Gifting Function Under Friends

Thought this worthy of a new thread here, hoping to see what players will say. I have seen many good suggestions for additions to the game, or new events, etc. Sometimes, players who have been around longer remind us (rightly so) that many of the changes we have already been given have bugs and kinks still being worked on and that requires time and resources. In the spirit of that "be patient wanting more, let's get what we have working" wisdom () I would like to express my desire to know when the gift sending function (located under the friends section of the game) might be unlocked and functioning.

I think this is an important game aspect because I know many beginning players could really use the help higher level players could give in the form of gifted resources, and such an ability would surely foster new friendships in the RC community. I have recently read Mr. Crowley's thread about a trading guild, and also understand the difficulties of such trades via the marketplace; have managed to do that with other players by selling an odd number at an odd but low price and even that does not always get it to the intended player. But is this not why there is a gifting function to begin with? I would think this is, in a way, Mr. Crowley's Trading Guild idea already in the game just in a different form. So, devs, what's the skinny on this? Would also love to hear from other players......

 

It would be a nice feature, if we ever see it. I do believe that it could be useful to a player(s) as they begin in the game. It also could be a handicap. It would save players from having to wait till they reach a certain level, to receive a particular item or product, it would also help them develop their cities faster. The counter point to this is that they do so at the expense of the experience and learning to develop these features on their own. You can build your city to fast and get caught up in an endless spiral of needing more and more "gifts" to make your city work properly. I have seen other games where complete strangers are constantly on forums begging for gifts from anyone and everyone so they can accomplish this or that in there universes, rather than earning or developing their own skills or being patient.

So I see this feature as a double edge sword. Most players will use gifting appropriately, but the potential for abuse exists.

I am still waiting to hear the answer to your main question also Geflin? When?

 

I agree with you on the potential for abuse, and have avoided many of these kinds of games for that very reason. I also would note that often these games become more about the gifts than about the games themselves. I would certainly like to see it be where someone would have to be your friend and thus able to message you ("hey, I am "x" number of "x" short of something, can you gift me that?") rather than advertising in forum. There should perhaps be a limit on how much/how often such a gift could consist of and/or be sent. The feature is already there so it would seem someday it would unlock. Maybe if you could only gift pp or ep? That would still make them develop their production capability. You got me thinking....I am impressed

 

Well, let's see...I would like to see this gifting thing because I know how hard it can be getting started here (I was lucky enough to have help from the guy who got me into the game). There was so much to learn, and there were times when a little help with resources would have made a big difference. The marketplace is great, but it's hard for a friend to get things to you that way. Even so, I have enjoyed learning the game and have worked hard to get where I am. I would take the fun out of it to just have everything given to you. Communities in the real world help each other so I see it as a good thing overall. The (ahem) management must be having this same dilemma or that gift function would probably have been unlocked by now

 

Thank you for understanding my point. I reread my post after I wrote it and thought I might have been heavy handed. I am for gifting. I would rather it be a gift. Not something someone requests. I would love to send a gift bomb to some of the other Mayors here. Maybe 100 tiles or bricks just out of the blue. I hate when people start asking for things and expect others to provide them. That is no longer gifts that is solicitation.

 

Exactly I have a friend who made some errors in judgement early on, and she is struggling with pp. She has slowed to a crawl because she can't generate enough revenue or pp to build at the normal pace (she didn't watch her resident balance and was busy upgrading everything at once instead of getting production online, essentially). Would have loved to gift her enough pp to bail her out. Not at all heavy handed, you made a very good point.

 

That kind of gifting I would love to do.

 

Another good reason: I have noticed some events will show up at Levels where you do not even have the required production yet (example: events requiring brewed items before you ever reach the Level where you can build a brewery). Granted, you can buy every brew except things like kegs of brown ale...but this is the kind of area where gifting would be beneficial. Sometimes even my (gasp) construction materials run out fast (like when doing upgrades) and I would have no problem exchanging gifts of other produce for a few needed construction materials. Bet there are those at early Levels who would love to trade 1,000 lumber or 50 beams for a stockpile of tomatoes or potatoes. True, the marketplace lets you do this already, but to do it in a way that was more a joint effort of friendship would be cool. I have other friends who play, and sometimes I will sell or buy from them (by using an odd number and price, sometimes you can get in there quick enough to buy their stuff via marketplace). Would love to help out a friend who needed to sell a resource without having to buy ten others' offers to finally manage to buy theirs Here, as everywhere else in the game, balance would be key.

 

Then it is no longer a gift but a trade. You are playing lets "make a deal". This is where I start to get antsy. The slippery slope is greased and steep, certain people are ready to shove you down hill real fast.

 

Was only referencing that aspect because (player) Mr. Crowley had done a thread asking about a trading guild, and I figured the gifting function could serve both purposes. I would like to be able to gift deserving players JUST to help them out, of course. Heck, it's not like I don't have pp and ep (and often, products) to 'burn'. But I do also see the benefit of an exchange medium other than just the marketplace. For example: if I needed 1,000 beams to upgrade my city hall and you needed 1,000 bricks to upgrade yours, I would have no problem swapping brick for beam without expecting a profit for the more costly bricks, if I had a surplus....the purpose being to help you while helping myself (which I see as different from making a profit in the marketplace...since bricks sell for way more than beams). As you so wisely pointed out, some more experienced or principled players would make good use, while others would abuse. Lemme slide down that slippery slope on some cardboard.....wheeeeeeee!

 

Agreed! I am dallying with semantics here sorry. I just got hung up on calling it gifting when it is a form of trading. I do understand what you are saying. Make sure that cardboard has a wax coating on at least one side. Have fun!! Don't break anything on your way down.

 

But of course, I do agree with you that the main function should be actual gifting rather than trading. I have another player friend who is struggling to keep in tomatoes because she had low pp and can't really generate much pp without the tomatoes for needs revenue (catch-22?); would love to be able to send her 20k tomatoes so she can build up her pp and get herself out of that hole. Truly, unless I want to profiteer...what use do I have for 67k tomatoes, 47k potatoes, etc., when in a few hours I can generate just as many all over again? And, as a San Diego native, I am quite familiar with the best in waxes (though usually applied to a surfboard lol). Double wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

 

Cowabunga Dude. May the waves be awesome and the ride never end. Do not forget the sun block.

 

Unfortunately, not many waves here in Lincoln, Nebraska USA; man do I miss San Diego Wonder if Mr. Crowley has seen this thread yet...hmmm? Hey, does anybody out there other than us three even give a hoot about the gifting thingy?

 

Well, you can wait till the spring and see the amber waves of grain. Does not look like it does it.

 

Laughing my feathered hoohah off Probably see actual ocean waves in Nebraska before I see the gifting function unlocked

 

I find it very relazing that the gift-function does work. And why only help friends. Newcomers sells tomatoes, lumber, beams and bricks in small quantities ... so you just have to buy everything to help out. What I need is some kind of marking of the items in the marketsplace so I have an idea of what kind of lv the player have ex. making all offers blue if player are below lv20.

 

The gift function is located under the friends section on the toolbar, and as far as I know it is still locked and marked 'coming soon'. This function would be much easier to use than buying at the marketplace to help new players...though that's a cool insight you have Kimmi, that smaller quantities usually means newcomers selling. Maybe they could add your forum icon and Level to marketplace offers? This would help let us know who newcomers are and also expand possible friendship invites.

 

kimmi insightful as ever! I love to buy the small quantities in the market place. I have no problem clicking ten or twenty times on twenty potatoes instead of couple of hundred in one blow.