More releases/ Bigger releases

[Fuzzbucket]

But TJ has already SAID (4 march 6:30 AM - page 6 about 3/4 way down) that it wasn't always going to be TWO breeds, just some times. I really like the idea of more regular releases, feeling that it can only add vitality to the Cave and could be a big help in the Trade thread.

QUOTE (TJ09 @ Mar 4 2013, 07:06 PM)

For those wondering, my (new) current aim is for a release of two breeds on the first Monday of every month.

 

And then he said it would be Sunday, instead.

 

I can't see anywhere where he said it would be less.

 

Just saying....

[TheGrox]

I voted for 1 per month because that is what I'd be comfortable collecting. 2 or more just seems too many to collect, especially if you miss the release or whatever.

[Ayelldee]

It probably wouldn't be 24. There's still the problem of the "holiday season," which starts in late October and keeps going through Valentine's Day. It's difficult to release a new breed during those four months, which leaves you at 14 or 16 permanent breeds a year.

Here, Ms. Bucket

 

 

[Fuzzbucket]

Here, Ms. Bucket

Oh. Fair enough. You did say 6.30 AM, and mine was from later than that, see !

[kitsune93]

I would honestly rather see more big releases with 4 or 5 new dragons.

Those were always my favorite.

But, if I had to pick a lower number, I think I'd go with 2 per month.

[purplehaze]

It probably wouldn't be 24. There's still the problem of the "holiday season," which starts in late October and keeps going through Valentine's Day. It's difficult to release a new breed during those four months, which leaves you at 14 or 16 permanent breeds a year.

I am not reading this as releasing only 1 dragon instead of 2 some months. It looks to me like he is saying that the 2-dragon release would only happen 7 or 8 months out of the year because of all the holiday releases.

 

Two dragons released each month March through September would give 14 new non-holiday dragons in a year. October through February we would only see the holiday releases.

[Vhale]

Yes, and for those of us that like lineages, that's 4 months of no new unlimited releases where we can work on them or catch up. That seems more than fair.

[quupee]

Can't there be a new option for no releases every month?

Just imagine. After one year, there could be 60 new dragon breeds if we had five being released per month. I don't like the idea of that. I prefer the cave being fairly small so you can 'get to know' all the different dragon species. I'm very active on the cave and often research the dragons, but even I'm getting confused between species. You can only creatively think of a certain number of dragon species, right? I would much rather have a smaller number of dragons, all of which are very unique, than hundreds of dragons which are very easily comparable to other species.

 

I think new releases should be even less frequent than they are now. I REALLY dislike the idea of having lots and lots of dragons being released all the time.

[MaggieXawesomeness]

meh, I still think it should be 2 per month all around, and that would include holiday dragons, but whatever

[Slaskia]

Can't there be a new option for no releases every month?

Just imagine. After one year, there could be 60 new dragon breeds if we had five being released per month. I don't like the idea of that. I prefer the cave being fairly small so you can 'get to know' all the different dragon species. I'm very active on the cave and often research the dragons, but even I'm getting confused between species. You can only creatively think of a certain number of dragon species, right? I would much rather have a smaller number of dragons, all of which are very unique, than hundreds of dragons which are very easily comparable to other species.

 

I think new releases should be even less frequent than they are now. I REALLY dislike the idea of having lots and lots of dragons being released all the time.

The problem there is that tons of beautiful concepts will sit for even longer then they are now. We are already losing artists and art to other sites because it takes so long for things to be released.

 

The other problem is that not everyone does breeding projects and what not, so rely on new releases to keep them coming back. I already go semi-inactive for periods for that very reason...and some, just don't come back at all.

[kerrikins]

I am not reading this as releasing only 1 dragon instead of 2 some months. It looks to me like he is saying that the 2-dragon release would only happen 7 or 8 months out of the year because of all the holiday releases.

 

Two dragons released each month March through September would give 14 new non-holiday dragons in a year. October through February we would only see the holiday releases.

Yes, some months wouldn't have two because of holidays (people are focused on other things).

 

Also, people need to remember that because holidays are *limited*, this means that a large portion of those months would then free you up to do other things! With the possible exception of Halloween, of course.

 

The problem with stuff like this is that up until now, all the people who wanted more releases were the ones talking the loudest. Now that there might be more, people come out of the woodwork to say that they don't.

Edited March 6, 2013 by kerrikins

[olympe]

I think we need a row of polls.

 

First of all, I'd like to find out what the majority wants - more releases, fewer releases, keep things the way they are? Just how many permanent dragons do we want to have released each year? 5? 10? 20? 40? Don't forget that the completed list contains hundreds of dragons that just wait to be released, and that there must be more in the artists-only section that we can't even see. Also, keep in mind that recently, there are many people pulling their dragon concepts, finished sprites included, to have them released on another adoptables site.

 

Then I'd like to know whether people would prefer 2-3 big releases a year, probably with 4 to 8 dragons, or whether they'd prefer more, but smaller releases. (Yes, I know 8 is a whole lot.)

 

Third, what kind of releases do we want? Cave drops only? At least 1 or 2 hybrids/breed-only breeds mixed in? Additional sprites (alts) for certain breeds? (Like a purple stripe, or a third alt for the nebula, or skywings with golden bellies or whatever the artists want/agree with?) Another kind of dragon that can only be gotten through special means - like vamps (bite), neglecteds (neglect), zombies (kill & revive) or GoNs (summon)? Do we want some more unbreedables - like more dinos?

 

 

[TheGrox]

I'd have to agree with olympe - the current poll doesn't by any means cover all bases. It is a start, but I think we need to see the overall picture of what people want, by using multiple polls like those suggested. =3

[Aislein]

I've found that I've also started to drift away from the site as well. Mainly because I'm bored waiting for new dragons to be released as many people have also said.

 

I like the idea of 1-2 new dragons every month (although 3 or more does sound like fun >8D) for me new dragons every month means I have more reasons not to neglect my work as a spriter (my apologies to the people I offered to sprite for and haven't done so /offtopic)

 

Hopefully more new dragons should help to keep me from wandering away from a site whose art and people I love dearly :3

[Fiona]

I don't think more polls is really going to tell you that much. The answer to what sorts of dragons/non-dragons they'd like is certainly going to be "everything". People like variety. You'll have as many people saying "more dinos" as you'll have people saying "I don't like dinos. Please no more." For every person who wants something similar to zombies or vamps you'll have another person who doesn't care for those dragons and wants no more of them. Furthermore, TJ can only release what's been sprited, so it does no good to ask for a werezombieundeadfairy dragon if no one had a vision for it and sprited one.

 

As to more alts/multi-colored/pygmies/drakes/two-heads/rares/hybrids... etc. I don't think you can clearly offer all the potential options in a poll. Plus, however thorough you managed to be, next week someone will think of something not on the poll and start spriting it. It's better, I think, to agree that people like variety, and the people doing sprites will continue to think of creative things to do with our dragons. Because that's true, you can't really ask people what they want when they can't know all the options yet.

 

As for how many dragons per year people would like to see and in how many clumps, if you aren't getting a consensus from a poll with 5 options, how likely are you to get a consensus from a poll with enough options to cover all the possibilities? Plus, however much they might think they like whichever option they vote for, they can't know how it will affect their game until it's tried. The only thing we know at this point is that a significant proportion of the users would like more releases, or at least not less releases. TJ currently has a plan. Let's see how that plan affects the game before we start suggesting trying something else.

[RainDear]

I don't think more polls is really going to tell you that much. The answer to what sorts of dragons/non-dragons they'd like is certainly going to be "everything". People like variety. You'll have as many people saying "more dinos" as you'll have people saying "I don't like dinos. Please no more." For every person who wants something similar to zombies or vamps you'll have another person who doesn't care for those dragons and wants no more of them. Furthermore, TJ can only release what's been sprited, so it does no good to ask for a werezombieundeadfairy dragon if no one had a vision for it and sprited one.

 

As to more alts/multi-colored/pygmies/drakes/two-heads/rares/hybrids... etc. I don't think you can clearly offer all the potential options in a poll. Plus, however thorough you managed to be, next week someone will think of something not on the poll and start spriting it. It's better, I think, to agree that people like variety, and the people doing sprites will continue to think of creative things to do with our dragons. Because that's true, you can't really ask people what they want when they can't know all the options yet.

 

As for how many dragons per year people would like to see and in how many clumps, if you aren't getting a consensus from a poll with 5 options, how likely are you to get a consensus from a poll with enough options to cover all the possibilities? Plus, however much they might think they like whichever option they vote for, they can't know how it will affect their game until it's tried. The only thing we know at this point is that a significant proportion of the users would like more releases, or at least not less releases. TJ currently has a plan. Let's see how that plan affects the game before we start suggesting trying something else.

I agree with this whole post, but especially the bolded part. Can't we just see how it works before demanding/discussing changes?

[ZzelaBusya]

I think we need a row of polls.

I agree with you, more polls are necessary. This one surely doesn't give the full idea of what people want.

 

It would be important to know what people want in general before asking how many releases we can accept - some people may want less releases, some (including me) are content with what we have now. Personally I don't like the idea of 2 dragons per month; I don't like the idea of 1 either...

 

To be honest, I love the fact I do not have to collect different types of dragons any longer and can concentrate on collecting things I like. If there were 2 releases per month, I'd have to spend around 11-12 days total (at least: if they are easy to get, if I egglock myself with those, get new ones once the old ones hatch etc.) to get my scroll goal every time, and would have less time for what I love doing. And imagine how those who are trying to get old releases are going to feel if new dragons keep being released so often?

 

 

But well, since TJ said he had a plan of some sort, then the whole discussion probably doesn't make sense. In the suggestions area, at least .__. Unless he is ready to listen to opinions before taking action.

[kerrikins]

I agree with this whole post, but especially the bolded part. Can't we just see how it works before demanding/discussing changes?

^ This so much. I see a lot of "noooooooo" when we haven't even given it a chance.

[Red2111]

1 release per month sounds reasonable, so long as these releases stay away from the Dessert and Alpine for the time being and that durign the holiday months there are not new releases. i'm not for having a multi-breed release in June or July; unless its an unbreedable or hybrid.

 

if we have a 2 breed release in the cave, i think there should be a month hiatus before another release.

 

re-polls - actually, the current poll would be perfect if another option was added "the amount of releases last year was perfect" its why i haven't voted yet.

 

 

i like the migration idea more than a retirement. i also like reducing the drop rate of older breeds more than a migration.

 

if a migration idea is implimented, then i also agree it should only effect CB's, not those on a scroll. think of it this way, our scrolls are like Zoos. there for, we can control the climate of our scrolls to induce breeding whenever we want. where as in the wild, they have to rely on the seasonal cycles.

 

or something like that after all, isn't that sort of what happens with animals in captivity versus those in the wild IRL?

 

 

What if all the breeds start migrating and a hybrid is released from two dragons that drop at different times? That's really going to frustrate new players who don't have one of the parent breeds. And trying to remember the "drop season" for everything does not sound like fun to me…

 

If there got to be a real problem with blockage, solutions like only allowing one of a particular breed in the cave at a time and/or adding a second line of CB eggs should alleviate the problem.

 

obviously if a hybrid is released then the CB's that produce it woudl still be in season. it woudl be silly to do it any other way for the exact reasons you stated

 

- adding a 2nd line of eggs, i dont liek this idea. maybe adding a 4th or 5th egg slot woudl be better, but i dont like the idea of a 2nd line. making it so one breed drops at a time imo will still give us the same problem imo

 

I do think that if we ever did do some rotation thing, we should still keep rare breeds like the Golds, Silvers, and unbreedables still in circulation.

agreed.

 

other rares, BSA and the trio should be excluded from the rotation or migration aspect as well imo or if they are, they should drop more frequently and breed more frequently while their "drop season" is in full swing.

 

 

I really don`t understand why so many people Vote for ony 1 dragon per month, most of you complain because they can`t catch an new dragon, if we only have 1 dragon per month it is hard to catch them again, if people have to focus on at least 2 new breeds people with slow internet can catch those easier.

 

i'm not thinking of myself in this. i can easily catch 1 pair of a 2 breed release and more of which ever i like more *points to her GW army and small Blusang clan* this includes catching and gifting during the release btw.

 

i'm thinking more about newer members and those who dont have great internet connections.

 

also, as previously mentioned, i'm agaisnt more releases than we had last year because i feel it will hurt both lineage projects and gifting. i'd much rather the focus of the game be kept as it is, equally split between new releases, lineages and gifting. many new players rely on gifting to get things like Metals and Tinsels, which allow for good tradding fodder for the rest of their time here on DC. anythign that harms gifting or threatens to hurt this aspect of the game i'm going to be vocal about; because if i have to designate my scroll to catching new releases most of my time playing, i'm not going to be trading and gifting as much. i know i'm not alone in this feelign aswell.

 

[DorkJulian]

Can't there be a new option for no releases every month?

Just imagine. After one year, there could be 60 new dragon breeds if we had five being released per month. I don't like the idea of that. I prefer the cave being fairly small so you can 'get to know' all the different dragon species. I'm very active on the cave and often research the dragons, but even I'm getting confused between species. You can only creatively think of a certain number of dragon species, right? I would much rather have a smaller number of dragons, all of which are very unique, than hundreds of dragons which are very easily comparable to other species.

 

I think new releases should be even less frequent than they are now. I REALLY dislike the idea of having lots and lots of dragons being released all the time.

Okay I said I'd step out contributing on ideas but who on earth is saying 60?

 

A FLAT 2 dragons per month would be 24 in a year (2x 12=24) but TJ said due to holiday releases it probably would not even be that much.

 

Also I doubt the people who say they like the larger releases mean to have it EVERY month. I think the general conseus in this thread is that large multi-dragon releases are a bit much, to say the least. Considering most of the larger releases seemed to be limited major events (fifth anniversary and the like), I would say it's probably best that yeah, if you're going to do it, save it for something big. (Luckily, we have a bit before the 10th anniversary.)

[stardust13]

Many of the issues brought up here are ones of our own making.

 

Cave blockers? They exist because there's breeds we, the players, refuse to pick up or hold on to.

 

Rarity of Blusangs (as the rarity of the moment)? We, the players, refuse to pick up many of the breeds in the coast, therefore, less Blusangs are revealed for grabbing. Every drop where the coast isn't cleared out is a drop where we fail to uncover the full contingent of Blusangs that are meant to come out. If you want to see more Blusangs, clear out the coast on a regular basis. Not only would there be more around, but their trade value would drop to more reasonable levels because of it.

 

GWs and Blacks are popping up like mad while the Alpine is spinning with the new release. And, gee, suddenly their trade value has dropped, too. If there was a new breed in the coast, we'd see the same with Blusangs.

 

Speaking of new breeds in the coast, two new breeds a month might make those pesky, slow biomes move on a more regular basis, thus revealing their rares on a more regular basis. Biomes that move also reveal more metallics - again, any eggs left uncovered in a drop are eggs backed up, waiting to eventually be revealed, which means more of those eggs aren't being produced. A friend caught a gold in the coast yesterday - metallics drop in all biomes, remember? So when a biome goes stagnant, the eggs back up and new rares and shinies aren't produced until the old eggs are cleared away.

 

For example, and using theoretical numbers, if only 10 eggs are taken from the coast each drop, and there's 100 made available each drop, it would take 10 hours for the coast to reveal one drop's worth of eggs. So, not even 2.5 drops' worth of eggs come out of the coast each day when it's moving slow. That means, if there's 5 Blusangs a drop, there's all of 12-13 Blusangs getting into player hands a day. Meanwhile, the alpine clears its 100 eggs each and every drop. 5 previously rare GWs x 24 = 120 new GWs in player hands a day (again, theoretical numbers here, I know I've seen more GWs in a drop).

 

My point is, the faster the biomes run, the more rare and common eggs that circulate to the players. When there's more commons in player hands, their ratios fluctuate and they can become a little less common, thus, avoiding becoming cave blockers. With more rares around, their trade value comes down and people who say they can't catch from the cave can make more reasonable deals for Cave Borns.

 

And what makes the biomes run faster? New releases! TA DA! Back to the most basic part of the Dragon Cave game - steal and raise eggs! Yes, there are other parts to the game now, but when the base of the game is (I'm sure unavoidably) slowed down, it causes problems in other areas, too. New releases on a regular basis will help bring the game into better balance all around. And it's going to take more than one a month to get there, I think. So I'm waiting to follow TJ's plan and see where it takes us.

[Kila]

FULL support! Please and thank you.

 

More releases for the jungle and forest would be great. The addition of new biomes would certainly help get something like this going as well.

I, personally, would love more biomes. Or sub-biomes.

 

But I think 2-3 breeds a month would be reasonable. And three is pushing it. Then again, my reasoning is partially selfish, but I think it falls in line with a lot of other busy people. I think that two or three new breeds is a reasonable goal, and with six egg slots for older players we don't have to pick and choose what all to get. We can easily get CB breeding pairs of each dragon in the initial release, and then do whatever else we want.

 

That's just me, though~

[Shamiir]

Personally I don't have a problem with releases of any amount.

I'm inclined to agree with Thubans thoughts on collecting.

 

This is no longer a game where we discus our 'scroll goals' as being *to have a CB of of each sprite (cept holly)*

Once the holly was the only dragon we couldn't get a CB off. Now, the game has changed.

 

In a larger drop, there is more likelihood of 1 or 2 dragons that each player loves and *must have*. If there is a couple that they are ho-hum over, then those can be left till the quiet times (if collected at all)

 

The enthusiam over the raffles proves that most players don't expect/want to have a caveborn of everything any more so I can see no disadvantage in having a wide selection in each new release.

[Spelunker]

Support for this! *goes to take lots of screenshots of the Completed List*

[Pixxelation]

I also think we need more dragons from the Completed List released. So many are from the artists' section that it seems like breeds from the list are almost never released, making so many time-consuming projects worthless, especially ones many people support *CoughUndinesCough* The completed list favorites thread is useful to see what the public wants released.