Dev Q&A

[tough tide]

Hello! Please read the entirety of this post before commenting below.

What topics are we collecting questions for?

• update v3.12
• the future of RISK
• content (like our next map pack 😉 )
• things you’d like to see change
• what you want to see etc.

Where will questions be answered (and which questions)?
The dev team will be reading through all of the questions (minus any removed due to being off-topic or violating server rules)

• We’ll likely not have time to answer every single question posted
• We’ll be looking to answer questions that are more frequent / that we can answer
• Our video will be posted on https://www.youtube.com/@SMGStudio - however we will also be posting a link to the video here and in #news_announcements .

If your question isn’t answered in the video when it is published

• It may be off-topic, we may not have had time to include your question vs. others, or it may require too much time to answer for example.
• If you’d like to hear back from us directly you can open a support ticket at https://smgstudio.freshdesk.com/support/tickets/new

Posting info

• 15 minute slowmode for messages
• Although this is a low slowmode, please do not use this for discussions - use another channel if you’d like to discuss someone’s question with them, if they’d like to amend their question they can edit it.
• Discussions will be removed by @Community Staff
• Server rules (found in #⬟welcome) still apply here!
• Questions will be closed: at 00:00 UTC, 27th of July 2023. (Approximately 42 hours). This way everyone gets a chance to ask a question regardless of time zones.
• We will open this post briefly to add our video once it’s live before closing again.
• Not a bug report or support channel!
• If you have any bug reports or need help with RISK please contact us directly at https://smgstudio.freshdesk.com/support/tickets/new
• Bugs / support related questions will be removed by @Community Staff

[unkempt cloud]

Hello! Thanks for making such a great representation of such a loved game! 2 question
first, is there any chance to get some IP level maps/cosmetics? I know there are many inset-brand-here risk games, I would love to dip my toes into those worlds as well
Second - the dice hate me. Is there a secret code to make them stop loosing battles like 6vs1 or 12vs3? Or perhaps a way to punish them? Palpatine lightning comes to mind
Thank you for the far too many extra hours of fun!

[sage latch]

What happened to Cap defense? I’ve been seeing hits on my cap that are better than off cap hits. Hundreds of defensive troops and the opponent gets a positive kill ratio.
It doesn’t seem like there’s 3 dice defending every turn anymore. So, what’s the deal?

[raven mural]

Is it possible to get an indication of how many bots are in the list of players when searching for a game to take part in? Fed up going into a game looking for 1 player to commence to find most other players are bots!

[pale flower]

Will there be any changes to the ranked mode in the future and if so where do you see it going?

[median jungle]

Are you planning to add new chat phrases to improve communication (Maybe not only those visible for everyone, but maybe some specific ones you can send to allies)?

[gusty notch]

1. How does the estimation code work for large numbers in balanced blitz? This part of the code is where the bugs arise, but has been kept secret for 2+ years

2. Was @lavish osprey’ theory that 1 card gets stuck at the bottom of the deck when shuffled in each game correct?

3. What determines which territory of each player the zombies will infect at the start of the game?

4. What determines the pattern behind which territories zombies attack? How does this change for portals and blizzards?

5. When will the zombie bug, where they infect but can’t attack, be fixed?

6. What plans are there to expand the competitive side of Risk, especially tournaments?

7. What will be updated in the network overhaul devs have been working on? And which frequent connection bugs will it fix?

[lavish osprey]

Do you intend on changing any dice mechanic? For example the slider, estemations or the ??? displayed when hitting 1k+ against 1k+.
Are there any plans (in developement) to change the rank gain from botting out?
Are there any plans to speed up mobile players?
Are you working on a solution to lobbies in which people don't ready up? For example send people back to the Lobby.
Do you plan on updating tooltips ingame?
Will you translate the fair play rules into your supported client languages to ensure that people understand them?
That should be enough for now

[unique rune]

Q: Will this game have better looking female commanders, i would prefer too look at a beautiful chick then some old wrinkly commander?

[upbeat anchor]

What percentage of all battles (or maybe also just for Balanced Blitz, if possible) involves just 1 defender?

[rough kayak]

Are you going to go over all your other offline risk boards & see which ones to include?

[shut path]

What map content can we expect to see in the next map pack, and when is that pack expected to be announced/released?

[signal nexus]

Do you plan to speed up mobile? Mobile players are at a disadvantage speed wise

[urban tiger]

to what extent are you going to fix two things: the blitz slider and the issue of collaboration?

[lethal carbon]

Thanks for continuing to engage with the community and developing the game we all love. Two content related questions from me:

1. Have you considered adding a “favourite” button for maps which bumps them to the top of the map list when creating a lobby? This would help save a bit of time as more and more map packs are added to the game.

2. Will we see any sort of guild functionality in the future? E.g. Max 20 players per guild, specific unlockables only accessible through guilds/guild events based on activity (games played/won per season etc.).

[tribal zodiac]

Can you make it so I can type my own profile name without needing another steam profile to connect it? Also why can’t I change my profile name?

[hot marlin]

Question: why is there no North America, South America, or Full Asia map where like you fight over the entire continent instead of just a chunk of it

[median jungle]

Are you planning to add zombies & capitals option/gamemode? Currently zombies vs cap dice rules dont have any use...

[silent crow]

How big is the team that works on Risk?

Are we likely to see the ready button in the lobby by the next update?

[narrow ore]

Are you guys considering a sandbox update?
It would be great to have more flexibility and freedom when creating games. This could include, but is not limited to:

• Placement of (stable) portals / blizzards
• Card progression, perhaps with a limit
• Time limit
• Max amount of troops on capital
• Options to reduce card luck (guaranteed set on 3/4)
• Predetermined spawn positions & amount of troops

Obviously some of these options will unsettle the balance of the game, and should only be possible in Casual / Play with friends / Pass and Play

What plans are there to discourage and stop people from botting out during a game?

Are there any plans to overhaul the ranking system?
It would be great to have a ranking system where people don't just play one map/settings. I personally think some kind of playlist with viable settings could help solve this problem. This might need to include points for bounties and perhaps some kind of karma system where people who suicide frequently (i.e. ruining games) are not queued together with those with a high karma

[quartz girder]

Is there a possibility (however long-term or low-priority) that we could get a sandbox mode (manually placing blizzards, maybe starting locations for all players, etc) for private games? It would be especially useful for tournaments. Also, is there any possibility of customization (eg modding)? A practical example: changing how progressive sets increase, changing continent bonuses, etc. Basically, a more thorough, complete sandbox mode where everything can be adjusted for a private game.

[quartz girder]

1. What zombie mechanics can you tell us about, and are there some you don't want to reveal? Eg: is there an algo (or several) that determines pathing; which territory gets infected at the start (or later, if they're dead/too weak); how do blizzards/portals change things.
2. Are there plans to expand tournaments? If other people are willing to create and run large tournaments, would SMG be fine with that? The Kill Pete Open had record numbers!
3. I know this gets asked a lot, so I'll just say: Slider (having it start at 100% succes instead of 100% of your attacking troops)
4. How do you feel about adding a blocked list? Since collaboration isn't always easy to auto-detect, being able to block people would help mitigate the problem.
5. I would LOVE to combine game modes, eg Zombie Caps; Caps 70%; Zombies 70%; etc.
6. For multiplayer, will the new system allow us to un-request alliances (or have the requests time out after a few minutes)? Will we have a "social battle log" where we can see what people have said?

[limpid stirrup]

• Is it even possibly to make a spectator code for lobbies where someone can login as a spectator for a full game without seeing card information from any of the players?

• What is the reluctance to removing camera animations as the default for new players?

• Can the slider be fixed to always default to the minimum risk 100% roll?

• What goals are you guys trying to accomplish in the near future with the game?

[pale flower]

Hi there, just want to say that I am a big fan of the game and am excited for the potential of this game. I am interested in creating tools and features for the community.

Do you plan on adding any official modding support?

What is the game's policy on modding? Are there any particular rules or guidelines we should follow?

Is the game client-server based or peer-to-peer? How does it handle network operations?

Thank you!

[high herald]

Far too many people literally teaming. Feels like it's irl teaming they'll create a game, invite each other and then 2vs1vs1vs1 the lobby.

Seen the same 2 people on the same game doing the same thing so many times now.

Is there a way to block or report players. I get creating an alliance but this takes it to a whole new level.

[burnt sun]

During a previous developer’s forum there was some discussion about creating a way to recognize the sizable population of people who play solo games.  Has there been any progress in this area?  Perhaps a solo game leaderboard based on XP points (giving some weight to those who play against expert vs. beginner AI opponents).

[burnt sun]

Is the Best Players leaderboard at https://www.hasbrorisk.com ever going to be fixed or removed?  It has been broken for several seasons.

[burnt sun]

Has any consideration been given to creating a custom tool that would allow users modify the look of their avatar (e.g. hair color, eye color, skin tone, accessories, etc).  The tool could be limited to premium users to encourage base users to upgrade.  Or there could be a coin/gem cost for each custom avatar.  Either way, it could help generate revenue while enhancing the game environment.  If this is not feasible, adding additional avatars – especially female and gender-neutral ones would be desirable.

[burnt sun]

The vast majority of users play the Classic map without modifiers.  In contrast, most individuals at the top of the current leaderboards play highly specialized games using premium maps and modifiers that provide higher win rates.  Has any consideration been given to establishing leaderboards that reflect the game mode(s) used by the majority of players?  Some might suggest that the current leaderboards reflect who is best at selecting niche settings that are unfamiliar to most of their competitors versus who is best at the settings played by the majority.

[burnt sun]

When AI players or zombies are selected to be included in a ranked game, they do not directly impact the number of skill points earned or lost.  Once a player defeats all human opponents, the current system requires all remaining AI or zombie players be eliminated in order to earn the win.  This often requires quite a bit of extra time, yet no skill points are awarded for the effort.  Could the game be automatically ended and a win awarded once the last remaining human opponent is eliminated?

[quartz girder]

Is it possible to get a spectator mode? Would be amazing for tournaments. A special code for private games where someone can watch without seeing a player's cards.

[tough tide]

Thank you everyone for your questions! We will try to answer as many of these as possible. For any that don't get answered I'll do my best to answer here for you! 🙂