Magic: The Combattening - Hearthstone

[schild]

Knife Juggler being "good" is a great example of why Heartstone is a mess.

[90Proof]

/bandwagon trias_e on

I like this game.  Ranked 16th today, I have been pushing through with Reynad's constructed decks.

[Ragnoros]

As predicted by other minds here, I loved this for about a month, got bored, and have not logged in for over two now. Unless casuals stick around longer (typically, not their defining trait) they are going to need to liven this up with some new cards asap, because things got stale quick running 3/2's into each other all day.

[Margalis]

Introducing new cards would be hard as what cards can do is pretty limited compared to Magic. As it is even Magic has a lot of reprints, functional reprints, cards that are basically the same, etc.

[MrHat]

Introducing new cards would be hard as what cards can do is pretty limited compared to Magic. As it is even Magic has a lot of reprints, functional reprints, cards that are basically the same, etc.

Couldn't they introduce new mechanics as a block of cards?

[Merusk]

/bandwagon trias_e on

I like this game.  Ranked 16th today, I have been pushing through with Reynad's constructed decks.

Funny because I tried once again and got my ass kicked with two of his decks.  That's the joy of random draws. 5 games 2 wins, all losses were by turn 4 and I had no chance.

Ed: Fuck that guy's hunter deck w/ all the taunts. Destroys his warrior deck which was the only one I could build. I played 4 more games before I got the last of my 3 wins because every. single. deck (no joke) was the same fucking hunter deck.  Thanks match finder.

[Johny Cee]

Introducing new cards would be hard as what cards can do is pretty limited compared to Magic. As it is even Magic has a lot of reprints, functional reprints, cards that are basically the same, etc.

Couldn't they introduce new mechanics as a block of cards?

See what Schild and I were saying earlier.  They have limited design space to keep it easy and streamlined, unless they want to completely change how the game is played.  They could add graveyard mechanics or activated abilities for creatures (tap to do X) or whatever, but that isn't in the game now, isn't supported in the interface, and who knows how difficult it is to code into the system they have now.

[Ingmar]

The main obvious route for expansion they have is adding the WoW classes that aren't in there - Death Knight, Monk. Other than that between the narrow mechanical space and the fact that they've at least for now shackled themselves to WoW flavor-wise they're working with a very limited set of options. Certainly they can add more weapons, neutral monsters, and the like, they've got plenty of those left. New mechanics are a bigger problem, and even with spells they don't have a ton left that they didn't already make into cards.

[schild]

The game already has too many classes. Classes were a fucking dreadful design mistake. Especially if their goal was "KISS," which it was. It both decreased possible depth in design and decreased the overall card pool an insane amount.

[Johny Cee]

The main obvious route for expansion they have is adding the WoW classes that aren't in there - Death Knight, Monk. Other than that between the narrow mechanical space and the fact that they've at least for now shackled themselves to WoW flavor-wise they're working with a very limited set of options. Certainly they can add more weapons, neutral monsters, and the like, they've got plenty of those left. New mechanics are a bigger problem, and even with spells they don't have a ton left that they didn't already make into cards.

The problem is that they could add the bolded, and it wouldn't matter because they would be on the same power curve and do the same thing as what is in the client now.  There isn't a way to print something new without it being functionally the same or play functionally the same as what is currently in game, unless they do one of two things:

1.  Bleed mechanics between classes.  Give priests weapons, for instance.  This would be bad because it homogenizes the game.
2.  Ramp up the power/cost on new minions/spells.  This is what has happened to most CCGs not named MtG over the years, as they give in to power inflation to sell new cards and piss off many of their current users.


Just about the only broad design space I can think of that Blizzard can explore is tribal (see Murloc design and abilities), and I guess they could make secrets not worthless (but they are reactive so they are starting at a heavy disadvantage) and taunt not be a bad mechanic.

[Margalis]

Even Magic has a lot of reprints, functional reprints, "fixed" versions of existing cards, color-shifted cards and cards that fill basically the same role as existing cards.

You can play with numbers and abilities to make new cards, but making them feel new and distinct is a different matter, especially if you aren't rotating out old cards. In magic you can create a 2/2 for 2 guy with a minor special ability and in the next set have a different 2/2 for 2 guy with a different minor special ability and it can feel distinct because the old card is gone, but if both were to overlap at the same time they would probably feel indistinct and crappy.

I don't know how the Hearthstone player base would react to cards rotating out. I suspect not well.

[Malakili]

The things with cards rotating out is that there should at least still be some format where the cards are playable.  If a bunch of cards simply become obsolete because they are literally unplayable, I think people will be rightly upset.  Magic players would be upset too.  The real question is, then, how would Hearthstone players like having multiple formats to play and keep track of.  I don't know the answer to that.

[Hutch]

Well I found out that you can get a mount in Warcraft, just for winning 3 games in Play mode in Hearthstone!
So I let the client update. Since I haven't played since Oct/Nov, I looked over my level 8 Hunter deck to make sure I was still happy with it, then dialed up a game.

I just overran this poor Warlock that I got matched up with. He conceded at 24-1. It was beautiful. I love it when the deck works exactly the way it was designed to work. Lots of minions, buffing each other, with the occasional Shot card to clear the other guy's minions.

We'll see if the next two wins come this easy. Probably not. But I couldn't resist a little gloating 

[Paelos]

I got the mount. I guess if they ever fix this xpac price to normal levels I might see it one day in WoW.

[Hutch]

Good thing it's a ground mount, amirite.

[Paelos]

Good thing it's a ground mount, amirite.

 

[Simond]

I got the mount. I guess if they ever fix this xpac price to normal levels I might see it one day in WoW.

http://economics.about.com/od/helpforeconomicsstudents/f/inflation.htm

[Lakov_Sanite]

I got the mount. I guess if they ever fix this xpac price to normal levels I might see it one day in WoW.

http://economics.about.com/od/helpforeconomicsstudents/f/inflation.htm

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=troll

[tazelbain]

EDIT: Wrong thread

[MrHat]

That's gotten me to Rank 10 pretty easily. 

I lose though if it goes to 9-10 mana and they start getting fat taunters out, but usually the game is over before then.  Just too many combo abuses.

[pxib]

I've been playing for about a month now, and the RNG is not my friend. Every time I think "Oh hey, 150 gold... I'll try the arena." it's functionally a matter of me throwing my money away.

I've done it six times (seven, counting the free one at the beginning). I have won a total of ONE game. I've read up on which cards to pick, which classes to choose, what to do... no good. Doing fine with constructed decks, arena is a way that I can pay 150 to get a deck that would have cost me 100 and 25 gold.

Great.

[Morat20]

I went like 7-2 today and then 0-3. 7-2 with a Rogue, a class I rarely play -- and then 0-3 with the Warlock, a class I play often (and win often with).

Then to get the taste of RNG out of my mouth, I went and watched a video of a guy learning why having two Alarm-o-Bots in his hand is a recipe for sadness, as they kept summoning each other instead of the single other minion in his hand -- Ysera.  (I think he might have drawn the second Alarm-o-bot right before the one in play triggered).

[90Proof]

Rank 18   

/*mumble* sour grapes

*mumble*/

[Setanta]

Aussie release of this on  the iPad yesterday. Well worth the download as your cards and decks are account bound so you just pick up from where you last played on the PC. The only thing I don't like is the drag to attack/cast a spell on a target. Other than that, it's great.

[murdoc]

Canadian iTunes has it as well.

[Rasix]

Aussie release of this on  the iPad yesterday. Well worth the download as your cards and decks are account bound so you just pick up from where you last played on the PC. The only thing I don't like is the drag to attack/cast a spell on a target. Other than that, it's great.

What's the install size on your ipad?

[Setanta]

480 meg file size on the iPad

[Numtini]

If anyone wants the ipad version, it's as easy as changing your itunes address to a Canadian one, installing, then changing it back.

[Numtini]

They're going to be doing single player PVE and expanding the deck with reward cards. It'll require gold to "buy" the various modules.

[Paelos]

I'm just waiting for Hearthstone to reveal they are going to do cooperative arena raids against bosses.

Getting closer. With PvE it's just a matter of time, now.

[luckton]

The time is now.  PvE is coming in the form of Naxxramus, with 30 new cards to boot.

[Ironwood]

Looks cool tho.

http://us.battle.net/hearthstone/en/blog/13665269/beware-the-curse-of-naxxramas-4-11-2014

[Tannhauser]

Goddamnit, that looks cool.

[Soln]

Should I be ashamed for losing some practice matches as I climb through the tutorial I.e. trying to unlock all the classes?  I can't tell if it's me or the vanilla starter decks and Blizzq wants me to buy stuff to drill through the intro.

[Rasix]

No, not really.  They decks they give you are shit, and Hearthstone still has a strong RNG aspect to it. You'll lose to even the shittiest AI if you get cold decked.