Nice twist on common deck builder debuffs

[david]

I am playing on Android, and an early very positive impression is based on the way debuffs are more distinct and interesting than in many deck building games.

There are three (?) bars that can fill up with debuff points. When filled Arcane will explode causing damage and buff removal, Frost will cause a lost turn, and Shock will cause the next incoming damage amount to double. (All three types can be applied directly, as DoTs, or as "thorns".)

Bleed causes damage at the end of turn proportional to number of cards played. A clever twist on this debuff! Arcane Leak similarly fills arcane points per card played.

Poison causes damage per stack and then stacks decrease. Curse is "super poison" and doesn't decrease. (There are buffs named Mighty and Powerful that similarly differ by if they decrease.)

Most debuffs (like Bleed) remove 1 stack each turn. Most debuffs cause a fixed effect, irregardless of stack count: Burn (damage). Frostbite (frost), Overcharged (shock), Leech (lifesteal). Frail reduces healing.

Naturally, there are the standard boring debuffs Critical/Ambushed (increased critical hit chance) Vulnerable (more damage taken), and Weak (less damage dealt). Worth including even if implemented in the same way all deck builders use them.

So far the "elephant in the room" is whether these clever innovations will make a worthwhile game, or are simply nifty ideas that deserve to be used in a deck building game but do not on their own merit yet another deck builder.

Across the Obelisk has coop play.

Gordian Quest tells a RPG story.

Vault of the Void requires intense planning before starting a run.

This game has...intriguing mechanics. Huzzah! But that is icing on the cake, not a reason to find the game addictive. It is "win more" for existing customers, not a sales pitch. It is like a husband who does most of the housework: a nice perk if he already meets your standards for attractiveness, age, height, wealth, and personality, but no one marries Dilbert just because he is useful.

Forgive me if I am wrong and merely have not played enough to see what this game is really about. I am trying to both be encouraging to the developer (I really like what I see!) while suggesting what Early Access time needs to work on for eventual financial success.

Surely a developer clever enough to create such satisfying mechanics can also create a sales pitch that stands out from the crowd. :-)

[Baronnerie Games]

Hello David!

Thank your for the long post, it was quite interesting to hear your take on the mechanics!

I agree with you: having interesting debuffs is hardly a sales pitch.

What are your thoughts on the game's metaprogression, in particular the deckbuilding that's fully customizable before a run?

In my mind, that part was what made the game stand apart from the rest: it's the only roguelike deckbuilder I've seen or heard of that allows the player to fully decide which cards they'll see during a run and fully customize their starting deck.

If I had to choose a selling point, that would be it: the debuffs are indeed simply the icing on the cake!

[david]

I have not played enough to get to the part you mention.

Unfortunately, I am playing Across the Obelisk with friends these days, and can't keep two deck builders in my brain at once. But when I return to this game, I will keep what you say in mind.

[Cacicu]

Hello!

Originally posted by Baronnerie Games:

What are your thoughts on the game's metaprogression, in particular the deckbuilding that's fully customizable before a run?

Maybe I can answer it.

I like that you can build a base deck made of simple/basic cards, and choose what cards you can get during the run. It's really frustrating when you play a deck build game and spend like 30~40 minutes on a run, wanting to build a certain kind of build and never get those cards. I think it's very positive that you can filter cards you may get. I get to build new decks every 2~3 runs and it's very interesting.

I'll take this chance to give you more feedback. I think that are many cards and also characters that are very unbalanced.

It's very clear to me how easy it's to go longer with Caitan than Silan and I think it's about how well (or don't) they scale. I think scaling is a very important factor that not every characters get it good. Silan I try to play mainly on applying Arcane debufs, this is what it's good at, but it doenst scale well, since a few debufs applied I start needing like 15 mana to the next activation which need 40, 50 or more Arcane.

[The Worst]

Originally posted by Baronnerie Games:

Hello David!

Thank your for the long post, it was quite interesting to hear your take on the mechanics!

I agree with you: having interesting debuffs is hardly a sales pitch.

What are your thoughts on the game's metaprogression, in particular the deckbuilding that's fully customizable before a run?

In my mind, that part was what made the game stand apart from the rest: it's the only roguelike deckbuilder I've seen or heard of that allows the player to fully decide which cards they'll see during a run and fully customize their starting deck.

If I had to choose a selling point, that would be it: the debuffs are indeed simply the icing on the cake!

I'll step in on this one; I love the custom pool idea BUT when it first unlocks, it should either autofill to 30/30 or have its own mini-tutorial so as to avoid information overload. I'm a veteran of probably 300 different Roguelikes, 50 or so of which have been deckbuilders, and I understood what was going on right away, but this would be head-explode stuff for someone playing this as their first RLDB.

It's easy to grasp "these are the cards you may see on your journeys" but it means that unless prompted to by other players - and as of yet there's no in game guilds/communication - people are stuck with only their own card evaluation skills to guide them and could create a frustrating experience by giving themselves junky pools. (A daily/weekly challenge mode could help expose people to cards they don't usually use.)

Also; good move making the currency you unlock packs with different than the one you buy stuff in market/quest board with. Making people choose between packs and town upgrades would have been cruel.

Hoping to see a pyromancer character in the future. Actually I can come up with a fair number of character concepts.

Hoping to see more chances to upgrade cards. Maybe events like "upgrade all your cards, but set max shields = 0" (meaning your block can only last turn to turn) or a piece of equipment that upgrades a random (or even chosen) card in hand each turn for the rest of the battle. I get feelbads having a ~20 card deck with 5-6 cards upgraded tops in most runs.

I'm gonna go looking to see if you have a Discord I can be too wordy on.

[Baronnerie Games]

Originally posted by The Worst:

I'll step in on this one; I love the custom pool idea BUT when it first unlocks, it should either autofill to 30/30 or have its own mini-tutorial so as to avoid information overload. I'm a veteran of probably 300 different Roguelikes, 50 or so of which have been deckbuilders, and I understood what was going on right away, but this would be head-explode stuff for someone playing this as their first RLDB.

I agree, we still need to work on the early-game experience!

Originally posted by The Worst:

I'm gonna go looking to see if you have a Discord I can be too wordy on.

We do have a Discord, you can find the link in-game, in the top-left corner of the main menu screen! I'm eager to read all of your suggestions and ideas in there!

[ImOnYourSide]

Any chance this gets coop? Me and my friends love Across the Obelisk and I play mainly only coop games.