First off, this interview. The very first question.https://kotaku.com/hearthstones-balancer-in-chief-prepares-for-boomsday-1828139437 …
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It's clear to anyone with any idea of game balance that Blizzard is following the M:tG approach of "you have to buy the new set to be competitive," but the Blizzard rep flat out denies it, and the interviewer doesn't follow up on the denial. This is not good reporting.
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Hearthstone, from Gnomes vs. Goblins onwards, has steadfastly held to the idea that new cards are better than old cards, and you need them in order to compete (Enemy Number One - Dr. Boom)
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The reporter should have immediately called the Blizzard rep on this blatant falsehood (that they're *not* deliberately making "better" cards with each expansion), and asked for an explanation. That's what reporting is.
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Be that as it may, I doubt it's going to change. The strategy makes Blizzard money, and it's gonna stay in place. I merely point it out as an example. My second irritation is the gushing over Keyforge, the new game by Richard Garfield (creator of M:tG).
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A single glance at Keyforge's model is to gaze into the abyss, with all of Nietzsche's demons gazing back. It is a game designed solely to separate the player from their money, all of Richard Garfield's words about "reclaiming the beginning of Magic" notwithstanding.
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This game is essentially a physical copy of the gacha model currently super popular in Asian games (where you essentially pay money to pull the slot machine).
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Since your deck is random, and there is no deckbuilding, it's inevitable that some random combinations of decks will be better than others. You might have a 40% win deck, and your friend might have an 80% win deck. That's where the gacha model strikes.
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No one likes losing. Losing sucks, and if you want to beat your friend (and you have disposable income), you're going to buy more decks to pull that winner. It's the same mentality that causes people to spend $10k a month on lootboxes.
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And I'd be willing to bet a very large sum of money that the Keyforge model calls for an expansion release, let's call it, oh, say, four months from now, that introduces new decks with new mechanics that are ever so *slightly* better.
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Same model as Hearthstone, same model as M:tG, buy the new stuff or get left behind. And yeah, if that's your business model, that's your business model. You're counting on people not noticing.
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But holy shit, stop lying to them. That's all I ask. Stop pretending you care about the player as anything other than a cash spewing mark you're trying to nail.
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Anyways, I have Thoughts™. Good night.
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