COMMUNITY POLL: Rare Monthly Pets

[Miladux]

Look, I would dislike it if Cs had a million dailies that you get punished for missing too, or a big event every other week like FR. I really think a rarity game actually having… rares. Is reasonable though? The only rares I’m trying to achieve are the same ones I’ve been trying to achieve for years already, and I’m no closer to achieving. It would be fun to have some rares that are actually designed to be special and rare! Not some random litter outcomes that 14 years later are rare.

People here are saying they hate trading and already get upset that they don’t just get every outcome automatically. I’m sorry but cs is a game… You have to do stuff. If swapping a common or two is already too much for you and you don’t like rarities or tradingI’m not really sure what to tell you.

I agree with this. I think the issue isn't the quantity of rares, I think its the fact CS is a fundamentally broken game that has not aged with the times. Trading is difficult and a nightmare because there has been no intervention to make it easier. Releasing the numbers of each pet in active circulation would be a big way to create a easier trading enviroment.

But CS hasn't changed in nearly 2 decades, it wont now.

[Lunarsnow]

The only way I can see monthly rares maybe working better is, funnily enough, if they happened fairly often. That way the occasional rare outcome wouldn't be so inflated for being a super special, uncommon thing. And you would be likely to luck out and get a rare often enough trade for the ones you missed. Even then I'm not totally sure about the idea.

This is what I'm sorta thinking. If they happen often enough maybe people would chill out a bit more? Or not, maybe things would be worse. But in that line of thought I also kinda agree with the below

i think the idea should be trialled out for a year or so and see how things go, tbh. theres no real way we'll know how the economy will react until it's actually put in place.

We don't know until it happens how good or bad it'll be. Maybe staff should implement the winning poll option and then after a year or so make the poll again to see how people's opinions have changed with it actually in action; whether the majority still want monthly rare outcomes of some sort or it made them realize that no, they actually don't want it.

And hey, even if this does get implemented permanently, these rare pets are still going to be added into the Dec 18th re-release boxes eventually so there'll always be a chance to get lucky and nab them even after the month of their release or find someone who got one they didn't want and trade for it.

[beautifulglitter]

i am for this, in whatever frequency. newbies (and even long stay members) having access to these rarer pets is a great way to help them headstart their collections, as well as moving some really valuable trading fodder back down from older members.

i think that a 100% collection is something players have to accept is going to be nigh-impossible - that's the challenge of it. there are pets that are way harder to get than the august pps lion or gacha dog, and i think hyperfocusing on these specific rarities as invalidating the entire playstyle is a bit short-sighted. we already have sunjewels, nons, etc. that make a 100% collection prohibitive for most players, but adding pets like these will help you and others get closer to that goal. i think if you make the decision to 100% this game, you will have to be prepared for a lot of heartache, haha.

i am also just very interested in what kind of interesting designs we could get from this scenario, since the 'super rare outcomes' tend to be really interesting and fun to look at. the gacha dog, though its artwork is a little juvenile (in the most positive way possible!) commanded a lot because of how interested it was just to look at. i dont think CS should be afraid of shaking the boat if it lets them add pets that are way more interesting than an average litter. the boat needs shaking!

I really don't think rare monthly outcomes are gonna help newbies much.

Let's assume these outcomes will be on the level of the gacha dog and you are one of the lucky few people who adopts this outcome. Then you're left with a dilemma: do you keep the outcome to maintain a complete monthly collection, a goal much more achievable than a complete collection, or do you cash in when the demand for the pet is sky high to get a couple of older rarer pets and in return break your monthly collection?
You're not gonna get anything truly valuable out of it, just a couple of random rares or maybe a random very rare. Nothing special.

Either way you're really not that much closer to a complete collection.

And not to mention these pets are gonna be RARE. Meaning not all of us are gonna adopt them. For the majority of the newbies, those who didn't adopt one, it's just gonna be another rare pet they'll likely never get.

For me, an oldie, I'll just end up throwing an old rare or two at the pet to tick it off my wishlist. Pointlessly frustrating for a pet that is not gonna be that valuable in the long run.

I just want to keep the monthly pets casual, please. Demand is stupid enough already and we have events to boost newbies' rare stash.

I agree with everything Minimanta said! Adding rares to monthly releases will only HURT new players.

I can throw old pets out to get missed Monthly rares; newbies can NOT. What will be annoying to me is insurmountable to a newbie. And because it will be rare to get one of these monthly rares, it will be even rarer to get a spare to trade for something else or the next monthly rare you will inevitably miss.

The only way to get a complete monthly collection will be to have a stockpile of old pets... which is inherently unfriendly to newer players.

[foxcloud19]

Definitely support having rare pets a few times a year! This gives people more opportunities to get rare pets. Right now, there are many pets that feel so unobtainable unless you get super lucky. So having more chances to get rarer pets is a good thing! I'm also just in general a big supporter of any changes made to the site right now that could even possibly improve things since it's a bit of a mess at the moment.

[Solloby]

I really don't think rare monthly outcomes are gonna help newbies much.

Let's assume these outcomes will be on the level of the gacha dog and you are one of the lucky few people who adopts this outcome. Then you're left with a dilemma: do you keep the outcome to maintain a complete monthly collection, a goal much more achievable than a complete collection, or do you cash in when the demand for the pet is sky high to get a couple of older rarer pets and in return break your monthly collection?
You're not gonna get anything truly valuable out of it, just a couple of random rares or maybe a random very rare. Nothing special.

Either way you're really not that much closer to a complete collection.

And not to mention these pets are gonna be RARE. Meaning not all of us are gonna adopt them. For the majority of the newbies, those who didn't adopt one, it's just gonna be another rare pet they'll likely never get.

For me, an oldie, I'll just end up throwing an old rare or two at the pet to tick it off my wishlist. Pointlessly frustrating for a pet that is not gonna be that valuable in the long run.

I just want to keep the monthly pets casual, please. Demand is stupid enough already and we have events to boost newbies' rare stash.

I agree with everything Minimanta said! Adding rares to monthly releases will only HURT new players.

I can throw old pets out to get missed Monthly rares; newbies can NOT. What will be annoying to me is insurmountable to a newbie. And because it will be rare to get one of these monthly rares, it will be even rarer to get a spare to trade for something else or the next monthly rare you will inevitably miss.

The only way to get a complete monthly collection will be to have a stockpile of old pets... which is inherently unfriendly to newer players.

I'm also surprised that a lot of people want this, and so many are claiming it will help newbies when it will actively make things harder for them. Newbies won't have anything to trade for them, and these outcomes are going to be rare, so they simply won't be able to get them. If they do get one, they will quickly be relieved of it by a more knowledgeable player. In the scenario that they adopt a rare outcome and recognise it for what it is, they will have to decide if they keep it or trade it out because they won't get a spare.

I think some people are voting yes to this because they think it will get them a rare pet. They perhaps haven't stopped to realise that they won't be lucky enough to actually adopt this rare pet, or what their plan will be if a pet they really want is released and they miss out on it. If they release 3 rare outcomes next year, the vast majority of players will get 0 of them. The older players will have to throw overpay for them, and the newbies will have to go without. Complete monthly collections will no longer be a thing newbies can achieve.

The only way a newer player will be able to acquire these pets is to buy C$, at a time when C$ inflation is already a big problem.

[incognito!]

I support a rarer outcome a few times a year! It would energize the trading community, I think. It would make new pets tradable for older pets and get things into circulation, and people would scramble and strategize on how to get the rare outcome, or be super duper excited when they do get it.

And this is coming from someone who was lucky enough to adopt both the July lioness AND the August PPS as a newbie... and traded them away for practically nothing The good ol days

Edit:
I think the best way to do this however is to make them instantly recognizable from adoption (like the lions) so that people don't hesitate to do monthly swaps

[TANKMEN]

I'm also surprised that a lot of people want this, and so many are claiming it will help newbies when it will actively make things harder for them. Newbies won't have anything to trade for them, and these outcomes are going to be rare, so they simply won't be able to get them. If they do get one, they will quickly be relieved of it by a more knowledgeable player. In the scenario that they adopt a rare outcome and recognise it for what it is, they will have to decide if they keep it or trade it out because they won't get a spare.

I think some people are voting yes to this because they think it will get them a rare pet. They perhaps haven't stopped to realise that they won't be lucky enough to actually adopt this rare pet, or what their plan will be if a pet they really want is released and they miss out on it. If they release 3 rare outcomes next year, the vast majority of players will get 0 of them. The older players will have to throw overpay for them, and the newbies will have to go without. Complete monthly collections will no longer be a thing newbies can achieve.

The only way a newer player will be able to acquire these pets is to buy C$, at a time when C$ inflation is already a big problem.

for the sake of discussion, i think i want to understand exactly what staff were attempting to address when opening this poll in the first place - what was their intention for this to be a thing? is it to close that gap, or something else entirely?

turning that on it's head, for monthly rares to be a thing, what about the site and/or its trading system needs to change to facilitate it? if the staff are deadset on monthly rares being more common, how do we make that happen?

i know i dont need to defend myself either but i want to clarify i voted for monthly rares with the explicit interest of wanting something to chase :] i guess im technically a 'newbie' since i had to start over, but i would like something closer to home and more achievable to chase after than the increasing unreachable legion of OMGSRs and <09/ex-list pets. i have absolutely terrible luck and i know i absolutely would not pull one, LOL, i just genuinely think it'd be fun. i think the idea is rough around the edges and needs a lot of refining from its previous examples (keep in mind august pps lion and golden gatcha dog were around a decade apart, making them inherently way more interesting and high demand because of sheer novelty) but i dont think the idea has no merit. i still stand by my opinion it should be trialled and then after a year everyone can decide if they absolutely hate the idea into oblivion, and then we can never have to think about it ever again.

[shadowpixie]

I have noticed alot of people support this but only a few times a year, we already have a way to get rares throughout the year! With all the event thats the staff work so hard on everyone, new and old players, have the ability to get a few rares just by giving a bit of time to get the tokens. I have also noticed that even though i have extras of those rares to trade i still cant use them to get any of the rares that i am missing. So, i personally feel like releasing rares in monthly adopts wont really help anyone and just making collecting pets harder for everyone now and later.

[Solloby]

^ I agree Shadowpixie, those are good points.

I'm also surprised that a lot of people want this, and so many are claiming it will help newbies when it will actively make things harder for them. Newbies won't have anything to trade for them, and these outcomes are going to be rare, so they simply won't be able to get them. If they do get one, they will quickly be relieved of it by a more knowledgeable player. In the scenario that they adopt a rare outcome and recognise it for what it is, they will have to decide if they keep it or trade it out because they won't get a spare.

I think some people are voting yes to this because they think it will get them a rare pet. They perhaps haven't stopped to realise that they won't be lucky enough to actually adopt this rare pet, or what their plan will be if a pet they really want is released and they miss out on it. If they release 3 rare outcomes next year, the vast majority of players will get 0 of them. The older players will have to throw overpay for them, and the newbies will have to go without. Complete monthly collections will no longer be a thing newbies can achieve.

The only way a newer player will be able to acquire these pets is to buy C$, at a time when C$ inflation is already a big problem.

for the sake of discussion, i think i want to understand exactly what staff were attempting to address when opening this poll in the first place - what was their intention for this to be a thing? is it to close that gap, or something else entirely?

turning that on it's head, for monthly rares to be a thing, what about the site and/or its trading system needs to change to facilitate it? if the staff are deadset on monthly rares being more common, how do we make that happen?

i know i dont need to defend myself either but i want to clarify i voted for monthly rares with the explicit interest of wanting something to chase :] i guess im technically a 'newbie' since i had to start over, but i would like something closer to home and more achievable to chase after than the increasing unreachable legion of OMGSRs and <09/ex-list pets. i have absolutely terrible luck and i know i absolutely would not pull one, LOL, i just genuinely think it'd be fun. i think the idea is rough around the edges and needs a lot of refining from its previous examples (keep in mind august pps lion and golden gatcha dog were around a decade apart, making them inherently way more interesting and high demand because of sheer novelty) but i dont think the idea has no merit. i still stand by my opinion it should be trialled and then after a year everyone can decide if they absolutely hate the idea into oblivion, and then we can never have to think about it ever again.

I have no idea what prompted the community poll, so can't answer that one for you.

I like the idea of "easier" rare pets to chase than the near unobtainable pets you mentioned, but given how wild CS has traditionally gone for these rarer outcomes, my concern is that people who do get them and put them up for trade will be demanding said unobtainable pets in exchange for them. So they won't be easier at all. It only takes one person to throw an 09 VR at a new outcome and everyone else will share the trade link and demand the same payment.

I think a trial is a good idea if the idea has to go ahead. People may change their minds. If they are easier to trade for than we fear, I think more people will support this. But if they turn into the nightmare they have previously been, I think a lot of people will not want them anymore.

[TANKMEN]

I have no idea what prompted the community poll, so can't answer that one for you.

I like the idea of "easier" rare pets to chase than the near unobtainable pets you mentioned, but given how wild CS has traditionally gone for these rarer outcomes, my concern is that people who do get them and put them up for trade will be demanding said unobtainable pets in exchange for them. So they won't be easier at all. It only takes one person to throw an 09 VR at a new outcome and everyone else will share the trade link and demand the same payment.

I think a trial is a good idea if the idea has to go ahead. People may change their minds. If they are easier to trade for than we fear, I think more people will support this. But if they turn into the nightmare they have previously been, I think a lot of people will not want them anymore.

of course, i dont mean for you (or anyone!) to literally have the answers, but moreso the hypothetical of why we're even discussing this in the first place. with all the talk of rarity going on lately and the recent change, i can only guess this is supposed to be bridging the gap between players, and thinking about that might contribute to the greater (much more complicated) discussion of what about this site needs to change to facilitate that. if that makes sense? sort of a 'greater picture' situation of where monthly rares would fit into an 'ideal chickensmoothie', so to speak.

i do agree with you that this site's playerbase has a generally bad problem of rabidly chasing anything new and shiny, but i suppose that's just the nature of a site like this. if there was truly a way to reach that idea of an 'easier' rare pet, i think that'd be exactly what players are voting yes for, but how we actually get there seems way more difficult than most people are aware.

sorry, i hope that makes any sense ^^;; im not the best at expressing complicated things like this, haha. i appreciate the support on my trial suggestion! seeing how the poll's going, i think it's the best step forward from here. that way we can get an actual real-life realization of the idea. if it turns out horrible and agonizing, then players like me will rightfully eat our foot and back down on the idea. but if it turns out to actually be alright, then we may have found just one of many solutions for the compounding trading problem. a year of monthly rares (in whatever increment. monthly, bimonthly, quarterly, biyearly, etc) probably wont kill us and it seems CS is in it's 'throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what fixes the problem' era and hey, im all for it. we know we're never going to get exact pet numbers (unless a miracle occurs, or something) but i appreciate the staff's continued effort to try and change things as of this year.