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 :)