A few thoughts from a fan willing to be a Pokemon TCGO pro player

[Zaphysic]

Dear Developers,

 

I started playing Pokemon TCG with the very first expansions when I was only 9 years old (now I am 22), when I was a big fan of the entire Pokemon phenomenon, and only recently (re)discovered Pokemon TCG Online. Before going into the details I must say that, overall, the game looks amazing and one can feel the amount of dedication and hard work that has been put into it. Here is a small list of thoughts after playing the current version of the game for a few weeks (I will come back to the forums regularly with more suggestions in the future):

 

· Pokemon TCG Generalities: I am an active player in other TCG games and, in particular, a pro player of the physical Magic: The Gathering. Of course, the feeling of Pokemon TCG is far from similar to Magic but I think that is precisely why it has a special appeal for many TCG players like myself. Both the win conditions of the game and the game mechanics themselves are very different from those of Magic (and all the digital TCGs that are pretty much variations/simplifications of Magic: Duels of Champions, HearthStone, Infinity Wars...) and so it is refreshing and stimulating for players looking for competitive play. I assume that the Pokemon TCG development team will take good care of the game health and balance (not an easy task but certainly necessary) and so I focus on suggestions relevant specifically for the Online version. I think it is very important to support high-level competitive play in the Online version of Pokemon TCG since in many regions around the globe the physical game is non-existing; I understand the focus on youger generations, and it should remain like it has been in the future, but a challenging, mature top competitive environment is very desirable for the future of the game.

 

· Game Formats/Match Types: It is very important that formats are well-known among players so that there is some variety appart from the usual constructed 1 vs 1 kind of play. I know the tournament section of the Pokemon TCGO is being tested right now so it may be a bit early but I do believe other formats like Rotating formats (in which only the last few expansions are legal for deck building) or Drafted/Limited formats (in which players build decks from limited resources and play against others that constructed decks under the same conditions) will make the game much more appealing in the future and could potentially generate a massive profit if small purchases are linked to buying the cards you need to play in, say, drafted formats. Another similar issue, that may be easier to implement in closer updates, is that of Match Types. It will be very nice to have a variety of game rules and even win conditions (only common cards are allowed in the decks, the first player to deal X amount of damage wins with no prizes, the first player to have 6 stage 3 evolutions in play wins with usual prizes...) so that casual players who just want to have some fun can enjoy the game without going hardcore deckbuilding and for those competitive players that want to take a break of high-level play. This possible features will guarantee a bright future of this TCG game which, I believe, has plenty of potential.

 

· Trainer Challenge: This fueature of the game is currently quite right, in my view, and the big amount of cards that it provides for the new player without purchasing anything online is a great strategy to get new players. There are a few details, though, that manifestly need some improvement. First is the AI, I know this should not be one of the focuses of the game since PvP is the true future of any Online TCG, but some times your foes make very stupid moves or even play inconsistently altogether (I have spent the majority of my Trainer Challenge games just trying to set the most powerful pokemons and win dealing lots of damage without even noticing what my opponent was doing since he/she will not even attack with pokemons that had enough energies). The second issue is the variety of theme decks. I know it will not be fair to include many more theme decks but maybe a small room for deck building combining the cards of the theme decks only or something similar. Also, it will be very interesting to include the match types and formats described above in the Trainer Challenge in order to improve diversity of games which I think is the biggest problem with Trainer Challenge, it becomes quite dull after the first league.

 

· Shop: Gems are not available in my region and I understand the shop is still in progress of development but here are some indications that, I believe, are absolutely necessary if players are to spend money in the game in the long term. Product Descriptions: it is ok to have some flavourful information of the Pokemon world background of the TCG but alongside this there must be a precise description of all the contents and which formats they are legal in. It is specially annoying not to find a decklist for pre-build decks, this hinders inmensely the appeal of the product for competitive players that will, hopefully, constitute the main source of income for the game in the long term. Boxes and Deals: I imagine this will be implemented when the shop is in full working order but weekly deals and offers are important to keep players visiting the shop regularly; also bigger items like Pack Boxes that are a bit cheaper than individual Packs, so there is a slightly more efficient way for people seeking to complete decks and playsets of 4 cards to do so. Also watch out for prices, they need to be low enough to compensate for the cards being purely digital.

 

· Trading System: This is, again, a fantastic feature that differentiates Pokemonn TCGO from many other options out there on the internet. I have not used it yet myself but it is a major feature to keep improving since I believe it could be the true enabler for future stable competitive play.

 

This is all I wanted to say so far, I have great hopes with this game and I can only say that if the Development team keeps working as it has so far my hopes will be met and this could be the next big Online TCG.

 

Receive all my best wishes for the future,

 

sincerelly,

 

Carlos.

[Mod_Snow]

Holy Miltank Zaphysic! This is awesome!

 

Thank you so much for your detailed (and readable) feedback! I love that you cover what you like/dislike AND suggest changes to each feature to improve them. Very nicely formatted! I've passed this along to the dev team. Please do continue to submit further feedback and suggestions like this whenever you think of it

 

Stay cool!

[Zaphysic]

Dear Developers,

 

here is a small update of my previous post with some issues that I missed.

 

·TCG generalities: Pokemon TCG, as I said, has a very distinctive feel as a card game and further development should aim to balance current issues (too many ex Pokemon is a well-known imbalance of the current meta or the sometimes abusive trickery with trainer cards that have no cost and make pokemon seem less relevant to the strategy when they should be central, this are just examples) and boost the features that make it a good TCG that is not based in "killing" your opponent.

 

· Game Formats/Match Types: I mentioned Rotating formats in my previous text and I forgot to account for the Standard/Modified and Unlimited formats. This stresses the fact that this distiction is not very clear to newcomers and that it should be made more explicit in the description of the game. I also mentioned Drafted formats, here I present some further comments: Upon further consideration and after discussing it with some friends (also involved in high-level Magic or other card games) I believe a successful Drafted format could be the key to the broad popularity of Pokemon TCG among card game lovers. I understand there are many difficulties and challenges that come with this idea but I would like to present a list of facts about the advantages of a Drafted format in Pokemon TCG (most of these are rather obvious but, by no means, less important to the point):

 

0. I will not give a precise idea of what a Drafted format should be in precise terms but I will assume that it resembles the experience of other card games in which a small group of players is given a randomised or partially randomised material from which they need to build a deck (needless to say that any required basic energies will be supplied) in a limited time and battle each other thereafter.

 

 

1. Deck-Building-Skills Intensive. Many Pokemon TCG players, as in other card games, constantly complain about "net-decking", i.e. the very upleasant experience that players with enough resources just copy the best decks and the meta gets progressively stagnant. Drafted formats are the best solution to cope with this trend of constructed play, that will always be present to some degree. Players will keep their interest on constructed play because they get to play their favourite pokemon and the most powerful strategies while they can experience the creativity and thrill of building decks with limited resources and playing against other players in similar conditions.
   
2. Consistently Selling New Material. The final form of a Drafted format needs careful consideration and mindful design but one thing is for sure: it will require opening some kind of packs where the material will be found. This is the perfect way to introduce a persistent and secure motivation for players to purchase new material other than simply enlarging one's collection. It is likely that the final design will require a special type of packs or sealed decks but if the online game requires players to purchase these (at a reasonable price) prior to participating in a Drafted event it will help to the long term stability of the game.
   
3. Flavourful feel of "Catching Wild Pokemon". While the usual 1 vs 1 constructed play emulates trainer battles, for those seeking to emulate the other fundamental aspect of the pokemon world, that of catching wild pokemon, a Drafted format provides the natural environment. Although not immensely relevant for the game itself, this only further supports the convenience of having such a format.
   
4. Additional Source of Ranked Play. Having a second competitive format allows for players to participate in a different kind of ranked games. This will not only complement the usual 1 vs 1 game but also provide a format that is skill-intensive and in which having a big collection is not so important. This is of course a very appealing feature for most players but even more so for newcomers and begginers, that will feel compelled to purchase Draftable packs that allow them to play Drafted formats and that will also enlarge their collections.
   

 

 

· Trainer Challenge: Nothing else to say so far.

 

· In-Game Details: I imagine this has been noticed before but the visual quality and resolution of the in-game cards is a bit pixelated and blurry. Also some minor sound and visual glitches happen when navigating the menus.

 

· Shop: Nothing else to say so far.

 

· Trading System: I would like add to what I said in my previous post that a good searching bar/system should be implemented for players to efficiently find their trading interests.

 

Receive my best wishes for development,

 

Carlos.

[Mod_Poplar]

Hi Zaphysic,

 

Thanks again for the detailed suggestions and feedback. I'll submit these items to the Dev team for review as well and leave your thread open for discussion in the meantime.

 

As always, we appreciate your input!

[Zaphysic]

Please forward to the Dev Team:

 

"

 

Dear Dev Team,

 

although I contributed with some pieces of feedback in the forums recently, I would like to sum them up and expand some of them as I will cease my activity in the forums until the summer break (due to demanding professional occupation). First I'd like to introduce myself as a professional card game player (Magic: The Gathering both physical and online as well as many other digital card and strategy games) and someone with an academic background as physicist and mathematician (University of Cambridge, UK). I was a big Pokemon fan when I was younger (back with the very first generation of Red/Blue games and first editions of the TCG) and only recently I (re)discovered Pokemon TCG via the Online game. Before getting into the details of my comments, I would like to congratulate the Dev Team in advance for their wonderful job with this game; I should mention that my true motivation in providing such detailed and extended feedback stems from the very nice impresion that the last update of the game made on me and indeed the hope that this game (both the Online version and the physical one) will become a very successful card game in the future.

 

I will organise the several points a bit differently form last time, stressing what is good and what is bad or manifestly perfectible. I should mention that the issues listed below are not only my own personal opinions but they reflect, to a certain extent, the views and opinions of a large and diverse group of fellow players and friends who also tried the game recently. Also note that I played the game in Europe and never had access to Tournaments online.

Good Things to Further Improve

• User Interface. The general neat and cartoonish look of the user interface is quite impressive as it is now, it really adds up to the overall player experience. There are some minor glitches and incosistencies that are well reported in the Bug section of the forums so I guess they will be improved in due course.
  
• Shop. Although I only had access to the limited "no gems" version of the shop, I believe this should be a major concern for future development. Detailed descriptions of every product contents are needed. Deals and offers as well as special packs or items that are announced weekly or daily will ensure a dynamic feel that will keep players coming back to the shop every now and then.
  
• Starting Collection. This is quite an impressive feature of this card game, by the time a newcomer has completed the current version of Trainer Challenge his/her collection should be big enough to build a moderately competitive deck, which is not the case in many other digital card games.
  
• Trading System. This is definitely a feature that makes Pokemon TCGO unique, again relevant issues for its further development are raised in the forums and the recent history of updates makes it look very promising.
  

 

Missing Things Worth Considering

• Match Types. There needs to be a variety of game rules and even win conditions as part of the options for Versus Mode. Examples may be: only common cards are allowed, the first player to deal X amount of damage wins with no prizes, the first player to have 6 stage 3 evolutions in play wins with usual prizes, etc. This will allow casual players who just want to have some fun enjoy the game without going hardcore deckbuilding and more competitive players to take a break of high-level play. This is an easy-to-implement feature that provides a straightforward way to deal with issues raised by many players concerning E X Pokemon and the like.[/color]
  
• Regular Missions/Tasks. Although the daily reward is a good mechanism to make people play the game regularly it could also help if it was possible to get tokens (and gems?) by completing some sort of weekly tasks or missions. An example of a weekly task could be: "Earn X tokens if you manage knock out a total Y Pokemon before next week".
  
• Drafted Format. Many Pokemon TCG players, as in other card games, constantly complain about "net-decking", i.e. the very upleasant experience that players with enough resources just copy the best decks and the meta gets progressively stagnant. Drafted formats are the best solution to cope with this trend of constructed play, that will always be present to some degree. Players will keep their interest on constructed play because they get to play their favourite pokemon and the most powerful strategies while they can experience the creativity and thrill of building decks with limited resources and playing against other players in similar conditions. The final form of a Drafted format needs careful consideration and mindful design but one thing is for sure: it will require opening some kind of packs where the material will be found. This is the perfect way to introduce a persistent and secure motivation for players to purchase new material other than simply enlarging one's collection. It is likely that the final design will require a special type of packs or sealed decks but if the online game requires players to purchase these (at a reasonable price) prior to participating in a Drafted event it will help to the long term stability of the game. While the usual 1 vs 1 constructed play emulates trainer battles, for those seeking to emulate the other fundamental aspect of the pokemon world, that of catching wild pokemon, a Drafted format provides the natural environment. Although not immensely relevant for the game itself, this only further supports the convenience of having such a format.
  
• Advertising Campaing. Once the full game launches in its final version I am sure it will be properly advertised as every Pokemon product is, especially for the youger generations. I would like to stress that it should also be advertised as a mature and serious card game for those looking for a good quality strategy card game that is not a variation/simplification of Magic: the Gathering.
  

 

Bad Things that need to Change or Disappear

• Card Resolution. The current resolution of cards would not be acceptable in a final version of the game. Both in-game and collection renderings of the images are poor and I think major effort should be made to make the cards as readable as possible without zooming in. Even once zoomed in, some cards are so blurred that the rarity or the pokedex description are unreadable. This is definitely something to improve.
  
• Ranking System. Players need to know how they are ranked and what the rankings are. Adding to the Match Types section above, it will be very convenient to always play against someone of similar skill/card collection, to this end an ELO system may prove useful. Also having a Drafted format as a second competitive format allows for players to participate in a different kind of ranked games. This will not only complement the usual 1 vs 1 game but also provide a format that is skill-intensive and in which having a big collection is not so important. This is of course a very appealing feature for most players but even more so for newcomers and begginers, that will feel compelled to purchase Draftable packs that allow them to play Drafted formats and that will also enlarge their collections.
  
• In-Game Chat. An adequate chat log is required so that all the information about the current game is clearly visible while being able to see messages as the are received.
  

 

 

Overall, I have very positive feelings about this game. I am enthusiastic about the bright future that it will surely have and I would love to partake in it as much as possible: both as a consumer/player and as a tester or developer. Since I will be out of the Forums for a while I leave my email address just in case any developer wants further explanation of some of the feedback above:

 

[Content removed - sharing personal information is not permitted. -Prof. Poplar]

 

My best wishes for the future!

 

[Content removed - sharing personal information is not permitted. -Prof. Poplar]

[Mod_Poplar]

Hi Zaphysic,

 

As many of the same topics are covered in each of your feedback threads, I've merged them all to keep the forums organized and to centralize discussion.

 

Regarding your new post, we appreciate the detail you've put into your thoughts and feedback! I'll forward these ideas to the Dev team for review and leave this thread open for discussion. Unfortunately, in order to protect the safety and privacy of all users, sharing personal information is not permitted on the forums. If you need to communicate anything to us which requires the sharing of personal information, the best way to do so is via support ticket. You can create a support ticket by simply clicking the link in my signature, signing in, and clicking the "Ask a Question" link.

 

Feel free to read more about these rules and others by clicking the Forum Rules link at the bottom of this page.

 

Thanks again for your input and your understanding!

[Zaphysic]

Great! Thank you.

 

I was not aware of those rule, sorry for any inconvenience.

 

Bye!