New prize dragons

[Fiona]

8 hours ago, HeatherMarie said:

I would welcome challenges in order to earn a new type of prize, but the challenges should be *doable* with effort and not rely on random chance...

 

I assure you, the example I suggested above is very doable. The Fifth Element lineage has been doing various challenges for seven years. The All-Inclusive is currently probably the most difficult challenge we have but not the only. We have a whole long list of things of varying difficulty. Now, I realize that something like that doesn't suit everyone's play style. It's only an example of something that could be done.

 

People who breed stripes can spend a long time trying to get the color pattern they want. That's an example of a difficult challenge that relies on random chance. I haven't gone past 4th gen but I think there are others out there who've gone quite a bit further. If people are doing these sorts of things anyway...

[StormWizard212]

I love the idea of new in-cave shinies or recolours that was brought up earlier. I would also really love some new ways of entering the prize raffle. Whether that's a challenge, a higher number of dragons to collect in the month, or something different, I'm not all that fussed. I'd just like a bit more of a challenge and some goals to work towards. That's personally what I find the most fun about this site - having a goal and working towards it.  Little challenges here and there for raffles would be heaps of fun, in my opinion. 

Edited February 24, 2018 by StormWizard212

[Zeditha]

First off, I'm going to admit to only having read the first and last pages of this thread.

 

Second, I'm going to add a few conditional supports.

 

I would support the addition of a Platinum recolour of each dragon IF it was given current Bronze raffle rarity and the others were adjusted to match. (Or similar numbers-upping!) It would be a fairly significant overhaul that I think is severely needed, and a new colour would fit, in my opinion, as something of a celebration of the event.

(Note: I would also support a third breed in the same circumstance, but the method of rarity adjustment - giving the new, highest, colour the current lowest colour's numbers and shuffling down from there - seems so neat to me that the new colour 'fits' better in this circumstance. )

 

I would support either or both of a new colour and new breed if a new method of distribution was implemented, whether alongside the raffles or replacing them. Again, such an overhaul/event would be 'worthy of commemoration' IMO and the perfect opportunity to introduce a new Prize goal, where (hopefully) the new distribution method would actually be effective enough to allow the new breed's numbers to reach a reasonable level in a reasonable amount of time.

 

 

Tl;dr: I like the idea of a new Prize in theory, but I wouldn't support it unless some changes to our Prize system are made.

 

 

Edit after reading page 4:

Several people in this thread have pointed out that no-one should be forced to collect a breed they don't want, or to change their playstyle. This isn't actually a particular problem for me, as I don't MIND collecting a weird breed, but a lot of people do. A lot don't want huge numbers of dragons in their scroll either.... Just saying...

 

 

I would actually fully support a 'raise X of -common- this month'  type of challenge - or even a 'these breeds are this many points, those breeds are that many points', potentially changing each month, and when you earn enough points you can trade them in for a Prize of your choice.

(Of course, with such a points system in place, you may as well have the Store...)

 

The reason I bring up my support with this quote is that you wouldn't have to necessarily collect dragons you don't like; simply wait for next month! The only way I can see it being a problem is if someone refuses to raise  any dragons other than rares/uncommons and all the prize-requirement dragons are commons... But even then, a 'rares month' each year where the requirement is rare/uncommon dragons would alleviate that problem.

 

Basically the idea I have in my head right now is a function similar to the current Raffle, except that instead of any three dragons, you must raise, say, '5 Olives or Waverunners' or '7 Pyrope Alamandines or Neotropicals' or the like, and when you have raised enough to 'enter', you are immediately granted a random dragon out of the current Prize set (with chances skewed to current ratios and repeats optionally disabled). I think this could potentially be a two-birds-one-stone solution; more incentive to raise blocker breeds, plus a faster distribution of Prizes!

Edited March 10, 2018 by Zeditha

[Fuzzbucket]

I would support it as long as it wasn't a PRIZE.

[Ashywolf]

Why are people against new prize dragons? Is it because of the idea of having another limited breed, at first tradeable only for CB metals, before finally evaporating into the general user base? Is it a dislike for an egg that cannot be obtained normally in the cave? I can't see any real negative. It's another breed or alt to collect, and a special one at that.

 

I would love to understand the views of the "other side".

Edited March 10, 2018 by Ashywolf

[DogLover]

I would love to see more ways to earn raffle "tickets"...something easy to everyone could do it with a little effort-be it raise ___ number of a certain type, or breed __ number of a certain type, or, and not sure how this could be tracked-catch ___ number of eggs in the ap...just a general idea-it would be nice to have more chances than just the one.

[Fuzzbucket]

42 minutes ago, Ashywolf said:

Why are people against new prize dragons? Is it because of the idea of having another limited breed, at first tradeable only for CB metals, before finally evaporating into the general user base? Is it a dislike for an egg that cannot be obtained normally in the cave? I can't see any real negative. It's another breed or alt to collect, and a special one at that.

 

I would love to understand the views of the "other side".

 

Yes, exactly. CB prizes aren't tradeable anyway and a lot of us want CBs for lineages. The day we get the store as well as the raffles, fine. But yet another thing that we just have to HOPE for - just suppose everyone were ever to manage to get the CURRENT set CB - that would be SIX WINS we'd each need - even assuming people don't want one of each sex. Once we can work for them - sure, make as many available as raffle prizes as you want. As long as we can also work for them by normal play.

 

I have had no great issue getting 2nd gens. And I haven't ever paid CB metals for them. But I want access to CBs. I don't want to be at risk of people deciding to kill their prizes (I have linages where that's happened.) I want to breed my most important lines from my own scroll.  I am fine with the RNG nature of the raffle - it's TOTALLY fair -  but I want another way as well. Until then - please don't make it all even MORE unattainable for the general public.

[HeatherMarie]

2 hours ago, Ashywolf said:

Why are people against new prize dragons? Is it because of the idea of having another limited breed, at first tradeable only for CB metals, before finally evaporating into the general user base? Is it a dislike for an egg that cannot be obtained normally in the cave? I can't see any real negative. It's another breed or alt to collect, and a special one at that.

 

I would love to understand the views of the "other side".

 

Those are exactly the negatives. CB Prizes are *only* available through pure dumb luck, the vast majority of the userbase have none and will have none for years, and many of us do not want yet *another* dragon that is so restricted. As far as 'evaporating into the general user base'..... That has not yet happened with any of the Prizes. CB Prizes are still only available to a very, very, very tiny portion of users, and 2nd-gens are still *very* wanted and very rare and still go for very high prices most of the time. Many of us don't like that CB Prizes are so completely unobtainable to the majority of users and don't want more of that in the game.

 

3 hours ago, Zeditha said:

I would actually fully support a 'raise X of -common- this month'  type of challenge - or even a 'these breeds are this many points, those breeds are that many points', potentially changing each month, and when you earn enough points you can trade them in for a Prize of your choice.

(Of course, with such a points system in place, you may as well have the Store...)

 

The reason I bring up my support with this quote is that you wouldn't have to necessarily collect dragons you don't like; simply wait for next month! The only way I can see it being a problem is if someone refuses to raise  any dragons other than rares/uncommons and all the prize-requirement dragons are commons... But even then, a 'rares month' each year where the requirement is rare/uncommon dragons would alleviate that problem.

 

Basically the idea I have in my head right now is a function similar to the current Raffle, except that instead of any three dragons, you must raise, say, '5 Olives or Waverunners' or '7 Pyrope Alamandines or Neotropicals' or the like, and when you have raised enough to 'enter', you are immediately granted a random dragon out of the current Prize set (with chances skewed to current ratios and repeats optionally disabled). I think this could potentially be a two-birds-one-stone solution; more incentive to raise blocker breeds, plus a faster distribution of Prizes!

 

The problem I have with this is that it simply restricts an already *horribly* restrictive breed even more. Users only have 12 chances each year to win a CB Prize, any CB Prizes, and those chances are very very very tiny to being with when comparing how many users probably enter the raffle with how many can actually win. If there are multiple raffles that require a specific common dragon to be collected, people are forced to either collect dragons they may really dislike or completely give up a few of their already-tiny chances of winning a Prizes. The only way I would *ever* support being forced to collect a dragon I dislike just to be eligible to get an exclusive dragon would be if the number of Prizes given out each time was raised *substantially* so that it wouldn't be such a huge deal to miss one or two raffles.

 

Now, your last paragraph I could *totally* get behind, you collect those annoying breeds you don't like and then automatically are awarded a Prize..... But I very very much doubt TJ would go for that, and that's the only way I would actually support something like this.

Edited March 10, 2018 by HeatherMarie

[Ashywolf]

Ok that makes sense. So, if it was not too difficult to get CBs of any new prize dragons (or at the least they were easier and attainable for anyone, not quite the case for the current prize dragons), that would be fine for you guys?

Edited March 11, 2018 by Ashywolf

[HeatherMarie]

27 minutes ago, Ashywolf said:

Ok that makes sense. So, if it was not too difficult to get CBs of any new prize dragons (or at the least they were easier and attainable for anyone, not quite the case for the current prize dragons), that would be fine for you guys?

 

For me, sure. I've already voiced my support for more 'shinies' and 'rares' in general, I'd have no problem with that, just not ones that are only available to a tiny portion of the userbase. I would much prefer CB Prizes to be available in a way that we can actually work towards, put in time and effort for, instead of it just being random chance. I personally would welcome some new 'prize' dragon that drops in the cave and is silver or gold rarity. Just not through the current raffle system.

[Zeditha]

28 minutes ago, Ashywolf said:

Ok that makes sense. So, if it was not too difficult to get CBs of any new prize dragons (or at the least they were easier and attainable for anyone, not quite the case for the current prize dragons), that would be fine for you guys?

 

The problem, as I see it, is not difficulty. It's luck. Thing is, when you're distributing 60 dragons a month to a userbase numbering in the thousands (I think I read 5 digits somewhere!) is not going to satisfy people who want these dragons.

 

I'd be fine with some kind of puzzle or obstacle that you have to overcome to obtain your Prize. Maybe shards appear on site pages as you navigate, like trick-or-treats and easter eggs, letting you 'buy' a Prize when you have enough? Maybe you need to raise a large number of blocker breeds, or a few blocker dragons in a specific timeframe? Those wouldn't always be 'easy'. but they're still fine.

What isn't fine is our current dumb-luck system. Most people are simply not that lucky - and there's nothing they can do to change it.

[ArgentiAertheri]

Yeah, rare is fine -- CB golds and silvers are rare, but I caught the latter not long ago, and it's "first come first serve" in a sense. See it, click it, be first, enjoy your shiny. CB prizes are entirely luck, I can play all day and tans exactly the same odds as someone who plays for an hour a month, 3 adults is basically bare minimum "you showed up". Except only a tiny sliver of those who show up will get one.

 

I'd be absolutely fine with more rares, ones where you probably won't be getting a CB, but with good internet, reflexes, and time you just might. But I'd really rather not have another "nothing you do will have any affect on the outcome" rare.

[Fuzzbucket]

7 hours ago, Zeditha said:

I'd be fine with some kind of puzzle or obstacle that you have to overcome to obtain your Prize. Maybe shards appear on site pages as you navigate, like trick-or-treats and easter eggs, letting you 'buy' a Prize when you have enough? Maybe you need to raise a large number of blocker breeds, or a few blocker dragons in a specific timeframe? Those wouldn't always be 'easy'. but they're still fine.

What isn't fine is our current dumb-luck system. Most people are simply not that lucky - and there's nothing they can do to change it.

 

I wouldn't be OK with that. It's too much like grinding. I would like to earn them by regular play. Points for each dragon raised to adult hood. To a hatchie. Extra for breeding and raising (to avoid my being able to breed 7000 dragons in one afternoon and so on.)

Edited March 11, 2018 by Fuzzbucket

[HeatherMarie]

Yeah, what Fuzz said. A very big deal with the store, for example, is that many users were very against anything that included 'grinding', having to spend tons and tons of time doing a specific thing in order to earn the shards (in this case, earn the Prize dragon). Lots of users have busy lives, work and school and family stuff, and simply don't have the ability to spend hours every day 'grinding' in a game in order to get a special dragon. I could support something like 'raise x-number of mostly-blue dragons' or somesuch, but the number would have to be low enough to be realistic for *everyone*, and I would not support having to raise *specific* dragons, especially not a 'large number'. 

[olympe]

Even if it was a "raise mostly blue dragons this month to earn points", and "buy a prize for xxx points" would be fine with me, as long as the points stack. So, you don't reach your goal in January? Well, save your points and try again in February. Maybe it'll be March, or even December - but, eventually, you'll get there.

[Fuzzbucket]

25 minutes ago, olympe said:

Even if it was a "raise mostly blue dragons this month to earn points", and "buy a prize for xxx points" would be fine with me, as long as the points stack. So, you don't reach your goal in January? Well, save your points and try again in February. Maybe it'll be March, or even December - but, eventually, you'll get there.

 

Yes indeed. There WILL be people  who say that they never collect blue dragons and so on - but it will stack up in the end as long as one is an active player. And if one isn't - why does one need a CB prize

[olympe]

For the bragging rights, obviously. Or in order to have one. And, of course, there are all those people who only want 5 CB of each (or whatever number suits their sensibilities), including 5 of all Prizes. 

[Zeditha]

13 hours ago, olympe said:

For the bragging rights, obviously. Or in order to have one. And, of course, there are all those people who only want 5 CB of each (or whatever number suits their sensibilities), including 5 of all Prizes. 

 

They can still raise and release, or grab CB blockers and dump to the AP, or breed and hatch and gift away. Basically no matter your playstyle you can be active.

And if points save, being inactive should make obtaining a CB Prize take longer, but not be impossible!

[olympe]

Personally, I agree with all your points. But not everyone does, as far as I remember.