Shorten the Refusal Cooldown

[schmupti]

Having to wait a full week after a refusal seems excessive.

 

We can come up with logical in-game explanations for the cooldown after breeding: romance takes time, gestation takes time, recovery takes time... But there is no similar rationale for the weeklong cooldown after a pair of dragons "refuse to even go near each other": they didn't expend lots of time and energy trying and failing to conceive (no egg), or spend time finding out that they weren't in the mood/interested in this particular partner. They looked at each other and decided EW, NO, NEVER.

 

C'mon now. We've seen the lineages. They cannot be that squicked by the very idea of each other that they need a week afterwards to shudder and roll their eyes at us.

 

Thus I propose shortening the cooldown after a refusal to 24 hours. It satisfies the game mechanics' need for actions (even failed actions) to cost a chunk of the user's time, but isn't so long that you start to hold a grudge against a certain someone who thinks they're too good for the other dragons you bring home.

[Zeditha]

Firstly, you have the name confused. A refusal doesn't have a cooldown - if the dragons refuse to even go near each other, they will never breed. You can never even try again. Some BSAs are being suggested for resets of this, but so far none have been implemented.

 

When dragons 'don't show much interest in each other', which is what I believe you were thinking of, they have probably looked at each other and gone 'Nope.' They are probably annoyed at you for trying to push them into it, so they might not listen to you for a bit.

Also, all the other breeding cooldowns are one week. Why not this one? It's set like this for simplicity, and TJ likes simplicity.

[Fuzzbucket]

Firstly, you have the name confused. A refusal doesn't have a cooldown - if the dragons refuse to even go near each other, they will never breed. You can never even try again. Some BSAs are being suggested for resets of this, but so far none have been implemented.

 

When dragons 'don't show much interest in each other', which is what I believe you were thinking of, they have probably looked at each other and gone 'Nope.' They are probably annoyed at you for trying to push them into it, so they might not listen to you for a bit.

Also, all the other breeding cooldowns are one week. Why not this one? It's set like this for simplicity, and TJ likes simplicity.

No, what is meant is that a dragon which refuses didn't use any energy and should be able to breed sooner with a different mate. At the moment the BREEDING cooldown is the same, even if the dragons said no way and put in no effort. There's no suggestion of allowing that pair to breed together again. But on this occasion, they did not breed, so why is there any cool down?

 

I don't mind either way, but it might take away some of the pain!

Edited March 20, 2015 by fuzzbucket

[Syphoneira]

Well, it does seem logical, and would indeed reduce the pain in cases where other mates are available, so I'd support it.

 

I'd rather have not so many Refusals and have the worst ones fixable, but with so many of us dreading new pairing try-outs, this would ease some of the lesser stress in some cases.

[Ribombee]

I still support an elimination of refusals entirely (or at least some work around). However, if they must be kept for some reason, this idea at least allows you to try another mate (assuming you have/can find one in any reasonable amount of time) without having to wait a week. I agree that it does seem unnecessary to have a breeding cooldown after a refusal.

 

Little interest can make some sense, as perhaps they tried to work it out, but things just did not happen. They might need some time to get their heads back on straight. An outright refusal, though, would not logically take any time save for the second spent looking disgusted. If I were to go to a bar and get hit on by someone I did not want anything to do with, that would not stop me from accepting the number of someone I was interested in, should he approach me later that night or even the next night.

 

Even with species which only mate during a certain season or within a heat period, if they do not like a potential mate, they just keep looking.

[Fiona]

How do we know there was no energy expended in a refusal? Maybe there was a lot of snapping and snarling and some dragon slinking away into the cave with bruised feelings. Maybe both parties want to stew and sulk for awhile before they can be interested in considering another mate. Maybe you need a week to find a spell to grow back that hand, because boy! was the male dragon angry with you for asking him to associate with her!

 

Refusals are a pain in the backside, but I don't see this idea helping that much. I don't see a good reason to set their cool down as something different than other cool downs involving the breeding mechanic.

[purplehaze]

@ Fi -- I like your way of thinking!

 

Personally I don't see a problem with a seven-day cooldown for refusals just like the other results. If I have another mate to try, I can wait that long. If I don't then it gives me time to get one. I don't think shortening the time would do a thing to reduce the pain, either.

Edited March 20, 2015 by purplehaze

[Obscure_Trash]

I have mixed feelings on this. On one hand, I suppose this could be some kind of compromise if refusals aren't gotten rid of or if a way to delete them isn't introduced - if you already have another mate ready. On the other hand, this doesn't really do anything to solve those most devastating refusals where your cb holidays all refuse or it's not a mate you can rebreed, at least not easily.

 

So I'm neutralish. I don't think this would be all that helpful and would only support it if we're absolutely not going to get any way to reverse refusals.

[Rhynn Collins]

I'm neutral on this issue. I'd like it, of course, but I don't see a definite need for it. It makes sense to me that breeding cooldown is the same no matter what happened (Fi gives a pretty good example for the refusal cooldown). At the same time, though, it'd be great to be able to breed dragons which refused to other mates relatively quickly!

[cyradis4]

I'm ambivalent too. Yea, the cooldown doesn't make much sense, but... Reducing the cooldown won't help with the pain of most refusals, because typically, you'll still have to re-breed / re-acquire a mate, and that takes the better part of a week anyway.

 

I like Sock's explanation of the cooldown.... Drat those dragons! I needed that hand.

 

Cheers!

C4.

[AnanoKimi]

While lowering the cool down wont solve most of the soul crushing refusals, it allows for dragons of a more common breed with a more common mate to breed sooner if the mate is more readily available. This means that common x common, common x uncommon, and uncommon x uncommon which can be easier to obtain can breed faster.

 

I mean really if they even refused to go near each other there was no teeth snapping just a "You stay the * away" whilst they kinda like gave each other the evil eye and walked away backwards doin the 'I'm watching you' gesture. So yeah, no energy expanded = breeding sooner with a better/different mate.

[Ha-Ki]

I'm rather neutral, though I like Fiona's explanation why there is a cooldown

I'm slightly leaning towards "Keep breeding cooldown at 7 days for any outcome, for the sake of simplicity". I don't really mind if it's changed though.

[DragonNighthowler]

I'd rather just see them gone for good. The suggestion is good, really, and I'd have been in favor if refusals weren't such gamebreakers for me I just want them gone.

 

Also, simplicity. All breed actions have a week cooldown. I'd rather we keep things simple.