Make Packs Worth Buying, Also

    • Make Packs Worth Buying, Also

      So, one of the big divides between Hex and other games (for those who need the help, I mean Magic, I always mean Magic when I say "other games," every single time since the Alpha) I've played is that packs aren't worth buying.

      Yea, the primal thing is cute, but it's not enough to compel me to just buy packs to buy packs. With Magic, I'd buy 2 cases with every release because of foils and the MASSIVE offchance of getting misprints (see Avacyn Restored for a historically bad print run). Anyway! Right now I have no justification for buying packs.

      I know you all don't want to introduce foils. I get that. The effect is pretty stupid. And you want AAAs to be special. Cool.

      What about sketch cards? What about Alternate frames? What about AA Full-Arts that can only be gotten out of packs? There's lots of ways to go.

      Just, uh, make packs great again.

      Also, EDH. Not implementing it at this point is nearly malicious behavior.

      The post was edited 1 time, last by schild ().

    • I'm not sure when / where it was but I talked with some friends about sketch cards being a thing you could get in packs... it must have been on the Generals Tent cause now the conversation is coming back to me. Cryptozoic blows the roof off with the cool stuff they include in their collectible sets (not really my cup of tea, but I've seen em and if I was into that I would be totally geeked out), obviously we can't have scratch and sniff cards in Hex but coming up with some sort of cool collectible includes in Hex would be rad.

      We have chests, but they don't really feel like they are in packs. When you open the pack you don't see them. Chests were a pretty awesome idea but it feels like they've lost some of their luster.

      Even cards having a chance to be pre-extended art would be kinda neat but I get there are approachability / clarity issues there.

    • If you aren't motivated by the already many incentives to purchase packs, adding more incentives is not going to do much more.

      Primal Proc Chance - as you mentioned
      Chests - and various things associated with them



      If cards were randomly a varied rarity / type / etc., what happens when these proc in draft? Do players now prioritize value when drafting to some new arbitrary associated card perk, that further removes them from building the best deck?

      Edit: Chests and Wheels not being a motivator to you, doesn't mean they aren't motivators. They are pretty awesome incentive, although let's not get into the value of wheel rolls and how that is skewed.

    • NicoSharp wrote:



      If cards were randomly a varied rarity / type / etc., what happens when these proc in draft? Do players now prioritize value when drafting to some new arbitrary associated card perk, that further removes them from building the best deck?
      who cares?

      That's on a per player basis based on their personal preference

      see: foil goyf

    • yeah - I was thinking of those type of scenarios when I mentioned it. I don't necessarily think that is great for the game, the players, or the economy. It's just adding fluff in a place it doesn't need to be added.

      MTG is all about the packs, because that is all that MTG is.
      With HEX, we are allowed to think a little bigger picture. Well, some of us.

      Edit - If the idea is to get more people to just open packs they purchase right away - I guess this doesn't hurt...

      The post was edited 1 time, last by NicoSharp ().

    • NicoSharp wrote:



      MTG is all about the packs, because that is all that MTG is.
      With HEX, we are allowed to think a little bigger picture. Well, some of us.
      What does this even mean? Of course we're allowed to think a little bigger picture, but as I've stated countless times, we should meet the minimum expectation to begin with. Because that obviously works also.

      Yeesh. Useless and defeatist to just assume bigger is better when we don't even have small/medium worked out yet.

      Also, protip: Every CCG is all about packs. It's what the company sells.

    • HEX is also giving away a lot of packs, and providing players with other ways to work towards them. This makes sense for them to look at other avenues to "drop" content people will chase, in places they can not just open them in packs they are freely acquiring. Some layered complexities in putting all the eggs here in the same basket.

      I'm not saying the bonuses for packs now are perfect, and am in mostly agreement around chests, and how I dislike the way the wheels system works, but its how they choose to do it, and I don't think it's wrong, but may be far from perfect.

    • NicoSharp wrote:

      HEX is also giving away a lot of packs, and providing players with other ways to work towards them. This makes sense for them to look at other avenues to "drop" content people will chase, in places they can not just open them in packs they are freely acquiring. Some layered complexities in putting all the eggs here in the same basket.

      Nothing will ever beat the lottery that is packs, particularly for blanket profit.

      Pack opening should, 100% of the time, be exciting. No exceptions. It's core to the design of any such game.

    • I haven't done the math but I'm pretty sure packs created as prizes from Limited are not enough for the amount of people it took to create them to re-enter limited, right? Even adding the occasional account and laddering pack reward. I think that if people stopped buying packs from the store, but continued to play limited, the packs would soon deplete from our inventories.

      I might be missing something but I don't see the problem @schild is facing with packs. We buy them for one reason, which is, in reality, twofold: To play Limited while keeping the cards we open, OR to expand our collection while playing Limited.

      EDIT: I don't think I'd mind foils. Has anyone talked against it?
      Yes, AAA ought to be the super special awesome card. Until you come up with another super duper special awesome card.
      I've no idea what sketch cards are and Google isn't helping, it's taking me to "make your own card" sites.
      Alternate frames are fine, as an idea, but I think they might be not practical. I'd like to know the card's shards with a glance and introducing alternate frames will make this more difficult.
      AA full-arts sounds like a chest thing to me. What's the difference between an AA card and a AA full-art card?

      The post was edited 2 times, last by Vroengard ().

    • This seems extraordinarily a niche thing to certain people. Hex needs to focusing on getting more people playing the game. Sketch art and other AA alternatives aint going to get people in the door. It is a cool idea and I would like to see it happen. But resources really should be spent on other things right now.

    • I would'nt be against producing 15-20 special AA/AAA ( or other shiny distinction a la MTG masterpieces ) found in packs each set ( and for example would not be obtainable be rolling 3 spiders on the weel of fate, just cracking packs ) and having them be super rare and valuable, but I don't see it as a priority.
      Awaiting the Doomwalker's arrival in Entrath since the Beta.

      " Honey, where's my chaos key ?
      - Have you searched in your chaos coat ?
      - Shoot I left it in the chaos car... "

      ... Still be waiting for a while it seems ...

    • Vroengard wrote:

      We buy them for one reason, which is, in reality, twofold: To play Limited while keeping the cards we open, OR to expand our collection while playing Limited.

      correct

      because packs suck

      That was, in fact, the reason for the thread. So, thanks.

      Vroengard wrote:

      EDIT: I don't think I'd mind foils. Has anyone talked against it?
      Yes, AAA ought to be the super special awesome card. Until you come up with another super duper special awesome card.
      I've no idea what sketch cards are and Google isn't helping, it's taking me to "make your own card" sites.
      Alternate frames are fine, as an idea, but I think they might be not practical. I'd like to know the card's shards with a glance and introducing alternate frames will make this more difficult.
      AA full-arts sounds like a chest thing to me. What's the difference between an AA card and a AA full-art card?

      I like foils. I don't care if they do foils. Lots of people don't like how foils look online. I can dig that. Sketch cards was just something I threw out there. Basically the black and white sketches for art that pre-date the final art.

      Anyway, none of my examples are the point.

      The point is packs suck.

    • The logic in this post blows me away. You think packs aren't good because you don't feel compelled to just open them like you do in games where the only thing you can do with packs is open them?

      It is _fine_ if the ideal thing to do with packs is to play Hex with them instead of opening them mindlessly. It is something that is great and sets Hex apart from waves of CCGs.

    • JeffHoogland wrote:

      The logic in this post blows me away. You think packs aren't good because you don't feel compelled to just open them like you do in games where the only thing you can do with packs is open them?

      It is _fine_ if the ideal thing to do with packs is to play Hex with them instead of opening them mindlessly. It is something that is great and sets Hex apart from waves of CCGs.
      what game is there where the ONLY thing you can do with packs is open them? I mean, I'm sure one exists, but I don't play it.

      Also, is this somehow taking away from limited? Or does the idea of varied packs and chase items somehow offend you?

    • I don't see how adding varied items to packs makes just opening them instead of playing sealed / draft / evo with them any more appealing. I can still get more value / play time from my packs by playing with them.

      Most all of the CCGs (Eternal, Hearthstone, come to mind) where people just buy packs all the time to open them that is literally all you can do with them.

    • schild wrote:

      JeffHoogland wrote:

      The logic in this post blows me away. You think packs aren't good because you don't feel compelled to just open them like you do in games where the only thing you can do with packs is open them?

      It is _fine_ if the ideal thing to do with packs is to play Hex with them instead of opening them mindlessly. It is something that is great and sets Hex apart from waves of CCGs.
      what game is there where the ONLY thing you can do with packs is open them? I mean, I'm sure one exists, but I don't play it.
      Also, is this somehow taking away from limited? Or does the idea of varied packs and chase items somehow offend you?
      Pretty much ALL CCG the only thing you can do with packs is open them.