ANSWERED:More "Raffle" Times

[Cendaquenta]

I'd be up for a mid-year raffle as well as the Christmas one. I wouldn't personally see a problem with it making CB Prizes less rare - it would make obtaining 2nd- or even 3rd-gens far less of a cut-throat business and probably mean that winners would get less hassle, since Joe Average would then be a lot more relaxed about his/her prospects of getting said 2nd- or 3rd-gens... or come to that, any prize breed at all.

As for more minigames - heck yes and that's all I'm gonna say.

[Naruhina_94]

Added new things into the OP. Please read.

 

I repeat: I was not sure about make an Holiday period on 1st July (even because there aren't very things to celebrate).

Try to think about even add just one new holiday period for the DC anniversary: relases would be more distributed throughout the year and we could celebrate the birthday of DC with the best that we have, namely an event.

 

Just one more event (not too close to others) could be arranged, I suppose. A mini-game near the summer time could add more fun and variety and there would not be just mini games based just on winter (and Christianity...) period.

 

[Fuzzbucket]

A mini-game near the summer time could add more fun and variety and there would not be just mini games based just on winter (and Christianity...) period.

On Christianity ? No, this is an international and multicultural site. Christmas is one thing, and Easter eggs relate more to chocolate than religion - but there are already many on this site who are uncomfortable with even those.

[Melisande]

What I think would be fun would be decorating a cake for DC's birthday! Don't need any special dragons... but like every member who wants to can make a cake like we did the snow forts and wreaths and such and it would say like Happy x Birthday!

 

We'd be able to pick the colour of the frosting and put on candles and decorations!

 

That would be so much fun!

[Xythus]

Q: It's a Big work for Artists!

A: Yes, I know that and it's also true. I'm gratefull for those who are working free to do this game better. I was thinking a way to help them, maybe a topic where Minigames ideas could be proposed.

 

 

*snip*

 

 

so why don't Moderators use this month to organize the following year?

 

 

Um, no. There is a reason why events are done in secret. Also, if you've been to ANY debate-like topic on this forums, things can get heated very easily because every person wants/thinks differently. A public thread shouting suggestions at TJ and his artists is the complete exact opposite of helpful and will stress them out even further because they won't be able to satisfy everyone.

 

 

Moderators moderate the forums, only TJ does things with the site. (Exception is the description mods, and when during mod mayhem they got to pick CL dragons). If I'm not mistaken, only artists and TJ oversee the planning.

 

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V What Fuzz said, so much.

Edited February 3, 2014 by Xythus

[Fuzzbucket]

How many players are honestly so bored with the game that they are desperate to add all this stuff ?

 

Just curious... I find myself thinking it will all get too complicated and I can't be bothered any more, to be honest.

[Jazeki]

I'm also torn on this. I'd love another raffle, but I don't want regular releases pushed around any more than they are. Increasing regular release amounts(AKA 3+ breeds per regular release) to compensate for lost time seems like a nightmare, especially with regular releases being "off-schedule" already. A once a year thing, like the birthday release, is okay, but not throughout the year.

[Thuban]

If I'm not mistaken, only artists and TJ oversee the planning.

 

 

Generally, thats true.. but one of the events was my fault (cooking, lol). Mods are welcome to help out with events.. but not all mods art. Some write, some just suggest ideas.. and some (like me) kinda give everyone else a hard time by either making ideas more complicated, or trying to simplify them

 

 

 

I'm not against the idea of more events.. but at this point in time, I just dont see how to make it work. Its not for a lack of trying to promote new ideas and such.. its just very, very time consuming. I'd say most events take about three months to pull off... planning, artsing, working around rl stuff, finding people to help out.. getting everyone on the same page.. last minute changes when things arent working like they should.

 

Honestly, if people have event ideas, I would love to see them. Events should be a bit of a surprise, so trying to plan them openly does make them less likely to happen. However, if you have an idea you really, really would like to be considered, toss me a message, my inbox is rarely full. I'm sure the staff would love to see your ideas

[Guillotine]

On Christianity ? No, this is an international and multicultural site. Christmas is one thing, and Easter eggs relate more to chocolate than religion - but there are already many on this site who are uncomfortable with even those.

...That's the point of the post, though? They're saying they want fewer events that are essentially centered around Christian holidays.

 

Me, i figure that any midsummer raffle could have entries be counted as activity/logging in once during a set time period (1-2 weeks?) and no more than a single entry rather than a full-blown event, since raffles are time-consuming enough without adding events to them and potentially disrupting the release schedule.

[Fuzzbucket]

...That's the point of the post, though? They're saying they want fewer events that are essentially centered around Christian holidays.

 

Me, i figure that any midsummer raffle could have entries be counted as activity/logging in once during a set time period (1-2 weeks?) and no more than a single entry rather than a full-blown event, since raffles are time-consuming enough without adding events to them and potentially disrupting the release schedule.

Fair enough - that wasn't how I read it !

 

I agree about no more disruption to the schedule. We've not had a full year of the planned releases yet.

[Draco Knight]

I think two big raffles would be really cool, if the process could be more streamlined, that is. One winter and one summer.

 

 

As to an event for summer, something more simple, like the Valentine's Day Flowers. Maybe something like a water balloon fight, where a certain amount of damage done to other players gets you an entry.

 

Or just logging onto your scroll, or other general activities like that during the Solstice or something.

[Amazon_warrior]

I think two big raffles would be really cool, if the process could be more streamlined, that is. One winter and one summer.

 

 

As to an event for summer, something more simple, like the Valentine's Day Flowers. Maybe something like a water balloon fight, where a certain amount of damage done to other players gets you an entry.

 

Or just logging onto your scroll, or other general activities like that during the Solstice or something.

Sandcastle building and fights? /shot

 

I honestly don't know if I'd want another raffle or not. I can see how the Christmas events are a MASSIVE amount of work for all concerned, and it chews up a LOT of time.

[Draco Knight]

Just recolor and texture all the Snow Wars stuff, and BAM! Summer fun. I don't think a summer event should be as big or eventful as the Christmas one.

 

I'd only want another raffle if the process was streamlined. I don't really see why it's such an involved process anyway, with the Emails and everything. The prize selection is a site page(now, always was?), I never understood why the fanfare. Have a banner on the site itself leading to the 'Winner' page to let people instantly know if they won, wait a week, new banner for redraws, wait a week, distribute eggs. An announcement here for discussion and such.

Edited February 3, 2014 by Draco Knight

[HeatherMarie]

Agreeing with this and Thuban 100%. Remember that the artists on this site do all the art for FREE and at the expense of their own time and obligation. If we had events constantly, then that means we'd have to demand more and more of their time as events are all planned in advance. Not to mention, it takes a huge ton of work to sprite/draw everything.

 

There is absolutely no need for more events; they happen because holidays are speschul times of the year. If there was more, they wouldn't be events; they would be more like "off side mini games" or "quests" like other sites. Which DC isn't. As someone mentioned, TJ does throw in tidbits from time to time like easter egg hunting for other times of the year.

 

I am against this idea.

Agree. Agree agree agree. Also agree with fuzzbucket.

 

I personally would much rather have as many *normal* releases as possible, rather then giving up "even one" more normal-release slot over to another "event".

 

Events right now are, at least, special in as much as they are celebrating certain holidays. Easter/bunny/eggs, Halloween/trick-or-treat, Christmas/Winter/Solstice. They are NOT "Christian" events (how is going trick-or-treating Christian?), but they *are* connected to holidays. Which makes sense, holidays are special times, especially for children, which make up a large part of the userbase here.

 

If "event" comes to mean simply a "mini-game", it ceases to be so special. It requires the same amount of work as holiday-events, while taking away from the special feeling of holiday-events.

 

As someone else mentioned, I'd MUCH rather see the raffles/events we already HAVE straightened out, prize-dragon ratios tweaked, etc. I'd much rather FIX the things that are wrong now, instead of throwing more events and more work at the problem.

[Fuzzbucket]

As someone else mentioned, I'd MUCH rather see the raffles/events we already HAVE straightened out, prize-dragon ratios tweaked, etc. I'd much rather FIX the things that are wrong now, instead of throwing more events and more work at the problem.

Actually this brings up another good point. People ALREADY complain about ALL the events and raffles that we have now. It would just add to the DRARMAR to have more things to whinge about.

• We have three raffles a year, why not four.
• We have four raffles why not one every second month.
• Why isn't there a raffle every month ?
• We need more dragons released from the backlog.
• The planned releases are getting in the way of events.
• The events are getting in the way of the planned releases.
• I didn't win, why not.
• We need more/fewer prizes because I didn't/did win.
• We need multiclutching to get more eggs into the AP and stop people being greedy.
• Multiclutching was good but we have so many players now we need clutches of 8.
• And we need to keep them all to keep the trade value up....

Ugh.

 

I'm not sure it wasn't more fun in the days of just eggs, trick or treat and no raffles at all. Though the tree decorating was the worst thing EVER. Not only the "judging" (read trading votes) but the fact that so many people ended up with a mess of a tree. That's what happens when too much is attempted in too little time, I fear.

 

Edited for typos and to add something.

Edited February 4, 2014 by fuzzbucket

[diaveborn]

I'd like to see another raffle, so there were two six months apart, but no more than that, and maybe not for specific prize dragons but honorable mention dragons, or something. And I'd love to see more minigame type things, not all the time but maybe just one more, for Halloween, Christmas etc, Valentine's, and a summer one. I know people in the past have said they don't want the site to turn into other sites, with emphasis on minigame or extra type stuff, but if there were enough people to help, it might not have to come at the cost of other, standard stuff. There's pixel artists all over the forums, and while I imagine the biggest wish would be to have a dragon released in-cave, I bet there's a ton of people who'd love to create little pixel stuff to be on the site officially for a holiday. I'm not sure about the organizing/coding part of things, and if it did come at the expense of regular stuff then I wouldn't want any extra games or whatnot. But yeah, mostly I think a bit more, not too much but a little more, would be awesome if it worked out

[Naruhina_94]

Actually this brings up another good point. People ALREADY complain about ALL the events and raffles that we have now. It would just add to the DRARMAR to have more things to whinge about.

We have three raffles a year, why not four.

We have four raffles why not one every second month.

Why isn't there a raffle every month ?

We need more dragons released from the backlog.

The planned releases are getting in the way of events.

The events are getting in the way of the planned releases.

I didn't win, why not.

We need more/fewer prizes because I didn't/did win.

We need multiclutching to get more eggs into the AP and stop people being greedy.

Multiclutching was good but we have so many players now we need clutches of 8.

And we need to keep them all to keep the trade value up....

Ugh.

 

I'm not sure it wasn't more fun in the days of just eggs, trick or treat and no raffles at all. Though the tree decorating was the worst thing EVER. Not only the "judging" (read trading votes) but the fact that so many people ended up with a mess of a tree. That's what happens when too much is attempted in too little time, I fear.

 

Edited for typos and to add something.

Err... I've posted this suggestion to reply to the previous protests about raffle... adding raffles seems to be one of the most voted things in the other topic.

Please separate "holiday" and "Raffles" because they could even not coincide. We could have more raffle withouth adding Holiday and vice versa.

 

I mean, we are civilly discussing, why are you all so defeatists? If you don't like something I've proposed please suggest something else that it's better your opinion, but it cannot be the same that we already have since if there are so many people complaining right now, there must be a reason.

And I'm not bored, I'm just trying to do something good to improve the game, since this is what it supposed to do this section

 

Thankyou Thuban for your understanding

I understand your point, I'm only discussing to see other's point of view now. What we are discussing today could be entroduce even in 1-2 years, when who directs these things can be prepared!

 

SO, recap:

 

Q- No too much Minigames, they are a special thing just for special moment and there is too much work behind them.

A- Ok! Are not the DC Birthday a good thing to celebrate with a little minigame? Just something easy to do, like sending flower.

We are at this point, because I've seen by your comments that 2 Raffles could be great (Even because this could improve your chance, in my opinion. Also, if you cannot partecipate at the winter one you could even try another time withouth waiting an entire year!)

 

OK! I' ve added just one more Raffle (and the 1 Minigame to enter it) to the current situation!

(The currently questions will help about the undecided Summer Relase)

 

Currently questions:

 

- There should be a CB Holiday Dragon for the DC Birhtday?

- Thsere should be a a Minigame in Summer?

- Could we do a mini-raffle for the Summer with just HM as prizes?

 

 

2) Two big Raffles, distant each other (one during the Christmas Period and another during DC Birhtday OR the Summer Relase, we should choose among these two):

 

S. Valentine (14th February)

(there is a Minigame) Relased a new CB Holiday Breed

 

DC's Birthday (22th May)

(there is a Minigame) + Relased a new CB Holiday Breed + a Raffle ( 10 Eastern CB Gold Dragon - 20 Eastern CB Silver Dragon - 30 Eastern Cb Bronze Dragon - 15 Honorable Mention + 10 Western CB Gold Dragon - 20 Western CB Silver Dragon - 30 Western CB Bronze Dragon - 15 Honorable Mention. )

 

Summer (1st July)

(Maybe there is a Minigame) Just for fun

 

Halloween (31th October)

(there is a Minigame) + Relased a new CB Holiday Breed

 

Christmas (25th December)

(there is a Minigame) + Relased a new CB Holiday Breed + a BIG Raffle (10 Eastern CB Gold Dragon - 20 Eastern CB Silver Dragon - 30 Eastern Cb Bronze Dragon - 15 Honorable Mention + 10 Western CB Gold Dragon - 20 Western CB Silver Dragon - 30 Western CB Bronze Dragon - 15 Honorable Mention.)

[Fuzzbucket]

I mean, we are civilly discussing, why are you all so defeatists? If you don't like something I've proposed please suggest something else that it's better your opinion, but it cannot be the same that we already have since if there are so many people complaining right now, there must be a reason.

And I'm not bored, I'm just trying to do something good to improve the game, since this is what it supposed to do this section

I am not defeatist. I just think the game works pretty well as it is, that there are a few things that could use improvement WITHIN WHAT IS ALREADY HAPPENING, and that loading more on to it all for TJ to code would be very hard on him anyway - he has a job.

 

Also - you say

but it cannot be the same that we already have since if there are so many people complaining right now, there must be a reason. 

 

People don't often come onto a forum to say "don't change a thing", now do they ? but OK - I will say - I do like it the way it is. And there are threads saying there is too much to do, and people can't keep up, too. I don't think it NEEDS improving in terms of adding anything. Possibly in terms of ratios, notice of regular drops, rejigging the raffle prize proportions, and bringing in a few of the suggestions about sorting, moving, accepting part of a trade - these are FAR more important than throwing sand in August - but otherwise - it's fine.

[Amazon_warrior]

I do think you need to put the tree decorating down now, fuzz. It happened, it's done, it won't be undone, it was acknowledged to be poorly executed and from what we've seen so far it will never be repeated. It was a learning experience, and lessons were indeed learned. Time to move on, perhaps?

[Fuzzbucket]

I do think you need to put the tree decorating down now, fuzz.  It happened, it's done, it won't be undone, it was acknowledged to be poorly executed and from what we've seen so far it will never be repeated.  It was a learning experience, and lessons were indeed learned.  Time to move on, perhaps?

I know. Just that it is an example of how something that was - not well planned or SOMETHING (the glitched trees were very hard on those who ended up with them...) - can go horribly wrong. I think that could so easily happen with adding loads of stuff.

 

And the trading votes thing there was something that needs to be watched for in planning anything else - I don't think anyone saw that coming.

Edited February 4, 2014 by fuzzbucket

[Amazon_warrior]

I know. Just that it is an example of how something that was - not well planned or SOMETHING (the glitched trees were very hard on those who ended up with them...) - can go horribly wrong. I think that could so easily happen with adding loads of stuff.

 

And the trading votes thing there was something that needs to be watched for in planning anything else - I don't think anyone saw that coming.

The ability of the userbase to wilfully pervert and exploit an unforeseen loop hole or system quirk has wrong-footed far larger and better funded companies than one guy running a hobby sprite-collecting site. It is often impossible to predict what might happen after an idea has been thrown into the churning maw of the userbase - you can make educated guesses and put certain prevention mechanisms in place, of course, but you can never know for certain until you've tried. All you can do is observe and make sure you have some metaphorical fire retardant and mops and buckets on hand for clean-up if necessary. And learn from the experience. If you base all future decisions on "ohnoes, someone somewhere may find a way to exploit this!" we'd never have anything new because if there's one thing that users delight in, it's finding loop holes and exploiting the heck out of them (AP trading, anyone?). While I don't demand constant change for the sake of it, nothing new ever would get pretty tedious, too.

[Fuzzbucket]

The ability of the userbase to wilfully pervert and exploit an unforeseen loop hole or system quirk has wrong-footed far larger and better funded companies than one guy running a hobby sprite-collecting site. It is often impossible to predict what might happen after an idea has been thrown into the churning maw of the userbase - you can make educated guesses and put certain prevention mechanisms in place, of course, but you can never know for certain until you've tried. All you can do is observe and make sure you have some metaphorical fire retardant and mops and buckets on hand for clean-up if necessary. And learn from the experience. If you base all future decisions on "ohnoes, someone somewhere may find a way to exploit this!" we'd never have anything new because if there's one thing that users delight in, it's finding loop holes and exploiting the heck out of them (AP trading, anyone?). While I don't demand constant change for the sake of it, nothing new ever would get pretty tedious, too.

Believe it or not, I agree with you ! But now that we saw that happen - at least we can watch - and at least I bet there won't be another comp where players get to vote ! (see under "fire-retardant" !)

[Sir Barton]

Actually this brings up another good point. People ALREADY complain about ALL the events and raffles that we have now. It would just add to the DRARMAR to have more things to whinge about.

• We have three raffles a year, why not four.
• We have four raffles why not one every second month.
• Why isn't there a raffle every month ?
• We need more dragons released from the backlog.
• The planned releases are getting in the way of events.
• The events are getting in the way of the planned releases.
• I didn't win, why not.
• We need more/fewer prizes because I didn't/did win.
• We need multiclutching to get more eggs into the AP and stop people being greedy.
• Multiclutching was good but we have so many players now we need clutches of 8.
• And we need to keep them all to keep the trade value up....

Ugh.

 

I'm not sure it wasn't more fun in the days of just eggs, trick or treat and no raffles at all. Though the tree decorating was the worst thing EVER. Not only the "judging" (read trading votes) but the fact that so many people ended up with a mess of a tree. That's what happens when too much is attempted in too little time, I fear.

 

Edited for typos and to add something.

While I agree with all of this, the bold part is my exact feeling. I did have more fun before because the game held less stress and less disappointment. I really don't care for the idea of more raffles and prefer to have the kinks worked out of what we already have.

[Amazon_warrior]

Believe it or not, I agree with you ! But now that we saw that happen - at least we can watch - and at least I bet there won't be another comp where players get to vote ! (see under "fire-retardant" !)

Well, quite - which was kind of my original point! I haven't seen anyone except perhaps the most wide-eyed and naive newbie suggest that such a thing should be repeated.

[Vhale]

My main concern would be not wanting to see regular releases delayed for the sake of a tiny segment of people getting prizes. Especially with the new egg rotation in the cave that makes it easier to mine for rares without taking commons. There's going to be a rare drop off as it is once that hits the ratios. I hope at least the regular breaks with releases will break that up.