Unicorn On Strike! -- Fighting the Emerald Blocker

[SANDSCApe]

The point of this wasted breeding is to show solidarity and support for those players who are now being deliberately thwarted in their efforts to breed an Emerald Dragon.
http://i1281.photobucket.com/albums/a517/SandScapes/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps00f59ca1.jpg (http://s1281.photobucket.com/user/SandScapes/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps00f59ca1.jpg.html)
They have persisted through countless fails to produce a Crystal Unicorn. Now they must now endure the unnecessary insult of a 5-hour Pandaffodil breeding, added to the injury of losing out on 5 gems or 5 hours worth of Unicorn income to produce a worthless 20-second egg.

If YOU have more than one ultra-rare in your forest, join me in this protest. Keep your Unicorn and Frostfang out of their habitats by putting them on strike in the Breeding Garden, where TeamLava has maliciously polluted the Gem-Nature breeding pool.

Post a pic here of your Gem-Water breeding and email it to Support@TeamLava.com with a demand for a fair solution to their ultra-rarity problem.

Don't be discouraged, friends. Some day, there may be an ultra-rare Gem-Water hybrid. And even a pack of rabid Frostfangs won't discourage you from breeding it.

[Petasos]

I retract my previous comment. I am pretty ticked about not getting a unicorn at all (after thousands of purchased gems trying) and to see the "have's" whining about the inability to get more, is a slap in the face to the "have not's". It is not what I should be saying as it stems from jealousy, but never the less it is what is am thinking.

[danni7788]

I'm confused- why frostfang? Is it an arbitrary decision?

To petasos- I don't have any ultra rares, but this situation is a very upsetting one. Why does it matter how many coins someone has? The point is that TL changed breeding rules to make the game more difficult when players are already annoyed. You can't buy any of these dragons with coins, so I'm not sure I get your point.

[ArcadiaTofu]

I retract my previous comment. I am pretty ticked about not getting a unicorn at all (after thousands of purchased gems trying) and to see the "have's" whining about the inability to get more, is a slap in the face to the "have not's". It is not what I should be saying as it stems from jealousy, but never the less it is what is am thinking.

Just to play devil's advocate, but the 'haves' and the 'have nots' don't matter at all in this situation. Sooner or later the 'have nots' will have their very own Crystal Unicorn after many, many fails (that is if they don't quit the game all-together out of frustration). I was one that was a 'have not' less than a week ago, and once I bred my first Crystal Unicorn I was STOKED at the thought that I'd be able to easily get the Emerald Dragon and earn more for my forest. Now, I've *just* missed the so-called 'deadline' for easy-Emeralds and I'm pretty pissed about it, especially since a good chunk of my neighbors have more than one Emerald Dragon and my envy with their luck is pretty bitter. (Though not towards my neighbors---toward TL for *****ing me and all future players out of an easier breed that gives lots of coins... my bitterness is reserved solely for them).

Whether or not you have a Crystal Unicorn doesn't matter at all in the situation, because sooner or later you'll be a 'have' and wish that you had had a big advantage over getting Emerald Dragons much easier than it took to get Crystal Unicorn. Then you'll be in the same boat with us screaming about the unfairness of it all... :\

[SANDSCApe]

I retract my previous comment. I am pretty ticked about not getting a unicorn at all (after thousands of purchased gems trying) and to see the "have's" whining about the inability to get more, is a slap in the face to the "have not's". It is not what I should be saying as it stems from jealousy, but never the less it is what is am thinking.

Sorry, I didn't see your retraction. But please understand that I am NOT complaining about not being able to breed MORE Emeralds myself. I'm complaining on behalf of those who now can't breed a single one without paying these 5-hour / 5-gem penalties which aren't even necessary. If you ever manage to breed a Unicorn, you'll want a fair shot at breeding Gem hybrids, no?

[SANDSCApe]

I'm confused- why frostfang? Is it an arbitrary decision?
...


In the spirit of solidarity, I chose a breeding that would closely mimic the situation of players now attempting to breed Emerald. They have a Unicorn wasting away hours in the Garden, not earning coins and not producing an egg that's of any real value. Unicorn-Frostfang at present can only produce the 4-hour Frostfang, which was as close as I could get to that 5-hour Emerald blocker.

I could have bred Unicorn-Pandaffodil, but what if I got a 45-hour breed? That would be an embarrassing success and would totally blow the lid off my protest. LOL Besides, I can't have critics thinking that I'm going after another ultra-rare now, can I? No, it needs to be a pair whose useless eggs I'm compelled to sell from the nest.

[SilverBunnyDragon]

I can't believe Team Lava thinks that having to go through over 200 20 second Pandafollia eggs isn't punishment enough for getting an Emerald?!! I mean they should try sitting their for two hours breeding and hatching, breeding and hatching over and over again!! And now they have this stupid five hour Panda, because they thought breeding an Ultra Rare was super easy with a 20 second egg?!!! Obviously they have never bred and hatched 200 Panda eggs in one day, I mean the monotone boredom from that is punishment enough for getting an ultra rare!! And now the are adding insult to injury with their "five hour" Panda!! -_-

[ArcadiaTofu]

I can't believe Team Lava thinks that having to go through over 200 20 second Pandafollia eggs isn't punishment enough for getting an Emerald?!! I mean they should try sitting their for two hours breeding and hatching, breeding and hatching over and over again!! And now they have this stupid five hour Panda, because they thought breeding an Ultra Rare was super easy with a 20 second egg?!!! Obviously they have never bred and hatched 200 Panda eggs in one day, I mean the monotone boredom from that is punishment enough for getting an ultra rare!! And now the are adding insult to injury with their "five hour" Panda!! -_-

I quite agree with your perspective on this. It would have been tedious for me to go through so many Pandaffodil eggs to get an Emerald Dragon (and even more of a pain to wait 4 days for one to finally leave the nest, let alone another 16 hour evolution time to evolve it enough to be able to breed), but it still would have been worth it in the end to have an Emerald Dragon in my forest. Taking into account that Emerald Dragon now is probably rarer to get than Crystal Unicorn ever was since there's only two options for breeding a Crystal Unicorn and a Panda --- a 5-hour Panda or (maybe, if you manage to be the .5% with luck on your side) an Emerald Dragon. Since your fails only allows you one option (the now horribly-long 5-hour Panda) it'll be pretty much next to impossible for people to try for the Emerald Dragon. I mean, honestly, who wants to go through 5 hour fails time and time again with no other possibilities than a worthless panda that's worth only 100 coins from the store? I would feel a *little* better if TL gave other fail options (like Jackalope, Ocean Owl, Cosmic Phoenix, etc.) if you breed Crystal Unicorn with Pandaffodil since Crystal Unicorn is comprised of four elements and should give fails of nearly every breed under the rainbow (but likely one that contains nature since the Pandaffodil will help tip the scales more towards that breed type).

Why doesn't TL end the customer lynch-mob with a type of compromise? Why would it be so hard to give users one day of the week to have 'easy-breeding' for the Emerald or even once a month? That way, users that feel *****ed will *at least* have one day out of the month to have an easier time to try for the Emerald Dragon? If they're willing to put Onyx Ox on sale for 200 gems for the weekend why is it so hard to bring back the old breeding standard for Emerald Dragon at least once a month to placate the more loyal users that feel *****ed? Wouldn't that be fair for both sides? Personally, if I could get just one Emerald Dragon I'd be happy because I *just* got my Crystal Unicorn and have missed the advantage older users had over me in regards to Emerald Dragon.

One thing is certain, though: If this so-called 'purposeful bug' isn't fixed or at least modified for a more customer-friendly experience then I'll more than likely never, ever buy Emerald Dragon nor will I even try for it with a crappy 5-hour Panda breed fail. And that's money for gems out of their pockets that I would have used to speed-breed and/or get sale items. []like this makes me (and many others) not want to shell out money to TL in the future because, frankly, if TL wants to ignore customers completely or fail to even compromise with them then what's the point in supporting them? :mad:

[cedkugedchgd]

you guys all need to relax. it's a friggin online game xDDD

[mysticfrost]

I agree Arcadia...because of this I decided against spending 15 dollars on dragonstory last night to buy a dragon on sale. They've lost a lot of money and I hope they continue to loose it.

[zenobia42]

Well, if this 5-hour panda fail sticks, I for one will not spend a single gem on speed breeding. And I currently have no plans now to buy any gems for this game. It would have to make a LOT of changes for me to open my wallet again.

But it's a moot point since I'll be too old and feeble to lift my ipad by the time the game deigns to give me a unicorn.

[Petasos]

Honestly I am doing my best to get 5 hour fails on my unicorn breeding. That would be awesome! More chances per day instead of the nine hour coons and foxes or 13 hour rams. If it is not a super rare it is sold in my world. So yeah I would be tickled pink with a 5 hour fail. I am doing my best to engineer them in fact. I posted that very thing in the unicorn thread a couple of days ago.

That being said it should be consistent with the breed time of the animal, period. So a panda is what it is, and it is not 5 hours. If TL does not want a 30 sec panda remove it from the possible outcomes, but do change it into something it is not.

[jim23cash]

I have a Unicorn and 2 Emerald Dragons. I was trying to get another unicorn when the 5 hour fail popped up. Not knowing what it was, I sped with gems, only to stare in disbelief at the 20 second egg. I tried it again to see if it was a glitch. Unbelievable! It took me days of trying to get the Emerald Dragons. I don't consider breeding the same things over and over again for days "easy"!
Now I'm ok with just having one of each, and I'd share one if I could, but it's not fair to change something like that at this point. In Dragon story, you can do the same thing for a couple of Diamond Dragons, and it still takes a long time to get them, you just don't have a 5 hour fail each time.
I'm deeply disappointed that TL has decided to go this route.
I think they should put it back the way it was, and if it's giving Emerald Dragons out too often, change the breeding percentages, not the outcome. The change they made doesn't appear to change the chances of getting one, just the chances you will pay money for it. Deeply Disappointing TL.

[JeannesThinkin]

I retract my previous comment. I am pretty ticked about not getting a unicorn at all (after thousands of purchased gems trying) and to see the "have's" whining about the inability to get more, is a slap in the face to the "have not's". It is not what I should be saying as it stems from jealousy, but never the less it is what is am thinking.

Whatever you said, I agree. So what if you wait 5 hours/use 5 gems? We have to wait almost 2 months. Hell, if I could have a Unicorn, I'd wait through 200 five hours if I have to (I'm saving up my gems for another nest in the future). Maybe I can finally find a time to hatch my Hydro Yak.

I have never tasted the millionaire life in game (DS or FFS) or out, and really want to. I heard it was great, from some of my friends. You know having money, and NOWHERE TO SPEND IT...

[[S8] Regina]

Hi! The breeding time has been changed to 1 hour!

[igames4me]

Regina;957139']Hi! The breeding time has been changed to 1 hour!

Thanks that helps a little... But do you guys plan on making available another nest?

[chalupa2030]

you guys all need to relax. it's a friggin online game xDDD


Hilarious. I have thought this a kazillion times! But then....my faerie creature up and left the Forrest and I was trippin! They fixed it and we all got them back.

But here. This situation ~ I'm confused. Not sure what the issues are. I have been tryin for ever to get the crystal unicorn. Is it now just impossible? Is that the concerns?

[chalupa2030]

But it's a moot point since I'll be too old and feeble to lift my ipad by the time the game deigns to give me a unicorn.


Omg! This just too funny! And true!

[zenobia42]

Regina;957139']Hi! The breeding time has been changed to 1 hour!

While I do appreciate womething being done in resonse to the universal outcry against the 5-hour emerald fail, only resetting to what it was when the early winners got will make a real difference. Let's say it takes, on average 240 attempts to get one. Previously, that meant 2 hours dedicated solely to it to get it, on average. Now, for the rest of us already denied the luck of an early unicorn & emerald, which makes progressing in every aspect of the game much, much easier, instead of dedicating a solid 2 hours to it on average, would have to dedicate 240 hours. An evening vs., assuming one sleeps, eats, and works/attends school/has parenting duties/etc... Instead of an evening, we would have to spend on average THREE WEEKS, of breeding NOTHING ELSE, to get one.

Not exactly the same, is it? One evening vs. 3 weeks of dedication? Not quite the same. Not quite balanced.

[Petasos]

Still cost 5 gems to speed not 1 as it should. So "fixed" but still broke.

[Petasos]

While I do appreciate womething being done in resonse to the universal outcry against the 5-hour emerald fail, only resetting to what it was when the early winners got will make a real difference. Let's say it takes, on average 240 attempts to get one. Previously, that meant 2 hours dedicated solely to it to get it, on average. Now, for the rest of us already denied the luck of an early unicorn & emerald, which makes progressing in every aspect of the game much, much easier, instead of dedicating a solid 2 hours to it on average, would have to dedicate 240 hours. An evening vs., assuming one sleeps, eats, and works/attends school/has parenting duties/etc... Instead of an evening, we would have to spend on average THREE WEEKS, of breeding NOTHING ELSE, to get one.

Not exactly the same, is it? One evening vs. 3 weeks of dedication? Not quite the same. Not quite balanced.

And you forgot one important thing. Once you do get that elusive unicorn (and you will get it) and you think your money problems are solved, it will be breeding for 240 hours making you nothing.

[flowless]

And you forgot one important thing. Once you do get that elusive unicorn (and you will get it) and you think your money problems are solved, it will be breeding for 240 hours making you nothing.

Exactly
What the point of unicorn if it's gonna be on the breeding den all the time
Plus people who are discouraged cuz they can't breed unicorn still
It's not suppose to be easy
Took me one month of failing breeding unicorn
And almost a year in dragon story.

But u should think ahead as well
The rules changed once I had the unicorn egg
Now iam really not willing to try for emerald

[ramothsflight]

Still cost 5 gems to speed not 1 as it should. So "fixed" but still broke.

Yes, please fix this to cost only one gem to speed up.

[SANDSCApe]

Regina;957139']Hi! The breeding time has been changed to 1 hour!

Oh joy! The 20-second Panda now takes 1 hour instead of 5 hours. So it's less outrageous, but STILL OUTRAGEOUS.
Assuming you haven't decreased the odds of breeding Emerald (why would I think that?), a player should still expect to go through maybe 50 Panda fails; maybe 100; maybe 200.
But 100 Panda breedings might involve an hour or so of mild curses under normal breeding conditions. A 1-hour Panda breeding extends that to 4 days! Okay, so the 100 fails won't take 20 days as it would with the obscene 5-hour blocker, but this is still wrong!
This is not why players put so much time and effort into getting a Unicorn. Not to have it tied up for days at a time, sacrificing that ultra-rare income to poop Panda eggs! Meanwhile, not only are they missing out on the Unicorn's income, but they can't breed anything else!
Have a heart! Can't you allow players to breed at least ONE EMERALD DRAGON under the normal rules before you throw down the blocker?

[SANDSCApe]

Still cost 5 gems to speed not 1 as it should. So "fixed" but still broke.

Oh, you are KIDDING me! Is this really happening?

Come on, TeamLava, this is a disgrace! It really isn't about "maintaining rarity". It's about milking gems.

I'm thinking of the vast majority of players who never visit this forum; don't even know it exists. They are out there, speeding these mysterious 1-hour or 5-hour breeds ("...because it CAN'T be a Pandaffodil, see?"), and wondering why "some glitch" keeps robbing them of that "something else."

Or maybe they just have their sights set on their first ultra-rare hybrid, can't bear to watch their Unicorn just sit there, so they tap the speed button, and you drain them, 5 gems at a time, rewarding them with Pandaffodil eggs they can sell for 50 coins and 25 experience points.

[ArcadiaTofu]

Oh joy! The 20-second Panda now takes 1 hour instead of 5 hours. So it's less outrageous, but STILL OUTRAGEOUS.
Assuming you haven't decreased the odds of breeding Emerald (why would I think that?), a player should still expect to go through maybe 50 Panda fails; maybe 100; maybe 200.
But 100 Panda breedings might involve an hour or so of mild curses under normal breeding conditions. A 1-hour Panda breeding extends that to 4 days! Okay, so the 100 fails won't take 20 days as it would with the obscene 5-hour blocker, but this is still wrong!
This is not why players put so much time and effort into getting a Unicorn. Not to have it tied up for days at a time, sacrificing that ultra-rare income to poop Panda eggs! Meanwhile, not only are they missing out on the Unicorn's income, but they can't breed anything else!
Have a heart! Can't you allow players to breed at least ONE EMERALD DRAGON under the normal rules before you throw down the blocker?

I completely agree with Sand on this one, TL. Make it so users can have the 20 second fail pandas for the first Emerald Dragon and then once users acquire an Emerald, switch them to the 1-hour panda fail rules. That or up the odds of a user getting an Emerald Dragon by 20% with the 1-hour fail. The whole 'keep ultra-rares ultra rare' argument could easily be justified if TL were to come out with a third ultra-rare that was uber-difficult to get from the get-go. But with Emeralds, TL already made it slightly easy for users to acquire it through 20-second panda fails from the beginning. Daily, I browse many neighbors' forests and see anywhere from two to four Emeralds (many times with multiple unicorns) and it frustrates me to no end that I could have easily had two or three Emeralds had I gotten my unicorn one measly week earlier than I did :mad:

At this point I'd be happy with getting at least one Emerald after the many fails I went through just to get my unicorn. If you (TL) want to keep ultra-rares ultra rare then add one or two more ultra-rares that are much more difficult to get (with one-hour pony or skyger or rhino or frostfang or lightning fails). But since a good chunk of earlier users managed to have a large advantage over everyone else not lucky enough to get a unicorn quick enough, trying to change the rules from 5-hour panda to 1-hour panda fails (instead of the original 20-second fail) is like telling a kid that because he was late to the party he's being punished with the crappy candy while all the other kids were given the primo candy... and isn't he lucky that instead of having the crappy candy that was stomped on, he's getting the crappy candy that wasn't tampered with... isn't it shiny and pretty in comparison?! The difference is that while most would assume the late kid was given the crappy candy because the primo candy ran out before he got there, the host is deliberately withholding the primo candy from the late kid as a punishment for being late (even if it wasn't the kid's fault at all and he was just unluckier/naturally slower than the other kids were). Some users here are still struggling to get a unicorn (users like zenobia) and because she'll more than likely be really late to the party, she's going to end up getting the crappier candy whereas the other kids (Sands comes to mind) managed to get only primo candy. It's a question of fairness.

I have no problem at all with TL coming out with another ultra rare that's very hard to get, just as long as everyone else (new users and old) follow the same breeding rules all the way through. I'm even somewhat all right with the idea of the old 20-second fails being the standard for the first Emerald a user gets and then every attempt that fails afterwards will give you the 1-hour fail panda. Just as long as it's somewhat fair. If all I (and other users) manage to get is one Emerald then, yeah, that sucks for us since we would rather have 3-4 like our earlier unicorn neighbors have, but at least it would be somewhat fair. We'd at least get one measly piece of primo candy scattered amongst the crappy candy we've been given. And that's all later-unicorn users want it to be when it's all boiled down: Somewhat fair.

[infinitelove19]

Ridiculous! I *actually* tried for Emerald again, when much to my dismay discovered that while the time is less it is still 5 gems, as you all said above, this is ridiculous. TL if THAT was on purpose OR by accident you should just change it back to 20 seconds. The sentiment I wish to convey just isn't appropriate for a family-friendly environment. So, instead...

FIX IT!!!!!!! .

[infinitelove19]

Last Friday I was completely blindsided.

Today, I feel positively SWINDLED!

[JeannesThinkin]

Hell, make it a gold trap! Change back to 20 seconds, and keep the speed up price at 5 gems. That way, if (when?) we fall into it, we can kick ourselves, not you! AND, you get MONEY!

[zenobia42]

I completely agree with Sand on this one, TL. Make it so users can have the 20 second fail pandas for the first Emerald Dragon and then once users acquire an Emerald, switch them to the 1-hour panda fail rules. That or up the odds of a user getting an Emerald Dragon by 20% with the 1-hour fail. The whole 'keep ultra-rares ultra rare' argument could easily be justified if TL were to come out with a third ultra-rare that was uber-difficult to get from the get-go. But with Emeralds, TL already made it slightly easy for users to acquire it through 20-second panda fails from the beginning. Daily, I browse many neighbors' forests and see anywhere from two to four Emeralds (many times with multiple unicorns) and it frustrates me to no end that I could have easily had two or three Emeralds had I gotten my unicorn one measly week earlier than I did :mad:

At this point I'd be happy with getting at least one Emerald after the many fails I went through just to get my unicorn. If you (TL) want to keep ultra-rares ultra rare then add one or two more ultra-rares that are much more difficult to get (with one-hour pony or skyger or rhino or frostfang or lightning fails). But since a good chunk of earlier users managed to have a large advantage over everyone else not lucky enough to get a unicorn quick enough, trying to change the rules from 5-hour panda to 1-hour panda fails (instead of the original 20-second fail) is like telling a kid that because he was late to the party he's being punished with the crappy candy while all the other kids were given the primo candy... and isn't he lucky that instead of having the crappy candy that was stomped on, he's getting the crappy candy that wasn't tampered with... isn't it shiny and pretty in comparison?! The difference is that while most would assume the late kid was given the crappy candy because the primo candy ran out before he got there, the host is deliberately withholding the primo candy from the late kid as a punishment for being late (even if it wasn't the kid's fault at all and he was just unluckier/naturally slower than the other kids were). Some users here are still struggling to get a unicorn (users like zenobia) and because she'll more than likely be really late to the party, she's going to end up getting the crappier candy whereas the other kids (Sands comes to mind) managed to get only primo candy. It's a question of fairness.

I have no problem at all with TL coming out with another ultra rare that's very hard to get, just as long as everyone else (new users and old) follow the same breeding rules all the way through. I'm even somewhat all right with the idea of the old 20-second fails being the standard for the first Emerald a user gets and then every attempt that fails afterwards will give you the 1-hour fail panda. Just as long as it's somewhat fair. If all I (and other users) manage to get is one Emerald then, yeah, that sucks for us since we would rather have 3-4 like our earlier unicorn neighbors have, but at least it would be somewhat fair. We'd at least get one measly piece of primo candy scattered amongst the crappy candy we've been given. And that's all later-unicorn users want when it's all boiled down: Somewhat fair.

BRILLIANT analogy! Except you forgot one thing - it's not even my fault I was late to the party - it's THEIR fault! - They gave us bad information! I left at the same time as Sand and the other players who started the game early. Only there was a fork in the road a long time ago - the sign to the right said "this way a shortcut to great candy that you don't even have a pocket to put it in yet - it will sit there on a shelf for a few days before you can have it." While Sand and many went that way, I took the left fork who sign read, "Here are some mediocre candies you can get a bunch of and actually eat now, and you will have an equal chance as everyone else to get the super-primo candy later, when you can make a pocket for it." Then, after those who took the shortcut arrived, they switched the candy at the party from the awesome stuff to the crappy smashed stuff. Then they stopped smashing the crappy candy and acted like they are doing us a huge favor. And BTW all the kids who got the awesome candy ALSO get to go play in the exploratorium. The rest of you have to give up all your other candy if you want to go, and wait weeks before you can take more than a step here or there.

TL, the only thing that will fix it is making the unicorn and the emerald EXACTLY as feasible for us as for those who got them early. Stop punishing us every single day, with cascading effects, for taking the left fork... or taking either fork and you having put up roadblocks preventing us from arriving at the party in time.

[[S8] Elsa]

I appreciate your passion and will continue to share your feedback with the appropriate parties, but please be respectful and civil to each other.

You're welcome to disagree, but the community as a whole is here to enjoy the forums and the game, so let's be sure to follow the rules and make it a nice place for everyone. It's also important if you want to maintain a dialog about this since threads that get too far out of hand get closed.

[ArcadiaTofu]

Zenobia, I spoke too soon. My post got deleted... hopefully you managed to get the screencap of it for your own amusement before it was taken down. :D

Elsa, hopefully you'll forgive me for putting a user in his/her place that equated our concerns and valid points to being nothing more than 'useless whining'. I think you'll agree those type of remarks will incite a strong response and disrupt community cohesion but are hard not to respond to. -___-

[[S8] Elsa]

Zenobia, I spoke too soon. My post got deleted... hopefully you managed to get the screencap of it for your own amusement before it was taken down. :D

Elsa, hopefully you'll forgive me for putting a user in his/her place that equated our concerns and valid points to being nothing more than 'useless whining'. I think you'll agree those type of remarks will incite a strong response and disrupt community cohesion but are hard not to respond to. -___-

If a player says something you feel is a rule violation, you can notify the forum staff here (http://forums.storm8.com/forumdisplay.php?75-Forum-Disputes). Also, the forums has a feature to add players to an Ignore List by visiting their profile and clicking "Add to Ignore List". Please don't respond to or start any flame situations.

Everyone's opinions are valid and important feedback to us. Both good and bad feedback usually comes from a genuine place as players are just very passionate about the game.

I hope this clears everything up. :)

[ArcadiaTofu]

Elsa;957717']If a player says something you feel is a rule violation, you can notify the forum staff here (http://forums.storm8.com/forumdisplay.php?75-Forum-Disputes). Also, the forums has a feature to add players to an Ignore List by visiting their profile and clicking "Add to Ignore List". Please don't respond to or start any flame situations.

Everyone's opinions are valid and important feedback to us. Both good and bad feedback usually comes from a genuine place as players are just very passionate about the game.

I hope this clears everything up. :)

Yup, it does, thank you :) Though, I had no idea there was an 'Ignore User' option on the forum or that there was a Forum Dispute section. You learn something new every day! ^_^

[zenobia42]

Zenobia, I spoke too soon. My post got deleted... hopefully you managed to get the screencap of it for your own amusement before it was taken down. :D

Elsa, hopefully you'll forgive me for putting a user in his/her place that equated our concerns and valid points to being nothing more than 'useless whining'. I think you'll agree those type of remarks will incite a strong response and disrupt community cohesion but are hard not to respond to. -___-

I did not, but that does not take away from how much I enjoyed it. I also hope everyone saw the post I made in the crystal unicorn thread explaing that I do not hate anyone on this forum, which it appears some people did believe. Tone and intonation are lacking in the written word as opposed to spoken and when reading, we all fill in those blanks from our own heads. I had mistaken others' posts as having a condescending tone, then my reponses to that were mistaken as hating on people here, which is NOT the case at all. I have nothing but respect for all the posters here. Or at least all who do not call others losers. In that post I issued an apology for anything that came across as hateful, and I was pretty upset that it was taken down, before knowing if any who may have been hurt by something I said had a chance to read it. If anyone is interested, I did save it on my computer and would be happy to PM it. It included a lot more than this paragraph summary.

And as for the emerald fail timer going to one hour, as has been said by a number of people in multiple threads including mine that was locked down rather than merged with this one... I think we ALL would be 1000% happier with the game if they allowed anyone with no emerald to have the 20 second panda fails, then the hour fails for any after that. This sentiment has been voiced by people with and wihout emeralds. It allows those who did not get an emerald before the changes the same chance as those who happened to be luckier earlier to get one. To be BALANCED as they like to say they are trying to achieve.

Since this post includes some important points about the topic at hand, I hope it is not removed. It IS on topic.

[SANDSCApe]

Honestly I am doing my best to get 5 hour fails on my unicorn breeding. That would be awesome! More chances per day instead of the nine hour coons and foxes or 13 hour rams. If it is not a super rare it is sold in my world. So yeah I would be tickled pink with a 5 hour fail. I am doing my best to engineer them in fact. I posted that very thing in the unicorn thread a couple of days ago.

That being said it should be consistent with the breed time of the animal, period. So a panda is what it is, and it is not 5 hours. If TL does not want a 30 sec panda remove it from the possible outcomes, but do change it into something it is not.

This just caught my eye. You should NOT get the extended breeding time (5 hours or 1 hour now) for a Panda UNLESS you have paired parents that could produce the Emerald Dragon.
The blocker does not appear if you are attempting to breed Crystal Unicorn with eligible parents. If you were trying for another Unicorn with a pair of 2 Emerald Dragons or with a pair consisting of Emerald Dragon & Crystal Unicorn, those pairs CANNOT produce Unicorn; they can only produce Pandas or Emeralds because either pair creates a Gem-Nature pool.
To breed Unicorn, the eligible parents must create either a pure Gem pool (no other elements) or a pool of 4 distinct elements.

TL is applying the blocker only to pairs aimed at breeding Gem hybrids where the pair can only produce either the desired ultra-rare or a fail lasting less than a minute under ordinary breeding conditions. Currently that's only Gem-Nature but may soon include Gem-Fire.

[SANDSCApe]

Ooops! That last post was supposed to be a response to JimCash; not to Petasos. I will try to re-submit it properly.

[SANDSCApe]

I have a Unicorn and 2 Emerald Dragons. I was trying to get another unicorn when the 5 hour fail popped up. Not knowing what it was, I sped with gems, only to stare in disbelief at the 20 second egg. I tried it again to see if it was a glitch. Unbelievable! It took me days of trying to get the Emerald Dragons. I don't consider breeding the same things over and over again for days "easy"!
Now I'm ok with just having one of each, and I'd share one if I could, but it's not fair to change something like that at this point. In Dragon story, you can do the same thing for a couple of Diamond Dragons, and it still takes a long time to get them, you just don't have a 5 hour fail each time.
...

This just caught my eye. You should NOT get the extended breeding time (5 hours or 1 hour now) for a Panda UNLESS you have paired parents that could produce the Emerald Dragon.
The blocker does not appear if you are attempting to breed Crystal Unicorn with eligible parents. If you were trying for another Unicorn with a pair of 2 Emerald Dragons or with a pair consisting of Emerald Dragon & Crystal Unicorn, those pairs CANNOT produce Unicorn; they can only produce Pandas or Emeralds because either pair creates a Gem-Nature pool.
To breed Unicorn, the eligible parents must create either a pure Gem pool (no other elements) or a pool of 4 distinct elements.

TL is applying the blocker only to pairs aimed at breeding Gem hybrids where the pair can only produce either the desired ultra-rare or a fail lasting less than a minute under ordinary breeding conditions. Currently that's only Gem-Nature but may soon include Gem-Fire.

[Petasos]

This just caught my eye. You should NOT get the extended breeding time (5 hours or 1 hour now) for a Panda UNLESS you have paired parents that could produce the Emerald Dragon.
The blocker does not appear if you are attempting to breed Crystal Unicorn with eligible parents. If you were trying for another Unicorn with a pair of 2 Emerald Dragons or with a pair consisting of Emerald Dragon & Crystal Unicorn, those pairs CANNOT produce Unicorn; they can only produce Pandas or Emeralds because either pair creates a Gem-Nature pool.
To breed Unicorn, the eligible parents must create either a pure Gem pool (no other elements) or a pool of 4 distinct elements.

TL is applying the blocker only to pairs aimed at breeding Gem hybrids where the pair can only produce either the desired ultra-rare or a fail lasting less than a minute under ordinary breeding conditions. Currently that's only Gem-Nature but may soon include Gem-Fire.

Very interesting. I thought because gem was on both sides, a gem gem option was possible. Are you sure about that or have you just had bad luck? My experience would tend to agree with you but I do not want to leap to a falicy of false cause. In any other combination a pure of any of the elements is a possible outcome, is it not? Which is why you get a panda when trying for emerald due to the common nature. It stands to reason the reverse is true as well, although very unlikely. Is there some sort of TL information to verify this? I know you asked this very thing early in the unicorn thread but did not see a response, maybe I missed it.

Once again it is not that I don't believe you, I just have a long history with forum fables. So far I would agree with over 300 unicorn - panda/emerald dragon combines and no second unicorn. I did get a second dragon though. :)

[SANDSCApe]

I am really enjoying this update.

Yes, because I can't get and quit even trying for an Emerald Dragon, it is tough making the gold for these expansions and habitats, and clearing the rocks, but at least I finally got the Crystal Unicorn at Level 30, and that finally makes it possible to play...

.... I can't get the Emerald Dragon and after spending so may times trying for it when the breed time was seconds, now that it is five hours I am not wasting my time on something I have even less chance to get. I am resigned to working with what I have.

What I have is turning out to be a pretty good game. I have managed to breed all of the animals but the Spruce Moose and the Emerald Dragon, which I am no longer trying to breed. ...

...TL and if you could explain so even someone like me who has been lucky and has actually bred all but one of the Animals except the Emerald Dragon, why or how changing the breed time from seconds to hours balances anything. it was nearly impossible before. Now it is totally impossible due to the five hour minimum wait in trying for a nearly impossible breeding. Some I am sure are doing as I am and stopping trying for the Emerald Dragon. I can still eventually slide by because I did get the Unicorn. I don't see how playing this game would be possible for long without at least breeding a Unicorn. It is just going to take a long time for me to earn the $ with only one Crystal creature, but....


You are luckier than you realize! With only Spruce Moose and Emerald Dragon missing, you are in a perfect position to bypass the Emerald blocker!
Pair your Unicorn with one of your Dark-Nature hybrids, and the only possible offspring will be:
Planther
Peamoth
Spruce Moose
Aurora Pegasus
Emerald Dragon!
You will not see a single Panda fail.
The fails you DO see will be Dark hybrids that you can drop into cheap Nature habitats to help raise coins for your expansions & obstacles.

[SANDSCApe]

For others who have the Crystal Unicorn and are seeking your FIRST Emerald Dragon, look for the Nature family from which you are missing the most hybrids, and pair your Unicorn with one of them.
If your Unicorn breeds with a Nature hybrid instead of a pure Nature (like Panda), you will bypass the blocker. Okay, the fails will be longer than even a 1-hour Panda, but at least you may find a missing breed among them.

The Nature-Fire family will offer the shortest set of fails, but if the only Nature hybrid you're missing is the Emerald itself (lucky you!), the 1-hour Panda breeding -- unfair as it is -- will be a relatively small obstacle.

(Believe it or not, the only Nature-Fire I've EVER been able to breed is Fairy Ferret! So if I were trying for my first Emerald, Unicorn-Ferret would definitely be my choice for the Garden.)

[Anyuszko]

Sand, it is a very good idea. :) There is only one thing that must be thought: if you breed your unicorn, it doesnt produces money, with a lvl 10 one it is like 100k minus a day.

[SANDSCApe]

Sand, it is a very good idea. :) There is only one thing that must be thought: if you breed your unicorn, it doesnt produces money, with a lvl 10 one it is like 100k minus a day.

True -- the Unicorn was meant for greater things than cranking out Nature hybrids. But if a player only has 1 Unicorn and no Emerald, the only way to breed more ultra-rares is to put that Unicorn in the Garden ... or continue breeding 4 elements in the hopes of breeding a 2nd Unicorn. This sacrifice of the first Unicorn's earnings was necessary even before the extended Panda breeding time was imposed.

I just don't want players to completely give up on their hopes of breeding their first Emerald Dragon. At the very least, if they find themselves with an empty nest or short hatch time, they should take at 1 or 2 shots at the Emerald each day, whether with a Panda or a Nature hybrid.

Two things I would absolutely NOT recommend:
1. Spending 5 gems to speed the 1-hour blocker.
2. Spending hours looking at a series of 1-hour Pandas with your one and only ultra-rare creature trapped in the Garden, earning nothing.

Let the Unicorn alternate between earning coins and trying for the Emerald. Again, this advice is ONLY FOR THOSE WITH ONE UNICORN AND NO EMERALD. (Emerald owners have a wealth of options which I will not go into here.)

[danni7788]

True -- the Unicorn was meant for greater things than cranking out Nature hybrids. But if a player only has 1 Unicorn and no Emerald, the only way to breed more ultra-rares is to put that Unicorn in the Garden ... or continue breeding 4 elements in the hopes of breeding a 2nd Unicorn. This sacrifice of the first Unicorn's earnings was necessary even before the extended Panda breeding time was imposed.

I just don't want players to completely give up on their hopes of breeding their first Emerald Dragon. At the very least, if they find themselves with an empty nest or short hatch time, they should take at 1 or 2 shots at the Emerald each day, whether with a Panda or a Nature hybrid.

Two things I would absolutely NOT recommend:
1. Spending 5 gems to speed the 1-hour blocker.
2. Spending hours looking at a series of 1-hour Pandas with your one and only ultra-rare creature trapped in the Garden, earning nothing.

Let the Unicorn alternate between earning coins and trying for the Emerald. Again, this advice is ONLY FOR THOSE WITH ONE UNICORN AND NO EMERALD. (Emerald owners have a wealth of options which I will not go into here.)

100% agree. Speed breeding will only condone TL's decision and you're only hurting yourself (through lack of coins) to keep the unicorn in the den.

But where oh where is my lovely unicorn? :( one day. Won't give up breeding 4 elements until I get it. Sand, I saw you had your red/lightning breeding with emerald.. What an awesome idea for so few fails!

[danni7788]

I really think if I ever get a unicorn I'll go for a second one before I try for emerald so that I don't lose out on all those coins. Then I can keep one as a money maker

[SANDSCApe]

As for my own Unicorn, it is NO LONGER ON STRIKE. If others did not join me in putting theirs on strike (I only asked players who had more than one Gem creature), that's fine too.
My Unicorn spent the first few hours of the strike with a Frostfang, nearly 2 days slacking off with a Skyger, then finally an 8-hour dance with a Lightning Leopard. (I dumped all eggs except that last one.)
http://i1281.photobucket.com/albums/a517/SandScapes/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps28ea470f.jpg (http://s1281.photobucket.com/user/SandScapes/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps28ea470f.jpg.html)
Unlike urging other players to refrain from buying gems, this strike did not seek to take anything away from TeamLava (I can't afford gem purchases anyway). It was meant to be a method of passive protest, similar to a hunger strike. Whoever didn't get it, forget it.

The advent of the Electric animals, new expansions and the Twilight Troll tournament seemed to effectively divert most players' attention away from the issue of breeding in the face of the Emerald blocker. I welcomed the cooling off period and chose to redirect my attention to quietly finding ways to circumvent the blocker.

[igames4me]

We'll I decided to follow sandscape suggestion . But instead of putting green and red + crystal ( I have all red and green animals)
I put green and rock+ crystal since I'm missing grassquach. And first try got grassquach 14 hrs.
Even if I didn't get emerald but hey got one that I was missing.

[55lee55]

I also tried SANDSCApe's suggestion, and for me it worked like gangbusters!

Except I am still missing the Emerald Dragon. I expect that will stay missing.

But I now have all of the possible critters except the Dragon, and a total of eight Pegs which except for one Level 10 that I had, the rest are either Level 4 or queued up to evolve, but they replaced my other duplicate Dark/Nature hybrids and the $ are already noticeably improved.

Thanks for the awesome suggestion Sand! I am not experienced with playing these breeding games so this is confusing as it is, then when TL throws in things like the 5 gem cost to speed breed for an Emerald when I spent days trying before the fine was added and still don't have an Emerald.

And before I get bashed for being lucky, yes I am very lucky and I spent some real money getting here as well, so if you have constructive criticism go for it but if you are plain green with jealousy, I suggest you look in the mirror and do some repair there first before you go to fixin' on me because I worked hard to fill out my stables. I have done nothing illegal. You too will get all of the critters eventually, as will I if I bother trying to breed for the Emerald Dragon. I didn't get my Unicorn until recently at Level 30. I only have one and have been struggling with most of the rest of you trying to pay the enormous prices for expanding then clearing the Fail Shale.

But I want to thank Sand for pointing this breeding strategy out to less experienced players like I am who may not see the implications that may be obvious to the majority. And I want to say that for me Sand's strategy produced a Spruce Moose that I had been unable to breed and enough Pegs to replace my duplicate Dark/Nature lower earners.

I am tempted to try for more duplicate ultra rares in the other element mixes, but I will rest a bit I think and catch up on evolving my new Pegs and saving for future expansions.

At Level 4 they earn more than most of my much higher level critters, and are obviously not an Emerald Dragon, but they aren't chopped liver either. How long will it take TL to drop their earnings? Don't know why but I expect that to happen soon.

Thanks Sand for explaining the strategy of breeding the Unicorn with the Dark/Nature hybrids. You are wiser than I, for sure, and for those in a position to try it I can tell you it works better than the random breeding I was trying.

I suggest that if you are saving to expand or buy obstacles, do that first because you will need the income from your Unicorn if you only have one like I do, but once you have put the downpayment on obstacles, then tying up income from your Unicorn won't be as noticeable while you wait for over a day for them to clear out.

Of course there is always the likelihood that TL will throw a wrench into a good thing, even though it is simply a good breeding strategy. So was spending your days breeding your Unicorn and Panda as fast as possible in order to get that rarest of rare and now more so Emerald Dragon.

But in lieu of getting the Emerald Dragon, which I failed even using Sand's strategy, having a backup herd of Pegs popping up and down making money for you is the next best thing, my opinion only of course and I can speak for no one but myself.

Thanks Sand!

[SANDSCApe]

We'll I decided to follow sandscape suggestion . But instead of putting green and red + crystal ( I have all red and green animals)
I put green and rock+ crystal since I'm missing grassquach. And first try got grassquach 14 hrs.
Even if I didn't get emerald but hey got one that I was missing.

http://i1281.photobucket.com/albums/a517/SandScapes/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps53e273a3.jpg (http://s1281.photobucket.com/user/SandScapes/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps53e273a3.jpg.html)

Congratulations to both you and 55Lee55 on your WONDERFUL FAILS while breeding for your Emerald Dragon with NO PANDA PAIN!

http://i1281.photobucket.com/albums/a517/SandScapes/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps18301a93.jpg (http://s1281.photobucket.com/user/SandScapes/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps18301a93.jpg.html)

Lee, I got your message and dropped by to admire your new Moose!
If your Gem-Dark-Nature combo keeps breeding duplicates of Aurora Pegasus, welcome them! Feed them and make them your Unicorn deputies. Just think - 3 or 4 of those can together earn as much as one Unicorn at the same level for LESS food! They will more than make up for having your Unicorn on maternity leave in the Garden. Keep trying for the Emerald now that it's your only missing animal! Please don't give up.
(I couldn't send you a private message because your box is full.)

As excited as I am for you folks, I'm given up on my own patchy album for now. Just making oodles of mischief with Emerald Dragons in Satyr Sanctuary.

[SANDSCApe]

I also tried SANDSCApe's suggestion, and for me it worked like gangbusters!

Except I am still missing the Emerald Dragon. I expect that will stay missing.

But I now have all of the possible critters except the Dragon, and a total of eight Pegs which except for one Level 10 that I had, the rest are either Level 4 or queued up to evolve, but they replaced my other duplicate Dark/Nature hybrids and the $ are already noticeably improved.

Thanks for the awesome suggestion Sand! I am not experienced with playing these breeding games so this is confusing as it is, then when TL throws in things like the 5 gem cost to speed breed for an Emerald when I spent days trying before the fine was added and still don't have an Emerald.
...

But I want to thank Sand for pointing this breeding strategy out to less experienced players like I am who may not see the implications that may be obvious to the majority. And I want to say that for me Sand's strategy produced a Spruce Moose that I had been unable to breed and enough Pegs to replace my duplicate Dark/Nature lower earners.

But in lieu of getting the Emerald Dragon, which I failed even using Sand's strategy, having a backup herd of Pegs popping up and down making money for you is the next best thing, my opinion only of course and I can speak for no one but myself.

Thanks Sand!

LOL. You must have posted this while I was typing my last one. OMG! EIGHT Pegasi?! You know pegasi are cousins to unicorns, right? They are not only eclipsing the income of the lower Dark-Natures; they are replacing the income of that elusive Emerald Dragon, EASILY!

You simply MUST continue with that Unicorn-Planther pair or whatever Gem-Dark-Nature combo you were working with. Or if you have enough super Darkies, just go with the Unicorn-Panda thing every hour or so. Your pegs have got the money thing covered. Eight Aurora Pegasi! I am SO laughing at TeamLava this week.

[SANDSCApe]

Okay, the time for full disclosure has come. Last weekend, I discovered (by extending my Dragon Story breeding knowledge) an absolutely fail-proof way to clone Emerald Dragons.

Sorry, I couldn't put this information out here before an Electric-Nature was introduced, and I figured I would have less than a week until it did. I hinted at what I was doing here and there, but if I came right out with it, TeamLava might have brought that Thunderhawk and Eagle Beagle much sooner to put an end to this.

Until today, any breeding of Emerald Dragon with Lightning Leopard would result in nothing but Emerald Dragon. It was my ULTIMATE EMERALD BLOCKER BYPASS. It was also my ultimate silent protest. While TeamLava sought under-handed ways to make this creature more rare than ultra-rare, I did my subversive little part to make it a whole lot LESS rare.

I had 3 Emerald Dragons before I started this foolishness. 3 was enough, and I'm probably gonna have to eventually get rid of some of the insane flock I've generated this week.

Still I will keep using this combo, knowing that it will now default to Electric-Natures.

http://i1281.photobucket.com/albums/a517/SandScapes/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsa8f10d9d.jpg (http://s1281.photobucket.com/user/SandScapes/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsa8f10d9d.jpg.html)

[SANDSCApe]

Now for all who have Unicorn but no Emerald: after you breed your first easy Electric-Nature (most likely the common one), why not hook your Unicorn up with THAT? Only 3 possibilities. Hey, you never know - they may do that 45-hour dirty dance.

[zenobia42]

Until today, any breeding of Emerald Dragon with Lightning Leopard would result in nothing but Emerald Dragon. It was my ULTIMATE EMERALD BLOCKER BYPASS. It was also my ultimate silent protest. While TeamLava sought under-handed ways to make this creature more rare than ultra-rare, I did my subversive little part to make it a whole lot LESS rare.

So your protest against TL for making the emerald so much more difficult for all to get, and especially for people who only got a unicorn recently (and for those of us who haven't a unicorn yet but still trying) and therefore have zero emeralds... was to make 8 emeralds for yourself? I guess I am just not thinking hard enough but how does silently giving yourself 8 of them, and telling those who have none yet how to do it once it is too late to perform the trick, help them? Or punish TL / make them more likely to reverse the blocker? If anything, I would think that, if they are blocking more and more based on the total number of emeralds out there, increasing the total count by 5 would more likely make them think they need to go back to 5 hours rather than back to the original 20 seconds. I am not criticizing - I trust that your intent was entirely noble and selfless - but I am afraid I just don't get it.

[Snowfall0]

5 hour pandas?! Seriously?! Five minutes would be bad enough. 1 hour, maybe I'd be okay with that. But 5? Come on! Most of us can try 2-3 times a day, just to get a ridiculous common.

[SANDSCApe]

So your protest against TL for making the emerald so much more difficult for all to get, and especially for people who only got a unicorn recently (and for those of us who haven't a unicorn yet but still trying) and therefore have zero emeralds... was to make 8 emeralds for yourself? I guess I am just not thinking hard enough but how does silently giving yourself 8 of them, and telling those who have none yet how to do it once it is too late to perform the trick, help them? Or punish TL / make them more likely to reverse the blocker? If anything, I would think that, if they are blocking more and more based on the total number of emeralds out there, increasing the total count by 5 would more likely make them think they need to go back to 5 hours rather than back to the original 20 seconds. I am not criticizing - I trust that your intent was entirely noble and selfless - but I am afraid I just don't get it.

Right. I'm more than a little crazy. Not to mention rebellious. I don't like being told that I can't do something I should be able to do. This was between TeamLava and me. I did my bit before on behalf of those who had no Emeralds. When I invited those with more than one Gem animal to join me in the passive protest of breeding Skygers and Frostfangs with their Unicorns (to mirror what TL was doing to new Unicorn owners), I didn't see any rush of support. It was every player for himself. What's more, I got torched like crazy for breeding a Unicorn too easily and too soon, and was repeatedly accused of only wanting to breed more Emeralds myself when I started my Unicorn strike.

Well the heck with all that. I retreated into my cave for a couple days and had a freaking epiphany.

Now, like I said, I didn't NEED more Emeralds. And leaving off from breeding for my missing animals to replicate these Emeralds non-stop all week became downright boring. But I'm not suffering, and I make no pretense to having noble objectives. TL spitefully found a way to prolong what was already a tedious process of countless Panda fails. I found a way to do it with no fails at all. Now if I never breed another new animal that isn't common, you won't hear me complain.

I may become stinking rich in this game as a result of my stunt (if I can just stop spending it away). I've decided I can live with the crazy wealth and sleep soundly at night.

Okay, that's not really true. I scarcely sleep - takes a while for the Pepsi-RedBull combo to wear off - but I do rest fairly peacefully. Eight Emerald Dragons won't change that.

[chalupa2030]

So your protest against TL for making the emerald so much more difficult for all to get, and especially for people who only got a unicorn recently (and for those of us who haven't a unicorn yet but still trying) and therefore have zero emeralds... was to make 8 emeralds for yourself? I guess I am just not thinking hard enough but how does silently giving yourself 8 of them, and telling those who have none yet how to do it once it is too late to perform the trick, help them? Or punish TL / make them more likely to reverse the blocker? If anything, I would think that, if they are blocking more and more based on the total number of emeralds out there, increasing the total count by 5 would more likely make them think they need to go back to 5 hours rather than back to the original 20 seconds. I am not criticizing - I trust that your intent was entirely noble and selfless - but I am afraid I just don't get it.


My sentiments exactly. Well said! Good post.

[55lee55]

More power to you Sand! I still don't have the elusive Emerald Dragon that you have been breeding like white lab rats ;)

I thought I would stop at my herd of eight Aurora Pegasi and try your trick for the Electric/Nature with the Unicorn, because there are less possibilities with each match. Once again my luck won out and I bred the two new Electric Hybrids one after the other. Because none of them come close to the Aurora Pegasus for income, I bought two new green habitats and am trying for that Emerald dragon several different ways so I don't get bored breeding. I am very impressed with the income from the Pegasus so I am taking your advice and fattening my herd up, rapidly filled out my Album once more (alas minus the Emerald, but I love the looks of the Aurora Pegasus so while I am still trying for the Dragon, I am, as you said in your earlier post, pulling in the same amount of $ for less food with my herd. My largest challenge is planning ahead for battles, because I do want one each of at least Level 10, although in battles the Epics are not showing me their worth so I am unsure if I will aim for more than a strong battle herd, a strong income herd, and at least one of every critter, except the Emerald. I am breeding for it if it happens, but am working more on my Pegs, because I can afford them now! I don't feel a big necessity to achieve that single impossibility anymore in order to enjoy the game.

Thanks for explaining the breeding strategies to me because I am not a DS player so FFS is all new except for the minimum DS I played once to earn gems for a different game. At first I wanted to like this game but finished everything possible except the Unicorn ( this was even before the Emerald appeared) in the first few days of playing.

I was ready to quit as there was nothing left to do and no room to do it in and everything was ridiculously expensive.

Then TL came out with more critters and battles and expansions and the game began to make sense and became interesting. It is still way too expensive and it is obvious that there will be a class stratification in this game based on financial considerations mostly concerning if a player has or has not obtained the big moneymaking animals, because when your animals make money in the hundreds, and you need it in the hundreds of thousands and millions, you can collect and breed and feed all day every day, but until you get the moneymakers, you will stagnate where you sit.

But in my case, thanks to Sand's suggestions, I am enjoying this game more every time I play it, because I am earning the $ fast enough to keep the game interesting, to see that I will be able to expand and afford to clear the rubble after I expand to continue playing.

I hope everyone finds either the Unicorn and Emerald Dragon, or builds a high earning herd, because the battles are a blast and the animals are a lot of fun, especially watching them grow up. I imagine that once we get more real estate opened up on different levels, and encounter different challenges, that this game will maybe even tie for my favorite TL game!

I was ready to give up last week, and now I am enjoying the updates, maybe because there are updates and things are moving. Speaking for myself, I am thankful that Sand helped me understand some things I didn't understand before and that TL is moving on with this game. I see the potential moving toward the reality, so even though the road is bumpy, I am glad I stayed a little longer and put a bit more effort into it when I did.

[SANDSCApe]

Lee, I'm delighted whenever I can help someone enjoy the game more, especially if I see them becoming disillusioned. More power to YOU, Castle Story lady!

I have two other forests playing on the same device as my main forest. One is my daughter's forest (Vash-Naroom), and the other is my little exploring project (Forest Gump). They are not struggling for coins, but they play much more slowly and leisurely than Satyr Sanctuary. If people play with the cards they are dealt, and pace themselves according to their resources and luck, the game will be fun for everyone. I don't think it was meant for all players to move forward at exactly the same pace with exactly the same stuff. How boring would THAT be!

Zenobia & Chalupa, I suggest you email TeamLava and give them a piece of your mind. They may appreciate your sentiments (or give you canned responses like they do to me). It's their game. I'm just playing it.

This morning, I put my Level 4 Emerald Dragon back in the Garden with her Level 4 Lightning Leopard partner again, this time expecting the common Thunderhawk. Instead, 44:59:59 ... Huh? What? Again? I challenge any player out there to tell me why I shouldn't keep doing this.

[chalupa2030]

You got another unicorn? Or Emerald? You are one lucky lady!!

[SANDSCApe]

You got another unicorn? Or Emerald? You are one lucky lady!!

You can't breed a Crystal Unicorn from 3 elements, so it has to be another Emerald Dragon. I'm lucky in some ways; downright unlucky in other ways.

Who else do you know who can't breed any Nature-Fire except Fairy Ferret?

How many players do you know (except me & HugPete) whose Unicorn was locked up? (LOL) I had to look at that unhatched baby in storage with her image darkened and a black strip over her face that said "Level 15" while I struggled to raise money and climb three levels so I could build a home and bail her out. Treated like a convict before you're even born! That has to leave a mark. Now look what her children are up to.

But really, my biggest share of luck is being able to enjoy myself no matter what.

[igames4me]

Ugh I keep getting 16 hrs with lighting+green with crystal
Not even a17 hr

No emerald yet... Sand send your luck to me

[cquinn32]

SAND noooooooo, I too had caught on to this little trick just two days ago. Now we can only wonder if it would have worked with any new element that they introduce in the future cause I'm sure they will fix it now!!

[flowless]

Why would you guys ruin it for every one
If there is a good trick
Don't make it too public
Cuz now TL gonna fix it and probably gonna make it even 10 times harder for us who don't have emerald yet

[55lee55]

Why would you guys ruin it for every one
If there is a good trick
Don't make it too public
Cuz now TL gonna fix it and probably gonna make it even 10 times harder for us who don't have emerald yet

Can it get any harder to get one if you don't already have one now?

This seems to be a trick that is useful only for those with an Emerald Dragon, and while it is possible with this trick to fill your entire forest with nothing but Emerald Dragons, it seems to me that it would put a player in the King Midas mode, where they sit on a pile of Emerald Dragons and lots of gold and nothing else. But it seems to me the fun of collecting all of the forest animals is a big aspect of this game and I think even Sand admits she did this to make a point to TL, not for entertainment value. I am not positive, but even Emerald Dragons would likely not beat every animal in the battles, so having only Emerald Dragons would likely suck the enjoyment out of the game for nearly all of us could we do it, and we would still need to get that first one then be willing to sell the other animals we have worked so hard to collect to make room for only Emeralds if that was what we really wanted. Are many of us willing to do that?

I am not sure TL could make it more difficult to get an Emerald Dragon than it is now. I realize I have not read all the threads and I am sure there is one where those who get the Emerald are posting, but among those of us here, we are not getting our Emeralds if we didn't have them before TL put that five hour breed wait in effect. Some of that may be that like me, some of us have stopped trying, but I suspect TL has made is so nearly impossible to get an Emerald if you don't already have one, that nothing anyone does to make a flock of them from existing ones will make it any harder on those of us who don't have that first one.

I think that if you don't have an Emerald Dragon by now, the chances of getting one are likely akin to winning a million dollars in the lottery if you don't buy a ticket. Personally, I would buy one today if TL put gems on sale, but only today because I will be buying gems on sale in other games with my windfall today or tomorrow and then could not afford to buy gems enough to buy one in the foreseeable future. I wouldn't buy one with full price gems because I believe TL is being unfair on their handling of this particular animal and while not as excessive as Sand in rebellion, I do rebel on occasion and this is one.

And I doubt TL will have a sale on the Emerald, so I suspect I will never get one.

I am going to fatten up my Peg herd, which numbered ten the last time I checked ;) I would hate to see TL make it more difficult to get Pegs, but there are other high paying animals, and in my opinion TL is walking a fine line with the excessive cost to play this game and excessive fail v success rate, that many more cuts in breed chances or increase costs to play, and TL might price this game out of the market. I thought the 250000 cost for Fail Shale excessive, but having uncovered a 450000 shrub on my last expansion, had I not listened to Sand and built up my Peg herd I would never have the patience to save that kind of gold at three digit/hr earnings that most animals have. Now it will take work but I can do it, as can those with the Unicorn/Emerald pair.

I don't know how those who are not already set with income to earn that kind of $ will ever get to the point where they can afford to expand given the near impossibility to get even the Unicorn, and the extremely good luck or big bank account it will take now that the Uni-Panda breed wait is an hour or 5 coins to speed through. I have tried that breeding as many times as I can to the point where boredom is taking over and game creators like TL should treat boredom as a sign that they need to make some changes to keep their players.

I will stay because I am lucky, have ten Pegs, and now I don't really need an Emerald, but how many others have all but the Emerald currently in their Album? Of course I don't have the statistics, but I doubt many have been as lucky as I have.

Had I not been lucky enough to get the Unicorn the day I did, I would not have come back the next. It was a close call TL.

I am really liking this game now TL, but I am enjoying it because I have an income. I didn't enjoy it when I didn't have an income and it didn't appear that I was likely to ever have one. I hope everyone is as lucky as I have been, but I don't expect they will be. It would be sad to lose those players because had they an income, this is a very enjoyable game!

[SANDSCApe]

SAND noooooooo, I too had caught on to this little trick just two days ago. Now we can only wonder if it would have worked with any new element that they introduce in the future cause I'm sure they will fix it now!!

It was a brief oversight on their part. The "trick" was just straight-up breeding following regular rules. It worked because, for 9 days, there was an Electric element with no Electric Nature hybrid. It happens once in a while in TL games, and they usually plug the hole quickly. Notice they put the fix in place before anybody even mentioned the breeding loophole here on the forum. There's no harm in talking about it when its no longer possible.

As for future new elements, they have people whose job it is to spot these holes. So either they are slipping up, or they deliberately allow these things to be temporarily possible. They code everything. For every two animals you can put together, TL easily pulls up a spreadsheet of every possible outcome, then assigns each outcome a specific probability, according to its rarity and how many they want to actually have out there.

I don't know why people think that TL relies solely upon our comments to fix things. True, if a lucrative loophole is broadcast, they may move more quickly to put an end to the rush; but once the fix is in, it hardly matters.

[SANDSCApe]

Why would you guys ruin it for every one
If there is a good trick
Don't make it too public
Cuz now TL gonna fix it and probably gonna make it even 10 times harder for us who don't have emerald yet

TL gonna fix it? But they already HAD fixed it!

Nothing has been ruined -- at least not by any player. This hole was not made public on the forum until AFTER TeamLava had already plugged it; not only by introducing TWO Electric-Natures, but also by giving both of them the kind of breed times we would usually only see for super-rares. There was not a single mention of this combo ANYWHERE on the forum before the Electric-Natures arrived.

I think we did a great job of keeping our mouths shut. And yet I'm sure there are some who are annoyed that we kept it "to ourselves." So it goes.

[SANDSCApe]

All this will blow over when the Gem-Fire hybrid arrives and every player pairing Unicorn with Pony will have to contend with 2-hour or 5-hour Pony breedings. As someone said last week, it will then be "equally unfair to all." I can't wait. My strange brain is already contemplating how I'm going to bypass the Ruddy Rumptifusel blocker. But no worries. I won't say a word about it.

[igames4me]

TL gonna fix it? But they already HAD fixed it!

Nothing has been ruined -- at least not by any player. This hole was not made public on the forum until AFTER TeamLava had already plugged it; not only by introducing TWO Electric-Natures, but also by giving both of them the kind of breed times we would usually only see for super-rares. There was not a single mention of this combo ANYWHERE on the forum before the Electric-Natures arrived.

I think we did a great job of keeping our mouths shut. And yet I'm sure there are some who are annoyed that we kept it "to ourselves." So it goes.

Yeah next time let me know through pv message in here... Since there is no wall In the game itself. Please

[zenobia42]

SO, the emerald blocker has found a way to FURTHER increase the gap between those who were lucky early and those who were not. The problem with the emerald block IMO is not that it exists, but that it was put into place a number of weeks AFTER the emerald was released. This meant that some players were give a much, much, much, much, MUCH greater chance at getting the emerald than players who could not even try for it until after the blocker was put in place. The problem IMO is not that it exists, nor that some players have a gap in coin-generating potential that the rest of us can NEVER close in on, but that not all players are given an equal chance at getting the emerald. Those who were lucky early continue to pile luck on luck and luck and the rest of us do not have the chance to do so. If we were all treated the same, all had the same chance of getting the emerald, the tremendous potential income gap is not a problem. That some players were given preferential treatment and the rest of us not is the problem.

And now I have realized that there is yet another way that the emerald blocker is screwing those of us who did not get emeralds before it was put in place. We are now stuck in a horrible position: either take three weeks off trying to get the emerald, a process that is LITERALLY 180 times as time-consuming as it was for the chosen ones and taking 3 weeks off it therefore means putting it so far off we can't even see it any more... OR getting no pumpkins at all from breeding for the trick or treat event. Becasue while panda fails still take 180 times as long for us as it did the chosen ones, the panda fail EGGS only take 20 seconds. Meaning breeding panda fails for 16 hours does not yield a SINGLE pumpkin.

PLEASE, TL, PLEASE do the decent thing and either make panda fail hatchings give a pumpkin or make them the same 1 hour as the breeding time. It is SO NOT RIGHT to continue to make things worse and worse for those of us whose only sin was not being lucky early in the game.

[cquinn32]

I think it's about time they changed it back to 30sec breed time!! There are plenty of other high coin earning animals in the game now and having and army of emeralds isn't such an advantage anymore. So do the right thing TL and change it back everyone has suffered long enough for a mistake that was yours to begin with.

[zenobia42]

I think it's about time they changed it back to 30sec breed time!! There are plenty of other high coin earning animals in the game now and having and army of emeralds isn't such an advantage anymore. So do the right thing TL and change it back everyone has suffered long enough for a mistake that was yours to begin with.

THAT would be FANTASTIC!!!

[sweetypies97]

It was a brief oversight on their part. The "trick" was just straight-up breeding following regular rules. It worked because, for 9 days, there was an Electric element with no Electric Nature hybrid. It happens once in a while in TL games, and they usually plug the hole quickly. Notice they put the fix in place before anybody even mentioned the breeding loophole here on the forum. There's no harm in talking about it when its no longer possible.

As for future new elements, they have people whose job it is to spot these holes. So either they are slipping up, or they deliberately allow these things to be temporarily possible. They code everything. For every two animals you can put together, TL easily pulls up a spreadsheet of every possible outcome, then assigns each outcome a specific probability, according to its rarity and how many they want to actually have out there.

I don't know why people think that TL relies solely upon our comments to fix things. True, if a lucrative loophole is broadcast, they may move more quickly to put an end to the rush; but once the fix is in, it hardly matters.

next time there is a hole in their breeding plan perhaps a better thing to do would be to PM all of your friends on the forum so that they too can crank out an army of protestors ;)

[flowless]

Yah change it back
I can't imagine my self trying 3 weeks

I promise I would only have one ;)

[Melis2a84]

Hi All,
I'm so confused lol how do I go about breeding a emerald dragon? Am I wasting my time with panda and unicorn?!
What's the breeding time?

[zenobia42]

Hi All,
I'm so confused lol how do I go about breeding a emerald dragon? Am I wasting my time with panda and unicorn?!
What's the breeding time?

Panda + Unicorn is the best way to do it. At least right now. This way, the ONLY fails you can get are 1-hour pandas.

You will know you've got an emerald dragon if the timer is 45:00 instead of 1:00.

Good luck!

[SANDSCApe]

next time there is a hole in their breeding plan perhaps a better thing to do would be to PM all of your friends on the forum so that they too can crank out an army of protestors ;)

True in life and true in game -- the only way to keep a secret is to tell NOBODY. In the past, players have "privately" passed such information along, only to see it leaked in no time. Who can you trust to keep it in the bag? "Psst! (Pass it on.) Shhhh!" But there's always one -- that person who needs to be the proclaimer of good news. Or maybe they were just trying to help a friend, and the friend blabbed. Then before you know it, the game developer slams that gate shut. I've seen it too many times.

I don't regret keeping it quiet. Besides, the method was there for anybody to figure out if they put their mind to it. I wasn't alone. A couple days after I discovered it, I spotted a couple other forests doing it too. Did they figure it out themselves? Saw someone like me doing it? Got a private tip from a friend? The only thing I know for sure is that they didn't get it HERE, and that is a good thing.

[infinitelove19]

Panda + Unicorn is the best way to do it. At least right now. This way, the ONLY fails you can get are 1-hour pandas.

You will know you've got an emerald dragon if the timer is 45:00 instead of 1:00.

Good luck!

Zenobia is right & this is how I got mine. One thing I highly recommend is to wait & try for it during a tournament. That way, you can log in once every hour to battle AND to breed, which makes both a little more bearable & maximizing results for the energy/time put in.

Just to give you an idea on how long it might take with the one hour fails, here is my experience. I have three accounts. I started straight away during a tournament on all three, probably breeding & battling 12 times per day (or more). I got really lucky on my main account & got Emerald on my second try! (I had tried previously to no avail, albeit briefly.)

On my second account i got it about half way through the tournament, possibly a bit longer.

On my third account, I did not get it for the entire duration of the tournament.
I did, however, get it on the next tournament.

The tournament lasted 6 days, and succeed or fail, I highly recommend this approach.
I was also really short on coins at the time (and need a lot of sleep), so to optimize coin earnings, I pulled crystal out of the breeding den overnight, leaving it empty to try again first thing upon waking.
Best of luck to you & everyone else still trying!! :-)

[[S8] Elsa]

Hi everyone,

I'm closing this thread. Please continue discussion of the Emerald Dragon on the Emerald Dragon thread.


next time there is a hole in their breeding plan perhaps a better thing to do would be to PM all of your friends on the forum so that they too can crank out an army of protestors ;)

Please don't engage or encourage this kind of behavior. If there's an exploit in the game, participating in it harms the game's economy and can genuinely affect the lifespan of the game in a negative way. If you're aware of an exploit, it's best to notify us by emailing support@teamlava.com or posting in Forum Disputes. You won't be disciplined for bringing it to attention.

Players who willfully take advantage of an exploit risk disciplinary action to their account, so please don't encourage your friends to put their accounts at risk.