Some suggestions for fair RNG.

[The Alpha and Omega]

I like the game, but there are some limitations that make playing more frustrating than fun, one being that it's an RNG struggle to get a decent set of pets that compliment each other, and if you're lucky to get them by mid-game, their overall stats are too low and you end up losing.

Another problem is that the shop often cycles the same pets over and over again that the player isn't using, sometimes even after 10 rolls. I get it's a game of chance, but it takes away the fun when there isn't a fair distribution of pets that allows the player to build a decent deck.

Below are some suggestions aimed at balancing the game to increase the odds of the player getting a decent deck (and a more satisfying game) while still utilizing the luck-based RNG mechanic:

Option 1: Program the shop to keep track of which pets the player is using (and not using) and then offering the selected pets in the shop more frequently. Purchased and frozen pets have a higher chance of appearing more frequently on future rolls, while ignored pets have less of a chance of appearing.

Option 2: Increase the chances of the shop displaying pets that compliments or synergizes with pets the player already owns. So if the player owns a Horse, there's a higher chance that the shop will display pets who can summon.

Option 3: Hibernate. Similar to how Freeze works, the player can Hibernate a shop pet, it "falls asleep" and reduces the chances of it appearing in the shop for the remainder of the game. It may appear again on later tiers, just not as often as other pets.

Option 4: A permanent chocolate bar in the shop that costs 6 or 7 gold. The player now has the option of rolling the shop to get a cheaper pet, or spending more gold to upgrade a current one. Not really RNG based but a quick fix for the problem.

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OTHER SUGGESTIONS:

- Reduce the penalty of losses down to 2 hearts max. It makes the game longer, but gives the player the opportunity to build a decent deck each game even if he loses.

- Increase the sell price of pets based on how much was already invested. The current sell price for pets is unfairly low because it doesn't account for food bought nor the costs of leveling up. Buying a pet, upgrading it to level 2, and feeding it all cost 12 gold, but it's sell price is only 2 gold!? REEEEEEEEEE! The other problem is that most low-tier pets are no match for higher tiers, which forces the player sell them for little gold and feels like starting over with a new deck while in the middle of a game. Recommend that pets be sold for half (or two-thirds) of what the player invested into it. This allows the player to buy and upgrade new pets faster and makes for a fairer fight against higher-tier opponents.

- Buff low-tier pets so that they're still useful even in endgame. Most low-tier pets are no match for higher tiers, which forces the player to virtually start over with a new deck of low level pets by mid-game. A few ideas for buffing:
--- Low-tier pets deal damage as a percentage of the opponent's health.
--- Pet gains +2 Damage/Health every 2 wins it's in the party.
--- Create a few pets that specifically buff low-tier pets.


Some suggestions for game modes here.

[1.2M | Missingno.]

By making leveling easier, you're making it faster, which would heavily disrupt the game's power curve and balancing. Consider what kind of impact this would have on pets like Bison, Penguin, Jellyfish, Clownfish, Dragonfly, Lynx, White Tiger, Blobfish, Alpaca, etc. All of these are designed and balanced around the typical rate of XP gain, and would be disrupted if experience became more common.

As for having to sell and pivot from your low tier pets in the midgame and lategame, that too is by design. If you start biasing the game to just keep showing what you have, pivoting becomes harder and worse. Same goes for making it easier to level and invest in your current pets, the sunk cost disincentives switching off your early tier 1 level 3s.

Originally posted by https://www.reddit.com/r/superautopets/comments/u9dxg6/developers_perspective_on_game_balance/:

Pets must encourage team swapping. The game is most interesting when players have to make a tense decision between sticking to their current team or swapping them out.

The fact that the shop adds more slots over time is the game's mechanism to help you find stuff, and that supports both investing and pivoting equally. I don't think anything additional is needed on top of that.

[73Datsun240Z]

[Post deleted because it hurt lucky people’s feelings]