ANSWERED:allow props on concepted Drake sprites/domesticated drakes

[Murkydepths]

Ok this is two suggestions that are related, they make the most sense both together but could be done separately. 

 

Given that drakes are remaining their separate breeding group, I was trying to think of things to make them more exciting and hopefully more loved. Regular dragons are the biggest and most varied group, two-headeds have two heads, pygmies are small sprites that are adorable. Both of drakes biggest traits (antlers and leathery full body wings) are found on regular dragons, their biggest unique trait is being animalistic so I thought that's where to expand upon. So here's my ideas to give them some love...

 

1. Domesticated drakes

 

Drakes are said to be smaller, and not sapient like dragons are, and they're also very 'trainable'. I suggest that dc allow the creation of domesticated drakes, drakes that have been bred for a singular purpose. I think this could lead to some really interesting designs that flesh out the lore of dc. Some examples:

 

- Drakes bred for cuteness as a pet

- Drakes bred for herding

- Drakes bred for fierceness as a guard

- Drakes bred for 'babysitting'

- Drakes bred to work in a cafe, flaming the tops of crème brule and searing steaks 

- Drakes bred to work in a blacksmith, tempering blades

- Drakes bred as messengers

 

2. (The big one) Allow drake sprites to have a prop item in the sprite, like how a white dragon has it's staff.

 

Ok so this is the physical change to the sprite that makes drakes more interesting and gives them a feature regular dragons don't have (other than white dragons). I propose drakes be allowed to be spriteted with small, lore appropriate objects. These objects have to make sense in universe, they can only be a small portion of the sprite, and they must related to the concept of the drake. Some examples:

 

- A magpie drake is holding a small pile of gemstones

- A messenger drake has a scroll bag

- A mimic drake is holding the same flower it mimics

- A travellers guide pygmy has lanterns attached to its horns to light their bath back to an inn or act as a beacon to lost people

- A fisher drake that has caught a fish using it's tail

- A sled drake with a harness

- A bower bird-like drake with a ribbon showing it's thieving of bright objects to build an attractive nest

 

I think this would really up the interest in drakes as the only breeding group allowed and encouraged to have items, and I think it could create some great concepts. The fisher drake for example, you could mention how it uses it's tail as a lure for fishing in the description, but it's far more interesting to see it in action. Hopefully this allowance would make people more interested in drakes and make more sprites for them, expanding the breeding group.

 

Note that having an item would not be required to be a drake, and old sprites would not need altering. It is simply an option for drakes and drakes alone.

 

Update:

 

Alright I made a little sketchy example sprite to show how items might appear, and this is probably the largest they'd get. Drakes would only really be allowed one item in order to not take up too much space.

 

 

and the fisher one

 

 

In both of these examples, the items would be part of the actual concept. The top one is a domesticated breed used to bring back travellers from the woods to inns, and the fisher uses it's hook like tail to fish.

Edited February 18, 2021 by Murkydepths

[Moonlight_Eevee]

No support. I think someone suggested clothing items before for regular dragons and it didn't last long. I have a friend who adores drakes and I while they may not like them, Pseudo-Wyverns are my favourite drakes. 

[Keileon]

I dunno, this seems kind of... unnecessary? The reason Drakes are less popular is because of their far more limited breeding pool, and I'd rather just see more drakes in general. It's a cute idea, but I just don't currently support it.

[Murkydepths]

Clothing would be too big, the item cannot take up a large portion of the sprite. And far too human - animals don't need clothing. I think the closest thing to clothing I could think that'd work is a harness.

 

I'm not suggesting dragon dress up, I'm suggesting small items to highlight a trait integral to the species.

Edited February 18, 2021 by Murkydepths

[Fuzzbucket]

No support. I don't see that it would "make them more popular" and many of us love them just the way they are - breeding pool and all.

 

Honesty - why would anyone collect a dragon just because it had a sled or a fish or something. How does that make it "appealing" ? If you want that - you can add it in descriptions anyway.

 

Also I'm SURE dragons of any kind bearing items were nixed a long time ago.

[Murkydepths]

3 minutes ago, Fuzzbucket said:

No support. I don't see that it would "make them more popular" and many of us love them just the way they are - breeding pool and all.

 

Honesty - why would anyone collect a dragon just because it had a sled or a fish or something. How does that make it "appealing" ? If you want that - you can add it in descriptions anyway.

 

Also I'm SURE dragons of any kind bearing items were nixed a long time ago.

 

I don't understand? A visible item is far more appealing than written description in a game about collecting sprites. The idea is the item is integral to the base concept, this dragon has a fishing 'lure' tail, so seeing it in action is far more interesting than say a dragon with just a hook shaped tail. 

 

And yes they are nixed for regular dragons, which is why I'm suggesting it be allowed for drakes to give them something unique and fun to play with.

 

EDIT: Also a sled would be way too big. 

Edited February 18, 2021 by Murkydepths

[Murkydepths]

It'd also be nice to people 'no supporting' said why they objected to the idea, so we could maybe discuss problems it could have or how it could alter the game. I don't think 'I just don't care for it' is much of a good reason, if you are indifferent, if it would not impact your experience in a bad way and be positive for other players, then why would you 'not support'? Unless I'm reading it wrong and 'no support' means 'I don't actively support this' rather than 'I don't want this'. 

[Silverwatermist]

I'm not sure it makes sense to have only Drakes be able to hold/pose with items since other dragons can and do pick up objects/items, collect gemstones, etc. I understand the idea behind this, trying to find something unique just for Drakes, but there are plenty of real-life animals that look quite similar and share physical features, yet they can't interbreed, so I don't really feel like Drakes need a unique physical element to set them apart. I really think the way to make Drakes more popular is to simply release more Drakes in more colors, or to have a holiday release be a Drake (I know that's probably a touchy idea, and it will derail this thread if we get into it, but it's just an example). Rather than change the Drakes' current sprites, I think we just need a release of a Xeno-esque Drake that has multiple varieties across biomes, or something like the Seasonals or Lunar Heralds that change as the year goes/time moves to add 1) an* interesting challenge to collecting them, and 2) several varieties/colors in one release, and their lower popularity will correct itself pretty quick. I don't think current Drakes need anything added to them, just a release of some Drakes that'll look nice in lineages with them.

More importantly, I'm pretty sure an above poster was correct when they said the idea of dragons holding items was already nixed when it was brought up before (that was after Whites were released).

Edited February 18, 2021 by Silverwatermist

[Fuzzbucket]

8 minutes ago, Murkydepths said:

It'd also be nice to people 'no supporting' said why they objected to the idea, so we could maybe discuss problems it could have or how it could alter the game. I don't think 'I just don't care for it' is much of a good reason, if you are indifferent, if it would not impact your experience in a bad way and be positive for other players, then why would you 'not support'? Unless I'm reading it wrong and 'no support' means 'I don't actively support this' rather than 'I don't want this'. 

 

I don't actually support this because I see absolutely no point to it at all. And it would actually irritate me to see sprites cluttered with bits and pieces. There's little enough space for their features as it is.

 

It wouldn't change the game - youre right - and I don't think it would increase drakes' popularity either. But if most players (yes, I know suggestions threads don't come close to giving any real view of any idea's popularity) said they didn't care for it - would that be an adequate reason for you ? Thus far no-one has said it's a good idea that they would support, after all.

[Murkydepths]

7 minutes ago, Fuzzbucket said:

 

I don't actually support this because I see absolutely no point to it at all. And it would actually irritate me to see sprites cluttered with bits and pieces. There's little enough space for their features as it is.

 

It wouldn't change the game - youre right - and I don't think it would increase drakes' popularity either. But if most players (yes, I know suggestions threads don't come close to giving any real view of any idea's popularity) said they didn't care for it - would that be an adequate reason for you ? Thus far no-one has said it's a good idea that they would support, after all.

 

The point is it's allows for more creativity and fun sprites, and makes drakes a bit more special. Do you think the white dragon is cluttered? Or the soulstone with it's pearl? It is not as if allowing items means sprite quality would get reduced. This is an art collecting game, after all, why would more options for the art be a bad thing? If you object to a specific option being suggested(say..cartooney dragons which wouldn't fit dc's style), sure, but it seems odd to me to dismiss a suggestion just because it's not your thing. It's not as if items would become required. 

 

Edited February 18, 2021 by Murkydepths

[Fuzzbucket]

The white - no; it was created in the days where there wasn't the level of detail. I'm actually not wild about the Soulstone's pearl, since you ask. It makes that foot look a bit deformed.

[Murkydepths]

Alright I made a little sketchy example sprite to show how items might appear, and this is probably the largest they'd get. Drakes would only really be allowed one item in order to not take up too much space.

 

 

and the fisher one

 

 

In both of these examples, the items would be part of the actual concept. The top one is a domesticated breed used to bring back travellers from the woods to inns, and the fisher uses it's hook like tail to fish.

Edited February 18, 2021 by Murkydepths

[Ruby Eyes]

If I wanted to play a dress-up game, I would, I dunno, play a different game than one collecting fantasy creatures.

[Murkydepths]

2 minutes ago, Ruby Eyes said:

If I wanted to play a dress-up game, I would, I dunno, play a different game than one collecting fantasy creatures.

 

I am not suggesting dress up.

[Arcy]

this reminds me, I was actually thinking about sled drakes the other day :3

I don't support accessories. a breed may be commonly trained to drive sleds, but putting a harness on the sprite would suggest that every individual works as a sled drake, or that every player character is training their dragon(s) to be a sled drake, which doesn't make sense and is kinda limiting. if a dragon has some sort of object in their sprite it should be something that is innate to the breed. i hope that makes sense.

domesticated drakes wouldn't work as cbs, since the eggs we're stealing are from wild dragons, but it might be cute as a bred-only  

also still support more body types for drakes, just sayin

[Fuzzbucket]

9 minutes ago, Ruby Eyes said:

If I wanted to play a dress-up game, I would, I dunno, play a different game than one collecting fantasy creatures.

 

Exactly this (and the same applies to objects.) 

 

13 minutes ago, Murkydepths said:

Alright I made a little sketchy example sprite to show how items might appear, and this is probably the largest they'd get. Drakes would only really be allowed one item in order to not take up too much space.

 

 

and the fisher one

 

 

In both of these examples, the items would be part of the actual concept. The top one is a domesticated breed used to bring back travellers from the woods to inns, and the fisher uses it's hook like tail to fish.

 

It wouldn't appeal to me in the very slightest - and your mockups don't have anywhere near the lever of detail now required, which would make them even more cluttered.

 

Sorry - but that doesn't help make your case to me at all.

[Murkydepths]

2 minutes ago, Fuzzbucket said:

your mockups don't have anywhere near the lever of detail now required, which would make them even more cluttered.

 

Sorry - but that doesn't help make your case to me at all.

 

I'm sorry, did you want me to make an entire sprite?? It is to give the general scale of object since people seemed to be struggling with that, imagining I'd suggest fr style apparel.

[Murkydepths]

5 minutes ago, Arcy said:

this reminds me, I was actually thinking about sled drakes the other day :3

I don't support accessories. a breed may be commonly trained to drive sleds, but putting a harness on the sprite would suggest that every individual works as a sled drake, or that every player character is training their dragon(s) to be a sled drake, which doesn't make sense and is kinda limiting. if a dragon has some sort of object in their sprite it should be something that is innate to the breed. i hope that makes sense.

domesticated drakes wouldn't work as cbs, since the eggs we're stealing are from wild dragons, but it might be cute as a bred-only  

also still support more body types for drakes, just sayin

 

I can understand this, what about natural objects that a drake could acquire in the wild? Branches, gems, berries. 

 

And fair point about stealing from cave, though I think there could be a lore write-around for this such as ferals. Or maybe...market place only breeds (I kid that'd be too annoying).

 

And yeah I'd love more body types for drakes too. 

[Fuzzbucket]

8 minutes ago, Murkydepths said:

 

I'm sorry, did you want me to make an entire sprite?? It is to give the general scale of object since people seemed to be struggling with that, imagining I'd suggest fr style apparel.

 

No - I can see the scale - but items would be lost in the level of detail we now have.

[Arcy]

31 minutes ago, Murkydepths said:

I can understand this, what about natural objects that a drake could acquire in the wild? Branches, gems, berries. 

as long as it ties into their lore somehow I'm not against seeing dragons with sticks or gems, etc. but then there's no reason for it to be limited to drakes, and the whole point was to give something unique to drakes

[Ruby Eyes]

3 hours ago, Murkydepths said:

I was trying to think of things to make them more exciting and hopefully more loved.

Why exactly? How does other players loving Drakes more or less affect your playstyle?

Is it about lineage availability? I'm sure some breeding projects in the Breeding subforum could help with that.

Is it about tradability/trade value?

Are you currently working on a new Drake breed and hoping it will be greeted with great demand once released?

 

Just wondering where you're coming from with these suggestions. There may be other solutions for whatever the issue might be.

[Murkydepths]

5 minutes ago, Ruby Eyes said:

Why exactly? How does other players loving Drakes more or less affect your playstyle?

Is it about lineage availability? I'm sure some breeding projects in the Breeding subforum could help with that.

Is it about tradability/trade value?

Are you currently working on a new Drake breed and hoping it will be greeted with great demand once released?

 

Just wondering where you're coming from with these suggestions. There may be other solutions for whatever the issue might be.

 

I never thought I'd be asked why when suggesting something to expand the game. 

 

Why am I suggesting this? Because I think it'd be fun. That's the baseline. I like the game having more options and variety as long as it keeps with the theme. I think it'd be nice for drakes to have something special. I think it'd be cool to have breeds that could have an item. I think it creates more lore opportunities, more interesting sprite opportunities. 

 

There is no issue, this is a suggestion, not a fix. It's for fun, because dc is a game. 

 

Sorry but asking why am I suggesting this is like asking 'why should we add eastern dragons when we have westerns?'

[Confused Cat]

I would not like it if a sprite included an item. I would find it annoying that every single drake of that breed would be carrying the exact same item forever. (I don't like the Whites' stick, either.)

 

For me, the sprite should show the dragon / drake, and not something they could be doing at some specific time.

(This is also why I often prefer "boring" poses over more unusual ones, e.g. I like the female Ridgewings a lot more than the male ones.)

[Jazeki]

No support for either one. I don't see how dress-up/item option for one breed will make them more popular. It takes away from the dragon itself and seems rather unfair to give just one subset this ability when we have several different breeding groups. Being able to give items to one of my drakes doesn't mean I'll suddenly want to breed (or collect) more of them.

 

Also, for the domestic drakes, it's more on the concept creator to decide what a dragon likes to do lorewise. Someone might create a drake that's bright blue with yellow markings that look like cupcake sprinkles whose mating habits include nesting in warm baked goods. Another user might not want it because the dragon is blue. Or because they don't like cupcakes. 

 

Anyway, long analogy aside, if you want to create a drake, submit a concept. It's much easier than trying to adjust the lore to fit your ideas about a dragon's popularity/breeding abilities. 

 

 

Edited February 18, 2021 by Jazeki

[Murkydepths]

Guys it's not dress up. You don't put the item on the drake, you don't get to switch around items. It's just an item in the sprite. Like a white dragon's stick. You can dislike items like that all you want, but I'm not suggesting apparel. And whether you personally would like it or not is not really the concern, it's whether the option should be available or not. There are plenty of dragon traits or sprite styles I don't like, but I'm fine with them existing. Someone above mentioned they don't like dynamic poses, but some people love them, which is why both are allowed. I'm not suggesting drakes have to have items, only that they CAN.