My Blizzcon 2015 Wrap-Up: A Hearthstone Adventure

img: Blizzard

While I found the opening ceremony preview for the next Hearthstone adventure quite endearing, I hadn't actually planned on sitting down to test it out on the floor. But sometimes, life has other plans for you and you've got to make due with your available options. Basically, my friend and I ditched the Linkin Park concert a bit early (despite the fact to my surprise, they put on a great show) with the intention of playing Overwatch without having to wait in a long line. It worked for us last year...and didn't work for us this year. Clearly the Overwatch hype train is roaring at full-force.

Realizing we didn't want to spend a great deal of time in line just to try something we played the year prior, we strolled over to the Heroes of the Storm demo area. We checked out the new Arena mode earlier in the day and thought about trying to new map this time around, but that would've also involved a 20+ minute wait. Then we realized there wasn't a wait for the new Hearthstone adventure, so we thought, "What the hell!" What follows is an "I played some of the new Hearthstone adventure, what the hell, I'll toss some thoughts out there" write-up. This will be light on details, with more focus on impressions. I figure if you're interested in Hearthstone at all you already know about the new cards, maps, mechanics and the like. If you're interested in a casual player's perspective, read on.

I sat down at the PC and was greeted with a screen that allowed selection of one of two heroes: a rogue or a shaman if my memory serves me. It wasn't immediately clear if this signaled two separate adventures, or if it simply provided two class options for the same adventure. It turned out to be the latter, the adventure being The Temple of Osiris.

I chose the shaman (or whatever class it was) first. Pretty sure it was a shaman. It actually didn't end up mattering which class I picked because very early on in the match I had a card that, when played, replaced the default hero power with a random hero power. I ended up getting the warlock's Life Tap. However, because of the format of the adventure itself, the hero power didn't really factor much in the two matches I played.

The board looked like an underground temple ala Raiders of the Lost Ark. Naturally, I spent a bit of time clicking around the four corners to see how I could interact with the board itself. Nothing too memorable, but thematically appropriate. In this game, I didn't face an enemy hero---I fought against the temple itself. The key was to survive 10 rounds without dying. Doing so meant I'd essentially escaped the temple with my physical and mental facilities in tact.

I was given a pre-built deck in each instance. The temple did possess a zero-mana hero ability that summoned powerful minions to try to prevent me from escaping. But this wasn't the only interesting mechanic; after almost every round, I was given a choice to do something---usually I was shown two cards and had to pick one. One I can clearly recall was a choice between drawing two cards or healing my hero for 10 health. About halfway through the 10 rounds, the temple's ceiling caved in and cleared the entire board of minions---a blessing or a curse depending what I or the temple had placed on the board prior.

img: Blizzard

That all said, I didn't really have a problem countering what the temple threw at me with the cards in my deck. It was a fun experience, but I can't say it was a particularly challenging one---I'd have to assume it would be the same for anyone with basic familiarity with Hearthstone play. The second playthrough with the rogue felt a bit more difficult due to the cards I drew, but I was still able to escape with relative ease. What's more: I had a friend playing next to me who had never played a game of Hearthstone in her life. I looked over and she had 6 health remaining and five more turns to survive. At this point she asked me to assist and I guided her on what to play for the remaining rounds, assuming we were doomed. At least I'd get to see what losing looked like.

To my astonishment, she also escaped the temple with her life. It made me think that perhaps we'll see some balancing tweaks before release, but considering it will go goes live within a week today my guess is that there will be variance in difficulty modes to offer greater challenge to more skilled players. Either way, it's a cool take on the solo adventure, much different from Naxxramas or Blackrock Mountain. Well worth the money or gold, in my opinion.

What's Next for Blizzard? - Blizzcon Predictions

Predictions: if you're wrong, you look foolish, and if you're right, no one cares. So I've got nothing new to offer you here, just my own speculation. For something more tangible for those of you lucky enough to hear many of these anticipated announcements in-person at Blizzcon, check out my Blizzcon Guide for Noobs.

With Blizzard stating they've effectively cancelled the mystery-MMO we've come to know as Titan, it's left a lot of fans wondering what's next for the game giant. Let's keep in mind that cancelling long-in-development projects isn't uncommon when it comes to Blizzard. We have quite a bit of precedence for it, actually. Analysts are even seeing it as a strength. The action in itself mirrors the Blizzard philosophy of "make games they'd want to play themselves." And as CEO Mike Morhaime said in the Polygon interview, releasing a game that doesn't live up to their expectations isn't an option.

Many players were hoping for an update on Titan's progress at Blizzcon this coming November. Without that prospect, and the likelihood we won't hear much about "what's next" in Warcraft beyond what we already know of Warlords of Draenor, it leaves me wondering what we might see this year. 

Hearthstone

There's little doubt we'll hear something about the first expansion to their massively successful trading card game. If not at Blizzcon, then shortly after. The developers have even said as much. With a reported 20+ million players in the game, Hearthstone is slated to receive support for years to come, especially with the growing popularity of esports and its impending availability to the broader mobile market.

Blizzcon Prediction: Details on Hearthstone's first expansion which will introduce the Death Knight hero; firm release dates for availability in wider mobile market.

Starcraft: Legacy of the Void

We know there's one more chapter in the Starcraft II trilogy, and what that will look like is hinted at heavily at the ending of Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm. Full disclosure: Starcraft is probably the Blizzard game I play the least, so I know even less of what I'm talking about here than normal. Either way, expect to hear about Legacy of the Void at Blizzcon this year, but probably nothing about a release date.

Blizzcon Prediction: Trailer for SCII:LotV with a game release slated for 2016.

Heroes of the Storm

If MOBAs are your thing and you were lucky enough to get into the Alpha, you already know how much potential this game has. With Heroes of the Storm, Blizzard continues its tradition of expanding into new genres and kicking ass at it. I've played Riot's League of Legends and have a summoner near max-level, but there's something about the game that doesn't grab me. I've always been a casual, for-fun LoL player. However, with LoL, it takes a certain time investment---if you really want to progress---even as a casual player. 

Heroes of the Storm aims at broad appeal, like with Hearthstone, where they've created a complex game with a low barrier to entry. I feel it's safe to assume we'll get a vague release target (i.e. Q2 2015) at Blizzcon. My hope is that the game will transition to Open Beta shortly after, if not by the time Blizzcon arrives.

Blizzcon Prediction: Open Beta announcement, new playable heroes including Vol'jin and Deckard Cain, target release date announced.

Diablo III

It's going to be quiet on the Diablo front this year. Reaper of Souls spent a good amount of time in the spotlight at last year's Blizzcon. Considering the title just released for console, I doubt we'll be talking about what's next in Diablo.

Blizzcon Prediction: Diablo does not play a major part at this year's Blizzcon.

World of Warcraft

I want to learn where we're heading after Draenor. And we will eventually, but it might not be at Blizzcon. If that's the case, it means we'll be talking about the expansion we've been talking about since last Blizzcon. Which seems like a rather drab prospect, given---on average---the type of player/fan you're addressing at an event like Blizzcon. Unless they've undersold the expansion to us this whole time (an admittedly difficult notion to swallow with just how much information we have) and are set to unleash new information that will send us into a frenzy. In a good way, of course.

I also think this is a great opportunity to show where the movie's at. Significant time was spent at last year's Blizzcon---Duncan Jones and some of his crew even had a panel, and I assume we'll hear more this year.

Blizzcon Prediction: They'll announce the next expansion; the one after Warlords, but details will be scarce so as not to spoil the ending of Warlords of Draenor. Why? I don't have a whole lot to back that up, but here's someone who took a stance and ran with it. The remainder of the time will focus on what we'll be seeing the week after Blizzcon when the expansion launches. As far as the movie goes, I don't believe we'll see the trailer, but feel confident we'll be shown a short scene.

Additional Titles

With the cancellation of Titan, might there be room for Blizzard to announce another project they're working on? On the other hand, given Titan's demise, perhaps Blizzard will be more cautious about how and when they announce their large-scale projects. I don't think we'll see a new title announced at Blizzcon beyond what's been discussed above. The timing of Titan's cancellation was more about tempering expectations: they didn't want anyone going into the convention thinking they'd hear about Titan. Conversely, announcing the cancellation of a title at such a major event simply wouldn't be wise.

That said, I bet we see Blizzard's updates to the Warcraft RTS games; perhaps not the whole lot, but I believe we'll see an updated Warcraft 3 engine including art assets, as well as the functionality that will tie it to our Battle.net launchers. 

It doesn't really pay to argue these points, as I've essentially pulled them from my bum. But are there any predictions you'd alter/add?

Leave 'em below. 

What I Hope to See in Hearthstone for iOS: Mobile Game Mode

Will we see Hearthstone for iPhone and Android by the end of this year like Blizzard mentioned back in April? No one's really saying much, including senior game designers. Personally, I expect an announcement along those lines at Blizzcon in November, where I assume we'll also hear more about the game's first expansion/booster (not to be confused with the recent Curse of Naxxramas adventure). And I'm hoping that tucked in with these announcements is a new game mode that's specific to mobile phones. What I'm calling Mobile Game Mode. I know, it's a terrible name, but just bear with me.

What would Mobile Game Mode look like? Basically, it's Hearthstone without the play timer. Think Words with Friends. And if you're not familiar with Words with Friends, I'd describe it as a casual game of Scrabble-lite played at the collective pace of the two players. Games can stretch out over several days, or can be over in ten minutes, depending on how quickly a player responds to his or her opponent's move.

In order to play Hearthstone on iOS (iPad) right now, the player must connect to a wireless network. Mobile Game Mode would be set up in such a way that, like Words with Friends, connection to a cellular network is all that's needed to support game play. Players can take as long as they'd like to make a move, and once they play, their opponent receives a notification that it's their turn to play. The cycle repeats until one of the heroes dies. I see this as being aimed towards casual play, and would be unranked so it couldn't be abused for player gains.

I've absolutely no idea at all what sort of server infrastructure would be needed to support it, but I can't imagine it'd required more than what Blizzard has right now. And if Zynga can do it, I would think Blizzard could as well.

The bigger question I'm left with: is this mode something that'd even appeal to players, or is it just something I'd like to see because of my affinity for Words with Friends?

I'm curious to know...tweet at me or leave it in the comments!

To concede, or not to concede?

It would not be wise to concede at this point. Additionally, my AI opponent did not concede even though I had it clearly beaten.

That's the question I'm diverting to this morning, taking a short break from all things Warcraft and Blizzcon. I'm talking Hearthstone, of course. Late last night, I was reminded via Twitter that not everyone views the option to concede in the same light. The flurry of tweets I'm referencing argued that conceding shouldn't be an option at all. I use it regularly, especially when I find myself in the mid-to-late game being absolutely crushed. I'll usually emote "Well played" before doing so. It's not to slight my opponent, or give them a victory on my terms; it's to save us both time and get us both back into the next match more quickly. I do this more frequently when I'm in for a longer play session. It's a practical point of view.

Conceding saves time. If it's quite clear there's no way you can recover from a series of strategic plays by your opponent, or the terrible cards you've been dealt, why drag it out? If you're trying to maximize your gold per hour -- something you might want to do to remain competitive without having to spend real money on packs of cards -- conceding when it's clear the game is lost is smart if you're trying to maximize your gold intake. There's no way around that fact.

Some might argue that you never know what's going to happen, and thus should never concede. I'll leave room for that point. Sometimes you never know, but I'd like to think that I don't concede until it's clear to me that it's the most efficient way to end things. Yes, you never know, but when your football team is down 45 points with 90 seconds to go -- and though strange things have happened -- the game is over. Granted, I can't remember the last time I saw a team walk off the field or court early because they were losing terribly. Could allowing your opponent to achieve the killing blow be more true to the spirit of competition and the game (ala sportsmanship, but I don't like that word)?

Perhaps it is more true to the spirit of the game. But the game dictates that cards are either bought with gold or real money. To those who eschew spending real money, gold is earned through playing. People have varying, but finite amounts of time to devote to the game. Time really is money. So is conceding truly rude, or are the concedee's just getting worked up about not being able to smash the stained-glass window representation of their opponent's hero? Maybe a bit of both.

Personally, I don't share the view that it's inherently rude, but I can understand it. Some say that conceding robs the other player of their victory. This of course, by definition, is not true: when a player concedes, they are essentially delivering the victory to their opponent more quickly than it would've been won organically. In most cases.

Maybe some players are tired of "clean wins" being snatched away right before the game is over. For instance, in a match the other night, I faced a priest who had 13HP remaining. I didn't have the needed damage on the board to whittle my opponent down. However, the next card I drew assured I did. I played the card, was able to smack my opponent with two of my minions, and when picking up the last minion for the final blow, I heard the line "You have bested me," and the game was conceded .5 seconds before I would've won myself.

I thought that was kind of silly, and in that regard I can agree with those who find the Concede option annoying, but would never go so far to call for its removal. I do understand where the criticisms come from, and I think there are some small tweaks that could be made. Maybe players should only be allowed to concede when it's their turn, or something along those lines.

How about you? Do you concede often? Why or why not? Do you think the Concede option is fine the way it is, or should it be tweaked?

6 features Blizzard should consider adding to Hearthstone [UPDATED]

Having recently received a beta invite, I dove right in, as I've been curious for a long time how the game would play out. See, I have no familiarity whatsoever with card games like this. I somewhat understood what this type of game would entail, but was mostly in the dark. I took some time to put down my initial thoughts on the experience of getting into the game for the first time, and now that I've played countless more matches, I've identified some changes I'd like to see Blizzard make before the game goes live.

1. Let players replay the tutorial

This perhaps isn't so much for an avid Hearthstone player, but rather their friends and family. Like me, if you've never played the game before, you can't just sit down to a full-on match with zero explanation. As I was walking my significant other through a match against the AI the other night, I realized she'd probably understand better if she could just play through the tutorial like I did. Her 11- and 9-year-old kids would probably enjoy having a go as well. And in the end, for Blizzard, that could very well translate to more battle.net accounts, which could equal more packs purchased, and more coin in Blizzard's pockets. 

2. Include additional tutorials that are more in-depth

The tutorial does a good job of laying out the basics, but the strategy runs deep in this game. I wonder if there isn't room for additional difficulty levels of tutorials that introduce the player to some more challenging situations they may find themselves facing, or interesting card combos they may want to think about playing. I suppose the argument can be made that you'll see enough of that by way of playing against other people. That may be true.

3. Add a "Play Again/Rematch" option in Practice and Duel modes

Again, this is about quickly getting into the game, or in this case, getting back into the game. I don't see any reason why in Practice and Duel modes there isn't a "Play Again" or "Rematch" option (whether having won or lost). Maybe you are quickly leveling a deck against a class you have an easy time against. Win/lose, then click "Rematch"---no exiting to the deck menu, where you need to click on a deck, then click on an AI, then click play. This feature would also be great when having a lengthier play session against someone on your Real ID list. Less clicks for the win.

4. Provide an achievement and stats interface

It's cool and kinda ridiculous to peruse the achievements and stats you've accumulated on your WoW account---or insert any such game that keeps track of these things. I'm not talking about /played here. I'm talking about things like the number of bandages used, flight paths taken, how many times you've respecc'd, the max amount of gold I'd ever held on a character, or how many different beverages I'd consumed (98!). Seeing something similar would be really neat in Hearthstone. Most played card...win/loss record per class, or against certain classes...total amount of damage done...average damage per turn...etc. I have a feeling we'll see something like this in the final iteration of Hearthstone.

5. Prevent accidental self-harm (within reason)

Here's what I mean: the other night I was leveling a warlock deck and was going use the Drain Life card, which does two damage while granting two health to your 'lock. I pulled the card forward but didn't set it on the board---I was still contemplating if it was the right move. Which it wasn't, so I pulled it back, but apparently not far enough: the card was played on my own warlock who proceeded to do two damage to himself, which granted him two heals. 

I did something similar on the first day of my beta access when my finger slipped off the mouse and I accidentally killed one of my own minions with the mage's Fireblast. I realize in certain situations, game mechanics may call for damaging one's own character or minions, i.e. the warlock's hero power, and the Hungry Crab minion who is granted extra damage and health after using their Battlecry ability to 1-shot a murloc. In that situation depending, it may be wise for you to kill your own murloc. However, in the majority of situations, damaging your character or minions is not wise---said a different way, it's pretty clear when damaging one's own minion(s) could be strategic. There are also situations where no matter what it's never going to be a good thing. Those situations should be prevented from happening. 

6. Allow multiple licenses/profiles per account

There's no reason to prevent multiple licenses of Hearthstone from being added to one Battle.net account...right? It works with Warcraft, and I'm assuming other games in the Blizzard universe. Or, like many games, users can set up multiple profiles within one Hearthstone license. Perhaps this isn't going to happen simply because Hearthstone is a free-to-play game---more accounts means more players playing, more players playing means faster match-making, and perhaps more packs purchased. 

What have you seen you'd change? Or is there something missing from Hearthstone you'd like added?

Hearthstone first impressions

img: battle.net

I know, I know. The Hearthstone beta is so two months ago. But I finally received an invite on Monday, so now I'm ready to talk about it! Kinda of. When Blizzard first announced Hearthstone, I was intrigued. I've always had a small desire to try the WoW TCG, but unfortunately don't know anyone in my area who plays. So naturally, I was eager to try out Hearthstone. And now I have. I've spent a handful of hours playing the game and roughly and hour or so poking around the interface. Here are my first impressions.

Getting Started

Liked: After firing up the game, players begin a tutorial where they are tasked with defeating five or six AI players using a basic mage deck. This is where you're taught how to actually play Hearthstone. Having never played a card game like this before---no Magic, no Yu-Gi-Oh---I felt pretty well educated after I'd bested each of the AI players, some of which required more than one attempt. The game does a nice job here of giving players glimpses of strategy and playstyle---veteran card game players are going to have an extremely easy time diving into Hearthstone. While I didn't quite feel ready to go toe-to-toe against a human after completing the tutorial, I definitely wanted to experiment with decks and check out other classes.

Didn't Like: It would be nice to have the option to repeat the tutorial---maybe you've got young ones at home or a significant other or friend who'd simply like to try the game without having to create their own account. While the point or goal of the game and how to get there is generally illustrated during the course of the trial, I'd also like to see more on this---perhaps various difficulty levels for tutorials, like a beginner, intermediate, and advanced.

UI & Design

Liked: Design is very clean and functionality is mostly intuitive. At most, you're two or three clicks away from playing a game. The art and music is clearly of the Warcraft universe, though they've been given a fresh twist. There are three game modes: Practice, which pits you against AI of standard difficulty---once you've unlocked all of the classes you are able to face expert AI; Play, which pits you against other players in either Ranked or Unranked mode; and Arena, which requires an entry fee and pits players against other players while using a random deck for a chance at special prizes.

Didn't Like: Multiple chat conversations going at once can get kind of messy, even if I do like the IM chat bubble style of it. The deck and card building interfaces confused me a little. At first, it wasn't clear to me what card building/disenchanting was all about. I was too scared to click the "Disenchant Extra Cards" button, for fear it'd destroy all but one of the duplicate expert cards I had acquired, so I went through my cards manually. Turns out clicking that button will destroy only cards left over after the max number of that type is in a deck. Apparently, this interface was updated in the most recent closed beta patch to make it more user-friendly, but I still think we'll see a new iteration or two before it goes live.

Gameplay

Liked: The sheer amount of fun this game can provide. While there is a large RNG factor, I felt myself becoming more situationally knowledgeable with the more games I played, even if it was just against the AI. Play moves quickly, and animations make playing cards a dynamic event. I've played a mage and a priest to level 10, which means I've unlocked each class's basic starter cards and have a decent idea about what is in their toolkits. I must say, the priest deck has been a lot of fun---late last night I did 27 points of damage during one turn in the mid-game (player heroes start with a 30 HP), though there's a rumor that priests may have been buffed a little too much in the last patch. Time will tell.

Didn't Like: The shaman deck. I haven't played all of the other classes, but the shaman's hero ability, which summons a random totem, seems extra punishing when compared to other hero abilities. Perhaps I wasn't using the right combination of cards, but it wasn't clear on how to use the shaman to the best of his ability. Granted, I am a bit partial to shamans, too. I've been playing one in World of Warcraft for quite some time now and was expecting the class to feel a bit more familiar to me. At this point, I'm hoping they revisit the shaman hero power before the game goes live. What about a Wind Shear, silencing the target? Anyone? Either way, some pointers regarding class strengths/weaknesses would be appreciated by this noob.

Acquiring Cards

Liked: It's nice for players to earn a couple of packs early on by simply making their way through the tutorial and some of the class leveling. Packs contain five cards and are guaranteed to provide at least one card of rare quality or better. I was quite lucky and received both a rare and legendary card---Al'Akir---in the first pack I opened. Actually purchasing packs using real money is scarily easy. If you have a payment method attached to your account, just a click of a button (and your password) is all that separates you from opening pack after pack of cards.

Didn't Like: The rate at which players earn in-game currency is slooooooow. In order to acquire new cards, you need to play a decent amount of Hearthstone. With the cost of a pack from the store at 100g (the in-game currency), you're looking at either two daily quests and nine wins or one daily quest and eighteen wins in order to reach it. The temptation to pop over to the store to quickly purchase a pack or two will always be there.

Overall

The game is immediately engaging and moves rather quickly.While I did get bored at one point during the tutorial, the real fun and excitement comes when facing other players. At least for me it was. I found myself speaking the mantra of "just one more match" on several nights late into the evening. Yep, it's one of those games. It's easy to pop in for a match or two before bed, or even while you're waiting for your raid to form. This is an awesome f2p effort on Blizzard's behalf and I'm looking forward to what's in store.

Thoughts on Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft

img: battle.net

Looks neat.

I've always been interested in the WoW TCGs, but I've not made the time to get into them. Given I rarely find myself with an abundance of time, I've got to be selective with how I spend it. That, and I don't know any people in my local area who play the WoW TCG, let alone Warcraft. The time and energy it would take to find a group, schedule sessions, travel, etc., just doesn't work for me. Which is why I find Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft is so intriguing.

The barrier to entry is the lowest it has ever been for a Blizzard game, and this is for several reasons. The game itself will be free-to-play. Blizzard realizes the F2P model (with purchasable enhancements, of course) is the way things are going, and it's nice to see them adapting to it. Hearthstone will also be playable on the iPad, but there's no word if this will extend to Android tablets, or even the iPhone. Finally, there are beginner tutorials to help new players learn the ropes, and when players have grown accustomed to the game play, they can choose to be randomly matched up to a live opponent using Battle.net's matchmaking system -- think random PvP pet battles.

Granted, I'd check out the game regardless, since it is within the Blizzard universe, but in all honestly it looks appealing enough all on its own. I think I'd give this a second look even if I weren't a huge Blizzard fan. Plus, World of Warcraft's pet battle system took me completely by surprise, and consequently I've spent way too many hours battling and leveling pets. I guess you could say I'm predisposed to liking those games that are both deceptively simple and subtly complex.

How 'bout you?