My dragon breeding spreadsheet is really coming together, so I thought sharing it would be a fun break from AI. <br>
<br>
I love petsites and got into FlightRising near the start of the pandemic. In FlightRising, you breed, feed, train, and dress your pet dragons. The breeding is a major draw of the site. A dragon's appearance is determined by the breeds, genes, and colors of their parents, which have varying levels of dominance. If you want a specific set of colors and genes for your dragon, you'll probably have to begin a breeding project with the closest dragons you can find until they finally give you the desired offspring. When a dragon breeds, they will have a clutch of 1-5 eggs, which take a minimum of 6 days to hatch. The parents also experience a breeding cooldown, which varies depending on the rarity of their breed. <br>
<br>
There's a lot of information to track - dream dragons, breeding pairs that could potentially give you that offspring, and the breeding schedule based on the cooldowns of your pairs. Spreadsheets are perfect for managing everything for you, though. <br>
FlightRising is a petsite where you can breed and raise pet dragons. The dragons' appearances are determined by the breeds, genes, and colors of their parents, which have varying levels of dominance. So if you want a dragon that looks a certain way, you'll probably have to find the closest available matches and carefully breed them. There's a lot of factors to keep up with, so spreadsheets work better than keeping it all in my head. <br>
<br>
<h2>spreadsheets </h2><br>
<br>
I use <a href="https://www.libreoffice.org/discover/calc/">LibreOffice Calc</a> for my spreadsheets, but it's practically the same as Excel. <br>
There's sheets for an overview of breeding pairs, individual parents, each breeding project, and calculators and data. If you want the spreadsheet, too, you can download my template for <a href="/download/fr_projects.ods">Calc</a> or <a href="/download/fr_projects.xlsx">Excel</a>. I use <a href="https://www.libreoffice.org/discover/calc/">LibreOffice Calc</a> for the spreadsheets, but it should work the same as Excel. I'll go over how everything works, so you can modify it to suit your own projects. <br>
<br>
There's sheets for an overview of my breeding pairs, detailed information about individual parents, information about each breeding project, calculators for genes, colors, and dates, information about rarities. <br>
<h3>individual dragons </h3><br>
The Singles sheet has a row for each parent and a field for sex, breeding status, breed, breed's cooldown, date bred, nest ready, date ready to breed again, and a cooldown countdown. I'm not usually interested in this information by itself, but it's used by the Pairs sheet. <br>
<br>
If you want the spreadsheet, too, you can download my template here. I'll explain each section and function, so you can modify it to suit your own projects. <br>
<center><img src="/static/img/ent/fr_singles.png" alt="(image: screenshot from the Singles tab.)" width="500"></center> <br>
<br>
<h3>individual dragons </h3><br>
The Singles sheet has a row for each parent and field for sex, breeding status, breed, breed's cooldown, date bred, nest ready, date ready, and a cooldown countdown. I'm not usually interested in this information by itself, but the Pairs sheet heavily references it. <br>
<h4>sex </h4><br>
The sex data is limited to either ♂ or ♀ and can be selected using a dropdown menu. Your answer will turn the cell blue or pink. You make a dropdown menu by setting the Data Validity (Data > Validity...). I set the Criteria to allow a cell range and used a column in the Calculator sheet as the source. The color is dictated by Conditional Formatting (Format > Conditional Formatting). I have one condition for girls and one for boys. I set the condition to look for 'cell value is' 'equal to' then enter "♂" or "♀" with the quotes. Then for Apply Style, I selected a blue background for ♂ cells and a pink one for ♀s. The cell range is the B column. <br>
The sex field is limited to ♂ or ♀ and can be selected using a dropdown menu. The content will color the cell blue or pink. <br>
<br>
I made the dropdown menu through Data Validity (Data > Validity...). <br>
The possibilities are in a column in the Calculator sheet and set the criteria to allow that cell range as the source. The color is dictated by Conditional Formatting (Format > Conditional Formatting). <br>
<br>
<center><img src="/static/img/ent/FR_conditionalformatting.png" alt="(image: Managing Conditional Formatting. Condition 1: cell value is equal to '♀'. .)" width="500"></center> <br>
<br>
There's one condition for boys and one for girls. I set the condition to look for 'cell value is' 'equal to' then either "♂" or "♀" with the quotes. For Apply Style, I made a new style with a blue background for ♂ cells and a pink one for ♀s. <br>
The status is determined by a formula that checks the breed's cooldown and date bred. If the cooldown is over, the cell says "Ready. If not, it says "Cooldown. The formula is =IF(H2<=TODAY(),"Ready","Cooldown"). IF takes three parameters here: the condition (if the date ready is today or earlier), the text to display if the condition's true, and the text for false. <br>
Depending on the breed's cooldown and date of last breeding, the cell will say "Ready" or "Cooldown" in green or red. <br>
The formula is =IF(H2<=TODAY(),"Ready","Cooldown"). IF takes three parameters here: the condition (if the date ready is today or earlier), the text to display if the condition's true, and the text for false. The colors come from Conditional Formatting again. <br>
<br>
<h4>breed </h4><br>
The breed, like the sex, is a Data Validity-determined dropdown menu. The list of breeds is available as a column in Calculator. <br>
The breed, like the sex, is a Data Validity-determined dropdown menu. The list of breeds is sourced from a column in Calculator. <br>
<br>
<center><img src="/static/img/ent/fr_breeds.png" alt="(image: The Calculator Sheet has a column for the Breed and a column for its Cooldown.)" width="500"></center> <br>
<br>
<h4>breed's cooldown </h4><br>
Each breed has a different cooldown duration. This field uses a formula to refer to the Breed field and search in Calculator for the corresponding cooldown information. The formula is =VLOOKUP($D2,$Calculator.$G$3:$H$18,2,0). Here, I take the breed, take it to the breed + cooldown columns in the Calculator sheet, and return with the data from the 2nd column in that group. <br>
Each breed has a different cooldown duration. The field uses a formula to refer to the Breed field and search in Calculator for the corresponding cooldown information. The formula is =VLOOKUP($D2,$Calculator.$G$3:$H$18,2,0). Here, I take the breed, take it to the breed + cooldown columns in the Calculator sheet, and return with the data from the 2nd column in that group. <br>
I directly type in the date here every time I breed that dragon. If the dragon is too young for breeding, I use its birthday instead. If I forget the birthday is listed directly on the dragon's profile (it happens), the date calculator on Calculator can give me the proper date. <br>
Every time I breed a dragon, I type the date in its Date Bred field. If the dragon is unbred, I use its birthday instead. <br>
<br>
<h4>nest ready </h4><br>
This is a simple formula - the date bred + 6 days. <br>
This is a simple formula - the date bred + 6 days. It's 6 because 6 days is amount of time it takes for an egg to hatch. <br>
This one is relatively simple. It's just today minus the cooldown, but I added some steps to add " days" after the number. If there are 0 or less days, I opted for it to say nothing because the default "#N/A" is annoying to look at. The formula is =IF($H2-TODAY()>0,CONCAT($H2-TODAY()," days"),""). You can see IF's three parameters: (condition) there's more than 0 days until cooldown ends, (if true) return that number + " days", (if false), return nothing. CONCAT concatenates the two parameters it's given, so it finds the number of days and adds " days". If it's just 1 day, it will say "1 days". I could use another IF to fix that, but I barely refer to this sheet anyways. <br>
This one is relatively simple. It's just today minus the cooldown, but I added some steps to add " days" after the number. If there are 0 or less days, I opted for it to say nothing because the default "#N/A" is annoying to look at. The formula is =IF($H2-TODAY()>0,CONCAT($H2-TODAY()," days"),""). You can see IF's three parameters: (condition) there's more than 0 days until cooldown ends, (if true) return that number + " days", (if false), return nothing. CONCAT concatenates the two parameters it's given, so it finds the number of days and adds " days". That means it'll use the plural even for 1. I could use another IF to fix that, but I barely refer to this sheet myself anyways. <br>
The Pairs sheet is the sheet I check every time a nest opens. At a glance, it tells me which pairs are ready and which ones will be soon. It also lets me check whether my goal is within range of the pair and which of their offspring most closely resembles my goal. <br>
The Pairs sheet is the sheet I check every time a nest opens. At a glance, it tells me which pairs are ready and which ones will be soon. It also lets me check whether my goal is within range of the pair and which of their offspring most closely resembles my goal. The fields are Project, Male, Female, Status, Date Ready, Countdown, Colors, Genes, Best Son, and Best Daughter. <br>
<br>
<center><img src="/static/img/ent/fr_pairs.png" alt="(image: screenshot of the Pairs sheet)" width="500"></center> <br>
<br>
The fields are Project, Male, Female, Status, Date Ready, Countdown, Colors, Genes, Best Son, and Best Daughter. <br>
<h4>project</h4> <br>
I add the project, so I know which dragon I'm hoping from these parents. <br>
I add the project, so I know my goal for the pair. It's helpful when prioritizing or sorting. <br>
<br>
<h4>male + female</h4> <br>
I add the dragon pair's names here. <br>
I add the dragon pair's names here. Data validity makes sure the name corresponds to a dragon from the Singles sheet. <br>
<br>
<center><img src="/static/img/ent/fr_dragonvalidity.png" alt="(image: Data Validity by cell range. Source: $Singles.$A:$Singles.$A.)" width="500"></center> <br>
<br>
<h4>status </h4> <br>
This is the first formula: =IF(AND((VLOOKUP($B2,$Singles.$A:$C,3,)="Ready"),(VLOOKUP(C2,$Singles.A:C,3,)="Ready")),"Ready","Cooldown"). There's a new function AND, which just takes its parameters and considers them together. All together, the formula wants to take each name in the pair, hunt down that dragon's row in the Singles sheet, and check its status. I use AND so that the condition won't be true unless both dragons are ready. <br>
Both members of the pair must be ready before the pair is ready. =IF(AND((VLOOKUP($B2,$Singles.$A:$C,3,)="Ready"),(VLOOKUP(C2,$Singles.A:C,3,)="Ready")),"Ready","Cooldown"). There's a new function AND, which just takes its parameters and considers them together. All together, the formula wants to take each name in the pair, hunt down that dragon's row in the Singles sheet, and check its status. I use AND so that the condition won't be true unless both dragons are ready. <br>
I find the date for when the pair is ready with =MAX(VLOOKUP($B2,$Singles.$A:$H,8,),VLOOKUP($C2,$Singles.$A:$H,8,)). MAX takes its parameters and returns the larger value. Basically, it wants to use each dragon's name to check when their cooldown will be ready on the Singles sheet. I use MAX because the pair isn't ready until the parent with the longest cooldown is over. <br>
I find the date for when the pair is ready with =MAX(VLOOKUP($B2,$Singles.$A:$H,8,),VLOOKUP($C2,$Singles.$A:$H,8,)). MAX takes its parameters and returns the larger value. Basically, it wants to use each dragon's name to check when their cooldown will be ready on the Singles sheet. I use MAX because the pair isn't ready until the parent with the longest cooldown is ready. <br>
The formula =IF($E2-TODAY()>0,CONCAT($E2-TODAY(), " days"),"") is similar to the one from Singles, but this time, I used Conditional Formatting to make countdowns of 1-5 days an eye-catching yellow. <br>
I can't always find parents that are in range of my goal, so noting the range helps me prioritize. PST stands for Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary, since each dragon's appearance is determined by three colors and three genes. I really only track the gem genes, since they can only be obtained through breeding or real world money. If I want an-game cash gene, it's a lot faster just to buy it than breed it, so I don't even consider it in my spreadsheets. <br>
I can't always find parents that are in range of my goal, so noting the range helps me prioritize. PST stands for Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary, since each dragon's appearance is determined by three colors and three genes. <br>
<br>
<center><img src="/static/img/ent/fr_genetics.png" alt="(image: a screenshot from FlightRising of a dragon's genetics.)" width="500"></center> <br>
<br>
I really only track cash shop genes, since they can only be obtained through breeding or real world money. If I want an in-game cash gene, it's a lot easier to earn money than to gamble with RNG. <br>
<br>
<h4>best son + best daughter</h4> <br>
Space is limited, so I want to know which dragons have the most to contribute to projects. It can take several generations of dragons to get the desired offspring, so I want to ensure the possibility range is becoming as tight as possible with each generation. <br>
Space is limited, so I want to know which dragons contribute the most to their projects. It can take several generations of dragons to get the desired offspring, so I want to make sure I'm narrowing the color and gene range with each generation. <br>
<br>
<h3>calculator + data </h3><br>
The Calculator sheet is a catch-all. I have data needed for Data Validity on other sheets here, and I keep calculators to quickly determine what information I should enter into other sheets. <br>
The Calculator sheet is a catch-all for data and extra formulas. I have everything needed for Data Validity on other sheets here, and I keep calculators to help know what to write on other sheets. <br>
<br>
<center><img src="/static/img/ent/fr_calculator.png" alt="(image: screenshot of the Calculator sheet.)" width="500"></center> <br>
<br>
<h4>colors </h4><br>
FlightRising's dragon colors exist in a color wheel. If one dragon has a Moon primary color and mates with an Orca dragon, the offspring can have a primary in Moon, Orca, or any of the colors in-between. Since the colors are arbitrarily selected and ordered by the developers, you won't know what to expect without referring to a color chart. <br>
FlightRising's dragon colors exist in a color wheel. If one dragon has a Cream primary color and mates with an Antique dragon, the offspring can have a primary in Cream, Antique, or White. Since the colors were arbitrarily chosen by the developers, you won't know what to expect without referring to a color chart. The one below was made by <a href="https://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&tab=userpage&id=66886">Rauxel</a> and also contains the original, much smaller color range. <br>
<br>
<center><img src="/static/img/ent/fr_colorwheel.png" alt="(image: the color wheel by Rauxel.)" width="500"></center> <br>
<br>
When going for a particular color, I want the parents to be as close to that color as possible. I could manually count the colors in-between, but since there's over 100 colors, it can be time-consuming. Instead, I have all the colors in a column and a little calculator to tell me how far over or under the parent's colors are. I enter primary, secondary, and tertiary colors of the goal dragon and dream dragon. The distance calculates magnitude and direction from the goal separately. <br>
When going for a particular color, the parents should be as close to that color as possible. I could manually count the colors in-between, but that's unreasonable when there's almost 200 colors. Instead, I have all the colors in a column and a little calculator to tell me how far over or under the parent's colors are. I enter primary, secondary, and tertiary colors of the goal dragon and dream dragon. The distance's magnitude and direction from the goal are calculated automatically. <br>
<br>
The formula for magnitude is =ABS(MATCH($C3,$F$2:$F$178, )-MATCH($B3,$F$2:$F$178, )). MATCH takes the color and returns the position within the color chart. ABS gives the absolute value of its parameter. In other words, I subtract the parent's colors from the goal's colors and get the absolute value. <br>
The formula for direction is =IF((MATCH($C3,$F$2:$F$178,)-MATCH($B3,$F$2:$F$178,))>0,"↓","↑"). Here, it displays ↓ if the parent's colors are below the goal's, and ↑ if otherwise. <br>
<br>
The calculator ignores the fact that the color chart is a circle. Honestly, I don't breed along the extremes (white and pink), so I haven't attempted to fix this yet. <br>
The calculator ignores the fact that the color chart is a circle. Honestly, I don't breed along the extremes (white and pink), so I haven't fixed this yet. If you need to, you can find the distance between the parent color and the distance the nearest extreme (either Maize or Pearl), the distance between that extreme and the goal color, then add them together. If you're not sure which extreme is nearer, complete the process for both then take the smaller number - that's what the final formula's going to do anyways. <br>
<br>
<h4>breeding info</h4> <br>
These are the columns used by the breeding pages for validity and VLOOKUP. <br>
@ -76,9 +133,13 @@ These are the columns used by the breeding pages for validity and VLOOKUP. <br>
If I need to know how long ago a dragon was bred, I can use today's date and the cooldown to find it out. The formula is very simple, just the given date minus the cooldown. <br>
<br>
<h3>project sheets </h3><br>
Here I list the dragons by project, tracking their geneology, sex, colors, genes, and average distance from goal colors. <br>
Here I list the dragons by project, tracking their genealogy, sex, colors, genes, and average distance from goal colors. <br>
<br>
<center><img src="/static/img/ent/fr_project.png" alt="(image: screenshot of the Boyfriend project sheet)" width="500"></center> <br>
<br>
<br>
<h4>father + mother </h4><br>
Dragons cannot breed with relatives within 7 generations. To ensure I'm keeping bloodlines separate, I plan a family tree. Using the father and mother's names, I can remember which family the dragon's in or if it's related to the other dragons at all. <br>
Dragons cannot breed with relatives within 5 generations. To ensure I'm keeping bloodlines separate, I plan a family tree separately from my spreadsheets. Using the father and mother's names, I can remember which family the dragon's in or if it's related to the other dragons at all. <br>
<br>
<h4>sex </h4><br>
Male or female, with colored conditional formatting so I can scan by sex more easily. <br>
@ -90,10 +151,12 @@ I usually need to use the color calculator on Calculators for this information.
If the parent has one of the goal genes, I list it here. That way, I can prioritize by gene. I keep the other fields empty. For expensive genes, I only allow parents with genes of equal rarity, so the chance of passing down the goal gene is always 50/50. If my goal is a gene I can just buy, I don't care to track it since buying is easier than breeding. <br>
<br>
<h4>average </h4><br>
Genes are 50/50, but my goal colors are usually around a 1/20 chance. Consequently, I'm much more concerned about the color of a dragon than the genes. To give me a general estimate of my best parents, I use =AVERAGE(E3,G3,I3). The AVERAGE function adds its parameters and divides by the quantity of parameters given. If I had a parent with perfect colors, it would have an average of 1, so ideally, dragons with the lowest average are my most valuable for breeding. When choosing pairs, I consider genes, too, though. <br>
Genes are 50/50, but my goal colors are usually around a 1/20 chance. Consequently, I'm much more concerned about the color of a dragon than his genes. To give me a general evaluation of how close a dragon is to the goal colors, I use =AVERAGE(E3,G3,I3). The AVERAGE function adds its parameters and divides by the quantity of parameters given. If I had a parent with perfect colors, it would have an average of 0, so ideally, dragons with the lowest average are my most valuable for breeding. Genes usually factor in as well. <br>
<br>
<h2>that's all~ </h2>
In closing, I'll share a few dragon pictures. Next time, I'll write about more of my development process for Blessfrey. <br>
In closing, I'll share a few of my cutest dragons (all of which are official FlightRising artwork). Next time, hopefully I'll have more interesting things to write about for Blessfrey, so see you then! <br>
<br>
<center><img src="/static/img/ent/fr_sand.png" alt="(image: Sand, a male Sand Giraffe / Shadow Toxin / Rose Smoke Fae)"><img src="/static/img/ent/fr_abbey.png" alt="(image: Abbey, a male Platinum Skink / Smoke Peregrine / Pearl Basic Tundra)"><img src="/static/img/ent/fr_rune.png" alt="(image: Rune, a male Eldritch Sphinxmoth / Eldritch Hawkmoth / Eldritch Runes Veilspun with eternal youth and dark sclera)"><img src="/static/img/ent/fr_laguna.png" alt="(image: Laguna, a female Honeydew Cherub / Sanddollar Butterfly / Marigold Firefly Skydancer.)"></center>
chimchooree
4 years ago
