Steam user experience with "revamped" Pox Nora

What you've been describing is a common bottleneck in every free to play card game even now. Infinity wars does it, Hearthstone, Duel of Champions, Solforge, and others. The main problem being that Pox Nora's rune accessibility is still in flux. Mind you it only take 1-2 days to get a pack now vs 5-7 so there's definite progress but it by no means competes with the 1-2 packs a day of other games. Then you have to consider the card pool. Most of these newly released card games have pools of cards roughly 5 - 10x less than the total of pox nora. Combine this with starter decks that are almost never revamped on digital CCGS ( physical games are much more accommodating) and you face a very large power gap. Your left with to much to get a hold of using old decks. Smaller card pools to collect from, bigger player bases ( Hearthstone, Duel of champions) and a much easier time getting decks within the current meta ( see Duel of Champions standard vs open formats) are giving the illusion of an easier free to play experience. You get to any real rank in those games though and your back to grinding if you want to keep free to play.

Best advice to survive in any free to play card game is to only play for an hour gaining the currency and stopping. Set goals per week and then cash in on one faction you want to build up. Start on C/U/R decks only for the first 3 months at least and then maybe you'll have some resources to make 1 decks with an exotic or two. Ranked isn't really an option because it is basically open format with no in between. Training grounds is your best bet for same meta level cards till you've built up. It's a long road a head if you plan to spend little or no money. I know only spending $160 or so in 8 years it took awhile to get a hold of all the runes I wanted one way or another. Playing card games F2p are a commitment that can be very boring at times but patience can get you to where you want to be.

 

PVP is brutal and what you are experiencing perhaps causes a chicken/egg scenario.

The game doesn't have enough players to offer enough breathing room thus it's harder for new players to get started and over and over.

Perhaps taking an idea out of something like Cardhunters if you're familiar with that game.

Basically you go in a queue and have a total wait time of like 8 minutes or something.
If at the end of that time no players in your range are available you play a skirmish match against the AI with a random bg.
You of course would have an option to be paired up only against other players.

 

@exiledtyrant: Jesus man,what was that?! o_o We are talking about playing,you wrote a "working schedule" xD Is not that I have to put time in this game to get addicted,should be the other way around,where I first get addicted and then I am more than willing to put time in it! This can NEVER happen thought if the currently situation is how it is,so is simply insane to follow that "working plan" just "to get there" with the promise that "will be fun later" xD

A game should always be fun,should never became a job :S

And if this is basically a "pay to enjoy ranked game",then I am really out of place,I was simply fooled by the word "free to play" in the description,as always happen.

Currently there are only 3 REAL major free to play games I think, TF2, Dota 2,Path of Exile. Kind of sad,but it also shows that a TRUE f2p game can earn a shitload of money. What I want to say is that maybe,this game should allow the usage of real money just to purchase "alternative skins" for the champion,and forbid the purchase of cards,wich probably brought to this situation (of that guy who started playing yesterday and with 25€ kicked me out of ranked 3 times in a row,and this situation also kicked 5 of my friends away too since they asked suggestion to me...6 possible customers was worth 25€?! Good question...) Basically the game is killing itself out of greed we could say,but probably there are more ramifications than that :/

Only thing I know for sure is that I spent 10€ in Dota 2 wich never asked me to pay in order to have a "fair" experience,becuase I first got addicted to a fair game,and later I didn't mind purchasing a cool cape and some sparkling headgear xD
But to pay in order to (hopefully) enjoy the game...never did this kind of trades in my life,not planning to start now :/

 

You can look at any digital CCG model and see the truth of it. What I suggested should have you trade ready in a few months. These barriers are put there to get you to spend money if you play detached and then invested it will be a lot easier to settle in with spending less cash. There hasn't been a shortcut yet outside someone dumping a bunch of cards at your feet. CCG investment is not like other game model it's an entirely different beast.

 

You insist on playing the most competitive version of Pox, and yet complain here that it is too competitive.

 

poxnora is a very slow game you need to play till you can get a pack once you have something like basic base of runes you can start trading and build your first bg
i remembered when i made i realize i need alot of gold to make a new bg
so first i tried a cheap bg which cost 40k one best beginner bgs to make is UD because they have high damage and if built right should be competitive
one way to improve your skills is watching experienced players i made bg which are similar to their bgs and those are quite competitive

 

I insist on play the only version where I can play online using the deck I built,so the actual card game,and not just a strategic turn based game (which is what is left if one stays on training ground.)...can you explain me why is this so hard to accept or understand?! Like if is some thought out of this world or something...guys this is a CARD GAME,wake up come on...not want to sound rude,but cards should be the focus,or at least half of the focus in this case. Training ground cut away half of the game to put it as the most basic as it can be,so doesn't even sounds like a reasonable option...I mean,what's the gain on playing pox nora just as turn based strategic game? I know many of turn based strategics that offer better under many aspects,what's make pox nora superior is THE CARDS!!!,so don't even suggest to go to play the "castrated" version of the game,where I have no to care of cards or cards level up,tell me instead to abbandon it,wich would make A LOT much more sense than the other suggestion...

As I said,training ground has become a place where people who complains is sent,instead of thinking to a way to improve things or instead of telling them to abbandon the game ,the nice way to shut up someone,and in my opinion even the ruder... Training Ground probably shouldn't even exist in the first place at this point...so that we could have a constructive discussion about how it could be made better.

 

The problem is, at it's heart, this game is a strategic turn based game. It just so happens to also be a CCG.

 

Try playing more than just a couple ranked games and you will be. There is a small player base though, and many people prefer to level up their decks in skirmishes, campaigns and daily quests so as to be better prepared for those "pro-huber" decks. If there was 1000 players in pvp, you'd see more unleveled decks but there are not. The most I've seen is 90 on Sat/Sun afternoons.

You know you can transfer over your old SOE account right? And yup, its a card collecting game. You can find the marketplace here: https://www.poxnora.com/store/index.do Collect/buy some runes and you'll never have to play with/against premade decks again. Problem solved.

Buy runes. Get "huber" runes like you're complaining about. Build your own killer deck. Tada!

It's more like you want to take a new character in a game you've just started and go fight the end level stuff and have a fair shot.

Shitty decks do just fine in: daily battles, skirmishes, non-pvp games and campaigns. They do not do fine in ranked games because that mode is meant for competition and most people prefer to compete with what's commonly known as "competitive decks." Shitty decks by definition are not competitive. You're essentially bringing one of those theme MTG decks to a tourney and complaining that everyone's fully optimized deck is beating you. That's not the tourney's fault or the player's fault or the game's fault.

You are. I say it may not be for you because this game isn't for everyone. You cannot expect to win regularly with some random runes thrown together in a deck and it sounds like that's what you want. Competitive decks require money and time. It isn't like League of Legends where you can spend $0 and compete with anyone. Accept it. I haven't invested much in this game and my bg has only 2 core exos in it. It's competitive in the Uncommon League but I start regularly getting beat if I near the top of the Rare League. I don't complain about how unfair it is, I accept that others have invested more and have more competitive decks than I do.

 

Some people have it all in life!!!

The sooner each of us accepts this fact, the quicker we can succeed in our varied situations.

 

@nitebane21:

And how is that my fault? As Yobanchi said "You need more breathing room to feel like you are growing towards an end goal instead of going 0 to 90 in one second. Either pre-constructed or uber bg... no inbetween." and this is what it is,to stay on that example,is like if I have the training ground with level 8 boars and the final stage with the level 100 boss. Why do you blame me for wanting all the inbetween? You are basically suggesting to grind level 8 boars until I am level 100...how does this can make any sense?!

I ask a question,in case I missed the obvious: There is a mode wich is not ranked,but that in the same way allows me both 1) "to challenge other online human newcomer players" and also 2) "to use the deck I made?" If there is,please tell me. If there isn't,then admit that this game is missing something...so maybe we can brainstorm a way to improve things instead of just blaming me for wanting better...

 

Green color games are the in between training and ranked imo.
You can make one by "create game" in the battle ground OR click the green join button.
Those are not as intense and I think it's a good in between ground.

As for color coding, Blue = Ranked game, Green = Unranked game, Brown = Training Ground

As for progression, there was a person who did play Poxnora totally free and he got up rather high rank at one stage, he wrote a diary about it which could be found here: http://forums.poxnora.com/index.php?threads/diary-of-a-free-player.4854/

He wrote it before this new card giving single player and card giving tutorial, so it took him longer than what you would now, so I assume things should be MUCH easier now.

 

@hfok: I didn't know of this green thing you're talking about,can you be more specific? What do I click after I click the "Create game" button,to make it green??? And what changes?

 

See the first two room in the lobby they're green in color?
There's a Join button under observe, if you click join, you'll join in and have a normal game.
"Create game" on the left under "Training PvP Game" is where you make one of those room.

 

There are three kinds of games: Training with 2 premade decks, custom (green) and ranked (blue) with your own decks. People do take their big guns into custom games, but its a bit mean, especially against people that are not even level 100 yet.

There is a distinct lack of players on your rune access and skill level you could play against, so you face against people that have already learned all the stuff and will wipe the floor with any beginner, no matter how prodigious in strategy manners. I suggest getting a nice guild that can get you kickstarted learning-wise and get you fairer games with less cheesy decks.

As for the premade decks, they suffer from the fact that some things are missing, often even cheap things, that would make them alright. They are getting an overhaul soon, though.

 

In the marketplace u can buy a theme deck then edit it how u want it,30k gold for it,http://forums.poxnora.com/index.php?threads/ktcaops-beginners-guide.329/ this link is to show you what in the theme decks
if u donot want to play training ground, u can alway create your game as hfok show u. play until u get better then try ranked again

 

you could offer limited rarity formats so that new players are more on an even footing with older players. but most likely those formats would be more appealing to newer players than to older ones so that will increase the chance of being matched with players of similar experience.

 

I losted it,but was fair indeed xD
Thx for letting me know of that custom mode again

 

NP =)
Let us know if you have more question

 

Great topic.

Here a suggestion on how to address the point that new players become frustrated when they encounter expensive battlegroups with their free battlegroups:

1. Take the battlegroup of the respective highest ranked full faction player for each faction.
2. Make those obviously capable decks available as starter decks for a limited amount of time as a Steam Relaunch feature.
3. Also make those decks available in the Market Place for those players who want to spend money on the game.