The Dragonvale Sandbox is an online web app created to help you experiment with breeding combinations, figure out what your best options are to breed a particular dragon, and figure out what dragon you just bred. The original version was run for many years by r0b0_tr0n, the current version was a complete rewrite by drow in 2017 after r0b0_tr0n decided to step back from his project.
The main page of the web app allows you to select two dragons to breed, and whether you're breeding in an accelerated cave, and presents a list of dragons which might result. Each dragon is described with images of both the dragon and its egg, its breeding time, and an estimate of how likely it is to be bred. All percentages are estimates, sometimes wildly so. Please consult the Dragonvale Compendium for more exact numbers.
In contrast, the Parent Finder page allows you to select one dragon you want to breed (dragons of recent interest are often linked as Trending dragons), and presents a list of breeding pairs which might result in that dragon, in order of descending likelihood. Again, all percentages are estimates, please don't blame the Sandbox if you keep getting Double Rainbows.
There are some additional pages on the web site, including a list of All Dragons, dragons matching Quests, and several Games and Random Things.
What can be posted in this thread?
Comments, questions, and bug reports are all welcome. May the koalas be with you!
Last Edit: Aug 27, 2022 11:22:08 GMT -6 by adlerist: added Enchanted Breeding Cave thread icon
How often is the Sandbox updated with new dragons?
The site is a one-person effort, and that person still has a day job to worry about, but most new dragons make it to the Sandbox the same day they're released. What are more likely to slip by are limited dragons which return for an event, but aren't specifically announced. Best efforts are made, but please feel free to post if you notice something amiss.
How does the Sandbox work?
There are two parts to the sandbox, a backend written in perl which runs on the web server, and a frontend web application written in HTML and JavaScript. The backend maintains the list of dragons and their breeding characteristics, and pre-generates breeding lists. A JSON file is created for each possible breeding pair which contains all possible results, and these are recombined into a JSON file for each dragon which contains all possible breeding pairs which might result in that dragon. These JSON files are served by a custom CDN through Cloudflare for performance, and loaded by the frontend web app as needed for final processing, formatting, and presentation.
Drow, thank you so much for creating and maintaining the DV Sandbox.
We would be lost in the Vale without you!
Friend ID: adlerist#5274
Due to a potential limit on the number of friends a player can have before issues arise in the game, I will only be able to add Forum members. Thank you, for your understanding, and please consider joining us!
a couple of sandbox updates... i've just spent an hour going through dragon-by-dragon trying to catch any updates to habitats, breeding requirements, etc. hopefully i haven't made anything more broken. also, i've tracked down the last bits of magical-tidal code and removed them, so the tidal "bug" should be fixed now.
a couple of sandbox updates... i've just spent an hour going through dragon-by-dragon trying to catch any updates to habitats, breeding requirements, etc. hopefully i haven't made anything more broken. also, i've tracked down the last bits of magical-tidal code and removed them, so the tidal "bug" should be fixed now.
Thanks for your hard work drow . It is much appreciated. We love the tidal bug - it is a real talking point. 😜
a couple of sandbox updates... i've just spent an hour going through dragon-by-dragon trying to catch any updates to habitats, breeding requirements, etc. hopefully i haven't made anything more broken. also, i've tracked down the last bits of magical-tidal code and removed them, so the tidal "bug" should be fixed now.
Oh my god, the Tidal bug has been quashed!
The sky is opening and the heavens are shining through.
That’s true, it wasn’t. I recall Backflip had Tidal contribute all 10 elements after its release.
I really appreciate the Tidal correction. Players always seem to get tripped up by Tidal. And I really, really appreciate everything you do for the DV players. Many cheers! ❤️
since i started running the dragonvale sandbox in 2017, the number of dragons has doubled, from 360 then to 720 now. because it takes two dragons to breed, the number of possible breeding pairs the code needs to track has gone from 55 thousand to 240 thousand.
website traffic has also increased, from around 10 million requests/160 GB per month then, to 26 million requests/500 GB per month now. i'm sure the frequent events have nothing to do with that.
the next five years...
i'm probably going to need to start considering rewriting the site in the next year or two. as the number of breeding pairs keeps climbing, the time to add a new dragon to the pool keeps increasing. its still faster than my initial version five years ago, thanks to a ton of code profiling and optimization, but its also gotten really complex. i'd also like to rewrite the website frontend with a modern reactive framework like Vue or Svelte.
since i started running the dragonvale sandbox in 2017, the number of dragons has doubled, from 360 then to 720 now. because it takes two dragons to breed, the number of possible breeding pairs the code needs to track has gone from 55 thousand to 240 thousand.
website traffic has also increased, from around 10 million requests/160 GB per month then, to 26 million requests/500 GB per month now. i'm sure the frequent events have nothing to do with that.
the next five years...
i'm probably going to need to start considering rewriting the site in the next year or two. as the number of breeding pairs keeps climbing, the time to add a new dragon to the pool keeps increasing. its still faster than my initial version five years ago, thanks to a ton of code profiling and optimization, but its also gotten really complex. i'd also like to rewrite the website frontend with a modern reactive framework like Vue or Svelte.
Wow, I am sooo glad you are running the sandbox and not me. I’d break it in a heartbeat. 💔
I’d offer to help, but sadly, that would end in more work for you.
I love your numbers though. That’s super interesting. It gives a lot of insight into the game. Deca doesn’t share figure with us, obviously, so we’re always left to guessing. But your numbers provide a wonderful snapshot that gives some much needed perspective.
Not to bog you down with more work, but there’s a bug with the mobile version. It displays all the results in a single column. It’s driving Redditors crazy.
Not to bog you down with more work, but there’s a bug with the mobile version. It displays all the results in a single column. It’s driving Redditors crazy.
not a bug per se, its just that some of the html/css is kind of gnarly, and doesn't adapt well to anything other than a desktop browser window. there are better ways to do it, and the whole thing should be rewritten (see above).
not a bug per se, its just that some of the html/css is kind of gnarly, and doesn't adapt well to anything other than a desktop browser window. there are better ways to do it, and the whole thing should be rewritten (see above).
I call it a bug because it suddenly started to display this way a couple weeks ago. It was perfect before.
oh? interesting. that narrows it down to one change, though i'm curious why it broke the page. try reloading now?
You fixed it! HOORAY!
Before
After
I can’t believe in less than a day, you’ve totally worked out all the knots in the sandbox!
You’re not allowed to leave us again.
Friend ID: adlerist#5274
Due to a potential limit on the number of friends a player can have before issues arise in the game, I will only be able to add Forum members. Thank you, for your understanding, and please consider joining us!
I’ve been using it for so long and it’s helped so much. I don’t know any players who don’t use the sandbox. DV would be impossible to play without it! Thanks for putting in all the time and resources to create it and keep it running. We really appreciate it! 🥰
Post by sylviasylvester on Jul 21, 2022 9:27:37 GMT -6
drow - I just wanted to chime in and say thank you so much for the sandbox! I love it!
Adlerist recently told me about the All Dragons section to find the dragons with the shortest breeding time based on their elements. OMG that is so helpful! Even though I’ve been using the sandbox for so long I’m still learning new things from it. It blows me away how much you can do with it - thank you!
Post by NinjaKiwi. on Jul 21, 2022 12:52:26 GMT -6
Thank you so much for the DV sandbox! It has long been a part of my player experience (as I’m sure it’s the case for many others) and it also looks great. The single column but you squished earlier just shows how super responsive and talented you are!
I was wondering when Melody Dragons would be joining the quest tab?
GCID: NinjaKiwi. *remember the full stop!*
DVID: NinjaKiwi#3970
Currently breeding for whatever twins I can possibly get my hands on
Thank you so much for the sandbox! Combining this with the compendium, it is such a win-win! These resources have been so helpful! I use them daily..Thank you for all the work 🙏🙏🐨🐨
after five years, its about time for the dragonvale sandbox to get rebuilt. the decor is pretty much the same, but now its all Angular on the frontend, and the backend has been rewritten to remove a ton of cruft.
this is a temporary URL, it'll eventually replace the current site.
feel free to poke at it, and let me know if anything seems wrong or broken. the games and random stuff haven't been updated yet, and i'm of mixed opinion about them. if they'd be missed, let me know.
after five years, its about time for the dragonvale sandbox to get rebuilt. the decor is pretty much the same, but now its all Angular on the frontend, and the backend has been rewritten to remove a ton of cruft.
this is a temporary URL, it'll eventually replace the current site.
feel free to poke at it, and let me know if anything seems wrong or broken. the games and random stuff haven't been updated yet, and i'm of mixed opinion about them. if they'd be missed, let me know.
Oh my goodness! This is simply terrific!
I’ll give it a test run in a couple days when things calm down in the Vale. Many thanks to you, dear Drow!
(Personally, I like the games, but I do understand they’re fluffy adornments.)
Friend ID: adlerist#5274
Due to a potential limit on the number of friends a player can have before issues arise in the game, I will only be able to add Forum members. Thank you, for your understanding, and please consider joining us!
after five years, its about time for the dragonvale sandbox to get rebuilt. the decor is pretty much the same, but now its all Angular on the frontend, and the backend has been rewritten to remove a ton of cruft.
this is a temporary URL, it'll eventually replace the current site.
feel free to poke at it, and let me know if anything seems wrong or broken. the games and random stuff haven't been updated yet, and i'm of mixed opinion about them. if they'd be missed, let me know.
I just happened upon this latest newsflash and am so glad I did! Your v2 Sandbox is outstanding! I really like the All Dragons and Quests additions. The stats are impressive as well as a bit overwhelming! I keep the Sandbox in an open tab on my iPad and have already updated it to this shiny new version. Hope I’m one of the first of many to do so! Congrats, koalas, and a heartfelt thank you for caring enough to work so hard for this community. 🐨💕🐨
drow, there’s a question on Reddit from a player who wants to know if the sandbox is running slow because it’s the start of an event and everyone is using it like hot cakes (I know, not the right analogy). Or is it because you’re working on it? Or is the issue on the user’s end?
Thank you!
Friend ID: adlerist#5274
Due to a potential limit on the number of friends a player can have before issues arise in the game, I will only be able to add Forum members. Thank you, for your understanding, and please consider joining us!
drow , there’s a question on Reddit from a player who wants to know if the sandbox is running slow because it’s the start of an event and everyone is using it like hot cakes (I know, not the right analogy). Or is it because you’re working on it? Or is the issue on the user’s end?
Thank you!
there's some mayhem with the parent finder at the moment, between hot cakes and a shiny new site with an empty cache.
at the moment, i'm running a script to backfill some data, so there will be lots of "Cannot be bred right now" messages until that's sorted out.
Post by singleimage on Jul 29, 2022 13:01:24 GMT -6
It is SO good to know who’s running the sandbox! I’ve been using it for the last five years and would often times wonder who the magician was behind the curtain. Sometimes I‘ll think, “What would we do if the sandbox didn’t exist, or if it disappeared one day?” And I’m always filled with anxiety and dread. 😅
That’s so amazing you have this sandbox thread so we can report anything and hear about the updates you’ve done! It’s been really interesting reading it.
Thanks so much for developing and maintaining the sandbox. It sounds like you’re now hard at work rebuilding it. Thank you for that too! I hope you know how grateful we are! 🙏
drow, it looks like the Parent Finder is up and running splendidly!
One quick quirk I noticed. The Vale and Rift breeding results are switched. If I select Rift Breeding, it shows the combos for the Vale (with the Ghostly dragons), and if I deselect Rift Breeding, it shows the results for the Rift (with Rift exclusives). This occurs for both the breeding results and the cloning results ('if I don’t have one to breed with').
Friend ID: adlerist#5274
Due to a potential limit on the number of friends a player can have before issues arise in the game, I will only be able to add Forum members. Thank you, for your understanding, and please consider joining us!
drow , it looks like the Parent Finder is up and running splendidly!
One quick quirk I noticed. The Vale and Rift breeding results are switched. If I select Rift Breeding, it shows the combos for the Vale (with the Ghostly dragons), and if I deselect Rift Breeding, it shows the results for the Rift (with Rift exclusives). This occurs for both the breeding results and the cloning results ('if I don’t have one to breed with').
not exactly switched, but there's definitely a bug there.
working on it, i'll probably have to re-generate some data overnight.
drow , it looks like the Parent Finder is up and running splendidly!
One quick quirk I noticed. The Vale and Rift breeding results are switched. If I select Rift Breeding, it shows the combos for the Vale (with the Ghostly dragons), and if I deselect Rift Breeding, it shows the results for the Rift (with Rift exclusives). This occurs for both the breeding results and the cloning results ('if I don’t have one to breed with').
not exactly switched, but there's definitely a bug there.
working on it, i'll probably have to re-generate some data overnight.
I noticed that later in the day, after I posted here. In the Parent Finder, if the target dragon’s primary elements match the Rift primary or Rift exclusive’s primary elements, those Rift dragons will show in the Vale results. Omen contributes plant, cold, lightning, and metal. So, Plant Rift, Cold Rift, Lightning Rift, Metal Rift, Spore, and Zaffer are all appearing in the Vale’s breeding combos.
Thank you so much for looking into this, Drow!
Friend ID: adlerist#5274
Due to a potential limit on the number of friends a player can have before issues arise in the game, I will only be able to add Forum members. Thank you, for your understanding, and please consider joining us!
I noticed that later in the day, after I posted here. In the Parent Finder, if the target dragon’s primary elements match the Rift primary or Rift exclusive’s primary elements, those Rift dragons will show in the Vale results. Omen contributes plant, cold, lightning, and metal. So, Plant Rift, Cold Rift, Lightning Rift, Metal Rift, Spore, and Zaffer are all appearing in the Vale’s breeding combos.
am i misremembering that you can move a plant rift dragon to the Vale, and it breeds as just a plant dragon there?
(edit) no, you can definitely do that. so those combinations are, strictly, correct.
You can certainly use rift exclusive dragons in the Vale, so Plant Rift + Omen will be the same as Plant + Omen in the epic breeding cave. That does make sense.
I do have a question about primary dragons outside the rift. The sandbox shows Plant Rift + Fire Rift in the rift having a chance for Plant / Fire Rift dragon results. That makes sense, as they have cloning chances in the rift and I see it all the time when breeding with them. But the sandbox has also shown Plant + Fire, normal dragons, in the Vale with Plant and Fire dragon results. The primary dragons have no cloning chances, and I don't recall ever seeing them as result, unless it's a primary with an opposite hybrid or two of the same primary elements with no other elements added. Am I remembering how it works correctly?
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