[Disclaimer] I recently sent the content of this message via the e-mail link to cardhunter.com, but I also just recently stumbled upon the forum. which I didn't see before. so it would seem logical that I would post the majority of that email in this section [Review] the game had a good old fashion table-top feel to it. was very inspiring. the weak graphics didn't hurt this game at all. i was impressed that you brought this to life with a simple board map and basic figurines. [Problem-Suggestion] am disappointed in some of the card randomization. for example; sometimes i start a round with only movement cards, no attacks, no other side options. that is basically going to lose the battle when that happens. running around is not an option when the board is filled with monsters. i would like to suggest that a character begin each round with at least 2 weapon attack possibilities, 1 item possibility and 1 move possibility, instead of just jumbling them all together and randomizing it. [Problem-Suggestion] there isn't much in the way I can customize my characters, beyond just changing items. I would prefer to have more customization options, to make each character feel unique and personalized. [Problem-Suggestion] all the immunity powers are over-powered and are basically exploitable. to keep combats more balanced and less based on exploits, they should be removed or altered. the big winner here is the cleric spell that makes you immune to everything. it seems too over-powered. but also the resistant hide, that makes you immune to all element damage is a big killer also. you don't have to even think about the battle with mages or imps, you just wait until you get that one card, then you can exploit it all day long. you could also improve the AI, so they don't target characters that have an obvious immunity. the problem with the immunity effects is that also it's going to make the player rely on that for every combat to get through it, there is no room to try different things. the bottom-line for every high-level combat is going to be whether or not you have total immunity or not. [Disclaimer about the next Problem-Suggestion] this is going to sound like a total rant, but I will do my best to get through it and explain what the in-game problem is regarding this. [Problem-Suggestion] i'm not sure what the rules are regarding this, but I would like to bring this up. a particular aspect of the game that is very annoying. towards the end of my combat round i might be stuck with 3 cards that I don't want. they might all be movement cards. If I end the round then it makes me throw away cards until I have 2 of them left, then on the new round it replenishes the amount of cards I have to usually 4 (so in this instance i get +2 random new cards). But if I use up all of my cards, including all the movement cards that I don't want, like move 1 square, or just move to the same square, thereby getting rid of all the cards, then on the new combat round it seems to generate more useful cards for me, up to 4 (so that is +4 new cards, with a greater chance to get a new combat-damage card-that much I am guessing at, because I don't know exactly how the replenishing of cards work, but I have played many battles, and this seems to improve my odds of getting something more useful to the situation). So what I'm getting at, is that if I want more combat-based cards, then I am forced to play all of my move cards (and other irrelevant cards) so that I can get better cards. It seems like a loophole, and its very annoying. I also despise being stuck at the end of the round with something like weak bash, or weak cloth. It makes me have to find ways to discard them, so I can get better draws. This aspect of the game must be improved. I don't want to have to manipulate the system to get a better selection of cards. When my turn is done, and there is nothing more I want to do, then just let me end the turn. I don't want to have to discard in hopes of getting something more useful. That is an annoyance.
This isn't correct. You draw 2 cards + your racial move every round, unless you're under the effects of a spell that increases your cards drawn (like Accelerated Thought). The cards left in your hand don't affect your draws.
Glad you like this game I'd point out that I don't use immunity cards (Resistant Hide/Impenetrable Nimbus etc) in any of the campaign maps. They are probably needed for 1 hp quests but I haven't bothered with them. Some things that won't probably be changed in near future are dumb AI and not-too-useful movement cards in campaign. But there's a solution to both of these problems: play multiplayer Against other players movement cards are almost always valuable and opponents are a lot smarter, too And the rewards are way better
thank you for the clarification on that. feel free to comment on any of the other points of discussion and add insight to those as well.
Hi, About immunities, in multiplayer they have little relevance, and i say little that almost never are important, sometimes they are. About the ramdomness of the draw they are fine like that too. I have a priest with 4 attacks in his 2 weapons, and if he its draws a card from his weapons every round he gonna draw a greater heal, maas frenzy or a strong attack, it would become too consistent. I that would spoil the fun. (No talking to get fireball or flash every round too)
Well, that's cool that you wanted to let the community be involved in these ideas. ~nod~ It always simultaneously amazes, amuses, and annoys me when someone calls beautiful, detailed, attentive, and (in CH's case) hand-crafted art "weak" -- and then ontop that lauds the creators for using it. $E^ D lol This is a card game. This is exactly how card games work. It's nice as it is that each char gets his/her/its own deck (aside from minions who do draw from a bigger jumble). Have you ever played Rummy? Spades? Monopoly? Any other game with cards? Don't worry, though. This is a common concern we fellowplayers hear in World Chat a lot -- and there is a solution. In short, only equip the cards you want to see in your hand at any given time. You want fewer Move cards? Equip fewer Move cards. Or, equip Move cards that have hybrid effects like Move|Attack, Block|Move, or Moves with sweet Unblockable extra tech. You want to see a higher density of certain kinds of cards? Put more of those in your deck -- and shrink your deck. $:^ ] Use cards which self-draw like Traits -- and Blocks which draw on trigger. Stuff like that. Go visit the Deck-Building and Adventure Strategy subforums for many more details and answers to questions. I'm a big role-player. I put a lot of thought into my chars' names, even creating subtle rules across my races and classes for future naming. Solstice, my Campaigning human priest, uses no Unholy cards, for example -- even rarely equipping an excellent item with an Unholy card on it, but discarding it without use once it comes into hand, simply because she grabbed that item for its other cards. When I play my MP priests, Anne Athema is always in yellow, and Dee Nye and Evelyn Tinss go for the other colors -- in fact, recently, I just dropped Dee Nye altogether, replacing her with Ominifis Dran, heh. On that note, there are a good few costumes you can pick from, too -- usually for a price. They let you spruce up your customized looks -- no stat-affecting changes to worry about. That said, your comment is pretty vague. What kinds of ways would you want to customize your characters beyond changing their items (and names and appearances)? Naaaaah. $:^ ] Many times, even with ridiculous amounts of Trait cycling, a Firestorm wizard won't even see Resistant Hide during a battle. You just deal without it. Meanwhile, when enemies get them, they can be show-stoppers unless you reequip for the modules. And that's kind of the fun of Campaign. Figure out the best stuff for each adventure with the limitations given. I'm not really sure what you're calling high-level combat. Certainly, I love equipping Adaptable in high-level stuff because it's fun, and I must balance my Trait cycling (and any other attachments) to keep my Immunity safe for those couple rounds it's active. $:^ ] Otherwise, if I head into the free Citadel adventure, ha, forget Adaptable. Radioactive Pulse would make quick work of it anyway. Automatic Shield's Auto Block x3 is much more reliable "immunity"! $E^ ] Yeah, Flaxative, (a BM dev,) already answered the main thrust of this. Otherwise, I just point back up to my statement, this is a card game -- and there are ways to optimize your cards. Don't want Cloth Armor ever? Then don't equip Robe Of Lightness. But, man, Uncommon tokenless Hover x2 is so awesome, that's one very often seen Cloth Armor card in many a person's high-level wizard deck! $:^ ] Just like in Rummy. Sometimes I hold onto a card I don't want b/c I need to psyche out my opp, not let the opp know what I'm holding, and in 2P Rummy, let a "useless" card (judging by the cards the opp's played so far) sit in the discard pile for one turn so that I can scoop the next turn and properly go out with the one card I held onto which I didn't want. Indeed, sometimes you wind up with a card in your hand you really didn't want -- but often you can just *not play cards* that round so that you can discard what you don't want and keep what you do. That's a simple and useful tactic to make, for example, Rageblood Dagger an incredibly good item (by more safely removing the Raging Strike when it shows up at too dangerous of a time). I do hope all this helps,
