.com Forum · Alpha Dog Forum

Post above was mine. I timed out while typing. Oops.

Kani

Can I just say how much I agree with your post Sunchaser

Halcyon-

I know I repeated a lot of what others already said on this thread, but the message is the same at the end of it all. I merely analyzed it from a perspective that might not have been thought out before now.

I'd love to see the bugs get fixed, if even only one or two every month. I'd love to see new players come into the game that we could actually get to stay, but that is ultimately out of our control. I'd love to see everyone play fair, but ultimately...this is a game. Some of the old-timers to it just don't see it like that, though. And that's okay.

Ultimately, it comes down to what we decide to do about all of this, and about what Jeff decides to do about all of this. That's it, plain and simple.

Kani

Yes, agree with you Sunchaser. I think it's alot to expect a new player to pay to play a game that isn't maintained. While I enjoy the sim because I showed in RL for many years and the game was maintained (and improved regularly!) when I joined, I'd have a hard time recommending it to others....

K

I have played on and off for over 10 years. The hardest thing about getting started... Breeding and waiting so long to actually get something to show... Unless you buy something show ready. During that waiting period, it is easy to go "buy or breeding happy"... And become broke. That is why I have a finishing kennel this time among my family account... It keeps me coming every day while I wait to breed something showable...

I got really lucky 10 years ago... Bought a mediocre sessioned dog to show...and he went on to be a multiple BIS winner and "hidden" special. He consistently beat higher SOP dogs.. It was addictive, and hooked me for good That being said, if you are new and don't know what to look for when starting out... This game can be both challenging and discouraging.

Again - we can't control the bugs. This is not about hassling Jeff (we can do that elsewhere)

This thread was about what we can do within our play to keep and encourage new players.

So far we have:

put pups up for sale at reasonable prices. have them on good food, and if you can, session them. include rare colours/traits

post in your forum. chat.

encourage new players by emailing them, offering them reasonable dogs.

don't overwhelm new players in a show with your better dogs - let them get a winners dog/bitch.

put your studs up at reasonable non-approved
prices.

don't overload classes with heaps of dogs (unless you need the numbers in a privately sponsored specialty)

don't hoard the best dogs (in another breed I contacted the other top players to offer them girls at a higher level than they had - I was drowning in them and they weren't - as long as I could have them back. it helps the breed and ultimately me)

encourage us - send congrats messages for good wins, message other players. communicate.

we can't help everyone and not everyone will stay anyway (have emailed a new kennel giving support and ideas and offers of pups/broods in 1 of my breeds with no response or reaction ... maybe I was tactless). however I have had experienced players come into my breed as newbies, and joy of joys, an experienced mentor come back. I help as much as I can. I want these people to stay and play the game with me.

we need to work to encourage players

Sometimes I think also when a person does leave a breed, it creates a hole in it and sets of a little bit of a domino effect. I know I've got a couple of breeds that another person used to show in and even though we didn't talk a lot, they were still there for when you got a good stat break through or to talk ideas for crosses, or just to drop a note to give an update on a dog that was doing really well. I think when people lose some of those little things, that bit of company in a breed, that also makes them want to drop that breed because it's not as enjoyable for those little reasons. (also that might have gone off topic but it's just a thing I've been thinking about for awhile)

Agreed Grasslans, I am getting as much pleasure from interacting with other users/ on the forums as I do from breeding and showing. I would enjoy helping others get started, now that I have experienced receiving generosity and so much help. I haven't been here long and am breeding great competitive dogs which are doing really well, group placements already! I couldn't have achieved all this without the generosity of all in my breed. If the top players had shut me out, I probably would have left early on. Now if that were to happen I would just change breeds til I found one that fits. But you need to be a bit addicted ( lol) to stay when it's difficult, and newbies take a while to get addicted. Most of you have probably forgotten by now, but the thrill of discovering something new, that will make all the difference, like finding and finally understanding the handler ranking page, that's what keeps me intrigued, new discoveries and ways to play.