Random Releases Returning- suggestions

[skauble]

did anyone ever think that maybe it was getting stale and boring for TJ?

While that could be the reason, I think that TJ's a better businessman than that. Changing the game for personal preference is okay when it's a hobby, but when it becomes focused as a money making endeavour doing random things because of personal boredom instead of game-play improvement is probably not a great idea.

 

I may be forgetting something since the shift from fun pastime to definite business plans, but while there have been times when things have been moved to accommodate his scheduling needs, those things seem to arise because of a genuine conflict and not just a random need to change things up without a motive to make the game better.

 

As for those who are afraid the game looses it's long-term chaarcter - as long as there ARE NEW releases, the game is not a short-term thing.

True, but it can become a drive-by thing. Stop in, grab the eggs you need, and then not have to worry about hunting for them in the future.

 

I'm not discounting what you say, because I think they're valid points, but I also think that, from a purely gaming standpoint, the game benefits when people have to spend a greater amount of time collecting the eggs they need.

[Aniusia483]

Depends on goals... if your goal is to get one dragon per breed, yeah, but if you have a more complex goal e.g. an army, or like me: a same-breed couple with 3 frozen hatchies (m,f,s1) bred from them, etc. you still have a lot to do between releases.

[skauble]

Depends on goals... if your goal is to get one dragon per breed, yeah, but if you have a more complex goal e.g. an army, or like me: a same-breed couple with 3 frozen hatchies (m,f,s1) bred from them, etc. you still have a lot to do between releases.

True. This is where we, as players, end up kind of flying blind in the suggestion threads because we don't have access to the site stats. If those show that there's a fairly consistent level of players throughout the month then, yeah, players are probably staying to work on long-term goals. However, if there's a spike at the beginning of the month and then a large drop after, then chances are a lot of players stop by, grab new eggs, and then don't stay around all that much.

 

If the latter is what's happening, then I can see the need for a different strategy, it's just that we can't tell if that is or isn't what's going on traffic-wise.

[lightningsky]

To be quite honest, DC is the only game I've ever encountered where people seem to expect the creator to shape it around their lives and schedules.

 

Fact is, no matter WHEN TJ releases the eggs, someone is going to be unhappy. If it's 8pm on a Saturday DC time, people in Europe will complain that it's when they're asleep. Someone earlier in this thread works on a Saturday. Right now it's summer but once the fall rolls around a lot of people will have to go to bed earlier on Sunday nights.

 

TJ is never going to be able to make everyone happy. Also, I think people should remember that this is a game. A bit of variety and change should be expected.

I just need to quote this because it speaks so much truth.

 

Am I the only one who is generally bored of the scheduled releases? I liked when releases were random...kept bringing me back here actually, to check. And it's not like we have releases that are like Holidays and the breed only drops for some time and then there's no more...the dragons will always be around, so what if you aren't there to get them right away?

 

Coppers, Blusangs argument: Everything has a price, trade for them. Or pop online at the top of the hour or 5 min mark...I didn't catch Coppers when they came out but I caught them quite easily in the year after by doing what I just said. And my internet is laaaame.

 

No one will ever be happy with every change but we all move on and still enjoy this game no matter what. I think it's more stressful arguing about it then the actual change itself. The cave was spontaneous before and we dealt with it then, so what makes it so different now? - That we all seem to get our way now?? lol!

[Fiona]

I think the most fair, simplest solution is if TJ is willing to announce a few days in advance that there's going to be a release so people have a chance to get ready. And if there's no announcement they can just go on doing whatever else with their scrolls.

 

No one is surprised that some people don't like the change. When is everyone ever 100% in favor of a change? As others have commented, it looks like we don't have a choice about whether or not the change will happen, so we don't have an option except to try to make the best of it. I'm hoping TJ does read the thread and understand people's concerns. Perhaps he'll take those concerns into account and act accordingly.

Edited August 4, 2014 by Fiona BlueFire

[edwardelricfreak]

I'd be fine with 3-4 days. Gives just enough time for people who just grabbed 7d eggs to incubate or even just wait and hatch normally so they can load up on new eggs.

 

I don't really care how releases are done, so long as there's warning and we get new eggs. o3o

[egwenna]

I would rather all the dragons be treated the same, no matter what their final rarity will be.

 

I also prefer the scheduled releases. I like lineage projects and I get busy with life, knowing to have an open scroll and pay attention the first Saturday of the month is a big help. I'm fine with the drop starting at random times, giving different time zones an initial advantage, but knowing to set aside time and space consistently is a big help.

 

That said, having the drops last at least 24hrs before they mix also seems like a good idea. This way people just getting on still have a chance to snag them.

[Amazon_warrior]

I think that part of the problem here might be that people are looking at this change and saying, “TJ made this plan, but it has this flaw in it where not everyone will be able to get the eggs on the first day, so maybe we can figure out a way to fix that.”  Only that's not really a flaw to fix if it was actually an intended part of the change.

 

I see people in the release thread often saying things like they grabbed the two, four, six they needed for their scroll, so now they can relax.  And while I see the appeal of that, if I was designing a game intended for long-term play, I would most likely try to find a way to prevent that, not preserve it.

 

There's a lot of support is for some kind of early warning.  And if the problem is just that the predictable releases seemed boring, that might not be a problem.  However, if part of the reason that they seem “stale” is because people know when to clear their scrolls, show up, and grab the ones they need for scroll completion, then an early warning actually defeats the purpose, as does giving people time to clear their scrolls so that they can grab all they have to have at once.

 

There's also the suggestion of 24 hour drops but, again, the point of that is so that more people can grab the eggs they need right away, which seems to be part of what is, and has been, deliberately changing given things like the way that the older eggs begin mixing in earlier and earlier.

 

As for first day eggs, I like to get some first day eggs, too, for purposes of having the date on them, so I also feel sad that I might not be able to do that.  But I don't really think that the people who do that are a large enough segment of players that changes should necessarily be adjusted for that reason.

 

The biggest problem seems to be the slow connection issue, and that problem is really separate from this because release day hunting has always been an inadequate fix for this.  Real life scheduling conflicts prevent plenty of players with slow connections from being able to show up even for scheduled releases, and players who join later and have slow connections are just completely out of luck.  So fixing the release date issue still shuts out a huge amount of players with speed issues.  And while I totally understand that people don't want to lose the advantage predictable releases offer, even if it's an imperfect fix because at least it's something, I really think that a large scale effort to brainstorm that larger issue would better serve the entire group of problem connection/computer players.

 

Don't get me wrong, I think that the discussion in this thread is a good and valuable thing, because feedback is often crucial for a business.  I just think it's worth considering that changes to the new release format that allow people to collect eggs in the same manner they do under the current format might not be fixing an oversight, but rather undermining an intentional effect of the change.

I think this is *exactly* why he's making the change, actually. Probably based on behind-the-scenes user data. I also happen to think that, if releases are a surprise again, not all the super-fast clickers on lightning connections will be poised with empty scrolls when they hit. I am personally very interested to see how long the unmixed drops will last if there's no advance warning or schedule.

Edited August 4, 2014 by Amazon_warrior

[MoonShark]

I think this is *exactly* why he's making the change, actually. Probably based on behind-the-scenes user data. I also happen to think that, if releases are a surprise again, not all the super-fast clickers on lightning connections will be poised with empty scrolls when they hit. I am personally very interested to see how long the unmixed drops will last if there's no advance warning or schedule.

Probably not long, because word will still spread like wildfire, and anyone cave-hunting will suddenly find all the biomes empty save for those with new release eggs.

[Amazon_warrior]

Probably not long, because word will still spread like wildfire, and anyone cave-hunting will suddenly find all the biomes empty save for those with new release eggs.

...And then, unless they're very lucky, they'll have to decide whether or not to drop any eggs on their scrolls, which may be valuable for a lineage or a precious rare from a trade, in favour of grabbing new eggs that might well prove to be dirt-common next week. Can't speak for anyone else, but I was usually reluctant to dump stuff when a release happened back in the day...

[skauble]

...And then, unless they're very lucky, they'll have to decide whether or not to drop any eggs on their scrolls, which may be valuable for a lineage or a precious rare from a trade, in favour of grabbing new eggs that might well prove to be dirt-common next week.  Can't speak for anyone else, but I was usually reluctant to dump stuff when a release happened back in the day...

Yeah, I didn't AP stuff this time and I doubt I'll be able to empty my scroll completely for future releases even if I'm around when they start. Like a lot of folks these days, I generally only keep things on my scroll that I really need for lineage purposes, that I'm planning to trade, or ND experiments. Of course there are sometimes I have dumpable eggs, but not that often anymore. Usually I clear my scroll for the releases, but now that they'll be a surprise I'll probably be out of the cave, if I do catch the beginning of a release, with way fewer eggs than I normally grab.

[Cinnamin Draconna]

I don't dump stuff, because usually what I have on my scroll is for a breeding project and no way do you dump lineage eggs.

 

But I'm all in favor of the random release too. The scheduled drops are boring, because there is no challenge to it.

"OK, I can breed until this time and then have room for new eggs. Time for the drop now.. hunt for 20 mins.. got my new eggs. Come back in six hours to add eggs to hatchery. Incubate at the 24hr mark. Add to ER at the 4 day mark. All my new eggs are hatched now, back to lineage breeding."

 

BORING!!!!! I do that same routine every 2 days for my lineage breeding already.

 

I want more to do!!!!! Give me a challenge already to keep the game interesting. The only thing that keeps me playing now are my personal breeding projects. I just hope I don't get bored with those too.

[Obscure_Trash]

I'm really fine with it either way. I did like having it scheduled... at midnight. =p That was a good time for me. I don't make the 1 PM releases on time, so having them scheduled doesn't really do anything except that I know I'll miss the first few hours. Random, if I miss, I miss, and I'll get them when I get on next. I'm not worrying about during the day.

(I usually get on the forum every day, though, so it's easy for me to check the news and such.)

 

We do have a little more structure this round than we used to (probably on weekends, probably monthly releases), so that's good.

 

I understand the viewpoints for both sides and I do think it was really courteous to do them on a schedule. I can survive either way, though.

 

Someone mentioned trying just a few days notice, which would also be courteous, but I agree that if the purpose is random releases, that kind of defeats the purpose. =o I don't really think there's a good middle ground here, unfortunately.

 

Also (I believe it was skauble? - read a lot of this thread during my lunch break and didn't want to make out a longish reply on mobile) the post on us trying to fix something that isn't broken per se as that's how it meant to work had a lot of excellent points. That doesn't mean change can't be suggested, as said, but yes. o3o

[Mondat]

I worry that this change in policy will serve to punish those players who have an active and busy life outside of DC. This is a shame because one of wonderful things about DC is that you can play it well AND have a real life outside of DC!! In fact, that is why I play DC and virtually no other online game.

 

Please TJ, keep in mind those of us who LOVE your game and appreciate all you do, but also have other responsibilities and demands on our time. We really want to continue to enjoy the game as much as we do now, and a big part of that is being able to get the new releases.

Considering that new non-holiday releases are permanent in the cave I fail to understand how you cannot continue to enjoy this game while living a busy life if you miss eggs on the release day. I do not see any need for this.

 

The mentality that everybody should get the same eggs on the same day, on a silver plate, is rather foreign to me. I would also like to address that taking care of people with slow internet is not the responsibility of game creators, it's the player's household and therefore their problem if they want to play a game where a good internet connection is required or when they feel their internet is not good enough, common sense really. Same with getting rares, no one but the player is responsible for what gets on their scroll in my opinion.

 

Overall I would just like to applaud TJ for doing this while knowing that people will be annoyed.

[danicast]

Considering that new non-holiday releases are permanent in the cave I fail to understand how you cannot continue to enjoy this game while living a busy life if you miss eggs on the release day. I do not see any need for this.

 

The mentality that everybody should get the same eggs on the same day, on a silver plate, is rather foreign to me. I would also like to address that taking care of people with slow internet is not the responsibility of game creators, it's the player's household and therefore their problem if they want to play a game where a good internet connection is required or when they feel their internet is not good enough, common sense really. Same with getting rares, no one but the player is responsible for what gets on their scroll in my opinion.

 

Overall I would just like to applaud TJ for doing this while knowing that people will be annoyed.

Yeah, right. I think I'll go to the cave and get some coppers to myself, 2 of each. They are permanent in the cave, right, so this means that they must be easy to get.

[Tawanda001]

By the same token people who are bored by whatever bits of the game should consider that to be their own problem, and move on to a different more exciting game rather than expect the game creator to make it more exciting for them? That argument can cut both ways.

[purplehaze]

I think, to be honest, that the scheduled releases actually work against people with slow connections. When all the people with the lightening fast connections know when the release will start, guess what? They are all there, clicking like crazy to get the first eggs out of the gate. The last few releases I have been unable to get anything at all in the first 3 or 4 hours until things calm down a bit. So I don't think consideration for slow connections is an argument for scheduled releases at all!

 

With random releases the people with the slower connections have at least a fair shot at getting to those early eggs before everyone else knows there is a release. There should be much less competition for the eggs, at least in the early hours before everyone realizes they are there.

 

I spoke in favor of scheduled drops in the News thread and I still feel there are some advantages for me, but I think Skauble is probably right-on with her assessment and TJ is seeing that it will be better for the game as a whole if they are random.

[Mondat]

Yeah, right. I think I'll go to the cave and get some coppers to myself, 2 of each. They are permanent in the cave, right, so this means that they must be easy to get.

Yes, they are permanent in the cave so it's your job to get them if you want them, there's also trading. No exceptions, no excuses for anyone. I do not care if you do not get your Coppers, you do not care if I get no Coppers, the cave doesn't care as well. But the cave does spit out Coppers and that's the fact.

 

[danicast]

I think, to be honest, that the scheduled releases actually work against people with slow connections. When all the people with the lightening fast connections know when the release will start, guess what? They are all there, clicking like crazy to get the first eggs out of the gate. The last few releases I have been unable to get anything at all in the first 3 or 4 hours until things calm down a bit. So I don't think consideration for slow connections is an argument for scheduled releases at all!

 

With random releases the people with the slower connections have at least a fair shot at getting to those early eggs before everyone else knows there is a release. There should be much less competition for the eggs, at least in the early hours before everyone realizes they are there.

 

I spoke in favor of scheduled drops in the News thread and I still feel there are some advantages for me, but I think Skauble is probably right-on with her assessment and TJ is seeing that it will be better for the game as a whole if they are random.

I disagree.

You know, I don't have the best connection in the world and I manage to get all new releases. The trick is simple: I never try to start hunting in the first hours because after 5 or 6 hours the cave have much less people and it's pretty much easy to get the new eggs.

With random releases, unless they still happen in weekends my chances to participate are decreased. A random release to work for me must happen in the weekends and not too late on saturday so I can hunt my eggs in my timezone. This was happening so far but I dont know what will happen from now on and I'm really upset about it.

[danicast]

Yes, they are permanent in the cave so it's your job to get them if you want them, there's also trading. No exceptions, no excuses for anyone. I do not care if you do not get your Coppers, you do not care if I get no Coppers, the cave doesn't care as well. But the cave does spit out Coppers and that's the fact.

Well, the game owner should care if he wants people playing the game. A game that doesn't make the players happy tends to die fast.

[skauble]

Yes, they are permanent in the cave so it's your job to get them if you want them, there's also trading. No exceptions, no excuses for anyone. I do not care if you do not get your Coppers, you do not care if I get no Coppers, the cave doesn't care as well. But the cave does spit out Coppers and that's the fact.

Well, considering that the cave just is the product of TJ's programming, I think that he does probably care. I think that's why topics like this are allowed and why he seems to have been encouraging discussion in this section rather than the older behaviour (of which I totally admit I've been guilty) of near automatic shutting out of new ideas.

 

Personally, I believe that TJ probably understood that some people would be upset and he didn't make the change because he doesn't care about them, but because he felt that the benefits for the game, as a whole, outweighed the problems that might arise.

 

In fact, I think past changes could possibly provide evidence to support that he may very well have understood that there would be problems and is hoping that instead of keeping the old way that may have been less functional, we could move to a new way and then work on a more permanent solution to those issues that would enhance the totality of the game. And sometimes that's necessary. Because while I believe that there are some areas where changes aren't crucial that we can try new things and then go back while we try others, some things are more important and may require forward momentum and problem solving as we go.

 

If that's the case, then the feedback here is both important and worth caring about, even if it's about wanting the old stability back.

 

Also, I would care if you got no Coppers :-)

[Fiona]

I care if you get no coppers.

 

The thing is... coppers are uncommons. Not as rare as golds or silvers but they're not supposed to be exactly easy to get. So the older eggs mixed quickly on release day and people have been complaining ever since that they're impossible to get. People are getting them. Even shortly after their release when people were complaining that they weren't dropping people were getting them.

 

That speaks to the issue skauble has been talking about; the inequality of people who find it easy to catch things and people who don't. Having advance notice of drops doesn't insure that you'll get any if they're rares. There were people on release day who failed to catch any. All advance notice does is tries to let everyone know something is coming.

 

 

Now understand, I'm in favor of advance notice. It does help us plan. I just don't think it is the deciding factor in whether or not everyone catches new rares.

 

 

[Ha-Ki]

I think, to be honest, that the scheduled releases actually work against people with slow connections. When all the people with the lightening fast connections know when the release will start, guess what? They are all there, clicking like crazy to get the first eggs out of the gate. The last few releases I have been unable to get anything at all in the first 3 or 4 hours until things calm down a bit. So I don't think consideration for slow connections is an argument for scheduled releases at all!

This is exactly my experience as well. It has become harder for me to catch new releases with the scheduled releases at midnight, and it has become even harder when they were moved to Saturday 1 pm.

[annageckos]

I like the scheduled releases, I remember the way it used to be and am not thrilled to be going back. I do check the forums nearly every day so I guess it won't be too bad. But I hate having to decide whether I want to drop eggs(if I have some) or get the new release eggs. This is going to end up cutting into my lineage breeding because I won't know when to clear my scroll for new eggs. And saying 'just get them later' doesn't work for me. I have issues that make it hard for me to grab rarer eggs. So if the new eggs are rare or uncommon the only real chance to get them is during the new release. Trading doesn't work well either. I have nothing/very little work trading. What I hope is some middle ground can be found. I just have no idea what that is.

[Oddsoxdi]

EVERYone has 'issues' of one kind or another, whether it be crappy connectivity, carpal tunnel, eye problems, a 40 hour a week job, 4 or 5 kids, or whatever. I know that each of us thinks her/his 'issue' is simply the MOST important in the world. Which, of course, it is not.

 

Every time TJ changes something, a great cry is raised to the heavens, "I'll never darken the doorway of DC again if this goes through!!" Yet we all seem to come back, play with our eggs, breed new lines, name new names, grab more eggs and so forth. The Game seems to be evolving, maybe not exactly the way we would all prefer, but at least it isn't the same DC I joined in 2008, with four egg slots, three eggs to grab in the Cave, and no place to hold these discussions.