Comprehensive Game Guide...

MrClean · January 2013

Ivy and I would like to create a complete, all encompassing game guide for novices (I'm sure it would come in handy for sponsors too 8) ) The guide will include all the useful information scattered around VP, including the official help files (which don't seem to be as helpful as they should be) and this tips & tricks section. Its purpose is to educate new players in all things VP, prevent overbreeding, overpricing, scamming, etc, and to make VP easier to use for all. Hopefully we'll be able to get it posted somewhere easily accessible

This guide will not explain sponsor training tricks, auctions, or anything else novices aren't likely to need, nor will it tell them how to play. It will just be a good resource for information. So far, we have decided to include sections on the following topics: - VP navigation - definitions (explanations of frequently used terms and abbreviations) - forums - earning vpc - finding a dog - training, breeding, & sales - events - contracts - gifties & goodies - dog & kennel pages - adding a layout - becoming a sponsor I would love everyone's input to help make this guide as informative as possible! If there is anything you think should be included (like something you wish you had known when you joined) please post it!

Troglin · January 2013

Most of this information already exists in guides, and duplicating them might result in your thread being locked (spam). VP Terms - <a href="http://virtualpups.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=78865"; target="_blank" class="bb-url">viewtopic.php?f=57&t=78865</a> VP Help Files - <a href="http://virtualpups.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=69930"; target="_blank" class="bb-url">viewtopic.php?f=57&t=69930</a> Other frequently asked questions - <a href="http://virtualpups.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=57"; target="_blank" class="bb-url">viewforum.php?f=57</a> Eventing Guide - <a href="http://virtualpups.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=45511"; target="_blank" class="bb-url">viewtopic.php?f=16&t=45511</a> Earning VPC guide - <a href="http://virtualpups.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=65033"; target="_blank" class="bb-url">viewtopic.php?f=16&t=65033</a> Sponsor Training Guide - <a href="http://virtualpups.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=46208"; target="_blank" class="bb-url">viewtopic.php?f=16&t=46208</a> Novice Training Guide - <a href="http://virtualpups.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=45562"; target="_blank" class="bb-url">viewtopic.php?f=16&t=45562</a> How to do inbred lines - <a href="http://virtualpups.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=64195"; target="_blank" class="bb-url">viewtopic.php?f=16&t=64195</a> While it's admirable that you want to gather all the information up, the information already exists at some place or another. Also, for things like navigation, training, etc., you would want to wait until the beta merge is complete. From my understanding, novice training is different with the new code, as they couldn't completely duplicate it. Kennel pages will not be the same, just as dog pages will not be the same. Navigation will be different. There will also be a new integrated forum, with new bits to learn. Eventing is currently broken, so eventing guides aren't useful at the moment. I believe there will be a new intro tour/walk through with the merge. Most current guides will be at least slightly, if not completely, outdated once the merge is done. In my opinion, it's not difficult to find the information as it's currently laid out. It's not difficult to just do a search of the forums for a guide that relates to their question. If someone really needs help, they usually send tickets into support or they ask someone, which is just fine. If you're really dead set on creating a huge guide, you would want to wait until after the merge, or else it will be outdated and you'll have wasted quite a bit of time.

MrClean · January 2013

Understood! It was an idea that was brought to me that I thought would be useful, but everything you said makes sense. Although, while it is possible to find all information, it does take some searching. And many novices wont put in the effort to look all over vp for relevant information/haven't figured out vp navigation well enough to find information before beginning to play. And as I've experienced myself, it often takes a long time to get a response from support, if you ever get a response! Novices see that they only have $50,000vpc and training (themselves or hiring a sponsor), breeding, and eventing can cost quite a bit, and buy the cheapest dogs available in whatever breed they know best and try to train and breed themselves, creating a slew of poorly trained, low-stat pups of over-populated breeds at unreasonable prices. I wont necessarily compile a guide myself, but I do think it would be extremely helpful for all information to be in one place and easy to find for someone that has never played before.

ivybear93 · January 2013

Im a sponsor trainer and i still have alot of trouble finding information i want on many different things and when your in the middle of trying to groom/train several dogs you dont really have the time to go searching all over vp for info or messaging other user about it, it just doesnt seem professional. Thats why i think we DO need this sort of game guide we were trying to create, if a sponsor cant find what they are looking for how is a new novice who just wants to rush into the game asap ment to find it? And who has the patience to go through dozens of pages just to find one bit of info?

Troglin · January 2013

On the forums, there's a search bar at the top that you can input what you're looking for. There are players on here who are more than willing to help you find guides, if you cannot find them yourself. When I joined in 2004, there were no guides to help me learn the game. I met a person on here who helped me when I had questions, but otherwise I did the learning myself. Clicking links and taking the time to pay attention to training, breeding, etc. makes you more self-reliant. Back then, we helped each other out when we needed it, but almost every person took on the responsibility of learning the game by themselves. Most of us were really young, preteens, and we still had the patience to sit and learn. I'm not trying to step on any toes, but a little patience and initiative goes a long way. Training guides, etc. aren't the responsibility of the game. Don't get me wrong, but training methods are player 'created' -- there are literally hundreds of ways that you could go about training a dog. The most common methods were refined and shared by players. Several years ago, long grooming was an outlandish idea that most people couldn't fathom for a long time. Ask two people about training, breeding, eventing, etc. and you'll get two entirely different answers. My training method is not the same as the majority of the players here. How did I get my training method? By comparing the stat raises of different options, even though it used to go completely against the "norm." I do like the idea of a complete guide, but again, there are things that currently don't work for it. There are already several guides that cover just about every topic. That information can't just be copied and put into a larger guide - it would all have to be completely rewritten. Eventing will have to be fixed, as until then, eventing (guides/help) is pretty much useless. Breeding is an easy task, but there would have to be at least two provided methods (inbreeding and pure lines). Perhaps this 'game guide' could be created once the merge has been completed, so that it is completely up to date with the correct information.

Dark Flame · January 2013

Anastasia wrote:

On the forums, there's a search bar at the top that you can input what you're looking for. There are players on here who are more than willing to help you find guides, if you cannot find them yourself. When I joined in 2004, there were no guides to help me learn the game. I met a person on here who helped me when I had questions, but otherwise I did the learning myself. Clicking links and taking the time to pay attention to training, breeding, etc. makes you more self-reliant. Back then, we helped each other out when we needed it, but almost every person took on the responsibility of learning the game by themselves. Most of us were really young, preteens, and we still had the patience to sit and learn. I'm not trying to step on any toes, but a little patience and initiative goes a long way. Training guides, etc. aren't the responsibility of the game. Don't get me wrong, but training methods are player 'created' -- there are literally hundreds of ways that you could go about training a dog. The most common methods were refined and shared by players. Several years ago, long grooming was an outlandish idea that most people couldn't fathom for a long time. Ask two people about training, breeding, eventing, etc. and you'll get two entirely different answers. My training method is not the same as the majority of the players here. How did I get my training method? By comparing the stat raises of different options, even though it used to go completely against the "norm." I do like the idea of a complete guide, but again, there are things that currently don't work for it. There are already several guides that cover just about every topic. That information can't just be copied and put into a larger guide - it would all have to be completely rewritten. Eventing will have to be fixed, as until then, eventing (guides/help) is pretty much useless. Breeding is an easy task, but there would have to be at least two provided methods (inbreeding and pure lines). Perhaps this 'game guide' could be created once the merge has been completed, so that it is completely up to date with the correct information.

I agree with Ana, as someone that studies web development, we learn about content and all that stuff, and it would take quite long time to gather-up, and re-write all the information just to find ways to help novices. I remember when I first started, I probably annoyed a few people with it, but I used to go round messaging people for help if I was stuck, most would be polite and reply back. I actually learned more about the game by doing that and just clicking around the site than I would have done through guides although they are used by many. And I'm sure that's how I made most of my friends, either by using their services or asking for help. And I'm sure people don't ask for help of sponsors anymore, since I never get asked questions and I used to.

MrClean · January 2013

That all makes perfect sense. I don't know ANYTHING about web design, as it is I edit my (pre-made) layouts just by tinkering and have learned a bit of html from trial and error. I have also learned a lot from clicking around, experimenting, asking sponsors, etc. I think I learn better that way, many people do. But still, the idea came up as a way to make things easier for those newbies that get overwhelmed or confused or discouraged when the first 3 sponsors they message never respond. The purpose of the comprehensive guide, as I understood it, would be to simplify the learning process for those who needed it, and to bring all useful information to one place. It wouldn't have to spell out every individual training method (as that would be impossible anyway), nor would it have any specific instruction on anything (telling new players to play in any one particular way). There would have been simple, vague but helpful notes on novice capabilities. For example, the training section could include a list of which activities would increase which skill, and which skills are needed for which events, maybe even a small warning against exhausting dogs. The breeding section could cover (not in depth) the advantages and disadvantages of hiring sponsor breeders, the results of breeding untrained dogs, etc. And there could be a section about finding a dog that would explain (in very brief detail) the benefits of rescuing, and may help prevent novices from being fooled into thinking a high-priced dog is a high-quality dog. Again, I get how creating a guide like this would be time and energy consuming. I also know that even with a guide like this not all players will use this information. But I still think it could be useful if anyone ever did decide to undertake such a task 8)

Dark Flame · January 2013

I agree with you there, I think that when the beta is moved over that we should get quite a few people together in general, and get as many people that can explain the basics and have it all in one area for people to access

Simm · March 2013

When the game is merged, I'd love to help out with creating a new guide. I've been playing for a while and have dabbled in pretty much everything so I think I could bring a lot to the guide. xD

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Comprehensive Game Guide...

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