Decline in playerbase

[DuskOfTheStars]

As another newer player, I can quite honestly say I have no issue with eggs hatching. Why, I rven had a CB Dark Lumina hatch on me before I could Influence it! And I'm still trying to replace the thing....

Edited August 25, 2016 by Dusky_Flareon

[SheridanCharon]

While I do agree we can always do with more new players, I'm gonna be blatantly honest here; this is pretty normal at this time of year, or at least it feels that way.

There's always been periods of slow activity, even during a new release, and I don't think changing the way views work will make things better.

 

Here's the thing, and I don't care if this is considered "offensive" or whatever, but fact is there's some very impatient people in the game. People, especially some newer ones, seem to get the impression that ERs are these super magical places that hatch low-time eggs instantly. But truth is, they don't. They are heavily reliant on people returning the favour and viewing other ER eggs. And in those times when people aren't as active - also, try to keep in mind that school has just restarted in a lot of places, and that must take priority - then the ERs will slow down. And before you say "what about evenings?!", there's these little things called homework and parents.

 

In this case, changing a key aspect is NOT the answer. The answer is trying to be a little patient.

[Ha-Ki]

So my suggestion is just to alter the views ratios needed just a little bit for the eggs. I generally use 3 hatcheries open to hatch ER eggs with no previous views, but lately it has proven impossible to hatch them for under 4-5 hours, while normally on slower seasons it has taken me about 1h. This is 4x times the regular.

 

Also yeah, I know I should just put them in beforehand but I do forget because I'm used to let them sit for a day so they don't get sick (though right now I don't know how sickness would be if I just put them right in).

According to the local time in your profile you're in a middle-european time zone, like myself. I also have trouble hatching ER eggs most of the morning and midday, because it's simply night or very early morning in the USA and less users are online. I don't have trouble hatching ER eggs in the afternoon or evening. Could that be causing your problem as well?

 

Also, I think Sock pointed out a very important thing: The AP is often icu-hatchable, which fills up the ER's of fansites. So maybe what you're observing isn't a declining playerbase during the past year, but more organized mass-breedings to push the AP below 5 days?

[Moonlight_Eevee]

I don't think we do have a decline in player base but more like an incline. I got the new dragons Sunday, incubate them, and threw them into a couple fansites to where I had to fog them before unfogging them and they hatched literally in two days. That was the fastest ever I got hatchies. Right now, the original four are gendered, three females and a male and they grow up tomorrow. This is the fastest I ever had hatchies gendered mainly because I swing by a couple days after the initial release.

 

Now I'm not sure about forum wise, but the main DC I think is all good.

[beautifuldragon5000]

I have been playing since 2009, I have noticed things taking just slightly longer to hatch but it really doesn't bother me personally mainly because I don't sit and stare at my scroll lol, lately I just have been coming on every 3-5 days unless its holiday catching just because I am busy with life since I have to be a "grown up" now. Another thing that could be adding to fan site inactivity as it is perceived by the people here is a lot of the user base is older, I started this game when I was 19 years old now I am 28 with a lot more responsibilities. So, it takes away from my ability to sit for hours at a time and play the game which totally sucks but its true. People have families and other things that will take priority over a computer game.

[SlyFox]

Interesting. Thanks, TJ!

 

This cements my opinion on leaving things as is. A little patience goes a long way.

 

 

 

Six! I use four, and I think that's a lot. xP

 

I add my eggs to a lower time site as soon as I get them. Then when they're half a day to a day old (I wait until they're a day old during new releases when there is more traffic), I add them to the other three fansites. OR I add them to two at around half a day or more old, then add them to the highest traffic fansite after they're a day old.

 

So far, the only dragons that haven't hatched as soon as they hit 4 days old with incubate are the stubborn breeds, such as prizes (and luminas).

I will add that I did add my luminati to more fansites earlier than my other eggs. Yet somehow one of my kingcrownes ended up with more views and unique views than it, so there is a certain luck (or lack of luck!) if one egg goes through the fansite rotator less than the others - or perhaps in your case, your scroll ended up getting rotated less than others'.

 

But I would still disagree with lowering unique views because your eggs are still hatching pretty soon after they're incubated to 4 days, right?

 

I think especially if we use incubate, we have to be prepared for eggs to be slightly more stubborn. Remember incubate changes the days left, but not the age, and the older an egg is, the more stats it's going to need to hatch. =)

It's true. I did incubate it. And when I don't incubate, I usually leave my egg out of view/click sites for the first day because I'm worried they're too young and will get sick, but I think I'm going to start using the sites the same way you do. One low-time site shouldn't hurt a brand new common egg. I'm still learning the different tricks. And yes, that egg did still hatch at 4 days 0 hours. ;D

[HeatherMarie]

Just my 2 cents: In the past year I've noticed that some of my eggs will get down to 3 days 23 hours before hatching, instead of hatching right at 4 days. Does that bother me? No. What's one more hour? In my opinion you should never *count* on dragons hatching/growing right at 4 days, because there are SO many variables that go into getting stats. Some breeds are a little more stubborn then others; Some specific dragons are harder to grow then their siblings. Some fansites might get a whole big increase in dragons due to releases or mass breeds, and that can affect your stats.

 

Overall I'm getting the same amount of stats that I was when I first started on DragonCave (even though then I wasn't using fansites). I do not see the need for any change to the way stats work.

[AGYK]

I'll just use one egg as an example. I caught a newer orange magical aura egg on the 23rd, used incubate, then tossed it into no less than 6 click sites that are listed for DC. Right now, it's 2:13 am on the 25 and my egg has 4 days and 0 hours left to hatch and has less than 1000 views. It also isn't going through its cracking sequence as fast as I've seen some do. Maybe one could say it's the type of egg, but I mean... really? In 6 sites for 2 full days and less than 1000 regular views? That seems a little low to me.

Which six? I can pick half-a-dozen slow sites and get what you're describing, but my regular pattern involves just three ERs (AoND, EATW, Hatching Club) and I never have a problem hatching stuff at 4d unless I lost track of it.

 

Overall I'm just not feeling the major drop people are complaining about. There's a bit of a drop, but it only affects a few very specific things as far as actual play goes. (In order: ERing incuhatchable AP eggs, ERing things you forgot about, and very specific Neglected experiments.)

 

And as I said in the other thread, sure, the forums are a bit slower but it's also summer and Go is out. Meanwhile, the new release thread is up to 55 pages and going, with a postcount over double what the July release got. Seems like it's picking up again already.

 

I'm also thinking there's some confbias in here. Some people are saying "hey, I think there's a problem" and the natural reaction is to mentally search for instances that validate that claim. (See also: this. Particularly the mouseover text.)

[SlyFox]

Which six? I can pick half-a-dozen slow sites and get what you're describing, but my regular pattern involves just three ERs (AoND, EATW, Hatching Club) and I never have a problem hatching stuff at 4d unless I lost track of it.

 

Overall I'm just not feeling the major drop people are complaining about. There's a bit of a drop, but it only affects a few very specific things as far as actual play goes. (In order: ERing incuhatchable AP eggs, ERing things you forgot about, and very specific Neglected experiments.)

 

And as I said in the other thread, sure, the forums are a bit slower but it's also summer and Go is out. Meanwhile, the new release thread is up to 55 pages and going, with a postcount over double what the July release got. Seems like it's picking up again already.

 

I'm also thinking there's some confbias in here. Some people are saying "hey, I think there's a problem" and the natural reaction is to mentally search for instances that validate that claim. (See also: this. Particularly the mouseover text.)

I'll list the sites I'm using. Maybe they're not as popular as others and getting lower views. If you know of some sites that get more traffic, let me know.

 

Valley Sherwood

DragHatch

The Dragon Breeders Cave

EAtW

AoND

The Hatchling Club

[Odeen]

Keep in mind if you're trying to use hatch rates during a new release as evidence, that the amount of eggs in hatcheries during new releases is greater than usual. More eggs in hatcheries translates to fewer views per egg in the same time frame unless the number of people providing views with the auto-refresher also goes up to compensate.

Edited August 25, 2016 by Odeen

[skwerl56767]

It's true. I did incubate it. And when I don't incubate, I usually leave my egg out of view/click sites for the first day because I'm worried they're too young and will get sick, but I think I'm going to start using the sites the same way you do. One low-time site shouldn't hurt a brand new common egg. I'm still learning the different tricks. And yes, that egg did still hatch at 4 days 0 hours. ;D

 

The trick I learned for hatching newly-caught eggs is to immediately put them into a low-traffic hatchery (PetHatchery, for me; I never Incubate my eggs because of the time/age difference that occurs), and then after a day passes I put them into AoNDs and Silvi's Lair, which have a bit more traffic; if I have stubborn eggs I will also put them into Daily Dragon Fix, which is another low-traffic site but enforces clicking rather than viewing. It's just enough of a nudge that my eggs always hatch in time without getting sick (I feel so blessed about not having any dead eggs, hah hah). I don't know if it's faster, but you could try a method similar to that too, which might help.

 

Keep in mind if you're trying to use hatch rates during a new release as evidence, that the amount of eggs in hatcheries during new releases is greater than usual. More eggs in hatcheries translates to fewer views per egg in the same time frame unless the number of people providing views with the auto-refresher also goes up to compensate.

 

This is also true. Because there's a new release going on the hatcheries are flooded with eggs and hatchlings, and as a result there's a lower chance of people viewing the same eggs repeatedly. Having the auto-refresh on a low timer though (like 1 or 5 minutes) can help raise those dragons faster and clean out the hatcheries so other, needy dragons can get what they need to hatch. It's like a diluted market right now, I guess is one way to put it.

Edited August 25, 2016 by skwerl56767

[Duskspoken]

Well, I'm a new member, so maybe telling how my eggs are doing might help put into perspective how the view/click sites are doing with all of this these days... I hope.

 

I'll just use one egg as an example. I caught a newer orange magical aura egg on the 23rd, used incubate, then tossed it into no less than 6 click sites that are listed for DC. Right now, it's 2:13 am on the 25 and my egg has 4 days and 0 hours left to hatch and has less than 1000 views. It also isn't going through its cracking sequence as fast as I've seen some do. Maybe one could say it's the type of egg, but I mean... really? In 6 sites for 2 full days and less than 1000 regular views? That seems a little low to me.

 

My other eggs aren't fairing much better. I usually have to slam them all into ERs immediately at 4 days 0 hours to get the views up slightly to 1000 or slightly over, UVs would probably be around 500 by that time.

 

I would have to suggest that the UVs needed to hatch an egg, specifically, should be lowered.

 

Just my two cents worth here. If it's a lower player base, or people just not giving back to the view/click sites, then we need to crusade to get people to understand how they're needed, I guess.

Then it's likely the sites that you use rather the amount that you use. I use 4 and have no problem getting good views/unique views for my dragons. That's just 'view' sites. I also use a click site, where you actually have to click dragons for yours to remain on the site. If you'd like more information on the sites I use please feel free to PM me.

 

I'll list the sites I'm using. Maybe they're not as popular as others and getting lower views. If you know of some sites that get more traffic, let me know.

 

Valley Sherwood

DragHatch

The Dragon Breeders Cave

EAtW

AoND

The Hatchling Club

You legit should be having no problems with 3 of the sites on that list. You wouldn't even need 3 of the others. Trust me, I've been using them, and only them (plus 1) for like 8 years.

Edited August 26, 2016 by duskspoken

[kerrikins]

I can say a few things about this. I don't know if I understand what the suggestion is here, but assuming it's "hatching/maturation numbers should be lessened:"

• The daily peak number of users online is pretty much the same as it's been for the two-ish years for which I have history readily available. The "spike" caused by the recent release is above the maximum number of users online for most of last summer.
• The numbers relating to views/unique views/clicks have been pretty much the same for all ten years of the site. This means that they worked even when the site was much smaller than it is now.
• Over half of active users have logged in from both desktop and mobile at least once (though over half of visits to the site are from desktop). Very few people seem to be mobile-only. I don't know how this is related, but I see people discussing it, so.

Thanks for the info, TJ - pretty interesting and reassuring! I wonder if it's more that the forums aren't seeing as much traffic as they used to. I know the IRC is much quieter than it used to be. I imagine things will pick up over the next couple of months in the ramp up to Halloween and Christmas.

[DuskOfTheStars]

Thanks for the info, TJ - pretty interesting and reassuring! I wonder if it's more that the forums aren't seeing as much traffic as they used to. I know the IRC is much quieter than it used to be. I imagine things will pick up over the next couple of months in the ramp up to Halloween and Christmas.

I think so. Definitely notice periods where the Forum is quiet. If I want to talk I head to descripdoom becaue the official chat is just full of idlers.

 

Pokémon Go probably isn't helping matters, but new holiday dragons might entice more people to show up. I know I'm planning on coming at 9PM Oct 30 my time, when it'll be 12AM Oct 31st by DC.

[silver_tiger]

I'll list the sites I'm using. Maybe they're not as popular as others and getting lower views. If you know of some sites that get more traffic, let me know.

 

Valley Sherwood

DragHatch

The Dragon Breeders Cave

EAtW

AoND

The Hatchling Club

I use EAtW, AoND, and Silvi's Lair. I put my eggs in at a little over 6 days, and I have *never* had a problem hatching my eggs. *Never.* I also don't incubate mine until they reach the 4 day mark, as I think it actually hatches them faster, due to the thing Sock pointed out that the eggs have less time but are the same age if you incubate them.

 

I do need to run the hatcheries in the background more, I usually run AoND and Silvi's, but sometimes my computer doesn't like refreshing them so much and I have to stop... but I try to do it semi-regularly, at least.

 

Oh, and I guess it's been maybe a little harder to hatch ER eggs? But honestly I don't think that much harder. In my experience, anyway.

Edited August 29, 2016 by silver_chan

[DarkShinyLugia]

I use EAtW, AoND, and Silvi's Lair. I put my eggs in at a little over 6 days, and I have *never* had a problem hatching my eggs. *Never.* I also don't incubate mine until they reach the 4 day mark, as I think it actually hatches them faster, due to the thing Sock pointed out that the eggs have less time but are the same age if you incubate them.

 

I do need to run the hatcheries in the background more, I usually run AoND and Silvi's, but sometimes my computer doesn't like refreshing them so much and I have to stop... but I try to do it semi-regularly, at least.

 

Oh, and I guess it's been maybe a little harder to hatch ER eggs? But honestly I don't think that much harder. In my experience, anyway.

I only use 2 hatcheries. I put the eggs in EatW as soon as I get them, leave that open for a while, and put them in AoND the next day. Then, I'll just leave AoND open while I watch YouTube videos or whatever. I haven't had an issue recently with hatching any eggs (that weren't of a breed infamous for taking longer to hatch *glares at Dark Lumina*)

 

I don't really think this is an issue.

[Dragonmage]

Well, in regards to view sites, it doesn't help that I used to be able to leave a hatchery open in another tab without affecting my internet use but now my computer refreshes all the tabs, even the one I'm using when the hatchery refreshes. If anyone has any ideas about how to fix that, please for the love of little dragons, PM me. I also kinda got bored when all my lineages went dead.

[olympe]

Well, in regards to view sites, it doesn't help that I used to be able to leave a hatchery open in another tab without affecting my internet use but now my computer refreshes all the tabs, even the one I'm using when the hatchery refreshes. If anyone has any ideas about how to fix that, please for the love of little dragons, PM me. I also kinda got bored when all my lineages went dead.

You wouldn't happen to use an extension that auto-refreshes everything, do you?

[Wildmoon]

In regards to Hatchery Sites - I currently use EaTW and Valley Sherwood (I used to use DragHatch, but that site for some reason, is fussy for me, sometimes it loads, and then other times I get an error saying the site cannot be reached o.O)..I don't like using too many hatcheries in case my eggs get sick. My eggs usually hatch within a couple of days in a hatchery. So I don't think its too bad. =P

I still usually refresh a few times on the page, just to give dragons views, though.

 

However, in regards to the forum, it does seem that there are less people on it these days. Threads can go for quite a few days with no replies, despite them being seemingly popular. I haven't been on the forums for many years, like some people (I think I joined the forums in the new year, or roundabout that time, I don't remember), but I can still say I've noticed somewhat of a decline in forum activity.

 

 

Random Edit: Apparantly I'm dumb because it says my join date right next to all my posts =D

but at least my guess was close. >.>

Edited October 1, 2016 by Trickseh

[Fightandspawn]

Well, remember when lots of people posted dragons on other forums in signatures? That's how I found DC. Someone on Planet Minecraft had a dragon in their signature and I was curious. Now everybody just uses AOND or similar sites. If we post eggs in all our forum signatures, in conjunction with hatch sites, maybe people will join? Even leaving a full-grown dragon works, and you get a little dragon in your signature, so you need not worry about having to change dragons unless you want to. Spread the dragons.

Edited October 1, 2016 by Fightandspawn

[Cheekadee]

Well, I think the player base has actually been growing but the forum activity declining. Why do I think this? Well, logically a way to gauge how many active players there are on DC is to check how many clicks TJ's hatchies get on new releases. That's why I made this graph that shows the amount of clicks the hatchie that got the most clicks in a release. This graph shows that there is actually a lot more players than there was, let's say, a year ago. I don't know if this is actually conclusive evidence.

[Fightandspawn]

To fix the forum problem my above post would still apply.

[Wildmoon]

I joined Dragon Cave when I saw dragons in someones signature on a forum I used to use. It's all good to get people onto the Cave itself, but what of the forums?

 

It's the forums that are really in decline, it seems ;-;

[Fightandspawn]

Yes, but I found the forums through the site. If whatever percent of DC users use the forums, then if the number of DC users goes up then so will the forum.

[olympe]

Very true. I, too, found DC through a forum signature in another forum. However, right now, I'm only active in forums that don't allow for dragon images.