DragCave

[arenee1999]

For anybody that uses Dragcave but doesn't frequent the forums, there is new (not good) info regarding alts.

QUOTE (TJ09)

Alternates: No longer will it be guaranteed that the eggs will follow linear growth patterns. Soon it will be possible for eggs to develop into different dragons for any number of reasons. Random chance, time of day, even based on which other dragons you have, the possibilities for concept creators are about to open up. It also adds a new element for collectors, who will now be challenged to collect all of the new possibilities.

Any of us that had alt eggs now have regular black/vine eggs and alt hatchlings are growing up into regular black/vine dragons.


EDIT: To include TJ's response to the changes

QUOTE (TJ09 @ Dec 14 2008, 12:52 AM)

Sorry for the late response, I've been busy developing a new way of balancing the breeds out. Because right now, the site sees all dragons of a breed as the same. This means that, come time for winter dragons, the site will see all of the summer and autumn dragons and decide that there's plenty of season dragons, and that they don't really need to be especially common, even though there would be very few winter dragons. Instead, the site will know which specific alts of dragons are not available, and thus won't bother considering them when trying to balance the numbers of each breed. But none of that (even it it does have to do with alts) is related to this. This occurred because someone asked why alternate dragons exist. And when I stopped to ponder this, I recalled that the feature was created because the site was too "linear." You see an egg, and you know which adult dragon that you're getting. The first steps away from linear hatching sequences were the two breeds with gender-specific sprites. When you pick up an egg from one of those two breeds, you may generally know which dragon you'll get, but not which sprite you'll end up with. And upon knowing why the alternates feature was implemented, it follows that separate egg sprites for alternates do not make sense. Alternates are the same breed as the original breed. Just as the possible silvers are the same breed, so too are the possible vine dragons. Different eggs generally denote completely different dragons. Even some of the current alternates that use different eggs (E.X. summer and autumn) result in completely different adults. And now, commence flaming while I go get some sleep (Only to wake up in 4 hours. =/)

 
Any eggs that were alts and changed to regular eggs should hatch as alts. You just won't be able to tell the difference between the two until thay hatch (at which point you can still abandon them if you choose).

Comments

[vandonovan.livejournal.com]

That's lame. I get why they're doing it, but it doesn't seem likely it will fix any of the problems, really. Ah well. I'll just not get ANY black or vine eggs at all. (Never wanted a vine to begin with, though. I think they're ugly as hell. XDXDXD)

Oh well.

[arenee1999]

At least you already have a couple alt blacks though. I figure I can always abandon them after they hatch if they're not alts (and pretty soon we will have the option of 'releasing' adults that we don't want). So I guess it won't be a total disaster. And it sounds like TJ plans to release alt versions for all of the dragons, which might be kinda cool (depending upon what the alts look like of course).

[arenee1999]

TJ has given a better explanation of what is happening and I've updated my post with the info if you want to read it.

[vandonovan.livejournal.com]

Aaah, that makes sense. Kind of annoying what with the whole not knowing which will be which. But it makes sense too, because that's how it "should" be. When I first started, I thought there were all sorts of different (say, orange) dragons that would hatch from an orange egg, like one of five or something, and I got the one I got. I was disappointed when I learned they all orange eggs looked exactly the same, etc. So, I think this is smart and will help clear up all the back pile too.