Aloyzo's Arsenal Discussion Thread

Live Event on Twitch? Go big or go home.

 

Aloyzo's Arsenal – recreating Christmas every month.

 

Hahah, sorry mate, my internet's not good enough. We could have done it on Twitch from @CT5's place, but I think we're just gonna record a vid on my comp & upload to youtube.

 

I am SO excited !

 

I also have an elevated heart rate and general giddiness about this.

 

I gotta say I am feeling the hype, but not as much as the first AA - I did notice that this AA got more entries than AA1 and 2 - wonder why?

 

Two words: Monster Card

$F^ b

Edit: Okay, okay, a few more words: Five winners perhaps gave people more incentive due to a feeling of greater chance their item could actually make it. Some people are pessimistic quitters like that; it doesn't seem like there's much chance, thus they just give up. (Come to think of it, hence the many early resignations in this game. Heheh. Hmmmm.)

 

Or... more people know about the contest, because it's been around a few months?

 

We may never know.

 

Video up finally.

Vid, and winning items, in the submissions thread: http://forums.cardhunter.com/thread...stom-item-submissions.8127/page-7#post-102319

 

I'm really hesitant about the Festering Guts item. That could dramatically shift the meta and game... it is a duration 3 item that can destroy unprepared teams. Also, why give the win to an item that violates the rules? I like the idea, but if you put rules in place you should really stick to them.

Same with you auto disqualifying certain things in the past. Why not say specifically in the rules what you aren't looking for?

Oh, and not even a mention of my item? =( I thought it was a perfect thematic fit. You just really have an obsession with picking Muscle Through and I guess also didn't want to have 3+ boots win?

 

Congratulations to all the winners.

I liked all those ones apart from Infected, as I hate festering guts when it appears as a result of handicaps. Glad it's bumped up the amethyst at least. Spiritastrophe was one of my favorites. As regards Tasty, Tasty staff, I like it and all, but I don't think a winning item should be one which blatantly ignores the set rules for the month.

 

Changing the rarity on one card when you said you wouldn't do that, and another item won that didn't even try to follow the rules? Really disappointed. Particularly about the Tsastii staff, because that monster and set of attacks was what first came to mind when I read about the contest, but the rules and clarifications went out of their way to say "that won't win" multiple ways.

 

Yeah, changing rarity annoyed me too. Basically he is seemingly changing the rules on a whim. Same thing before when he auto disqualified some items without saying he would in the rules.

Make everything as transparent as possible!

 

Congrats winners! Love your submissions!
I personally disagree about some of the criticism on the winning items for:
1. Flax said he might change a card's quality if it was a really good item (in this thread, actually).
2. Flax explains why the Tasty, Tasty Staff was chosen in the video. He is unlikely to pick an item that breaks the rules, but there is still a slim possibility he might. This item is kind of like the exception that proves the rule, if you know what I mean.

Oh, and still waiting for the day when I can whip out some melee wizard items.

 

Don't be ridiculous, friend. I would have selected five boots if the five best designs had all been boots.

As regards changing rarity/value of cards, from the outset of this contest I have made it clear submitted items may change in crafting. When specifically asked in this thread about whether or not I would consider items that defied a guideline or had an OP card in need of revaluing, I said that your chances would be best if you stuck to submissions that didn't require changes but that all submissions would be considered. In the contest thread, I explicitly state that nothing is an auto-DQ. Good design wins the day, as it has the last two months. If you want to discuss the merits of the winning items, that's one thing. But complaining about a lack of transparency in a subjectively judged competition, where the closest approach to objective criteria are clearly laid out, and I've made lists of what is likely to hurt or help a submission, is frankly pointless.

I've entered my share of game design competitions. I'm familiar with the rollercoaster and I also know how easy it is to want to point fingers at the judge(s). But before you talk about what I did or didn't say, make sure you actually understand what I did or didn't say. Given the fact that around 50% of submissions didn't even follow the 'themed to an in-game monster' guideline—the first, most prominent, and most important guideline for this month's design contest—I'm inclined to believe that many of you aren't actually paying attention to my words.

Now, we can do this dance every month, not that it's particularly enjoyable. I suggest instead that you work with other Card Hunter players to improve your item design skills in the Smithy thread, or that you—should you really feel the need—address your concerns about the contest to me in civil terms, without personal attacks, false claims, or hyperbole. I hope that's an acceptable wish.

 

Yeah, that's a huge problem. State it up front and/or update the main thread. Not everyone checks discussions or updated rules constantly.

That shouldn't discredit those that do listen. I just wish you were more up front about what is acceptable what is not. What you're going to auto disqualify (despite it fitting within the rules) and what you're willing to accept (even if it breaks the rules).

 

Not looking forward to what Infected is going to do to MP. (Especially since I can't check my opponent's Shuffles in the log to see if they're from Infected. Please get on that!)

The design on Spritastrophe went completely over my head until watching the video. Still seems a little loose, could use a name that is a little more obvious about "this is a bunch of sprites mashed together."

Surprised CT5's camera-themed item made it as far as runner-up. Scan just makes no sense at all as a player card.

Argy Bargy boots seems against the spirit of the contest, since "oozeball player" isn't a monster you encounter at any point in the campaign, and might not have even heard of if you haven't stumbled across Oozeball league (which has only come up I think once in the time I've been playing). Item's pretty uninspiring, too. I do like the explanation that the item is two oozes pretending to be boots, although there is no way I would have ever noticed that if the video hadn't called it out.

Ogre Boots are fine as an item, but pretty boring. Also, while Muscle Through certainly is a card that Ogres play all the time, it isn't what I think of when I think about Ogres, that would be Sweeping Smash or maybe Mindless Battlerage. A good ogre-themed item IMO would have been a weapon with one of the area-target crushing attacks (or two or three, since apparently that was secretly OK), some single target crushing attacks, one Muscle Through, and maybe a Clumsy (which I "wouldn't count as a monster card" because it's similar to many existing drawback traits).

 

I will congratulate everyone that took part in this spoopy ride, and a double up on that congratulations to the winners. I was very much rooting for Panda's and Duke Trensnor's submissions, as I felt they nailed the theme, if they were a little pushed in the process. Sceo's submission was a pleasant surprise, as well. The other two came straight out of left field, some interesting, if a little befuddling winners

j3st3r's Infected had a very strong and bold theme, I don't think the 'turn Festering Guts into an Amethyst' card had anything to do with it being printed. It could've easily been printed as Tar (Or any quality below Silver, for that matter) and it would've been the same submission. The change to Amethyst does shows that the team is considering that the drawback might be too strong when you can plan for it and are taking the adequate countermeasures, which is a fine precaution as if you want to try out this zany item, you're going to have to cash in for the literally massive bomb you're carrying with you. I defend this decision

The Tasty, Tasty Staff is what troubled me. Lets put aside that the rules were bent in favor of the strong flavor of the item (absolutely no pun intended seriously please don't hit me because they will keep coming accidentally in foresight). I actually defended this item in my for-the-lulz/was-bored-in-class-and-decided-to-get-in-everyone's-pooplist mass review of the submissions because I thought the item was cool, though I actually mentally dismissed it as one of those submissions that was there for being there and being cool, even if it is sort of inconsistent and causes some logistic issues with long range attacks (Magic Crushing? Tongue Burst is magic but the other ones aren't?), whose goal was not to win, as it wasn't operating within the rules of the contest. I also am not bothered by the Quality change on Tongue Grab, a bunch of great items in the submissions included monster cards that were somewhat undercosted like Shotgun Slug, Sweeping Crush and Troll Regeneration that could've accomodated in case those cards showed up again should the rules allow them, but the item bent the rules in such a way that I feel shouldn't be congratulated, as without the focused theme of the monster, the item would likely not have made print

If you made a Spider based dagger and replaced Lunging Bite and Vicious Bite with their closest counterparts (Lunging Thrust and Perforating Strike), people probably wouldn't have batted an eye. Same with Goblin Hulks/Tin Golems and their unique Fist attacks replaced by more traditional bludgeons. Sacrifices were made to put the item inside the restriction and they still fit within the monster's shifty attack pattern and it's in the same line of cutty-stabby/bludgeony sort of strikes respectively. With the T,TS things are different. If you only keep Tongue Grab and replace Tongue Burst and Tongue Lash with Arcane Burst and Sorcerous Bolt, the item does not immediately evoke the monster unless you are aware of how it operates, and as a result, using those attacks instead made it a way more cohesive submission by skirting some of the restrictions

I was midways through writing this while you voiced your response @Flaxative, so I hope this is a reasonable way to express my concern: The item bent the rules to easily solidify its theme, where others had to work with the strict one-of restriction and wriggle their way with similar player cards to fortify it manually. I don't believe in the slippery-slope scenario where this will cause haywire, off-beat submissions to swarm's Aloyzo's mailbox (Let alone win), but it left me with a very poor aftertaste. I also sifted through all the "Straight-Up No-Theme" submissions that were sent by people that only read half the guidelines, which I understand was likely dissapointing, but I don't think that it was a reason to reward someone that read the other half of the guidelines

Here looking forward to AA4, and Happy Halloween

 

Cheers to the winners! It was fun, I look forward to the next Aloyzo's Arsenal.
Spritastrophe wins the day, though the Creepy, Creepy Staff is stealing all the attention. Eeew, tentacles.