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Lorekeeper -> RE: =AQ= Frostval 2021 - Wood You Kindly (12/17/2021 10:32:42)
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As was already made clear earlier in the thread, there is no stance exempting any item from balance. Whether an item is obtained via gold, tokens, GGB, or as a bonus on a token package, they are all created with the same principles.
When balance standards change, any subsequent item updates are performed in accordance to these standards. This can result in a loss or gain of power. Paladin and Necromancer, for instance, are leagues more powerful than before. We can't have a double standard for reasons that have been explained several times in the past, quoted again here for ease of reference:
quote:
The single player nature of the game does not remove the importance of balance. That the gameplay choices of any given player do not directly impact the gameplay experiences of others does not alter the fact that development choices affect the experience of all players. Consistent balance is essential to the continuation of the game, for reasons including, but far from limited to:
- The value of all player experiences. Arbitrary choices and exceptions made for the sake of the preferences of a few detract from the experiences of the others and curtail future development.
- The integrity of our word as developers. Contradictory standards and arbitrary exceptions invalidate all reasons we may give for future adjustments. Players could (And rightly, one might add) point at any decisions we take and consider them moot on the grounds of inconsistency with other arbitrary choices. Balance is not something one takes piecemeal, especially only where it's easy or non-controversial to implement.
- The range of possibilities for future development. The existence of overpowered items inherently curtails the development of all future items that may be measured against them. In contrast, underpowered items are inherently unsatisfying, especially when not every individual item can be so elaborate as to have appeal beyond its primary use. %melee costs for effects increase the more than an item has going for it, making hedging the value of items that would measure up to arbitrary exceptions an exercise in spending additional effort for something that players are likely to be turned away by the drawbacks of.
To put the matter of cost (Again, be it gold, new token costs, old token costs with their increased sellback, or otherwise) versus balance to rest: No item is exempt from balance, and arbitrarily violating the above principles to the detriment of all but one build was never a stated policy. There is no option to explicitly pay for exceptions to balance, that would be a self-destructive business model.
Back to topic: I can't speak with any authority as to if and how the spells might be further changed, but can assure everyone that the feedback about the currently limited use cases for autohit and its adverse effect on the choice of mechanics has been relayed. If anyone has any mechanical suggestions, I'm certain they'd be appreciated.
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