Episode 87: A CallMeTim Conversation

Episode 87: A CallMeTim Conversation

Welcome back to the People's Guild. The bus makes its pitstop for this one in the Philadelphia, PA area as we sit down with the man responsible for all the card design happening in Praetoria, @callmetim.

We've long been looking forward to this one and it does not disappoint as we talk through strategy, game design, abilities (both current & future), among a slew of other topics.

A lot of fun.

We look forward to bringing you more conversations with Bob in the future, but for now, enjoy the show!

Strategy Games and Game Night Idea

The team, including Bjangles, CallMeTim, and Hepthorn, discussed their interest in strategy games and technical aspects of their meeting setup. Hepthorn suggested the idea of organizing a game night for their listeners. The conversation revolved around CallMeTim's professional background in technology and his involvement with Splinterlands. CallMeTim shared his interest in blockchain technology and its potential applications in gaming, as well as his experience with Dungeons & Dragons and board games. He also discussed his professional journey with a company where he started in firefighting during early growth and later shifted towards infrastructure development. The team ended the discussion by asking about the appeal of the game Splinterlands for CallMeTim.

Game Design and Testing Methods

CallMeTim, a game designer, discussed his playtesting methods, which involve using test servers and internal playtesting to understand how different cards and abilities perform in different leagues. He also mentioned his strategy to maintain a new player perspective by playing in lower leagues and his efforts to bring data to support decisions about potential issues in the game's Meta. He also discussed the challenges of determining the best and worst players on the team and the approach to testing the strengths and weaknesses of cards. The conversation also revolved around the possibility of implementing potential cards in their experimental phase for practice matches and the balance of power in creating cards and the scaling system. Towards the end, they discussed the importance of data in relation to the timing and selection of tactics.

Game Strategy and Immunity Concerns

The team discussed game strategy, particularly focusing on the use of various characters and cards such as Akane & Avina. They also discussed the use of dragon reach double strike, Carnage Titan, and the Earth dual attack creature, Grund. The conversation then shifted to the concept of immunity in the game, with Hepthorn expressing concerns about the disconnect between game mechanics and the word 'immunity'. No clear conclusions were reached regarding game mechanics or strategy.

Game System Changes and Balance Concerns

CallMeTim discussed potential changes to the game system, including the introduction of attack debuffs and the possible need for more immunity types. He emphasized the importance of making the game state understandable and avoiding opaqueness. Hepthorn raised concerns about the impact of card changes on player investment, suggesting a balance between card power and game balance. The discussion revolved around the challenges faced by new players in the lower leagues of a game due to the dominance of certain cards and strategies. Hepthorn proposed the idea of banning or restricting these cards in the lower leagues, but CallMeTim emphasized the need for a more calculated approach to address the root of the problem. The discussion also revolved around the introduction of new abilities and the removal of old ones in the game. CallMeTim mentioned that the goal is to keep the number of active abilities at a reasonable level, which might require some old abilities to be phased out. However, he emphasized that these abilities could potentially return in the future. The possibility of cyclically modulating the power level of certain cards was also discussed. The team also discussed the rewards card set, focusing on the absence of a martyr card for death. CallMeTim mentioned that a martyr card was initially planned for death, but it didn't make the final cut. The upcoming next reward card set slated for June, which will introduce new cards and potentially shake up the game's meta, was also discussed.

Game Development Strategies and Balancing Concerns

The team discussed the development and strategies of their game, focusing on the introduction of new abilities and rule sets. There were concerns expressed about the frequency of certain rule sets negatively impacting gameplay, as well as the decision to limit card power levels. The team also touched on user experience, emphasizing the importance of making the system welcoming to newcomers while not completely changing the system. The team also agreed on the need to be mindful of balancing power levels in future card designs. No specific decisions or next steps were made during this discussion.

Card Ranking and Practice Mode Overhaul Proposals

Bjangles proposed a ranked overhaul to address issues such as bloodlust and card ranking, and suggested using mana cost as a way to upgrade cards. Concerns were raised by CallMeTim about potential challenges, and it was agreed to continue the discussion offline for further involvement. Additionally, Bjangles proposed a complete overhaul of the practice mode in the game, suggesting the team could control rule sets and available elements, while users could dictate the rest. The team also discussed potential future developments in the game, such as making certain cards free to play and adding unique abilities or rule sets to specific brawls. However, no concrete decisions were made in these areas.

Podcast Invitation and Feedback Session

Bjangles and Hepthorn invited CallMeTim to join them on future episodes of their podcast, offering him an open invitation to share his ideas. CallMeTim showed interest in joining the podcast without the cameras on to discuss more "interesting things". They also discussed having CallMeTim as a guest on their "Battle Royale" segment, which they plan to run a couple times a month.

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