May 2012 Edition

Letter From The Editor

Dear Readers,

It's only the second issue of The Dragon Cave News and already we have come so far. I have a wonderful co-editor, FieryIsis, who has been so helpful and has had great ideas. Of course the biggest change is the location of the newsletter, it's now neatly compiled into a blog! The original thread is still in Site Discussion and if you want to contribute post there or PM me! We are always looking for more contributors and interesting articles and if you can't contribute every month that's fine. Even one-time contributions are helpful. I look forward to hearing from you!

-The Editor

The New Release

Turpentines

by Snowytoshi

April 25 began just like any other day, I woke up and checked on my dragons. Then I went to the forums and saw the news- a new dragon! I practically fell on my face trying to find them in the Alpine and then in the middle of the day, the biomes switched. Suddenly they were popping up in the desert and they were nearly impossible to get. After all when there are 150 people in a biome all looking for the same thing, you don't stand much of a chance. And in the trading section people have been offering low or cave-born metallics and Neglected Dragons for them.

However I advise caution- Turpentines might be metallic worthy right now, but they might also become common as the thrill of a release wears off. Also if you look at the release banner, it says that they're more likely to refuse other dragons. This places their potential rarity as uncommon, think two headed dragons.

But who knows? They might become really rare or they might become the new cave blocker...

Thanks to TJ09 and spriter Nectaris for their release, and good luck catching them!

DorkfaceIdentity Crisis Strikes Dragon Cave!

by Tyra-Ice

Early on the morning of April 19th, Cave Time, aDC forums member by the name, brairtrainer, came across a startlingfact. While renaming her Tinsel dragon to show its Dorkfacelineage, she found that the beloved first Dorkface ancestor’s namehad been erased as well as his lovely mate and all other dragons onladiefare’s scroll. Yes, it is true; Midas Dorkface hasindeed lost his name. Now, that renowned name is found on anunlikely Flamingo hatchling, the last place you would expect. However, the owner of the Flamingo hatchling, Nine, is willing togive the original Dorkfaces back their names if ladiefare indeedcomes back, stating:

“Yes, I have the namesMidas Dorkface and Shallyna'ar. No, I'm not looking for bribes or anysort of trade, not looking for recognition, not looking to destroythe market value of the Dorkface name (lol?). I'm not into the wholefamous-named-lineages thing-- it's not something that particularlyinterests me-- which is why I picked up the names in the first place.Because I won't have any trouble giving them up should the originalowner return and ask for them. So yeah, if/when ladiefarereturns and wants them back, sure why not? I know I'd be bummed if Ilost my dragons' names, so when I saw they were available I figuredI'd hold them.”

When asked about how she came acrossthis tragic event, brairtrainer, who’s had her own Dorkface sincethe end of March, had this to say:

“Yesterdaywas probably my luckiest day on DC, caught a really nice evengenlineaged vine, and a leetle tree. I also discovered that my Tinsel(then named Messed up Mister was a Dorkface) I became very excited asmy plan was to breed him to a very messy lineaged Silver I got to payback the metalweavers thread (he misgendered though). This morning Ilogged on to the forum to find the No More Orignal Dorkface? thread.After checking that and Do you have a Dorkface V.2 I saw the lineageshot of the hatchling flamingo that now has Midas Dorkface's name.Apparently that person has already named a BBW after his mate aswell...” In order to remind myself who the real MidasDorkface was I attached his code to my Vamp (proofhere->http://dragcave.net/lineage/SS3rj). He hatched the daybefore Dorkface lost his name and I mean to describe it tocommarderate Dorkface and to preserve who the original Dorkfacewas.”

The proof is in the scroll which can be foundat this address. Upon further examination, ladiefare’s entire scroll was indeedfound to be wiped clean of every dragon name. How did thishappen? One possible explanation is that ladiefare neglected orforgot to visit her account within the time period of two months, forif a DC account is left inactive for two months, all the dragons onthat scroll will unfortunately lose their names.

Dragon Cavemembers from all over are devastated at this shocking news and manyexpressed their opinions on the matter. Member, CDM, says:

“Iam as shocked and saddened as everyone else. The one DorkfaceSilver that I have, now has a nameless lineage. But, these arethe risks we take, unfortunately, when it comes to lineages We all have lives outside of DC and they can take over. I dohope that Ladyfaire is okay IRL, and that she is able to come back tous in the future to start over. It would be so nice that thosepeople who grabbed the names of her starting pair, did so, so thatshe would be able to reclaim them if she ever returns.”

Member, fanficlover09, states, “This iscertainly a new occurance for me I'm actually stunned about the Dorkface crisis. I know the rule aboutbeing inactive and losing your names, but it's the Dorkfaces. Thereshould be a special line somewhere, ne? We can only cross our fingersand hope that somehow TJ cares about a lineage that is very popularand very dear to his users. Hopefully he (or the owner) will get itstraightened out.”


Member, Iside, remarks, “I'mvery sad that Midas and Shally lost their names. I'm not very muchinto Dorkface lineage, but nonetheless I'm proud of my few nice genDorkys. Yes, their ancestors are still alive, but it won't be thesame without their names.”

However, not all opinionsare the same. Member, Varekis, had this to say: “I'djust like to say firstly that I don't particularly dislike theDorkface lineage but I don't really understand the drama surroundingthe name purge. Yes, it was a long standing and well known line butwe really can't forget that all our dragons are created equal(excluding CB tinsels and HM prizes, of course) and therefore all aresubject to the same rules and ToM. I think it's a little silly toexpect that rules can be bent for a certain few - the originalDorkfaces are special, but that doesn't mean someone else's whiptailcalled "Flash 1928" or something isn't. How can you explainto someone else that their dragon wasn't well known enough to deservehaving its name restored?”

These are only a few of thenumerous expressed opinions over the Dorkface crisis. Many DCmembers are even going so far as to try and persuade TJ09 to restorethe original Dorkfaces’ names permanently, creating a petition forthe original Dorkfaces to reclaim their identities.

So justhow popular is the Dorkface lineage? Several searches wereconducted by DC members and the results are surprising. Whensearching “Midas Dorkface” on Google, member, dragongrrl foundapproximately 144,000 results. Searching “Shallyna'ar” -about 89,700 results. And searching “Dorkfaces dragon” -around 334,000 results. Not to mention when dragongrrl Googled“dorkface dragcave”, she found approximately 8,610,000 results! In The Book of DC Records, Midas Dorkface is recorded as the mostfamous dragon; Shallyna'ar as the dragon with the most descendents;and Dorkface as the largest lineage. One possible estimate ofhow many dragons actually were included in the Dorkface lineage cameto over 146,000 dragons.

Overall, do the original Dorkfacesdeserve to have their names restored? That is for you todecide. The big questions now are, “Where is ladiefare?”and “Will the noble Gold ever reclaim his true name, MidasDorkface?”


[Editor's note: Fortunately, this crisis has now been resolved, with the renaming of the Dorkface pair. Here's an example of what the lineage now looks like, with the 'original' Dorkface couple. Phew!]

HintsAnd Tips For A New Player

by FieryIsis

Here are some thoughts and tips ongetting started in Dragcave, from the perspective of a new player. Most of these tips were passed on to me from older and wiser playersof the game! Now that I've got my bronze trophy, I thought I'dpass them on to other new players, that maybe haven't been luckyenough to get the advice and tips that I did!

First of all,I'd find the thread that lists all the fan sites and have a lookthrough it. Its updated really well, most of the links are toactive fan-sites where you can grow your eggs and hatchlings. Don't get carried away and use too many – you don't want your eggsor hatchies to get sick! I'd advise trying three, to see howyou get on. Personally, I use more than three, but I'm alwayschecking for sickness. If one of your eggs or hatchies does getsick, you simply fog it, by going to actions and clicking on 'hide'. Keep it hidden until its no longer sick, at which point you can'unhide' it.

Secondly, get a DC mentor! They're great –they will answer all your silly little questions that you can't seemto find answers to anywhere. Or they'll answer questions youthink might be so obvious you're too afraid to ask publically! I had one, and she did just that for me. The DC mentors do agreat job keeping us newbies on the right path, so thanks so much tothem!

Thirdly, have a look at the DC wiki – its a must havereference as you learn which eggs turn into which dragons, what theirdescriptions are, and what they look like. It'll also tell youwhich biomes the dragons will drop in. Its an incredibly usefulresource for new players.

Fourthly, visit the Newbie Gifting Project Thread – the great people there gift eggs exclusively topeople with less than 50 dragons, who don't have a trophy yet. So make full use of them while you're still in that position! If you have a favourite sprite, just request that breed of dragonfrom them. Remember to read the rules before you postthough!

A good goal to begin with is to aim for 50 dragons, atwhich point you'll earn your bronze trophy, and your egg limit willincrease to 5 eggs! This makes it so much easier, believe me! So, in order to hurry things along, its a good idea to collect somered dragons. They have the BSA (breed specific action) ofincubate. Incubate takes one day off the egg growing time,meaning they hatch one day sooner using incubate. The New BSA Gifters thread is a great resource to help you along with that. There you can be gifted BSA dragons, such as reds, pinks, magis,until you have 5 of the breed on your scroll. Remember to readthe first post for their rules before you post!

That concludes my tips, from the point of view of a new player who's just received her bronze trophy! I hope they've helped you in some way, and good luck collecting your dragons!

DragonSpotlight: Guardian of Nature

Eggdescription: “This egg glows mysteriously.”

Limitedto only two per scroll, and only available via breed specific action,the Guardian of Nature (GoN) is a very unique dragon. Not only that,there's no abandon option for these dragons – they're meant onlyfor the person who summoned them. A dragon tamer can only attempt tosummon a GoN once every two weeks, assuming they have all three triodragons (Ice, Magma and Thunder) and space on their scroll for anegg.

Theartists who worked on the sprites were: Komodo Gallant, who worked onthe adult; Marrionetta, who worked on the hatchlings; and FionaBluefire, who worked on the eggs. Marrionetta said about the processthat she has her method for spriting hatchlings 'down pretty well' asshe's made a lot of hatchlings! She goes on to say, “Granted, it'salways a joy working with Komodo, she's a lovely person and a veryskilled artist! Unlike other dragon breeds which are artist-directed,the GON was an idea TJ09 had, and we worked to fill his request.Several artists submitted sketches, but TJ ultimately picked the oneyou guys now see on site.” Thanks Marionetta, for that greatinsight into the process!

Here'san example of a very special GoN - TJ's own

So,good luck summoning your very rare Guardian of Nature, andcongratulations if you already have two on your scroll!

Dragon Cave Poetry

by Varekis

Deathwould be sweeter, they promised
poison lacing the honey oflies.
Perhaps, it was this
fanciful lunacy that forcedmore
than we had bargained.

Foolish arrogance: nothingsoothes
fire like retribution. And now
alone and suffering fromthe
weight of my wrongdoing,
I share a room with regret.

Aworld of beauty and paradox,
where your memory lingers
like thefrost turning
breathes into phantoms.

• from the perspective of Dishonor, the story's in his description. x)

From Multimedia

Signature and Photography contests

Everlook in the Multimedia section of the forum? There's some great artgoing on over there – from digital art, to fan-fiction, photographyand music!

Everymonth there are two art competitions running – the signaturecontest and the photography contest. The competitions are similar inthat they both choose a theme, which the competitors have to use intheir photography/signature that they will submit. At the end of themonth a poll is held to vote on the winners.

Thismonth, the signature contest winner was Chiaki with a fantastic piececreated around the theme of 'underwater'.

This month's winning entry from Chiaki!

CongratulationsChiaki!

Thewinner goes on to host next months competition thread, which you canfind here. Thetheme Chiaki has chosen is 'Magic' – we can't wait to see whateveryone comes up with! Feel free to be inspired and submit anentry, or if you're not artistically inclined, go along and vote foryour favourite at the end of the month!

Wantto have a look at the past winners? There's a hall of fame thread here. Wehave some very talented artists in our forum!

Asfor the photography contest – it's still running for this month. You'll have to be quick if you want to vote, as the voting ends onthe 3^rd of May. Head over to the thread and vote for yourfavourite photograph here, butbe warned, it won't be easy to decide! This month, the theme of thecontest was 'the first letter of your username' which left the themeopen to each individual, as long as it matched their username. Themes varied from nature, to sheep and saxophonists, meaning eachentry is very different and choosing a favourite almost impossible!

Here'san example of some of the entries this month:

St Jimmy chose 'snow' for a theme and entered this photograph.

Casprrrentered this photograph under the theme of 'chipmunks'.

AndLagie chose 'lizard' as her theme, with this photograph.

Lagiecomments that, "The lizard was peeking out from acrack in the wall of our lunchroom at the school where I used toteach (outdoor lunchroom)." Thanks for the explanation Lagie - you must have been quick withthe camera!

Goodluck to all the entrants of the photography contest, and well donefor taking such fantastic shots!

Games Section

by Chiaki

The Games Section is a super fun place free from spam but abundant in awesome. By far the most popular and long standing thread is “Compulsive Posters' Anonymous” which is currently in its 13th addition. This is a thread for chat, chat about anything you like and not at all limited to DC topics. The CPA is presided over by the much loved, brownie providing, Mother Lagie.

Dragon Bingo is like regular bingo but with dragons! The host posts specific dragons (e.g. A green Stripe) and any player who has that dragon posts “BINGO!” and gets a point. The tiered structure to the game, based on your scroll trophy, means that anyone has a chance to win!

Username Says, currently hosted by evangeline5432 (aka Vang), is an online version of “Simon Says”. The host sets tasks which the players must race to complete, if you fail to complete the task in time you are eliminated. Last man standing. Tasks range from posting in the Games Section a certain number of times, to finding a specific egg in the AP, to solving riddles.

Mafia is currently accepting players, every player is assigned a role which they must keep secret. The Mafia is terrorising the village, killing one player every night, during the day the whole village must decide and vote who to lynch in the hopes they were a Mafia member. To make things more interesting there are different roles such as the ‘Fairy’ who must try and get themselves killed and the ‘Lovers’ who must protect each other as if one dies so does the other. Sign up now!

Authors Pick! One of my all-time favourite games is Post Baseless Lies About the Person Above You, a pretty self-explanatory game which is high in hilarity. If in doubt about what to post, just claim members as illegitimate children!

Off to the games section with you now! Time for some fun ^^

Musingsof the Pink Pimpernel

Dragon addict

Anotherday dawns, I wake up, don my pink eye mask, brush my teeth, and checkon my latest brood of eggs and hatchlings. Ok, ok, I check mydragons then I brush my teeth. Sheesh, you'll letnothing pass, will you? Everything being well, I proceed to theforums. Otherwise, I panic. Spotting the sick egg or hatchling, Irace to her page to look after her, while cursing the slowness of myinternet speed, heart pounding at the thought of losing one of mylittle Pimpernels. Finally, oncethe poor, sickly creature is hidden, I breathe again. I wonder howlong she's been sick, and berate myself for using so many hatcheries– why, oh why, must I be so impatient?!

So,on this fine morning, all is well. I proceed to the forums for mymorning DragCave fix. I browse my favourite topics, reading thelastest posts, then drive myself crazy over the even gen thread andall the pretties on offer when I'm completely scroll locked, asusual. I briefly debate letting one of my little ones go, forsomething better, brighter and even. Then I see sense, remember theloving care I've already invested in her and I stop reading the evengen thread.

Thisis a sliver of my DragCave life. I am the Pink Pimpernel, and Icould be you! Or could I?

Trivia - Test Your Dragcave Knowledge!

These questions were submitted by some wonderful anonymous people - thank you!

Howmany dragons have an alt form?

Howmany dragons have been retired?

Whatdragons requires killing it to get it?

Whichdragons do you only get via breeding (alts not included)?

Howmany eggs are sitting, according to their description?

How many eggs glow?

And these tricky ones came from Mew - thanks Mew!

Howmany eggs are "metallic looking?"

How many "metal"dragons are there?

How many hatchlings have nodescription apart from the usual bit?

Howmany dragons have no description?

Waiting for your eggs to hatch?

Try our wordsearch!

The words run in any direction: forwards, backwards and diagonally.

See if you can find the words: biome, alpine, forest, coast, desert, jungle, volcano, cave, abandoned, scroll, locked, egg, hatchling, dragon, frozen.