Discussion Release Notes version 0.35 + Spells

[DeletedUser1397]

Perhaps we've become liabilities? Maybe they consider us too negative and would prefer to write us off so we leave the game/forums and leave them with "new cow".

I think they're just having trouble reconciling their vision of the game with that of the players. Also seems like a poorly managed dev team; I've done paid QA as well as dozens of alpha/beta tests. Their priorities seem out of touch with what the majority of the players want at the moment. I really feel they should have focused all of their efforts on the next guest race before spreading their efforts into minor features like spells and tournaments.

It's possible that adding more people to work on the next guest race could have been moot; sometimes throwing numbers at the problem won't necessarily fix it sooner. It's also possible we're just a vocal minority here on the forums who are unhappy. We could be entirely wrong and the devs have metrics we don't have access to which shows they need to focus on these features for the mid-tier casual players.

It's also possible that in ignoring the more active players that they are slowly killing the game. Seeing the dwarves come out so soon last year was a surprise to me and it excited me to think we could be getting another within 4-6 months. I set my expectations too high and hopefully the team realizes their pace is pushing people to other games.

I really wish they would find a way to release guest races more quickly, because the lack of content is really killing the game at the moment.

 

[Muf-Muf]

We have been reading and reviewing your feedback, and have discussed it with our game designers as well. We're looking to make a few changes to balancing in the following updates. Please keep in mind that immediate delivery is not always possible, as for some of this we need to make bigger changes to the game code than it would seem.

• We'll change bonus that Spells give by increasing the current calculation over just the base production, to also include other bonuses. We had to check what effects this would have on the general game balance (more resources = faster progress, after all). This should hopefully be done today, if all is well with the new game version (we will announce it in the Release Notes thread once this change has been implemented on our Beta worlds).
  
• The duration of the Magical Manufactoring Spell will be slightly increased, as its current 12 hours is just short of making it possible to do 1x 3h and 1x 9h or 4x 3h production. Its duration will be slightly increased with a future update, we just don't have an exact date for this yet.
• We will implement a system where Ancient Wonders will also give points for the rankings, as they currently give none. The score will be based on the number of Knowledge Points used to upgrade them. We hope to offer you this in one of our next updates, but we don't have a solid date for this yet.

We felt that you would like to know that we are indeed looking to improve the game's balancing, and these changes are at least some of the changes we'll be making. We have a few more ideas, but we need to gather a few more details and finish design for those before we'll be able to tell you more about it. As always, we do really appreciate your feedback and are always reading it to further improve Elvenar. So, thanks for sharing your opinions!

 

[DeletedUser1231]

Thank you for having to listen to the players.
This change go in the right direction.

 

[Muf-Muf]

This should hopefully be done today, if all is well with the new game version

Unfortunately we are unable to update today, and have scheduled the release for tomorrow instead. Let's hope no new issues come up in that time that prevent us from updating.

 

[DeletedUser118]

I like the idea of Wonders giving points to players. But to whom?

"The score will be based on the number of Knowledge Points used to upgrade them." used by whom? me or other players? Who will receive the points?

Also what happens to players with already fully build Wonders? Are they left out and won't get anything?

 

[DeletedUser]

I like the idea of Wonders giving points to players. But to whom?

"The score will be based on the number of Knowledge Points used to upgrade them." used by whom? me or other players? Who will receive the points?

Also what happens to players with already fully build Wonders? Are they left out and won't get anything?

Surely it will be retroactive, since a score calculation update will affect everyone's city?

It will be important to release the new scoring matrix at least 2 weeks before the scoring change is implemented, more if possible

We all made decisions regarding Wonders based on the parameters we understood - some to build, some not to build. I don't even want to think about how many thousands of KP I have given away to players (all at a lower rank than me, and many from fellowships other than mine)....and I made a determination, based on the information available, not to build Wonders for myself. It was very easy to be generous and support other players' desire for Wonders when I didn't think I might be catapulting them above me in rank. I doubt that I'm alone in saying that I would have been a bit more strategic with my donations if there were score implications to consider.

Don't get me wrong - I'm delighted that Wonders will now be calculated into the score!! We appreciate the modification / correction - and will really appreciate some time to adjust to the new matrix. Otherwise we're going to see radical shifts in ranking - a situation likely to create ill-will when it would be more pleasant to celebrate together over this positive development.

Please publish the matrix ahead of implementation so we can calculate the effect on our scores and make the next level of informed decisions. Thanks.

 

[DeletedUser519]

It will be important to release the new scoring matrix at least 2 weeks before the scoring change is implemented, more if possible

My experience with inno tells me that we will get that info right after they implement the change
But it never hurts to ask

 

[DeletedUser651]

The suggestion from Bobbi that Inno gives this information out ahead of time is good for Inno. That is if they want happy customers. They keep losing so many customers that they spent money to attract to this game, then they spent money turning them from free to paying players. Losing those customers....the ones that are playing and paying....that is as stupid as it gets. And I keep seeing it happen. The top paying customers are walking out the door. All any of us want is to keep those customers.

 

[Muf-Muf]

On Beta we will normally announce changes straight after implementation (usually within minutes), as the Beta updates are pretty much open for change up until the last minute. We'd rather present you with correct information right after the update, than with incorrect information in advance. On our Live worlds, however, we'll share the information in advance of the update.

 

[DeletedUser867]

The ONLY way the developers could accurately announce stuff two weeks in advance, would be to introduce a two week delay.

For myself, I'm quite happy with the current approach of releasing modules as soon as they are ready. I'm quite capable of staying away from the bleeding edge when I think something still needs some work, or has some holes in it.

I think an iterative design process, with a two week cycle is FAR more interesting than buying a new CD every 18 months.

 

[Muf-Muf]

Unfortunately we are unable to update today, and have scheduled the release for tomorrow instead. Let's hope no new issues come up in that time that prevent us from updating.

We have just updated the Beta world with a balancing change for Spells. For more information, check the announcement.

 

[DeletedUser]

Yeah, finally.

 

[DeletedUser1231]

Thank you it is great

I have just tried on my production building of gemme, I had a production a 3 hours who indicated me 1069 to collect and who passed in 1604 after the pose of the spell, what does well the 50 %.

Now I do not any more regret having put the academy of magic, iit is really of use to something useful.

 

[DeletedUser]

On Beta we will normally announce changes straight after implementation (usually within minutes), as the Beta updates are pretty much open for change up until the last minute. We'd rather present you with correct information right after the update, than with incorrect information in advance. On our Live worlds, however, we'll share the information in advance of the update.

*sigh* Like there is a Ten Commandments of Elvenar Developers..."Thou shalt not update the Wiki prior to implementation". It would fit well with, "Thou shalt not give your customers delight"..."Thou shalt not give your Moderators knowledge of significance"..."Thou shalt endeavor to create frustration and confusion"..."Thou shalt be authoritarian and abhor cooperation".

I can't fault you guys, Muf-Muf - you're between a rock and a hard place. I'm relatively certain the scoring matrix exists and hasn't been described to you. Later when it's implemented "last minute", you'll have to moderate the s*** storm as players see 3+ months of their Wonder strategy invalidated. And the effect will be doubled - not only have they/we not been building our own Wonders, we've been building other players Wonders so they can now outscore us.

If this post-implementation scoring change was planned, it was tricky to the point of being ill-intentioned. If it's a post-implementation correction, Inno should give us some time to also make a correction before we're "punished" by radical changes in rank. Those of us who evaluated the published explanation of the cost / benefit of Wonders came to the correct conclusion that the buildings weren't appropriately useful. Now that Inno has publicly acknowledge this evaluation, it will seem unfair to penalize the players who evaluated more correctly. Unless the entire point of this exercise was that we're supposed to play like children, and do what Mommy Inno says without asking "but why"?

The complexities of Wonders - the need to cooperate / snipe in order to get Rune Shards, combined with the risk of giving points to one's rivals - will add interest to future players game strategy. The fact that this total scenario wasn't implemented / tested here in Beta is very poor.

 

[Muf-Muf]

We normally update our Wiki before the Live release of a feature, and we try to do it as soon as possible after the release of a feature on Beta, but it sometimes takes a bit of time to finish a page, especially with new features. We announce all our changes in the Release Notes regarding an update, even if the changes are very small and/or added later. Also, our moderator team is properly informed with the necessary information. Please refrain from making accusations for which you have no evidence.

The feature of Ancient Wonders giving ranking points has not been implemented at this point (obviously), so it of course hasn't been tested yet (can't test a feature that's not in the game, after all). Yes, it will be implemented in a future update. And yes, we will have plenty of time (should normally be two weeks) to test it on Beta before it will go to all our other versions (like with all the other new game versions).

Elvenar is a game in constant development. The game is in no way a finished product, and we'll be updating it continuously (normally with a new game version every other week, and here on Beta we have bugfixes outside of the regular release schedule too). With new game versions new features can be added to the game, and yes, these can have an impact on strategies used to play the game. Is that bad? No, we don't think so. It's a challenge to adept to new features and/or situations. If the game were to remain the exact same forever, it'll be lacking the element of discovery and its "new feeling" very soon.

 

[DeletedUser]

I can't say I disagree with most of your perspective, Muf-Muf. It's just that Inno is missing a crucial consideration: we're customers.

When the developers get creative, that's great. Changes, improvements, upgrades, new stuff...all potentially great. Until they omit the final stage of considering how their releases impact their customers.

We shouldn't have negative consequences from their creative processes. We shouldn't have negative consequences from their mistakes and subsequent corrections. Common business imperative is that Inno should use some creativity to alleviate any negative fallout from their improvements, mistakes and/or corrections.

We shouldn't be regretting spending money. What we should be feeling is that we're valued - that Inno wants us to have brand / game loyalty.

 

[DeletedUser1345]

The wiki is not helpful at all. It does not show the spells and the costs. Which relics are needed? As a human player, I have gems as a boost, so I go around the elixir provinces. Easier to do other provinces two rings further out, than face golem and ent II, with necros in the mix. How would that effect my ability to craft spells?

 

[DeletedUser118]

Well, adding info to the Wiki shouldn't be that big of a problem.