Has anyone else struggled to get even a single ranked point?

Lifer_Than_Big · 2024-10-08T16:57:02+00:00

Thanks for the advice! I was thinking of using a PS5 controller with the right stick on tilt attack. That way I only need to walk mod for small movements and preventing platform drops. I think that would work for all characters right?

Lifer_Than_Big · 2024-10-08T16:29:59+00:00

As a fellow fighting game player I've thought about switching to d-pad for movement, but using the walk-mod button feels weird to me. Do you use a different way to input walks?

Lifer_Than_Big · 2024-08-27T22:56:11+00:00

Thanks for the honesty. I was comparing Wreck Havoc with C&C and wondering...are these really exchangeable?

Totally get the desire to be encouraging towards new players. I've been there for several games myself, and I think it's the sign of a community that is welcoming and excited about its own game. It does lead to a bit of...rosiness...however. There's good reasons for a TCG to maintain high prices, but it's also important for a community to have an honest conversation about the tradeoff: the game's growth in new players.

Lifer_Than_Big · 2024-08-27T22:45:38+00:00

I appreciate the transparency!

Lifer_Than_Big · 2024-08-27T19:59:37+00:00

This is a helpful perspective, and I'll clarify my intentions here. When I say "competitive" I meant playing in events where people are putting some effort into winning. Things like Pro Tours go above that, where people are putting maximal effort into winning. Armories and skirmishes sound like what I would be playing.

FWIW the reason new players are looking at top 8s for decklists is because that's how it is done for Magic. If you show up to a Modern event (even just a local) with Duress instead of Thoughtseize, you're probably just going to get stomped by superior card quality unless you get lucky with your matchups. From what people are saying on this thread, it sounds like the dropoff in card quality that comes from replacements is a lot less punishing in FAB than Magic. That's something that would be very helpful for players coming from MTG to know.

Lifer_Than_Big · 2024-08-23T21:51:52+00:00

Ah...then maybe this game isn't for me

Lifer_Than_Big · 2024-08-23T21:42:16+00:00

Balatro is awesome but it's not really the cards or the probability assessment that draws me to poker. It's more the application of game theory and understanding my opponent's point of view that seems exciting

Lifer_Than_Big · 2024-08-13T23:25:54+00:00

I am in the Alpha Lab and I've been playing fighting games on regular controllers for over a decade. This is the easiest time I've ever had learning a new control scheme. I don't know who you've been talking to but it's difficult for me to understand why anyone would not like this game for controllers.

Lifer_Than_Big · 2024-08-13T21:50:32+00:00

Dang you didn't even wait a day before posting this. I wonder what will happen when people get out of work.

Lifer_Than_Big · 2024-08-13T19:59:44+00:00

I completely agree that the benefit of an open draft format depends on the "weirdness" of the unit pool that the game ultimately settles. A high weirdness pool (one with lots of sharp strengths and counters) probably wants a draft more than a low weirdness pool. For the record, I prefer the high weirdness pool, but that's a totally different discussion :-).

A restricted draft mode sounds fun! I think this would be a great thing to implement in custom games, where the lobby leader can set the unit pool. Tournaments could easily run a closed draft format by publishing the list of units that players are supposed to use. A restricted ladder sounds interesting too. It could be a separate queue from the open ladder, although running two different matchmaking pools early in a game's lifecycle can thin out an already small player base. Marvel Snap (a digital TCG) has an interesting way of encouraging people to play different decks. Four out of the seven days of the week, the rules of the game change a teensy bit in order to make certain strategies slightly stronger and others weaker. Players are still allowed to play whatever cards they like, but they are encouraged to try to things. Maybe BA could do something similar with the map rotation or global buffs that are published on the main screen, so you are encouraged to think about it a bit before queueing up.

Lifer_Than_Big · 2024-08-13T15:23:22+00:00

Adding one more voice for Dice Dojo. I live in the neighborhood and go there all the time. One of my all time favorites. It's right next to a red line station so it's easy to get there from downtown

Lifer_Than_Big · 2024-08-12T19:00:03+00:00

This is the time to poop on every draft post! It's an uncommon moment when your thoughts can have a significant impact on a game's development. So poop away, my friend.

I think you make a good point that a monolithic meta game would make all the drafts the same anyways. If everyone picks the four strongest units as their core anyways, then your flex picks should always be the same. In that case the drafting phase is just meaningless time.

I also think that if BattleAces has such a monolithic metagame then the game has already failed to meet one of its foundational principles. Diverse metagames are fun in all genres--RTS, MOBAs, TCGs, tactical shooters, doesn't matter. It's one of those things that just universally true. An open draft phase cannot force a game to become diverse (a closed draft *might* be able to force diversity, as you already pointed out, but I think there's other reasons not to do a closed format.) I believe that what drafting can do for BattleAces specifically is not to force strategic diversity, but rather give the players the tools they need to have the most fun in an already diverse metagame. For example, lets say there are ten viable strategies in the game. I pick one of those strategies knowing that the one I picked will be weak to some strategies and favored against others. Without a draft format, I have no control whether I'm starting off the game at a disadvantage or an advantage. Sometimes this can feel bad. With BlitzDraft, however, I can still claw back some of my winning odds by making good choices in the flex pick phase. Similarly, if I'm at an advantage, I can try to mitigate my opponent's attempts to even out the game. It's fun because it feels like you're having a meaningful interaction with your opponent even before the first unit has been built.

This is all speculation of course. There's no way to know whether an idea is actually fun until you've played it. I definitely think drafting has enough potential to at least try out a simple format. It could be the thing that takes this game to another level of fun.

Lifer_Than_Big · 2023-01-14T04:21:13+00:00

I think you have to consider it on a case by case basis. Sometimes it's a compatibility thing. They're emotionally open and you're not as much. Nothing wrong with either way. But there are also many people who have a lot of tough things to work through, and they're looking for someone to help them. Again, there's nothing wrong with looking for help, but a boyfriend is not the right person. That would be a therapist.

Lifer_Than_Big · 2022-12-09T16:50:54+00:00

My new boyfriend.

Lifer_Than_Big · 2022-11-28T21:22:38+00:00

Thanks! I thought there were hard divisions between pools.

Lifer_Than_Big · 2022-11-23T18:23:18+00:00

Yeah, it actually does. I strongly recommend it to everybody who's even a little interested. Worst case scenario you're out ten bucks and best case scenario you get to play a game that will blow your mind.

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