Archive for January, 2018

January 31, 2018

WallaBee 2.2.3 Notes

Hello Collectors!

We’ve worked around the clock to get this update to you as quick as possible. Version 2.2.3 is a patch to the latency issues found in 2.2.2’s update. Please download the newest version for iOS and Android to stay up-to-date. If there is a feature you would like to see, or a pesky bug that we haven’t addressed in our Weekly Buzz segment, we would love to hear from you. Remember to check out the Weekly Buzz for current updates.

Features & Bug Fixes

  • Much Faster!
  • Updated to React Native’s current version
  • Fixed the slowness from 2.2.2

Any additional questions, comments, concerns? Email: support@wallabeegame.com
If the App Store doesn’t show an update for you, please use the links above. If messaging is not showing correctly through your profile or another player’s profile, browsing cache may need to be cleared.

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January 30, 2018

Unique Spotlight – Orange Angels

“Orange Angels” is dedicated to all the State Emergency Service (SES) Volunteers across Australia with Paddy the Platypus being the official national mascot. Coming from all different walks of life these volunteers are united by supporting their community in times of need especially after a flood, storm, or cyclone that has hit.

Owner: KrazyKittyKat

How To Get: This unique is available for trade for a missing unique or missing TD. If you can’t meet these requirements please PM me with what you can offer.

Meaning: Australia relies heavily on its volunteers and one organisation that I volunteer for is the State Emergency Services. I have served 4 years as an active SES Volunteer and have dedicated a unique to the service. Orange Angels’ is dedicated to all the State Emergency Service (SES) Volunteers across Australia with Paddy the Platypus being the official national mascot. Coming from all different walks of life these volunteers are united by supporting their community in times of need especially after a flood, storm, cyclone or an emergency situation that has hit their community. Some of the core skills that you train in can include land search, flood boat and swift water rescue, road crash rescue, wild fire, chainsaw, storm damage, working at heights and vertical rescue. The amazing work that this organisation does for their community for people who are in need after an emergency is priceless and it’s all voluntary.

Which number unique is this for you? This is my only unique at the moment and I am so grateful how my vision was created in this unique.

Closing Thoughts: I enjoy volunteering and there are many ways and organisation you can volunteer for. If you have ever thought of volunteering don’t be hesitant and volunteer today you do get out what you put in!

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January 29, 2018

Quick Update – 2.2.3 snapshot

Hello Collectors!

In a quick attempt to fix the latency issues with the release of 2.2.2, we’ve updated React Native to the current version and made other various boring changes to make the app run smoother. We’re not fully ready for the patch to be released yet, but here’s a quick update.

Enjoy!

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January 26, 2018

Weekly Buzz 01/26/18

Hello Collectors,

If you’ve been following our social accounts, you’ve hopefully seen us engaging with the community a little more. We’re hosting #GuessingGiveaway over the weekend, where players have the chance to win a Mystery Box for a correct answer. We’ve also introduced #ThrowdownThursday, where we’ll be pinning WallaBee characters against each other in a battle for glory. Who did you vote for this week? Sarah Jurrasica Parka or Thrilling Ending? Whoever you think would win, we believe it would be a very entertaining match! If you have a suggestion of who you think should be featured in a Throwdown, tweet us @WallaBeeGame.

Behind the Curtain

Version 2.2.2 came out yesterday, which allows us to begin issuing Grab Bags and Wallagraphic Items. Although we made many improvements with the app, it created a lag with performance on various devices. We are currently investigating the root of the issue, so it can be plucked like the weed it is. We will keep you updated as things progress.

Grab Bags will begin hitting the game next week! As a reminder, we are planning for a slow release from older to current sets. You can expect the Circus Bag to show up sometime during our office hours, so we can keep an eye on the excitement! 😉

January’s WallaPak sold out very quickly last week, with the limited number of goodies sent out to their new homes. We have February’s WallaPak in hand and ready to launch, mid February. There have been suggestions for a virtual WallaPak, which we are taking into consideration. Thank you for your feedback about this new product.

Should you have any questions, please let us know by emailing Support@WallaBeeGame.com


Recent Item Highlights

Arctic Antics closed it’s small chapter, with the last two remaining items in the set releasing this week. As we dive into next week, the hype for Grab Bags continues. Speaking of our next set, here are some cool highlights.

Juicing

Just because you can juice just about anything, doesn’t mean you should.

The Great One

There’s no better way to end the day than watching the auroras dance over The Great One with a friend.

Until Next Time

They depart for the night, eager for more arctic antics tomorrow.


Player Unique Spotlight

With more and more Player Uniques coming out, we want to spend a respectable amount of time learning more about them. This week’s Player Unique Spotlight highlighted WallaBits. You can read more about this unique here.

WallaBits

 


This Week In WallaBee History

January 23rd, 2015: A very special day in WallaBee history… the Helicarrier was released to fly around the world! Both as a recyclable item, and the first location to be available to everyone at the same time.

January 25th, 2014: The entire Burns’ Supper set released on this day, with ikadinda grabbing the first-to-complete trophy! Well done!

January 27th, 2013: Chocolate Birthday Cake was introduced into the game, to celebrate the birthdays of our wonderful players. The first cake was gifted to Ben Wilson, whose birthday is coming up tomorrow! From all of us at WallaBee, we wish you a very Happy Birthday!

January 27th, 2016: The item 1+1=1 was issued as the first Legacy set item. The story it represents is worth having a read, if you haven’t already.


Room For Growth

We have compiled a list of issues that we are currently working on. If you find something that doesn’t fit into this list, please reach out to us and let us know.

  • Battery drains like crazy
    • Under investigation. This has become even more-so of an issue with update 2.2.2, but we are digging in deep to resolve it.
  • Forum Notifications/Count are missing
    • Coming in a future update.
  • Performing an action that triggers a pop up sometimes ‘freezes,’ which needs a hard close to fix
    • Currently being sorted out.
  • General slowness
    • Under investigation. This has become even more-so of an issue with update 2.2.2, but we are digging in deep to resolve it.
  • Store Item and Icon don’t match
    • Under investigation. At the moment, there is a chance that the previous item image will linger, even though the item has updated to the next one in line (viewable by the honeycomb price and set icon).
  • Store purchases hang up for a long time
    • Under investigation. We’re so sorry for those effected by this issue… which should be everyone. Whoops.
  • Random Crashes (especially on older devices)
    • We have discovered that the ram needed for the app fluctuates way more than it should, sometimes peaking over 1gb, which can cause older devices to crash. We are investigating what is causing this, so that we can enhance app performance.
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January 25, 2018

WallaBee 2.2.2 Notes

Hello Collectors!

It’s finally here! The Grab Bags and Wallagraphic Items are ready to be unleashed in this next update for WallaBee! Version 2.2.2 is now available for iOS and Android! We work diligently to make your experience playing WallaBee better with every update. If there is a feature you would like to see, or a pesky bug that we haven’t addressed in our Weekly Buzz segment, we would love to hear from you. Remember to check out the Weekly Buzz for current updates.

Features

  • Added support for Wallagraphic Items
  • Added check marks on Place Items if saved to set
  • Added a Timer icon over Place Icons if there’s a foraging timeout
  • Added ‘Friend Request Approved’ and ‘Friend Request Rejected’ push notifications
  • Added Push Notification badges
  • Adjusted various UI elements

Bug Fixes

  • Various performance adjustments

Any additional questions, comments, concerns? Email: support@wallabeegame.com
If the App Store doesn’t show an update for you, please use the links above. If messaging is not showing correctly through your profile or another player’s profile, browsing cache may need to be cleared.

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January 23, 2018

Unique Spotlight – WallaBits

There are only 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary, and those who don’t.

Owner: Staffan

How To Get: 10hc in the Unique store, or just send me a message and I’ll send you one. Or 10. Or 11.

Meaning: This item was created to emphasize my walla-persona, the Binary Man. In real life I don’t care much about ones and zeros (apart from working in the IT industry), but in WallaBee I’m completely obsessed with them. And why is that? one might ask. Well. Short story long: I started playing this game at day 1 back in 2012. By chance I got a handful of #1000s, it was like they begged me to let them be my collected number. Fine! I worked hard, I got a lot of them. Everyone was happy. A year later I decided to quit (a completely different story), and to prevent myself from coming back I recycled all my #1000s (oh, and all my primary TD Eggs, has anyone seen them?). And yet another year later, I was talked back into the game. Empty sets. Several other people had started collecting #1000s (possibly because the swarm had picked up the ones I recycled, and now they were popping out of the mixing pool in large numbers). So I figured I needed a backup number in my new quest, as it wasn’t going to be as easy to get those #1000s as back in the days. Or a backup pattern rather. And suddenly the idea of being a binary collector was born. #1s, #10s, #101s, #1000s, #10110011s, you name it. They all fit. Problem solved! Today all my set items are binary, I have a stash of 4000 binary spares, and my own little binary museum. Andy did a truly awesome job with this, and it really represents my gameplay. A happy little WallaBug in the colors of my flag, everything made up of ones and zeros. It’s me!

Which number unique is this for you? My very first

Closing Thoughts: I’m slowly trying to fill the world with more 1s & 0s. Please help me recycle my bees!

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January 19, 2018

Weekly Buzz 01/19/18

Hello Collectors,

It’s already the 19th! Where has the month gone?! We may have let the month slip away from us a bit, but we definitely know how the month will end. We have a new app update rolling out within the next few days, which will include some needed updates and fixes (For a complete list of current barriers, you can skip down to the Room For Growth section of this post). Alright, back to the good part of the blog – a quick look at what’s coming soon. We’ve been hinting at a new type of item since the beginning of January, with very little information about it. You’ve seen us tweet about doing some tests with a ‘Fake Item,’ and you’re probably wondering what that was all about. That time has come. It’s time to share what we’ve been up to… at least a little bit. We hope you enjoy!

Behind the Curtain

New items. Everyone loves them, which is why there’s a huge rush to get that precious #1. Whether you just started collecting WallaBee items, or have everything already, we believe you’re going to enjoy the update that’s coming. One thing that draws collectors to keep wanting more, is the thrill of the hunt. We’ve handled that thrill in the past with real-world locations. Players are able to forage items at any place nearby, creating a new way to engage with the surrounding area. Players that found the first of a new item in this way were pleasantly surprised, as they definitely weren’t expecting it. Store-stalkers have also found that thrill in seeing an unfamiliar item appear on the shelves of the WallaStore, racing others to get that first purchase. Then, of course, there’s mixing. Crafting new items by combining two or more other items can generate a different type of rush, as there’s a bit more creativity in pulling that off for a #1. All three of these methods of creating new items have a surprise nature to them. One may not have been expecting to get a new item as it was releasing, but anyone who has experienced getting a low number can attest to it being a great moment. When introducing a new way to create items into WallaBee, we had to make sure there was a surprise element. We also wanted to give newer players an easier way of accessing items within certain sets, rather than just staring at the store, hoping. These new little packages will remind you of another item that is frequently requested – Mystery Boxes. That’s right, we’re introducing a new type of item that allows the player to open it, revealing a surprise inside. It is our great pleasure to introduce:

Grab Bags

The first series of Grab Bags will focus on specific sets, with the possibility of themed or mystery grab bags later on. These items will be slowly released, so as to not bombard the community and economy with too many items at once. The main idea behind Grab Bags is to give a narrowed focus for obtaining items, while keeping the element of surprise alive. Don’t worry, this won’t replace the ability to purchase certain items outright, but instead gives a new way for collectors to target specific types of items. Although this will be great for players attempting to finish their sets, legacy players may be asking what’s in it for them. Here are some specifics about how these puppies work:

  • Grab Bags are WallaBee Themed Exclusive Items
  • Grab Bags are numbered, like other items
  • Grab Bags behave similar to Mystery Boxes – You can open them!
  • Grab Bag prices vary depending on the set
  • Each Set Grab Bag is its own item – no variants
  • Each Set Grab Bag will contain one (1) item
  • Items found in Grab Bags are directly related to that set
  • Set Grab Bags have a chance of producing a ‘chase’ item, specific to that set

Whoa… that’s right, we’re adding a new item to each set, but not how you may think. We aren’t going to send players back to previously completed sets in order to complete them again. No, these new ‘chase’ items reference an older set, but are a new type of item altogether. These are not Set Items, Uniques, or Branded Items – They’re Wallagraphic Items!

These new Wallagraphic Items are only available from opening Grab Bags. Similar to blind box vinyls or trading cards, not every Grab Bag opened will produce a ‘chaser.’ Part of the fun is the thrill of opening a rare toy/card/item. Our desire is for Grab Bags to be fun for everyone, even with varying individual goals. The weighting system for Grab Bags reflects the normal way of obtaining items in WallaBee.

Let’s unpack that last sentence a little bit by looking at the Circus Grab Bag.

A Trip To The Circus contains three basic tiers of items: Ingredients (used in mixes), Non-Ingredients (not used in mixes), and Result of Mixes (RoMs).

This set of twelve items breaks down as follows:

  • Five (5) Ingredients – (Bearded Lady, Clown Car, Clowns, Circus Elephant, & Lion)
  • Four (4) Non-Ingredient items – (Candyfloss, Juggler, Trapezist, & Ring of Fire)
  • Three (3) RoMs – (Ringmaster, Big Top, & Ferris Wheel)

Since ingredients are needed to create RoMs, they should be more common than a RoM. RoMs take more effort to create than Non-Ingredients, so they should be worth more. This structure can already be seen in any set – buying a RoM from the store is almost always more expensive than creating it with Ingredients. We have built the Grab Bag algorithm based on this preexisting element of WallaBee. Ingredients will be found more commonly than Non-Ingredients, which will be found more commonly than RoMs, which will be found more commonly than Wallagraphics.

Here’s a simplified explanation of these new item types:

  • Wallagraphic Items are a new type of item within Collectibles
  • Wallagraphic Items are not Set Items, Uniques, or Branded Items
  • Wallagraphic Items will have their own set type on the profile page
  • Wallagraphic Items are only available through Grab Bags and Mystery Bags
  • Wallagraphic Items add a ‘chase’ type item, themed to previous sets
  • The chance of finding a Wallagraphic (WG) item differs per Grab Bag – Ingredients are common, Non-Ingredients are uncommon, RoMs are rare, and WGs are very rare.
  • Only one (1) type of Wallagraphic is added per set

For more information about Grab Bags, check out our Grab Bag Overview.

Should you have any questions, please let us know by emailing Support@WallaBeeGame.com


Recent Item Highlights

We’ve had four new items this past week, with more on the way soon. Two sets started this week: On This Day 2018 and WallaBee Fitness And Wellbeing. If you missed these items, they can be found in the WallaStore or in the market.

Queen Victoria’s First Call

We’re sorry, the number you’ve dialed is not yet in service. Please hang up and try again.

Dieting

Let’s be honest – no one enjoys eating right. No one.

Self-Help

The first step to self help is admitting you need help and, boy, does Biffa need help.
The second step is not getting others to do your homework for you!

Discovering New Friends

“See, Ookpik,” she said smugly. “I told you they exist!”


Player Unique Spotlight

With more and more Player Uniques coming out, we want to spend a respectable amount of time learning more about them. This week’s Player Unique Spotlight highlighted What Was I Thinking?. You can read more about this unique here.

What Was I Thinking?

 


Room For Growth

We have compiled a list of issues that we are currently working on. If you find something that doesn’t fit into this list, please reach out to us and let us know.

  • Battery drains like crazy – We are currently testing an internal build of the app that handles the store differently. We hope that this change will drastically save battery when using the app as normal. This internal build has reduced battery consumption when not using the store, as it halts animations from processing until the store is brought back into focus. However, this is causing some strange loading with items, which sometimes appears as the wrong item in the store. This can be confusing during a drop, and we are looking into it.
  • Forum Notifications/Count are missing – Coming in a future update.
  • Performing an action that triggers a pop up sometimes ‘freezes,’ which needs a hard close to fix – There is a new version of React Native available which should have this fixed. We will be updating to the newer version of React in the near future to test whether the fix works. More information to come.
  • Market Items sometimes not available – This deals with a very rare situation where an item is removed from the market, but the listing is not updated. We are researching what’s causing this.
  • General slowness – Because the app runs completely off of an API, connection to WiFi or data is extremely important. If your coverage dips, your connection will also dip. This doesn’t explain every situation but needs to be addressed. We are currently working on speeding the app up in various areas. You will notice that the forums perform MUCH faster than before. Our goal is to cut the slow, and speed it up, bro.
  • Store Item and Icon don’t match – This is a known issue with how the phone holds store information. At the moment, there is a chance that the previous item image will linger, even though the item has updated to the next one in line (viewable by the honeycomb price and set icon). We’re investigating a fix for this.
  • Store purchases hang up for a long time – we are investigating this. We’re so sorry for those affected by this issue… which should be everyone. Whoops.
  • Random Crashes (especially on older devices) – We have discovered that the ram needed for the app fluctuates way more than it should, sometimes peaking over 1gb, which can cause older devices to crash. We are investigating what is causing this so that we can enhance app performance.

Community Content

This is a section of the blog where we will highlight any funny images or videos from the community. These may appear through links in the forums, on Facebook, guides on YouTube, or other sites.

There has been a week-long auction happening in the Auction House. I think most of you have heard about Blue Egg #11? Well, that auction has finally ended, with Julie announcing Betasito as the winner. We would like to send congratulations to both of these players, as we’re sure that milestones were broken with this HUGE auction. You can find the winning bid here, as their post is too long for a decent image.

If you think someone’s content (or your own) is worthy of being highlighted, you can suggest by emailing support or tagging it with #WallaCommunity.

Any additional questions, comments, concerns? Email: support@wallabeegame.com

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January 19, 2018

Grab Bags Overview

Hello Collectors,

With all the excitement about Grab Bags, there may be some questions about how rare the Wallapgrahic items actually are. We want to help shed some light on what you can expect to find within Grab Bags, and how often you can expect to find them.

Remember: The main idea behind Grab Bags is to give a narrowed focus for obtaining items, while keeping the element of surprise alive. The ability to quickly target items within a specific set will be very useful moving forward, and gives newer players another way to fill their sets. Grab Bags are similar to blind box vinyls or trading cards – not every Grab Bag opened will produce a ‘chaser.’ Part of the fun is the thrill of finally receiving that rare toy/card/item, even though the process can take time. Our desire is for Grab Bags to be fun for everyone, even with varying individual goals.

Each Grab Bag Unique is themed around a particular set. Since most WallaBee Sets differ in size, how items can be obtained, and price; the math behind Grab Bags varies depending on each set. Take the cost to finish the set, divide it by how many items are in the set, and you have a good guess at the cost of that grab bag. We can’t make every grab bag 2000 honeycombs, because receiving a 100hc item would be a rip-off. We also can’t make bags cost 100 honeycombs when the results can sell in the store for 1000. That’s why every bag is priced based on the contents of the bag. If every set had the same number of items, it would be easy to simply say “Wallagraphics have a 1:13 ratio,” but this is not the case with varying set sizes. To combat the Wallagraphic from Eau De WallaBee being a 1:3 chance, or the Wallagraphic from Great American Road Trip being a 1:52 chance, we had to do things differently. We have broken sets into 4 basic tiers: common, uncommon, rare, and very rare. 1 Common in ~2.17 bags, 1 Uncommon in ~3.33 bags, 1 Rare in ~5.25 bags, 1 Wallagraphic in ~20 bags. These tiers are based on how items are already found within WallaBee. To help visualize what we mean, here’s a look at a few sets.

Circus Set

This is a great example of a proportionately distributed bag. There are more common items than uncommon items and more uncommon items than rare items. This type of layout is very common within various card collecting games. With a small pool of items, players can expect to see the same common item multiple times before they see a rare or very rare item. This is quite different from the next example.

Roadtrip Set

There are 51 items in this set. This example has many uncommon items since most of the set was not used in a mix. With a large pool of items, collectors can expect to see more variation in common items received. The chances of seeing the same uncommon item in this set is not likely before receiving a rare or very rare item. Since there are still four tiers of rarity, the same ratio is applied here as with the Circus set, although it won’t feel as repetitive with more possible items.

Sushi Set

This set has many common and rare items, with only one uncommon item. Although there is only one uncommon in the set, there are multiple variants of it, which may make receiving this item more appealing. The chances of receiving the same rare items from this set are not as likely.

Hopefully, this breakdown helps explain our reasoning for Grab Bags and Wallagraphic items more than before. If you have any questions about what’s been presented here, please contact support@wallabeegame.com.

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January 16, 2018

Unique Spotlight – What Was I Thinking?

As Matt looked at his brain waves, thoughts started to form.
His mind followed the spikes of each seizure storm.
Like caught in quicksand, his mind started sinking.
He stared straight ahead and thought, “What was I thinking?”

Owner: Potaytoes

How To Get: What Was I Thinking is available in the Uncanny Uniques store.

Meaning: I’ve suffered from Epilepsy for a great deal of my life and wanted to use my personal experiences to bring some awareness to epilepsy and the people who suffer from it.

Which number unique is this for you? This is my first of hopefully many.

Closing Thoughts: Since the unique was released back in June I’ve had another surgery to remove another small piece of hippocampus. My seizures have greatly reduced from 3-4 a day to 1-2 a week so we are moving in the right direction.

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January 15, 2018

New Product – WallaPak

Hello Collectors!

We have a new product hitting the online store tomorrow, available for a limited time! WallaPak offers both physical and virtual goods, including Passport Stickers, honeycombs, locks, and a special variant Mystery Box. January’s WallaPak will include stickers of previous January calendar items and the WallaPak variant Mystery Box.

WallaPak will be available every month, with January’s WallaPak available beginning tomorrow, January 16th, at 2pm WHQ time (8pm UTC). This product will begin limited edition, with the quantity of future months’ WallaPak adjusting to fit demand.

The January WallaPak is the first installment of a year-long program to help fill your passport with limited edition stickers and your WallaBee account with awesome swag. Each month will include calendar item stickers for that month, along with a mystery unique sticker. This WallaPak is valued at $19.50, but being offered for $10!

January WallaPak Includes:

  • 5 Stickers – Mr. January, Ms. January, January beast, January’s Chinese New Year, and WallaPak Mystery Box.
  • 40,000 Honeycombs
  • 30 Locks
  • 2 Mystery Boxes (WallaPak variant)

*This is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. Future WallaPaks will be subscription-based. Limit one per user. Available while supplies last. Virtual items and currency will be added to accounts within 24 hours of purchase.

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