Remote Biomes

[shikaru]

....Does it really matter if they're currently and constantly active? I don't understand.

[Ashes The Second]

....Does it really matter if they're currently and constantly active? I don't understand.

i don't either -- a biome unlocked is a biome unlocked, no matter if you left for three years and came back. if i left for a few years and i had to earn all of the default biomes, then it'd be pointless.

[Fiona]

In the strictest sense I don't think it does really matter, though it bugs some if someone comes, tries out the game, leaves for several years with only a small handful of dragons, and then comes back able to enjoy the benefits aimed at more experienced players.

 

It wouldn't be a big deal to me either way. It irks me a leetle bit, but not enough to get worked up about it. I think there were others here it bothered more.

[shikaru]

I just really don't understand the 'I'm more experienced than you so I deserve more' mindset. :/ Why does it matter? It's just a game.

[Reidragon]

I just really don't understand the 'I'm more experienced than you so I deserve more' mindset. :/ Why does it matter? It's just a game.

^ THIS totally this. I have a friend who I started talking to at work. Amazingly she used to play DC too!!! Years and years ago. She recently started up again and is AMAZED at all the changes. I don't see why she should be left out just because she was gone and came back.

 

She just recently got a bronze trophy too !

Edited May 8, 2013 by Reidragon

[Vhale]

<3 everyone being productive

 

I am still loving the seasonal rotation though. Let's look at this.

 

We have 6 biomes. If there was one remote biome per biome and 4 dragons each in the new ones, that would be 24 new releases.

 

Now we add seasons or migrations. Then we get 96 new releases.

 

That's quite a bit and a nice chunk out of the list.

Seasonal is easy and not complicated. And the constant rotation keeps the release from being 96 at once, while still being 96 total. It's a, Light at the End of the Tunnel option. So to speak.

 

But is 24 possible in one season? That would be 12 weeks. At 4 dragons per week, 48 dragons. So, a person could get a pair with fairly minimal effort.

 

As far as access. I'm fine either way. I think any of the options are nice.

Collection: Appropriate and the RP flavor is cute

Badge: Easy to understand

 

I'd also be fine with no access req on seasonal, though I think the standard rares/blockers should drop there, if that was the case.

 

The doubt in the back of my mind is that while seasonal technically closes a biome with the season changing, it still means 6 biomes open. And DC may not have the player population to sustain that. So I'm not sure if having biomes open all the time is an option. If it's not, then I think the BSA flavor was good. Say a seasonal BSA that lets you follow a dragon to a remote biome for a week. If you choose to follow your Spring/Fall/Summer/Winter to the coast, it takes you a bit farther and changes that Biome to the Remote one for one week. So players could choose where they want to hunt, for a bit.

Again, this is an IF the previous is an issue, then this is an alternate idea Just in Case.

[Cinnamin Draconna]

When you get right down to the basics, all that matters to me is getting more dragons. More biomes means more hunting, more collecting, more lineages, more everything. It's win win in my book. And I really don't care who gets access when.. newbies, vets, occasional players, those who leave and come back.. whomever.. what difference does it make as long as everyone has access to all dragons.

 

So quit arguing and lets talk TJ into making more biomes and releasing more dragons. Isn't that what this is all about anyway?

[Pokemonfan13]

Cinnamin, I agree completely. x3

 

The only thing is to try to find a method of access that is as fair as possible. And honestly, I think we've got it: Collect x number of dragons from that biome, you get access to remote of that biome. Ideally with dragons collected before the biome release counting, and bred dragons counting. With another unlocking of time for those who don't collect many dragons. The only real question is what numbers to have for the number of dragons and the amount of time.

Edited May 8, 2013 by Pokemonfan13

[olympe]

How about 20 dragons from a biome needed for "finding" what's behind the biome? This number is low enough to allow for players who only take 2 of each breed to get there, and it's not too hard to get 20 dragons. Especially if you use dragons that drop in multiple biomes. (Hey, if you take in 20 pinks/purples/magis/splits/metals, you'll have all biomes unlocked at once. But how many newbies would know to use that little trick?)

[Fiona]

Hear hear! PF and Cinnamin!

 

I keep going back and forth on the numbers. One week I want it low! lowlowlow!!! Is 5 too few? The next I bow to "but it shouldn't be toooooooo easy..." and think 20. Maybe 15...

 

I dunno.

 

If we say 10 from a biome to gain access, people for the most part will have access to all 6 when they reach bronze trophy. This accounts for some dragons counting for more than one biome. A few people probably would have access to all remote biomes before bronze trophy and a few won't quite have access to all when they get their bronze trophy, depending on the exact dragons they collect.

 

That seems pretty reasonable to me.

[Pokemonfan13]

20 sounds reasonable to me. That's a total of 120 dragons in the worst cast scenario of taking only dragons that appear in one biome.

[shikaru]

I like 10 better than 20, it's a lot more reasonable.

[olympe]

Why not just open them for everyone from the start? 20 is low already, but 10 is nothing.

[shikaru]

Why does it have to be difficult for people to access?

[RainDear]

Why does it have to be difficult for people to access?

I think the idea is to limit new players to the older dragons, and allow them access to the rest after they get a start in the game. I am neutral on this being necessary, but I think that's the idea.

[olympe]

20 isn't difficult. Even 120 isn't.

 

Raising 20 dragons to adulthood with no trophy whatsoever takes what, 18 days? You'd probably need to raise 60 overall to unlock all biomes, as many breeds drop in two or more biomes. Even 60 dragons isn't a goal set too high. We're talking about actively playing DC for a little over 1.5 months. A little over 3 months if someone's really only picking up breeds that drop in one biome only.

 

But 10 dragons? If someone uses breeds that drop in every biome, they could be done in what, 12 days? If you want to set the bar that low, you can do away with any requirements in the first place.

[Pokemonfan13]

If there's no requirements then this boils down to "add more biomes.", which is something TJ already said "no" to. What makes this different, and hopefully acceptable, is the fact that you have to do something to unlock them.

[shikaru]

I understand why there needs to be requirements, I don't understand the idea of making them high.

 

I was more referring to the comment of "20 being low already", making it seem like a desire to see them much higher.

[Vhale]

If there's no requirements then this boils down to "add more biomes.", which is something TJ already said "no" to. What makes this different, and hopefully acceptable, is the fact that you have to do something to unlock them.

Or they have a mechanic that locks itself, IE BSA or Seasonal

[Fiona]

If someone uses only dragons that drop in all biomes, they already know the game. They already know how to play, so what's the problem with their gaining access quickly?

 

Vhale, I haven't read the part about seasonal biomes yet. I backed out of this thread for awhile out of frustration. Just on the name of it though it's giving me ideas. Let me go back and read, and think on it a bit, but I don't want it to replace the current idea, just add.

Edited May 8, 2013 by Fiona BlueFire

[Pokemonfan13]

I dunno. To me it seems like "what's the point" when the requirements are set at a level where it's almost no work to get in.

[Emeraldmay]

What if you could send all your dragons from that biome out to search it for the remote biome, with the more dragons that you have from that biome increasing the chance of you finding it. So theoretically you could find it with only one dragon, but the odds would increase, and older players would get a headstart by having more dragons from those biomes to begin with. I know with the GoN some players summon first time, but if the base chance with one dragon was quite low then...

[Cinnamin Draconna]

I think the only players anyone is trying to restrict are the ones that join, grab four eggs, then disappear before their eggs ever hatch. But if someone is so bored with the game and can't wait 3 days for their eggs to hatch, then 3 more for their hatchlings to mature.. somehow, I don't think access to more dragons is going to matter much to someone that can't hang around for 6 days.

 

30 days doesn't sound unreasonable to me. That's enough time for a newbie to raise 36 dragons (or more). So why not set the limits for the minimum... 30 days and/or 36 adult dragons. If newbies hang around that long and raise that many dragons, they're probably well on their way to being addicted like the rest of us.

[Vhale]

What if you could send all your dragons from that biome out to search it for the remote biome, with the more dragons that you have from that biome increasing the chance of you finding it. So theoretically you could find it with only one dragon, but the odds would increase, and older players would get a headstart by having more dragons from those biomes to begin with. I know with the GoN some players summon first time, but if the base chance with one dragon was quite low then...

THat's exactly the the seasonal BSA would be. I think it would fit the website design too. I was wondering where we'd put all this stuff on the front page.

 

So, Seasonal BSA: use it and pick Coast (for example) use one of Olympe/Fiona's nice flavor texts perhaps that you want to follow your dragon deeper into this area. Then you basically replace coast with the remote biome for a week (or whatever time)

 

That would let people have a choice of what they want open. It's very restrictive while always being available IF the person makes an effort.

[Fiona]

But I don't want to replace access to a normal biome, I want to add access to a remote biome. And once I unlock it, I want access to be permanent. I don't want to have to keep unlocking it.