09-27-2011 at 12:52 AM

I think it's easier for those without a goal, y'know? The main goal I've been seeing is to get the highest TP dog ever and get tons of money and be rich out of trialing. I mean, I don't get much out of trialing, but I'm living happily with selling things.<br /><br /><br />After about two months of playing I stopped getting my money out of the games section, exception of the Riddler(I get some of my items from that thing). I chose to sell CS Pets I didn't need or want for bones or money, and my best friend on Ala is my best customer. I'm not a millionaire; I'm just little old me.<br /><br /><i>I see merit to both sides of this debate, but I have to agree that luxury items are meant to be just that. If they are easy to obtain, they lose their value as luxury items.</i><br /><br /><br />This is very much true; I support this. I never got my SC's without working for it; the others should just do the same.<br /><br /><i>Companions are not necessary for game play. By your line of logic, a scholar collar is necessary for game play. This is simply not the case. Yes, it makes training easier, but it doesn't hamper your ability to play to not have these items. </i><br /><br /><br />It will NEVER be necessary to play the game with an SC; it's just some sort of power-up, if an avid gamer wants to call it. But it will be required(sort of) on a dog that you want quickly maxed to be ready for trials and breedings, especially for non-immortal dogs. But yes, there are other ways to max your dogs; just that you have to spend a little more than usual. Maxing a dog with an SC is cheaper in the long run than having that dog maxed, though.<br /><br /><br />Sorry if it's quite long; I just wanted to speak my mind.

09-3-2011 at 7:33 AM

Just for everyone who complains they don't get enough money from trialing ;<br /> On my side account I have quite a few maxed dogs that I breed often, these dogs are <i>never</i> trialed and I honestly don't think I've trialed once before in my life here on Ala. I just breed and sell dogs, I'm not hurting for cash in any way - although I'm not even close to being able to afford items when they go up - my side is even upgraded. Most of my dogs on there are between 400-1000 tp, because I can't stand training dogs anymore then that! They still sell & I've never donated to Ala once/<br /> <br /> On top of not trialing and having low tp dogs this account is (obviously) a <i>non-profit</i> rescue, I often buy dogs for $1k + vaccinate them ($250) + feed them (eh maybe $250 max) = $1500 per dog that comes in my kennel, not counting costs for any illnesses and any dogs that I feel the need to buy even if they are higher than $1k. I then sell these dogs for 600-900 that's <i>losing</i> at least $600 and max $900 per dog, a lot of dogs come through my kennel.<br /> <br /> Point is, all I do is breed dogs and maybe sell some items on only <i>one</i> account and I'm still happily thriving.

08-26-2011 at 8:03 PM

Yall have inspired an experiment. My side has no perks, I'm going to train my current 1k dog on there w/o a perk or a collar and see how long it takes!

08-26-2011 at 11:00 AM

Buying maxed dogs (which are surprisingly cheap) and paying others to train for you is also always an option. There is not one, single way to play this game. That's the fun of it! It can take ingenuity to dream up ways around and over obstacles. Making everything easy-peasy makes for a boring game, in my opinion.

08-26-2011 at 7:06 AM

I have barely trialed in my 17months playing Ala and I am in no way hurting for money.<br /> <br /> If you don't feel you can train dogs quick enough w/o a SC buy low TP dogs, train them, breed them, sell the offspring, save your ala cash rinse and repeat!

08-25-2011 at 6:24 PM

Yes, of course, people could train dogs back then. But the dogs back then didn't have TP in the thousands or even higher hundreds, did they?<br /> <br /> If you want to stand even a chance with trials, you need very high TP dogs, and if you want to train those dogs before they keel over and die, or before they get too old when the age restriction is added, you basically need the collar and companions. <br /> <br /> Again, they may not be required for gameplay, but you will not get far without them.

08-25-2011 at 4:53 PM

The one problem, though, is that in order to consistently earn money from trials, you have to have a 300+ TP dog that's been at least 60% maxed... and that's if you have really good strategy. When I joined, it took forever to max a 200+ TP dog and I had gotten one to around 60%. She was a major income source for my kennels. Now, a dog with her TP and training would barely break even under a newbie's care. I actually was worried she would die of old age or I would go bankrupt before she was maxed, but then I learned to choose wisely what trials she was entered in after she hit roughly 60% done.<br /> Yes, playing games does earn you money, but only up to a certain point. I have no idea how long it would have taken to get my pits just to the level they're at now without my luxuries. The thing is, I'm not a newbie and I have luxuries, and my dogs are just starting to support me again now that I actually have the extras. (I took a year-long hiatus, so the TP and Ala cash inflation was a big shocker for me when I came back.)

08-25-2011 at 4:33 PM

I never yell, I highly suggest they do so though so that their puppies turn out with higher TP than their parents. Like I said i raised dogs w/o a SC for months before it came out. And i maxed every single dog i owned/bred.

08-25-2011 at 3:04 PM

If you want to play second - or third - fiddle then it doesn't hinder you, no. In which case we need to stop yelling at newbies max their dogs.

08-25-2011 at 2:54 PM

I've been playing Ala for longer than the scholar collar and the companions have been around and I trained dogs back then too. We were able to train dogs back then. They are not a necessity they are all lucturies that make the game easier, not having them does not hinder play you just have to make different choices.

08-25-2011 at 1:39 PM

They may not be required for gameplay, but try going without them and see just how far you'll get.

08-25-2011 at 10:32 AM

Yeah well someone was buying a very expensive dog... and I guess a few of us have used the chance to get some of the older backgrounds in the cash shop - though I doubt I will ever have enough money to get my missing background. <br /> <br /> However, there won't be such a dog for sale everyday, nor will there be the desire to grab a few more items before the price goers up. <br /> <br /> And yeah, I think to seriously train dogs over 500 TP you need a scholar collar.

08-25-2011 at 10:25 AM

Companions are not necessary for game play. By your line of logic, a scholar collar is necessary for game play. This is simply not the case. Yes, it makes training easier, but it doesn't hamper your ability to play to not have these items. <br /> <br /> I think I disagree with the assessment that people hoard more now than before. I've seen about $25,000,000 retired from the game over the past week, or so. <br /> <br /> And I'm sure there are lots of collectors of monthly shop items. You can count me among them :) The fact remains that there is not really an increase in overall price of monthly shop items - we're simply adjusting the bone>Ala$ conversion rate to be more realistic within the economy. Robyn has said $25k per Bone, and I think that's fair. You'll just have to work harder for those monthly shop items :)

08-25-2011 at 6:18 AM

Unfortunately, many companions aren't luxury items, even for non-collectors. The skunks, for example, were a must have for anyone having a training kennel (or just a lot of sessions to use on one dog) <br /> <br /> I agree about the money hoarding, but from what I saw, people hoard more now, not less. <br /> <br /> As for me, I am mainly collecting backgrounds (and foregrounds to a lesser extend) which does include the monthly shop stuff.

08-25-2011 at 5:29 AM

<i>then 300tp dogs can win the same amount as 9k tp dogs, just the 9999 dogs are more likely to win.</i><br /> <br /> The problem inherent in this is that people work hard to breed and train high TP dogs. If you take away the incentive for doing so, what's the point? <br /> <br /> I see merit to both sides of this debate, but I have to agree that luxury items are meant to be just that. If they are easy to obtain, they lose their value as luxury items. I do believe that an increase in the cash value of these is in order. Bones don't sell for $10k anymore because it's really not that difficult to make $10k anymore. Back in the beginning, it was difficult to amass that kind of cash. I doubt I even made $10k over the trial life of my first dog here on Ala, who had great TP for the time (a whole 280, haha). <br /> <br /> I also do view money hoarding as a problem... and that's precisely why we're dreaming up new and inventive ways to get those people to spend their money. Increases are only happening in the luxury items to reflect the value of the Bone. Frankly, I'm surprised that the formula wasn't adjusted before this. Main Shops prices are extremely reasonable, so there would be nothing to prevent you from decorating your dogs from there. <br /> <br /> Players have been spending $30k+ on Bones in auctions for months now, so to blame the inflation on Robyn trying to fix the economy is both unfair and untrue. Robyn's response to the crisis came after it, y'know, became a crisis. I'm just going to throw that out there.

08-25-2011 at 4:04 AM

Not feeding your dogs doesn't harm them, never has. I only feed dogs in trials or training unless I am sorting them, which means I need to get rid of the yellow on the kennel page.

08-24-2011 at 9:44 PM

I actually, don't trial any low TP dogs because I know they don't last. I feel like if you want to trial dogs, get a trial dog, not a custom that will go so far.<br /> <br /> I'm living on about $100k right now and its easy. My one 1.8k TP dog can make enough money for food to feed my whole kennel. No one is telling you to send the whole kennel out to trial.<br /> <br /> And yea, I agree with Tiger. Food prices are fine. Its because one has too many dogs there is an issue.

08-24-2011 at 6:55 PM

Quagga, I've been putting bones up for sale on and off starting at 10k bones for months ;) but people always still buy the ones set much higher..lol<br /> <br /> If someone can't afford to feed your dogs maybe they have to many dogs?

08-24-2011 at 7:25 AM

The increase in food prices has nearly killed my kennels. The only thing keeping them afloat is entering 200+ TP dogs in the dogbert trials. Not only did the food prices rise, but they did <em>right after</em> I spent all my bank savings on a monthly bag in July, so I was essentially forced to find new ways to make money outside selling dogs and playing games from time to time.<br /> <br /> I think the last thing we want to do is raise the prices. We need to keep them low, like Geist said, and restrict how much Ala cash is placed into circulation. Remember pre-WW2 Germany? Their economy was already messed up before the Great Depression and when it hit, they only made it worse by printing billions of German Marks. The more there was in circulation, the closer a bar of chocolate came to costing 1 mil. Marks. If the influx of Ala cash into circulation is not restricted, and prices are only increased, inflation will only get worse and turn away all the newbies, which in the end, will include be our future top donors. It's getting a LOT harder to advance as a player on Alacrity and I don't like it. I appreciate all the effort Rob and the staff have put out to fix the economy, but I think they're focusing their energy in the wrong place.

08-24-2011 at 7:13 AM

Tiger-<br /> That's partially what I've been trying to do, actually. xD I've started placing bones at a $10,000 starting price. I noticed a few others putting them lower than 20k as well, now... It's fun thinking that I kind of "started" it (though maybe not really, maybe I'm just one of the firsts, and that I only took part in it). :D<br /> <br /> The fewer the bones, the higher the prices will likely be... Once there get to be people just trying to get rid of bones, they've got to pick reasonable prices to try and sell them for actual profit instead of absurdly high prices like they would want and push for, but no one will buy for.