The community in Dark Summoner is very diverse. It encompasses players from a multitude of countries, and through them, languages. English however, is the generally accepted language, although other languages can be used if players know each other. Within the Dark Summoner community, however, there are many more divisions in which players sort people.
Groups
Sub-Communities
Dragon's Sub-Community DG indicates different Guild, thus allying is not possible.
Players who have played for a reasonable amount of time may form/join sub-communities, which may base or be based on allies. A sub-community can be defined as the group of players the player interacts with the most, and more than often is on friendly terms with. A community can be very beneficial to the player, bestowing benefits such as safe cataloguing, gifts, and companionship.
Clans
Players may form clans within Dark Summoner, which generally become integrated into a player's sub-community. Clans often require a player to put the clan name inside his/her introduction to signify membership. They are often started for many reasons, the most common being for the sake of creating a clan. More productive causes can be anti-scamming or creating sub-communities.
Players
Individual players sometimes make a (likely negative) name for themselves. While this may result in increased trade,
Scammers
Scamming is the action of using deceit to cheat other players out of goods. It can be done in a variety of ways, the most common involving Gifting (NEEDS LINK). Scammers may have other accounts when theirs becomes well known. The best way to stop scamming is to report them to ATEAM or to a well-known player.
- Simple Gifting Scam: Perhaps the most outdated and least successful method is to make transactions entirely through gifting. The scammer often requests the other player to gift first, to which they do not respond afterward. This is prevented through the safer Trade function. ATEAM has previously issued warnings against trading by gift.
- Cataloguing Scam: A player may ask to catalogue a certain monster, and simply keep the monster. However, this can be resolved by "collateral," which is a monster of reasonably similar strength or value, that is traded to the non cataloguing party. Generally, the transaction is in the favour of the provider, and it is entirely possible to scam the cataloguer.
- Two-Part Trade Scam: A monster of extremely high value (generally an AA or AA+), can be used to scam others if offered for trade. The scammer may ask for over 5 goods in return, so that the receiving party is forced to make a two-part trade. The scammer simply asks to include his/her good(s) only the second trade to avoid being scammed (the receiver may not send the second trade once receiving the good), and simply doesn't send the second trade, receiving the first half of the trade in exchange for virtually no value. A solution may be temporary collateral. The player trades collateral to the receiver (worth the first half), and continues to do so, and in the final trade for the good, the collateral (culminating in value to the good) is all traded back. Another solution may be to simply offer stackable goods (currency) in such a manner that avoids offering over 5 goods in a trade.
- Second Game Scam: Another game, similar to Dark Summoner (most commonly being Legend of the Cryptids), is often played by Dark Summoner players. Scammers ask that the trade will involve another game, and ask that players gift them goods on one game, promising to do the same on the other game. Trades involving other games are also warned against by ATEAM.
Lowballers
Lowballing is the act of offering a lower price than rationally accepted, and loosely related to scamming. This often catches new players (who do not know the prices of monsters) who trade valuable monsters for something much lower in value. This behaviour is much more acceptable than scamming, but is still frowned upon.
Influentials
Certain players are famous in game, characterized by a constant stream of player input upon their profiles (not negative), and the ownership of very powerful monsters. These players are not to be confused with successful scammers, whose profiles are filled with negative input (derogatory terms, pleas, threats), although it is possible to be both.