Elements. Fantasy cards game

The Immortal is not only immune to harm including negative spells; it is also immune to positive spells. I tried to cast Momentum and Parallel Universe on an Immortal, and then found out did not work.

The current card description does not say the Immortal is immune to magic in addition to regular damage. A better card description would be: "The Immortal is immune to all damage and spells."

Before you go asking everything again ktchong, a lot is already noted/asked.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by icecue7

• Does not being able to be "harmed" supposed to include not being able to be the target of spells and abilities? From the wording, it seems like it just isn't able to take damage.

---

And I believe I already asked about how to get extra cards, so the spinning slots was also already explained. Can't bother to also look back in the thread for the deja-vu card, but I believe it raised quite a few questions too.

I have no doubt that zanzarino is working hard on the bugs and a mini-site with explenation, as history speaks in his favour in form of passion, dedication and the willingness to commit to the (everything must be free) internet community. For now I think he has done a great job on a game that's free to be played by anyone, so I think he can be excused if he wants to take some time to give the same quality to a minisite.

The last part isn't ment as an insult, but I found it a bit forward to immediatly bash on the fact that zanzarino hasn't properly mentioned the slots yet, while the man(?) gave you an excellent game to play for free.

A few usability issues:

1. On the Elements homepage, the "Game Rules" link is broken.
   
   
2. If I have eight drawn cards on the desktop and press "DONE" to end my turn, I'm prompted to discard a card to continue. Sometimes, I want to go back and use a card instead of discarding it -- but I can't. I am forced to throw away the good card.
   
   Here is a suggestion: there is some unused space to the right of the cards, just to the right of the little color circles or quantum's. Just place a little "X" icon after each quantum icon. If I want to discard a certain card, I will just push the "X". If I click on the card itself, that means I want to use it.
   
   
3. The player's numbers (i.e., HP, remaining number of cards, essences/quantum's) are displayed in the lower left box. The player's HP and card number are displayed at the bottom of the box. It'd be easier for the player to scan the two most important numbers quickly if they are at the top instead of the bottom of that box.
   
   
4. At the winning screen, the "spin" button should be placed in a better position and more prominently. Preferably beside the "okay" button. Right now, it is very easy to miss the tiny "spin" button that blends into the background of the same color.
   
   The same goes for the number of remaining spins. Right now it is very easy to miss because it is so tiny. The number should be near or right beside the spin button.
   
   
5. The Phase Shield should display a countdown once it is played.
   

Probabilities to help building your deck

sometimes when creating a deck you'll have to quench the quantity of some cards

after some combinatorics i got this probabilities to get k copies in a 8-first-hand in a deck of 30 with 1,2,3,4,5 or 6 copies of a certain card:

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/7600/table30.png

I used this to contruct my last (multicolor)deck and I win (although not easily) 8-9 times in 10 with it :)

hope this will help all who love building good decks

ps - so far kitty, Mr.Walrus, shattari and zepiro are the decks that i have more difficulty to win

pps - i entirely subscribe TOdorus's words - zanzarino did (and are doing) an excellent game!!

Heya, well done to whoever who created this game, it is an excellent piece of work :) My in-hame name is irin asnd i hope to get to know more memebers of this growing community better. Do we have a specialised chat? or a irc chat:shhh:

Amazing game, with plenty of potential to become very very addictive ^.^ Food luck on your great work on developing it, and I hope to interact more with the community in the future. Do we have an IRC that we can use to chat now?

The computer opponent cheats in the Elder mode. The sequence is programmed for the computer to always get the Pillar cards first before the creatures and spell cards.

I played against a particular computer opponent three times (i.e., it used the exact same deck,) and it executed the same sequence all three times: Within the first two turns, the computer got all seven or eight Pillar cards. It quickly played all the Pillar cards and emptied its stack. After that, the computer started spamming creature and spell cards.

That is no luck. People do not get that kind of hand under normal play circumstances. Have you ever gotten nothing but Pillar cards in your first two turns? Three times in a row?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ktchong

That is no luck. People do not get that kind of hand under normal play circumstances. Have you ever gotten nothing but Pillar cards in your first two turns? Three times in a row?

---

The random number generator used by Elements is very, very streaky.

I've lost coin tosses 8 times in a row. I've won card spins three times in a row (Rare, but it happened once -- that's supposed to be a 5% chance.) Almost every time I see two Chaos Seed's used one after the other they've done the exact same effect. Things like that occur far more often than the basic odds dictate they should.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bianary

The random number generator used by Elements is very, very streaky.

I've lost coin tosses 8 times in a row. I've won card spins three times in a row (Rare, but it happened once -- that's supposed to be a 5% chance.) Almost every time I see two Chaos Seed's used one after the other they've done the exact same effect. Things like that occur far more often than the basic odds dictate they should.

---

I don't think the computer opponent cheats on the Basic and Advanced challenge levels. The computer seems to be getting random cards out of its deck in those levels.

However, the computer opponent does cheat on the Elder challenge level. The cheat is that the computer draws mostly or entirely Pillar cards in the first couple turns, and mostly or entirely Creature and Spell cards in the later turns. So that its cards are not actually randomly drawn. The computer draws its cards following a pre-programmed sequence and "special advantage."

Here is what I have observed on the Elder level:

The computer got the "special advantage" of drawing Pillar cards in early turns. In the first couple turns, the computer quickly played its Pillar cards and built up its quantum. To further confirm my suspicion, the computer stopped playing Pillar cards after the early turns. (If the computer had a lot of Pillar cards in its deck, then it would also draw and play those cards in the later turns, right?) Well, after the first few turns, it stopped adding Pillar cards. So, with its "special headstart" in quantum reserve, it could just spam creatures and spells.

The computer used that sequence very consistently at the Elder level. That is cheating. Maybe that the programmer thought that was the way to toughen up the challenges at the Elder level, by giving a "special advantage" to computer.

What are the odds of you getting all/most of your Pillar cards in the few turns and then only Creature and Spell cards in the later turns? Human players just do not get that "special advantage" unless they cheat. Even if your built your deck with 50 percent or more Pillar card, you just would not draw mostly Pillar cards in your first couple turns and then only creature and spell cards later.

P.S. The computer cheats only on the Elder level. In the Basic and Advanced levels, the computer draws its card out of its deck randomly based on luck, just like normal human players do. The computer could draw no or only one or two Pillar cards in the first one or two turns, just like you and me could. At the Elder levels, the computer draws a "perfect hand" every time, while you don't.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ktchong

I don't think the computer opponent cheats on the Basic and Advanced challenge levels. The computer seems to be getting random cards out of its deck in those levels.

However, the computer opponent does cheat on the Elder challenge level. The cheat is that the computer draws mostly or entirely Pillar cards in the first couple turns, and mostly or entirely Creature and Spell cards in the later turns. So that its cards are not actually randomly drawn. The computer draws its cards following a pre-programmed sequence and "special advantage."

Here is what I have observed on the Elder level:

The computer got the "special advantage" of drawing Pillar cards in early turns. In the first couple turns, the computer quickly played its Pillar cards and built up its quantum. To further confirm my suspicion, the computer stopped playing Pillar cards after the early turns. (If the computer had a lot of Pillar cards in its deck, then it would also draw and play those cards in the later turns, right?) Well, after the first few turns, it stopped adding Pillar cards. So, with its "special headstart" in quantum reserve, it could just spam creatures and spells.

The computer used that sequence very consistently at the Elder level. That is cheating. Maybe that the programmer thought that was the way to toughen up the challenges at the Elder level, by giving a "special advantage" to computer.

What are the odds of you getting all/most of your Pillar cards in the few turns and then only Creature and Spell cards in the later turns? Human players just do not get that "special advantage" unless they cheat. Even if your built your deck with 50 percent or more Pillar card, you just would not draw mostly Pillar cards in your first couple turns and then only creature and spell cards later.

P.S. The computer cheats only on the Elder level. In the Basic and Advanced levels, the computer draws its card out of its deck randomly based on luck, just like normal human players do. The computer could draw no or only one or two Pillar cards in the first one or two turns, just like you and me could. At the Elder levels, the computer draws a "perfect hand" every time, while you don't.

---

I haven't seen what you're describing, and I've smacked a lot of Elder computers around.

The reason they get a lot of pillars is because, frankly, their decks are overloaded with them. They have way more than they possibly need, but it ensures they're going to get pillars out and get going. That being said, some games I've stomped on an AI while it got three pillars total out in the first ten turns and just didn't have the resources to do anything. I don't think it cheats, there's just a bad random generator giving you a similar opponent setup three times in a row.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bianary

I haven't seen what you're describing, and I've smacked a lot of Elder computers around.

---

I have two accounts. I've able to consistently beat Elder elements -- but only with my Gravity element/deck. With my Aether element/deck, it's pretty darn near impossible to beat a few Elder decks.

(Which could also mean that the Gravity set is way more powerful than the Aether set. Unbalanced. Both my decks are mixed but weighted towards their own elements.)

With either account, I've noticed the computer plays the same patterns: Pillar first, and then no Pillar later.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bianary

The reason they get a lot of pillars is because, frankly, their decks are overloaded with them. They have way more than they possibly need, but it ensures they're going to get pillars out and get going.

---

So why didn't it play Pillar cards later on?? If the computer was loaded with Pillars, then it would also draw and play Pillar later just as well as early.

^ Which brings me to another feature that should be added to the game.

I would very much prefer having just one account over multiple accounts in order to play as different elements. It is a hassle to have to refresh and log in and out between accounts to play as different elements.

Here is the ideal situation:

Every account should store multiple profiles. So, instead of logging in and out of multiple accounts, (and having to remember multiple user names and passwords,) a player should be able to log into just one account and then switch between profiles.

It is even more of a hassle to be forced to start all over from zero to build a new deck with different element. The restrictions only serve to discourage players from experimenting with different elements.

Each account should keep a single set of user statistics across multiple profiles. So, a player should be able to use the same pool of golds and cards between profiles. (i.e., Just like in real life.) If the player wants to experiment with a new element or deck, he will just have to spend some gold to create a new profile. That would encourage players to experiment with different elements and decks.

As of now, it is too darn expensive and prohibitive to experiment with a different element. Right now, I have to start a new account and restart all over again just to play a new element, (which means playing at the boring Basic and Advanced levels a hundred times again to collect gold pieces, when I already have hundreds of golds in my other account.) And if I switch element, I lose my old element, and I may not like the new element. Which means it will be even more expensive to switch back.

With the way Elements the Game is set up, I definitely want to keep switching and experimenting to minimum because it is too expensive and prohibitive. And often I just want to play around with different elements and decks once in a while, but still stick with just one main element and one main deck. I can't do that with the current system. Every account requires too much time and commitment.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ktchong

So why didn't it play Pillar cards later on?? If the computer was loaded with Pillars, then it would also draw and play Pillar later just as well as early.

---

Because it got a large % of its total pillars at the start in that case.

I just played four games. I lost one, but three I won after the computer got an initial flurry of activity then spent its last five turns with no cards in its hand drawing and playing Pillars one after the other. This is Elder elemental difficulty.

I suggest you continue to play and watch more closely while doing so, you're probably just not noticing the times when the computer doesn't get all its pillars early but draws them as it goes because that's not how you expect it to behave. If you'd like, I could record some of the cards (I'd just list what they were) a computer plays against me for a few games -- or you could do the same, just note them down and see if the actual history of the game lines up with what you're thinking is happening.

Edit: Oh, and yes deck balance is hopefully in-progress in the game. Certain elements are very strong while others are quite weak.

In case my suggestions got lost in my discussions, here are them again in one post:

1. There is no "Back" button if I accidentally click "Play Now" on the Login/Front page. Please add one.
   
   
2. I would like to see what my opponent has played in the last round. The cards pop up and vanish too fast, and I would go: "WTF just happened?!?" And I would have no way of going back to find out what happened.
   
   
3. If a creature already has an ability and the player adds another ability to it, the new ability is not shown although the creature retains both abilities. The creature should show all abilities it has in play.
   
   But I imagine new spells and new abilities will be added in the future, so the same creature will be able to gain more and more abilities, (i.e., more than two.) So the little icons or lines of text that show a creature's abilities will get quite long as it keeps piling up abilities. So, any sort of display for the abilities should be prepared for the future.
   
   
4. The Immortal is not only immune to harm including negative spells; it is also immune to positive spells. The current card description does not say the Immortal is immune to positive magic in addition to harm. A better card description would be: "The Immortal is immune to all damage and spells."
   
   
5. On the Elements homepage, the "Game Rules" link is broken.
   
   
6. If I have eight drawn cards on the desktop and press "DONE" to end my turn, I'm prompted to discard a card to continue. Sometimes, I want to go back and use a card instead of discarding it -- but I can't. I am forced to throw away the good card.
   
   Here is a suggestion: there is some unused space to the right of the cards, just to the right of the little color circles or quantum's. Just place a little "X" icon after each quantum icon. If I want to discard a certain card, I will just push the "X". If I click on the card itself, that means I want to use it.
   
   
7. The player's numbers (i.e., HP, remaining number of cards, essences/quantum's) are displayed in the lower left box. The player's HP and card number are displayed at the bottom of the box. It'd be easier for the player to scan the two most important numbers quickly if they are at the top instead of the bottom of that box.
   
   
8. At the winning screen, the "spin" button should be placed in a better position and more prominently. Preferably beside the "okay" button. Right now, it is very easy to miss the tiny "spin" button that blends into the background of the same color.
   
   The number of remaining spins should also be clearly displayed. Now it's quite easy to miss.
   
   
9. The Phase Shield should display a countdown once it is played.
   
   
10. I would very much prefer having just one account over multiple accounts in order to play as different elements. Every account should store multiple profiles, and each profile can be a different element. So, instead of logging in and out of multiple accounts, (and having to remember multiple user names and passwords,) a player should be able to log into just one account and then switch between profiles. Golds, experience and rankings should be pooled/shared among all profiles under the same account. A player should be able to spend gold to create a new profile under his current account That should encourage players to try out new elements and new decks. Right now, experimentation with new elements is too prohibitively expensive.

Hi guys,

Great news (I hope):
The new version 0.4 is ready for some beta testing, you can find it here:
http://www.elementsthegame.com/index2.html

If you want to test the new version keep in mind that:

1- You can use your old account to test the new version, the data will be saved on a separate database and will NOT effect your official account.

2 - ALL the data saved for the beta test will be DELETED when the version becomes official.


What's new:
- Corrected all the bugs you reported (and probably created new ones with the new cards).
- More cards, lots of them.
- Added a quest line to guide new players through the first steps; might add more quests later.
- Many cards had their cost adjusted.
- Many effects have been tuned to keep the game in balance.
- Improved interface:
new icons for the momentum/immaterial/poisoned modifiers.
more reliable "skill is ready" effects.
more efficient (faster) "manage your deck" page.
more efficient use of the CPU (smoother animation).
- Improved AI (it looks smarter to me , but changing the code also means that the AI could do something very stupid, let me know if it happens)
- A new artist joined the team and the new graphics for the card look great (at least that's my opinion).

And about statistics/cheating:

The AI never cheats in any way, it even ignores what cards you have in your hand.

All the random effects are *really* random.

Winning a card with the spinning wheel has about a 5% winning chance for a level 1 elemental, but the percentage greatly increases for highly specialized decks, up to 100% for a deck that has 24 pillars and 6 copies of just 1 type of "non-pillar" card.

e.g.
24 pillars and 6 fire bolts.
Defeating that deck will give you 3 fire bolts... ALL the times.

There is a pretty huge glitch with the time card, Golden Hourglass which special effect is (Hasten)

Hasten sacrifices 3 time mana to allow you to draw another card in the same turn, but if you follow these steps below, albeit at the fast usage of time mana

1. Press Spacebar
2. Allow your monsters to deal damage to the enemy.
3. Click Golden Hourglass just right after the last damage done.

You will be able to attack again, like as in a free attacking turn. So lets say if you have 2 Golden Dragons, and you use that trick, it can do 40 damage in 1 turn. If the two Golden Dragons were under time block, they would be unblocked like a turn was passed. If you has a Fate Egg in the field, it would hatch. However, there would be no gaining of mana though.

I have no idea wether that was intended to be, but given the difficulty of executing this special move, it could be a glitch.

I have done it a few times unintentionally on my account irin, please forgive me :scared:


Oh and I was wondering if in the PvP mode, do we actually fight against other real life players, or just the AI controlled decks of the top 50 players.
Because, the top 50 player dosen't look like they are thinking before making a move, they make it in a split second, like AI. And with 50 players around only, it seems unliekly they would be so readily available to challenge at any time of the day.

Nevermind.

The "golden hourglass" bug has been fixed in the "almost ready" new version.

When you play level 4 the AI is using another player's deck (as the description says beside the button :) )

A completely realtime, multiplayer pvp is in the to-do list, but first we need a bug free game and a way to avoid any kind of pvp cheating... it will take a while.

This is a problem with the 0.4 Beta.

After I created a new account, (thrice,) the Quest screen was empty. Nothing loaded. Nothing happened. The game just stopped working and hung up.

I created three accounts for the beta: "test_fire", "test_time", and "test_aether". Right now they are dead (or more like "undead") accounts. I could not log into them, and I could not create new accounts with those user names.

Also, in the regular version, I created two accounts: "test_gravity" and "test_water". I no longer use them. Please delete them.