One of strength of the WOT is wide coverage of various card types from the get go. We all know there is creature/troop and spell cards as those are pretty much standard for any dTCG/dCCG. Then some game has dedicated resource cards. What’s missing here? Well, some games refers to as “artifact” and others may say “constant” and perhaps others may say “equipment.” What do you think the WOT have? It has “object” and it’s not just one of the above, but perhaps all of the above. Let’s take a look.
Object
The key difference of Object when compared to other types of cards in WOT is that it has “durability.” One may consider as a health of troop to certain degree but object shouldn’t really have health. Similarly, it really does not have attack power in normal sense. The game has two major types of objects: attachable and non-attachable objects.
Attachable Objects
These are basically equipment cards you seen in Magic, Shadow Era or many other dTCG/dCCG.
Example above is from kickstarter update from today. It costs 2 golds (right upper corner) and has a durability of 2 (right lower corner). You will equip this to your troop.
Well, it’s not end here.
Here is another equipment. This time it’s a weapon.
In WOT, there are three types of attachable objects: Armory, Weapon and Accessory. Each troop can only equip one of the kind.
Here is the third type, accessory. Note Accessory has no durability.
Basically, weapons lose their durability when attacks and armor loses durability when it takes attack as all expected. When a troop is destroyed and equipment still has durability left, it goes back to armory slot and we can attach them to other troop.
Non-attachable object
Personally, these are interesting card type on their own. These object unlike attachable object can take up a space on the battlefield i.e. zone. But troops are free to pass through these zone or even stay in the zone (assuming no event triggered there).
Followings are some Q&A with developer about this particular concept.
Q: How does the non-attachable object work? Conceptually, are these representing castle/base for your troops to hide?Not at all, It’s simpler than that. You just leave objects on the field, as if they really were on a battlefield. You can just pass by/over them, and go on walking.So, they fill a zone as you cannot put more field objects there, but a troop can stay there (if object doesn’t explode, hehe).Q: Are these movable i.e. like troop has speed? In which case, do these acts like a vehicle, like tank?It’s a possibility, but not planned by now.Q: How do you cast them? Invocation line and move? Or Ominipresence and cast any place you want? Or you have to have own troop in the zone to cast etc.?It will depend on each ability used to cast them. By now, Gruuj is the main way to play them (Totems), as Gruuj’s skills. In this case, you can choose any zone among the battlefield zones. However, this doesn’t establish a general rule about playing field objects or putting them on the battlefield.Q: Why did you build this type of card in comparison to the other types of card?Because it was a way to begin with “trap” system, being available with board game system. Also, it gives the game another potential way to exploit “3d” battlefield dimensions. It was also important that when we created the game system, we thought about a real battlefield and ways to represent that in a more “realistic” way. In fact, objects were at very first version of the game left on the battlefield when the troop was carrying them died. But after testing, we realized that option made the game slower and much less dynamic, so we created the Armory, where every left object goes and becomes ready to be re-attached.
So there you have it. It sounds like this is extremely robust option (in my opinion). Trap system is interesting of its own and works beautifully in digital dTCG especially ones with battlefield.
Non-attachable object lacks specific card example right now but based on the design I can readily see it can take the role of “constant” or “artifact” in other game i.e. non-troop card that stays on field and while remaining on the field it has some special effect. But much more (see below).
Potentials
Potentials of this object system are pretty big on its own.
Equipment based synergies
At first, one may see these as identical to the spells that boost stats of the target troop. In fact, many games believe there is essentially no difference and takes away this distinction, but personally the difference is significant enough that game can even make dedicated set(s) off of these concept. Some quick imaginable examples are troops specifically built for equipment. Someone who can perhaps have two weapons instead of one. Someone who gets even stronger boost than just putting the equipment.
Base camp/Fort/Castle
Since troop can take up a same space as non-attachable object, it’s easy to imagine conceptually you can have a object that is on a field and if your troop stays on the same zone, your troop heals damage each turn. It may be a some heal stone, fountain etc. but easily can be thought of as base camp/fort or castle.
Vehicle
If non-attachable object can potentially move along with troop, you now have designed vehicle.
Conclusion
Object cards are not just a simple replacement of artifact, constant, or equipment. It is all of the above and really mean it i.e. individually separated by subtypes. Furthermore, it can be a “trap.” It even has a potential to be vehicle or castle. Basically, WOT having dedicated card type and design for these, it allows robust future expansion potential.
The more i read about this game the better it looks.
there is just one thing i don’t like
”Two Important data for AUCTION/SELL systems: a)There will exist a fee for trading: 7% for Auction and 10% for direct sell. b) There will exist a minimum cost for cards to be sold. (We want the game to be f2p, but we don’t make a nonsense of spending money, as we need to subsist).”
Controlling a market in a tcg is not good. i have seen a very good flexibility out of this company so i hope that things will change (a 5% auction fee is good and necessary, a fee to trade \ sell and a minimum selling price i don’t like )
Do you know what their plans are if the KS does not succeed (will they honour those that pledge anyway) and will they complete the game anyway ?
I agree but not completely. Yes. 7 and 10% seems high but I think it comes down to a few unknown factors. For instance, if direct trade value is based on minimum card value, which is simply defined by rarity, then even 10% may not be bad. For instance, HEX legendary with 30 platinum. 10% is 3 platinum. On the other hand, if the value is based on true market value even on direct trade you pay far higher commission and that I think essentially kills direct trade as one may as well do auction with slightly less.
Also, we don’t know what the price of cards in this game be compared to HEx or magic. If epic cards are only worth 10 cents compared to 30 cents in HEX, 1 cents addition is better than 30 + 1.5 cents in HEX.
I’m checking this with developer and once I receive clear answer I will put a separate article as I basically agree it is basically one of my few concern about this game.
I believe that you will pay 10% base on market value (like you will pay 7% price on auction house based on the selling price, not the minimum that they have set)
An example of this
Minimum selling price
Epic 5$
Rare 1$
Uncommon 0,50$
common 0,10
So if i want to build myself a deck that includes 4 of the worst Epic cards, i’m stuck buying for 20$ of epic cards. IN a free market, i might pay 1$ each for them since they are not good ( I don’t build competitive decks all the time, i love fun and underused decks) (which could also affect high price cards since a good card might be selling for 10$ because its close to the minimum one it will sell for 15$)
Now that might affect trading by alot (and auction house selling) If your prices are set in stone as a minimum, people are not going to buy those cards (cause they are not Good and expensive) and you diminish activity. By diminishing activity you reduce revenues. I have realized that games that make alot of money are the games that let you do what you want. They actually try to make money based on the impression that its cheap and you get good value out of it. The minute you start controlling the basic of the game your hurting the game.
Here are some examples of ideas that could be better to create revenues
1- Release Alternate art cards (has to be limited quantity ex. add to pledge) . Alot of people think that the collector pledget from hex was one of the best value. It is for the collector. And the cost for Hex is the Art on it (no idea how much can cost 2 arts per 3 months) But what that does is people want to sell those and others want to buy those. You create a demand for a product that cost you almost nothing. The seller is happy (gets plat) the buying needs plat to buy it so goes to the store and buys 50$ worth of in game currency.
The game makes money out of the 50$ + it gets its 5% in transaction fees.
2- Create cool items. Sleeves, different skin heroes, cool different battlefields, anything that does not change the game itself
3- Add a PVE that cost money. Yes a lot of people think that PVE should be free but in my book the hearthstone model is perfect. Make it available to purchase immediately for real money. or make it for in game currency but with time (real money get 2 weeks in advance the possibility to play)
4- Create a lot I mean a lot of way to sink your money. One problem hex has in my point of view is that there is too much currency into the market. There must be thousand and thousands of dollars sleeping in accounts and trading hands and Hex gets just 5% of it. By creating content that you could buy with In game currency you’ll need to buy more. Those could be created by
– Making special tournaments that you can join only with currency
– Making subscription models with in game currency that give out something more (discount packs, special AA, special tournament, Cool items)
– No 3 of what i said up there is another idea of making the currency go out
So here you go. The company needs to find a way to make money, without blocking the user from what he does normally. Giving the Idea that the player can do whatever he wants and creating content that makes him want to spend money without forcing him to is the best way to create huge revenues. (Here is an example)
http://www.pcgamer.com/league-of-legends-has-made-almost-1-billion-in-microtransactions/
Forcing a player to pay is not the way to go in this Era of so many dTCG’s
Now its up to decide 🙂
THey finally put an update on the prices of auction house. I just want to know how much is wirth a Shield. They say when you play a match you get 10 Shields and a trade is 10shields. So it becomes free in a certain way.
I need to read the kickstarter all over again but will their be 2 types of currency? like the free to play and the paying currency?
Yeah I saw that as well. I have to read it a bit more carefully to fully understand couple minor points. But they look pretty darn good at first glance.
As far as currency, yes. I remember reading that they have stated shield is in game currency you can win by playing i.e. like HEX or Mabinogi Gold, but there will also be currency you can buy by real money i.e. like HEX platinum or Mabinogi gem.
Hi there! Sorry Houshasen, I have to correct the info, as there is only one in-game currency: shields. The other way to purchase things is by direct (real money) purchase. Anyway, F2P mode is completely available except for alternative arts, Wot Masters boosters and a few more things we’ll develop, but not cards.
Thanks! 😀
So if i want to sell for real currency, What is the minimum price ?
Srry Hellmaster, trade will be allowed in shields, for players to go on with commerce/getting cards without necessarily spending money, but never to sell them for real money. Thanks!
Thank you for the reply (i asked the same quesiton on your KS page and got an answer) I just wnated to tell you thanks for the answers 🙂
Oops my bad. I totally misunderstood for dual currency system. But I like single currency system better as its so much easier to understand and keep track.