lots of rude people. As someone with no prize outstanding lineage, it makes me think much more nicely of all of you.

 

And good luck to everyone at the upcoming raffle. smile.gif

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I will give my input on keeping lists regarding trades.

 

If you want my honest opinion, I think it is only worth keeping a list for people you intent to gift to and for people who offer you a unique, exceptional trade. What exactly constitutes a unique, exceptional trade? Basically, anything that people don't constantly have on hand. I will tell you right now, in my honest opinion it really is not worth it to take offers of CB Metals or NDs in exchange for putting the person on an IOU list UNLESS that list is very small (no more than 3 people). People always have CB Metals and NDs on hand. You can post up a 2nd gen Prize from your dragon and just ask for those and people will offer on it regardless of the pairing. Some stuff in the realm of unique and exceptional would be an interesting Lineage somebody has that you want, another 2nd gen Prize, or something like a Holly. Basically like I said, things people tend to not have on hand at any given moment.

 

It will save you a lot of headache in the long run to think twice about what people offer you in return for a spot on your list. Don't end up with a list so huge that you find yourself with a dragon that won't produce what you need and a bad feeling in your gut because of all of the people waiting (they won't be mad at you or anything, most people understand. You yourself will just feel upset about it because of it being largely out of your control.). If you want to know how I handle my lists, I don't let the 2nd gen Tinsel list go above 3 people and I don't let the 2nd gen Tinselfail list go above 6 people. I give both lists some time to clear before opening either back up again.

 

I highly advise that you keep the names of people on your list(s) private. People can and will PM others that they know are on a CB Prize owner's list. I find it simple to just have a number of the amount of people on the list in public view, so that people are aware of how many people are on it at any given time. Protecting the people you're trading with is such an easy thing to do, they will definitely appreciate your protecting them so that nobody hounds them about their spot in line. It is none of their business, it is only the business of you and the person on your list.

 

What you accept for 2nd gens from your dragon (be it Prizes or Prizefails) is all up to you. But whatever you do, think about it and consider the future and make sure you don't set yourself up for stress and frustration by ending up with a list that's far too large for your one dragon to handle.

 

Fairly sure I hit the all of the most important parts here. Let me know if there's something you think I've forgotten or if anything needs clarification.

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Thanks for this. I have often wondered/imagined what I might do in the event I'd actually win one of these contests/raffles-- and I'm still undecided. On the one hand, I would want to shout it to the world, but on the other, I don't want my PM filled to the brim with messages of all kinds.

 

I like to think that I'd just release offspring randomly on the abandon page, but let's face it-- there's no way, I'd probably find a different way of spreading the love.

 

 

Anyway, cool thread, thanks for this again.

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Ah, this is useful. Thanks~ /wishful thinking

 

What happens if someone viewbombs the CB Prize, though? Will it get revived, or...?

(Apologies if I missed the answer, it's almost 7am and I haven't slept yet.)

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Ah, this is useful. Thanks~ /wishful thinking

 

What happens if someone viewbombs the CB Prize, though? Will it get revived, or...?

(Apologies if I missed the answer, it's almost 7am and I haven't slept yet.)

CB Prizes and HM eggs cannot die from sickness. Hence why so many CB Prizes have insanely high amounts of views and clicks.

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Oh wow! I was waitin for a topic like this ever since you mentioned it. Nice job there! Hopefully new prize winners will be aware of this thread and take your (any winner who wishes to post here) advice biggrin.gif

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...a unique, exceptional trade. What exactly constitutes a unique, exceptional trade? Basically, anything that people don't constantly have on hand. I will tell you right now, in my honest opinion it really is not worth it to take offers of CB Metals or NDs in exchange for putting the person on an IOU list UNLESS that list is very small (no more than 3 people). People always have CB Metals and NDs on hand. You can post up a 2nd gen Prize from your dragon and just ask for those and people will offer on it regardless of the pairing. Some stuff in the realm of unique and exceptional would be an interesting Lineage somebody has that you want, another 2nd gen Prize, or something like a Holly...

I'm not a prize winner, but seeing as I have traded low-gen prizes and have a couple second-gens, I'd like to say that on this vein, codes can be unique, exceptional trades- though unless they're CB/a lineage you like, AND a breed you like, probably NOT worth your second-gens. I traded a low-gen prize for a CB Waterwalker- and that was only because the waterwalker's code was "sigma" (caps altered). True word-codes, perfect character-name codes (like "SpyRo", I have that one), perfect dates in all-number codes. If the word part is 3 letters, like zCat5, you will probably be able to safely find a similar one down the road if you don't have what they are asking for. 4 letters and a random other thing, like 0Luke, or perfect 5-character codes, like sigma or SpyRo, I would still recommend not trading your second gens for unless you absolutely need that code and have tried lower offers, but if you've kept/traded for second-gens and obtain 3-5th gens they're well worth those simply because you won't get another chance.

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CB Prizes and HM eggs cannot die from sickness. Hence why so many CB Prizes have insanely high amounts of views and clicks.

Thank Arceus, or that'd be a lot more work on TJ xd.png Thanks, I haven't been around for a prize-giving before, so...

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Quick question, if that's allowded on this thread, are there any pairings with prize dragons that are more wanted than another? Like offsprings from metals are wanted more than offsprings with cool color combinations.

 

Edit: thanks guys. I didnt put this in the questions about a trade thred because iys not the value just why people like to see some lines with shimmers/tinsels more than others.Regardless I got my answer. smile.gif

Edited by Sarah864

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I'm not a prize winner, but seeing as I have traded low-gen prizes and have a couple second-gens, I'd like to say that on this vein, codes can be unique, exceptional trades- though unless they're CB/a lineage you like, AND a breed you like, probably NOT worth your second-gens. I traded a low-gen prize for a CB Waterwalker- and that was only because the waterwalker's code was "sigma" (caps altered). True word-codes, perfect character-name codes (like "SpyRo", I have that one), perfect dates in all-number codes. If the word part is 3 letters, like zCat5, you will probably be able to safely find a similar one down the road if you don't have what they are asking for. 4 letters and a random other thing, like 0Luke, or perfect 5-character codes, like sigma or SpyRo, I would still recommend not trading your second gens for unless you absolutely need that code and have tried lower offers, but if you've kept/traded for second-gens and obtain 3-5th gens they're well worth those simply because you won't get another chance.

Oh I certainly agree with you about codes. I just wasn't intending to list everything that falls into that category because I tend to have a bad habit of going on and on about things forever. Was trying to be as concise as I could be by only giving a few very typical examples.

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Quick question, if that's allowded on this thread, are there any pairings with prize dragons that are more wanted than another? Like offsprings from metals are wanted more than offsprings with cool color combinations.

I think it would have been better to post in the "Question about a trade?" thread, imo. I see people wanting 2g Shimmers from more commons rather than CB metals for some reason. I could just assume it's because they want their lines from that shimmer to be rarer and less available, to do this they ask for one from a common mate which would be harder to produce said prize. I know a few CB prize owners that are doing some creative stuff with their own 2gs/CBs where they alternate the line with stuff like different seasonals/nebulas/sunrises-sunsets, ect but they are still being asked to keep it two-breed by some traders.

 

Most common want when it comes to prizes, imo:

 

"Lowgen Prize I don't own, 2 breed stairstep, no holiday or bred with metallics, preferably silver or gold"

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I see people wanting 2g Shimmers from more commons rather than CB metals for some reason. I could just assume it's because they want their lines from that shimmer to be rarer and less available, to do this they ask for one from a common mate which would be harder to produce said prize.

 

More often than not it's because they think that their requested mate will look nice in the Lineage view and/or the requested mate is one of their favourite breeds. And some people might just want something for Lineage. Or others still just want something odd they've never seen before.

Edited by Commander Wymsy

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Oh I'm tired. laugh.gif What I meant to say was lines past 2g, hence the little quote. But yeah, I wouldn't doubt they request a specified breed for a 2g because it's their favorite breed. smile.gif

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Thank you Amazon Warrior and Wymsy! This should be very useful for the community.

 

(And personally, I find it rather embarrassing to end up trading for higher-gen lines from my own dragon. rolleyes.gif)

 

This in all probability would have happened to me if I ever won lol

Edited by natli

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I think it would have been better to post in the "Question about a trade?" thread, imo. I see people wanting 2g Shimmers from more commons rather than CB metals for some reason. I could just assume it's because they want their lines from that shimmer to be rarer and less available, to do this they ask for one from a common mate which would be harder to produce said prize. I know a few CB prize owners that are doing some creative stuff with their own 2gs/CBs where they alternate the line with stuff like different seasonals/nebulas/sunrises-sunsets, ect but they are still being asked to keep it two-breed by some traders.

 

Most common want when it comes to prizes, imo:

 

Most of the time it is actually because it is easier to continue a line say with terraes than with a CB silver or gold. Many of us don't have that around, or have a single CB (as in my case, which means that a refusal is specially devastating). Therefore, when trading for a tinsel or shimmer, many of us look for lines we can actually continue, which pretty much means super rare combinations and holiday dragons are not as sought after.

 

People want to breed, and if they can't continue a line, most will not trade for it no matter how rare or beautiful it is.

 

2 breed and perfect checkers are tidy, which also makes them more desirable than funny experiments, no matter how nice they look. I have a Silver I was gifted, which I kept breeding into a line mostly to AP gift, but I've tried to trade its offspring from time to time only to discover they are worthless. It has three main problems;

1. It is not a second gen, therefore, it doesn't matter if you have to pray to a pagan god during a harvest moon to manage to get an egg, anything over second gen is worthless.

2. It is a three breed spiral, which even when I've kept the color pattern, it is considered untidy and ugly and whatever.

3. The mates are three halloween breeds, which adds to "can't breed, don't want it".

 

In general, I think a nice, thought out, several breed experiment is a beautiful thing, but the general public make the same mistake as with the colors. It doesn't matter that your copper prize egg is as unique as that gold prize egg. Maybe the gold's line is as common as F-Bomb, yet it will be a more valuable trade than the copper for some cultural thing I've yet got to understand.

 

Edit; Nice guide, Amazon. Funny thing is, you never actually won the raffle. xd.png

Edited by DragonNighthowler

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This was a great idea, Amazon, thank your for taking the time to do this and also to Wymsy for speaking up. Winning the raffle should be a joyful experience, and a guide like this may help a lot to make it that.

 

Good luck to all of us in the upcoming raffle biggrin.gif

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I'd just like to add my own thoughts. I'm not a CB prize owner, but I have been involved with trades for lots of 2Gs now. So I've had my own experiences of dealing with PMs, lists and trading.

 

Trading.

 

Think about what it is you actually want. Myself? 2g Thuweds and 2nd gens from other prizes.

 

For the love of your own sanity, learn to limit yourself to three people on your list. NO EXCEPTIONS unless the items on your list are extremely difficult to acquire (like mine). Forget NDs and CB Metals, those aren't extremely difficult (at least, relatively when you have lots of trade fodder) because, like Wymsy said, people have these on hand all the time.

 

I've been doing the "strict policy on no IOUs unless it's something 'extremely difficult'" for about 2 years now, and I'll just say it's really helped me. I have maybe 5 IOUs to do now but before I had something like 40. Of course, psychologically, it's hard as you just want to trade for everything, but believe me... you really DON'T want to trade for everything. xd.png

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Great thread! I have a few things to add smile.gif

 

If it's all a bit too overwhelming for you at first, ask someone you really trust to help you pick the right trades. Ultimately the decision is 100% up to you, but the person can act as a sort of 'firewall'.

I was the firewall for a friend of mine who didn't really know much about trading values and who to trust with IOUs and who to refuse a trade to. I helped her out by having the trade offers be sent to me; I picked out the 'bad' ones and sent the good ones on to her, so she could decide if it was something she wanted or not. She of course kept me updated if there was anything in particular she wanted so I knew what to look for. Eventually she learned how to deal with it all herself and didn't need me anymore, but it definitely helped her get through the first two/three months.

 

If you decide to ask someone to help out, be VERY sure you can trust them though, and that they're not trying to get something out of you. I was continually aware of how badly I could screw things up for her, and that can be a pretty heavy burden to bear. It would have been very easy to scam people out of their rares and give her an awful reputation here while lining my own pockets. I would be lying if I said I didn't get anything nice out of the deal (she has gifted me some rares she traded for, and one of the 2nd gen shimmers) but getting nice stuff was never the point, helping out my friend was. When selecting a 'firewall', be very, very sure they're doing it just to help you.

 

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Great thread! I have a few things to add smile.gif

 

If it's all a bit too overwhelming for you at first, ask someone you really trust to help you pick the right trades. Ultimately the decision is 100% up to you, but the person can act as a sort of 'firewall'.

I was the firewall for a friend of mine who didn't really know much about trading values and who to trust with IOUs and who to refuse a trade to. I helped her out by having the trade offers be sent to me; I picked out the 'bad' ones and sent the good ones on to her, so she could decide if it was something she wanted or not. She of course kept me updated if there was anything in particular she wanted so I knew what to look for. Eventually she learned how to deal with it all herself and didn't need me anymore, but it definitely helped her get through the first two/three months.

 

If you decide to ask someone to help out, be VERY sure you can trust them though, and that they're not trying to get something out of you. I was continually aware of how badly I could screw things up for her, and that can be a pretty heavy burden to bear. It would have been very easy to scam people out of their rares and give her an awful reputation here while lining my own pockets. I would be lying if I said I didn't get anything nice out of the deal (she has gifted me some rares she traded for, and one of the 2nd gen shimmers) but getting nice stuff was never the point, helping out my friend was. When selecting a 'firewall', be very, very sure they're doing it just to help you.

Oh this is totally true! I do agree it's a very good idea to have someone who can assist you with deciding on good trades.

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Thank you, Amazon and all others who have contributed to this guide.

 

I'm not a Prize/HM owner (yet, but always hopeful!), but it's good to know this kind of things upfront.

 

Perhaps this thread can be stickied? That way people won't have to search for it. And I hope TJ includes a link to this thread in mails he sends out to raffle winners.

 

Oh, maybe you can include this link: Notice Regarding Trading Harassment

One of the most important parts of this post, I think, are:

- A user has the right to deny any breeding or trading request;

- If you feel you are being harassed by another user, it is also within your rights to contact a moderator to see to the situation. We encourage you to seek assistance if the problem should arise.

Edited by Sheriziya

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This is an excellent message, with some very good information and insight ~ thanks so much for taking the time to share your experiences and offer some advice!

 

I think it is fabulous to have the opportunity to learn about what prize winners have gone through, and honestly, for future prize winners to know who they can turn to for advice as they begin their "newbie" prize winner journey! Over the past few years, I have had the wonderful pleasure of talking to a few of the past prize winners, and it seems to me that most of them handle their new-found fame fairly well! It may not make sense to people outside of DC ~ what all they hype is about ~ but for those of us on the "inside", there can be no doubt that the weight of such fame can be hard to cope with if it gets out of control ~ especially when you consider just how many people actually play and love this game!

 

I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like ~ from the first discovery that you've won and all the accompanying excitement and disbelief ~ to trying to decide how to handle your prize. I suspect the initial instinct is to scream it to the world - but as you've pointed out - that probably wouldn't be the best idea! Your point about Rome not being built in a day - very good point! We all hope to some day win a special prize ~ and it is good to think that there is access to some people who have been there, who genuinely care, to turn to for advice and perhaps, just an understanding soul to talk to!

 

Thanks again, for all your insight ~ and for putting yourself out there (and to the additional contributors to this thread too!!)

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I would like to endorse a couple of the points made here. As one of the sprite artists for the 2011 Halloween dragon (Shadow Walkers, in case you don't know) and as one of the earlier owners of a 2nd gen from Jewel, I find certain recommendations here invaluable.

 

1. Keeping IOU lists short. In fact, I highly recommend not making them at all. Or, if you do, make a clear agreement that you reserve the right to "bump" the list to keep an egg for yourself or to offer immediate trades or gifts. One of the frustrating things I found on my Shadows was never being able to just randomly breed and offer on an attractive trade, or just breed and surprise someone with a gift, because of all those lists I had. If your list is short enough and you do seriously work to fill it people will be understanding.

 

Another point on keeping lists short - I had only about 6 people on my list for third gens from Jewel, but it never seems to get any shorter. A big part of that is the difficulty in breeding the shiny eggs. Another is being weak willed when it comes to people asking for eggs from mine. If you make an IOU list grow a strong spine. And yes, keep it really short or you never will feel like you can keep the bred eggs for yourself or for random trades or gifts.

 

2. If you make lists, keep a backup somewhere online! My computer died on me while I had lists for several of my alts, and because I had no online backup the lists were completely lost. The eggs were for gifts, so no one had given me anything but since I'd promised them something I still feel bad about it.

 

3. For those hoping to gain a spot on an IOU list - If you send an egg to ask for an IOU consider it as possibly lost in the ether. I know I sent more than one 2nd gen shiny from my alts as "payment" for 2nd gens from Shimmers, and at least one of the cb shimmer owners no longer is playing. So, lost out there, didn't I? You can't get upset about those kinds of things. Most people accept those kinds of things with every intention of fulfilling them, but things happen.

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