Lengthen Flood And/Or Increased Drop Volume for New Releases

[Fuzzbucket]

I doubt if advance notice would help. There used to be an actual schedule, and that didn't help - and even now, enough people figure it will be the last w/e of the month and haunt the place waiting as it is. And as someone pointed out - it seems harder now that we get notifications on scroll, which mean more people than ever show up.

[Aventurine]

On 10/3/2023 at 10:16 PM, Skadi said:

Even if you're in the US, EST means they drop at midnight. If you're asleep and then go to work the next morning, you miss the flood.

 

Full support for 24 hour floods, or at least better advance notice of dragon releases so they can be planned around.

 

I 100% support a 24-hour release for this reason.

[StarlightLion]

13 hours ago, Fuzzbucket said:

oubt if advance notice would help.

It definitely wouldn't help everyone, but it would help me

(edit because that is a scuffed quote I'm so sorry, mobile quoting is so finicky)

Edited October 8, 2023 by StarlightLion

[Fuzzbucket]

Well, for now - look to the last w/e of the month ? and have your notification set to tell you when it happens, of course ¬

[KageSora]

Personally I just keep my slots free on weekends just in case--as this month you can see we sometimes get them at the start of the month, too.

 

Mostly I just try to judge based on the last release--if it was only a week or two ago no need, but if it was a few weeks ago I start keeping slots open.  Usually works out for me that way, though does slow breeding projects down skipping weekends.  (Alternatively you could just load up on easily replaced eggs for weekends, if you have any scroll goals that require those--sometimes I'll just breed for frozens I need, for example)

 

It's not as helpful as a proper schedule would be (which, admittedly, would cause its own issues) but it at least might limit the "locked with precious eggs" thing?

[Sketch]

 I'm still very much in-favor of advanced notice and 24-hour floods.
This site's population has been growing continuously for years. More players means more competition, especially when things aren't done to alleviate some of the stress that's beginning to fall on many users as they fall further and further behind with whatever goals or projects they may have planned.

For advanced notice: sometimes there aren't even releases, or at least not when we actually expect them, and that's very frustrating considering some sacrifice time and slots that could have been used for other goals or projects... often slots that would be spent catching up on the previous month's releases. Or, in the case of this release, preparing for Halloween.
The same goes for people who aren't prepared for releases; you really shouldn't have to make the decision between dropping whatever you've spent your time breeding or catching, or chance missing out on something that's going to be in high-demand for months. Astraels are a more recent example due to their demand and White Vespines more-so because you can turn over twenty yellows and still not find a white. However, I know there's still many people going after all of the variants of Cantos, Xenos, and Florets, and not to mention the still-insane demand for Staterae, especially for people who missed the what? Hour-long "flood" of them? 
Honestly, I am so thankful that the playerbase is as kind and generous as it is because so many people (myself included) would be struggling for their CBs in the Discords right now if we didn't help each other out. I'd suggest even at least a few days of notice in-advance to prepare for a New Release. Most people are pretty prepared for the holidays because they have set schedules.

As for the floods?
I'm speaking from a timezone where new releases hit at 11pm and I can usually catch a few, but it is genuinely upsetting to see how many people just outright miss the entire flood and then struggle to catch anything after it's over. It feels unfair. People sleep, have work, school, kids, responsibilities... they shouldn't have to get onto the site when they want to relax just to see that they missed out on something new and now have to work even harder to get it. The needs of the players should be taken into account, and this is something they have been begging for. A "New Release Day" wouldn't be so bad.

Think about the increasing pressure on projects and collection as more and more dragons are added to the site. I love getting new ones, don't get me wrong at all, but I do agree that something needs to be done to better-handle all of the issues players have been having with the site so they don't feel as stressed trying to get the beautiful artwork that our artists provide us with.

Edited October 9, 2023 by Sketch

[Fuzzbucket]

4 hours ago, Sketch said:

you really shouldn't have to make the decision between dropping whatever you've spent your time breeding or catching, or chance missing out on something that's going to be in high-demand for months.

 

That's part of a game - taking risks and hoping for the best.

But - we did once, not that long ago - have a set schedule. It didn't seem to make people happy.

[Brite]

16 hours ago, Fuzzbucket said:

 

That's part of a game - taking risks and hoping for the best.

But - we did once, not that long ago - have a set schedule. It didn't seem to make people happy.

I'm curious; when exactly did we have set schedules? (I'm very much not up to date on a ton of things) 

[Fuzzbucket]

2013/2014, for sure - here's one post mentioning it: note the words "the usual monthly release".

And one month he tested a change:

 

And an even more specific change:

 

Edited October 10, 2023 by Fuzzbucket

[sorenna]

I'd love it if new breeds flooded for 24 hours. 

 

DC is international, and drop mechanics should reflect that.  If there's a flood, give everyone a chance to get wet! 

[TempestSea]

I keep hearing that this months release has been fairly easy to get. That hasn't been my experience at all. Haven't seen one since release day, and managed 3 caught. Marketplace buys make up a bit, but still, with my work schedule, I might as well be across the world fur what access I have to the flood. I'm either asleep or at work during most of it. Couple that with a slower computer and slower reflexes and anything but common eggs is next to impossible...

 

Love the site, just wishing for a chance,

[KageSora]

2 hours ago, TempestSea said:

I keep hearing that this months release has been fairly easy to get. That hasn't been my experience at all. Haven't seen one since release day, and managed 3 caught. Marketplace buys make up a bit, but still, with my work schedule, I might as well be across the world fur what access I have to the flood. I'm either asleep or at work during most of it. Couple that with a slower computer and slower reflexes and anything but common eggs is next to impossible...

 

Love the site, just wishing for a chance,

 

I noticed they were easier to get post-flood at first, but seem to be much harder to spot now--I wonder if it's because people are now trying to snap them up to use for zombies come Halloween, as the Tangledrakin is the only wingless 2-headed dragon we have besides last year's Halloween release (and people are reluctant to kill holidays for zombies I think).  We've gotten down to the point where people hoping to use the "let the hatchling die of lack of views" method to give them extra chances to use revive beyond their kill slots are gathering their fodder.

 

(The Vilvoors, however, always seemed much more scarce to me).  Hopefully after Halloween the Tangledrakin, at least, will be easier to snap up...  If it is zombification people are trying to collect them for, anyway)

[Shin'a'in]

I am DEFINITELY without ANY kind of doubt whatsoever in total SUPPORT of a 24 hour flood…OR,like neopets does,make the initial flood actually last for a day and a half so that it gives EVERYONE a chance of getting a new release on,what would basically be,the first day of the release.VERY handy for someone that has to wait until 3 am EST to match the midnight mark in California to be able to get newly released stuff without any kind of major FOMO. Just throwing the idea out there. 😎

[jedisunny]

I definitely support 24 hour flood and also an increase in the amount of eggs that drop at each interval. It helps those of us who live in timezones that are at the other side of the spectrum from Dragcave timezones and also slower people like me have better chances at grabbing eggs. 

[Freima]

I've posted on this topic before, but I'll do so again. Having been out all day I got home to find I had about an hour left of this month's egg drop. I very rarely have access to the Internet when I'm not at home, so a few extra hours would be really useful.

I'm in the UK.

[Draco_Sicarius]

I'm all for 24 hour drop and maybe an increase in eggs dropped too (though we may not need that second part with 24hr drops).

[AnubisMoon]

Support.

 

24 hour release would be a nice update. It's already implimented for big holiday releases with little to no issue, so why not extend to new dragons in general.  It doesn't happen often and it gives more players a little more wiggle room to grab eggs.

 

 

[Moonlight_Eevee]

There were few of us talking on Discord and some of us swear that the flood used to be 24 hours long at some point (pre-2014 I think). 

[Fuzzbucket]

I joined just before you - and I don't ever remember that.

[Seejey]

Full support.

Are you guys sure regular releases didn't last for 24 hours until, like, a year ago? Am I mistaking them for holiday releases?

 

Anyway, anything on the internet that respects people from all over the world should last for 24 hours.

 

The mixing with older eggs should happen during the next day or week, I think.

[KageSora]

47 minutes ago, Seejey said:

Full support.

Are you guys sure regular releases didn't last for 24 hours until, like, a year ago? Am I mistaking them for holiday releases?

Oh, people have been complaining about and struggling with releases for well over a year.  It's a long-standing issue that just gets worse each release as there's more dragons to compete against.  The issue was long-established by the time I made this topic.

 

Might be why many years ago it felt like they lasted longer--far less breeds to mix in and balance against ratio-wise.

[Skadi]

Once again voicing support. I was lucky enough to catch the flood this time, but previous releases I haven't been so lucky.

[Freima]

A 16 hour drop might have made sense when the game started, and for a few years after that; however there are so many more players now that it just isn't enough. When I first started playing in 2008 there wasn't nearly as much competition for the new eggs, and a lot of us were still on dial-up connections.  There was always a bit of a flurry for new eggs, but I don't remember it being as difficult as it is now.

I'm rarely online before lunch time on a Sunday at the best of times, and to get back after a day out to discover that I'd nearly missed a drop completely was an unpleasant surprise.

I realise that most people seem to be connected to the Internet all the time these days, but there are still a lot of people (me, for example) who don't spend all their time glued to a screen.

Yes, I know it's only a game and that the world won't end if I don't get the new eggs... but that isn't the point. Games are supposed to be fun, and it's no fun at all if one misses out because of life commitments and geography.

[blinkdog]

I’ve been following this thread silently for awhile and I just wanted to add my thoughts:

I don’t think I support an increase to a 24 hour flood. Generally speaking, NR dragons are still readily available up to a couple days after the “flood event”. There are dozens of posts every release from folks to missed the initial flood, only to edit it later to note they managed to catch a bunch of eggs anyway.

The addition of the notification system has already helped significantly with getting to releases. I made a habit of checking my email the last few weekends of each month to see if there’s been a release, and haven’t missed one since. If it matters enough to you, set calendar reminders to check the mornings before work, or before you go to bed.

And perhaps the biggest reason - once the 16 hr flood event is over, it creates high turnover in the biomes, revealing more uncommon or rare eggs as folks continue to scoop up NRs. Honestly - the super long release windows for holiday dragons can become annoying, as I’m usually ready to move on to other dragons once I’ve already caught a few.

 

I don’t think it’s fair to assume that folks who are able to make these releases are “glued to their screens” or don’t have lives outside of internet activity - they’ve just made the game a priority with their time.

[Fuzzbucket]

The only reason I support a 24 hour flood is simply the global distribution of players. It IS hard on people who are tucked up in bed at midnight cave time and have to get up and go to work 7 hours later - in my case it means the drops start for me at 5 am; I'm lucky, I'm retired, but while I was still working, two hours into the drop - at 7 am my time - I would have to leave for work and couldn't hope to start hunting till hours later. Harsh ! So it isn't the LENGTH of the drop that I see as a problem, it's just the time differences.