So, a bit of background. I used to enjoy Phantasy Star Online for the dreamcast/gamecube. You grind, you level up. You benefit from random item drops. You fight enemies. Eventually you beat the last enemy and you win. Much like card hunter. Much like every other RPG out there. That's not why I played it. Hidden in Phantasy Star Online was something called "challenge mode." In challenge mode, your character starts at a fixed level with fixed gear, and completed a portion of the campaign with only items found during the run. The entire adventure was split up into ~7 of these "stages." I think card hunter would attract many more players if it incorporated this feature as an optional mode. -- Having random items afforded to your party creates a skill gradient where a beginner can sometimes win with great luck, while an expert can still struggle with bad luck. -- Removing arbitrary grinding creates a greater feeling of accomplishment when you win, because winning is not a guaranteed eventuality. --Using the different items available to you every time is exponentially more challenging than making slight refinements to a "main" deck build. I have never found another game that had a fixed starting point, a clearly defined goal, and random item drops. It doesn't even have to be an rpg, per se. It would be cool if there was a sports game where your team received random stat boosts as the game wore on, or a tcg where you began the campaign with a simple deck and then acquired random booster packs as you progressed. I think card hunter could be that game.
Check out some of these threads: http://forums.cardhunter.com/threads/suggestion-roguelike-mode.6102/ http://forums.cardhunter.com/threads/suggestion-randomized-sp-dungeons.6362/ Personally I really like the "randomly generated adventures" part, but would be happy to see any hardcore features implemented into the game.
I think we are talking past each other. If you remove the fixed starting point, there's nothing stopping you from coming back with better gear over and over again until you win.
