Returning abandoned eggs protocol

[NotBambi]

Disclaimer #1: I used to play in DC and to be a lurker in the forum. Joined just to return an egg that I had caught in the AP to a very nice person that was posting about it. I still return eggs, or more often, I correctly influence and hatch them before returning them to the breeder. Not always getting a "thank you".

Disclaimer #2: I was shocked reading about someone that had abandoned an egg but, since it was not returned, killed the parent that was not valuable.

Disclaimer #3: I'm curious about abandoned eggs and "follow-up" on the relative drama.

Disclaimer #4: I will not trade with anybody that killed parents of eggs unless they can offer a logical explanation i.e CVS and Walgreens were both out of Xanax that week.

Long story short: what is the "right" way to go?

I was discussing with some DC friends and there are different opinions on the subject. Once someone catches the egg in the AP, influences it correctly with one one of their precious Pinks and hatches it, should they still feel that they need to use one of they precious Magi to return it to the person that didn't pay any attention before breeding and auto-abandoned it? Knowing that, otherwise, the distracted breeder could kill a parent of the egg or just give it a name like "Thanks for not returning MY EGG"?

Edited August 31, 2015 by NotBambi

[Tehya Faye]

I don't mind returning eggs to the breeder if I'm asked politely, but I'm of the opinion that once it hits the AP it's no longer your egg. I've auto'd the occasional nice thing that I would have loved to get back, but it's not like I'll never be able to breed another one ever again. If you want to keep your AP find you should be able to do so without any guilt or consequences. It's your egg, not theirs.

[blockEdragon]

I don't mind returning eggs to the breeder if I'm asked politely, but I'm of the opinion that once it hits the AP it's no longer your egg. I've auto'd the occasional nice thing that I would have loved to get back, but it's not like I'll never be able to breed another one ever again. If you want to keep your AP find you should be able to do so without any guilt or consequences. It's your egg, not theirs.

+1

[xxBurningxx]

I wasn't aware that returning eggs is that big of a deal?

 

I had no idea honestly...

 

Well, I agree with Tehya Faye for the most part. The moment that egg is off your scroll it's no longer yours. If you AUTO something, that's your fault and I mean, is it really the end of the world? You still have the parents to breed. The only case where I see this being a bit concerning if it was an egg that you owe someone for an IOU. (But in that case, you should have just been paying more attention anyway).

 

Honestly though, I'll return just about any egg if the owner asks nicely. I don't actively seek out the breeder and offer it to them, because in a lot of cases they bred it so someone could find it, but if they find me and ask then I'm happy to return it. And in the first place, I don't usually keep eggs off the AP unless they're CB or have really pretty lineages (3G from Spriter Alts, 2G Prizekins, etc), but even with those I'd likely return them.

 

In my opinion though, I think passive aggressively killing on of the parents of a bred egg because someone didn't return it is a bit silly. Like really?

 

-shrugs-

[Firedda]

I agree with xxBurningxx.

 

I didn't know it was that big of a deal to people. Yes, I have seen posts of "If anyone finds this egg in the AP, please return it to me." kind of thing, but I hardly ever see the egg they are looking for.

 

If I find a nice egg in the AP, then I'm going to keep it. If someone asks for it back, well, it depends on the egg whether I'll give it back easily. If it is a really nice egg, I'll give it back…just after a lot of back-and-forths with myself.

[Tawanda001]

Eh, returning an egg to the breeder doesn't have to require the use of your pinks, reds, or magis. Pretty sure if it's important to someone to get it back they would be happy to set up teleport using one of their own magi, so really all it takes it a moment to send a pm. (otoh if you mean you discover after you have influenced, etc...then maybe I might ask for a 'finders fee' of some kind for the inconvenience)

As far as the 'well, they should have paid more attention' it's great in theory but most of us have days where we might be tired or distracted and mistakes happen. I've certainly done it and I'm not going to fault anyone else for doing it either. Glass houses and stones and all that.

That said, I understand that once it hits the AP it's fair game for anyone, so I would hold no expectation of getting an egg back. But personally if someone wants an egg back I don't feel like I'm losing anything by giving back something I didn't have until I picked it from the AP anyway.

Edited August 31, 2015 by Tawanda001

[Stormcaller]

Doesn't abandoning something mean that you no longer want it? I always thought so. Therefore, unless someone contacts me asking nicely for it, I consider it mine. This very thing happened to me once, back when I was just a newbie. It was a nice CB egg and I was so happy to have found it. The other person was rude and tried to make me feel guilty to have it. Well, I gave it back, but believe me, I wouldn't do it again if the original owner had that attitude.

 

I have now idea why someone would kill a dragon because they lost its egg. Was it a very young child who did it?

[xxBurningxx]

-snip-

As far as the 'well, they should have paid more attention' it's great in theory but most of us have days where we might be tired or distracted and mistakes happen. I've certainly done it and I'm not going to fault anyone else for doing it either. Glass houses and stones and all that.

-snip-

I get that--it's true that we all have those days at some point.

 

I guess the biggest thing is that if you have a day like that and accidentally auto an egg, then you're better off just accepting the fact that the egg's gone and your chances of getting it back are slim. The only thing (other than posting about it on the forums) you can really do is stalk your own egg and try to time when to be online to pick it back up, if you're lucky and scheduling all works out.

 

///

 

It bugs me when people auto an egg and then act like whoever picks it up is obligated to give it back to them. Like you said, AP eggs are fair game for anyone~

 

///

 

Edit: @Stormcaller: I think we're more talking about when you breed an egg you wanted to keep but didn't realize you were locked and so it automatically goes to the AP. Also, that's a really crappy of that person to do, I'm sorry it happened, even if it was so long ago. :/

Edited August 31, 2015 by xxBurningxx

[Tawanda001]

Doesn't abandoning something mean that you no longer want it? 

Usually in reference to an auto-abandon that happens when someone breeds an egg they have no space to keep on their scroll.

Though occasionally it happens when someone has two of the same type of egg with different lineages, and they accidentally abandon the one they meant to keep, which I have done before.

 

If I'm not mistaken the egg was a 2g from a cb prize dragon....? I think the owner killed the common parent as a means to keep the new owner from 'profiting' from their lucky find in the trade threads...

[NotBambi]

Eh, returning an egg to the breeder doesn't have to require the use of your pinks, reds, or magis. Pretty sure if it's important to someone to get it back they would be happy to set up teleport using one of their own magi, so really all it takes it a moment to send a pm. (otoh if you mean you discover after you have influenced, etc...then maybe I might ask for a 'finders fee' of some kind for the inconvenience)

As far as the 'well, they should have paid more attention' it's great in theory but most of us have days where we might be tired or distracted and mistakes happen. I've certainly done it and I'm not going to fault anyone else for doing it either. Glass houses and stones and all that.

That said, I understand that once it hits the AP it's fair game for anyone, so I would hold no expectation of getting an egg back. But personally if someone wants an egg back I don't feel like I'm losing anything by giving back something I didn't have until I picked it from the AP anyway.

Does not "require" but, if you find a nice egg in the AP, that's the normal process. Get egg, influence, hatch. At that point you figure out that someone wants it back and, because your mom told you to be nice, you go ahead and create the teleport too and pm the distracted breeder. If that baby is going to be out of your scroll anyway, why to block one of your precious slots waiting for the breeder to wake up and send you a teleport etc?

I can understand your point but if I just spent a few hours hunting in the AP and i.e. got that nice low-gen Prize, excuse me if I feel that I wasted all that time and lost something giving back my catch.

[xxBurningxx]

-snip-

If I'm not mistaken the egg was a 2g from a cb prize dragon....? I think the owner killed the common parent as a means to keep the new owner from 'profiting' from their lucky find in the trade threads...

Oh wow...was it a 2G Prize or just a kin? I'm assuming a prize, right, otherwise I don't think it'd be that big of a deal. Either way, that just seems so petty...

 

I definitely don't agree with killing the parent just to get back at someone for not returning an egg that technically is no longer yours, lol.

 

Also, @NotBambi: I agree that I would feel like I was losing something (depending on what it is), especially if it was a nice find after hours of AP-hunting. If it were a low-gen prize, the only way I would give it back would be if the person contacted me and was very nice and polite about the whole thing.

Edited August 31, 2015 by xxBurningxx

[NotBambi]

Oh wow...was it a 2G Prize or just a kin? I'm assuming a prize, right, otherwise I don't think it'd be that big of a deal. Either way, that just seems so petty...

 

I definitely don't agree with killing the parent just to get back at someone for not returning an egg that technically is no longer yours, lol.

It was a kin, not a 2G.

[xxBurningxx]

It was a kin, not a 2G.

...Seriously? But...just...wow.

 

Wow.

 

I've picked up two 2G Prizekins off the AP in my time here on DC now, and I just assumed it was because that prize owner didn't place much value on kin, or simply wanted to get rid of them/let someone else have it. Hmm...

[purplehaze]

I can't imagine an egg I wouldn't return if asked nicely. Except I'm not sure I would return a CB metallic -- how would you know that the person actually ever had that egg?

 

I also can't imagine killing a dragon in spite to spoil a lineage of an egg that wasn't returned. What a mean-spirited thing to do!

 

I have autoed an egg or two in my time -- head-desk moments! One of them I enlisted help and a friend caught the egg in the AP (by the way, you cannot catch your own egg unless someone else has picked up and then abandoned it first -- not likely with a valuable egg.) The other was a Carmine that would have had no value to anyone but me really. I renamed the parents to ask for its return and got a very nice PM from someone who wouldn't even take anything in return for it.

 

 

[Fiona]

I have accidentally bred when locked and lost a couple eggs to the AP that way. One was a 2nd gen metal from my shadow walker alts. My response was, "Oops. I guess maybe that will make someone's day." and went on.

 

I've also returned eggs that people accidentally autoed from breeding while locked. In at least of a couple of the cases someone posted asking for help to fix their mistake, asked nicely, and explained why they were so desperate to get that egg back. One was holiday eggs from another artist's alts. They'd promised one to someone and were distracted and busy when they bred their alt. I was happy to be able to help.

 

I don't mind sending an egg back to the breeder under those kinds of circumstances. I won't ask for my own mistakes to be fixed that way because I figure I should pay more attention. I believe you should pay the consequences for your own actions.

 

I'm of the school that considers an egg not yours when it leaves your scroll. So I don't believe it's all right to "demand" an egg back or to take any actions against a person if they don't return it. If you ask nicely and accept that the person who picks it up is under no obligation then fine.

[angelicdragonpuppy]

While people can do whatever they want with what they catch, I think it's very kind hearted to return things and always do so if I get the chance.

[xxBurningxx]

(by the way, you cannot catch your own egg unless someone else has picked up and then abandoned it first -- not likely with a valuable egg.)

I completely forgot about that, derp! Then yeah, I guess you'd either have to ask for help on the forums (which may or may not help, considering that could just make people aware of a valuable egg out there in the AP), or have a friend keep an eye out.

[ShorahNagi]

I think I've only returned one or two eggs though in my whole DC career. One, a player asked me nicely via PM - the other I noticed the parents were named something to the extent of "Abandoned accidentally""return to *username*" (Though with names like this - I'm always curious if the egg I have is the one they are looking for - or if it's a new one and they forgot to rename the parents)

 

In general though, I feel it's a players choice and they are under no obligation to return an egg/hatching. The way I see it - once it hits the AP, regardless of the reason, the original owner has no control over it. As such, the new owner is under no obligation to return it (or follow any wishes the breeder might send them)

[dragongrrl]

Since I deliberately breed metals and prizes to the AP once in a while, I don't expect them to come back.

Once in a while, when breeding BSAs or commons, I'll see a good code got dropped when I look at the parent pages later. I've never done anything to try and get one back, though.

 

I would return an egg if the parents had names wishing for the return, and odds are, that's the only way I would know that someone was looking for the egg.

[purpledragonclaw]

I've picked up two eggs from the AP whose parents had been renamed from the accidental abandon, and returned both. If I see that, and the previous owners are forum members, I return them 100% of the time. I would want someone to do the same for me if I ever auto-abandoned an egg by mistake.

[Stellaluna22]

I myself have not seen any eggs that have parents' names changed to "Please contact (name)" or similar to get the egg back.

 

I would be happy to return the egg or hatchling if the owner has requested it nicely.

 

 

[Stormcaller]

I can understand your point but if I just spent a few hours hunting in the AP and i.e. got that nice low-gen Prize, excuse me if I feel that I wasted all that time and lost something giving back my catch.

Of course you lost time and trouble giving that little one back. That person should have all but knocked themselves out offering to breed something(s) nice for you.

 

I understand what you mean about auto abandoning a bred egg. I don't breed very much these days but when I did, I once lost a nice egg that way. It wasn't particularly valuable to anyone but me, but this is the first time I ever told anyone about it. I was too embarrassed for having not paid attention to what I was doing to ask for any kind of help getting it back. I just hope whoever got it gave it a good home.

 

 

[Gryphonic]

If someone asked me for an abandoned egg I found, I almost certainly give it back. I wouldn't feel obligated to, because they could always breed another, but on DC I'm trying to promote good karma - explaining things to new players, gifting rares to those without, naming found/traded eggs to honor their parents' theme, etc. I admit I'm stingy with my own eggs - until the 3rd or 4th metalfails from each pair from a project, I was hoarding the babies anyway. I will probably do the same with my xeno projects for a while. And I could breed my own checkers to the AP more.

 

Returning accidentally auto'd eggs is a really nice thing to do, but the AP eggs are free game. No one should be harassed into handing over something they want to keep. If it's a really nice egg, I think the former owner should at least offer an IOU of something in gratitude.

[The Flash]

I can't imagine an egg I wouldn't return if asked nicely. Except I'm not sure I would return a CB metallic -- how would you know that the person actually ever had that egg?

 

I also can't imagine killing a dragon in spite to spoil a lineage of an egg that wasn't returned. What a mean-spirited thing to do!

 

I have autoed an egg or two in my time -- head-desk moments! One of them I enlisted help and a friend caught the egg in the AP (by the way, you cannot catch your own egg unless someone else has picked up and then abandoned it first -- not likely with a valuable egg.) The other was a Carmine that would have had no value to anyone but me really. I renamed the parents to ask for its return and got a very nice PM from someone who wouldn't even take anything in return for it.

Well, they could screenshot their actions page.

[HeatherMarie]

I'm struggling to figure out a scenario in which I'd care enough about the egg to *not* give it back. I have enough rares, I don't care about lineages... I'd definitely feel annoyed if the person acted all entitled, but if someone asked me nicely I think I'd always return the egg. It's never happened to me, though.