Comments on: Blimey, It’s The: Battleforge Open Beta

By: Tei

Tei — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:16:52 +0000

@Scandalon: Well.. read the forums. People more wise than me, and more smart, post there his opinions. And theres nothing on this thread that ha not been posted on that forum.

Anyway making a videogame is hard and slow. Any change, even small ones, may take lots of work and time. The dev’s have state on the forums that only changes on prices, etc.. will be feasible soonish.

By: Saul

Saul — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 04:19:31 +0000

@Scandalon: Are you calling RPS random? Watch it.

By: Severian

Severian — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 03:11:50 +0000

Anyone else having problems getting this thing to run? Downloaded, logged in, but keeps yelling “Update failed!” at me. Like I need more exclamation marks in my life.

By: Scandalon

Scandalon — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 23:30:37 +0000

Question/Suggestion for everyone who’s posted that’s been in the beta(s) – have you sent in these observations/reports to the company that’s actually making the game, or just on random blogs when you want to complain about it?

By: Tei

Tei — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 21:45:22 +0000

Well.. the looting code is a hot topic in the forusm. Random looting mean very random, as in maybe one guy can get all 4 upgrades, end everybody else nothing. Leader mean the guy that created the game may get all stuff and run. And need&greed mean everybody may click need anyway. I have no bad experiences, but most people is not really happy with that options, I think is more a thing about build a list of friends, people that is fair and cool, and play with these people. Much like L4D.

By: Lorc

Lorc — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 19:32:37 +0000

Ooh – that might help fix some of the problem with duplicate commons too if you don’t have to open packs in pursuit of upgrade cards any more.

Are the reward cards always the same stuff, or totally random or relative to your collection, or what?

By: Tei

Tei — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:57:31 +0000

“Secondly, you’re rewarded with cards for completing single player or coop “PvE” scenarios. The rewards are, I believe, scenario specific, so you can only get certain cards this way. But it’s still a pool of cards you have access to without spending money.”

That has been modified:
Now you just get “upgrades” for units. Cards to make a card stronger, don’t work as cards separatelly.

By: Dodomaster

Dodomaster — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:49:32 +0000

@Zeno

Then it would be more luck rather then strategy and tactics.
Maybe as a different pvp gamemode or something.

By: Zeno

Zeno — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 17:16:52 +0000

The cards would be a neat idea if they behaved like cards – i.e, you draw from a randomized deck. As is, it’s basically just like choosing a roster, as you have access to everything from the beginning, resource requirements aside.

By: Dodomaster

Dodomaster — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:52:42 +0000

I freaking love this game, great music, fun gameplay (coop, not pvp) and nice artstyle. However, I dont really like the money system. But then again, this is a trading card game too and those are money pullers by default. I’ll probably buy some boosters eventually, just to support phenomic to make more maps and cards.

@Sp4rkR4t
They released a patch which made the game 6.2gb installed (a 2.6gb download), which is great.

By: Lorc

Lorc — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:16:03 +0000

At the risk of contradicting myself, I feel I ought to defend the collectible aspect a little. It’s not as bad as it could have been.

Firstly you get a good pile of virtual currency “free” with the initial game, which turns into a fairly nice heap of boosters on top of your starting cards.

Secondly, you’re rewarded with cards for completing single player or coop “PvE” scenarios. The rewards are, I believe, scenario specific, so you can only get certain cards this way. But it’s still a pool of cards you have access to without spending money.

Thirdly, they’ve been sensible with which cards are which rarity. Broadly, the more expensive a card is, the rarer it is. Being big, splashy units/spells, having lots of rares is more about having more options when deckbuilding than having strictly better cards. You might just roll with the rares you open and use commons and uncommons to build decks to support them.

Finally, the game is receiving incremental balance patches like any RTS. They’re at least putting up the appearance of keeping every card competitive – ideally emergent trash cards will be buffed and chase rares toned down. Though of course only time will tell whether they’re doing a proper job of this.

So, yeah. Not as dumb and evil as they might have been. The price for trying to expand beyond your starting pool is exorbitant for what you’ll be getting, but it certainly /looked/ to me like you could be competitive with just your starting and free cards. You’d just have limited options as to /how/ you could be competitive.

By: Tei

Tei — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 14:30:31 +0000

I am on the beta. Is a good game. Is a *wide* game. It only hats a few weaknes:
– Publisher is EA, tht is money hungry. Poor EA, give money to EA!. Microtransactions ahoy!.
– As all RTS games, rushing is a good idea. On this game theres a concept of energy (void power) that make static units (or everything that you don’t use) a bad idea. This game has lots and lots of defensive good units. But is Exuberance vs Economy, and the winner will be economy.
– Is somewhat PvP oriented. Has strong PVE and Coop side, but the “endgame” and “midgame” is PVP. There are a limited set of maps (maybe 18?) to play PVE.

This game has a few strong points:
– Is economy, stupid!. Economy is just fun. Trading cards is bussines, mate. If you are too bored to play, you can stick check the auction house, maybe make a few bids, sell something.
– It has lots and lots and lots of units, with interesting gameplay mechanism (But still classic). Theres a whole “side” that is very hard to master (the shadow one). Theres a whole side almos/maybe/somewhat devoted to turling (Frost).
– Eyecandy and the forge. My 2 first hours with this game where playing with the eyecandy in a “sandboix”-ish arena that then call “The Forge”. Is almost a RTS laboratory.

A game to have in your radar because
EPIC RTS FANTASY COOP + TCG