My Issues With the Next Update - A Possible Final Thread Regarding TOT Balance

Personofsecrets

As I've alluded to in other posts, I'm not a big fan of the next TOT update. Although the entire update isn't bad, the number of things that are wrong culminate in a type of symbolism. A symbolism of how contemporary game design is coming from the wrong framework. And it's this framework, one that is based off of fun rather than the spirit of competition.

When I say that there are a few things being done right, I really mean only a few. You'll see that the designers are changing Eldertide Fenwitch/Draoife Ritecaller as well as Siege Weapon Volley. These cards are all ones that I've recommended for change and you can see so at the below linked thread.

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/640875/evaluating-the-2023-state-of-the-game-and-suggestions#latest

I think that Siege Weapon Volley will be mostly right during the next update. One place where St. Pelin fails as a design concept that fits well within TOT is that it hasn't been an archetype that well utilizes the combo mechanic. In fact, the only interesting Combo potential I've ever found from the St. Pelin deck is buying a Tavern Shield Bearer for the purpose of triggering either Reinforcements or Legion's Arrival combo 2 effect. The change with Armory is ultimately good too. Now an early Armory purchase will likely have some pain that goes along with it and that should be the tradeoff for trying to win too quickly. The card wasn't really on my radar at this point, but I'll take the change I guess.

The Fenwitch and Ritecaller change is mostly good considering how cracked those cards are. That said, I sort of lean toward my suggested change over the designers change. It's good that they will be doing less, but the designers have to remember that cards which don't do anything when they are played are not really new/average player friendly. And let's be honest, the real problem of these cards isn't fixed by the change I suggested or the change that the designers are going with. The real big problem is Psijic scry abuse and it's not really obvious how the cards could be reworked so that they couldn't be abused and maintain their identity. We could come up with something, but there is more readily attainable low hanging fruit.

When I say that there are a few things being done right, I also meant that there are a number of things that aren't right. These problems are especially when dealing with card buffs that are planned.

First and foremost are the changes to Almalexia. These are the most disappointing changes since Almalexia was not just the best designed Patron to be released, but a good player 2 option. It's disheartening to not know if the designers realize how important the player one versus player two struggle is. And because numerous changes that are upcoming which boosts the number of strong options available for player one, I can't really say that they care.

Designers are not coming from a framework of making a good game. They are coming from a framework of making a fun game. Just in case you guys didn't realize, there are already a number of fun games. You shouldn't see your job as adding to the pile of games that are too be casually enjoyed or worse, be a chore, right before being swept into the dust bin of history. You should be making something that is enduring. You should be making something that your players are proud to talk to their friends about. You should be making something that rises to the occasion of eclipsing all of the fun options as an extravagent superior monolith.

You aren't making an ascendant game by giving player 1, the player who is already naturally advantaged in most games, even more powerful tools. Below is some discussion that I've had about these changes.









The changes to Almalexia and a number of other updates are a classic case of the worldly guidance "if it's not broken, don't fix it" being ignored. And the images above lead us to discussing Psijic. There was no reason to buff either Time Mastery or the Insights. Not only are the Insights already good, they were good for skillful player where someone wants to replace Tavern cards in order to open up new opportunities. Now they are both snap buys for player one. Seriously..... why change them now?

And that can be said for Customs Seizure and Prowling Shadow as well. These cards had their niche. Now they are both monster player 1 buys... The potential abuse that will occur with especially Customs Seizure is unsettling.

And I've yet to talk about Hermaeus Mora yet... I have this advice for the designers. Stop balancing extreme power around drawbacks. This type of thinking is one of the biggest flaws in game design which has revealed itself in game after game. It's not fun. It's not skill testing. It's wacky and abusable. Stop doing it. Voracious Tomeshell? Really? What are you thinking? I also simply cannot wait to get scummed by the opponent using the Mora Patron ability to add something like a Ansei's Victory to their deck on the shuffle during the ocasion that my deck just shuffled. Why make an effect that brakes the game rules in such a big way? And of course, you depart from your thoughtfulness of Almalexia by now making a patron that should be about knowledge to be one that generates disgusting amounts of power while creating unusual game states. There is nothing thoughtful or dissecting about this process and it should be even just given the theme of what Mora represents.

Unfortunately, I'm running out of patience for this post. You can probably tell. But everything that needs to be said has already been said before. I'll end on this note and something that was mentioned in the images.

For a while, others and I wondered if the designers are using data to guide their decisions. We wondered this because if they are using data, then we really can't understand how they are missing the lowest of hanging balance issues. Well, I have a hunch about something. Based on the changes to the Psijic cards and Customs Seizure, I think that the designers are using data. But just as people are quick to point out with statistics, there are ways of using data that are wrong and misleading...

What would draw their attention to Almalexia and those other cards other than seeing the data that people aren't buying them? That must be a big no-no red flag to the design team that people aren't buying certain cards because it would mean to them that people don't find them fun. I can ensure you that I see people not buy these cards not because of their power level, but rather because people don't understand their power level. We are therefore reminded how design is based around appealing to a group of people who don't care that much about something at the cost of sloughing off game aspects that the people who do care enjoy.

If anyone ever cared to reach out, besides my opponents that is, then the designers would also learn that people don't like Almalexia not because they can't afford to purchase a bomb card, but because the deck takes too long to play. The base game already takes a long time to resolve mechanics such as the Psijic abilities or Tavern replacements. Then we were introduced to Druid King and setting up combos with Vestments/Wratih/Fenwitch/Ritecaller made the game even more tedious. Finally, you made Almalexia which strains the animation system to the limit because of constant cycling and front loading the discard choice. Maybe, outside of people not understanding how to deal with Agent pushes, this game time issue is the reason that the average find Almalexia not fun. As mentioned, I've had several players directly mention this issue to me and I don't blame them. The animation system, like a great number of other game issues, has been brought up several times before. Very little is ever done and sometimes changes to game aspects such as the 1st/2nd player choice algorhythm or ranking algorhythm don't even have patch notes. Take a lesson from The Elder Scrolls Legends, no not by killing your game with wacky garbage effects in the most uncaring way. Take a lesson from them by speeding up your animation system...

So who the heck can sit here in good faith and have a hopeful vision for the future? Well not me. And if you all can't use your data to see the problems with Pounce/Grand, but change Almalexia, Psijic's/Cephora's insight, and Time Mastery of all things, then there is no further trusting you and what you might do in the future. You'll still see me playing for the rewards, but don't think that I would recommend that anyone line up like nails for TOT. There is just one fate for a nail.

spartaxoxo

Personally, I have long suspected they use data from the playerbase overall as their deciding factor and not high end play.

I cannot fathom any other reason for Psijic getting buffs and Rahjiin remaining as busted as it is for so long. I suspect that they don't care if the best players have insane winrates from busted strategies. They care that the average player is using particular cards too much or not enough.

The problem with that is the average player is not actually that good at this game. (Edit: when compared to the highest level of player skill, like most competitive games). I have won a lot of games that I should not have because they made moves that made no sense. Most of the playerbase just seems to know to buy the purple and power red cards tbh.

Don't get me wrong, I am glad they have adjusted for them too. But I wish they had left Psijic alone, and nerfed Rahjiin instead. They nerfed Druid in a way that leaves me quite concerned when they get around to balancing the actual issue with that deck.

rbfrgsp

I agree that the new deck is thematically one of the least relevant of all the decks. It should be Sheogorath because the way it plays is very "lol so randum".