Free Hub

[Metafarers]

This is two suggestions in one, really. I feel that FREE egg/hatchie postings on the hub clog up the page. I understand the generosity, but the trade hub is for trading, not for giveaways. So, here are my two potential solutions:

 

We have a FREE hub for those who don't want to use the ap, discord, or forums. Same as the regular hub, but everything is a one-way.

 

Barring that, ban FREE trades on the hub.

[meeps114]

I don't support banning free trades (this would effectively ban the occasional 2g sAltkin raffles as well, and I do like to participate in those). I do think a separate section for free eggs would be really nice, although I think the argument becomes whether that's redundant; we already have free eggs in the form of an AP, after all. On the other hand, TJ was the one that put the "take an egg/leave an egg" section on the DC records site, so maybe he wouldn't find it redundant since he's essentially made a freebie section.

 

In order to discuss if it would be redundant, here's why I've seen eggs be put up for free on the trading hub instead of the AP:

 

-Allows users to highlight something special about the eggs so that they're more likely to be appreciated by whoever takes them (and hypothetically lower the chance of the egg being killed or forgotten about). I get this one, maybe it's a fun code or nice lineage that someone wouldn't notice when just grabbing eggs out of the AP. I've put eggs on the hub for this reason.

 

-Allows users of lesser trophy levels to be given gifts that may be hard for them to obtain. I've also used this reasoning and appreciate it, but this wouldn't be feasible if the freebie section is one-way transfers.

 

-Raffling something valuable to give everyone an equal chance to get it. I mentioned this one; you could argue that raffles don't belong on the hub as much as the other free posts. I personally find that overly reductive and don't mind some flexibility for this part of the game. 

 

Overall, I'd support a freebie section. I don't think it would take anything away from the game. But I don't personally find free trades to really clog the hub up that much. They tend to go away quickly, or they sit forever because the person forgot about them, but I don't ever see them getting taken down and reposted, unlike real trades, so I don't think they get in the way all that much. 

 

I wouldn't mind the "free for [insert offer that they want]" trades to be banned, though, because they're misleading.

[Metafarers]

28 minutes ago, meeps114 said:

I don't support banning free trades (this would effectively ban the occasional 2g sAltkin raffles as well, and I do like to participate in those). I do think a separate section for free eggs would be really nice, although I think the argument becomes whether that's redundant; we already have free eggs in the form of an AP, after all. On the other hand, TJ was the one that put the "take an egg/leave an egg" section on the DC records site, so maybe he wouldn't find it redundant since he's essentially made a freebie section.

 

In order to discuss if it would be redundant, here's why I've seen eggs be put up for free on the trading hub instead of the AP:

 

-Allows users to highlight something special about the eggs so that they're more likely to be appreciated by whoever takes them (and hypothetically lower the chance of the egg being killed or forgotten about). I get this one, maybe it's a fun code or nice lineage that someone wouldn't notice when just grabbing eggs out of the AP. I've put eggs on the hub for this reason.

 

-Allows users of lesser trophy levels to be given gifts that may be hard for them to obtain. I've also used this reasoning and appreciate it, but this wouldn't be feasible if the freebie section is one-way transfers.

 

-Raffling something valuable to give everyone an equal chance to get it. I mentioned this one; you could argue that raffles don't belong on the hub as much as the other free posts. I personally find that overly reductive and don't mind some flexibility for this part of the game. 

 

Overall, I'd support a freebie section. I don't think it would take anything away from the game. But I don't personally find free trades to really clog the hub up that much. They tend to go away quickly, or they sit forever because the person forgot about them, but I don't ever see them getting taken down and reposted, unlike real trades, so I don't think they get in the way all that much. 

 

I wouldn't mind the "free for [insert offer that they want]" trades to be banned, though, because they're misleading.

 

Honestly, fair, I hadn't thought of the raffles, and I do understand not wanting an egg to be killed or wanting to gift specifically to newbies, etc. I see no reason NOT to add a raffle/freebie section, though, as you said. It would be a great place for newbies to go to look for nice eggs. I still personally find seeing a lot of free eggs distracts from the trading part of the hub, but that's me.

[Fuzzbucket]

There's no reason to ban free trades in general - the salt raffles aren't in the hub anyway. Raffles have no place there.

 

But we HAVE a free trade spot in TJ's leave and take

 

http://dcrecords.tj09.net/leaveandtake

 

- maybe it needs more publicity. A link on the trade hub, perhaps. But I can't say I've seen "free" trades as an issue. As meeps114 says, they don't usually stick around for long.

Edited April 17 by Fuzzbucket

[meeps114]

3 minutes ago, Fuzzbucket said:

There's no reason to ban free trades in general - the salt raffles aren't in the hub anyway. Raffles have no place there.

 

But we HAVE a free trade spot in TJ's leave and take

 

http://dcrecords.tj09.net/leaveandtake

 

- maybe it needs more publicity. A link on the trade hub, perhaps. But I can't say I've seen "free" trades as an issue. As meeps114 says, they don't usually stick around for long.

Tbh TJ could just move that over to the hub and allow a description and it'd get the job done. sAltkin raffles do occasionally happen on the hub though, not sure what you meant by that.

[Fuzzbucket]

Oh - you mean where one is posted "Offer a CB" and then that is effectively a raffle. Buyt by that logic LOADS on there is a raffle. there are heaps (including mine, very often) asking for "offers ?"

[meeps114]

 

27 minutes ago, Fuzzbucket said:

Oh - you mean where one is posted "Offer a CB" and then that is effectively a raffle. Buyt by that logic LOADS on there is a raffle. there are heaps (including mine, very often) asking for "offers ?"

No, there are ones that ask for you to post a dummy egg from the AP and then they use a random number picker to select the winner.

[KageSora]

I think a "free" section should basically be a "public transfer link" section, personally.

[OMGitsKairi]

7 hours ago, KageSora said:

I think a "free" section should basically be a "public transfer link" section, personally.

 

I like this idea. The current leave/take page is nice, but it's not on the main site so I think maybe some people don't know about it. I know I definitely forget about it until I see it mentioned.

 

Aside from that, in my opinion, if anything needs to be banned from the hub, it's those ones that say, "Free for CB only!" or "Free to best offer!" That's not free lol. 

[KageSora]

1 hour ago, OMGitsKairi said:

Aside from that, in my opinion, if anything needs to be banned from the hub, it's those ones that say, "Free for CB only!" or "Free to best offer!" That's not free lol. 

 

Those were the exact reason I was thinking that a "free" hub should be transfer-only.  Otherwise I expect it would be filled with trades of "free for [something that is absolutely not a dummy egg]"

[Metafarers]

19 hours ago, KageSora said:

I think a "free" section should basically be a "public transfer link" section, personally.

100% would love this. Wouldn't mind raffles staying in the regular trade hub if we had a free transfer section. And yah, we should ban the free for x trades. if you want any hatchling or cb egg, just say so, but its not free.

[inghelene]

Not in favour of banning the word from the hub just because not all players are fluent in English. Especially considering how stores are abusing the word in general. (Buy x and get y free)
Besides, free trades that actually are first offer, first trade, do present an easy way for new players to try their hands at the trade system. 
However, as someone who were completely unaware of the swap system till fuzz brought it up; it would be a fun little Easter egg if typing “free” in the “want-field” would prompt a text message with a link to that site.

Would make people more aware of the site, probably take away some of the “free trades”.  

Edited April 19 by inghelene

[D-wing]

I like the free hub/public transfer link ideas. Just a curious: Is it able/necessary to tell people who taken the egg? Some people might just curious about who got their egg so they put it into 2 ways.

 

For the 2nd suggestions, emmm. Like others said, it's easy to overkill and I feel like it's too harsh if punish for this, because they are not like some true(?) misrepresentation (like said it's X kins but they are not) that could let people have actual loss. And unfortunately that is hard to change. But I agree if they asked for any specific in return = not free and "free for" is not a healthy tendency. (I means, why we need to said it's ture/literally free? X D  Too easy to twisted the kindness too. I never know the one who offer something good is because they want to share the happiness or they don't believe it's free so they still offer something useful for them.)

 

tl;dr : support #1, not support #2.

[Fuzzbucket]

There is that - but if you are desperate to know, you can always keep a link to the egg open and look when it leaves your scroll.

[KageSora]

I...

 

Don't think anybody was talking about banning the word "free" from the hub, or a universal ban on using it in trade descriptions?  "Free, offer dummy egg" wouldn't be something I think any of us think needs to be banned, but "free for [specific breed of dragon]" or "free for CB hatchling" is not "free".  That's misuse of the word.  However...  To ban the misuse of "free" in the trade hub would potentially be an unrelated suggestion because that would require the site to adopt an official definition of what "free" means, and as far as I can tell there currently isn't one.  That would require a suggestion to create a definition and amend the rules for the trade hub.

 

I think if a "free" hub allowed only transfer links it wouldn't require considering a change to the rules (and such a change would then be it's own topic that belongs in it's own thread).  However if it allowed trade links that include "free for dummy" type things, then I think at that point it would require defining what counts as "free" for the purposes of the hub(s) and what's just a regular trade where they're misusing the word.  That's one reason I think just making a "free hub" a transfer-only hub would be simpler.  (In terms of players understanding it and such, not sure on coding-wise)

 

For the record, I wouldn't want a "free hub" to function just like the leave/take an egg thing.  If you want to get an egg there you have to leave an egg.  I'd rather that not be required for an on-site hub, personally.  I think that would make it distinct enough that leave/take an egg and a "free hub" could both exist.

[Fuzzbucket]

8 hours ago, KageSora said:

I...

 

Don't think anybody was talking about banning the word "free" from the hub, or a universal ban on using it in trade descriptions?  "Free, offer dummy egg" wouldn't be something I think any of us think needs to be banned, but "free for [specific breed of dragon]" or "free for CB hatchling" is not "free".  That's misuse of the word.  However...  To ban the misuse of "free" in the trade hub would potentially be an unrelated suggestion because that would require the site to adopt an official definition of what "free" means, and as far as I can tell there currently isn't one.  That would require a suggestion to create a definition and amend the rules for the trade hub.

The OP asked for EXACTLY that. Because "Free" trades clog up the hub. (I honestly can't say I agree with the idea that they clog the hub, either.)

 

8 hours ago, KageSora said:

I think if a "free" hub allowed only transfer links it wouldn't require considering a change to the rules (and such a change would then be it's own topic that belongs in it's own thread).  However if it allowed trade links that include "free for dummy" type things, then I think at that point it would require defining what counts as "free" for the purposes of the hub(s) and what's just a regular trade where they're misusing the word.  That's one reason I think just making a "free hub" a transfer-only hub would be simpler.  (In terms of players understanding it and such, not sure on coding-wise)

 

For the record, I wouldn't want a "free hub" to function just like the leave/take an egg thing.  If you want to get an egg there you have to leave an egg.  I'd rather that not be required for an on-site hub, personally.  I think that would make it distinct enough that leave/take an egg and a "free hub" could both exist.

 

That is a good point I hadn't thought of. But I think TJ's skills are up to adding "one way" trades to the hub from the existing trading page. Of course. whichever way this went, we would start to get "OMG I MEANT to ask for a paper and I clicked free by mistake, how can I get my egg back...."

[Starscream]

I still feel that the word free might be a misunderstanding, misinterpretation or mis-translation when they might mean available; not every one speaks english fluently. An example I often use the two words interchangeably: this shovel is free to use, or this shovel available to use.

 

As a mod, I simply closer the report and move on to the next. I don't see the banning of free happening, for what most of what people say. there are raffles happening, some folk simply are open to offers.

 

I do agree that maybe we can expand the hub to use a free category, or a raffle category. Even the take and leave would be kinda cool. But I am absolutely positive we will not ban free.

 

[KageSora]

2 hours ago, Fuzzbucket said:

The OP asked for EXACTLY that. Because "Free" trades clog up the hub. (I honestly can't say I agree with the idea that they clog the hub, either.)

 

Ah, I missed the final line of their first post.  Without that I read it as "add in a secondary free hub and require all trades that say 'free' to be put there and refusal to put your trade in the correct hub would be treated the same as any other refusal to comply with rules", which doesn't on its own require banning the word "free" itself.

 

2 hours ago, Fuzzbucket said:

That is a good point I hadn't thought of. But I think TJ's skills are up to adding "one way" trades to the hub from the existing trading page. Of course. whichever way this went, we would start to get "OMG I MEANT to ask for a paper and I clicked free by mistake, how can I get my egg back...."

 

I'm sure TJ could but of course it's always a matter of if he'd want to--and we can't know that.  I can't say myself if it would be more effort than is worth putting in to do that.

 

While that's possible, people can already accidentally abandon or kill an egg they don't mean to.  Perhaps an extra layer of verification of "transfer links are ONE WAY, are you sure?" (If it were a transfer hub--if it allowed teleports that would be on them for picking public transfer not public teleport, but the site would need to make very clear the difference between them)