Points of Discussion
Here are a few common issues:
Some of these things could be a matter of perception, highly selective task choices, or simply a shift in players' style or enthusiasm... whatever the reason, what matters most is that we figure out what's best for the team. As we can't control for Playrix' changes, there have been suggestions to re-invigorate our game by amping up requirements and others have suggested to ease off the pressure. Bottom line: there's no right or wrong answer here. We can go up, down, or stay as-is but if we are going to make a departure from our core guidelines, I'd like to see a general consensus so as not to lead everyone off the map. (Here there be dragons and all.)
As you share in the discussion, consider some of the following possibilities (or add your own ideas!):
Your Turn! (EDITED)
Below, please share your feelings and opinions in the comments regarding as much of the following as you'd like:
As you write, please remember that your goals and experience are just that: yours. With so many individuals on our team, we may not make everyone happy but dammit we're gonna try to keep the band together. ;) Hopefully we can bring all of our goals and experiences together and combine them into a happy, fun future for our team!
LIMITED TIME DISCUSSION
This post was originally intended to be open until 4/2 but will be extended to allow the discussion to continue. Please do contribute as soon as you are able and don't forget to come back to see if others respond to you. <3 Thank you for taking the time - your feedback is essential to the life of this team. HOW TO COMMENT Click the "# Comments" link at the top or bottom of the post... or click here. The comments system allows you to hit "Reply" next to a particular comment or you can leave a general comment without clicking that button.
54 Comments
Tiffany
3/31/2018 03:58:09 pm
I’m thinking lesson the requirements and see if we can kick ass in silver. Ultimately though, I’ll go with whatever the consensus is. I’m not as active in chat as I used to be, but I miss the friendly atmosphere we used to have, and I hope that a relax in the requirements will bring back some of our players we lost
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Rachel (Firenze)
3/31/2018 04:11:45 pm
Woohoo, you get first comment award! (Thanks, Tiffany!)
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Tiffany
3/31/2018 04:15:08 pm
I don’t really care that much about the yacht club anyway. It’s a nice perk, but nothing ground breaking being offered in it
Rachel (Firenze)
3/31/2018 04:16:56 pm
Gotcha!! If we were to reduce requirements, which ones and by how much?
Alicia
3/31/2018 05:12:43 pm
I agree with Tiffany's statements. I too have been spending less time in chat and can feel myself getting burnt out. In particular I'm finding it more difficult to "help" others due to the high level of competition. I think one of the main reasons for this is the mini games have become more frequent. While fun, they take a lot of time away from actual game play. I have been meaning to rearrange my town for months and just haven't had the gumption or time to do it. The yacht club doesn't do much for me either. I would be willing to try the hot task thing Bess describes, but it seems confusing at the moment. I might just need to change my own strategy picking tasks as I usually go above the requirements anyway. I love this team and I'm on board for whatever happens. ❤️
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Tim
4/2/2018 07:06:33 pm
I concur... the mini games are killing me too
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Pamela
3/31/2018 06:40:19 pm
First, I will go with the co-op consensus. This is a great group and I want to stay with it. I have reduced my own stress by stoppng the endless “135” search. Always felt like I was letting the co-op down if I did less than 15 x 135. Self-imposed, I understand but still... Anyway, it came down to fun and sanity vs loss of fun and stress so the choice was easy. This will let me go either way, stay as is, or decrease requirements. I’ll be at least the 132 x 15 plus helps.
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Alicia
4/2/2018 09:36:20 pm
I agree with the self-imposed 135 stress!
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Karen
4/1/2018 01:27:13 am
One can not really “kick ass” in silver league - it only takes one top 3 win to get put back in golden league, so that is only one Regatta and back where we are.
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Judith
4/1/2018 04:33:52 am
I came from a co-op having exactly the same issues with the regatta, 18 time winners to struggling to stay in gold. I don't know what the solution is but you're obviously a close, friendly group and it'd be a shame to keep losing people for the sake of a game that's almost impossible to win at the moment. In my old co-op, no-one used to flip the board and it seemed easier to get tasks, as long as everyone checked and dumped whenever they were online, there was usually something due up in a couple of minutes. With regard to the hot cell thing, would this only work if we take any task that comes up, instead of waiting for one we actually like to do? If so, it might make us more competitive but I don't think most people like to play that way, myself included.
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Pamela
4/1/2018 05:35:54 am
Hoping to hear from more folks re their thoughts on this.
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Bess
4/1/2018 07:11:55 am
The question is where our racing priorities lie given the new status quo. And it’s time to get pretty specific, I think. You might have a really definite opinion about where your personal sweet spot is both in terms of minimum number of tasks and task point threshold. If so, don’t be afraid to say so, it’s all good. Or you might only have a rough range in mind with a slight leaning to one end. Whatever, there really truly aren’t any wrong answers here, we’re just trying to get a clear read on the hive-mind. Saying you might quite fancy changing something absolutely won’t be taken to mean you secretly hate things and are about to get in a big huff if nobody else quite agrees, so please do speak up and be as specific as you can. Rachel’s job as chief cat-herder and guesser of the happy middle ground is awful tricky, so lets help her out by being as forthright as we can, m’kay?
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Tiffany
4/1/2018 09:29:40 am
If I’m being honest, the only reason I push to make sure I finish at least 15 tasks anymore is because I like having the ability to dump tasks rather than wait for an elder 😂
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Pamela
4/1/2018 01:13:47 pm
I think tiffany is right re the demand for 135’s that do show up. Like tiffany, i’ve made peace with whatever # the task is as long as it is at least 132. If more of us could willing adopt that strategy then those after the 135 will have more. It is a mindset change for me but it made it way better the 2nd 1/2 of this week’s race so i’ll keep it.
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Lisa
4/1/2018 01:55:33 pm
Regarding the limitations on high value tasks I've had to change my own expectations and just take any task over 132 in order to finish all tasks. I have been struggling to finish each week anyway so waiting for 135's, other than planes, would never allow me to complete these days!
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Kris
4/1/2018 03:50:30 pm
I joined to be more competitive than my last group who didn’thave any rules. I used to try to do 135 but I gave that up months ago. The regatta isn’t the main reason I get on anymore. I’m just trying to grow my town, some day start on my zoo and enjoy conversations in chat. I am sad that major players are leaving, I know the comraderie of this group is what has kept me going. I guess as long as I can still see them as friends in the game it’s ok. I’m also appreciative of being able to opt out when life gets crazy. I do not understand the hotspot thing one iota, so if we go that route someone needs to explain in detail to me, maybe with pictures. This was something different for me to try and since I don’t get out of the house much maybe I rely on the group too much? Before the past month that is....since I wasn’t on much.
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Diane (Allentown)
4/1/2018 06:38:23 pm
Personally, my game play has changed due to real life challenges and as much as I would really like to race again. The thought of it stresses me out because I am afraid I will not be able to meet minimum requirements.
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Kay
4/2/2018 09:34:48 am
I like the idea of a week (maybe between seasons?) where all minimum requirements are dropped...casual Friday type of thing forvracing
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Tim
4/2/2018 07:11:06 pm
I too reallllllly like this idea.
Jan
4/1/2018 08:22:31 pm
I've been feeling more and more burnt out as of late , likely because of the glitch issue but also because tasks just seem to take forever to complete. I've used tcash to hurry things up so often that I've had to search for enough to pay for a 16 th task and frankly, it's made the game less fun. I try to grab as many 135 pt. tasks as possible but , there again , who can resist the chance to knock out a quickie? The "hotspot" on the task board thing sounds sorta arbitrary at best and leaving lower point tasks sitting there sorta seems wasteful to me. Plus , it would be hard to make it known which tasks to leave unless maybe they were marked as reserved.. I've had a lot of things in my day to day life that have taken up a good deal of time as well so getting on to play has sometimes been an obstacle for me . I think the best course would be to hold stable with our task goals and wait out the vagaries of Playrix task options. Our help number is , in my opinion, low enough that it takes very little effort to hit minimum and after that just help as you can. We've been fairly chill about asking for & receiving help and I don't think anyone is expecting a member to give away stuff they need , whether heading to a task or mini game or anything else. Honestly , I started off questioning if I could do over 10 tasks but now I get into the " can't let the co-op down " mentality . I guess what I'm getting at ( yes I know I'm all over the place) is that I like this group , our chat and the game enough to just keep swimming (like Dory) and when I need a break , I just opt out and chill.
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Shawna
4/1/2018 08:42:35 pm
I’m good with whatever the group decides to do. I typically just do 135 tasks, and yes they are getting harder to come by. I don’t even know why I only do 135’s, I should possibly lower my personal standards. I like our group and our chat. I wish Mel would come back:(
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Bess
4/1/2018 10:01:30 pm
I can totally explain the hot cell thing in more detail down the road if it is actually something we want to seriously consider. It is allegedly what the GLB teams do to get their crazy-low dump rates despite having 30 people doing 16 x 135. My sense of it is that it does indeed work, but whether we’re even remotely interested in that level of change to our style remains to be seen! At this stage, we’re just puttin it out there for those who hadn’t seen the discussion on the forum, just in case lack of 135s was actually bumming people out. If it isn’t, then that’s fine, we can file it under “hmmm, but meh”, lol.
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Kay
4/2/2018 09:36:27 am
A question about this strategy...what about 135 tasks that just sit there, like plane or silk? Would they be dumped after a certain time period?
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Bess
4/2/2018 07:11:40 am
I definitely feel like tasks are getting a bit harder to come by, despite there being fewer of us racing. Bloody Pooprix and their endless faffing.. I’m not even sure it’s just the 135s either, it’s just that the only tip I picked up referred to those, not that I’m obsessed with us all doing nothing lower. Fwiw, I take lower ones fairly often, I just prefer to get full points given the amount of effort they take, is all. Often can’t resist a cheeky mine tho, lol.
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Karen
4/2/2018 08:49:40 am
Reading some of the others comments, an idea for a low stress game every once in a while sounds good. There is the interseasonal Regatta or what ever they call it between the 4 week Regatta Seasons. Maybe on that week, there could be no minimum tasks, no minimum points, no dumping ( well maybe those under 100). It would be nice to do HOL or feeding the snimala, etc. that are rarely 135.
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Mel
4/2/2018 09:30:08 am
Hi guys,
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Tiffany
4/2/2018 06:30:27 pm
We miss you too!!
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Kris
4/3/2018 06:19:51 am
Yes we do miss you! So glad to hear you will come back some day!
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Kay
4/2/2018 09:46:27 am
I also feel that Prix is sucking the fun out of racing. I like the idea of a laid-back week, just to have fun again.
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Ryan
4/2/2018 05:52:45 pm
I would prefer to keep things as they are. I don't really care that much about competing and I don't worry too much about getting all 135 point tasks, which I currently find hard to do and stay on schedule to complete 15/16 tasks. I think the important thing for me is that if people are racing they make a fair contribution.
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Pamela
4/2/2018 06:24:38 pm
What a thoughtful discussion! What i glean is a willingness to keep requirements as they are but throw in a “fun” week now and then. It would be great fun in the off week (between regattas) to take a 125 HOL instead of cringing while dumping it. lol. Do what you want at whatever level you want. 4 angel “good” weeks then 1 devil “bad” week...i could handle that fine.
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Jeff (Jazzyville)
4/2/2018 06:30:43 pm
Good evening everyone! Sorry I'm late to the party - had a busy weekend.
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Tim
4/2/2018 07:23:24 pm
Sharkistan here... long story short I have had major trouble with the tasks lately, and the glitching. I like the idea of a non-competitive week. What bothers me is it seems unless we are 16*135 we will not place even top 5 again, and that’s a game issue. It was still fun when we came in 5th or 8th every other week or so, but then we increased the requirements and haven’t come in first since. I’ll still play and enjoy being a part of the team... and I love love love the banter. I’m not leaving unless I can’t opt out for a few weeks. Getting that promotion at work has really increased my time commitment there and I hope I am not letting anyone down!!
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Joe
4/2/2018 07:56:36 pm
Hi all,
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Judith
4/3/2018 01:57:53 am
I wonder if delaying our start time might be worth a try? I swear that each week some of the other teams are the same so maybe if we delay it, even for a few minutes, it might make a difference to who we come up against. Might make it even worse but couldn't possibly be much worse than virtually every team claiming to do 16 135s.
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Kim
4/3/2018 09:06:03 am
Sorry! Late to the comments, but I don’t have much to add. I like the requirements as they are. I personally strive for 16 tasks and try to go for 135s but end up taking lower point ones to catch up. I like the idea of the fun week in between to recharge and rest. I like being in the golden league, but that’s completely secondary to this team’s camaraderie and teamwork — i’d much rather keep the morale high and game fun to play.
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Bess
4/3/2018 09:45:57 am
I believe we’ve done delayed start before..? Not since my time in AP tho and I’ve never done it elsewhere either, so have no strong opinion on that yet.
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Mel
4/3/2018 08:25:37 pm
Maybe AP needs a feeder coop, where you can go chillax, then when ready to race again, go back to AP, I know of a few golden league coops that have this, then AP never loses its gold status as whoever is there that week races with the AP rules, the feeder coop can be a relaxed mode.
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Kay
4/6/2018 06:56:53 am
I like this idea😁. There have been times I've thought about going solo just to chill and play, but don't want to leave the group. A "second string" coop with lower requirements and point task cutoff would fill this need for me! Might even get a HOL there.
Bess
4/6/2018 09:46:42 am
I have to say, I think Mel’s suggestion of a ‘cousin coop’ is worth considering, especially if the FB group remained open to those members so ties arent severed. Whether it was for those who want an opt out that couldn’t be agreed, or those who want reduced requirements, or as a place for AP members to have the occasional ‘giddy’ week instead of opting out before returning to the main team (by prior arrangement, of course, lol) would be up to whoever wanted to put their name on the door. I mean, obviously I’d prefer we all stay together if that works, because Yay APs!, but I can see that for some a third option between stay but struggle or go off alone might actually be pretty appealing. It’s definitely food for thought, and hopefully comments too ;)
Bess
4/4/2018 05:17:18 am
Been thinking about the delayed start thing since chat. I get the theory that starting late may well be a means of sidestepping some of the most aggressive teams, sure. But if we delay enough so that we’re all there waiting to start, then we have deliberately created a logjam of 20+ folks wanting tasks all at once. That could be a problem, given how scarce they are lately. So I’d suggest (if we did it) that we were cautious with it at first, perhaps just delaying by an hour or 2, so we can reduce the risk of solving one problem but causing ourselves another. Anyhoo, whaddya y’all think about it?
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Rachel (Firenze)
4/4/2018 05:17:35 pm
Thank you all for sharing! There are certainly mixed feelings here and I’ve been carefully reading your comments looking for common threads. Most of all, I appreciate all the AP love. We haven’t heard from everybody but as it’s been several days, I’d like to share my own preferences. Feel free to reply to this comment with your reaction! This is *not* at all an official announcement or update, just me sharing my thoughts too.
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Rachel (Firenze)
4/4/2018 05:18:03 pm
HAHAHAHA -- it cut me off. :p
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Pamela
4/4/2018 05:33:55 pm
In reviewing your comments, rachel, the only concern i have is about the change back to the old opt out policy. I think the change that was implemented was a good one with the unlimited but not abused opt-out. Perhaps those opting out for more than 1 week could have a donation requirement. When i opt out, i continue my regular donations to help the co-op. I just think it is a good way to keep good members going thru tough times.
Rachel (Firenze)
4/4/2018 05:40:18 pm
That’s where I really screwed up, Pamela. The only difference between the two was that we were planning to be more lenient on those who opted out... players were still supposed to check in if opting out more than a couple of weeks so we knew they weren’t gone entirely. Apparently that wasn’t clear because it’s not been heeded. I’d prefer to have players who want to take extended absences leave and return (or not) rather than have a Co-op sprinkled with Those We Like But May or May Not Return.
Diane
4/5/2018 07:14:38 pm
I have to say, upon first reading your comments about the altered opt out policy not being adhered makes me a bit angry. I made myself wait a day before I actually commented. I respected the rules and left the co-op because I had no idea how long I was not going to be able to race due to real life challenges. I was invited back due to a change in the guidelines...but my circumstances had not changed. (I looked on this website for an announcement, detailing the changes and I never seen one.) Why invite me back?
Rachel
4/5/2018 08:30:25 pm
I’m sorry for the frustration and confusion, Diane. I am totally not sure how to respond at the moment, but I see where you’re coming from. Right now, I’m dealing with an incredible amount of ambiguity and I’m trying to reduce it for myself team. I’ll give it some thought.
Kay
4/6/2018 07:04:52 am
Just finished reading everything, and as I am still on my first cup of coffee, I want to make sure I understood correctly. From Rachel's post it would appear that nothing would be changed except the possible opt-out change. Is that correct, or did I misunderstand ? Thx😻
Pamela
4/7/2018 06:52:33 am
I understand what you are saying about added monitoring hassle. However, keeping the revised opt out does not have to add to that chore. If someone is just warming a spot for several weeks without donating, then that person can leave or be booted. The team stats will show it. Otherwise, let the person stay and donate both to the co-op atmosphere and other racers. I fail to see how that hurts us but I can see the benefit of keeping a good teammate going thru tough times. Just my 2 cents (or am i up to a dime by now) worth.
Tiffany
4/7/2018 08:06:50 am
I see where the opt out policy was needed when we were a full team. Someone opting out for an extended period of time was preventing us from inviting new members that are more active.
Mel
4/7/2018 11:09:12 am
I can see Rachel’s point with the opt out, which is why after two weeks when I knew I couldn’t race I left, maybe the answer is to go back to the original way with a clause, if you are going to be gone more than a month and can’t race please leave with the option to return. I know it’s hard because you make friends in the coop but ultimately the guidelines were there when we all signed up for the coop. Rachel has a lot to do to manage the coop and the Regatta has always been a big part of AP.
Sami
4/4/2018 05:24:47 pm
I don't see my comments from earlier, so I don't know if I goofed or they didn't get posted. I'm with the group. Life is hectic with kids, so I just try and do as much as I can. What Township has done to the game is making it difficult for all of us to play, especially the board!! It's frustrating and has definitely made it tough. I love the team tho, and the main reason I'm toughing it out is because of you guys!
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Jan
6/4/2018 03:15:56 pm
Can we talk about the elephant in the room? I see it. It's big and pink and warty and has pooped all over our lovely co-op. We keep losing teammates due to various issues and it's getting super lonely here on the eastern US coast. I miss all our weird and mental wandering chats. And , on an actual game note , it's hard to give or receive timely help when no one is on when I am. Frankly , the thrill is gone , baby. I'm taking some time off atm so I can sorta sit on the sidelines awhile. Regattas are getting to be more of a pain in the rear than actual fun and the rewards are kinda lame ( in my opinion) so , I'm in a wait and see pattern for now.
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Aphrodite's PiersAn ambitious Township Regatta crew blazing through the leagues, sweeping rewards, and helping one another. |