I think eventually having a range of modes would be good, however default option would be to have all players together. I think that when a T0 player beats someone with a few Stage 1 T1-5s on the board, that’s a good feeling. If they climb a bit higher and lose to people who have a few Stage 2-3s, then they see the impact of composite classes/affinities. This could be the motivator for them to eventually put some money into the ecosystem.
#Tier 0 Only PVP Game Mode
latent sluice
tough heart
Having a wide range of modes available over time would be good. Cycle through them like legacy games do today. Makes it easier to run specific competitions and have more flexibility in marketing activations. So a ranked T0-only pvp mode for X amount of time, or a tournament, etc. then you cycle in a new game mode and run it back again.
bitter plaza
I think eventually having a range of modes would be good, however default option...
So I tried gods unchained to see if I wanted to invest. I stopped playing gods unchained after I realized that decks with purchased cards were infinitely better. I outplayed my opponent but his cards carried him. I think having a mode of only T0 is important to keep the interest of free players instead of quitting the game instinctively because it feels unfair.
quartz bolt
This has been discussed allready a few times and my honest take is just that i fear it just won't be fun...
Making a Deck of 8 Illuvials or more while only technically having 5 different options in 5 different colors...
So here's how it's gonna play:
P1:
3xgrokko
2xattipo
3x flish
P2:
probably the same
placid urchin
This has been discussed allready a few times and my honest take is just that i f...
Maybe a mode like Arena in Hearthstone would be better where a player builds out a deck. It's fun and it evens the playing field for F2P players a bit more. There could also be cosmetic rewards for going on a long streak of wins with the same deck or multiple streaks with different decks, or a streak of streaks with different decks. So, win 5 in a row with deck A, play again and win 5 in a row with deck B, play again and win 5 in a row with deck C. The rewards can be as difficult or as easy as the Illuvium team wants but at least F2P players who are highly skilled get a little something. The whole idea is so F2P players don't get crushed by higher tier illuvials. I understand there will be a ranked mode, but there will still be players with higher tier illuvials at lower ranks which could be discouraging if there are no other modes where the playing field is even across players. The longer a F2P plays, the increased likelihood they become a paying player, which is good for the DAO. I also remember Grant saying they are going to change the appearance a little bit of the different stages for the tier 0 illuvials to make them more unique.
quartz bolt
Maybe a mode like Arena in Hearthstone would be better where a player builds out...
Yeah i'd love to see such thing happen, with this said... a card based game is inherently Pay2Win and has to. If not, people have no reason to buy cards. And the psychology behind it is that the frustration of losing against "stronger/more expensive" decks is actually what leads people to buy.
Some may think this is a sadistic use of human psychology but that's how sales work (specially in video-games industry), frustration is an excellent fuel for buying. Past web2 games use this very well like Fifa Ultimate Team, the game is essentially skill-based but still people get frustrated for losing too often (reality being they're just bad) and end up buying packs to try to upgrade their squad.
In Gacha-style games the same thing happens: They give a lot of stuff for free at the beginning, and the more you play the harder it gets to receive in-game currency so you end up FRUSTRATED for playing without seeing a progress and pay to speed it up.
So I support ideas for improving the F2P user experience, and also feel like what we have for now might not be enough. I just feel like this one isn't it. We also had worked on a proposal last year with Caveman for a Hearthstone like arena mode and rewards system but that just didn't make it, so I don't feel like that's happening anytime soon.
placid urchin
Yeah i'd love to see such thing happen, with this said... a card based game is ...
I agree with the frustration part to an extent. If there's a f2p game and too much of the game is pay to win, and there aren't game modes that are fun for f2p players, they may play briefly, get frustrated, then just quit the game. If they're reeled in with certain game modes that are actually fun for f2p players, they may stick around long enough to play the other game modes and become a paying player.
The rewards for the pay and play game modes should be bigger than the rewards for the free to play catered game modes, but I think the gameplay experience should be enjoyable for both.
Additionally with FIFA, they've already committed the $60 for the game so its easier for a person to spend money on packs to enhance their gameplay experience. There's no commitment with a F2P game like Illuvium, so you have to get them committed with the amount of time they've spent and I don't know how many players will spend a lot of time if they're frustrated from the beginning. They have nothing to lose by quitting if they just started playing. A FIFA player loses $60 by quitting after playing briefly.
quaint ginkgo
There could be a new player queue, possibly with restrictions on your deck. But T0 only is just not going to be a good experience at all.
A queue with no expensive illuvials (however you determine that. No T5s or something idk). That you can only play on for 20 games or so.
It would not be F2P.