ROFLMAO

[Cocodri]

I am dreaming of a SandboxFarm game that Orbis Games actually takes care of and updates. A place where players are open and friendly and love to freely share their creations. Yes, I fantasize.

Due to my husbands near death last year we lost Internet for almost a year or so. Seemed kind of unimportant at the time. Of course, that means all my SBF animals are dying in droves.

I was so happy when we got Internet back, but I'm so conflicted about coming back to SBF. And, of course, there's the business of the forum being down the day I get back, and then for weeks afterwards my id won't work. Shockingly, it worked today.

I took 30 turns and killed about 600 animals.

I want to come back. I want to breed and sell and share my creations. But then I remember how ugly and hateful and mean and cruel and snotty and rude everyone will be about it. I remember that I'll have to use tokens to buy common animals because no one breeds or sells them. I remember that I spend tokens to buy a common animal someone else created - and then get screamed at if I dare to breed it. An animal I paid tokens for. I remember seeing a breed or color and thinking "how cool" but when I try to buy one I get nothing but attitude and rules and ... face it, I was gone a year. I don't remember what has breeding agreements and what doesn't and honestly, keeping track of all that seemed a little unimportant given the RL things going on.

I have this fantasy...

So I come back and there is this big LAST DITCH EFFORT TO SAVE THE GAME - by breeding and selling animals. GASP. NO!!! OMG - that must be total DESPERATION.

And why? So you can get 100 new players, and then browbeat them the minute they DARE to put an animal up for stud or sell a baby until they say - well, why play I can't do anything - and quit.

Saving this game can only be done by a major turn around of attitude among the "old" players. And I don't see that happening. Much better to sit around and gripe and complain and whine and never turn their accounts for fear of losing something or having to do something DESPERATE like BREED AN ANIMAL.

So - that's my rant. Come back and tell me I'm all wrong and the people who are left here want to PLAY and ENJOY and SHARE.

'cause you know, I'd like to come back. But I don't know that I want to sink some of our very limited income (my husband is now disabled) into tokens for a dying game so I can get griped at for breeding and selling animals. Even my own animals.

[her]

Can I just say that I AGREE WITH YOU 150%! Sorry I just had to yell for a moment. I too was gone for awhile, and when I came back I was looking through my myths and saw notes on the majority of the animal's pages saying "____ said only 3 breedings" "No public studs allowed" "Breed to replace only" "No unsterile offspring."

All momentous of a crazy time when I tried to please everyone, tried to never let animals off my farm, and tried to religiously uphold what seems to be the SBF goal of having only 3 animals of each breed on the game. But I too, am tired of it. Doesn't it seem that if you create a breed you want it to become popular? You want it to be shared and admired, to be bred by others to make it the best? It seems that people are so paranoid about the dreadful sin of "overbreeding" that they content themselves with creating a foundation pair, breeding 1 sterile offspring, then hoarding the breed until it dies off a few months later.

I agree that this is a problem deeply rooted in SBF's past, and that while the old players remain with their old ideas, SBF will never grow.

You mention that Orbis ignores us, and that is very true. But it is mostly because SBF provides no revenue for them. Whenever a new player joins who has a potential for giving money, they are scared off by players screaming at them, by getting hate mail for putting up a stud to try to make a little money, and for breeding a female that they bought on the market.

This needs to stop, and although I will be the first to admit I have no idea about how to change the minds of the ancient players, I think it is worth a try.

I have a few tokens saved up, and I think I will use them to resurrect player created breeds. I will bring back Endangered and Threatened breeds that have been completely isolated, and breed them. YES I SAID BREED THEM! Not crazily, not outrageously, and not to completely strip them of value, but to ensure that they are available to anyone who wants them (and has the money).

I will most definitely step on some toes in the process, but, you know what? My toes have been getting stepped on the entire time I have been on here. I have received enough messages, enough forum posts, and enough restrictions on MY animals that I am fed up. Well anyway, I applaud you for posting this. And I hope people actually read it.

[sandtiger]

*Shrug* I kinda see both point of views, but I'm lean with this one nowadays. I kinda stay outta it. Generally, & to make it simple whatever I haven't already promised to a contract or whatever, is for the takings. Now, I'll adhere to my word whatever it was before. Just nowadays, any other animal well, I'll breed to my hearts content.

Not the end of the world, never was.

Thus, I'll breed for anyone who needs it at the moment, whatever animal I haven't made a previous promise on.

That's just my two cents.

I applaud you for making this.

P.S. I probably won't recall, but if I ever made a certain contract on an animal, it's off, go ahead & breed it. Though somehow I doubt I made that many...

[Trinity]

I'm an older player, and I agree with you. I never liked the rules about breeding. The way I figure it, If i create or buy an animal, it's mine to do as I please with it.

[her]

The problem is, as soon as you start ignoring breed restrictions and actually start breeding the animals you own, you get marked as an "Overbreeder" and no one will sell to you again. I've seen it happen to other players on the game, and they just end up quitting.

[SomebodyDude]

COCI!

I agree with you! I can see both point of view though, but I have always tended to lean twords this one except in extream cases.

I myself haven't bred an animal in forever and have lost almost my entire collection of wolves. I just haven't had the time or patients to breed and sell lately. I mean in between track, homework, projects, and studying extra hard for spanish I haven't had much time .

[wolfgirl159357]

I try my best, i am finally getting my dog population back. My wolves are gone as well.

[Marlee]

THis happend to me too!

[Cosmosxx]

I get this too.

I don't get a lot of stick nowadays (although I guess I'm not that active) but there is still one player no names who whenever they do log on gives me abuse about a horse variation I apparently made available to people.

I've never been intimidated enough to leave but I see how others might.

Who is still here? Surely if it's just us we can do as we please?

P.s- If I can help anyone restock let me know.

I've missed you Cocodri....

[Cocodri]

There are at least seven of us willing to try...

Probably more who don't surf the forums or who keep their opinions to themselves.

The really hopeful thing I see - is no one showed up to torch my pants off.

Maybe this game can be salvaged yet. I have a few tokens and am willing to buy more when I can afford it. I still have a long list of critters I want to add to the game

*Taking a deeeeep breath* I shall now begin to walk through the farm and see what has vanished and must be replaced. What can be bred, put up for stud, or sold.

Rather than offend anyone animals like the AE/AE horses that are not of my creation will be allowed to die off or bred only for replacement. But by golly if it is a Rare or below - if you wanted it exclusive you should have sprung for the AE. If it's a common or overpop - well it SHOULD BE OVERPOP then and easy to buy on the market, eh?

Missed you too Cos - missed everyone really.

SD *hugs* well, RL does come first - after all - that's where I've been too

her I do know what you mean - but when it comes to animals that are not AE - well we can by golly buy our own foundation stock, can't we? But I find it ridiculous that you can't buy an animal that is a Common...

Thank you Trinity! As always - any generalization is wrong because there are always some exceptions. I'm really glad you've stayed with the game, too.

sandtiger - you rock. Good to hear from you, too!

I'm not saying we should break prior agreements we may have made about animals we've been sold or had traded to us. But seriously, those animals who are Rares and below should be for sale on the open market for anyone to buy, at stud for anyone to breed. If someone has 100 Arabians (I probably do) who does that hurt?

As always, if you know me, you know all my animals were made to be freely shared OR they were made AE and shared with trusted friends - who were encouraged to breed them and keep them going at least. I really have more fun making animals to share...

Kinda makes my day to see someone else with 40 Mongolian horses and have her say "I love Mongols!" Yeah! Me, too! Want some more? LOL

Let's do this thing then - open breeding and sales and the next time someone starts flaming some poor newbie for breeding, we shout 'em down. *stomping foot*

Okay - off to see what's left of my ranch then...

[Bratterratt]

Right now, if we really want to get SBF up and going again, we're gonna have to put the rarities aside for a bit and ignore them until the markets are restocked. If we're too worried about saving Endangered and AE's, then we'll lose everything else!

But I'm really glad everyone seems to be pitching in to help. We can do this guys!

[her]

Wow guys! This is actually amazing! I have noticed such a huge change since this was posted! I actually log on SBF multiple times a day now, because it is way more exciting!

[*~Trent~*]

I dont have time to read all this, but i read the first like 3 posts.

yeah, on other orbis games, players get wealthy by specializing in a breed. Now my opinion is just have one of every animal as possible, you know? Cause having two of something hurts you since it hurts your prestige. If everyone just though 'one of each variation/color' there wouldnt be much of a problem in the first place.

Yeah, not being able to sell to noobs scares them off. I just think we shouldnt overbreed animals just because it hurts ourselves. Like I migth start releasing more of my Frenchies... I WANT people to have my pups, just it feels like nobody will want an AE dog that everyone already has. So it seemed like making them a limited edition was profit. But also, lets say I leave, come back, and my animals are dead. I want there to be a ton of Frenchies around so I have a chance of buying one back for myself.

And having a ton of a variation means it i popular and people like it. so its really a compliment...

[Cocodri]

Exactly, Trent. I mean - the AQHA didn't form to make sure there were only two Quarter horses in the world - they formed to keep the breed pure, improve it, and popularize it so lots of people would want Quarter Horses and buy them from Quarter Horse breeders. Sure, you can buy a Quarter horse around here for as low as $600 - but high class Quarter Horses go for a whole lot more than that.

As far as AEs, no one can buy them. So unless you sell them, you CAN keep them to yourself if you want to do that. Myself - I've lost one too many AE species and had to spring tokens one too many times. I HOPE someone has some Mongols to sell me!

[Cosmosxx]

Coco, I will hook you up with anything you need.... I still have a mongol or two kicking around.... unfortunately I don't have your desert mouse anymore....