Just got a beta invite to this after I signed up like a year ago. Is there still a large card power gap between existing players and new ones? Any way to acquire a semi-competitive deck without spending tons of cash?
Hex: Shards of Fate TCG - Set 7: Frostheart 6/29/17
- Thread starter Draegan_sl
- Start date
I draft and do pretty well. Unless you have crap luck, $30 should last you a long while. That said, everyone is waiting for pve for other means of building cards. My guess is that it will not hit until the new year but I think others are slightly more optimistic.
Mahes
Ahn'Qiraj Raider
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This is the 2nd consecutive patch that has broke more than it fixed. The game is progressing, but so does the Universe expand. The amount of time and wonky patches this is taking is going to start to become a running joke pretty soon. The PvE is a long way off. I figured February would be a reasonable time frame but if they keep pushing back Open Beta and Set 2 because they keep falling behind with patching patches, I honestly have no idea when it will come out. I wonder if this gets to May of next year with no PvE, would 2 years seem to long to expect a Kickstarter reward? There needs to be a limitation with time of development with a Kickstarter campaign.
I don't have a lot of time for video games anymore these days. I may be selling my GK account if anyone is interested.
My take on it:
It's a decent MODO clone. Pros: It's cheaper than a MODO habit is. Cons: It's not MODO.
As it exists, the client is fairly buggy and there doesn't seem to be many people online at any given time. Draft Queues are firing every ~30 minutes tonight, which seems low given the # of Kickstarter backers and people they've admitted over the year. I'm hesitant to drop a load of cash as Hearthstone has spoiled me a bit on both T and CCGs. Not necessarily with how cheap it is, but it is honestly really nice to be able to stop an Arena run whenever I feel like it and come back after dinner or the next day/week. After not playing MODO for the last year, 2+ hr draft queues where you need to actively be at the computer are a bit frustrating. I understand it's the game genre, but the convenience of the HS Arena mode cannot be understated for anyone who has real life commitments with children and spouses.
I do enjoy that they priced themselves somewhat competitively compared to Magic and think the VIP program is a great idea for casual folks like myself, but after reading why they're discontinuing it I'm a bit concerned about pack price inflation over time. The game obviously caters more to the MTG crowd who wants to spend lots of cash, but I have doubts that the market can support a second game that is 100% MTG. If I have to pay $7 per draft (assuming AH prices rise closer to retail), I might just consider going back to MTG. Hex offers nothing new without the PVE aspect, and I think they are going to alienate a lot of potential customers by the time it ends up coming out. Every message in chat from new players is along the lines of 'So, how can I get new cards without spending money?'. Releasing a pay to play game in a world that's become accustomed to F2P grinds is going to be a hard pill to swallow for many players.
It's a decent MODO clone. Pros: It's cheaper than a MODO habit is. Cons: It's not MODO.
As it exists, the client is fairly buggy and there doesn't seem to be many people online at any given time. Draft Queues are firing every ~30 minutes tonight, which seems low given the # of Kickstarter backers and people they've admitted over the year. I'm hesitant to drop a load of cash as Hearthstone has spoiled me a bit on both T and CCGs. Not necessarily with how cheap it is, but it is honestly really nice to be able to stop an Arena run whenever I feel like it and come back after dinner or the next day/week. After not playing MODO for the last year, 2+ hr draft queues where you need to actively be at the computer are a bit frustrating. I understand it's the game genre, but the convenience of the HS Arena mode cannot be understated for anyone who has real life commitments with children and spouses.
I do enjoy that they priced themselves somewhat competitively compared to Magic and think the VIP program is a great idea for casual folks like myself, but after reading why they're discontinuing it I'm a bit concerned about pack price inflation over time. The game obviously caters more to the MTG crowd who wants to spend lots of cash, but I have doubts that the market can support a second game that is 100% MTG. If I have to pay $7 per draft (assuming AH prices rise closer to retail), I might just consider going back to MTG. Hex offers nothing new without the PVE aspect, and I think they are going to alienate a lot of potential customers by the time it ends up coming out. Every message in chat from new players is along the lines of 'So, how can I get new cards without spending money?'. Releasing a pay to play game in a world that's become accustomed to F2P grinds is going to be a hard pill to swallow for many players.
The patch today introduced 100 gold for each random match win. I also think that somehow broke the game but there is now a way to play to win gold to buy cards on the AH. Not exactly a pve experience, but at least a reasonable interim step to get new people playing.
Sinzar
Trakanon Raider
- 3,149
- 269
This is my problem with HEX. I got into the beta a few weeks ago, loaded it up, and was like ok how do I start building my collection. Then I found out it was pay or go home, so I pretty much haven't played since. After hearthstone, duel of champions, solforge, infinity wars, and whatever other online CCG's, will this game really have a strong playerbase if it's cash only? If and when PvE is finally added sometime in the next decade, and if it's more than just a minor sidegame, I'll take back what I just said.
Opinions on this vary. There are a lot of arguments among backers about how important a strong pve element is. I would have said it was a requirement but I have been surprised by the number of people spending huge money on the beta, so I think it is probably possible to build a profitable player base without it. I still think it will be far more of a success with the pve stuff they have promised in though.
Mahes
Ahn'Qiraj Raider
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For the most part every concern you have has been addressed many times in the Hex forums. Asynch play is something they are working on as I agree with you that I hate sitting in front of my computer waiting and waiting to play a game. Player verse environment is crucial for this game to succeed. This is the main reason why I have said very little to a couple of friends I have that play Magic. There needs to be a way for a player to earn cards besides purchasing them. Even if it takes a player a long time to get an Angel, the method has to be a part of the game.
If not for the kickstarter rewards, I would not have even looked at this game. Their rate of releasing features has fallen somewhere in between Blizzard and Duke Nukem Forever this Summer. It is odd because I remember how Cory was all about going into Closed Beta and that the rate of feature delivery would be faster than Alpha. It has not been faster than Alpha.
3rd party article on the lawsuit by an IP lawyer that ends up pro-Hex.
Cryptozoic Responds to Wizards of the Coast Hex Lawsuit
Cryptozoic Responds to Wizards of the Coast Hex Lawsuit
Mahes
Ahn'Qiraj Raider
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Well it only took all Summer but finally a major patch comes out next week. Highlights include:
1. Mailing trade system
2. Completely revamped UI that comes with new in game buttons like "Pass to end phase". UI also looks much better.
3. With new UI comes bug fixes that had been held off until this was implemented.
4. Testing of the new AI system starts with an implementation of an opponent that now bluffs and takes card count into consideration along with many other play features.
Now that the new UI is done I am hoping things like Set 2 and the Arena are just around the corner.
1. Mailing trade system
2. Completely revamped UI that comes with new in game buttons like "Pass to end phase". UI also looks much better.
3. With new UI comes bug fixes that had been held off until this was implemented.
4. Testing of the new AI system starts with an implementation of an opponent that now bluffs and takes card count into consideration along with many other play features.
Now that the new UI is done I am hoping things like Set 2 and the Arena are just around the corner.