Is it just me or is the dragcave community a lot less lively

[Shinobimasterz]

I joined dragcave in 2009. I spent 4 years on and off playing it then. It was a lively community and i spent a lot of time browsing the forums then 

 

I came back about 3 weeks ago and i have been watching the forums and to me they seem a bit stale and uneventful. 

 

There used to be a lot of active users and a lot of forum posts were extremel active, especially the requests for new dragona

 

Does anyone else feel this way or is it just me.

 

Also what can we do to liven things up

[HeatherMarie]

I've been on this forum pretty consistently for years and it seems to come in waves. For a lot of users it's summer right now, which often means vacations and family time (especially for younger users) and possibly limited internet. I think in general it tends to get a little less active around this time each year, at least that's what I've experienced. You also need to remember that the forum is not really indicative of the DC community as a whole, since only a small portion of DC users actually use the forum at all. Going by the Trading Hub, how many new trades are being posted there constantly and how quickly I get offers on trades posted there, it seems the actual game-community is definitely still very active. Many people have limited internet time, for many different reasons (work, school, parent's rules, limited bandwidth, etc) and they may need to prioritize what they spend that time on, and often the forum may not be the highest priority when you can play the actual game just fine without it.

 

edit: You are the same one who started the 'refer a friend' topic in Site Discussion, is there a specific reason you think DC is less active and needs to be 'livened up'? Are you getting less trade offers, less views on your growing dragons, is there something specific that's happening to make you so concerned about the activity level here? I'm here nearly every single day, and have been for multiple years, and I really don't see what you are describing. If there is something specific making you feel this way, it would be nice to know what.

 

edit again: You mention the requests for new dragons, that section has slowed down a lot because of the fact that it's no longer possible to make new threads there, it's locked to new topics until some of the older topics get finished/closed. Therefore there is much less activity and motivation to post there unless you are actually actively involved in making one of the concepts.

Edited June 24, 2018 by HeatherMarie

[Shinobimasterz]

Well i just posted the same topic on a facebook group and it seems to me that there are a lot of active users there

 

Most of them complain about people being stuck up and if you werent acquainted with the spriters, tj or someone important to the website, you werent worth talking to

 

If it really was that way, it isnt a wonder why people left. Heck i would leave too.

[Ruby Eyes]

6 minutes ago, Shinobimasterz said:

Most of them complain about people being stuck up and if you werent acquainted with the spriters, tj or someone important to the website, you werent worth talking to 

Huh? If the majority of the player base weren't worth talking to, wouldn't it be said majority who think so?

(I haven't experienced this, but then again I may just not have talked to that kind of stuck up people yet.)

[Shinobimasterz]

Well. 

2 minutes ago, Ruby Eyes said:

Huh? If the majority of the player base weren't worth talking to, wouldn't it be said majority who think so?

(I haven't experienced this, but then again I may just not have talked to that kind of stuck up people yet.)

 

Well that is what they have said; that they were met wirh unfriendly attitudes and after a while gave up on the forums. And it is not just one person that said the same thing. It is about a dozen of them. All of them with their own story. 

 

Most of them only use the forums for PMs and trading now. Nothing more

[The Dragoness]

2 hours ago, Shinobimasterz said:

Most of them complain about people being stuck up and if you werent acquainted with the spriters, tj or someone important to the website, you werent worth talking to.

This is why they use the Facebook group instead of the forum. Judgmental people have never had a place here. Do they really think that they're better than everyone here?

 

I think the forum is a great place. The only times I've ever been "bullied," I was sent 20+ kind PMs from strangers who offered support. These weren't even people I talked to regularly. And yes, the spriters and TJ are important, but that doesn't mean they're the focus of the community. Members of authority will always have that role. There are quite a few forum members who stick out just for being nice, not because they have a fancy title or a special dragon. 

 

If you want to "liven things up," start a game thread. I run a raffle on the side when I have time and it attracts a decent amount of player attention. I've made a handful of friends there too. 

[Fuzzbucket]

3 hours ago, Ruby Eyes said:

Huh? If the majority of the player base weren't worth talking to, wouldn't it be said majority who think so?

(I haven't experienced this, but then again I may just not have talked to that kind of stuck up people yet.)

 

I haven't either. But there have been - including in the past - people who felt that because they had an idea it MUST happen, no matter how no-one else supported it, and who ragequit.

 

There was also the fallout when Sock left. That had a lot of people feeling less positive about the forum. And also the HORRIBLE forum software upgrade. which has certainly left me less interested. I used to play in a lot of the game threads - but it's too much hassle now; the message facility is dreadful, the WYSYWYG editor is vile and cannot be got around, and more.

 

47 minutes ago, The Dragoness said:

This is why they use the Facebook group instead of the forum. Judgmental people have never had a place here. Do they really think that they're better than everyone here?

 

I think the forum is a great place. The only times I've ever been "bullied," I was sent 20+ kind PMs from strangers who offered support. These weren't even people I talked to regularly. And yes, the spriters and TJ are important, but that doesn't mean they're the focus of the community. Members of authority will always have that role. There are quite a few forum members who stick out just for being nice, not because they have a fancy title or a special dragon. 

 

If you want to "liven things up," start a game thread. I run a raffle on the side when I have time and it attracts a decent amount of player attention. I've made a handful of friends there too. 

 

Exactly this. And if they want to play on facebook - good luck to them. It's a horrible place, so they will never have to see me again.

[HeatherMarie]

The forums are not generally hostile/unwelcoming, but there have been instances over the years where I'm sure some people probably left with a bad taste in their mouths. Controversy over sprite updates and lack of communication have been heated topics here many times, and I myself have had to step away from the forums for a bit when a topic gets me too worked up. There are also people who post a totally out-there suggestion in the Suggestions section, and get really upset/defensive when others post trying to explain why the suggestion wouldn't work with this game. And of course there are people who blatantly disregard the rules, and then get pissed when they are called out on it. 

 

But none of that means that the forum members in general are stuck-up, or uninviting, or anything like that. And anyways, I'm not sure what a handful of people's negative attitudes about the forum have to do with the topic of DC not being as active/lively? I mean, sure there are people who used to be on the forums who aren't anymore, that's true of pretty much any long-standing website. But simply looking at all the active threads on this forum, especially in Trading and the forum-games part, should show that the forums aren't exactly dead. There is plenty of activity here, and a handful of people leaving because of reasons none of us really know doesn't change that. (Really, you only need to look as far as the News threads during a new release or holiday event to see just how many people are still very active here!)

[Shinobimasterz]

1 hour ago, The Dragoness said:

This is why they use the Facebook group instead of the forum. Judgmental people have never had a place here. Do they really think that they're better than everyone here?

 

I think the forum is a great place. The only times I've ever been "bullied," I was sent 20+ kind PMs from strangers who offered support. These weren't even people I talked to regularly. And yes, the spriters and TJ are important, but that doesn't mean they're the focus of the community. Members of authority will always have that role. There are quite a few forum members who stick out just for being nice, not because they have a fancy title or a special dragon. 

 

If you want to "liven things up," start a game thread. I run a raffle on the side when I have time and it attracts a decent amount of player attention. I've made a handful of friends there too. 

 

Well I have been away for quite a while. I am really heartbroken to see the community broken apart like this...

 

I do not know exactly what happened nor will I ever know. All that I do know is that I don't wish this game to slowly die out.

 

I will try to make things happen. See what I can do. I am coming home later today.

 

24 minutes ago, Fuzzbucket said:

 

I haven't either. But there have been - including in the past - people who felt that because they had an idea it MUST happen, no matter how no-one else supported it, and who ragequit.

 

There was also the fallout when Sock left. That had a lot of people feeling less positive about the forum. And also the HORRIBLE forum software upgrade. which has certainly left me less interested. I used to play in a lot of the game threads - but it's too much hassle now; the message facility is dreadful, the WYSYWYG editor is vile and cannot be got around, and more.

 

 

Exactly this. And if they want to play on facebook - good luck to them. It's a horrible place, so they will never have to see me again.

 

As I said. I do not know what exactly happened

[Ruby Eyes]

Sometimes it's just real life that happens. While some of those you knew aren't here anymore, new people are trickling in constantly. You just need to get to know them.

[CatCreature]

3 hours ago, Fuzzbucket said:

And also the HORRIBLE forum software upgrade. which has certainly left me less interested. I used to play in a lot of the game threads - but it's too much hassle now; the message facility is dreadful, the WYSYWYG editor is vile and cannot be got around, and more.

This is the reason why I don't post much anymore. I really don't like this new forum.

 

Yesterday I updated TGT and managed to delete two hours work while fighting the forum software.

 

Quote

Exactly this. And if they want to play on facebook - good luck to them. It's a horrible place, so they will never have to see me again.

Some of us are both here and on Facebook. So you don't get rid of us that easy.

[Fuzzbucket]

3 hours ago, Shinobimasterz said:

 

Well I have been away for quite a while. I am really heartbroken to see the community broken apart like this...

 

I do not know exactly what happened nor will I ever know. All that I do know is that I don't wish this game to slowly die out.

 

I will try to make things happen. See what I can do. I am coming home later today.

 

 

As I said. I do not know what exactly happened

 

But I don't see where you get the idea that it IS broken apart. Or that "something happened" (Except for the Sock business.)

 

It sounds as though a few disgruntled people are sounding off on facebook because this forum didn't give them what they wanted. But to my mind it's a little less active, perhaps, but not in any way falling over dead. No chance. Count the number of posts today. (OMG no thanks. But there are PLENTY !)

 

Edited June 25, 2018 by Fuzzbucket

[Lagie]

Just now, CatCreature said:

Some of us are both here and on Facebook. So you don't get rid of us that easy.

This!

Come chat with us at CPA! (Just don't follow the link in my sig - I never updated it after the forum change.)

[Jazeki]

I've been on the forum for 9ish years now and I agree that the activity comes and goes in waves. I don't really go out of my way to interact or not, but I don't think people are actively snubbing interaction unless it involves pestering others for trades or replies or breeding or something along those lines. People have favorites wherever they go and of course being a mod or artist or TJ will garner much more attention than being a regular poster going about life on the forum. LOL. I also think that the site is far from dying. TJ even hinted as such in the birthday thread: "there's no signs of slowing down."

 

If anything, deciding that other people aren't worth talking to is probably the reason that those users are getting less interaction than they'd like. 

 

Beyond that, there's always DC drama, but we're hardly in shambles over here.

[HeatherMarie]

5 hours ago, Jazeki said:

 

If anything, deciding that other people aren't worth talking to is probably the reason that those users are getting less interaction than they'd like. 

 

Beyond that, there's always DC drama, but we're hardly in shambles over here.

 

This! I've been here a loooong time, and sure I've seen people leave in a huff, but usually because of some perceived injustice or imagined hostility (like people shooting down their suggestions or such), but this forum is *not* hostile/unfriendly in general, and if people aren't here anymore because they don't think people here are worth talking to, well that's on them.

 

 

6 hours ago, Fuzzbucket said:

 

But I don't see where you get the idea that it IS broken apart. Or that "something happened" (Except for the Sock business.)

 

It sounds as though a few disgruntled people are sounding off on facebook because this forum didn't give them what they wanted. But to my mind it's a little less active, perhaps, but not in any way falling over dead. No chance. Count the number of posts today. (OMG no thanks. But there are PLENTY !)

 

 

And this. I'm very confused why you seem to think that there is something that needs to be fixed or 'livened up' or whatever.... A handful of people saying they aren't on the forums anymore is very very different then the forum or game dying. You only need to look at simple stats to see just how *far* from dying this place is: Look at the number of posts on any given day, look at the number of eggs being bred to the AP and the number of trades in the Trading Hub, etc etc. You can't really do much about a small number of people who decide the forum isn't for them, but I certainly don't see anything to suggest that this place needs any help in terms of getting more activity!

[Ruby Eyes]

4 hours ago, AVermiciousKnid said:

see my profile for details

Yeah, that one ... Every now and then I see someone's trade, and think "I have/can breed what they want but don't need what they offer, so I'm just going to gift it to them."

And then I go to their profile to get the message button - and in some cases I see this text (because I'm bad with names and didn't realize earlier) and remember "Oh dang, now I bred this thing and don't know what to do with it." because that text is mostly just scaring away harmless/friendly people - sadly not those who'd actually harass you. Kind of like a self-fulfilling prophecy? I don't know what incident(s) initially lead to that text, but considering how long you've already tried shielding yourself from others, it seems to me that this forum used to be a much more hostile place than it is now. Of course, I cannot see what happens behind the scenes (aka in PM boxes.)

 

Viewbombings: Technical possibilities are more than they used to be. Every idiot wannabe script kiddie can just buy access to a bot net or some such and throw its effects at a fansite or at a single user. Unfortunately, there is much less effort required these days to expend one's criminal intents ...

 

(That's my 2 euro-cents. I'm not a native English speaker, so please try to not take things I say as an offense. Just the other day I was amazed how someone's statement was apparently understood as the total opposite of what I thought it meant. )

[Fuzzbucket]

Um yeah. I breed for free and often gift out of the blue. It is really sad when you want to be nice to someone and hit a message like that. And people so often perceive rudeness where none is intended. Especially on a forum we\here loads of people don't have English as their first language. I've hit rudeness and the like myself - here and everywhere else I go. It's out there. Bt it's not a reason to stop doing what I enjoy.

 

And about viewboming and the rest - yes, we all saw what happened to EATW. A determined person with the knowledge will always manage to get around anything TJ can set up. But what on earth did that have to do with the forum ? and given that it wasn't TJ's site, what could he have done to prevent it ?

 

Still - if anyone doesn't like it here, they don't have to be here.

[Jazeki]

Yes, there are snotty people and yes, I've been on the receiving end of it (outside the forum), but I have yet to see it in such great amounts that people are leaving the forum or the game in droves. As I said before, DC has its share of drama, but the dust generally clears. If anything, this sort of thread invites nasty behavior (like viewbombing....my scroll is certainly getting more views, but eh) or causes newer players to reconsider trying to establish a place on the forum. I'm not saying that the forum atmosphere is sunshine and rainbows all the time or that we don't want more players and more activity to spice things up a bit or that everyone is in the wrong, it's just that it's a little preemptive to see this sort of thread when there are no huge signs of decline. I actually think this gets brought up at least twice a year when things get slow.

 

I also want to point out that when I invite people to play the game, I tell them that they don't have to join the forum because I'm aware of the negative things that happen. I don't go into detail, but being on here is by no means a necessity.

[Ruby Eyes]

2 hours ago, Fuzzbucket said:

Still - if anyone doesn't like it here, they don't have to be here.

they can also try to make it better

[lilysally]

maybe the people who play grow older, have jobs, families, other hobbies?
it used to be a lot of students here some years ago, if I remember correctly - at some stage, they finish their studies and get full time employment, hopefully

 

as for me, I started playing on and off quite some time ago, then played a lot when made unemployed several times over the last 10 years, now have been in this job for 5 years with more and more restrictions on time (work, house, commute, 4 dogs)

 

also, because of the unemployment situation I never installed proper internet at home (rather expensive here) and therefore only play on my phone when not at a place with wifi/lan

[Aqub]

I'm not active too often but I have been here recently and I've noticed a difference from when summer started. Now that students are now out of school things have seemed to slow down a bit, but overall, I don't see much difference between when I played years ago and now that I'm back. As for the way the people here act, I'm really shocked to see some of you saying it's not a great community, because I've always thought the people who are often active on the DC forums make up pretty much the kindest community I've ever seen on the internet... I guess I'm not picky when it comes to communities, then. 

[Jazeki]

39 minutes ago, aqub said:

 As for the way the people here act, I'm really shocked to see some of you saying it's not a great community, because I've always thought the people who are often active on the DC forums make up pretty much the kindest community I've ever seen on the internet... I guess I'm not picky when it comes to communities, then. 

I think that any forum has potential to be a toxic, uncaring place. It just all comes down to people's experiences and everyone is going to have a different one. Like you, I've found that the DC forum is very kind. I've interacted with so many great people and been gifted so many things out of the blue.  I don't think that we can control what other people do or don't do--especially in the PM's or off the site. We can just try to do our best. ☺️

[Fuzzbucket]

8 hours ago, Ruby Eyes said:

they can also try to make it better

 

This, very much. Sure - there's drama at times, but most people can move on and get past it. It's sad that some can't - or don't choose to, preferring to go curse elsewhere.

[Gluria]

I am (and have been) active in many many forum communities over the years and I can tell you, the DC forum is in no way worse than any other community I've encountered during my "online lifetime".

That goes for both big and small forums: people can (and will) be d-bags, and yes, that happens even among mods. Everywhere.

I even go as far as to say that there is no (publicly accessible) forum where there's no conflict, ever.

 

In general, I like the community (I even got used to the forum update), but I am not very active here, as I went from "student" to "trainee" to "working full-time and having a household to manage", so my time in internet communities is somewhat limited.

 

It's sad things like harassment even exist, especially when it comes to trades. That's so silly.

I've never encountered it and I usually try to stay out of drama.

 

Of course, I've witnessed some conflict over the years, but tbh, most of it was quite unnecessary and rooting in personal preferences of users not being met.

Edited June 26, 2018 by Gluria

[hazeh]

8 hours ago, lilysally said:

maybe the people who play grow older, have jobs, families, other hobbies?
it used to be a lot of students here some years ago, if I remember correctly - at some stage, they finish their studies and get full time employment, hopefully

 

as for me, I started playing on and off quite some time ago, then played a lot when made unemployed several times over the last 10 years, now have been in this job for 5 years with more and more restrictions on time (work, house, commute, 4 dogs)

 

also, because of the unemployment situation I never installed proper internet at home (rather expensive here) and therefore only play on my phone when not at a place with wifi/lan

This is my thought, too. When I first started in DC, its activity felt explosive. At least to me it did; I came from Neopets and Gaia, who also had active communities that felt as though they would never run out of steam. As I went through high school and eventually reached college, though, I did notice a gradual decline, and eventually a bit of a peter out of excessive activity (I am also at fault, too, considering how many times I've poofed from the forums over the years, this due to my own schedule of life as I grew older). I don't think DC is anywhere near being "dead" or even dying, but I do notice a difference from the time I was young and new to the site, and now. There could be a multitude of reasons for that, and some of it could simply be a change of my own perception. *shrug* I've also become a mod within that time, so that might have shifted my expectations for activity.