Lengthen Festival of Eggs or change wait time

[diaveborn]

Three days seems like it should be enough time to collect all eggs (and it's an appropriate length for an Easter-themed event) - I know I certainly expected to be able to collect all of the eggs since I was at the computer each day of the event.

 

So maybe changing things isn't needed, but I thought I'd suggest anyway as right now I can't see a downside to changing one of these, and my searches didn't come up with any similar suggestions already out there.

 

On some similar events I've been at on other sites there has been a five minute timer for waiting between each collectible thing popping up, and I don't know if needing to wait too much longer than that is necessary. Obviously thought has been put into this and it's like it is for a reason - I just don't understand why some people would have a shorter time limit and some a longer one, or why more than 10 minutes would be needed. (I'm basing my timing info on a recent post by that I can't find at the moment - I will put a link here if I can find it.)

 

Alternatively, having the event open for longer could help us collect all the eggs during the event. This would also have the benefit of being more available to someone who was not able to be present for the event within those three days (although this is not a driving force behind my suggestion, as the previous announcements of events does help people plan for it if they can).

 

edit, May 3: I changed the title from "shorten wait time" to "change wait time", to reflect how we're talking about not just the option of shortening the time, but also the option of making the wait time non-variable.

Edited May 4, 2014 by diaveborn

[DragonLady86]

Just having a set time would be nice, instead of anywhere between 5 and 15 minutes. And I do have a full set, but it would still make it much easier to know when to check.

[edwardelricfreak]

I think 10 minutes would be ideal. No shorter than that. But otherwise, I'm fine with the three days and 15 minute intervals. Shorter wait times would allow for more things to be released, too, or just allow everyone more time in general to grab them.

[rubyshoes]

I like the 3 days with random times between 5 - 15 minutes for the most part but I'd like for on the last day the time not be random and be 5 minutes so that those rushing to get 'em all on the last day have a better chance of getting them all.

[edwardelricfreak]

I'd like for on the last day the time not be random and be 5 minutes so that those rushing to get 'em all on the last day have a better chance of getting them all.

Ohhh I actually like that idea a lot! ^^

[DragonLady86]

I like the 3 days with random times between 5 - 15 minutes for the most part but I'd like for on the last day the time not be random and be 5 minutes so that those rushing to get 'em all on the last day have a better chance of getting them all.

Sounds good, lets try this version!

[Melatte]

I actually think everything is pretty good how it is. The timing isn't exact so you can't just set it up so you refresh after a long time at a :00 time and then come back every time your clock says :10, :20, etc. It would feel cheap that way like it does on other websites. The randomness is excellent and provides just the right amount of difficulty. The time between them is fair too considering you have multiple days to collect them and you don't actually need these eggs. If you want them, you gotta put in the time. Work for reward. The time it took to collect those eggs is not even close to equal to how long the spriters spent getting all those eggs done and sent to TJ. I can tell you that for sure. Those eggs were incredible, so many animated ones too.

 

Also, if TJ is open to suggestions on this, I do have one. But I still think everything was just fine, if it stayed completely the same every year I wouldn't have any complaints. This was my first year doing this and it was actually easier than most websites that have events like this.

My suggestion actually has to do with a previous post here. I think rather than decreasing the time between eggs on the last day, decrease it on Easter, but only by a little bit. Reward loyalty, not lateness. If you make time for DC on a holiday, I think you deserve a little reward. After Easter the time would go back to normal.

[Obscure_Trash]

My suggestion actually has to do with a previous post here. I think rather than decreasing the time between eggs on the last day, decrease it on Easter, but only by a little bit. Reward loyalty, not lateness. If you make time for DC on a holiday, I think you deserve a little reward. After Easter the time would go back to normal.

I think this is a bit unfair. The thing that's great about DC is how flexible it is. Users can set their own goals, come in and catch/breed eggs any time, are (theoretically) not dependent on other users to achieve goals (ie sites where you can only collect x amount of pets yourself and have to trade for more), etc. Easter is a family holiday for lots of people and many of us have school or work or family obligations. People can have internet problems. Users may have set bedtimes. Heck, people even just forget that an event may happen! Etc. It's not always possible to get on the days you wish. It makes me sad when I see people posting in the news thread about trying to gather eggs last minute and knowing they're just not going to make it. I like the compromise of setting the time limit to a lower time on the last day, although I'm not particularly opposed to increasing the time for the event, although I'm not sure about just plain shortening the time because I think 5 - 15 min is really reasonable. :3

[MissNoShame]

I had work all three days the event was going on, two morning shifts and an over night shift on the last day. I really like rubyshoes' idea, since I wasn't on to get eggs on the last day due to my work schedule. I would have managed to get all of the eggs otherwise. I don't normally have time, most especially around holidays (thank you work over time), so I tend to miss a lot of events.

[Melatte]

I think this is a bit unfair. The thing that's great about DC is how flexible it is. Users can set their own goals, come in and catch/breed eggs any time, are (theoretically) not dependent on other users to achieve goals (ie sites where you can only collect x amount of pets yourself and have to trade for more), etc. Easter is a family holiday for lots of people and many of us have school or work or family obligations. People can have internet problems. Users may have set bedtimes. Heck, people even just forget that an event may happen! Etc. It's not always possible to get on the days you wish. It makes me sad when I see people posting in the news thread about trying to gather eggs last minute and knowing they're just not going to make it. I like the compromise of setting the time limit to a lower time on the last day, although I'm not particularly opposed to increasing the time for the event, although I'm not sure about just plain shortening the time because I think 5 - 15 min is really reasonable. :3

Well if it's unfair to give people a gift for being on DC during Easter, then it's also very unfair to give them a leg up for coming on the last day. I write all the DC stuff on my desk calendar so I don't forget and so I can make sure I'm here for it. It would feel really crummy if I made sure I had enough time to complete the event, and then on the last day of the event it's suddenly a bit easier. My suggestion was only an add-on to another suggestion anyways. Personally, I don't think anything needs to be changed, but if we were to have any easier day, it would make the most sense to put it on Easter. That's the main egg collecting day anyways. And just because, from what I've noticed, people are actually comfortable with the 5-15 minutes timing, it shouldn't be decreased by more than a minute. It would have to be small enough so that you weren't sure it was really shorter. One of those moments like: "Has anyone else seen eggs faster today? I'm not sure, it feels like it's shorter, maybe I'm just lucky." That would be kinda fun. If it was decreased too much, it wouldn't even be fun. It would be over too quickly...

[diaveborn]

I actually think everything is pretty good how it is. The timing isn't exact so you can't just set it up so you refresh after a long time at a :00 time and then come back every time your clock says :10, :20, etc. It would feel cheap that way like it does on other websites. The randomness is excellent and provides just the right amount of difficulty. The time between them is fair too considering you have multiple days to collect them and you don't actually need these eggs. If you want them, you gotta put in the time. Work for reward. The time it took to collect those eggs is not even close to equal to how long the spriters spent getting all those eggs done and sent to TJ.

My understanding was that the time was different for different people, but each individual person's would always have the same time between their own eggs. I could be wrong, but if it is like that, then they could still just come back every time their clock says to.

 

For me, knowing when to refresh would not devalue the process, but I can see how other people would find the uncertainty exciting and/or special. I do like the idea of everyone having the same time, but for me I am not considering that to necessarily be meeting the issue I am addressing, so it's not something I'd really push for right now.

 

I would definitely not want the event to feel cheap. I have been part of events on other sites where it didn't seem special because it was mindless refreshing and collecting. I do like how here, each time you collect, it is its own reward (which this post of mine relates to). I like how here, I'm not just mindlessly refreshing to get to some reward at the end.

 

I do feel like there are ways of putting in "work" to get a "reward" that work, and those that don't. I really have been pleased with that work to reward ratio in the events at this site that I have been a part of, and think they've been pretty well balanced. I also think certain changes don't necessarily have to throw off that balance - that there are ways of changing that wouldn't have to make it seem too easy.

 

I don't know for sure of course, but maybe keeping the wait time the same but lengthening the event by a day or so would be the best for the balance, because it would probably feel like the same amount of work but you knew you had a little more time for it (i.e. I think the sense of work would probably come more from the wait time rather than the length of the event, and that way the sense of work could be more maintained than if the wait time were shortened).

 

from what I've noticed, people are actually comfortable with the 5-15 minutes timing

I'm glad you mentioned this. Probably in a site where most people (or at least I think most of those who speak up on the forums) are used to sitting for a while and refreshing, fifteen minutes per egg doesn't seem like a lot.

 

 

edit: I just did some math...

 

15 minutes x 54 eggs because you'd get the first of the 55 right away = 810 minutes

810 minutes / 60 minutes to an hour = 13.5 hours

13.5 hours / 3 days = 4.5 hours you have to be online each day of the event if you want to collect all eggs if you always have a 15 minute wait time

you'd save 30 more minutes (15 per day) because you'd get the first ones of each day right away, so 4.25 hours per day

 

And 4.25 hours per day plus some time that you can't always be at the computer cause you have to pee or eat or whatever, seems to be not really feasible?

 

I'm now doubting that there's anyone out there that does have a 15 minute wait time each time (i.e. the time is randomized per *individual users'* eggs, or the wait time for each user is constant but never that long).

Edited April 24, 2014 by diaveborn

[olympe]

Obviously, the wait time is not always 15 minutes, but I remember having at least some of them. *grumbles* Wouldn't 5 to 10 minutes be enough? The 15 minutes thing felt like the RNG was adding insult to injury.

 

And even with 10 minutes waiting time would amount to a lot of online time:

55-3 = 52 (We have three days to catch 'em all - and the first egg of a day is always there at once.)

52 * 10 min = 520 min = 8 h 40 min

8:40 h / 3 = 2:53 h - that's still almost 3 hours per day.

 

The average would probably somewhere between (roughly) 3 hours per day and 1:30 hours per day, since the eggs can turn up after merely 5 minutes - giving us a medium of 2:15 hours per day.

[diaveborn]

Yeah. If every waiting time was five minutes, it would be 1.41 hours per day, which is about an hour and a half of solid time per day or more if you have to step away for a minute or whatever.

 

I wonder how many minutes the average user spends on DC per day just refreshing. Since my health doesn't permit me the "wait in the biomes a long time refreshing" that it has seemed to me that most people do (or at least most people I see posting on the forums), I know that I probably don't represent the average user on topics like this. I posted this not just for me, but because I thought that other people could benefit - people with situations like mine, or those who can't be there for each day of the event, for example - but I just don't have the perspective to really know if it's a problem for most people.

 

I do tend to think that asking a completionist to be online for an hour and a half over three days is probably appropriate, whereas any time above that rapidly approaches not appropriate. But then, if it really it weren't appropriate, I'm certain there would have been stuff said before now (although that's assuming this event wasn't significantly different from events in the past). So if it is a variable time for each player I'm guessing it's an average number that's closer to five than fifteen. Because even if most people are really okay with being on DC a great deal, to *expect* that for a *specific* three-day period that happens once a year is a different thing than patterns over time normally.

 

I do recognize that not everyone's going to complete an event, and, while disappointing, that really is okay. But I'm really glad for the opportunity to discuss it, and pleased by all the responses so far - thanks!

[edwardelricfreak]

I wonder how many minutes the average user spends on DC per day just refreshing. Since my health doesn't permit me the "wait in the biomes a long time refreshing" that it has seemed to me that most people do (or at least most people I see posting on the forums), I know that I probably don't represent the average user on topics like this. I posted this not just for me, but because I thought that other people could benefit - people with situations like mine, or those who can't be there for each day of the event, for example - but I just don't have the perspective to really know if it's a problem for most people.

Unless I have eggs I know can hatch and I'm able to get more, probably only 30 minutes at most, accumulated. And that's not even every day. I just go see my dragons and then leave.

[Corteo]

What if it was relative? So like the less time left in the event and the more eggs you have to collect the shorter the wait time? With like a minimum of 5 minutes or something.

[olympe]

Too easy. We lazy folks would just wait for the last day to collect our eggs so we didn't need as much time.

[Corteo]

Well you could make times longer to make it harder. 5 minutes is too short.

[skyie]

I do wish it was longer or the wait time was more predictable.Wanted a hatching FionaBluefire egg.

 

Unfortunately I have developed a chronic illness and often cannot tolerate staying on the computer waiting for lengthy periods.

[Fuzzbucket]

You don't HAVE to stay on the computer, though. I had 7 guests in the house on day 1 - and I had to complete that day as I was to be away. I just wandered past the computer every 20 minutes or so, and refreshed, grabbed and went back to entertaining. People are posting like you have to sit there and refresh all the time - and that simply isn't the case. I do get it for people at work etc, but still... you can do that when you are home between working hours.

[diaveborn]

I am sorry to hear that, skyie.

 

fuzzbucket - What you're saying is made harder if for each individual there is not a constant wait time, but a variable one, but I do get what you're saying. I guess I'm just thinking of the difficulties in even doing the "wander by-type-thing". Even if you didn't have to be sitting there for four and a half hours straight, I still think that would be too much, for example. I do apologize for giving the impression that the sitting there for the full period was all I meant.

 

[Fuzzbucket]

I am sorry to hear that, skyie.

 

fuzzbucket - What you're saying is made harder if for each individual there is not a constant wait time, but a variable one, but I do get what you're saying. I guess I'm just thinking of the difficulties in even doing the "wander by-type-thing". Even if you didn't have to be sitting there for four and a half hours straight, I still think that would be too much, for example. I do apologize for giving the impression that the sitting there for the full period was all I meant.

That's why 20 minutes. It was never longer than that! so no time wasted.

[grimace]

Does it being easy even hurt anything?

Its not like you get anything for having all the eggs.

[olympe]

That's indeed a very good question. Too easy - and it's no big deal to get all the eggs. Too hard - and people might not bother to collect them.

 

Personally, I'd prefer times that were less variable, though. 5 to 10 minutes is enough of a "surprise" as it is. Imagine my "surprise" when I refreshed after 10 minutes and found no new egg, refreshed after 11 minutes and found no new egg and so on - until, after 15 minutes, I finally saw one.

[Obscure_Trash]

In relation to the time, I think perhaps we should think about adding information about the events to the help page of the site in some capacity. We don't even explain FoE in the first post anymore, just link to the original one. I think that'd all be good info to have on the actual site. o3o

[LibbyLishly]

Does it being easy even hurt anything?

Its not like you get anything for having all the eggs.

THIS.

 

If I want a challenge, I create one. I'm trying to make a massive inbred Thunder lineage from just two CB parents - before I went on hiatus, it was already threatening to take an eternity.

 

I poked in on this issue, though, because I was one of the people whose life has just flat-out been really busy lately. I'm taking care of my precious but very time-consuming infant, spent the entire day on Easter away from home with family, simply forgot about DC by Monday because I was playing catch-up, and didn't remember about the event until Tuesday evening. Now, I know that's just the way it goes, and I caught as many eggs as I possibly could in those last few hours. I'm okay with the fact that I didn't get them all because it was on me to remember, and it simply wasn't my priority. However, it was a little frustrating to have such wildly fluctuating drop times on those eggs. A couple I caught 5 minutes apart; for a while, it was consistently 7; but others stretched to 15 or even 20 minutes apart. I'm a mom. I can't sit in front of a computer refreshing every minute to see if the site has decided I'm worthy of another egg yet, and I only have so much time I can dedicate to the game anyway.

 

Because of that, I'd like to see a smaller time variable - 5-10 minutes at the most. I'm ambivalent to speeding up the drops on the last day for the folks (like me) who remember at the last second that, OH CRAP, there's a DC event. It would be nice, but I don't think it's a must. I'm not impressed with the argument that it would be unfair to those who showed up on the starting day. Nonsense. You already collected your eggs. You've been sitting pretty on your basket. There is no way it could possibly hurt you if someone else was able to catch them in faster time. However, I do consider it our own responsibility to remember these events - speeding up the drops would be an act of mercy on TJ's part rather than a way to make it fair for us folks who can't make DC our main priority.