tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post8698298859641529400..comments2024-03-11T02:32:15.295-04:00Comments on Goblin Artisans: Learning Duel Masters (2)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-70038142547165458892012-05-22T10:33:55.846-04:002012-05-22T10:33:55.846-04:00Hey Tigt, great question. So great, it's worth...Hey Tigt, great question. So great, it's worth an article all its own. The short answer is that both systems have merit and are mostly just different. That said, I would be inclined to use the DM system before the Magic system for the majority of new games because I believe the niche it fills satisfies more players.Jay Treathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09428861685923241850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-32185617624984625252012-05-22T10:16:22.353-04:002012-05-22T10:16:22.353-04:00Hey Jay, I've been mulling over this issue for...Hey Jay, I've been mulling over this issue for a while now, and I was wondering if you have the perspective to help answer it.<br /><br />DM's manabase is mostly automatic; if you have 40% Nature/50% Fire civs, your manabase is pretty much exactly where it needs to be. This is attractive from several standpoints, as you're never stuck with just a land or with another spell when you've got nothing to power it with.<br /><br />However, Rosewater has stated on a few occasions that these are good things. http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/mm/145<br />This is a good example, and I can't find the one where he specifically states that he prefers Magic's Lands over DM's system, but the main ideas are A.) Variance revolving around the luck of the draw B.) You don't have as many unique moving parts in your deck. (MaRo's article labels these two points as #5 and #6.)<br /><br />However, I think variance still happens when you pull a card that has a cost either below what would be useful, or higher than you can cast. The second part I think is mitigated through a smaller deck size.<br /><br />Another argument is that constructing Magic's manabases has greater control and fine-tuning; splashing in DM requires a little more critical mass, etc. I'm biased because constructing the exact right amount of lands bores the hell out of me, and paying for expensive nonbasics doesn't strike me as "fun" either.<br /><br />If you were designing a similar game, would you go with how Magic or Duel Masters does it?Tigthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11018253211543720641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-69129589404860252342012-05-21T18:36:19.474-04:002012-05-21T18:36:19.474-04:00Hell, I'd probably still like it with those le...Hell, I'd probably still like it with those left in just because I wouldn't have to watch or click through all the animations.<br /><br />That one Light guy is pure BS, though. You know the one I mean.Alex Spaldinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03747145070824848773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-27360492947768252132012-05-21T18:28:51.342-04:002012-05-21T18:28:51.342-04:00If the Flash game were designed as a physical prod...If the Flash game were designed as a physical product for two or more players, they'd definitely need to remove all the one-sided boardwipes.metaghosthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18301191638894756414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-67191880460141398862012-05-21T18:08:42.861-04:002012-05-21T18:08:42.861-04:00I was checking out the Kaijudo site yesterday, see...I was checking out the Kaijudo site yesterday, seeing if I could find some more info about the rules and such as it comes closer to release. There doesn't seem to be much along those lines yet, but I did find a couple of things that made the time spent worthwhile.<br /><br />First, I really like the revamped card faces: http://www.kaijudo.com/products/strategy-articles/card-frame/index.html<br /><br />They're clean, slick, and their bold, bright colors really pop. They're very pleasing to look at, and important information like combat power and casting cost are very easy to read from a distance. The graphical differences between creatures and spells are more subtle than in Duel Masters, but still get the point across (lack of a big Power box in the corner makes things clear either way). I guess that helps them get away with having the card type line as small as it is. The little drop-down symbol indicating a spell with Shield Blast is appealing, too. Reminds me of the Miracle card frame, and it serves basically the same purpose (though this is much more ingrained into core gameplay).<br /><br />My other fortunate find was this flash minigame: http://www.kaijudo.com/games/battlegame/<br /><br />I was initially disappointed to find that it only superficially resembles the actual game of Kaijudo/Duel Masters; rather than a mana system and picking and choosing attacks, it's a much simpler sort of combat game where you're basically stacking up your creatures and trying to get your gang's total power higher than your opponent's to win each round. As I continued playing with it, though, I found that I was actually having quite a bit of fun. The core mechanics are very simple but a bit more nuanced than I first anticipated. I was surprised by how much thought I found myself putting into each move, trying to think ahead and considering the risks and rewards of even seemingly minor decision points. Each of the civilizations has a very unique feel to it as well, having clear strengths and preferred strategies that are presumably reflections of similar themes within the "real" game. I found myself favoring the Darkness deck and easily cleared every challenge presented (removing or mitigating your opponent's support creatures is an extremely potent effect, and found on several cards in that "color," along with forced discard for further resource denial). I cleared with the highly aggressive Fire deck after that, but found myself floundering a bit with the Water deck, whether because of simple bad luck or because I'm just not as good at making use of that civilization's card pool. There aren't Nature or Light decks to play with, at least initially; I believe there are ways to unlock new cards or probably even decks to use.<br /><br />I can honestly say that I enjoyed this "Battle Game" enough that I'd be tempted to buy it if it existed in a physical form. It could easily be translated to simple cardboard, the only real speedbump would be tracking effects that modify a creature's power. But even then, I'd be more than happy to have the game around as a fun, quick diversion from time to time. I'm quite impressed with whoever put the game together; it definitely feels far more robust and well-thought-out than similar sorts of tacked-on minigames I've encountered before. This is simply a fun game in its own right.Alex Spaldinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03747145070824848773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-61964625679592867052012-05-21T15:29:16.702-04:002012-05-21T15:29:16.702-04:00I just found an official searchable Duel Masters d...I <i>just</i> found an official searchable Duel Masters database. <a href="http://www.wizards.com/duelmasters/dmdb.asp" rel="nofollow">Sweet.</a>Jay Treathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09428861685923241850noreply@blogger.com