Recently I had a conversation during which the other person, somewhat tactfully, implied that I do not have many rare Meeroos. They are not entirely wrong, I have a few Amber coats and a few very short tails. That is the result of my endeavours so far. I do not think I have done poorly, I do not keep a massive number of Meeroos. I do think I can do better. I have come to the understanding that the Regard boost is minute, at least I believe it to be. Perhaps significant from time to time, providing a surprise. But for the most part it is the nudge Tiger describes.
My breeding method up until now has included something I will call long cycle breeding, my words for the concept of breeding a large percentage of my Meeroos for their entire breeding cycle of sixty (60) days. I thought the additional Regard gained by the Meeroos during their lives would eventually provide some better traits. In some cases this may even have worked, it is hard to say. I have gotten some cool traits and the parental Regard may have played a part.
My new method I am calling short cycle breeding. It it based on the principle that genetics play the dominant role in breeding and almost discounting the Regard boost. My plan is to breed each set of Meeroos a few times, no more than (3) and if they do not produce the Nests I want I will switch their partners. Again I will let them breed no more than three (3) times before making a final decision on keeping them until they elderize or setting them free.
I can only guess what, if any, effect my new strategy will have on my breeding program. I am not sure how to measure it exactly, but I will keep you posted if I notice anything different. If I get any results or have any failures. I hope my accelerated Coaxing will use up a few of the exciting Nests I have around I really want to Coax. I had forgotten how many offspring Nests I have stashed away.
I am not eschewing Regard totally, I still intend to use the hilarious Pet-O-Matic to bring my new generations up to over one thousand (1,000) Regard points quickly. I do think that helps quite a bit. After they achieve the proper number of points I will slow the petter down to extend its battery life.
I am looking forward to Chapter 2 being released next month [October]. I think I will be able to keep myself busy with breeding until then.
Showing posts with label Breeding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Breeding. Show all posts
Thursday, 22 September 2011
Sunday, 11 September 2011
How Big a Boost?
Something I find myself discussing a lot lately is this: How much of a boost does breeding get from player and Meeroo Regard? I do not think we will ever be told exactly how Regard enhances breeding which is fair and possibly vital to the game. What I would like to have is some sort of analogy, something to give me an idea of its impact without being specific. I could even do with a colourful physics parallel, something in the vein of bouncing a marble off a pool ball. Anything that would give me some idea of how much effect Regard has on the process.
I would like to know because for one I am curious. The more practical second reason is that I want to know how much effort I should put forth to gain said Regard. I try to pet my Meeroos as often as I can, certainly any time I am inworld. I have often logged-in for the sole purpose of petting my little friends. I do not begrudge that interaction at all but I am not sure I would be quite so persistent if I knew the Regard bonus was something I consider insignificant. I do not even know what level I would consider that to be. It would depend on the way the information was presented. I think a percent value is probably not possible to give, what does a 3% boost mean in breeding? Three (3) percent boost to what? I think it is far more likely, as has been hinted at, that Regard provides the ability to reach further back into the Meeroos genetic history. So it could operate in units such as years, or ages.
If I knew even vaguely what I am achieving with my petting I could better judge how much time to spend on it. I do feel quite a bit of pressure to pet and I do not know if that is justified or not. Am I going to miss out on some amazing Nest because I did not pet that Amber enough? I suppose that is always possible, we can never know what we might have gotten had we managed to pet the parents just a few more times. I do think I could make better choices if I could estimate what effect my diligence might have.
The whole reason auto-petters were created is that people want this breeding bonus. There is currently nothing else Regard is going to do for you. You do not need much Regard for any of the items in the Regard store at the moment and that is based only on player Regard. Meeroo Regard does nothing except boost breeding, until they are Released when they pass it on to their owner. I wonder if the people who paid L$ for the auto-petters would have done so if they knew how much of a bonus Regard really provides? Perhaps so, it could be that they were value for money and the boost can be significant. Just as easily it could be the opposite: the Regard bonus might be almost imperceptible.
I have collected a few quotes from Team Meeroos about the Regard boost: In THIS post we are told "...you can considerably increase the chances of success by increasing your status with the Meeroos, by raising the regard points of your breeding pairs as well as your own" as well as "...many of you were worried that petting and acquisition of regard appeared to be nothing more than a time sink, and I can assure you that isn't so." In another post HERE we have been informed that the bonus provided has been raised, a lot: "We have significantly increased the bonus regard rewards a player and a meeroo that allows it the chance to reach further back in their genetic timeline." Finally, consider this "...it is more of a nudge in popping out coveted traits, not a sledgehammer." from THIS post and from a recent answer: "The acquisition [of Regard] was intended to be a casual game that provided small bonus benefits at milestone levels."
While it is not guaranteed, I can think of no reason why the boost from Meeroo Regard would not work in a similar way to player Regard. For players the breeding boost is level specific, so two (2) players who are both on level twenty (20) would get the same benefit even if one has more points than the other. Thus player Regard bonuses are tiered and top out at level twenty five (25) for now. I figure it is likely to be the same with Meeroo Regard, see Catherine's comment about "milestone levels" in the paragraph above. While we do not know what the tiers might be I think it is reasonable to assume that, as an example, a Meeroo with one thousand (1,000) Regard points would garner the exact same enhancement as a Meeroo with one thousand three hundred (1,300) points. The next tier might begin at two thousand five hundred (2,500) meaning there would be no further breeding boosts until that value is eclipsed my the Meeroo in question. I would love to hear what other breeders have observed relating to Meeroo Regard. I have noticed myself, and seen mention of in group chat, that there is a boost that takes effect at about one thousand (1,000) Regard points and again around two thousand five hundred (2,500) to three thousand (3,000) . Breeders have noticed that at those tipping points paired sets of Meeroos begin giving better traits. There is not a statistically significant dataset however and all evidence of those tiers is anecdotal and possibly just the result of humans trying to impose order on something that appears chaotic.
While it is not guaranteed, I can think of no reason why the boost from Meeroo Regard would not work in a similar way to player Regard. For players the breeding boost is level specific, so two (2) players who are both on level twenty (20) would get the same benefit even if one has more points than the other. Thus player Regard bonuses are tiered and top out at level twenty five (25) for now. I figure it is likely to be the same with Meeroo Regard, see Catherine's comment about "milestone levels" in the paragraph above. While we do not know what the tiers might be I think it is reasonable to assume that, as an example, a Meeroo with one thousand (1,000) Regard points would garner the exact same enhancement as a Meeroo with one thousand three hundred (1,300) points. The next tier might begin at two thousand five hundred (2,500) meaning there would be no further breeding boosts until that value is eclipsed my the Meeroo in question. I would love to hear what other breeders have observed relating to Meeroo Regard. I have noticed myself, and seen mention of in group chat, that there is a boost that takes effect at about one thousand (1,000) Regard points and again around two thousand five hundred (2,500) to three thousand (3,000) . Breeders have noticed that at those tipping points paired sets of Meeroos begin giving better traits. There is not a statistically significant dataset however and all evidence of those tiers is anecdotal and possibly just the result of humans trying to impose order on something that appears chaotic.
Regard itself is in a sort of limbo right now. Releases to the Regard store have been paused while it is being sorted out. The advent of the auto-petters has enabled the formation of a gap in Regard points between players who used them and those who did not. Malevay Studios is working to rectify the problem. They have stated that once the regard level cap is raised upon reaching the maximum level your Regard points will also stop accumulating. Right now once you reach level twenty five (25) you stop levelling up but your Regard points continue to build. They may take additional steps to repair the damage to the Regard aspect of Meeroos. As such Regard as it is now may change or be implemented slightly differently in the near future. Whatever is done I hope we will either be told, or with time and experience deduce to some degree, what Regard does for breeding, how strong of an influence it is. I will pet my Meeroos no matter what, often I feel the motivation to cuddle them comes more from my not wanting them to be sad than any possible value the Regard points might have. They are too cute not to pet and petting is an integral part of the Meeroos experience but as Catherine said: "Petting was never intended to be a job."
No un-pet Meeroo
on the grid or in the wild.
Rare traits tomorrow.
-Regard bonus Haiku
Saturday, 23 July 2011
So Much Stuff
So many things happened this past week with Meeroos I do not know where to start! For one the Pre-Order and initial Release Meeroos all turned sixty (60) this past week. Either on Sunday or sometime Wednesday, depending on when they were Coaxed. This means they have reached Elder status and can no longer breed. Many of them were subsequently Released as a result. I personally went up about eight (8) levels due to Releasing my Elders that I did not want to keep. I say I did not want to keep them: I did. I can not keep forty (40) Meeroos around forever, even as MeePets.
Yes: MeePets! The release of the MeePet option has been announced on the Official WW of Meeroos blog in THIS post. The option is out now at the Roo store. One fantastic piece of news: players who use the MeePet option will receive the Regard points from their converted Meeroos. So keep petting those Meeroos, even if you plan to MeePet; you will still get that Regard! For those of you who have had Meeroos starve and run off the Whistle to call them back is also available, right next to the Honey Dipper. MeePet Honey Dipper is L$999 and the Whistle is L$350 both are single use items. The Whistle will not work on Released Meeroos, only ones that have run off due to hunger.
Team Meeroos also announced the release of a few more products planned for the near future. As well as the opening of the Regard Store; where having certain Regard levels unlocks the ability to purchase specific Malevay Studios Meeroo related products. There will be a Seasons calendar available if you are level five (5) or over and for level ten (10) and up: the fabled Primbie bird. Slated to open this weekend.
It keeps going, there are now starter and non-starter Meeroos. I did not see that coming. I am OK with it, just took me by surprise. Before recently you had a chance to pull extremely rare Meeroos from starter Trunks. According to Tiger player Regard was playing a part in that as well, pushing the chance higher for players with massive Regard. The chance of getting rare Meeroos from a starter Trunk right now is 0%. Team Meeroos says it can not be done. So there you go, all rare Meeroos are non-starters. From what I can tell that means the only coats you will be able to get from starter Trunks are: Winecoat, Fawn and Ursine.
While you may no longer be able to randomly obtain super rare Meeroos from starter Trunks it is now a bit easier to do so through breeding. Once again Malevay Studios has raised the effect of Regard [Both Meeroo and player] on breeding. This means that having 10,000 Regard points will have more of an influence now than it did a week or so ago. The posts points out that "...it is more of a nudge in popping out coveted traits, not a sledgehammer." There is no guarantee that high Regard will pull out any traits at all. If there are none in the Meeroos genetics it is impossible to get no matter how much Regard you or the Meeroo has. It is time to put the starter Nest lottery aside and concentrate on breeding. It is now the only way to find new rare Meeroo traits.
Tiger notes that the number of rare genes has been reduced in starter Nests a few times now. That, in combination with the fact that Nest genetics are permanently set when the Nest is first rezzed from the Trunk, means that older starter Nests potentially have more rare genes hidden within than newer ones. His advice is to not only buy Nests from the secondary market, but to keep an eye out for older (lower Nest number) starter Nests. I suggest any of you with Nests out for sale check to make sure none of them are low Nest number starter Nests, they may be much more valuable than you think.
As for the Oracle, there are more new questions coming. To quote Tiger: "new oracle questions? these are still coming, i know, i know..." I believe Team Meeroos has been working on more important updates, like the MeePet and the Whistle. Both of which people have been very much looking forward to. Getting the MeePet option released close to the time that the oldest Meeroos would become Elders strikes me as far more important than new Oracle questions. Of course, I do want more Oracle questions, with more trivia and fewer song lyrics! I just do not mind waiting until more important projects are finished.
I have been paying a lot of attention to this Meeroo alphabet that has been cropping up on statues and around the Meeroos stores. I do not have anything of interest to say about it yet, other than it looks pretty cool. I have photographed all the glyphs I can locate and will be attempting some analysis over the next week or two. I have already noticed the symbols for "Meeroo" on one of the statues but with another character in the middle. What might it mean? I think we might just have to wait and find out.
On a personal note; the Elders I Released were replaced, plus a few, with newly Coaxed baby Meeroos. They all turned five (5) last night and began having Nests of their own. Already I have my first ever Very Short Tail! Interesting to note it came from two (2) Short Tail parents. There should be some interesting discoveries before October. I know I have high expectations for my Meeroos and my breeding program. There are tons of breeding Meeroos out there on the Grid now, tons of Meeroo breeders. I have not even seen all the currently known traits in person yet, I can not wait to see what shows up next. The Azure coat is amazing by-the-way, if you have not seen a picture I suggest you ask for one in Group chat. I have not found one to photograph personally, but I will post pics here when I do.
Yes: MeePets! The release of the MeePet option has been announced on the Official WW of Meeroos blog in THIS post. The option is out now at the Roo store. One fantastic piece of news: players who use the MeePet option will receive the Regard points from their converted Meeroos. So keep petting those Meeroos, even if you plan to MeePet; you will still get that Regard! For those of you who have had Meeroos starve and run off the Whistle to call them back is also available, right next to the Honey Dipper. MeePet Honey Dipper is L$999 and the Whistle is L$350 both are single use items. The Whistle will not work on Released Meeroos, only ones that have run off due to hunger.
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| Honey Food Bowl for MeePets |
It keeps going, there are now starter and non-starter Meeroos. I did not see that coming. I am OK with it, just took me by surprise. Before recently you had a chance to pull extremely rare Meeroos from starter Trunks. According to Tiger player Regard was playing a part in that as well, pushing the chance higher for players with massive Regard. The chance of getting rare Meeroos from a starter Trunk right now is 0%. Team Meeroos says it can not be done. So there you go, all rare Meeroos are non-starters. From what I can tell that means the only coats you will be able to get from starter Trunks are: Winecoat, Fawn and Ursine.
While you may no longer be able to randomly obtain super rare Meeroos from starter Trunks it is now a bit easier to do so through breeding. Once again Malevay Studios has raised the effect of Regard [Both Meeroo and player] on breeding. This means that having 10,000 Regard points will have more of an influence now than it did a week or so ago. The posts points out that "...it is more of a nudge in popping out coveted traits, not a sledgehammer." There is no guarantee that high Regard will pull out any traits at all. If there are none in the Meeroos genetics it is impossible to get no matter how much Regard you or the Meeroo has. It is time to put the starter Nest lottery aside and concentrate on breeding. It is now the only way to find new rare Meeroo traits.
Tiger notes that the number of rare genes has been reduced in starter Nests a few times now. That, in combination with the fact that Nest genetics are permanently set when the Nest is first rezzed from the Trunk, means that older starter Nests potentially have more rare genes hidden within than newer ones. His advice is to not only buy Nests from the secondary market, but to keep an eye out for older (lower Nest number) starter Nests. I suggest any of you with Nests out for sale check to make sure none of them are low Nest number starter Nests, they may be much more valuable than you think.
As for the Oracle, there are more new questions coming. To quote Tiger: "new oracle questions? these are still coming, i know, i know..." I believe Team Meeroos has been working on more important updates, like the MeePet and the Whistle. Both of which people have been very much looking forward to. Getting the MeePet option released close to the time that the oldest Meeroos would become Elders strikes me as far more important than new Oracle questions. Of course, I do want more Oracle questions, with more trivia and fewer song lyrics! I just do not mind waiting until more important projects are finished.
I have been paying a lot of attention to this Meeroo alphabet that has been cropping up on statues and around the Meeroos stores. I do not have anything of interest to say about it yet, other than it looks pretty cool. I have photographed all the glyphs I can locate and will be attempting some analysis over the next week or two. I have already noticed the symbols for "Meeroo" on one of the statues but with another character in the middle. What might it mean? I think we might just have to wait and find out.
On a personal note; the Elders I Released were replaced, plus a few, with newly Coaxed baby Meeroos. They all turned five (5) last night and began having Nests of their own. Already I have my first ever Very Short Tail! Interesting to note it came from two (2) Short Tail parents. There should be some interesting discoveries before October. I know I have high expectations for my Meeroos and my breeding program. There are tons of breeding Meeroos out there on the Grid now, tons of Meeroo breeders. I have not even seen all the currently known traits in person yet, I can not wait to see what shows up next. The Azure coat is amazing by-the-way, if you have not seen a picture I suggest you ask for one in Group chat. I have not found one to photograph personally, but I will post pics here when I do.
Monday, 18 July 2011
Sixty Days to Breed
My Pre-Order Meeroos turned sixty (60) last night and stopped being able to breed. It was a bit sad as I had to release a few of them to make room for the new generation of breeders. One thing I noticed is it looks like Meeroos can breed through their sixtieth (60th) day. That is: they can continue to breed until they are over sixty (60). So once they hit 60.25 they will show as Elders and will not be able to breed. It might be important to know for your breeding strategy; my partner and I had a few pairs that bred a mere twenty (20) minutes before they became Elders. Having that Nest granted each of them three hundred (300) Regard points as well as the two hundred and fifty (250) points the Nest itself is worth. That is quite a bit of Regard from a pair we would have Released earlier had we thought they could not breed on their sixtieth (60th) day.
To put any rumours to rest: there is no Regard point bonus, either to the Meeroo or the Owner when the Meeroo hits Elder status. If that is the only reason you are holding on to some of yours, I am sorry to disappoint you.
I am excited to be starting on my second batch of Meeroos. I have added some in throughout my first batch, and still have some that are not yet close to Elder status. But for the most part all of my Meeroos currently are babies! It should be very interesting to see what I get from them. I am looking forward to figuring out more about their genetics this time around and I will keep you all updated here on the blog. With the first set, the Pre-Orders and the ones I got right after release, my strategy was to see how they bred and I used mostly random pairing in the beginning with a few stabs at breeding for a trait just recently. Now it is time to get a bit more scientific, now that I know a little more about the mystical creatures. The next sixty (60) days should be a very educational.
To put any rumours to rest: there is no Regard point bonus, either to the Meeroo or the Owner when the Meeroo hits Elder status. If that is the only reason you are holding on to some of yours, I am sorry to disappoint you.
I am excited to be starting on my second batch of Meeroos. I have added some in throughout my first batch, and still have some that are not yet close to Elder status. But for the most part all of my Meeroos currently are babies! It should be very interesting to see what I get from them. I am looking forward to figuring out more about their genetics this time around and I will keep you all updated here on the blog. With the first set, the Pre-Orders and the ones I got right after release, my strategy was to see how they bred and I used mostly random pairing in the beginning with a few stabs at breeding for a trait just recently. Now it is time to get a bit more scientific, now that I know a little more about the mystical creatures. The next sixty (60) days should be a very educational.
Sunday, 10 July 2011
Remedy to Reduce Ridiculously Rare Roos: Revamp Regard
Team Meeroos has recently increased the amount of influence Regard has on breeding. In case you do not know: both Personal Regard and Meeroo Regard work together to enhance the likelihood of rarer trait Nests. Traits from further back in the Meeroo genetic history. From the blog post: "We have significantly increased the bonus regard rewards a player and a meeroo that allows it the chance to reach further back in their genetic timeline." Malevay Studios has decided that new traits are not being unlocked quickly enough. As they say; the game was meant to be difficult but not this difficult.
I do not mind it being difficult, I think it makes rare Meeroos even more sought after. On the other hand it is no fun if you never get anything cool. There has to be a reasonable balance. I have to admit Meeroos can be stubborn when it comes to producing rare traits. I have been disappointed with quite a few of my Nests. I have been overjoyed by others though and that before the Regard enhancement.
The Regard enhancement is a good move. I think it will encourage some people who might have been close to giving up Meeroos to try a bit longer. Maybe a few people who were getting fed up with the difficulty of the breeding system will find it less trying with the new Regard boost. I hope so, the more people who have Meeroos the better it is for the Meeroos Community. I hope the boost does not make things too easy, or make to many traits common. I did have a Highland coat the day after the increase was announced. Could be coincidence, or it could be a direct effect of the change. Either way I am thrilled to have it. There are quite a few people out there getting surprise Nests.
Nobody knows what sort of effect the change will have on Meeroo sales, if any. Over the next few weeks we may see some traits now considered rare become much less so. Some may even cross the line from rare to common. I think it is likely that prices will drop, at least a bit, for some medium to high rarity Meeroos. Also you may reap the rewards of the Regard bonus yourself and have a Nest with the genetics you are looking to buy now; from pairs that may never have given you much of anything before. Those that have produced good Nests in the past may now sometimes give you exceptional Meeroos.
Once more I am impressed with Team Meeroos responsiveness. They noticed that things are going a bit slowly and took steps to tweak the game, to make it better. I am also pleased that the MeePet has not been forgotten, Catherine says on the blog: "The MeePet option is on the way." That is good news for me. It looks like MeePet Meeroos will still have to eat, but they will eat a special food: Honey. Honey will be available for free from Meeroos stores. A honey dipper will be used on a Meeroo to convert it, permanently, to a MeePet which can not gain Regard or breed. I would very much like to know if the Owner gets the Regard for a Meeroo lured into the honeyed world of the MeePet?
The Oracle is getting out her quiz book and scribbling down some new questions for us. Old oracle questions are being phased out and replaced with some new ones. I have already answered a few questions today I have never seen before. I hope this will reduce the practice of having Oracle question & answer sheets. Any in existence now will be obsolete fairly soon. It is a bit exciting to get a new question, even if you get it wrong, like I do, most of the time.
So, good changes already. Looking forward to the release of MeePets and enjoying new oracle questions in the meantime. Keeping an eye out for new, better Nests as a result of the Regard enhancement. All that and, as of today, it is only 83 days until October. I do not know when in October the Meeroos expansion is planned for, but the close in countdown begins on the 1st! If you have not read the Meeroos blog post referenced above you can find it HERE, I suggest you check it out.
Tuesday, 5 July 2011
How do you Meeroo? Game vs. Business
As many as the possible combinations of Meeroo traits are the types of Meeroo breeders. Every avatar has their own style of play, their own expectations and desires for the Meeroos. Everyone has their own theory on what is best for breeding this and that. Loads of people have personal goals to gain a certain number of Regard points each day or to pet all of their Meeroos at least X number of times. Some people are banking on avatar Regard playing a pivotal roll in enhancing breeding and going for high personal Regard by Releasing Meeroos and petting as much as possible. Others, myself included, think that individual Meeroo Regard is quite important in bringing out rarer traits and save their Meeroos until they can not breed any-more. Along side those strategies lay hundreds of personal observations and conclusions that guide an avatars breeding program. The variations in ways to engage with the Meeroos are manifold.
However; with all the numerous ways to play, if you will, I believe everyone who owns Meeroos falls somewhere on the game versus business continuum. Unless you never sell a single Meeroo you are somewhere to the right of the pure game end. I imagine that there are a small percentage of Meeroo owners out there who never have, and never will, sell a Nest. More common are those who only breed Meeroos to sell for a profit. I have even seen what I am pretty sure are some people purchasing starter Trunks and then reselling any rare Meeroos in an attempt to turn a profit without doing any breeding at all. That is the far right hand of the scale: pure business. The vast majority of people fall somewhere in-between.
Most of us will want to sell the occasional Meeroo to defray food costs, or to make enough L$ to buy a new starter Trunk. Some will even start small stores or rent market spaces. They key is not to take the sales aspect of things too seriously. There will be ups and downs, prices will fluctuate, sometimes your Meeroos will produce lovely Nests other times not. As long as you have a healthy dose of game in there as well, so long as you are having fun with your Meeroos, it does not really matter. If your interest is purely business I would offer a caution: Meeroos are not like other breedables currently available. It is a difficult and involved process to breed them, the results are certainly not random. I have seen complaints in Group chat that claim Meeroo breeding is random, I would respond that in my observations it is much less random than other breeding systems.
If you think about it: say you have some cats you want to breed; some everyday cats that you got adopted by and maybe a few kittens a friend could not keep. Now say you want to breed a Sphynx. What do you think your odds are with your collection of random cats? Pretty much nill would be the answer. While the genes for a Sphynx cat may be in there somewhere, it would take many human generations to breed them out from a selection of random cats, if it were even possible. That is exactly how we got those crazy cats in the first place; some people started with a bunch of ordinary cats and bred them for specific traits until the modern Sphynx was created. The Sphynx is a pure-bred cat, if you take two (2) of them and breed them together the result is pretty much going to be another Sphynx with a few minor variations within breed standard. From the Wikipedia article on pure-bred animals: "In the world of animal breeding, to "breed true" means that specimens of an animal breed will breed true-to-type when mated like-to-like; that is, that the progeny of any two individuals in the same breed will show consistent, replicable and predictable characteristics." This is one of my [current] pet pevees: referring to any Meeroo as "pure-bred". I have yet to see a Meeroo pair that A) Are both nearly identical and B) Produce offspring that are, not only reliably similar each time, but almost identical to the parents. Just because your two (2) Teacup Meeroos produced another Teacup does not make it a pure-bred Teacup. Call it pure-sized if you like, but only after it is reproducible down the line, until you get only Teacups from the offspring.
I also take issue with any group claiming they can teach you how to breed specific, or generally rare, Meeroos. If that were the case, if they really held that secret, they would themselves be flush with uncommon Meeroos and would be able to make enough L$ to not need anybody else in their group. If you could, somehow, reliably produce Koi Meeroos through some breeding concept, would you share it with a bunch of people? If you did, how long would it be before loads of people were breeding Koi? How long before it leaked and everybody began using it? My guess would be: not very long. I suspect there is no such method. Meeroos seem to be as close to real life genetics as I have seen in a simulation before. At least to observed genetics. Keep in mind that despite mapping the human genome we still do not really know how genetics work. We have a lot of good information, but nobody has ever claimed we understand all of it. So anything modelled on real world genetics will be an approximation based on what we do know. What does work, in real life, is to establish a pure-bred line, over time. One number I heard, for cats, is eight (8) generations breeding true, without significant variation from the breed standard, is standard for calling a feline pure-bred. There are not many, if any, 8th generation Nests out there.
If you got into Meeroos, or are thinking of getting involved, just to make a profit: Meeroos may not be for you. I am in no way saying a profit can not be made, it can. It will take some work, a lot of work. With the last breedable I participated in you could get almost anything from a breeding pair. After a few breeding cycles you would know what was possible from them, but it bore no relation to the genetics of the parents. It was like breeding two (2) ally-cats and getting a Siamese. It meant you could make easy L$ once you found a pair that bread what you wanted but it also lost a lot of its fun right then. That is what I call random breeding. I know most breedables have hidden genetics, but Meeroos have tons of hidden genetics. I suspect they have more than anyone will be able to map in the sixty (60) days a Meeroo has before it reaches Elder status and stops making Nests.
There will eventually be pure-bred Meeroo lines and some avatars are going to make a lot of money off them. Those avatars will have put in the work to create those lines. Just like in real life, with Meeroos hard work can pay off. As I have blogged before; I believe that the Meeroos system favours the small breeders and the community in general. It is easier to breed for what you want, and keep track of your Meeroos, when you keep a reasonable number and focus on them. Throwing hundreds of Meeroos together and hoping for the best is unlikely to have profitable results, at least in the long term. Remember that Meeroos is a game, the more you enjoy them the less L$ you need to make to have it be worthwhile. If you enjoy them enough you might be one of those Meeroo lovers that never parts with a single Nest!
I am not in any way saying that Meeroos have to be either fun or profitable. They can be both. As you can see from my Venn diagram above: Meeroos encompass both business and pleasure. They can be fun while simultaneously making a few extra L$ if you enjoy participating in auctions. All I will say is the money will not be easy. With Meeroos it looks like you get out of them what you put in, the more time and effort you put forth the better your results are likely to be. It was never intended to be easy, and who would want it to be really? If breeding was simple where would Meeroos be a year from now, or two? Stick with it and above all: enjoy your Meeroos, they are for fun!
However; with all the numerous ways to play, if you will, I believe everyone who owns Meeroos falls somewhere on the game versus business continuum. Unless you never sell a single Meeroo you are somewhere to the right of the pure game end. I imagine that there are a small percentage of Meeroo owners out there who never have, and never will, sell a Nest. More common are those who only breed Meeroos to sell for a profit. I have even seen what I am pretty sure are some people purchasing starter Trunks and then reselling any rare Meeroos in an attempt to turn a profit without doing any breeding at all. That is the far right hand of the scale: pure business. The vast majority of people fall somewhere in-between.
Most of us will want to sell the occasional Meeroo to defray food costs, or to make enough L$ to buy a new starter Trunk. Some will even start small stores or rent market spaces. They key is not to take the sales aspect of things too seriously. There will be ups and downs, prices will fluctuate, sometimes your Meeroos will produce lovely Nests other times not. As long as you have a healthy dose of game in there as well, so long as you are having fun with your Meeroos, it does not really matter. If your interest is purely business I would offer a caution: Meeroos are not like other breedables currently available. It is a difficult and involved process to breed them, the results are certainly not random. I have seen complaints in Group chat that claim Meeroo breeding is random, I would respond that in my observations it is much less random than other breeding systems.
If you think about it: say you have some cats you want to breed; some everyday cats that you got adopted by and maybe a few kittens a friend could not keep. Now say you want to breed a Sphynx. What do you think your odds are with your collection of random cats? Pretty much nill would be the answer. While the genes for a Sphynx cat may be in there somewhere, it would take many human generations to breed them out from a selection of random cats, if it were even possible. That is exactly how we got those crazy cats in the first place; some people started with a bunch of ordinary cats and bred them for specific traits until the modern Sphynx was created. The Sphynx is a pure-bred cat, if you take two (2) of them and breed them together the result is pretty much going to be another Sphynx with a few minor variations within breed standard. From the Wikipedia article on pure-bred animals: "In the world of animal breeding, to "breed true" means that specimens of an animal breed will breed true-to-type when mated like-to-like; that is, that the progeny of any two individuals in the same breed will show consistent, replicable and predictable characteristics." This is one of my [current] pet pevees: referring to any Meeroo as "pure-bred". I have yet to see a Meeroo pair that A) Are both nearly identical and B) Produce offspring that are, not only reliably similar each time, but almost identical to the parents. Just because your two (2) Teacup Meeroos produced another Teacup does not make it a pure-bred Teacup. Call it pure-sized if you like, but only after it is reproducible down the line, until you get only Teacups from the offspring.
I also take issue with any group claiming they can teach you how to breed specific, or generally rare, Meeroos. If that were the case, if they really held that secret, they would themselves be flush with uncommon Meeroos and would be able to make enough L$ to not need anybody else in their group. If you could, somehow, reliably produce Koi Meeroos through some breeding concept, would you share it with a bunch of people? If you did, how long would it be before loads of people were breeding Koi? How long before it leaked and everybody began using it? My guess would be: not very long. I suspect there is no such method. Meeroos seem to be as close to real life genetics as I have seen in a simulation before. At least to observed genetics. Keep in mind that despite mapping the human genome we still do not really know how genetics work. We have a lot of good information, but nobody has ever claimed we understand all of it. So anything modelled on real world genetics will be an approximation based on what we do know. What does work, in real life, is to establish a pure-bred line, over time. One number I heard, for cats, is eight (8) generations breeding true, without significant variation from the breed standard, is standard for calling a feline pure-bred. There are not many, if any, 8th generation Nests out there.
If you got into Meeroos, or are thinking of getting involved, just to make a profit: Meeroos may not be for you. I am in no way saying a profit can not be made, it can. It will take some work, a lot of work. With the last breedable I participated in you could get almost anything from a breeding pair. After a few breeding cycles you would know what was possible from them, but it bore no relation to the genetics of the parents. It was like breeding two (2) ally-cats and getting a Siamese. It meant you could make easy L$ once you found a pair that bread what you wanted but it also lost a lot of its fun right then. That is what I call random breeding. I know most breedables have hidden genetics, but Meeroos have tons of hidden genetics. I suspect they have more than anyone will be able to map in the sixty (60) days a Meeroo has before it reaches Elder status and stops making Nests.
There will eventually be pure-bred Meeroo lines and some avatars are going to make a lot of money off them. Those avatars will have put in the work to create those lines. Just like in real life, with Meeroos hard work can pay off. As I have blogged before; I believe that the Meeroos system favours the small breeders and the community in general. It is easier to breed for what you want, and keep track of your Meeroos, when you keep a reasonable number and focus on them. Throwing hundreds of Meeroos together and hoping for the best is unlikely to have profitable results, at least in the long term. Remember that Meeroos is a game, the more you enjoy them the less L$ you need to make to have it be worthwhile. If you enjoy them enough you might be one of those Meeroo lovers that never parts with a single Nest!
 |
| Meeroos: a Venn diagram (fig.1) |
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
There are No Non-Starters
I found out recently that the term "non-starter" does not apply to Meeroos. With the exception of special Meeroos, like the Clover Open Beta gift Meeroo, you can get any Meeroo from a Nest bought from the Official Meeroos store. It only applies to released genetics of course but it means any Meeroo you can breed you also stand a chance, however small, of getting directly from the store.
I get the feeling some people are not pleased about it. I think many of us, myself included, have fallen into a trap of thinking that breedable pets have to be implemented in specific ways and have to do, or not do, certain things. Meeroos are challenging a lot of those assumptions. The sixty (60) day breeding period instead of a set number of offspring per Meeroo is very different, and it took a lot of us off guard. In practice I have not encountered any problems with it so far. While I was not enchanted with the idea at first; I accept now that it has pluses and minuses, and the pros are starting to outweigh the cons. More on that in another post. My point is: Malevay Studios is trying a different, new type, of breedable. There are going to be new concepts and they can be scary at first. Without change nothing would ever improve. Will having all traits available in starter Nests be an improvement? I think it could be.
Having the full genetic pool available in starter Nests provides a sort of pressure release valve for the secondary marketplace. Since all genetics are in the store there is always the chance of buying enough Nests to get one close enough. However that is probably impractical, especially if it is a rare Meeroo and you are on a limited budget. What it does mean is that anybody could get one, no matter how rare. Not only mega-breeders are selling uncommon Meeroos. People who started yesterday have the chance to birth a Koi Meeroo, right now. Maybe they want to sell it, maybe without a monopoly on the market, they do not mind offering their Meeroo for a reasonable price. I am sure that some of the avatars who receive amazing second generation Meeroos will. If it works like I hope it does the open-genetics approach should moderate the extreme high end of the market.
I love that anybody has the same chance when they take the stroll [TP] over to one of the Meeroos stores to buy a Nest. If you have a hundred (100) Meeroos or none, when you buy that Nest it could be anything. It is like a classic mystery box that can contain any aspect of the game, in this case any type of Meeroo. Sure the players with more Meeroos can gain an advantage through breeding, that is part of the game as well. Through breeding you can create the exact Meeroo you want, over time, with a lot of effort (and fun!) At the store you can roll the dice and see what you get. Maybe something ordinary, maybe something amazing. For me it means, when I am out pricing Nests, I will balance the prices for known genetics against taking the risk on unknown genetics in the store.
I understand that for some people the open-genetics model is less than desirable. Especially for those who believe they need to protect their breeding lines. To them I would say: the rare breeds are going to be rare until, if possible, breeders establish genetic lines that consistently produce them. Then they will not be so rare anymore. A few people getting ultra-rare Meeroos from the store is not going to sway that balance much. Maybe not even enough to dampen exorbitant prices, as I hope it does. If you have, or are establishing, breeding lines now; they are still a worthwhile investment. The best way to somewhat predictably produce uncommon trait Meeroos is through breeding. Buying a Nest from the store is a random chance, nothing you could build a reliable business model on. Every now-and-then though, someone, maybe someone very new or someone about to loose heart, will coax a miracle Meeroo from a starter Nest. In my view that can only be good for Meeroos and for the community at large.
I get the feeling some people are not pleased about it. I think many of us, myself included, have fallen into a trap of thinking that breedable pets have to be implemented in specific ways and have to do, or not do, certain things. Meeroos are challenging a lot of those assumptions. The sixty (60) day breeding period instead of a set number of offspring per Meeroo is very different, and it took a lot of us off guard. In practice I have not encountered any problems with it so far. While I was not enchanted with the idea at first; I accept now that it has pluses and minuses, and the pros are starting to outweigh the cons. More on that in another post. My point is: Malevay Studios is trying a different, new type, of breedable. There are going to be new concepts and they can be scary at first. Without change nothing would ever improve. Will having all traits available in starter Nests be an improvement? I think it could be.
Having the full genetic pool available in starter Nests provides a sort of pressure release valve for the secondary marketplace. Since all genetics are in the store there is always the chance of buying enough Nests to get one close enough. However that is probably impractical, especially if it is a rare Meeroo and you are on a limited budget. What it does mean is that anybody could get one, no matter how rare. Not only mega-breeders are selling uncommon Meeroos. People who started yesterday have the chance to birth a Koi Meeroo, right now. Maybe they want to sell it, maybe without a monopoly on the market, they do not mind offering their Meeroo for a reasonable price. I am sure that some of the avatars who receive amazing second generation Meeroos will. If it works like I hope it does the open-genetics approach should moderate the extreme high end of the market.
I love that anybody has the same chance when they take the stroll [TP] over to one of the Meeroos stores to buy a Nest. If you have a hundred (100) Meeroos or none, when you buy that Nest it could be anything. It is like a classic mystery box that can contain any aspect of the game, in this case any type of Meeroo. Sure the players with more Meeroos can gain an advantage through breeding, that is part of the game as well. Through breeding you can create the exact Meeroo you want, over time, with a lot of effort (and fun!) At the store you can roll the dice and see what you get. Maybe something ordinary, maybe something amazing. For me it means, when I am out pricing Nests, I will balance the prices for known genetics against taking the risk on unknown genetics in the store.
I understand that for some people the open-genetics model is less than desirable. Especially for those who believe they need to protect their breeding lines. To them I would say: the rare breeds are going to be rare until, if possible, breeders establish genetic lines that consistently produce them. Then they will not be so rare anymore. A few people getting ultra-rare Meeroos from the store is not going to sway that balance much. Maybe not even enough to dampen exorbitant prices, as I hope it does. If you have, or are establishing, breeding lines now; they are still a worthwhile investment. The best way to somewhat predictably produce uncommon trait Meeroos is through breeding. Buying a Nest from the store is a random chance, nothing you could build a reliable business model on. Every now-and-then though, someone, maybe someone very new or someone about to loose heart, will coax a miracle Meeroo from a starter Nest. In my view that can only be good for Meeroos and for the community at large.
Saturday, 28 May 2011
Complex Breeding & Community: a Postscript
When I wrote THIS post on how Meeroos in-depth breeding system is good for the community I left out something very important. I just forgot. I do not know how, as it is most likely the biggest community builder of them all. When you buy nests from the Meeroos store, in any size, you are buying a random set of genders. You have no guarantee that you will have the same number of boys and girls. Even if you were, as I wrote in my previous post: you would still sometimes need to trade to get compatible pairs for breeding. Random genders takes it to another level.
My partner had a four (4) pack that was all female. I have heard quite a few people commenting on it in Group chat. I know there have been complaints. I understand that people have come to expect that a "pair pack" contains one (1) male and one (1) female. Meeroos are doing something different, I think better, and it is a bit of a shock at first. Think of it this way: even if they were male and female they still might not be able to breed. They could be incompatible. Making the genders random just adds one final layer of uncertainty to the breeding process; in my opinion making it more engaging.
I believe the complexity of the breeding process, and the amount of care you can put into Meeroos, dissuades many mega-breeders. Anybody who thought they could just invest a lot of money, rez a lot of Meeroos and collect a profit is most likely a bit disappointed at this point. Not that I have anything against loads of Meeroos. If that is what is fun for you, go for it. I have quite a few out myself; but not to many to pet daily. It took me quite a while to figure out how to pair them up and that after trading nests for both gender and compatibility. I do not fancy the work entailed in breeding Meeroos large scale. The sixty (60) day breeding span, matching gender, compatibility and aiming for rare trait combinations simultaneously is going to be time consuming with a SIM full of Meeroos. If you have that kind of time to invest, and are enjoying it, then more power to you. If your only interest is profit there are better places in Second Life to find it, I hope.
On the other hand, I feel that Meeroos encourages the smaller niche breeder. The more time you spend interacting with your Meeroos the better the results you can expect. Regard has a part to play in unlocking new genetics and traits and the more time you are with your Meeroos the more of it you ought to have. Even just picking up the treasures they find will build your Regard up fairly quickly. This means that even very small breeders, with only a few Meeroos, can still produce exceptional offspring. With the number of variations already possible with known Meeroo traits there is a lot of room for people interested in breeding specific combinations. While a breeder with a lot of cash to invest can buy a lot of nests and match them up for breeding they gain no particular advantage in doing so while the community is there to provide the same service to the micro-breeder. Never give up just because you are not the biggest breeder on the block, you might end up being the best.
I like that the community is close and people breeding Meeroos, on any scale, are doing it because they are having fun. Nest prices seem reasonable overall on the secondary market. Who knows how things may fluctuate over time, but for now I see most people setting sane prices. There will always be someone asking a million L$ for something or other, but as-a-whole things do not appear to be getting out of hand. The community is always the best place to come to trade nests, after your friends list of course. With random genders on top of everything else trading is critical. My partner and I have now found partners for every Meeroo we have through trades. We have not had to buy a single additional nest to make a pair. All those extra Meeroos we bought were just because we really really wanted them.
So if you are disappointed that your Meeroos do not all match up, if it is compatibility or genders that have you down. Look at it as a opportunity to get involved in the Meeeroos community. Have a look at the Trade Forum [You will need to sign in] and post what you have to trade. You might end up with a Meeroo you prefer to the one you had! Don't worry about being taken advantage of, but ask sensible questions. Nobody really knows what is super rare right now, or what is worth what. It is all speculation. Different people have different preferences. Go for what you like and try to keep informed about what is rare. Group chat is the best place for that, even if you just listen in. Of course you can always IM me if you like :)
I believe the complexity of the breeding process, and the amount of care you can put into Meeroos, dissuades many mega-breeders. Anybody who thought they could just invest a lot of money, rez a lot of Meeroos and collect a profit is most likely a bit disappointed at this point. Not that I have anything against loads of Meeroos. If that is what is fun for you, go for it. I have quite a few out myself; but not to many to pet daily. It took me quite a while to figure out how to pair them up and that after trading nests for both gender and compatibility. I do not fancy the work entailed in breeding Meeroos large scale. The sixty (60) day breeding span, matching gender, compatibility and aiming for rare trait combinations simultaneously is going to be time consuming with a SIM full of Meeroos. If you have that kind of time to invest, and are enjoying it, then more power to you. If your only interest is profit there are better places in Second Life to find it, I hope.
On the other hand, I feel that Meeroos encourages the smaller niche breeder. The more time you spend interacting with your Meeroos the better the results you can expect. Regard has a part to play in unlocking new genetics and traits and the more time you are with your Meeroos the more of it you ought to have. Even just picking up the treasures they find will build your Regard up fairly quickly. This means that even very small breeders, with only a few Meeroos, can still produce exceptional offspring. With the number of variations already possible with known Meeroo traits there is a lot of room for people interested in breeding specific combinations. While a breeder with a lot of cash to invest can buy a lot of nests and match them up for breeding they gain no particular advantage in doing so while the community is there to provide the same service to the micro-breeder. Never give up just because you are not the biggest breeder on the block, you might end up being the best.
I like that the community is close and people breeding Meeroos, on any scale, are doing it because they are having fun. Nest prices seem reasonable overall on the secondary market. Who knows how things may fluctuate over time, but for now I see most people setting sane prices. There will always be someone asking a million L$ for something or other, but as-a-whole things do not appear to be getting out of hand. The community is always the best place to come to trade nests, after your friends list of course. With random genders on top of everything else trading is critical. My partner and I have now found partners for every Meeroo we have through trades. We have not had to buy a single additional nest to make a pair. All those extra Meeroos we bought were just because we really really wanted them.
So if you are disappointed that your Meeroos do not all match up, if it is compatibility or genders that have you down. Look at it as a opportunity to get involved in the Meeeroos community. Have a look at the Trade Forum [You will need to sign in] and post what you have to trade. You might end up with a Meeroo you prefer to the one you had! Don't worry about being taken advantage of, but ask sensible questions. Nobody really knows what is super rare right now, or what is worth what. It is all speculation. Different people have different preferences. Go for what you like and try to keep informed about what is rare. Group chat is the best place for that, even if you just listen in. Of course you can always IM me if you like :)
Saturday, 21 May 2011
Complexity in Breeding and the Community
I am not going to call the Meeroos breeding system complex, not at all. The title of this post refers to the relative level of complexity in a breeding system and the effect that can have on the community. The Meeroos breeding system is just slightly more complex than others. Team Meeroos have created a breeding system with exciting possibilities by introducing the concept that two identical Meeroos in every way, except personality, might have very different breeding compatibility. Some Meeroos timing might just be off and they won't ever breed. The trade market thrives on these minor details. I specifically mention trade over sales because there is no money involved. It is, normally, like for like. When trading for personality that can be doubly so, it could be the only difference. It is people helping each-other out in a mostly non-commercial way. Nobody is trying to gain any massive advantage, everybody comes out ahead. Especially with the sixty (60) day breeding window, getting mates figured out and matched up quickly is vital.
Second Life is a pretty big place. Much bigger now than when I started and it seems more empty. I don't know if that is true, perhaps it was my early fascination with everything about SL that made it feel vibrant and full of helpful avatars. I am pretty sure it was easier to get help years ago, from other avatars, when you did not understand some fundamental aspect of the world. Sometimes even without being mocked much. Now it sometimes feels like all I do is hang around the same places, mostly home, and script or IM. When I do go out exploring I don't see many other avatars and I have no reason to speak to any that I do. When I see people asking for help they are ignored, or worse: given the wrong information. Before Meeroos Second Life was getting pretty boring and a bit bleak.
I know Group chat is borked most of the time. Just another fact of Second Life. Even so, in the Wonderful World of Meeroos InWorld chat I have once again found a source of helpful, if sometimes a bit stressed, people. The breeding system is not to hard to understand, but it does take some getting used to. People have to get that informations somewhere and they have been coming to Group chat. More will be coming when Launch hits. I have really enjoyed trying to help others in chat, being helped and seeing others do likewise. There are bound to be some issues with avatar personalities as well as Meeroo ones. That is part of being a community. The core information everybody needs is included in the Users Guide, I can attest to that, but the fine details and specific circumstances can often be resolved with a quick trip to Group chat. If nothing else it will get you the attention of a CSR. They are very attentive. And best of all once people come to Group chat, sometimes, they stay and we all have a nice talk.
Getting back to my never leaving home: Petting Meeroos. Yes, you get regard for it, they get regard and comfort, it is good for everyone involved. I am lucky in that my partner and I now both have ten (10) Meeroos. We can, if we choose, pet the other ones Meeroos and collect our one hundred (100) regard points without leaving home. The thing is I kind of want to go see other peoples Meeroos and their habitats, I would not mind petting a few while I am there. They are all cute. If I run into the owner while I am there, well we already know we have something in common. The issue I have found is, um: finding these places. I have posted here where you can get your location listed if you want people to pet your Meeroos. Mine are listed and you can come pet them if you like. I would love to come have a look at other Meeroos areas, so get me a SLURL or a LM and I will drop by, pet your Meeroos, and get it added to the list.
I feel that the petting aspect of Meeroos enriches the community and my personal Grid exploration. When I can find destinations. Other social aspects like Fellowships create groups of Meeroos fans who are all working together for the common good. I can imagine that, once we are properly under-way, things like personality-trades and wrong-gendered trades will be offered to Fellowship members first then to the greater Meeroos community. If nothing else Fellowships are a bit of fun thrown in. I would not take them too seriously, it is not a gang. Although, perhaps a secret handshake would not be out of order. Being in, and contributing to, a Fellowship can be a part of the breeding process because some things can only be unlocked by Fellowships. One more facet of Meeroo breeding that encourages community.
Between helping out new Meeroo owners in Group chat and Grid hopping avatars looking for those last four (4) Meeroos to pet I think we are all going to meet some interesting new people. So far most everybody has been incredibly nice and when they can be: helpful. The tone is well set by the Meeroos CSRs who are courteous under stress and proactive in providing assistance. Did you know, my fact of the day, from this post on the the Meeroos blog: "...[CSRs] sacrificed the ability to own Meeroos in order to provide support and care to people who do." That is correct: Meeroos CSRs can not own Meeroos! That makes me sad for them. I could not do it, even to work with Team Meeroos. If it meant giving them up I would have to say no. I'm holding on to my Meeroos thank you. Remember that next time you chat with a CSR, they gave up Meeroos to work helping you out.
In summation I am thrilled to have been in Open Beta, I could not be more pleased with my Pre-Order boxes and I am looking forward to Launch in about 20 hours. The community has been fantastic and helpful with trades. We were able to sort all of our Meeroos out so they have potential mates. Now we just have to see how the timing matches up. I predict our community is only going to get bigger and better. I hope to see you all in Group chat and on the forums, never know when I might need to trade some Meeroos.
Second Life is a pretty big place. Much bigger now than when I started and it seems more empty. I don't know if that is true, perhaps it was my early fascination with everything about SL that made it feel vibrant and full of helpful avatars. I am pretty sure it was easier to get help years ago, from other avatars, when you did not understand some fundamental aspect of the world. Sometimes even without being mocked much. Now it sometimes feels like all I do is hang around the same places, mostly home, and script or IM. When I do go out exploring I don't see many other avatars and I have no reason to speak to any that I do. When I see people asking for help they are ignored, or worse: given the wrong information. Before Meeroos Second Life was getting pretty boring and a bit bleak.
I know Group chat is borked most of the time. Just another fact of Second Life. Even so, in the Wonderful World of Meeroos InWorld chat I have once again found a source of helpful, if sometimes a bit stressed, people. The breeding system is not to hard to understand, but it does take some getting used to. People have to get that informations somewhere and they have been coming to Group chat. More will be coming when Launch hits. I have really enjoyed trying to help others in chat, being helped and seeing others do likewise. There are bound to be some issues with avatar personalities as well as Meeroo ones. That is part of being a community. The core information everybody needs is included in the Users Guide, I can attest to that, but the fine details and specific circumstances can often be resolved with a quick trip to Group chat. If nothing else it will get you the attention of a CSR. They are very attentive. And best of all once people come to Group chat, sometimes, they stay and we all have a nice talk.
Getting back to my never leaving home: Petting Meeroos. Yes, you get regard for it, they get regard and comfort, it is good for everyone involved. I am lucky in that my partner and I now both have ten (10) Meeroos. We can, if we choose, pet the other ones Meeroos and collect our one hundred (100) regard points without leaving home. The thing is I kind of want to go see other peoples Meeroos and their habitats, I would not mind petting a few while I am there. They are all cute. If I run into the owner while I am there, well we already know we have something in common. The issue I have found is, um: finding these places. I have posted here where you can get your location listed if you want people to pet your Meeroos. Mine are listed and you can come pet them if you like. I would love to come have a look at other Meeroos areas, so get me a SLURL or a LM and I will drop by, pet your Meeroos, and get it added to the list.
I feel that the petting aspect of Meeroos enriches the community and my personal Grid exploration. When I can find destinations. Other social aspects like Fellowships create groups of Meeroos fans who are all working together for the common good. I can imagine that, once we are properly under-way, things like personality-trades and wrong-gendered trades will be offered to Fellowship members first then to the greater Meeroos community. If nothing else Fellowships are a bit of fun thrown in. I would not take them too seriously, it is not a gang. Although, perhaps a secret handshake would not be out of order. Being in, and contributing to, a Fellowship can be a part of the breeding process because some things can only be unlocked by Fellowships. One more facet of Meeroo breeding that encourages community.
Between helping out new Meeroo owners in Group chat and Grid hopping avatars looking for those last four (4) Meeroos to pet I think we are all going to meet some interesting new people. So far most everybody has been incredibly nice and when they can be: helpful. The tone is well set by the Meeroos CSRs who are courteous under stress and proactive in providing assistance. Did you know, my fact of the day, from this post on the the Meeroos blog: "...[CSRs] sacrificed the ability to own Meeroos in order to provide support and care to people who do." That is correct: Meeroos CSRs can not own Meeroos! That makes me sad for them. I could not do it, even to work with Team Meeroos. If it meant giving them up I would have to say no. I'm holding on to my Meeroos thank you. Remember that next time you chat with a CSR, they gave up Meeroos to work helping you out.
In summation I am thrilled to have been in Open Beta, I could not be more pleased with my Pre-Order boxes and I am looking forward to Launch in about 20 hours. The community has been fantastic and helpful with trades. We were able to sort all of our Meeroos out so they have potential mates. Now we just have to see how the timing matches up. I predict our community is only going to get bigger and better. I hope to see you all in Group chat and on the forums, never know when I might need to trade some Meeroos.
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
Time Waits for No Meeroo
Team Meeroos has published their Meeroo Users Guide, it is full of good information and I would strongly suggest you read it before you unpack your first Meeroos. You can find the Users Guide in Group notices if you missed it, or ask for a copy in Group chat. If you are really having trouble: IM me and I'll send you a notecard with it in myself. There are some important clarifications in there. It is good to now have a definitive guide to the Meeroos.
I have been taking it as inevitable that there would eventually be something about Meeroos that I would not be thrilled with. I think I may have found it. While the Users Guide is mostly good news there is one item that surprised me: Meeroos can only breed for sixty (60) days. I saw somewhere, that I can not locate now, that Meeroos would not have generations/seeds/etc... Basically no set number of breeding cycles, which I think is great. In retrospect the following seems a bit naive, but I had really gotten the impression that since: A) Meeroos live forever and B) They don't have a max limit on breeding cycles, Meeroos must be able to breed forever. Obviously, thinking about it now, it is clear that no breedable can be allowed to breed forever. It would flood the secondary marketplace and it would not take long for that breedable to be worthless as a saleable item. It is my own fault for not thinking that through previously and I am not put out by that part; of course there has to be a limit on the number of times any single Meeroo can breed. What I do not like it that it is on a timer.
I don't know how it is going to work in practice and I am cautiously optimistic. Perhaps it will not be as bad as I fear, could turn out to be nothing to worry about. I love the fact that the number of babies a Meeroo can have in their breeding phase is indeterminate. You do not know for sure how many nests they will produce. I just wish it had been implemented in a different way. I am worried that adding time pressure to breeding is going to make what is supposed to be fun more stressful, more like work. If there is a set number of times a pet can breed, even if that number is semi-random and secret even from the User, then there is no time pressure at all. You can leave your pets separated, but with food, and they will continue on without breeding quite happily. When you do want to breed them again you can just reintroduce the males and the females [Peat, you remember Becky, right...?]. With Meeroos you have sixty (60) days and then that is it: they are done breeding.
That being what it is, I cannot say that I have ever separated any other breedable pets for more than a day or two (2) for any reason. I normally, well always, breed them right through until they run out of whatever limits their breeding cycles. So there is a good chance that the Meeroos limit being time will not impact me as much as I think. My concern is that the countdown will always be at the back of my mind, and if I miss a chance to breed a pair, especially if the fault is because of SL itself, because I can't get InWorld to move them around; it is going to be made worse by the fact that the time lost is gone. If a pet with a fixed number of cycles misses the chance to breed you can separate out the two (2) who failed and they can try again next cycle with nothing being lost. That I have done a few times. With a breeding phase timer any missed time is potentially missed nests and a reduction in the total number of nests the effected Meeroos can have.
Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining, I am not even interested in it being changed at this point. After all the work Team Meeroos has put in, and the dedication to listening they have shown, I believe they will sort it out if it does turn into a problem. As it says on their blog in this post:
Even now the Meeroos are a work in progress. If specific things don't work out as planned, or if people complain, I trust Malevay Studios to continue listening. After everything written above I am actually a bit excited to try it out. I think it is unlikely, but who knows: I may prefer the timer system to any other in the end. I have about sixty (60) days nine (9) hours until I will know for sure. I will get back to you on what I think about it then, if not a bit before.
I have been taking it as inevitable that there would eventually be something about Meeroos that I would not be thrilled with. I think I may have found it. While the Users Guide is mostly good news there is one item that surprised me: Meeroos can only breed for sixty (60) days. I saw somewhere, that I can not locate now, that Meeroos would not have generations/seeds/etc... Basically no set number of breeding cycles, which I think is great. In retrospect the following seems a bit naive, but I had really gotten the impression that since: A) Meeroos live forever and B) They don't have a max limit on breeding cycles, Meeroos must be able to breed forever. Obviously, thinking about it now, it is clear that no breedable can be allowed to breed forever. It would flood the secondary marketplace and it would not take long for that breedable to be worthless as a saleable item. It is my own fault for not thinking that through previously and I am not put out by that part; of course there has to be a limit on the number of times any single Meeroo can breed. What I do not like it that it is on a timer.
I don't know how it is going to work in practice and I am cautiously optimistic. Perhaps it will not be as bad as I fear, could turn out to be nothing to worry about. I love the fact that the number of babies a Meeroo can have in their breeding phase is indeterminate. You do not know for sure how many nests they will produce. I just wish it had been implemented in a different way. I am worried that adding time pressure to breeding is going to make what is supposed to be fun more stressful, more like work. If there is a set number of times a pet can breed, even if that number is semi-random and secret even from the User, then there is no time pressure at all. You can leave your pets separated, but with food, and they will continue on without breeding quite happily. When you do want to breed them again you can just reintroduce the males and the females [Peat, you remember Becky, right...?]. With Meeroos you have sixty (60) days and then that is it: they are done breeding.
That being what it is, I cannot say that I have ever separated any other breedable pets for more than a day or two (2) for any reason. I normally, well always, breed them right through until they run out of whatever limits their breeding cycles. So there is a good chance that the Meeroos limit being time will not impact me as much as I think. My concern is that the countdown will always be at the back of my mind, and if I miss a chance to breed a pair, especially if the fault is because of SL itself, because I can't get InWorld to move them around; it is going to be made worse by the fact that the time lost is gone. If a pet with a fixed number of cycles misses the chance to breed you can separate out the two (2) who failed and they can try again next cycle with nothing being lost. That I have done a few times. With a breeding phase timer any missed time is potentially missed nests and a reduction in the total number of nests the effected Meeroos can have.
Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining, I am not even interested in it being changed at this point. After all the work Team Meeroos has put in, and the dedication to listening they have shown, I believe they will sort it out if it does turn into a problem. As it says on their blog in this post:
So if you ask, "When will the Meeroos be done?"
The answer will always be, "Not in the forseeable future."
Even now the Meeroos are a work in progress. If specific things don't work out as planned, or if people complain, I trust Malevay Studios to continue listening. After everything written above I am actually a bit excited to try it out. I think it is unlikely, but who knows: I may prefer the timer system to any other in the end. I have about sixty (60) days nine (9) hours until I will know for sure. I will get back to you on what I think about it then, if not a bit before.
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