ANSWERED:Distributing New Prizes/Special/Limited Dragons

[Guillotine]

Yeeeah, I'm fine with a competitive version because of the limit on how frequently you can win, that there are several places to win in the first place, and the fact that the game used as an example doesn't rely on connection or reflexes to play, but something that directly affects play styles? Nooooo thank you.

 

Although I totally understand why people would dislike a competition.

[SolarCat]

Who says there has to be only one way to gain points?

 

What if being one of the top-scorers in the game gave a certain amount of points?

Scaled such that it would be the equivalent number of points to raising a certain number of dragons in that same timeframe? (Should probably be above the average user's total for raising dragons in that same timeframe, but not too far above).

 

People could do both, or just pick their favorite. Heck, add another mechanism in for gaining points, too. If people are gaining points too quickly, the scale for turning in prizes can be adjusted.

(The system should probably be released initially with minimal eggs available to "purchase", to get an idea of the way it will work and the average progression of site users, and then the rest added in later. Heck, put it up with the only store item initially being a nebula with a guarantee for which color family it will belong, and you'll get plenty of people "trying it out" to get a good sense of how the rest will work. )

[Mondat]

While I am still against implementing a store element in our daily Valkemare life, I am warming up to an idea of an additional yearly gaming event/competition which would make it possible to users to work for (HM) prizes.

Releasing all previous raffle dragons in a store for points (or earn them by catching & raising dragons) would appear unbalanced in my opinion - given that:

- raffles happen/happened only once a year without being the main focus in this game

- demand for dragons is user-created, hence any negative raffle effects are a matter of opinion and let's say, related to "raffle results" (raffles and raffle dragons do not seem to hinder anyone to continue daily Valkemare life, at least)

- there are people who like the raffle as it is

- there are people who loathe stores, by adding a store element similar to other pet sites DC could lose some of its individuality which makes it attractive to players from different lifestyles

[- I personally cannot see a reasonable argument why all prizes should be turned into shop dragons or rewards which are always available. Applying to emotions won't help in this matter.]

 

Considering that people seemed to have mostly a problem with the fact that a generator/whatever decided who "earned" a prize, if they are given a chance to work for a prize (collecting, scoring etc.) this problem could be addressed this way without having to change main elements of DC & risking potential loss of players.

 

(Edited to include the idea of "earning prizes by normal activity")

Edited January 16, 2015 by Mondat

[Apple]

I like this idea, however the prize dragon, in my opinion would have to be a completely different dragon. Maybe a shimmery looking dragon like a metallic purple or something. I have no idea. And a limit as well, to keep the amount of CBs low. Like 2 per person, and it could only run for a certain amount of time(month)s). However the game would be available to practice all the time. And each time it was available to play, it would be a different metallic element type.

[LibbyLishly]

I like this idea, however the prize dragon, in my opinion would have to be a completely different dragon. Maybe a shimmery looking dragon like a metallic purple or something. I have no idea. And a limit as well, to keep the amount of CBs low. Like 2 per person, and it could only run for a certain amount of time(month)s). However the game would be available to practice all the time. And each time it was available to play, it would be a different metallic element type.

That... sounds like a totally different suggestion than this one.

[Oddsoxdi]

A little late to add here that I'm also not at alll comfortable with competing against fellow DCers. Hope some(any) other solution is found.

[egwenna]

A raffle from the high scores is less appealing.

 

I like thinking of it as a carnival. Everyone can play. Everyone gets a chance to walk away with a prize. Put more in, walk away with a bigger prize.

 

Maybe there could be a bar filling.... as it fills, new prizes become available. You can spend half, or all. Save what's left and add more. Don't play a few days, your points/mana whatever are still there, and you can start filling it again.

[Syphoneira]

A little late to add here that I'm also not at alll comfortable with competing against fellow DCers. Hope some(any) other solution is found.

 

 

May I join the late-comers-not-comfortable-with-competing-against-fellow-DCers group?

 

I've brought cookies.

[_Sin_]

 

May I join the late-comers-not-comfortable-with-competing-against-fellow-DCers group?

 

I've brought cookies. 

Please avoid the tarring and feathering but I tend to be very literal ... don't we already compete? When hunting in the cave or the AP. When submitting "competing" offers for the same egg/hatchie...

 

 

/begs for cookies

Edited January 16, 2015 by _Sin_

[Syphoneira]

Please avoid the tarring and feathering but I tend to be very literal ... don't we already compete? When hunting in the cave or the AP. When submitting "competing" offers for the same egg/hatchie...

 

 

/begs for cookies

 

 

*hands plate of cookies over*

 

 

Not really, in the most important sense, because it just boils down to 'fastest clicker in first/most suitable offer gets dragon'.

 

It's detached from what I'd think of as anything highly competitive, in that way.

 

The focus when hunting isn't (at least for me) on us trying to beat each other, just getting a particular dragon.

 

I'm aware that other people are around and that the egg may be gone when I get there, but I don't think of it as anyone winning or losing, just, 'darn, I wasn't fast enough'. even though I know it's because other people were faster.

 

The psychological difference there is massive.

 

And a non-competitive person may be fine with that, but not so much with something where the point is mainly scoring against someone.

 

 

Tea with the cookies?

[Fuzzbucket]

Coffee, please.

 

And please not another annual event. This has been discussed so often, and there are MAJOR issues with finding a suitable time - and it would also cut down on regular releases - which already seem to be sliding gently into touch.

[olympe]

I have to agree with fuzzbucket on both counts. (Coffe with cream and sweetener, please. *hands out more cookies*)

[Mondat]

Please avoid the tarring and feathering but I tend to be very literal ... don't we already compete? When hunting in the cave or the AP. When submitting "competing" offers for the same egg/hatchie...

 

 

/begs for cookies

Positive.

Daily Valkemare life:

Hunting in the cave/AP = clicking on an egg to get a particular dragon which others cannot/don't get.

Offering on a trade = offering something attractive to get a particular dragon which others cannot/don't get.

Goal of a possible game event/games/competition (by actively working for it):

Getting a particular dragon (prize) which others cannot/don't get.

[Results of the raffles at present (decided by "dumb luck" generator/mechanism instead of actively doing something):

People getting a particular dragon (prize) others cannot/don't get.]

 

The thing is, people here tend to support suggestions that have the idea of "doing something how you want, no matter how long it takes you, you get a particular dragon". While this could be applied to daily Valkemare life - because you are free to play how you want, all alone or with help of other people - people seem eager to add elements that might affect everybody else in their scroll goals/gameplay so "everybody can be a winner with effort". Even if, as in my case, people do not want to be winners all the time.

I'm not saying that suggesting things to change DC is a bad thing. To me, in this case (& store thread & rewarding by raising dragons thread), it's just the "dimensions" and motives behind these suggestions which concern me as well.

 

I do not mind competing - if there's something I really want, I am willing to work hard for it. However I cannot support a new permanent gaming element for several reasons (resemblance to other sites, some sort of pressure and possible effect on my scroll goals/gameplay, me not wanting to support things if I feel it's for the wrong reasons etc.).

Therefore I would only throw in my complete support if it was an event that would start and end, similar to the raffles we have at this point. A new event (between Valentine and Halloween, maybe as a DC birthday event?) or as a replacement for the raffle we have - replacing a mechanism people seemed to have a problem with with another mechanism.

 

(Un)Fortunately TJ has the means to make people want to do something even if they were opposed first. There are dragons that appear to be in demand and people obviously would like to have them, he can make good use of this "weapon"

[LibbyLishly]

The thing is, people here tend to support suggestions that have the idea of "doing something how you want, no matter how long it takes you, you get a particular dragon". While this could be applied to daily Valkemare life - because you are free to play how you want, all alone or with help of other people - people seem eager to add elements that might affect everybody else in their scroll goals/gameplay so "everybody can be a winner with effort". Even if, as in my case, people do not want to be winners all the time.

I'm not saying that suggesting things to change DC is a bad thing. To me, in this case (& store thread & rewarding by raising dragons thread), it's just the "dimensions" and motives behind these suggestions which concern me as well.

Send some of the tea and cookies over here, please. Earl Grey preferred, with cream and brown sugar.

 

Mondat, I've chosen to pick out one particular sentence in your post, bolded above, that I'll use to address your post as a whole. The nice thing about any of the recent non-hunting ways to obtain eggs that have recently been discussed is that no one has to participate if they don't want to. You don't have to be a 'winner' insofar as you're currently defining it if it doesn't fit in with how you play. No one's actions will negatively affect anyone else, so long as it isn't a direct competition. Thus, if a store or a minigame or what have you is implemented, you can continue to go about your usual playstyle and not worry about it at all!

 

To add an element of direct PVP competition is likely to negatively impact some players, however. One might argue that, just as in the non-competitive scenarios, no one has to participate; the trouble is that people may decide not to participate based on very different reasons, i.e. that they know they don't have a prayer of getting the high score when pitted against people who have far more time to dedicate to learning the minigame, or the points don't roll over, or whatever other reason. In the same way, the addition of another annual event increases pressure on players to plan around the event, do more balancing acts with real life vs. DC, or simply accept the fact that they can't participate due to schedules or some other reason and simply walk away with a negative feeling.

 

To ask for a non-competitive scenario is to continue to allow everyone to carry on in their chosen play style, simply offering a new option for those who are interested, with the greatest likelihood of maintaining a positive experience for the player base at large by giving them the satisfaction of earning their way to a coveted prize if that's what they desire or ignoring the existence of such an element and carrying on with hunting and trading as usual.

 

And finally, I'd ask that you not judge the motives of all those who support suggestions like the store or the rewards plan. Though I'm not saying that this IS what you in particular are saying, I have grown very tired of people deciding that everyone who wants to obtain eggs in ways that are not cave-hunting are greedy or lazy or just wanting to change things to their own advantage. I would like to correct that impression. I, as are many of the others who support such suggestions, am content with the way things are. I accept the way they are and continue to try to operate based on how the game is currently played. But that doesn't stop me from wanting to improve it where I believe it could be improved. Your mileage may vary as to what improvement looks like - I know you and I have had some disagreements in other suggestions on that. But please don't assume that my interest, and others' interest, in the suggestions currently under discussion is based on "wrong" motives.

[Fuzzbucket]

Send some of the tea and cookies over here, please. Earl Grey preferred, with cream and brown sugar.

That's sacrilege. Earl Grey must NEVER be drunk with milk. And if you MUST use sugar, do use white - brown will DESECRATE the delicate bergamot flavour...

 

Mondat, I've chosen to pick out one particular sentence in your post, bolded above, that I'll use to address your post as a whole. The nice thing about any of the recent non-hunting ways to obtain eggs that have recently been discussed is that no one has to participate if they don't want to. You don't have to be a 'winner' insofar as you're currently defining it if it doesn't fit in with how you play. No one's actions will negatively affect anyone else, so long as it isn't a direct competition. Thus, if a store or a minigame or what have you is implemented, you can continue to go about your usual playstyle and not worry about it at all!

Not QUITE true - the dragons available in "this way" would be HM type - not available to those who don't choose to do "whateveritisischosenifanything" to earn/summon/buy/DISCOVER (!) them. But I don't actually object - as long as there's nothing even MORE exclusive involved.

[amthystfire]

Send some of the tea and cookies over here, please. Earl Grey preferred, with cream and brown sugar.

Hmmm. Maybe that will make Earl Grey drinkable. If the tea must be Grey, make it Lady Grey, but I'd rather some good Irish breakfast tea with some milk.

 

Anywho, I think that the consensus seems to be "give us something else to do, but make it optional." at least so far as I've seen.

 

I personally would love to see mana alchemy and pick up in caves, and have so much of different manas to summon something and you can summon anything(specific) if you have enough mana, and there's a guy who will take you to a remote biome if you pay him, and, and, and, and, and....well, everything. I know that isn't going to happen, well, at least not for a while.

[Fuzzbucket]

I DO think we need another word. Summon already has connotations here. IF we were to run with the hidden biomes - why not "discover" ?

[LibbyLishly]

That's sacrilege. Earl Grey must NEVER be drunk with milk. And if you MUST use sugar, do use white - brown will DESECRATE the delicate bergamot flavour...

 

 

Not QUITE true - the dragons available in "this way" would be HM type - not available to those who don't choose to do "whateveritisischosenifanything" to earn/summon/buy/DISCOVER (!) them. But I don't actually object - as long as there's nothing even MORE exclusive involved.

I know it's sacrilege. I enjoy my tea heathenness.

 

Anyway, your statement is true. I should have clarified further: all of the breeds under discussion except new exclusives (which I oppose) are obtainable through normal means, except as CBs. A lot of people just collect the sprites and don't care about the CB status. So, if you want CB specifically, you would either need to participate in the raffle (assuming HMs are brought back) or play the game. Otherwise, the breeds can be bred.

 

As far as terminology goes, in the "store" thread I proposed that it be called an orphanage or a shelter and that you could "adopt" the dragons. If TPTB think otherwise, though, "discover" works for me as well. I agree that "summon" has certain immediate associations in the game that make it a less than perfect choice for the suggestions under discussion.

[olympe]

Nah, drinking your tea that way isn't sacrilege - it's Friesian.

 

It could still be called summon - or find, call forth (which kind of means summon, doesn't it?), adopt or whatever. I'm sure TJ is able to choose whatever he prefers.

[Fuzzbucket]

As far as terminology goes, in the "store" thread I proposed that it be called an orphanage or a shelter and that you could "adopt" the dragons. If TPTB think otherwise, though, "discover" works for me as well. I agree that "summon" has certain immediate associations in the game that make it a less than perfect choice for the suggestions under discussion.

It would fit rather nicely with the hidden biome idea though ? (though of course that biome could BE a shelter ! For "SPECIAL" eggs )

 

ETA @ olympe - thing is that summon already has a rather specific meaning here and I can see the confusion bearing down already....

Edited January 17, 2015 by fuzzbucket

[Syphoneira]

It would fit rather nicely with the hidden biome idea though ? (though of course that biome could BE a shelter ! For "SPECIAL" eggs  )

 

ETA @ olympe - thing is that summon already has a rather specific meaning here and I can see the confusion bearing down already....

 

 

 

What about 'Invoke'?

 

 

Edit: forgot to mention the tray over there - coffee, English, Irish and a variety of teas, plus COOKIES!

Edited January 17, 2015 by Syphoneira

[Fuzzbucket]

 

 

What about 'Invoke'?

 

 

Edit: forgot to mention the tray over there - coffee, English, Irish and a variety of teas, plus COOKIES!

You can't invoke a dragon; that's the word for calling on something - it's the person to beg to, not the thing you get if your prayer is answered, like.

 

Summon - you call something and it comes.

Invoke - you call to someone to get something FOR you.

 

*is professional pedant*

 

You could just run with call ! Entice. Attract.

 

But the biome thing works rather well, so discover would be appropriate, doncha think ?

[Syphoneira]

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/invoke

 

... 2

: to call forth by incantation : conjure ...

 

 

links to:

 

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conjure

 

con·jure

verb \vt 2 & vi senses ˈkän-jər also ˈkən-; vt 1 kən-ˈju̇r\

 

: to make (something) appear or seem to appear by using magic

 

???????????????????????????? ?

 

 

 

Edit:

 

Lol, for someone frequently mistaken, I'm something of a pedant myself.

 

Multiple meanings displayed below include summon and conjure

 

http://www.thesaurus.com/browse/invoke

 

Synonyms for invoke

 

 

 

appeal to

conjure

adjure

beg

 

beseech

crave

entreat

implore

 

importune

petition

plead

pray

 

request

solicit

summon

supplicate

 

call forth

send for

Edited January 18, 2015 by Syphoneira

[_Sin_]

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/invoke

 

... 2

: to call forth by incantation : conjure ...

 

 

links to:

 

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conjure

 

con·jure

verb \vt 2 & vi senses ˈkän-jər also ˈkən-; vt 1 kən-ˈju̇r\

 

: to make (something) appear or seem to appear by using magic

 

???????????????????????????? ?

I'd used "conjure" on the other thread. Was that wrong? Ignorant non-native speaker wants to know.

[Syphoneira]

I'd used "conjure" on the other thread. Was that wrong? Ignorant non-native speaker wants to know.

 

 

No, not at all.

 

Invoke, conjure, summon all have the same meanings used in this way.

 

 

Edit: it's the use of magic spells not being common in RL making this confusing.

 

English is a language rich with words borrowed from many sources, and I find it sad that so many words/meanings are being forgotten.

 

One more definition, the operative one in this case being:

'... 7. to cause, call forth, or bring about.

 

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/invoke

 

 

verb (used with object), invoked, invoking.

1.

to call for with earnest desire; make supplication or pray for:

to invoke God's mercy.

2.

to call on (a deity, Muse, etc.), as in prayer or supplication.

3.

to declare to be binding or in effect:

to invoke the law; to invoke a veto.

4.

to appeal to, as for confirmation.

5.

to petition or call on for help or aid.

6.

to call forth or upon (a spirit) by incantation.

7.

to cause, call forth, or bring about.

 

 

British Dictionary definitions for invoke

invoke

/ɪnˈvəʊk/

verb (transitive)

 

... 5. to summon (a spirit, demon, etc); conjure up ...

 

... Word Origin and History for invoke

v.

 

late 15c., from Middle French envoquer (12c.), from Latin invocare "call upon, implore," from in- "upon" (see in- (2)) + vocare "to call," related to vox (genitive vocis) "voice" (see voice (n.)). Related: Invoked ; invoking.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper ...

 

Edited January 18, 2015 by Syphoneira