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71

Announcements / Re: Shall we try again? Would you be willing to help us?

« Last post by Psyclone on May 21, 2016, 06:10:33 PM »

I remember you Light!    My in-game name was Kevin, not to be confused with kevincscott.  I was relatively quiet and typically played late at night, so a lot people don't usually remember me, but I played A LOT.  I had either the 2nd or 3rd most games played behind The_Alchemist.  I started playing in 1999(?) and was playing back in the days of trade, although I preferred the no-trade version more.

I've played dozens of online CCGBG's (CCG + Board Game) since SpiritWars, but none of them are/were anywhere near as good.

1a)  What did you enjoy most about the game?

I thought the whole concept of the game was great... a CCGBG with castles (base), the Fog of War (vision), and just the overall game play.

1b) What do you want to see remain the same as it was, no matter what?

I might be in the minority on this one, but I really loved the way populations were handled/distributed compared to other CCG's, ie - you didn't permanently keep your collection and couldn't acquire every card.  I didn't mind losing my best cards because it created a lot of variety in mine and my opponents' decks.

I know it was oftentimes frustrating losing your best and favorite cards, but everyone had completely different populations and you saw a great deal of variety from deck-to-deck/game-to-game.  Too many other CCGBG's resulted in everyone running similar decks because after everyone played enough games, spent enough money, etc, they had access to just about every card in the game. 

In SpiritWars, it was rare to run into Baldur, Unicorn, Tower of Babel, etc, because eventually they would lose them.

2a) What did you dislike about the game?

The 2nd move advantage.  It was always the #1 complaint I heard and I think most people agreed.  It was too great of an advantage for the majority of players, especially if you knew ahead of time that you would be playing 2nd, which was oftentimes the case because you knew who your opponent was (and their rating) before challenging/accepting.

My only other criticism of SpiritWars (and almost all CCG's, particularly CCGBG's) is the speed of play.  Some players were extremely slow and there wasn't a timer.  I think this is something that has to be added.  Some games took 45+ minutes and not because it was an intense game, but because the opposing player was multitasking, or playing at work, or just AFK a lot.

2b) How can that be improved, so that it's more enjoyable to you in this version?

I'm not sure what would be the best way without any testing, but some suggestions/options are...

2^nd MOVE ADVANTAGE

• COMPLETELY RANDOMIZE SILVER/GOLD PLAYER - I don't think this fixes the problem much, but it will help reduce it and also help to reduce sandbagging (intentionally playing crappy decks to tank rating and using powerful decks when the player is almost guaranteed they'll go 2nd). It just seemed too easy for a player to stack their deck accordingly when they knew which player they were ahead of time, such as Gold (player 2) stacking their deck with archers.
• SLIGHTLY NERF ARCHERS SOMEHOW - I think archers are the #1 issue/advantage to playing 2nd.  I'm not sure the best way to nerf them as I have only put about 10 minutes of thought into it, but maybe something like... OPTION 1 - Don't allow archers to move and attack on the same turn.  OPTION 2 - Archers don't get terrain bonus(es).
• GET RID OF ALTERNATING PHASES - Switch to each player doing all 5 phases on their turn.  For example, P1 Activation → P1 Movement → P1 Combat → P1 Healing → P1 Maintenance → P2 Activation → P2 Movement → P2 Combat → P2 Healing → P2 Maintenance → P1 Activation → etc.  I think this would have the added bonus of speeding up the game play quite a bit, but I'm guessing it will probably be too drastic of a change and require quite a bit of balancing, which is something I'm not pushing for at all.  I love the game the way it is for the most part, but I think 2nd move really is just too much of an advantage.

SLOW PLAY

• ADD A TIMER - Add a timer for each turn or phase.  I think there are several variations of Chess/Go/Byo-yomi/etc timers you could use, such as a flat time, time increments (delays), etc.  Maybe assess a penalty of 1 damage to a player's castle for time penalties with possibly increasing penalties for further infractions.
• GET RID OF ALTERNATING PHASES - See above.

3a) How important to you were the Tournaments and League? Did you ever participate in either or both of them?  If so, which ones and how often?  If not, why not?

My schedule didn't allow me to commit to playing League.  I believe I subbed a few times or played as an alternate, but that's about it.

I loved playing tournaments and played them every chance I got, which wasn't very often unfortunately.

3b) How can they be improved?

Many CCG's have different tournament types, such as...

• CONSTRUCTED - Players bring their regular decks (dungeons) from their own collection (population), sometimes with limitations.
• FIXED - Every player uses the same pre-determined deck or creates a deck from the same pre-determined collection.
• SEALED - Every player is randomly given a completely different collection (population) and creates a deck from it.
• DRAFT - Each player is shown a different group (pack) of cards (spirits) with the same quality/rarity.  Players pick one card at a time.  After picking a card, they will get a new group of cards to make their next pick from.  I've seen DRAFT's handled with many different rulesets in other CCG's, so I won't go into much more detail.

I know SpiritWars ran both CONSTRUCTED and FIXED tournaments, but SEALED and DRAFT are much more fun in my opinion and seem to be the most popular in other CCG's as well.

3c) What were the most and least enjoyable aspects of these features?

In SpiritWars, the most enjoyable aspect was tournaments in which we used a different collection (population) and getting to play cards I didn't own or ever get to play.  In other CCG's, I actually enjoyed DRAFT & SEALED tournaments a lot.  I always played every one I could because it was fun getting a new and completely random collection and building a deck from it.  Building the decks was just as much fun as playing the games.

The least enjoyable aspect was the wait time between rounds.  Many CCG's/CCGBG's overcome this with a timer.

4a) If you were a member, how did you feel about migrations and events?

I loved the events.  Even the ones that purged my favorite spirits.

I thought the Victory/Loss Migrations were great as well, but have mixed emotions about the Positive and Negative migrations, which I'll explain in further detail below.

4b) Did they happen too often or not enough?

I understand the need for the Negative Migrations to keep people from owning 1000+ spirits.  I think the Negative Migrations were fine, but many of the Positive Migrations weren't necessary, which I'll also explain below.

4c) Considering that they're an integral part of the game design, how can they be improved?

Most of the Positive Migrations occurred with new populations, which only started with 200 spirits for some reason and made it really hard to make a competitive deck at the start.  The Positive Migrations occurred quite frequently early on (until you got 300-350 spirits) and seemed a little pointless to me instead of just starting the player with 300 spirits and allowing them to make a more competitive deck.  I think you could boost the starting populations up to 300 and it would eliminate a lot of the unnecessary (imo) Positive Migrations.

5a) On what devices would you play SW?  Would you play on a a mobile device, or would you only play on a computer/laptop?

I never play games on my mobile phone and doubt I ever will, at least not in the foreseeable future. As of right now, I would probably only play on my computer and laptop but could definitely see myself playing on a tablet/iPad in the future.

5b) Is there any aspect of the game that can be changed to make you more likely to play on a mobile device?

No. 

5c) Do you think the mobile version of the game should be run separately from the PC version?

I'm indifferent as long as it doesn't lead to my opponent playing slowly.  It just doesn't seem like a very viable way to play the game due to the amount of screen real estate required, namely the map.

6) Keeping in mind that the game will never be pay to win, what kind of features would make you consider signing up for a membership?

I'm sure I'll be a lifetime member as long as there's players to play against.

7) ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Sorry I didn't reply sooner but I haven't been checking this site much recently since it's been so quiet for so long, but I always try to pop my head back in every once in a while just in case.  I suspect most other people are the same.

I'm willing to help out in any way I can.  I've done some programming (adequate at many, expert and none of them) and know a little bit about databases (Access and MySQL).  I'm great with Excel, but I doubt that will be very useful.

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Announcements / Re: Cautious optimism

« Last post by Light on May 20, 2016, 10:50:23 PM »

Hello everyone!  I'm one of the former players Lyn made reference to.  I'm excited to be part of the team working on this project, and will be working mostly on the infrastructure/hardware side of things. 

We will be providing weekly updates on our progress, so please make sure to check back here for the latest news.  If you have any thoughts, ideas, or concerns to share, please do so.  The more feedback we can get from the playerbase, especially at this early stage, the more consideration we can give to all of it. 

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Announcements / Cautious optimism

« Last post by Lyn Chase on May 19, 2016, 09:54:35 PM »

Hello Friends,
      I have something to share with you.  We are going to try once again to wake up the spirits.  Two former players have joined my son Eric, my friend Bill and me to form a team to attempt once more to bring back the game.  This is the first time we will use a team approach.  I am cautiously optimistic that we will make progress over the coming months.  Please watch for progress reports here.
        Love, Lyn (aka Mom) 

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Announcements / Re: Shall we try again? Would you be willing to help us?

« Last post by Light on May 08, 2016, 08:19:31 AM »

Hello dilli!  I'm not sure if you remember me, but I certainly remember summer and you! (:

At the moment, we're still in the very early stages of figuring things out.  While I think there are a lot of questions that need to answered regarding cost, subscriptions, and so on, the truth is that we have many more pressing issues.

As Lyn hinted at, we're looking at redesigning the game and making it look more modern.  But, I want to stress that we absolutely do not want to change the core values of what SW was about, which is also a massive part of what made it so great: no pay to win, family-friendly community, and a game that is easy to play for people of all skill levels.

With that being said, many things do need to be brought into 2016, like the graphics/art and the game interfaces.  I'm unsure of changing gameplay rules too drastically, but I think arguments could be made for some changes.

At the moment, any and all ideas on how we can update the game or improvement it are incredibly valuable.  This the first chance that players will have to get their ideas into the hands of the people developing the game, but it will not be the last.  However, sooner is better than later, since we're still at the very beginning of this project, which makes it easier to incorporate multiple ideas and make changes.

Below are a few questions that I'd love to see answered by anyone who reads this, but especially former players.  Feel free to answer some or all (or none!) of them, in as much or as little detail as you see fit.  If there is anything I've left out, or anything additional you would like to add (a question, a comment, or anything else), let us hear it.

1) What did you enjoy most about the game?  What do you want to see remain the same as it was, no matter what?

2) What did you dislike about the game?  How can that be improved, so that it's more enjoyable to you in this version?

3) How important to you were the Tournaments and League?  Did you ever participate in either or both of them?  If so, which ones and how often?  If not, why not?  How can they be improved?  What were the most and least enjoyable aspects of these features?

4) If you were a member, how did you feel about migrations and events?  Did they happen too often or not enough?  Considering that they're an integral part of the game design, how can they be improved?

5) On what devices would you play SW?  Would you play on a a mobile device, or would you only play on a computer/laptop?  Is there any aspect of the game that can be changed to make you more likely to play on a mobile device?  Do you think the mobile version of the game should be run separately from the PC version?

6) Keeping in mind that the game will never be pay to win, what kind of features would make you consider signing up for a membership? 

75

Announcements / Re: Shall we try again? Would you be willing to help us?

« Last post by dilligaf^ on May 07, 2016, 02:47:58 PM »

hey hey Mom...its that crazy Canuk....I'd be down for a monthly fee to play....damn Summerstorm and I miss this game!!!!!



figure out a fair fee, and we'll be in!!!!



dilli

76

Announcements / Shall we try again? Would you be willing to help us?

« Last post by Lyn Chase on April 28, 2016, 08:49:19 PM »

Hello friends,
     I've tried SO many times to bring back SpiritWars and have failed at every turn, but I want to try one more time.  Eric and I have been in communication with a player you all knew as Light.  We are in the early stages of developing a plan.  We will be reviewing Randy's design documents to use as a starting point.  We will be looking at updating the graphics and our intent is to rewrite the game so players will not need to download a client.  We will need to update the chat system.  There is a LOT of work to be done but I really want to try again.  I envision putting together an advisory panel of former players.  Would you be willing to help?  My older son Jonathan recently ran a Kickstarter campaign to raise money to publish his book and he was successful, although he needed to raise only $7000.  We will need substantially more for SpiritWars, but at least I have an idea of what will be needed to initiate the campaign. 
     One thing I want to put out for discussion now:  I want to stay true to Randys' vision of a fair and level playing field.  I DO NOT want to move to a pay-to-win model.  In today's market, can we succeed with a subscription model?
     Please post your thoughts here.  I promise you that I will read them all.  Thank you!
     Love, Lyn   (aka Mom)

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SpiritWars Discussion / Re: So, hello (and thoughts on how to proceed with making Spirit Wars a reality).

« Last post by Lyn Chase on April 15, 2016, 10:35:36 PM »

Hi Light,
  I sent a message to your email account you listed when you registered for this message board.  I felt foolish that I didn't think of it sooner, but I am an admin here so I had access to it.  I provided you with my email address and phone number. (Eric and I are the only administrators here.)  I would really like to talk to you about steps needed to make this happen.  It may not be possible but I would like to try one more time.  People tell me to give up, let it go.  But I'm not ready to do that yet.  Please respond to my e-mail or, if you are unable to access it, respond here and we'll figure out another plan.  Thank you!
                Lyn
PS:  Could you please let me know your first name?

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SpiritWars Discussion / Re: So, hello (and thoughts on how to proceed with making Spirit Wars a reality).

« Last post by Light on April 15, 2016, 07:53:40 PM »

I do live in the US, NJ specifically.  While I don't believe I have a facebook account, I do tend to try to be flexible, and if that's your preferred method of communication, I could always make an account.  I don't know if facebook does offline messages though, so I would imagine that relaying messages either here (on the forum itself or via PM) or through email would be best, given the time difference we'll be dealing with, along with differing schedules.  Just let me know exactly how you would like to communicate and I'll find a way to make it work.

Developing a game from scratch is a much bigger project than most people realize.  It goes much deeper than just writing some code.  Fortunately, it appears that a lot of the ground work is already done.  As I mentioned, I read a pretty large portion of the posts on this forum.  While I understand that many of them are quite dated, a couple of common themes seem to hold true; people found their way here, often on their own, the game fostered a community that was enjoyable to be around, and so many are willing to help, in whatever way they can.  That says a lot of the game and the community, but also the players.  It certainly seems like all of the ingredients are present to make this undertaking successful. 

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SpiritWars Discussion / Re: So, hello (and thoughts on how to proceed with making Spirit Wars a reality).

« Last post by Lyn Chase on April 11, 2016, 10:55:57 AM »

Hello Light,
  What a thrill it was to log on and find your post!  It has now been seven years since Randy's death.  I have longed to bring back SpiritWars and have tried several times, to no avail.  I think I want to try one more time.  Jonathan is now 32 years old and just got funded last week on Kickstarter for a text book he wrote, so I have a basic understanding of what is needed to initiate a Kickstarter campaign.  Eric is now 21 and recently changed his major to computer science.  His C++ instructor told him he had the aptitude for coding, although he is still in the early stages of the learning process. 
  Light, do you live in the United States?  If so I would like to talk to you on the phone.  (If you don't live in the US we could still communicate by e-mail.)  If you wish we can communicate here initially but if you are a Facebook user, I am, too.  My name is Lyn Chase and, frankly, I don't know how to search for people on Facebook to rule out all the ones who are NOT the person you are seeking, but I live in Happy Valley, Oregon, if that helps.  Once we have established communication, I will provide my phone number if you wish.
  After 5.5 years of widowhood, I finally found a boyfriend and he is a graphic artist and web developer, so we have a great resource for graphics and art.  I must emphasize, however, that I CANNOT undertake this without the help and support of the SpiritWars community.  I never played the game.  I just participated in the community and watched as Randy grew something amazing out of thin air. 
  Thank you for your thoughtful post.  My spirits are buoyed!
              Lyn (aka Mom)

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SpiritWars Discussion / So, hello (and thoughts on how to proceed with making Spirit Wars a reality).

« Last post by Light on April 05, 2016, 08:01:00 PM »

I just kind of happened upon this site last night, and I have to admit to being fairly shocked.  It's quite amazing, though not totally unsurprising, that such a dedicated group of players all managed to find their way here.  I played this game for many nights and I met countless people I considered to be friends here.  I have never come across a similar community, and it seems like I'm not the only one. 

I spent more time than I should have going through various posts here, then thinking about...stuff.  I see the there have been numerous starts and stops, and I'm not entirely sure where things stand at the moment.  They seem to have settled down a bit, but perhaps it's time to change that.

Unfortunately, I have no experience in programming.  I do, however, have some experience in project management.  I wasn't able to find many details about the various projects which were attempted, so I don't know what has and has not been done.  With that in mind, I'd like to offer a different perspective on how to tackle this project and bring the game that we all know and love back to its rightful place.

I'll try to keep this relatively brief, but will happily provide more details, should there be interest.

The ideal way of looking at this project is as a series of smaller goals, which will be combined to produce a larger end result.  Developing an entire game is a huge undertaking, which can easily and quickly lead to becoming overwhelmed, especially when setbacks arise.  Breaking the process down helps to address some of that, while also providing a small amount of insulation against having to constantly restart the project from the beginning.

1. Game Design: This includes many things which are probably already in place, for the most part, although I think it's still worth mentioning for the sake of being thorough.  Anything related to how the game works belongs in this category.  Some examples include game rules, spirits, events/migrations, and storylines.  It also includes other aspects of the game, like artwork (for both spirits and maps), the welcome screen, and the layout of the game (both the chat interface and the gameplay interface).

While many of these things already exist, some may require updating, specifically the game and chat interfaces.  Before even considering actual development, basic aspects, like the layout, need to be hashed out.  Each of these categories should have their own subsection, so they can be addressed in detail.  After the layouts have been decided upon, the next phase(s) can begin.

2. Front End Development: Front end development includes the actual coding of everything that players will see.  The chat interface.  The map interface.  The icons for spirits and castles. 

3. Back End Development: This includes the coding of everything that will make the game run; everything that isn't included in front end development.  The database of spirits and code that makes interaction of spirits work.

4. Talent Acquisition: While a developer is needed to write the code, I think more than that is needed.  What about updating artwork?  Creating storylines for events?  Designing new spirits?  Obviously, a developer is the most important piece, but in order for the game to truly be experienced the way it was designed, other aspects need to be considered.
4.1. Use your current playerbase: While I don't want to speak for anyone else, I saw many people offering to help, in whatever way they can.  I know I am.  Allow the current playerbase to use their skill sets to help move the game forward.  Are there players who are artistic?  Good with sound/music?  Web design/development?  Find out and include them in the revitalization of the game.  Many games have been funded by players, but I'm unaware of any that had players make major contributions to the actual development.  This can further set the game apart from everything else that's out there and serve as proof of exactly how loved it is by those who were lucky enough to find it years ago.
4.2. As previously mentioned, a developer is the most important piece of the puzzle.  I would certainly suggest having a professional take care of this.  I know that freelancer.com has been mentioned before, and I really do think that's the way to go.  Maybe not freelancer.com, specifically, but a site similar to that (and there are many).  Getting the right developer is the most important thing, and with enough patience, I don't see why it can't be accomplished.

5. Funding: Funds are always an issue.  Hiring a development is going to be a significant cost.  I won't even begin to guess at what the cost will be, because it depends on a number of factors, including exactly what needs to be done.  Just coming up with a ballpark figure will require a good amount of research, but will be worth the effort.
5.1. Kickstarter: I know this has been mentioned before, and I fully understand why.  Kickstarter is an amazing platform and has allowed so many great projects to get off the ground.  The best thing about Kickstarter is that you can provide incentives to donors.  These incentives can be anything from special maps or spirits named after a donor to being allowed to select which Tournament set is played to being granted an additional population reset.  Find out what your playerbasee would like, and offer it to them (within reason).  I'm sure the ideas for potential incentives will come pouring in.

6. Communication: Communication always seems to be incredibly difficult.  Providing a balance between information and tempering excitement.  People generally try to avoid giving out bad news, but there are going to be setbacks, and keeping your playerbase informed of what's going on, good or bad, is an integral part of ensuring that they remain invested in the progression of the project.  At the same time, it's also important to be realistic and not get hopes up, too high, based on small goals being met.  Just finding a developer is a great reason to get excited, but it isn't a reason to declare the game to be back.  It's a long road, filled with many steps and obstacles, which is all the more reason to communicate, fully, every step of the way.