2018-05-21 - Dragon Cave's 12th Birthday!

[Ruby Eyes]

22 minutes ago, jerzeeshadow said:

I'm getting the urge to do a mass-breed of seasonals on this Seasonal sprite update😉

Hopefully not yet another PB wall?

 

I've just recently looked at Seasonals and wondered if I should possibly do some lineages with them, but their style didn't quite make them suitable in my eyes for anything (they felt like pokemon to me, not like dragons).

This might change now with this update (except Winters - I need to get used to that headpiece's colour!) I'm just glad they didn't turn out to be overly shiny! They have some nice, solid colours to work with.

[Amazon_warrior]

Nifty-looking eggs!  After some deliberation, I decided to enter into the spirit of things and have reserved the names "Lion Of Gryffindor", "Raven Of Ravenclaw", "Badger Of Hufflepuff", and "Snake Of Slytherin" for some of my new babs when they hatch. 

Edited May 22, 2018 by Amazon_warrior

[Singalana]

This event seems very promising!

 

I especially like the new designs on the Seasonals, so gorgeous! 

 

I had no trouble grabbing a pair of each new egg, so no complaints there either, very keen on seeing what kind of dragons they will be!

 

I'm completely in love with the new Trading-feature, now it's SO easy to find the type of dragon you want to trade! Also I'm usually lazy in creating forum trade posts, so this trading feature is definitely a huge plus!

Edited May 22, 2018 by Singalana

[Nakeisha]

5 hours ago, angelicdragonpuppy said:

Sigh I know I’m beating a dead horse, but I hope after the seemingly requisite round of old sprite updates (presumably dark greens, stones, and dorsals are on the docket) sprite updates more or less come to a halt.

 

I’m an artist and a writer; I understand how cringeworthy it can be to look at old works. I also understand DC’s interest in making everything spiffy. But at the same time, with a simple game like this, so much of it centers specifically around the art as it ALREADY IS. I didn’t make a dozen 5g+ lineages with Seasonals because they were good at winning battles or so fun to interact with and feed every day. These aren’t things DC does. I got them because I liked the art... so having the art changed really does feel like having so much work stripped away. Obviously much more care goes into updates now than did long ago, but every change still hurts, often most keenly those who loved the breed best. Once something has been put out into the game for collecting and use, I wish it would stay as we got it, warts and all. After all, it’s those warts we’ve chosen to collect and work with.

I do so agree with you.

[reddof-f6]

the only thing that annoys me on the seasonals are the angled wings lacking a smooth curve the old ones had.

(left side) on the summer male. its got a slant toward the top that then turns into a sudden straight down line. the right wing has an odd diagonal line too.

 

the fall male has a slant diagonal on the right as well.

[Genjar]

For the most part, I like the new Seasonals. But the hatchlings are too uniform now that they lost the small details such as the leaves.

Winter was one of the few hatchlings that I've ever frozen, now I kind of regret having one.

 

Also, the adult Winter will take some time to get used to. I thought that the sparkles were glittery snow, but now they're suddenly snowflakes. Even though eggs still have glitter.

[StormWizard212]

13 minutes ago, Genjar said:

Also, the adult Winter will take some time to get used to. I thought that the sparkles were glittery snow, but now they're suddenly snowflakes. Even though eggs still have glitter.

 

I've always assumed they represented snowflakes, even if they weren't drawn in that amount of detail. I do think the spirit of the new sprites captures the old ones, personally, even if things look a little bit different.  

[Laura-Borealis]

8 hours ago, HeatherMarie said:

 

That is actually a very, very good way to phrase the way I feel about sprite updates in general, thank you for phrasing it that way. On one hand I understand an artist wanting to correct obvious flaws as they get better at their craft, but it does sometimes feel like everyone is too focused on 'perfection' rather then appreciating the things we already have. Is it really so horrible if a couple sprites have a few anatomy flaws? They are dragons, it's not like they are realistic to being with. I feel so torn about this because I *do* totally understand artists looking at something and going 'omg that's not right' or 'how could I have ever made those mistakes' or something (I'm a writer, and a book is often crap without editing...). But where is the line drawn? Is this quest for 'perfection' going to lead to re-updating the sprites 5+ years down the line when maybe an artist sees something wrong with this new version? At what point is it okay to just go 'okay it's not perfect but that's the way it's going to be'? 

 

(Also, since other people have now talked about it, Royal Blues are the one I mentioned earlier. They are my very-very-very favorites, so much so that I honestly can't imagine how heartbroken I'd be if they were 'updated'. I've dealt with the golds, the silvers, the nilias, and so many others, hated the change but dealt with it. But Royal Blues... My heart would just break. And no I really don't care at all about any anatomy flaws, RBs are perfect to me just the way they are.)

 

How I see it is: Anatomy is not everything. There are so many other aspects to a good design, in particular the style. The Reds are a good example. The original has a flat, Medieval, heraldic-looking style. The new one is "better" in that it corrects anatomy, shading, etc and adds detail like the scales, which really are beautifully done, don't get me wrong. But there's no Medieval feel to it now, and that's what I miss. 

 

Dragons in Heraldry (google images link)

[Minkee]

I very much enjoy all of these additions and changes.

 

I'm so excited to see these dragons grown, my heart was about to explode at the Harry Potter theme.♥ And the sprite updates are absolutely gorgeous. Not that I disliked them before, but I definitely enjoy them a lot more now. Sorry to the artists receiving negative backlash, but do know that there are likely many more that support these positive changes.♥ (Not referring to people who genuinely enjoyed the old sprites better, more so to people just straight up being disrespectful).

Edited May 22, 2018 by Minkee

[Stormpaws]

4 hours ago, OrcaFreak said:

 

I kind of hope the Albino's get an update some day. The way the adult holds his head must really starting to hurt after such a long time  

 

The adults ok, if lineages don't get ruined by too drastic changes in color and poses. But please don't change the hatchlings. They're perfect and adorable.

[Lexadin]

I was so busy with Exams that I almost forgot that it was DC's B-Day.

So a late Happy Birthday DC.

The new Sprites look great.

That market looks very tempting. I wonder if they're counted as CBs.

That Trading Hub seems useful aswell. Can't wait to use them when I've finished my exams...

[digipup]

The new red sprite looks great, but I'm not a fan of the new seasonals; they seem like they're missing a lot of the detail that the old ones had. Looks like the hatchlings aren't gender dimorphs anymore, either.

 

Loving the marketplace and trading hub features. Thanks, TJ.

[High Lord November]

4 minutes ago, digipup said:

The new red sprite looks great, but I'm not a fan of the new seasonals; they seem like they're missing a lot of the detail that the old ones had. Looks like the hatchlings aren't gender dimorphs anymore, either.

 

Loving the marketplace and trading hub features. Thanks, TJ.

They are slightly dimorphic - the males have an extra headpiece nub. 

[StormWizard212]

4 minutes ago, digipup said:

Looks like the hatchlings aren't gender dimorphs anymore, either.

 

They are, actually!  You've just got to look very carefully at their heads. 

[JavaTigress]

22 minutes ago, StormWizard212 said:

 

They are, actually!  You've just got to look very carefully at their heads. 

This, I think. And  think that was true befor also... they always were only MILDLY dimorphic. You had to look closely.

[Cthulhu]

Happy birthday Dragcave!!

 

I thought that starting late it would be harder to grab the eggs, but I am happy to have caught two of each eggs. 

[Luxrayx]

I love the sprite updates because of how well the artists managed to preserve the original look of the sprites. The only ones that bother me are the winter seasonals, but that's probably just because they're my favorite so I'm less open to them changing. Actually, I think it's because of the shape and size of their heads, but I'll get used to it.

I really love all these updates! The new dragons are beautiful as well.

[Syiren]

Did we just get a snake dragon with wings?! 😱😀😍

 

Okay, Im a hufflepuff, but I may end up hoarding some Slytheren draggos.

[Shokomon]

2 hours ago, reddof-f6 said:

the only thing that annoys me on the seasonals are the angled wings lacking a smooth curve the old ones had.

(left side) on the summer male. its got a slant toward the top that then turns into a sudden straight down line. the right wing has an odd diagonal line too.

 

the fall male has a slant diagonal on the right as well.

They aren't smooth because wings need wing joints.

[Lovecats]

Oooh I can't wait 'till these little ones grow up! I bet the Yellow/Traditional Drake one'll look fab with Kingcrownes, Embers and Aegis'! As for the snek, me thinks they'll go with Winter Seasonals, Whites and Fells. Blue birb might go with Waterhorses, Purple Nebs and Red Gemshards whilst the eastern Badger might go well with Mageias, Monarchs and Bolts. So all in all, lots of potential with these guys.  

Edited May 22, 2018 by lovecats99

[purplehaze]

Two days just seems too long when waiting for these eggs to hatch so I can grab more! And three days seems forever while waiting for TJ's hatchlings to grow up so we can see their adult selves! They look like a promising bunch of hatchies. I especially like the snek! Can't wait to see what it will become!

 

I've just seen the new Red hatchies in the hatcheries. I must say I really like them, although they are quite different. While I did really like the medieval look to the adult sprite and am kind of sorry to see it go, I was hesitant to use it in lineages because it didn't seem to "fit" with other breeds very well. I may have a second look at using them in some lineages now.

Edited May 22, 2018 by purplehaze

[briareire]

Thanks TJ and everyone involved! Can't believe it's been that long! I've been here almost since the beginning! :-)

[Arlessiar]

Happy Birthday, Dragon Cave!
Time flies. Playing this for so many years now, and I still love it. 

 

I was away this weekend but managed to catch a pair of eggs of every new dragon even on my mobile phone, so happy about that!

The new trading system and the opportunity to "buy" dragons are also nice new features, can't wait to try them out. 

 

I'm also happy about the new sprites. I liked the old red dragon but the new one looks even better. And the seasonals have always been looking as if they don't really belong to the rest of the dragons (imho of course) and that isn't that case anymore, so personally I'm quite glad that the sprites changed. 

[Data_Girl_3]

-Happy Birthday, Dragon Cave!  And what a lovely set of dragons!  And Amazon_warrior has a point.  They do kind of resemble like the Hogwarts House mascots, don't they?  Can't wait to see what the adults look like.

 

As for the sprite revamps for the Reds and Seasonals, I have no real opinion.  Though I once again feel a bit bummed that I ended up with four females and didn't get any males.  I prefer the male sprites to to the female ones.

 

Also kind of miss how the Red Hatchlings and Bright Pink Hatchlings used to be virtually identical.  But the new look works for both of them.

[Sophiera]

I like the sprite revamps for Seasonals and Reds. Was just thinking not too long ago that they're getting outdated compared to the rest of the collection.