Random Releases Returning- suggestions

[Ha-Ki]

Actually I believe that what we were seeing this release - older eggs mixing in rather early - is the effect of scheduled releases.

 

The new eggs are still dropping, so they're definitely not rare. Why were they mixing earlier than previous releases? Because everybody was prepared for the release and had an empty scroll. And because it was only one breed this time.

 

In a bigger release of 2 or 3 breeds, people divide their available egg slots between the new eggs and grab a few of each.

gold trophy example: 7 egg slots

3 breed release: 2 - 2 - 3 eggs of each breed

2 breed release: 3 - 4 eggs of each breed

1 breed release: 7 eggs of that breed

 

If you think about it, it's not a surprise that the initial drop was over so quickly.

 

So random releases might actually lead to longer lasting drops of new releases, because people do not have completely empty scrolls when they are unprepared. Bigger releases will have the same effect.

[edwardelricfreak]

Actually I believe that what we were seeing this release - older eggs mixing in rather early - is the effect of scheduled releases.

 

The new eggs are still dropping, so they're definitely not rare. Why were they mixing earlier than previous releases? Because everybody was prepared for the release and had an empty scroll. And because it was only one breed this time.

 

In a bigger release of 2 or 3 breeds, people divide their available egg slots between the new eggs and grab a few of each.

gold trophy example: 7 egg slots

3 breed release: 2 - 2 - 3 eggs of each breed

2 breed release: 3 - 4 eggs of each breed

1 breed release: 7 eggs of that breed

 

If you think about it, it's not a surprise that the initial drop was over so quickly.

 

So random releases might actually lead to longer lasting drops of new releases, because people do not have completely empty scrolls when they are unprepared. Bigger releases will have the same effect.

Yup. They also had to juggle the time with Incubate so eggs from the first days would hatch and they could fill up on the remaining days.

[kerrikins]

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 agree with this. I don't know whether TJ adjusted the amount of eggs dropping to compensate for this, but when everyone knows that means there is a lot of competition right when the eggs are first dropping and are most plentiful.

 

But either way, there are always people worrying that they won't be able to catch the eggs and complaining that they can't catch any That is life in Dragon Cave!

[annageckos]

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.

 

Um, no. I don't think my issues are the most important in the world. I was simply stating my point as I've seen many others doing. Sorry, won't make that mistake again. My health problems affect me and my family but no one else. Not you or the game.

[beautifuldragon5000]

I honestly think that TJ works hard at his Real life Job and so the fact that he has built this game and maintains it as well as he does is awesome. I don't get why people try to insist on things going their way especially people who weren't there in the beginning of this game when things were a lot harder to accomplish. People don't necessarily see all the improvements that have been made over the years but I have been here since the end of 2007 and TJ has made it vastly better in my opinion.

 

[Fuzzbucket]

I think this thread is more about trying to get some kind of consensus on what works best for most players - not "DO IT MY WAY OR ELSE".

 

(but if it IS about DO IT MY WAY - I'd like releases to be at midday cave time when I am in Canada, and at 7am cave time when I am in the UK, for consistency and my personal convenience, thanks very much. Easy, no ??? )

 

Seriously, I think TJ DOES listen to this kind of input, and I think he wants to know what we think. There are very valid concerns being raised from both sides, and I think TJ will read them with interest and see if there is anything he can do to keep as many players happy as he can. He wants us to keep playing, after all.

Edited August 5, 2014 by fuzzbucket

[skauble]

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.

I know that I sound like a broken record here, but I really believe that this is a problem that deserves a serious effort to fix on it's on merits, as opposed to tied to this.

 

The problem with depending on scheduled releases to fix things is that if you (or anyone else in those circumstances) miss one uncommon/rare release for reasons like being sick, working, family matters, etc. then the opportunity to get them is largely just gone. The same holds true for those with problems who join the week after such a release.

 

Finding a better method for tackling this problem (which I still believe can be done with a third way to collect dragons besides hunting and trading/gifting) means that these kind of schedule changes won't disadvantage a segment of players to the extent it is now.

 

I honestly think that TJ works hard at his Real life Job and so the fact that he has built this game and maintains it as well as he does is awesome. I don't get why people try to insist on things going their way especially people who weren't there in the beginning of this game when things were a lot harder to accomplish. People don't necessarily see all the improvements that have been made over the years but I have been here since the end of 2007 and TJ has made it vastly better in my opinion.

I totally agree with you about the improvements that have been made over the years.

 

That being said, from what I remember reading, TJ would like to make this game his real life job eventually. To that end, people discussing how changes affect them personally can be hugely helpful. Just like I don't think TJ makes these changes just to mess with people, I also don't believe that most of this feedback is a shot at TJ.

 

The fact is that this decision may never change back because it really may improve the game on a much larger scale than it causes some difficulties (which I personally believe to be the case). But if someone's experience is that this ruins the game for them in some way, that's good to know even if it never changes because there may be other ways to adjust things to meet those needs that doesn't defeat the purpose of this change.

 

 

[AnanoKimi]

RiasingDragons: "I'm fine with commons being random releases.

 

For rares/uncommons, but especially rares

Scheduled release

48 or 72 hour drop

Lottery occurs at the end of the 48 hours

a set percentage of the total eggs released initially to be offered by lottery

diminishing returns for lottery depending on how many of the new eggs you have managed to catch."

 

Pros: retains the random drops and makes it so people can have a chance to get new rares

Creates a system to get rares into the hands of people who are busy or have slow internet

Cons: Requires an entirely new way to get eggs

I assume this would be shot down for many reasons

Players would know pre-release about rarity, which could cause a lot of problems (thanks for pointing this out fuzz bucket!)

 

Allspice: "If the reason truly is that it's getting "stale", why not throw surprise ones in every once in a while instead of getting rid of the scheduled releases completely? Both sides get what they want and it would help the completed list get cleared faster. There are dragons languishing there that I really wish would make it to the cave (the Charred and Calligraphy dragons, specifically)."

 

Pros: makes everyone happy (OK, probably not, but close!)

Excitement!

Cons: There would still be some releases people would be unable to plan for

 

Thuban makes some great suggestions on page 2!

So I don't know if this has been brought up (I'm sure it has) but these two ideas sound well if you take certain parts of it and combine it... As well as Naruhinas 'Alert' Suggestion.

 

Why not have a bit of both scheduled and unplanned releases within the month? It adds the excitement of adding the new breed and it allows for more completed dragons to be added to the cave. The way I see it is as follows:

 

-A scheduled rare/very uncommon drop is announced with a specific date.

-This way rare/very uncommon drops are planned for by those within the site.

-Users who have no forum account can be 'alerted' via the top of their page as they would be for a sick dragon (e.g. "Scheduled Breed release xx/xx/xxx at xx:xx.")

-These releases will last the 24hrs they normally last for a planned release since alerts will be everywhere. (If you miss it then it sucks to be you really...)

-At any point within the month anywhere between 1 and 2 random releases for common dragons will be released with out prior warning.

-The only alert to happen is as soon as the drop has initiated.

-A Post drop alert could be made on a users scroll page (e.g. "New release drop happening now! Don't miss it!").

-These releases will last approx 3 days to allow users to catch what they need when they need.

 

This way there is a nice planned release for something rare and hard to get for everyone to obtain and plan for and a release or two that will happen spontaneously for those who like a little surprise in their lives. Since the random releases will be common dragons then missing the release date wot be too bad compared to making all releases random and missing out on something really hard to get.

Edited August 7, 2014 by AnanoKimi

[Fuzzbucket]

NO WAY should releases of rares be treated differently. That would REALLY get the fast clickers with high speed connections in control;

 

[AnanoKimi]

With egg limits there is really only so much they can control... They can't endlessly hoard new eggs so once they reach limit the rest of us are free to collect what we want. Making all releases random means for those of us with jobs, family, and lives, we miss out on these events compared to fast clickers who can sit at home and get them easily regardless. if worst come to worst both planned and random can be made to last 3 days so all users have a chance once the fast clickers have their fill.

[Imzadi]

With egg limits there is really only so much they can control... They can't endlessly hoard new eggs so once they reach limit the rest of us are free to collect what we want. Making all releases random means for those of us with jobs, family, and lives, we miss out on these events compared to fast clickers who can sit at home and get them easily regardless. if worst come to worst both planned and random can be made to last 3 days so all users have a chance once the fast clickers have their fill.

That would be fine if there were not multiscrollers among us (and anyone who thinks not is very naive) and they would just grab and grab and grab. The frustration among those who could not get things they know to be rare would be worse than ever. You think it's bad now?

[olympe]

That would be fine if there were not multiscrollers among us (and anyone who thinks not is very naive) and they would just grab and grab and grab. The frustration among those who could not get things they know to be rare would be worse than ever. You think it's bad now?

Unfortunately, this is very true. All you'd need to do is create a couple of new scrolls (or use those you've previosly created), catch some extra eggs and transfer them to yours once they're hatched. Of course, TJ seems to check for this kind of stuff - but if these scrolls get burned eventually, they still manage to do some damage now.

 

[Rosedamai]

Unfortunately, this is very true. All you'd need to do is create a couple of new scrolls (or use those you've previosly created), catch some extra eggs and transfer them to yours once they're hatched. Of course, TJ seems to check for this kind of stuff - but if these scrolls get burned eventually, they still manage to do some damage now.

I reported a user for multiscrolling a couple days ago and their scroll hasn't been burned yet. But I do suggest we report them whenever we spot them.

[AnanoKimi]

Touche. But having all dragons released randomly doesn't fix the problem either. People like me who can't dedicate every day and sometimes at bare minimum once a week to this game at times will miss out and regardless the damage will be done whether its a random release or a planned. On top of that I feel a good number of people that really enjoy the site will end up loosing interest because they will feel left out of releases for having a busy life style. The beauty of this game is you can play and collect at your own pace as well as participate timely with everyone else when a release or event happens. Taking that away removes some of the fun of being part of the community and such.

Edited August 7, 2014 by AnanoKimi

[Guillotine]

I think announcing all releases, regardless of rarity, and having a set 24 hour drop that may-or-may-not influence ratios depending on rarity, would help a lot, although it wouldn't eliminate the problem entirely. Honestly there's not really a perfect alternative I can think of.

[Jazeki]

I think announcing all releases, regardless of rarity, and having a set 24 hour drop that may-or-may-not influence ratios depending on rarity, would help a lot, although it wouldn't eliminate the problem entirely. Honestly there's not really a perfect alternative I can think of.

I'd be okay with this. They could still occur fairly randomly, but still be announced. I'd say it would work best if the announcement came at the beginning of the month (not necessarily the release). I see a lot of people announce on other sites when they plan to open commissions, sell things, etc. later in the month. I don't see why DC can't do this as well.

Edited August 8, 2014 by Jazeki

[AnanoKimi]

I honestly think it should just stay at planned schedules. Its simple, its nice, and you don't feel left out when DC randomly goes "Here's an egg but you're busy, oops too bad sucks to be you."

[Guillotine]

So do I, but TJ's apparently made up his mind. At least this way we might mitigate the effects somewhat.

 

I'm personally rather fond of the idea of announcing the date at the beginning of the month, regardless of when they're to be released, but I'm not sure if it'd work? I'd need further data to make any further judgments.

[olympe]

I think that it might be hard for TJ to announce at the beginning of a month when exactly a release will be ready. Don't forget he has to do some coding for that, and he does have a life outside DC, too. Things are ready when they're ready.

 

However, I would appreciate a 48-hour warning period. With incubate, that's enough to get your eggs to grow up.

[DragonLady86]

lol, announcement at the beginning of the month about a release later; like in November? "There will be a release "sometime" this month." "Oh, lol it's technically still November!"

 

Random releases are fine. It is NOT necessary to collect a new dragon on the first day. and before anyone brings up Coppers, I missed the entire birthday week and have them, including some CB's that I've caught (and traded away mostly). Unless it's a holiday, that dragon(s) will be in cave forever. No need to panic! Besides, it makes the surprise more fun.

[BlitzDrake]

Alternately: Back when the releases were random the new drops lasted for a LONG time. Like, several days. People would complain because there was such a flood of new eggs. If we can't get any advance warning, then please reinstate the 3 day new egg flood so those people who are late to the party still have a reasonable chance of getting the new eggs near the release date.

 

If nothing else, please this. >.<

 

That or I wouldn't mind the news board saying a release is coming in the next ___(day, week, ...something) so some people have a time to prepare.

[Fuzzbucket]

lol, announcement at the beginning of the month about a release later; like in November? "There will be a release "sometime" this month." "Oh, lol it's technically still November!"

 

Random releases are fine. It is NOT necessary to collect a new dragon on the first day. and before anyone brings up Coppers, I missed the entire birthday week and have them, including some CB's that I've caught (and traded away mostly). Unless it's a holiday, that dragon(s) will be in cave forever. No need to panic! Besides, it makes the surprise more fun.

A few days warning would be good. Yes it isn't NECESSARY to get them the first day - but YES coppers (and blusangs) - for those of us with rubbish connections, later does NOT work. Sure they are in cave for ever - but when your biome takes a full 45 seconds to load and others' take a millisecond - many of us have no chance. I see them - but they have always gone. (and I was HERE for the release; if I hadn't been...)

[AnanoKimi]

A few days warning would be good. Yes it isn't NECESSARY to get them the first day - but YES coppers (and blusangs) - for those of us with rubbish connections, later does NOT work. Sure they are in cave for ever - but when your biome takes a full 45 seconds to load and others' take a millisecond - many of us have no chance. I see them - but they have always gone. (and I was HERE for the release; if I hadn't been...)

Pretty much this. And not just rubbish connections. For those of us who can't sit at our laptops or computers for hours on end staring at it and waiting for the description to pop up for a possibility at getting it first. Its a pain in the butt really. For some of us with poor connections or busy lives, its nice to at least have that initial chance to it at the very beginning with everyone else especially if we cannot get it later.

 

That's why random releases is prolly gonna create a rift for some of the users. Those who enjoy the collection aspect who can no longer collect on time like everyone else that has almost nothing to do but sit at their computers. Like me. I work, I have school, have a family, I sometimes leave for a week or two weeks straight because I am so busy. An scheduled release at least allows me to set aside 10 min out of my day to try and get that new egg.

 

A random release is just a slap in the face for those of us who work really. I like collecting dragons, thats the fun of this game, and really I want to participate with everyone else in getting it the first day, and I do not believe it is user conscious to make it random, evenif the drop lasts three days. Some people are busy for more than three days, some people are busy for weeks, a three day drop wont change much unless in game alerts are made that literally screams at your face in the game that there is a drop happening now.

Edited August 8, 2014 by AnanoKimi

[Fuzzbucket]

Indeed. I am a retired granny of 69 - and I still have a life. Amazing but true !

[Wahya]

Honestly, I prefer planned. I know what we, the users, think doesn't really matter in the end though. So as always, I'll just smile and nod, and play this less.