The Faerie Circle

armageddondoll • 24 March 2022 at 9:07 AM

One of the most recurring things I see in the suggestions is the frustration that older creatures are virtually unobtainable. I know there are people who pride themselves in having super rare creatures, but also those who wouldn't mind seeing an influx of them again for the people who are newer.

I'm in the latter group. I know a lot of new players who have their hearts set on a creature from the early days, but also know that they have little to no chance of getting it. The VEND machine has helped, with certain re-releases, and re-releasing CSP creatures in the CSP has also helped in some ways. But the chances of someone who joined in the past 1-5 years ever having enough to trade for a Tine or a Blu or a Macbot, are...steep. And there are people who simply can't afford to spend money on CC to get re-releases before they're gone.

So I'd like to suggest something that could help...even the playing field a little more, especially for those of EC who can't afford to get a bunch of CC to try and snag a rerelease before they're all bought up. And the unfortunate truth of the old CSP creatures is that many people, won't trade them for less than half a person's cove, which tilts the chances of newer players ever getting one further into impossibility.

So I suggest The Faerie Circle.
In the forests of Ark, there's a circle of mushrooms, and once a day (like the Asteroid) you can step into the circle for a chance that the 'magics' of Ark will send a retired CSP creature through the mushroom portal to you. Have a small pool of species, maybe 5-10 different CSP creatures (with unlimited amounts, much like how there's a few species in the Asteroid, but they don't run out as people find them) from the past that you can test your luck to get. Have the pool change every 4-6 months to a new set of creatures available. Give it the same random chance that the Asteroid has.

This adds fairness in trying to get the creatures of your dreams, without feeling like it's impossible, or having to trade almost all the creatures you have just for one. I know it's not a perfect suggestion, and I know that there's things that the staff have to take into consideration in terms of Egg Cave's economy, but I wanted to offer this up as something to be considered.

Maybe it can be discovered through a fun plot, or it comes into existence because of a new faerie-esque creature as their habitat. Just as long as it sticks around like the Asteroid, and has the same kind of chances, so that players have a better shot (and hope) to get a creature that they otherwise, might not have had a shot to ever get.

@muppet @kataclysm @ian @orderedchaos

kataclysm • 24 March 2022 at 9:15 AM

/BANGS HANDS ON THE TABLE

I WANT THIS. I WANT IT NOW.

I mean, as long as it's reasonable and the staff are cool with it, but I really love this idea. Even if users don't necessarily want the special creatures in the circle, it would provide a kind of ...trading currency? for those users. High value creatures that they could trade for other creatures that they want, for example.

I think that it's important to maintain a culture on EggCave of unity. At the moment, there's a clear divide between the folks that splurge their money on these creatures, and those that can't/won't/don't. Free users are stuck with a very limited pool of what's accessible to them, and I definitely think it would be fairer for free users to be able to attain creatures without spending lots of money - even if their chances are much lower, having the chance at all is important for community morale.

I'd be interested in maybe utilising the circle as a lottery, or an exploration scheme?

Once a week, you pick 5 creatures to send on an adventure to the circle. They may return with an egg! Or perhaps they return with some items, some improved stats, some coins, tokens, maybe even some CC (I'm talking 10-50cc?). Maybe there are negative effects, too, like perhaps they return poisoned (so we have incentive to use items, and you guys could release medicines?! a medicine shop!?!? i'm running away with this idea, thanks @armageddondoll) or they return with low happiness, or something.

There is soooo much potential with this idea that I would really love to hear what @ian and the rest of the team feel about working to produce big, thrilling ideas like this in action. (:

armageddondoll • 24 March 2022 at 9:24 AM

@kataclysm
I absolutely LOVE what you've added. Being able to send creatures to 'adventure' at the Circle for the chance at rare eggs, items, and things would add a lot of depth to how we interact with our creatures! Maybe even better chances depending on what creatures you send. (Dragolds and Youngolds would have better chances to find currency, social creatures have better chances of finding eggs, etc) It could really add to people wanting to learn and utilize the lore of creatures and the world itself.

I also love the idea of the chance of a creature coming back with a little illness or something (give me a reason to use all the stews I keep hoarding!) But of course nothing super major, just little things like needing medicines to make them happy again and what not.

aquafaba • 24 March 2022 at 10:37 AM

I like this idea, but I think that it would take time to develop, and the pay-to-win-ness of this site is extremely frustrating and needs to be fixed soon. That is why I'm much more in favor of a simpler idea like the EC to CC terminal. As far as I know, Ian is the only one doing the programming, so I fear that an idea like this could take a long time to create.

muppet • 24 March 2022 at 1:03 PM

@armageddondoll
I HAVE RAISED A GENIUS 😊
I super love this idea for all of the newer users!!!
@Ian
I think this would be great. It would even out the playing field for all of our players who joined in the more recent years. I also LOVE @kataclysm 's idea of sending our creatures on an adventure once a day to try for an egg. We would have to read about our eggs and choose which 5 would have the best chance and it would be a great way to interact with our fantastic creatures.

lobstertheremin • 24 March 2022 at 9:34 PM

This is an interesting idea...Sounds kind of complicated though. Maybe it would be better to go with a simpler option instead of waiting a long time. We really need something soon to help new players and those who can't afford to buy lots of CC.

armageddondoll • 20 April 2022 at 6:20 PM

@lobstertheremin @aquafaba
I appreciate the feedback, and I acknowledge the desire for something presently, but this wasn't suggested to be an instant thing to be done.

Something like this will no doubt take a lot of time and effort if it were to happen. This was to offer an interesting suggestion, that in the long term, would have sustainability (with the addition of @kataclysm 's suggestion of making it something you could send creatures to adventure for, which would add a fantastic level of interactibility!) and tie into lore, and just really add into the immersion aspect of it.

In terms of something simpler vs. waiting a long time, I would happily wait for something like this because things like this are something to look forward to, and keep things fresh and interesting.

kataclysm • 20 April 2022 at 6:23 PM

Given the complexity of some of the event games (the constellation game comes to mind) I don't think an animated screen of some pets headed out to a forest or a faerie circle would be that difficult by comparison, by the by.

Nonetheless, I'll root for this idea - and any more ideas that encourage interactivity - until the end of time.

omegacat27 • 1 June 2022 at 5:46 AM

Oh wow, this sounds awesome! I don't think the page for something like this has to be something super complicated or detailed either, it can just be as simple as "(Creature) came back empty-handed" or "(Creature) has come home with an egg!" and the idea of having more interactivity between the games and your creatures is nice. I just appreciate how this can break down the heavy divide between new players and old players.

If I may toss a suggestion of my own into the ring, maybe you can get very slight increases in likelihood of your creatures coming back with something (nothing that would borderline guarantee it of course) by having your creatures have high/maxed out happiness.

cranberrycat1 • 1 June 2022 at 3:43 PM

I love this idea and really want to see it added into the games it would be really helpful to the newer users and maybe for old users that have just gotten back on.

cryogenics • 27 June 2022 at 4:03 AM

this is an amazing idea - i've been scratching my head on how i'm ever going to afford some of the older creatures that are going at steep 5k+ CC prices. I cant afford that. this would be a big help. (says the one holding generous competitions)

this would not really affect the economy as CC is not really part of eggcaves currency. Its premium currency. Elite currency. and without it, the site can not run, and the staff cant be paid. that is just how it is.

take it away, and we would all be back at feeding coves like crazy chickens.

CC has made us lazy, has lopsided the EC economy and derailed the values of creatures.

mightyeglantine • 27 June 2022 at 4:30 AM

I'm on the fence still about rereleasing and giving away old CSP and LE creatures as I am a pretty old player (10+ years) and when I started playing back in 2010 I actually saw an Olimpt on a forum somewhere and followed it to the site. From then on my little heart was set on obtaining an Olimpt, I tried and tried and tried as hard as I could trading and collecting creatures until finally 5 years or so after I started playing I finally got the dream trade and acquired my Olimpt.

I'm all for providing opportunities and helping new players get a leg up but by providing free assistance in the way of a magic portal that could give older/rarer creatures beyond the Oasis and Asteroid feels a bit over the top. Most of the fun of Eggcave when I was a newbie was trading and haggling for creatures of higher and higher value until I could afford to trade for the things I wanted.

I'm also not saying it should be a fight for ones life to obtain their dream creatures, but I don't think something of this sort could flourish fairly without possible backlash/consequences.

I do think an EC to CC terminal would go a long way to even out the disparity of those who can buy CC and those who can't as it would give those newbies the chance to afford the more expensive rereleases and CSPs with some elbow grease and a strong clicking finger.

sartre • 27 June 2022 at 3:43 PM

I think it would be better if the fairy circle would give you retire cave creatures and retired holiday creatures instead of retired CSP creatures.

kataclysm • 1 August 2022 at 4:55 AM

@mightyeglantine
I think the key thing to consider here in the (valid) point that you have raised is that... Your experience was years ago. Since then, the economy of EggCave has become so warped that the hopes of encountering that 'dream trade' has become so minute that we're crying out for easier ways to get ahold of those creatures.
Is it fair to expect a new player to trade the entirety of their cove for one creature? I don't think it is, but if you feel as though that's the right way forward, that's your opinion and you're entitled to it.

Nonetheless, whether the faerie circle is handing out eggs (be it old or new, exclusive Fairy World creatures or not) or items, I think the concept of an interactive and adventure-focused feature is really enticing. Give me a reason to read the archive entries, let me make a decision based on the habitats of my creature - Will my space creature do well on a trip to a volcano field, or should I send someone else? I think it would do something great for interactivity, and by that point I think prizes are really a secondary consideration.

Do I want them to be eggs that are otherwise absurdly unattainable? Definitely. Would I be happy with the chance to collect rare items or travels instead? Stat increases? Sure, absolutely.

mightyeglantine • 1 August 2022 at 5:13 AM

@kataclysm

I'm definitely not saying a new player should be trading their entire coves for a dream creature but just as many players(myself included) have experienced, it is entirely possible and encouraged to hoard creatures as they release and trade up in value when possible to reach those wishlist creatures. As with all things and as you probably know seeing as you've been around the good ole EC for a while, good coves take time to build. I don't feel that every creature should be easy to obtain that defeats the purpose of the trade center & auctions, and some will remain near impossible to obtain but that's the nature of exclusive things. There's not one of everything for everyone and that's okay.

Contrary to what others may say, I don't feel the economy of Eggcave has changed much from how it was when I was in my trading prime back in 2012-2014, lots of creatures circulated in the same way they do now, we've just swapped one cute species for another lol. CSP creatures of course held all the value then and they continue to now, which I why I mentioned a way to earn CC/convert other currency into CC would be the best bet for new players to work their way towards their wishlist creatures in a way that is both fair and entails more work than a few clicks and a smile from the RNG gods.