Consolation Shards and Market Improvements

[_DeadPool_]

I'd like to suggest some kind of consolation prize for not winning the monthly Raffle. As awesome as CB prizes are, I'd very much like to get some kind of something for completing the objectives for each month's raffle requirement. If not a consolation prize, than a secondary raffle within the same monthly raffle pool, with more winners for a lesser prize (i.e. a common egg, etc).

My current suggestions, in order of my favorites, would be:

1: one free egg of your choice from the market (shard value of anywhere between 100 and 500 shards have been suggested. I like 100-200 myself, to avoid messing with ratios of rare eggs)

2: 100-200 shards

 

Feel free to make other suggestions - I just find the whole raffle to be sort of discouraging (I've been on DC since '09 and never won).

 

I'd also like to make a few suggestions for the Market.

1: scroll name change, with high cost and a cooldown

• Maybe 8k shards, which would already have an inherent cooldown because of the shard limit.
• This option could be limited to ONE TIME per scroll if need be.

2: Code requests

• Would also have a high cost, and high cooldown to prevent issues. And because they would be market eggs, they couldn't just be put right up on the hub.
• It has been suggested that there might be problems with people getting naughty/hurtful/slur codes - I would respond that these happen randomly, and I don't see much difference between a randomly generated code of such type and one that is chosen. I would also say that a screening system could be put into place to ensure codes like these cannot be requested - they could still come up randomly, however.
• This, instead of a repeatable option, could also be a ONE TIME option per scroll.

 

Any other thoughts appreciated.

Edited January 21, 2020 by _DeadPool_

[Sazandora]

Well, sure. There might be plenty of people who have no use for the market as they've met all of their scroll goals, but I'm someone who loves to hoard dragons (especially Kingcrownes and Siyats) and I could always use some extra shards to buy things that tickle my fancy. Plus I'll always support (almost) anything that'd let me change my scroll name.

[_DeadPool_]

I haven't used the market yet...I'm one of those strange people that needs to hoard currencies and items (this is awful for me in RPGs and MMOs and such - it's terrible lol). I just can't bring myself to spend my shards. But I would LOVE to get the chance to add to my infiniderg hoard every month.

[Chaosdawn]

I would love to see a consolation prize of some shards for non-winners, such as myself. It does get discouraging month after month, receiving at least -something- would make it more tolerable. 

[Stromboli]

Shards for username changes has its own thread: 

 

 

Not a fan of buying codes, personally.

 

Long been wanting shards as a prize option for the raffle, though. Like, I don't think I'd necessarily need it to be something that we get every time we lose the raffle, but if it were awarded to a high enough percent of entrants that you'd probably win a time or three over the course of the year, it'd make the raffle more fun to me. And tbh, i would use the market a lot more if there was another means of getting shards than the 100 shards per week. Right now every time I look at a dragon in the market, it becomes "Ugh, but do I really want to wait another month and a half until I can buy a new Gold?" and then I never buy anything.

[DragonLady86]

Winning shards has also been suggested with very little support. A number of people claim because they would never use shards, they shouldn't be given out. I haven't used mine either but I'm pretty neutral myself.

 

I can say special codes is probably a no-go. They are unfortunately under the category of "should have never been a thing" much like CB alts. which Is sad because I would have liked one myself.

[OMGitsKairi]

2 hours ago, _DeadPool_ said:

I haven't used the market yet...I'm one of those strange people that needs to hoard currencies and items (this is awful for me in RPGs and MMOs and such - it's terrible lol). I just can't bring myself to spend my shards. 

This is me, too hahaha. 

 

Also, I would lovelovelove to be able to buy custom codes from the market. That's probably something I would actually spend my shards on, XD I was so sad when TJ said no more custom codes for raffle winners because I had had a name/code combo picked out for years. Just in case I ever did win, rofl.

 

So uhh, tl;dr- Heck yes custom codes please. Even if they're exorbitant. 

[Keileon]

I would save up shards for a year to get custom codes tbh

But really? My main issue with the Market is the dragons you can't get from it. Zyus? Eh, sure, I get it but there's no reason for them not to be available. But Sunrise eggs aren't either! And I'm sure there are other commons I'm forgetting that are unavailable.

[_DeadPool_]

I don't understand why custom codes couldn't/wouldn't be added. Doesnt really make sense to me. Like i said, there would have to be a large cooldown and/or cost to ensure no monopolizing of codes. But ensuring people can get special codes if they want them (eg, to remember loved ones, celebrate special occasions, what have you) would make your dergs even more special. And it's not like it'd be PTW since you're given the currency to buy them by playing.

[HeatherMarie]

I'm like 90% positive TJ has said that custom codes will never be a thing again, but of course it's possible for him to change his mind. Personally I don't care either way about that, but I do wonder just how probable/difficult/limiting it would actually be... DC has been around for over a decade now. There are most likely *millions* of dragons out there at this point. I know a lot of people collect awesome name-codes. So, just how many requested 'custom codes' might still be available? How frustrating would it be to attempt to buy a code only to repeatedly get a message that it's already in use? 

 

As for the rest... Don't really support or not-support, though I feel like '1: one free egg of your choice from the market' would probably be a no-go in general simply because of the hugely differing prices/rarities. Possibly it could be changed to '1 free egg no more than 500 shards' or somesuch. I am one of those people that originally was vocally against shard 'consolation prizes' for the raffle because it just feels like kind of a slap in the face, ie 'well you didn't win what you actually wanted but here is a handful of shards that you won't actually use!'.... But if it seems that a good number of people actually *would* make use of those extra shards, then I understand the appeal. 

 

 

[DragonLady86]

3 hours ago, _DeadPool_ said:

I don't understand why custom codes couldn't/wouldn't be added. Doesnt really make sense to me. Like i said, there would have to be a large cooldown and/or cost to ensure no monopolizing of codes. But ensuring people can get special codes if they want them (eg, to remember loved ones, celebrate special occasions, what have you) would make your dergs even more special. And it's not like it'd be PTW since you're given the currency to buy them by playing.

Because TJ has to code each  one individually. Even with a high price a lot of people would save up and that is a lot of extra work given how many people are on this site. And those of us who have never used ours might be able to do so immediately....

 

As much as I'd love to, I'd rather he spend his available time doing things that help the site rather than the individual users.

[Fuzzbucket]

I really cannot see any reason at all for everyone to get something for entering a raffle and not winning. Do we all expect to get money back for buying a lottery ticket and not winning ? You get a chance, you hope for the best, end of.

[Keileon]

Another reason for not having custom codes anymore is a matter of liability. It's one thing to let slur codes spawn randomly; they're just strings of random letters and numbers that can sometimes spell out a word. It's another thing entirely to give players the tools to explicitly choose to generate one. It can't be filtered; chatspeak is a thing. It can't be moderated because TJ can't check every obscene code to see if it was random or chosen. If the code generation is automated, TJ wouldn't be able to easily track it; if it's not automated, then it's still extra work for him to code in every single custom code.

[Chaosdawn]

I just want to add that I haven't used any of my shards literally because there's only one way to get them. If there was another way, like a consolation prize, I would start buying eggs in the market. As it is now, I just hold onto to them because I'm not sure what I want and if I buy a gold, it'll be months before I have enough shards to buy a silver and even longer to buy another gold. The market is the only option for people who cannot seem to catch rares in the cave and do not have much of value to trade for them. I would love to have another source of shards.

[Stormcaller]

2 hours ago, Chaosdawn said:

I just want to add that I haven't used any of my shards literally because there's only one way to get them. If there was another way, like a consolation prize, I would start buying eggs in the market. As it is now, I just hold onto to them because I'm not sure what I want and if I buy a gold, it'll be months before I have enough shards to buy a silver and even longer to buy another gold. The market is the only option for people who cannot seem to catch rares in the cave and do not have much of value to trade for them. I would love to have another source of shards.

 

I know exactly what you are saying.  In my case, I did go ahead and buy the Gold that I have never been able to catch. Now, even though quite a bit of time has passed, when I see the number of shards I have, I regret having bought it. 

[Fuzzbucket]

I play regularly; I have bought two golds thus far. My other CBs were all gifts or traded for. For things like 20 BSA hatchies.

 

 I don't quite see what your point is.

[HeatherMarie]

9 hours ago, Fuzzbucket said:

I really cannot see any reason at all for everyone to get something for entering a raffle and not winning. Do we all expect to get money back for buying a lottery ticket and not winning ? You get a chance, you hope for the best, end of.

 

Kinda have to agree here... As much as I dislike the raffle in general and the whole Prize issue, tossing consolation non-prizes at people just for entering the raffle kind of negates the whole point of a raffle? 

 

16 minutes ago, Fuzzbucket said:

I play regularly; I have bought two golds thus far. My other CBs were all gifts or traded for. For things like 20 BSA hatchies.

 

 I don't quite see what your point is.

 

Also agree here? If you (general 'you') want to get nit-picky, there is not 'only one way' to get shards, there are at least 5 ways. Breeding, grabbing an egg from the AP, grabbing an egg from the biomes, hatching an egg, growing a hatchling.... Just because they all involve actually playing the game doesn't mean there is only one way to get shards. Imo the amount/pace of shards vs the Market prices seems pretty fair and on-point, honestly... I haven't spent any of my shards, and simply by playing the game I've earned enough shards to afford *two* Golds *and* still have over 1k shards left. They aren't *supposed* to be earned fast, we aren't *supposed* to be able to rack up shards and buy anything and everything we want. Patience and prioritizing are key. 

 

(Personally, if we are talking about different possible 'consolation' things for non-winners, I'd much rather see something actually related to why we enter the raffle in the first place (winning Prize dragons). Like maybe if you don't win for 12 consecutive months you get one extra 'entry' into the next raffle. Not that I actually want that to happen, I'm just saying if people want to get something for not winning the raffle, it'd make much more sense to at least be *related* to the raffle itself.)

[Ruby Eyes]

I definitely would like to purchase codes. Actually, just one (and it's totally safe, too).

Pretty sure TJ can automagically run such code requests through a cursefilter like he already uses for dragon names.

 

[olympe]

Meh. "One free egg of choice" will only result in everyone and their second cousin choosing CB gold eggs every single month, thereby skewing the ratios in a way nobody really wants to see. Golds would become as good as extinct in the biomes and as good as unbreedable (unless it's the other parent's breed). However, if it's "one 100 shard egg of choice" or something along that line, I wouldn't be nearly as opposed, considering this would actually help the ratios. Although I doubt it would feel like much of a win.

 

Adding 100 or 200 shards to everyone who participitated seems to go in the same direction. Not much of an effect, plus you can easily earn 400 shards every month. It doesn't really seem to be worth it to me.

[_DeadPool_]

Ok that's my bad - I meant to add that the free egg could only be 100-200 shards. And i would consider it an ABSOLUTE win to get another Lihnseyre/Galvanic/whatever each month that I don't win the raffle.

 

I don't understand why the fact that it's a raffle precludes everyone who doesn't win the Grand Prize from getting a "lesser" prize. But if that's the objection, we could amend the solution to be:

Grand prize: X number of cb prizes

2nd prize: (larger X number of people) one egg from market 500 shards and under.

 

Many lotteries are run this way. But objecting just because you in particular don't want the suggested "consolation" prize...isnt really an objection. I dont understand why it bothers you at that point.

 

I could also see changing the custom code option to be a "once per scroll" thing. One custom code for x high number of shards.

Edited January 11, 2020 by _DeadPool_

[_DeadPool_]

2 hours ago, HeatherMarie said:

Kinda have to agree here... As much as I dislike the raffle in general and the whole Prize issue, tossing consolation non-prizes at people just for entering the raffle kind of negates the whole point of a raffle?

It doesnt negate the point of a raffle....the raffle still exists, and cb prizes are given out. But the consolation thing is, imo, more of a reward for having done the things to meet the requirements.

[Shadowdrake]

2 hours ago, HeatherMarie said:

Breeding, grabbing an egg from the AP, grabbing an egg from the biomes, hatching an egg, growing a hatchling.... Just because they all involve actually playing the game doesn't mean there is only one way to get shards.

Hardly. They all fill up the same gauge so in essence there's only one source of shards per week. Extra shards from the raffle would be a different source because they wouldn't follow the max limit of 100 shards per week.

 

 

Personally I don't think raising 3 dragons is a fair exchange for such a drastic increase in shard gathering, but I wouldn't mind an occasional substantial consolation win (assuming we don't get an email and false hopes with it). I do think that an extra shards prize could be useful, since for many players it will also change the speed of being able to buy rares such as golds or silvers and spread out the people buying instead of a bunch trying to buy a gold at the same time and its price suddenly shooting up 100 after the first few are bought, leaving the rest to wait another week.

Edited January 11, 2020 by Shadowdrake

[Stormcaller]

I really don't get how anyone would feel the need for a consolation prize. The only requirements are (this month) to hatch 6 eggs and click a link to enter. If you're playing the game, it's just no big deal. IMHO, the raffle is a nice addition to the game but nothing to get upset about if you don't win. If everybody won, there would be no point now, would there?

 

 

[DragonLady86]

4 hours ago, olympe said:

Meh. "One free egg of choice" will only result in everyone and their second cousin choosing CB gold eggs every single month, thereby skewing the ratios in a way nobody really wants to see. Golds would become as good as extinct in the biomes and as good as unbreedable 

Not everyone likes golds. The old Sprite was bad but I can't say the new ones are any better. I feel a number of people only chase them because they are the big rare. But this could easily be avoided by a price cap on your "free" dragon. 

 

I'm not going to be upset if something like this happens, but I don't see the point in participation trophies. You win or you don't. Same as everything else in lofe.

[HeatherMarie]

6 hours ago, _DeadPool_ said:

It doesnt negate the point of a raffle....the raffle still exists, and cb prizes are given out. But the consolation thing is, imo, more of a reward for having done the things to meet the requirements.

 

I guess this is where I simply see things differently. The reward for having met the requirements is, uh, entering the raffle. The *chance* to get that Prize. On top of those requirements being actual new dragons on your scroll (ie, you raise 3 dragons to meet the requirement, that's 3 more dragons you have!). 

 

 

6 hours ago, Shadowdrake said:

Hardly. They all fill up the same gauge so in essence there's only one source of shards per week. Extra shards from the raffle would be a different source because they wouldn't follow the max limit of 100 shards per week.

 

Well, there is a difference between 'only one way to get them' and 'only one source/gauge'. Yes, there is only one gauge and you can only get 100 per week no matter what, but there are plenty of *ways* to get that 100. That's what I meant. 

 

And hey, thinking about that 100-per-week cap, I'm curious if 'winning' extra shards through the raffle would affect the Market prices? TJ said in the beginning that the general idea was that one week's worth of shards is equal to one common egg (the 100-priced ones). If hundreds of people are suddenly getting extra shards through losing the raffle, that will affect how long it takes to get to certain price-points, and how often you can buy the rarest breeds. Which logically would mean the Market prices would be tweaked to keep the rarer breeds in that same general time-frame of earning.