Greetings, dragons!
Version 1.12 of DragonClash has hatched. Now that the Silver Channeler has entered the fray, I took a closer look at all three decks and realized that Sheen, the Blue Adept, was underperforming. These kinds of balance issues are expected. Part of the advantage of launching in Early Access is that I can better evaluate the game in action, and tweak the balance knobs and levers.
Update 1.12 largely focuses on improving the Blue Adept (and especially Sheen - the Blue Adept AI) challenge, but it also includes some general AI improvements and a variety of bug fixes. The most amusing bug I found was that the Silver Dragon egg was caught photobombing a number of the Silver Channeler cards, appearing in the card art. I've sent it back to its fluffy little cloud, and it only shocked me four times en route. #Winning.
AI improvements and deck balance are items I will be constantly tinkering with throughout Early Access.
Version 1.12 Patch List
Gameplay:
- Buff: Constrict cost reduced to 2
- Buff: Tail Slash rank 1/2 damage increase
- Buff: Ice Blood (all ranks) damage increase
- You may no longer play cards that require a Battle Value draw if you have 0 cards in deck.
AI Revisions:
- Use of counters vs Tail Bash discard threat and Unlimited Power discard threat
- Tail Bash - lethal discard preferences
- Burst use vs Unlimited Power
- Use of Jaw Snap
- Defend/Reckless use
- Constrict use
- Blue Adept Aimed Strike use
- Taunting Breath use
- Blue Adept/Silver Channeler learning preferences
- Ascend preferences
- General hoarding cards preferences
- Slayers use
- Blue Adept melee attack use vs Silver Channeler
- General attack preferences with essence cost and attack advantage factors
Bug Fixes:
- Fixed: Player feasting on AI Egg scored two wins.
- Fixed: Cards in discard may not (visually) be removed when Ascending
- Fixed: Display issue with Blue Adept Young/Mature serpent avatars active/inactive states
- Fixed: Silver Egg photo bombing Arcane Tattoo and Redirect full card artwork
- Fixed: SFX for AI Ascending not firing
- Buttons may sometimes reappear after clicking - Fix applied. Tracking.
- Fixed: Siphon Life effect removed if Gift is discarded during same turn. Should last until end of turn
- Fixed: AI using Reckless with 0 cards in deck
- Fixed: AI Bloodlust use with Tail Bash not always factoring properly
- Fixed: Player Aura Darts highlighting as usable in Safe range
- Fixed: AI use of Bitter Chomp factoring attack advantage incorrectly
Brown Mauler: Coming "Soon"
With the AI patch behind me, I will be jumping into the mud pit for some Brown Mauler development and learning the cherished brown dragon art of napping. Ok, not really...but really. Never wake a sleeping brown.