New player with dumb question

[flayrah]

I have been wondering about 'rare' items. Maybe I don't understand, but all new players generally won't have access to rare pieces, while people that have been playing a long time probably have more of the 'rares'. So if I follow this though, the newer players will NEVER have anything rare enough to trade with the older players; and this will continue on through time, the more experienced players having what becomes rare items, while the newer players both don't have access to anything rare, OR anything interesting enough to trade with the more experienced players. For example, I am fairly new to VMK so have only the common items that anyone can buy or with luck win at host games. No experienced player will trade magic, lets say, for anything I have. And whenever something new is available, both players like me, along with experienced people, will get those new items so they will never not have something I have. At the same time, the newest players coming on this month won't get the berets, for example; and I won't want to trade my berets with them because they won't have anything that I can't get myself. Am I thinking too hard about this?? Or not hard enough? LOL

 

[Adventuredaz]

lol, your thinking its like a pyramid. To some extent your lodgic is correct. But I have seen many new players excell at trading and aquiring. There are many ways to get things. I for example Have been since Beta, I did not buy much then but have nearly everything except the rarest. There are also in park Quest items to consider. I am not a trader so I likely will not get much more then I have. I have great friends and ofter they will gift items or trade items that they get easy for items I can get them. Also you will find some people in need of credit, while not the recomended method, you can trade with that. Then Host quests and re-releases keep things supplied with items that are harder to get. There are a lot of mixed feelings on the last thing, Basicly if you are a skilled trader you can get a lot even starting now. I know several that in 6 moths have gone very far.

 

[Mix]

One way to get more items is by winning player-made quests. It's how I got my invisibility magic, several retired hats, and lots of other cool things.

 

[California_Dreamin]

I know how you feel -- but trust me it gets better! I started out with all "commons" but then I saved up enough credit to get a quest machine. With that, I started getting items that were no longer available with credits trading to players who are seeking credits. That way you can build up your collection, possibly getting doubles of things as well that you can later on trade. If you do not want to save up for a quest kiosk, then check the traders board -- sometimes people will trade for 'shopping sprees', which is when they tell you how many items they would like you to get them from the shops for whatever 'rare' item they are trading. Good luck!

 

[Melp]

Actually there is always ways of getting stuff if you set your mind to it. Not sure how successful the threads like KrazyPete's Ned pin to Inferno or others were in meeting their end goals, but there is usually someone out there who maybe collects NPC pins or something that is considered small and useless, so they will trade something better. Then someone will want what you got for that trade, and so on. I even have a friend who just started before Christmas and with trading items she has gotten from a trip to the parks she has managed to get stuff it has taken me over a year to get . Some is luck of finding the right person, some is timing and some is strategy, but you will get it one day

One way to get more items is by winning player-made quests. It's how I got my invisibility magic, several retired hats, and lots of other cool things.

And of course while I was posting the above stuff Mix posted this and that was also how I got much of my first magic, space suit parts, etc. Also you would be surprised what people will trade for in game quest stuff sometimes. I had traded something (forget what right now) from an in game quest for several magic pins awhile back.

 

[Mix]

Yes, another thing to watch for is people who are trading rares for shopping sprees. Sometimes people want large amounts of buyable items to build a room, or because they don't have enough credits to buy seasonal items. Pounce on these deals and get some cool stuff

 

[Pirate-Emery]

I was in the same boat as you were in. I joined in late April, and I never thought I'd have anything rare. Then, suddenly, something comes along that changes your fortune.

In my case, it was the INSANELY HARD ONE WEEKEND ONLY PIRATE HAT QUEST. This was the very weekend that I "mastered" the Old Fireworks (by 'mastered' I mean that I actually understood how to play strategically).

I got several In-Game Pirate Hats (aka. Patchy). One hat led to another trade, to another trade, to another trade.

I eventually ended up where I am now (with a little help from my friends).

Also consider some of the in-game stuff going on: the eBay Dreams stuff came and went for a week or so. However, any player and their mothers could get rare Dreams stuff. Now, it is still considered rare, and is still considered valuable in "respectable circles".

My main thing I want to convey is: don't give up. You will eventually come across something that is rare. Just buy rare hats/pins when they are on sale, and you'll be able to trade them later.

But, wait... not the New Orleans hats!

Once more, VMK, you have proven that you do not like new players. Please, come out with more difficult Weekend Quests that have unique prizes. It helps the VMK infrastructure. Think of it like a Tax Cut for the populace.

 

[cat_herder]

That about sums it up. But there are ways to get ahead just like in real life.

I won 3 inferno pins last spring in some of the host games. I traded 2 of those pins for some of the rare things I wanted. I would never have enough wanted items to trade for inferno otherwise.

If you can win a sparrow suit from the off site POTC game, you could trade it for lots of rare or lots of credits.

If you book a flight to Disneyland through their service you can get a Stitch hat and trade it for quite a bit of loot.

You will probably never get a one-on-one trade for something rare, so collect a lot of "retired" or other things and be prepared to trade it all for the one rare thing.

Remember we all start this game with exactly the same things, how lucky you are, or how smart you are or how hard you work, will get you want you want.

I kind of suck at the trading thing. Most of my trade offers on DIS are a bust. I get better offers in trade rooms. But I would rather trade on DIS then in trade rooms because I would rather see my friends get the things they want.

Be patient with traders, a lot of times I will have quite a bit of stuff to offer for an item in a trade window but the windows are slow and I type slow, so people will cut off the trade before I can even find the items I wanted to offer. I could have the every thing they wanted but because they were so impatient they never let me show them all of it.

Buy several copy of any new weeky or monthly release items and just sit on them for a while. They "Might" become wanted or rare items in the future like the hats that were released this past month. Right now the market is flooded with those hats, but over the coming months more and more people will be willing to trade for them.


Educate yourself on what is “rare – beta – retired – buyable”. Not everything people call “rare” is really rare. I’ve had people try to tell me something was rare, even thought it was just released for sell in the shops, or have been for selling in the shops for 2 years.

Read all the “sticky threads” on DIS you will pick up a major wreath of information on the subject.

 

[Pirate-Emery]

If you book a flight to Disneyland through their service you can get a Stitch hat and trade it for quite a bit of loot.

A lot harder than I expected... Now, as my sig says, I'm going to DLR three times in the next couple months. I do not qualify for Stitch in any of those.

 

[mking624]

If you book a flight to Disneyland through their service you can get a Stitch hat and trade it for quite a bit of loot.

To be more specific on this (since I'm sure someone might get confused), it's not just airfare...you must book an entire vacation package (hotel, tickets, airfare) for Disneyland to qualify for the Stitch cards. I know that's what you meant (so please don't feel like I'm correcting you), just specifying for those who might think you can just do airfare through their site (which is not an option, the air only comes with package) and still get the cards.

 

[caribbound]

Welcome to our obsession!

I was also frustrated with this last summer as a newbie. I really missed the boat in not even trying to get in host rooms because everyone complained so much about dc just before their turn and how difficult it was to get in line. That was when they were giving away inferno! Shortly after (hmm, food pins?) I started doing host rooms and WOW, got some awesome offers at the beginning of the month. I didn't care about pins at all then so I was happy to get magic or furnishings. By the end of the month the value would go down on host pins as more people have them to trade. NOW, we all know if we're patient the pin of the month will come easily soon enough (the way they do teleporter games that were not done before). Since the vmk pass thing started, my guess is that host pins are becoming a bit more rare because often if you lose the first time around, you don't have enough time to go through the line again before the room closes. I could be wrong. Personally I don't care for the pass system but I didn't have much problems with typical host rooms before.

I quickly discovered other than the host pins the only way I would get park quest items was to buy a quest macine and trade for credits. Check out PurpleDuck's trade thread, and others too I'm sure. She is accepting buyables so you wouldn't even need the quest machine right away. I also had a few weeks that long time dis/vmk'ers were surprising me out of the blue with gifts!

 

[Disneychick74]

To be more specific on this (since I'm sure someone might get confused), it's not just airfare...you must book an entire vacation package (hotel, tickets, airfare) for Disneyland to qualify for the Stitch cards. I know that's what you meant (so please don't feel like I'm correcting you), just specifying for those who might think you can just do airfare through their site (which is not an option, the air only comes with package) and still get the cards.

From what I understand you also have to book online and pay with a Visa

 

[mking624]

From what I understand you also have to book online and pay with a Visa

I checked the disneyland.com site and it didn't say anything about using Visa only. I think it's any credit card or the Disney Rewards Card (which is the reward points from Disney Visa). I know that's for the deposit. If it's anything like booking WDW, you can mail in your payments as well.

It did see this, though...

VMK Virtual Prizes

Be the envy of the Virtual Magic Kingdom with these virtual prizes that make buying your vacation online virtually irresistible! Book your Disneyland® Resort vacation package on disneyland.com before 12/31/06 and receive three special VMK Virtual Rewards.* They're fun, collectible and you can only get them when you book online!

* Display your true blue fashion sense with a virtual Stitch Hat!
* Get stuck on the virtual Traveling Stitch Pin
* Be ready for adventure with a virtual Blue Traveling Trunk!

So does this mean they are no longer giving this away?

 

[Goofy_Bob]

In general, it can be very difficult for a Newbie to break into Next Tier items. As the original posted mentions, as new things come out, the old players will get that stuff too.

But there are ways, some that have been mentioned are true. Trading w/credits or shopping sprees is good. Stocking up on new items that are likely to retire is good... remember that sometimes the old players miss a weekend and don't get those things. Or if you have them after a while some other Newbie who just came from the parks will want what you got and trade you their in-park goodies. Same with getting things from quests and Host games. If you can make it to a park yourself, it's likely you'll get something that people want.

The biggest thing to stress, as mentioned already though, is you can often trade several (5-6) "uncommmon" (host items or retired buyables) items for "minor rare". Repeat. Then trade a handful of minor rare for medium rare. Repeat. Continue this cycle getting rare for medium rare, and eventually very rare for rare, etc. That's how I got my Sparrow costume and Inferno. It can be done!

Try to take your time. And try to trade for things you don't already have, using items you have duplicates of. Don't be discouraged about making bonehead mistakes (like the time I traded teleport magic for a 300 credit buyable green table, not realizing it was the blue table that was rare at the time, lol). The Dis trade boards will really help too!! For one you're likely to get more honest people (though still be careful) and you can more likely get people who are looking for what you have and have what you want. Try to make a thread targeting one or only a handful of items at a time. While it can work, I find a large wishlist to be less successful than a small one. And be clear - Say I want X and I offer one or more of these things... Once that thread is complete, open another but look for item Y. Repeat.

...So does this mean they are no longer giving this away?

From what I understand the Stitch promo continues through March or April of '07 (I can't remember which), so it's not too much longer. Whether they will extend it or not, I don't know.

I got my Stitch set back at the end of October '06. We didn't travel by plane (drove there) and didn't stay in an actual Disney Hotel (rather a "friend of disney" across the street - the Red Roof Inn). Only had to pay for the room and two day parkhopper tickets - whole thing for two people was just over $400. Not too bad for two nights/days.

The reservation only came with one set of Stitch cards, but I called, explained/asked nicely we both played and got another set.

 

[Melp]

Julia&Nicksmom checked online last night when I had a friend in VMK tell me her friend was told the stitch promotion ended last year when they confirmed their booking on the phone. Here is the pic she sent to me of the promotion clearly showing that they did extend it

 

[Goofy_Bob]

"Meet new friends from around the world!"
- But however will we know they're from around the world? Isn't it against the Almighty Values to discuss location?

Sorry, OT...

 

[flayrah]

Thanks to everyone for all the good information and experiences. I would not have thought of the possibility of trading many common pieces for a single rare - good idea. There's not really anything I am looking for now (except magic!), so it's not like I am in rush to trade for rare, I was just thinking of how things are set up and how new players will always be a bit behind.

 

[Mnementh]

I was just thinking of how things are set up and how new players will always be a bit behind.

Yeah, I've thought about that since I strted playing. The later you find out about the game, the worse shape you'll be in when you play. The game had been out of beta for around 15 months when I started playing and yet I feel like I got in on the ground floor, seeing how many changes have been made since and how many new people register each day.