In-game real world clock

[fair iron]

Would be really neat to have a joker themed clock we could toggle on or off in the settings. Swiping out of the app is sometimes annoying when it’s 3am and you should’ve went to bed hours ago. Have a few options: digital or analogue with a fun little Balatro touch to them.

[snow blade]

Time management is your own issue buddy

[gritty ore]

No but this is so real

Like this thing has caused Me to go to sleep at 1 am so many times

[snow blade]

Ok

Shouldnt be thunk’s issue to solve

[turbid turret]

Casinos aren't built with exterior facing windows or clocks for a reason, paco

[gleaming oxide]

maybe a clock joker that works like a real clock

[stiff scarab]

Make an in-game clock that lies to you about the time to keep you addicted

[snow blade]

Yeah, you’ve got time.

[stiff scarab]

“It’s only 5:00! Keep going!”

[snow blade]

AM, PM, what’s the difference?

[fair iron]

Calm down lol

[snow blade]

Wdym

Im calm

Literally just stating a fact

This is a personal issue not a game issue

[fair iron]

I know but it would be a fun little thing. Can turn it on or off. Or a joker that has an Easter egg real world clock. So when it pops up it’s like oh look at the time.

[keen sandal]

wait

cant you just swipe the top bar with clock, battery etc?

you dont need to exit app right

[fair iron]

Yeah but having it in game was just a thought. Clearly a bad one lol

[keen sandal]

it's a single swipe in-game...

[snow blade]

If you really need to see the time just play in windowed

[keen sandal]

mobile

[fair iron]

Guys. I understand lol

[snow blade]

I forgot about mobile

But swiping isnt really a big deal

[merry shard]

it really wasn’t a bad idea

i think it’s pretty cool

just a fun little thing

not sure why it got taken so heavy

[mental pasture]

I also think it would be a cool idea to just have irl clock and even battery displayed in-game

[snow blade]

My main issue with this is that thunk shouldn’t have to put in the effort to implement this

Its not a terrible idea, just remember that thunk is a solo dev

[lost geyser]

lmfao

[little flame]

thunk knows balatro swallows half my income and time

i have to see it pass

yummers idea

[gritty ore]

Why are you doing decks in that order

Like why don't you gold stake a deck and then start the other

Yknow, orderly

[little flame]

black deck is a test from the Lord

balatro is like a competitive exam paper 😭

do the ezs first, then the fun ones, then the bores, then the challenging

[lost geyser]

clearly balatro is intended to use casino tactics like not having any clocks

[snow blade]

Am i wrong..?

[hallow sparrow]

Nah would be nice to have a timer, most roguelikes do

For example: binding of isaac, shogun showdown, Gungeon etc

[dark totem]

This is completely true, but you can say that for literally any feature request so it's a silly argument

[hallow sparrow]

Also, adding in a timer is extremely easy and would take a few minutes

If you want a cool timer design that might take longer

But I think a timer is a good feature to request

[dark totem]

Yeah this isn't like some of the terrible suggestions for adding super complex modes, it's literally just a timer

[hallow sparrow]

You could even add unlocks based on the timer later down the line

Maybe a joker unlocks if you win in under a certain time

Or maybe later on there’s a stake with a time limit

It opens up a lot of possibilities

[dark totem]

Ok I hate that a lot, time-based mechanics in a fully turn-based game is a big nono for me since it's an accessibility issue

[hallow sparrow]

How is it an accessibility issue? Time limits exist in most games in some form

[glass bloom]

Not in good turn-based games

[south lantern]

Clock: Most game do not include a clock because there isnt a need for this information in game. There is no in game element in balatro require the need of real world time.

Clock joker: Most joker in the game is not animated. Hologram is the only animated one and it is used to reflect the physical property of a hologram. It is unlikely to have a animated clock joker that changes base on real time.

Timer: time-based mechanics is not a accessibility issue, some game are not intend to play without those mechanics. However, balatro is a game that has zero time-based element. Adding a timer is unnecessary.

[south lantern]

Saying adding a stake with time limit is like adding guns to balatro. Sure, it opens up A LOT of possibilities. But it literally doesnt fit in the game.

[dark totem]

Time-based stuff is perfectly fine for execution-based games like Isaac and Hades, but not for a game that has no time-limit and is meant for thoughtout decisions and turns

I consider it an accessibility issue since the game controls very differently on different platforms, like playing with a controller is inherently slower than with a mouse. There’s also different game speeds which questions how you even handle a timer - does 4x speed tick down 4x faster? Doesn’t make sense because you don’t actually play 4x faster when sped up. But it doesn’t make much sense to keep it at a 1x timer since it is faster, so it’s like how do you handle that

Also, part of the appeal of games like Balatro is it is very accessible for people who may have physical disabilities and have to play non-time based stuff, I’ve heard of some people gravitating towards turn-based games for that very reason. So implementing a time-based mechanic would exclude that audience for no meaningful gain

[cerulean ibex]

I generally just want a clock on mobile so i can tell what time it is without swiping down twice (here is my 20 second mockup of the idea on the debugging chair)

again togglable option

[hallow sparrow]

Maybe you get a time limit in the shop, that would be really fun imo

[snow blade]

Its not complex or anything but i just think it shouldnt be something thunk has to do

[pure sedge]

I don't think this is the right hill to die on lol

[snow blade]

It wouldnt provide anything to the game itself

[snow blade]

Im not dying smh

Just making my point

[lapis onyx]

Joker that gives mult but only at night time

[main flower]

show time

[snow blade]

I mean. Thunk can still add it if he wants

No matter what i say

[drifting frost]

I feel like this fits better as a mod tbh

if you're looking for time-based gameplay elements, the Cryptid mod has time-based boss blinds and challenges based on them

[hallow sparrow]

It would though, by definition

[snow blade]

Dont be a pedant

[exotic hull]

This is mainly for phones, which can't as easily get mods(unless the mobile version has a mod launcher)

[drifting frost]

fair. no dice then (mobile modding isnt allowed to be discussed in this discord, and neither do we have it figured out as of yet)

still it doesn't feel like much of a vanilla feature

[exotic hull]

I agree that it would feel a bit out of place, but if this many people want it, it's at least worth considering as a menu toggle

[drifting frost]

I mean it's just swiping down...

[hallow sparrow]

How is it pedantic at all? It literally adds something to the game. If it’s optional then who cares? Some of us would appreciate it

Would also be a godsend for speedrunners

Could use igt instead of real time

[snow blade]

It literally adds something to the game but it mechanically adds nothing

A reason not to add it is that its unnecessary work

And i doubt it would really help speedrunners because they can just use their own stopwatch, which is arguable better

Arguably*

Because stopwatches track seconds and miliseconds

[hallow sparrow]

It mechanically does do something though

[hallow sparrow]

Rta levels the playing field

[hallow sparrow]

So could the in game timer

[snow blade]

You dont need to ping me three separate times

[snow blade]

What does it fo

Do

And before you say something stupid

I meant game mechanics

[snow blade]

The suggestion is for a clock, not a timer

[mental pasture]

Man.. it was just a suggestion for an in-game clock.. at the end of the day, its up to the dev whether they want to read or ignore the suggestion 😕

This feels a bit blown out of proportion

[hallow sparrow]

…shows a timer?

[snow blade]

No, it shows a clock

[hallow sparrow]

Clock and timer are effectively the same thing

[snow blade]

And this is exactly the stupid shit i didnt want you to say

[hallow sparrow]

But I’M the one being pedantic?

[snow blade]

No they arent

A clock keeps track of real time

[hallow sparrow]

Well sorry but in life people say things you don’t want to hear

[snow blade]

A timer counts upward from 0 after you activate them

[snow blade]

Idk if you read my message but i meant game mechanics

[hallow sparrow]

He meant timer clearly

[snow blade]

A timer does not add any gameplay

[snow blade]

No he didnt

[hallow sparrow]

It does, it adds a timer

[snow blade]

Thats not gameplay

How does a clock interact with any game mechanics currently in balatro

I dont think he did, i know he did

Read the suggestiob

[hallow sparrow]

This is pure delusion

[snow blade]

Delusion my ass

[hallow sparrow]

Ok I’m wrong, that is indeed an extremely fucking stupid suggestion

HOWEVER I joined the convo when people were talking about a timer, so I got confused

And if it’s about a timer, then obviously I want it

[snow blade]

Well imo a timer wouldnt really add much either

[hallow sparrow]

But there is also not really a reason to not add it

[snow blade]

Ive already stated a reason

Its pointless work

[hallow sparrow]

It’s not even really ‘work’. It takes maybe 5 minutes to add

The most basic of basic games have this feature

[snow blade]

It might take longer tbh

[hallow sparrow]

Nearly Every other roguelike I’ve played has a timer

[snow blade]

But anyway work is work

[snow blade]

Cant say the same here

[hallow sparrow]

Binding of isaac, hades, Gungeon, risk of rain, dungeons and degenerate gamblers etc all have timers

[snow blade]

Risk of rain 2 and pressure (if that counts) are the ones i know have one

Ih yeah hades

But risk of rain has a really good reason to have a timer

Because the game scales based on time

[hallow sparrow]

That’s actually why I hate risk of rain funnily enough

[snow blade]

And isaac has a timer for hush and boss rush

[snow blade]

I love risk of rain 2

I think the time mechanic adds some pressure to not dilly dally

[hallow sparrow]

Exactly, but that’s optional to do and having a timer up in Isaac is just a good reference point to how strong your run is a lot of the time

[snow blade]

Not exactly

[hallow sparrow]

I feel like it leads to forcing the same builds over and over again

Instead of being creative

[snow blade]

Sometimes minmaxxing runs makes them take a long time but they end hp being stronger

[snow blade]

I feel like thats not really related to risk of rain’s timer

[hallow sparrow]

I mean yes but what I meant is if you’re in the chest in 20 mins vs like 40ish minutes

[snow blade]

The game chooses what to give you regardless

Chest in 20 minutes is wild

Even in a really good run

[hallow sparrow]

It is, since in the higher difficulties you need to search for like 10 specific items that scale fast as opposed to slow burning builds

[hallow sparrow]

It’s exaggerated but you get the point lol

[snow blade]

I havent played the first risk of rain

But in ror2 i feel like the time mechanic almost adds a sort of choice

You can either
A. Search for items, making enemies stronger but maybe finding good items
Or B. Get through stages quickly so enemies arent too strong by the end

I usually choose option A

[hallow sparrow]

I also find the combat very samey in ror2 and there isn’t much character to the game

[snow blade]

More fun

[snow blade]

I guess most of the time the combat boils down to running in circles

But i dont hate that

[hallow sparrow]

Option b rarely works unless you’re on an op character

[snow blade]

Yea

[hallow sparrow]

It just feels very slow and lifeless

But that’s my opinion

[snow blade]

Which is why i like that the time isnt too punishing

More items means better build

[hallow sparrow]

In isaac, the time is a bonus objective basically. Like sure, for post its you need boss rush and hush but on a normal run you effectively get bonus items for playing fast (well ‘not slow’)

[snow blade]

Bonus items?

[hallow sparrow]

You get items from boss rush and hush

[snow blade]

What like the 1/2 from boss rush and the 2 from hush?

Not a big deal imo

Besides i usually end up taking like 40 minutes to get to mom LOL

[hallow sparrow]

2 from boss rush and 2 treasure rooms showing 2 items (you can pick 1 from each, shop and 4 gold chests

[hallow sparrow]

I have like 3k hours in Isaac at this point lol, my main game

[snow blade]

The 4 gold chests arent always items

[hallow sparrow]

But they can be

[snow blade]

I played isaac a lot but not that much

I dont play it much anymore because i lost my data :(

I still do play occasionaly

[hallow sparrow]

Besides, an extra shop alone is extremely valuable if you have membership card for example

[snow blade]

Well membership is op

[hallow sparrow]

You can quite literally get godhead or sacred heart simply for making hush

[snow blade]

Also for these “free” items yiu gotta fight hush

Which isnt too hard

But it can be long and maybe kill you

[hallow sparrow]

Hush is pretty easy except for his bugged last phase

[snow blade]

Bugged?

Hush isnt pretty easy for a lot of players

Skill issue mostly

[hallow sparrow]

Basically, he can launch continuum tears as well as his water towers at the same time, which can be undodgable

This never happened pre repentence

[snow blade]

That sucks

Continuum is usually easy because of sweet spots

[hallow sparrow]

He’s also got a weird bug where he can sometimes go into the floor and never come back up

[snow blade]

Lot of people dont like it

[hallow sparrow]

Delirium though…. He’s genuinely unfair

[snow blade]

Delirium needs a rework desperately

Sometimes he just appears on top of you??

Like huh?

[hallow sparrow]

He’s getting one, I’ve been play testing it

Yep it can telefrag you and cause undodgable damage

[snow blade]

Not to mention his patterns are really weird

[hallow sparrow]

Basically it can change from moms foot (which tracks you around the screen) into another enemy on top of you

[snow blade]

I usually only go deli if i have an op build so i dont have to risk random death

[hallow sparrow]

I only go deli if I absolutely have to

Anyway, this is going off topic lol

[snow blade]

Also that yea

[snow blade]

True

[fair iron]

It’s so funny how bent out of shape a few people get over a harmless suggestion lol they must be fun at parties.

[snow blade]

What an insult

Im just trying to deliver valid criticism

[dark totem]

I think what you're looking for is it's not adding any content to the game

[snow blade]

Oh but technically it adds a clock to the game

Thats content

Yeah maybe thats what i was looking fir

But i feel like the guy wouldve still misunderstood

[dark totem]

It doesn't affect the gameplay at all and it's really just minor qol, I personally don't care if this gets added or not but it's not worth making a stink about

[snow blade]

¯_(ツ)_/¯

I kinda like arguing

Even over stipid shut

[fair iron]

That’s obvious

[snow blade]

Thanks for your input

I really appreciate it

[south lantern]

Just because your suggestion is small, not affecting the gameplay, toggleble or qol doesnt means it is a harmless addition to the game. It still affect the experience of the player and the dev has the right to decide if they want it to be a part of that experience. Score preview was a suggestion that people claimed to be toggleble and qol too, and people hated it. I respect people who want it as a serious feature or a little joke, but all of the reasons above will not justify it.

[dark totem]

You could say that for literally any feature or bit of qol

[south lantern]

Yea, and I dont think I am wrong. If you think something should be added, please come up with better reason than "it is a qol".

[mental pasture]

: |

It’s a clock

I understand why score preview can ruin your day

But a clock

Like… are we reading different things here..?

It’s… a clock, you know they tell time and whatnot

In what possible way can a clock hurt gameplay experience

It’s so odd that of all the features making people flare up and get combative… it’s a clock, whose only purpose is to tell time and nothing else

[snow blade]

It probably wont hurt but my issue is that thunk doesnt really have a reason to add it

But ofc

St the end of the day uts up to him

[south lantern]

Then how can score preview ruin your day? You can literally calculate it yourself? In what possible way do a preview hurt gameplay?
All I am saying is, if you want it in the game, dont use "it doesnt affect the gameplay", "it is toggleble" to shut down discussion with people who dont want it in the game.

[mental pasture]

Score preview might take away from people feeling like the enjoy the numbers going up

That’s all

A clock does absolutely nothing to hurt you

Does looking at the clock ruin your day like

I do not understand

Being the devil’s advocate for no reason is just antagonistic and mean

[snow blade]

It instills a feeling of dread as the inevitable passing of time ticks away at your life

[stiff scarab]

also, if devs added a toggle for everything people asked of them, there would be so many pages of settings

[mental pasture]

Like it’s a stupid clock, getting all philosophical about not harmless and whatever is just…

[snow blade]

Holy shit i accidentally made a doors reference

[stiff scarab]

It makes you think about not playing Balatro, and who would want that?

[snow blade]

[mental pasture]

On the contrary seeing I have more time to play Balatro would make me want to play it more tbh

[snow blade]

Idk man usually when i look at a clock when gaming i think “damn i should be doing something with my time”

And then i dont

:3

[stiff scarab]

On the concontrary, if you dont know what time it is in the casino, how do you know when to leave?

[mental pasture]

Ahh but that’s because time matters to you 🧠

If you let the brainworms tell you to ignore time

No problem

Checkmate life

[snow blade]

Honestly time should matter more to me

[south lantern]

It might not "hurt" the gameplay, but it still "affect" the gameplay. And choosing what element should "affect" the gameplay is a decision for the dev.
More is not more, and sometime less is more.

[mental pasture]

Mate, it’s a clock

You’re being needlessly weird about a clock

That’s all

[snow blade]

Stop using “its a clock” as an argument

Its annoying and dumb

[mental pasture]

Tbh, the argument is I should look at the clock and value my time more instead of talking about looking at a clock

It’s kind of funny if you think about it

[mental pasture]

I’m not arguing, it’s just… a lot simpler than it’s being made out to be

[snow blade]

I mean its not like clocks cant exist outside blator

[mental pasture]

You have a fair point

Clock’s take dev time

For sure

[snow blade]

::

[mental pasture]

I agree

[snow blade]

:3*

[mental pasture]

But that’s why this is a suggestion channel

The dev can see and choose whether or not it’s worth implementing a clock

No reason to insult anyone or get philosophical over it

[snow blade]

I’m actually thunk in disguise

[mental pasture]

I don’t even care about the clock personally

But it’s just not that big of a deal and it sucks to see the OP get so thrashed for… asking for something? It’s not even a demand

[snow blade]

I aint thrashibg

Sorry if it seemed like that

[hexed breach]

why is there 300 messages in here

this server is so argumentative lmao

[mental pasture]

Clocks are controversial innit

[snow blade]

Funny debate momento

Its really just me being annoying lok

Lol

[south lantern]

Its fine

If you dont like something, you should say it out.

[snow blade]

Idk why but i always bash on suggestions

Sometimes dor good reasons because dumb jonkler suggestions

[mental pasture]

If people were just like “lmao, I hate clocks” this thread would be much shorter vs. These vicious clocks, I say, verily ruin the gameplay. Oh what can one do, it is but folly to implement such a feature for its repercussions might be grand

[snow blade]

Dude

Please dont poke fun at me

[mental pasture]

I’m not poking fun at you

[snow blade]

Or mock or whatever you call that

[mental pasture]

I just found the harmless argument so funny and weird

[snow blade]

Thats just rude man

[mental pasture]

I think you’re fine

[snow blade]

Im not hurt thou

[south lantern]

Because people isnt hating on clock, they are againist adding meaningless thing that has interact with no gameplay element and could waste the dev's time.
It is not a simple "I hate clock". There is actual reasoning.

[mental pasture]

Again, that’s up for the dev to decide

That’s why it’s a suggestions channel

Lel

[snow blade]

Honestly aside from dev time

I think a random clock on the screen would make the ui just a little crowded

[mental pasture]

See that’s fair

[snow blade]

Though thats solvable with it being togglable i guess

Still thou

If most people are turning it off why add

Howd it take me this long to think of a reasonable argument 😭

[mental pasture]

Tbf, I’m pretty sure most people don’t have colorblind accessibility settings on in video games and those definitely should always be added

Not that it’s the same thing

Just a thought

[south lantern]

I feel like xan really showcased what I said here. People will defend these "small, harmless" suggestion even if they dont care about it. People act crazy when someone is againist these kind of suggestions. People will claim them to be controversialist or overcomplicate simple subject. While I think it should be valid to express their opinion on both side of the subject.
I think people should upvote a suggestion when they actually want it, not when someone else wanted it and they dont care about it.

[mental pasture]

I mean I like it.. just not as much as you hate it lol

[lost turret]

I'm not going to read anything in this discussion but you're all wrong

[south lantern]

I dont care if a clock is being added or not. Someone educated me with a screenshot of another roguelike and I think it is funny too.
I just hated when someone use these kind of term to shut down any discussion. It is simple doesnt mean it should be added, it is toggleble doesnt mean it should be added.

[snow blade]

Meow

[mental pasture]

I’m not even pushing for the clock to be added

Just odd how bothered people are by an idea of a clock

[snow blade]

Its not odd at all

Stop being weird…

[dawn siren]

All of you arguing over a clock and I just want the option to know what time it is in game.. if it can be toggled why complain about it?

[snow blade]

Wonderful argument

[little flame]

get misprint to randomly display the time

it's the only way

[dawn siren]

Not as wonderful as you, buddy.

[little flame]

we got compliments in chat 🥺

[snow blade]

Aww

:3