ANSWERED:Exploration or Lore of some sort?

[lundfamily3]

The world of DragCave is so interesting. A giant cave, filled with dragons, where you, a brave human, began to capture and raise them.

 

I was thinking.... I would love to know more about this place. How do the humans live so long? Do they use a potion, spell, object? Do they speed up the dragon's growing process somehow?

 

Where do we live? How do we find food for the dragons and keep them somewhere?

 

We could have a "library" where each month (or week if possible!) some more lore is posted by TJ.

 

And/Or we could have "exploring". Exploring would give you nothing, and would take nothing. (So that people dont get advantages over others through exploring). The only reward would be to interact with the world. You could meet dragons, find relics, read stories. (Maybe you could even find a broken piece of metal, get transported in time temporally and witness TJ killing the DataMonster and/or Lag Monster.)

 

It would be hard to create, especially if it had images, so it could just be text based or maybe just on the forum.

 

Anyways, I just think it would be cool to learn more.

[skauble]

I've always thought that the cave should have a town where everyone could go. You could get help like the FAQ, but instead you'd get the info when you checked out the local dragon tamer, and you could learn about news and events from the tavern area. And there could even be the library you suggest where people can go and read interesting things about the cave and it's history (like more in depth version of the Ecology page).

 

I think there's a ton of possibilities in adding one human specific aspect to the cave.

[Cinnamin Draconna]

Too much work for TJ. I'd much rather see new releases than something that's just for looks.

[Limn]

As far as I'm concerned, the DC forum is our town. We come here to trade, talk to other dragon trainers, show off our talents and discuss things we like. The forum may not be fancied up to look like a proper town, but imagine a castle made of white and red. If you wanted lore, I'm sure we could make a thread for it where people could create and post myths and legends to go along in our story books known as our minds. Also if you want to see TJ fighting or defeating the lag monster I suggest planting the minds in our more artistic members until they seduce themselves into drawing it. You could probably start a large collaboration/thread where we could post pictures of our take of what happens during a cave mishap.

I like the simplistic way of the cave. ^^ There's no need to change it at all.

[Wookieinmashoo]

I like the idea, but I think I'd rather be left to guess what's going on. That way people can make up their own stories.

[angelicdragonpuppy]

I think something like this would be really neat! I've always found it a bit hard to get "into the world" of DC, perhaps because there's so little tying the whole thing together, so knowing some more facts about it would be cool. I also question how time consuming it would be to add; if you asked me about one of my worlds, I know I could fill quite a few pages with random factoids in under an hour, and I imagine TJ could do the same. It wouldn't have to be image or gimmick heavy, just a neat little thing where you could go read stuff.

 

To explain a bit further how I think it would work...

 

You would have a little book badge on your scroll, gained instantly upon joining. Clicking it would take you to the Library, wherein more links are contained. Perhaps:

 

- History

- Ecology

- Non-Fiction

- Fiction

- World Records

 

History: The most like the OP's original suggestion. Every set amount of time (every day? every week?), you could check in here and receive a new book or scroll. They could be very simple things to quite long, depending on how much TJ feels like writing. Ones you had already received could be viewed again, and you'd be guaranteed a new one every time period until you'd seen them all (much like Easter Eggs). Would probably be a set amount released per year, and maybe ever, so that TJ wouldn't have to drive himself nuts making up new facts all the time.

 

Ecology: A place where the creators of breeds could share more information about them, and perhaps even artwork! The breed's creator(s) would have the final say in what images they did and didn't want to appear there, and could either display only WIPs and concept drafts or include fanart from other users. Books in this section would be gained by getting an adult of the corresponding breed on your scroll, and wouldn't be mandatory--in other words, if the creator of a breed didn't want to create a 'book,' they wouldn't have to. They could always add one later, however.

 

Non-Fiction: As much as I love writing descriptions, I feel that they're rather... unappreciated. You write them, a few people comment during the review stage, and then they're pretty much forever after ignored unless you share them in one of the forum threads. As such, I think it would be neat if the non-fiction section allowed you to randomly browse described dragons's descriptions! Perhaps there could even be an (optional) space where people could 'scribble' on comments about the description; these comments could be deleted at the dragon owner's discretion.

 

Fiction: Remember the Holiday Tales? I imagine stuff like that could go here. It'd be up to TJ if he wants to write them himself, or wants it to be open for people to send in possible ones for submission.

 

World Records: I know TJ has a page somewhere that displays stats about the dragon with the most clicks, most views, etc etc. It'd be neat if there was a more convenient way to see that stuff then looking around for the other site. Perhaps it could also display statistics about one's own scroll at the bottom!

 

And--perhaps there could be a fun little 'last checked out by:' feature wherein whoever had last loaded that page would have their username displayed. If your username is hidden, of course your name wouldn't appear, though.

 

...Heck, if you wanted to push this idea even further, you could even have an 'advertisement board' where people's trades would be displayed. There would have to be a 'do you wish to publicly display this trade?' option, though! But it'd give people who don't use the forums a revenue to get in on the trading front. Maybe people could even have a very simple 'this is what I want' display board with their trades, much like EATW's.

 

In other words--I think this idea has a ton of potential! All depends on how much TJ wants to invest in it. ^^

Edited March 7, 2013 by angelicdragonpuppy

[brairtrainer]

I think something like this would be really neat! I've always found it a bit hard to get "into the world" of DC, perhaps because there's so little tying the whole thing together, so knowing some more facts about it would be cool. I also question how time consuming it would be to add; if you asked me about one of my worlds, I know I could fill quite a few pages with random factoids in under an hour, and I imagine TJ could do the same. It wouldn't have to be image or gimmick heavy, just a neat little thing where you could go read stuff.

 

To explain a bit further how I think it would work...

 

You would have a little book badge on your scroll, gained instantly upon joining. Clicking it would take you to the Library, wherein more links are contained. Perhaps:

 

- History

- Ecology

- Non-Fiction

- Fiction

- World Records

 

History: The most like the OP's original suggestion. Every set amount of time (every day? every week?), you could check in here and receive a new book or scroll. They could be very simple things to quite long, depending on how much TJ feels like writing. Ones you had already received could be viewed again, and you'd be guaranteed a new one every time period until you'd seen them all (much like Easter Eggs). Would probably be a set amount released per year, and maybe ever, so that TJ wouldn't have to drive himself nuts making up new facts all the time.

 

Ecology: A place where the creators of breeds could share more information about them, and perhaps even artwork! The breed's creator(s) would have the final say in what images they did and didn't want to appear there, and could either display only WIPs and concept drafts or include fanart from other users. Books in this section would be gained by getting an adult of the corresponding breed on your scroll, and wouldn't be mandatory--in other words, if the creator of a breed didn't want to create a 'book,' they wouldn't have to. They could always add one later, however.

 

Non-Fiction: As much as I love writing descriptions, I feel that they're rather... unappreciated. You write them, a few people comment during the review stage, and then they're pretty much forever after ignored unless you share them in one of the forum threads. As such, I think it would be neat if the non-fiction section allowed you to randomly browse described dragons's descriptions! Perhaps there could even be an (optional) space where people could 'scribble' on comments about the description; these comments could be deleted at the dragon owner's discretion.

 

Fiction: Remember the Holiday Tales? I imagine stuff like that could go here. It'd be up to TJ if he wants to write them himself, or wants it to be open for people to send in possible ones for submission.

 

World Records: I know TJ has a page somewhere that displays stats about the dragon with the most clicks, most views, etc etc. It'd be neat if there was a more convenient way to see that stuff then looking around for the other site. Perhaps it could also display statistics about one's own scroll at the bottom!

 

And--perhaps there could be a fun little 'last checked out by:' feature wherein whoever had last loaded that page would have their username displayed. If your username is hidden, of course your name wouldn't appear, though.

 

...Heck, if you wanted to push this idea even further, you could even have an 'advertisement board' where people's trades would be displayed. There would have to be a 'do you wish to publicly display this trade?' option, though! But it'd give people who don't use the forums a revenue to get in on the trading front. Maybe people could even have a very simple 'this is what I want' display board with their trades, much like EATW's.

 

In other words--I think this idea has a ton of potential! All depends on how much TJ wants to invest in it. ^^

This idea of yours also seems like it would tie in with the storytelling idea with the bbw's. Perhaps TJ could bring in other users for the lore, have him give them the information and have them come up with a crative way to write it. Get more people involved in creating something amazing for the site kinda like Halloween stories

[~!~]

I would be in support of this so long as TJ got good writers to do it. Like, writers who are as good at writing as the site artists are at art. If TJ's going to do it himself, or get the mods or spriters to do it, I can't see it being worth the effort.

[Obscure_Trash]

I kinda like the mystery just because it allows for more user creativity.

[lundfamily3]

Then maybe we could post user-theories, like others suggested? ^^

[Obscure_Trash]

That would be awesome, I think. I only caught the beginning of the how the cave looks thread before I disappeared for midterms, but it's interesting to see what different people imagine for this stuff. :3

[_Charky]

this could be quite a good way to include all the extra information about dragons which are official from the creators, but aren't in their descriptions... like what's on the wiki.

[xeyla]

I'd like to ask for some lore about this world we play in. This would help us describe our dragons better, which will result in less descriptions taking set in a wrong timespan. It will help us create more BSA suggestions that would make sense, and it would help satisfy our curiosity about the history part of the game.

 

Thoughts? I'd like for this to be another link under the help page, which could be updated whenever new lore is discovered; IE: the game gets another update, like when the biomes were introduced.

 

It *could* include expanded breed info also, if the encyclopedia gets introduced.

[CNR4806]

I'd like to ask for some lore about this world we play in. This would help us describe our dragons better, which will result in less descriptions taking set in a wrong timespan. It will help us create more BSA suggestions that would make sense, and it would help satisfy our curiosity about the history part of the game.

 

Thoughts? I'd like for this to be another link under the help page, which could be updated whenever new lore is discovered; IE: the game gets another update, like when the biomes were introduced.

 

It *could* include expanded breed info also, if the encyclopedia gets introduced.

Well the era problem is already taken cared of in the description guidelines, but I agree with the overall sentiment. Having a more detailed lore would help with description-writing as well as reviewing and approval, because we would have more references to tell what is and what is not appropriate in that case.

[Natayah]

This game does not have much in the way of mythos and official canon and probably never will (outside of breed descriptions). The draw of the game is to "collect" dragons. Not to roleplay. People do roleplay and write, but its completely left up to them to imagine. And sure, I may think its sometimes silly when I read yet another description where the dragon is the almighty greatest ruler or powerful being of yet another Kingdom, many that are called Atlantis or after other book worlds, but who am I to take that away from them?

 

I know a lot of people become deeply offended about my little Island and the fact that certain types of creatures are not welcome and/or hunted and killed. But ... with as many people and dragons that exist in DC we don't just have a gigantic world, we have a gigantic multi trans dimensional whatever. And well, magi can teleport, so technically, we could all be in very different universes from each other. So whose to say what happens in one place couldn't in another.

 

Because there are just too many players and too many dragons that exist to limit the lore of this world. Any collect the critter site is gonna run into that. I think if anything, I'd like to tackle the description backlog first, however, there is nothing stopping players from working together and brainstorm and suggest some common lore.

 

I know some players are working together (and have been for awhile) to work out the true sizes of dragons. Wow did that create a lot of eye opening misconceptions to come out! But I think its great. I mean it may not be accepted, but it might be something that players can work with and maybe suggest some more specific ideas about lore, or collect some ideas, and maybe if we post it TJ may just toss it in one day while he's poking on random projects. And if not, well you can make your collection and perhaps inspire some people for description ideas.

Edited May 5, 2014 by natayah

[Fuzzbucket]

This game does not have much in the way of mythos and official canon and probably never will (outside of breed descriptions). The draw of the game is to "collect" dragons. Not to roleplay.

Yes. I know I couldn't be BOTHERED to do anything involving roleplay etc.

 

Others can do it through descriptions etc - but please let it never be in any way required...

[olympe]

Amen to that!

[Lurhstaap]

Yeah... part of me wanted to like this idea but on thought it has to be a no. Part of DC's strength is its sandboxyness. Adding too much lore, especially humancentric lore, takes away from that. Right now people have the freedom to imagine their dragons in whatever context they want. It sounds like you want DC to be more like Flight Rising, bu they're very different games with different setup and goals. Just because some other pet games have intricate or even basic lore doesn't make that a good idea for DC.

[dragongrrl]

My dragons are settled in a community of their own creation, rather than being controlled by humans. If there was an official background story, my dragons might not have the freedoms they enjoy.

 

As it is, we have a very open framework to create all our individual niches within the world of DC. Add too much backstory and we will lose some of these creative paths, and the Cave's world becomes much smaller.