Placement of Creatures & Area of Effect

[Lanidrak]

I just want to promote some discussion on this.

It seems as though Zanz is taking a move through the Flood/Inundation card. In which, creature's location on the playing field determines if it takes damage or not.

We can capitalize on this and hopefully come up with some new ideas.

The first thing I propose is a way to 'choose' where you place your creatures.

Right now, as you play a creature it is assigned to a predetermined place in an order of the available slots. If a creature dies, that slot is opened and is filled with the next creature.

Instead, when you play a creature, you should choose the slot you want to put it in. This will add a lot more tactics to the game, but shouldn't slow things down too much.

Note: This is only for creatures you play from your hand. I think Summoned creatures (Ie. Skeletons from Boneyard, Fireflies from Queens, Scarabs from Pharaoh's) should be placed randomly.

The second thing I want to open up, is Area of Effect spells.

The first one I can think of is a Fireball spell, which acts like Firebolt but also effects adjacent creatures.

1	2	1
2	3	2
1	2	1

So, the above table, if you will is the damage that this Fireball spell does. The central tile is where the spell was targeted to - so that creature takes 3. The creatures to the left, right, immediate above and below all take 2 damage. And the creatures on the diagonal adjacent tiles will take 1 damage.

So, if you know your opponent uses Fireballs for his creature (spam-mob) control, you will be placing your creatures in a loose formation, ie, not next to each other.

Another example is a Chain Lightning spell, which jumps to nearby creatures (randomly)

X	X	X	4	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
X	X	5	X	3	X	1	X	X	X	X	X
X	X	X	X	X	2	X	X	X	X	X	X

The X's denote an empty Cell, this player has 5 creatures in play which all get hit by the Chain Lightning. A creature cannot be hit by the lightning more than once (ie. Lightning never strikes twice)

[icybraker]

The first thing I propose is a way to 'choose' where you place your creatures.

I don't know how hard this will be to code, but if implemented, it will open up a whole new realm of tactics. Approved as a good long-term change.

The first one I can think of is a Fireball spell

http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,5378.0.html

Suggested and greatly received. Yep, this is a good idea.

The central tile is where the spell was targeted to - so that creature takes 3. The creatures to the left, right, immediate above and below all take 2 damage. And the creatures on the diagonal adjacent tiles will take 1 damage.

The main problem with this is the fact that creatures are not placed one on top of the other; they are staggered in diagonals. Check the Screenshot Competition or something, and you'll see what I mean.

One of my own suggestions: A Support Pillar. Target Pillar becomes a creature. If you target an opponent's pillar, it turns into a creature on the opponent's side. Every creature adjacent to that pillar gains a power boost of +1|+1.

[Lanidrak]

I see what you mean.

I had thought of that as an issue, but I'm pretty noob with the Table BBscript.

So a creature in the central line only has 4 neighbours, so to speak. This does cause some issues. So, if you want to place all your creatures with no adjacent partners, your field will theoretically be full after 7 creatures are in play. As opposed to the grid-like setup (above) in which you can have 12 solitary creatures.

Also, I like your support pillar idea. Very much like a tower defence game

[midg3333]

I like the idea of spells that affect certain "patterns" of creatures, but i don't think that choosing creature placement is such a good idea. It would make cards like flood much worse if you could choose to place all your best creatures in the middle...

[Lanidrak]

That's exactly the point.

For how long have people complained about 'instant kill cards'.

For ever.

And now, we get a card which is 'instant kill' for 16 creatures.

There are 8 cells in the top, and 8 cells in the bottom with 7 in the middle I feel that this is balanced.

Furthermore, a Quintessence will allow any of your creatures to be immortal. This will also 'block' a chain-lightning in certain circumstances, as the chainlightning won't go through the immortal creature.

[midg3333]

That's exactly the point.

For how long have people complained about 'instant kill cards'.

For ever.

And now, we get a card which is 'instant kill' for 16 creatures.

There are 8 cells in the top, and 8 cells in the bottom with 7 in the middle I feel that this is balanced.

Furthermore, a Quintessence will allow any of your creatures to be immortal. This will also 'block' a chain-lightning in certain circumstances, as the chainlightning won't go through the immortal creature.

Yes, it is instant kill for 16 creatures...assuming that you have 23 creatures out. Flooding/inundation is a useful card for a mono-water, against a deck that relies heavily on rushing with lots of creatures, but against lots of other decks, it's next to useless already. Not only that, but water is also an underused element, and it still isn't used all that much.

[Lanidrak]

You can already 'choose' to have all your best creatures in the middle by simply playing your best creatures first. Secondly, my point about Quintessence stands.  Anyway, you've seen my post about the Ice Spectre / Aquatican / Steamlord - water won't be so underpowered if that goes ahead :p

[abacus]

If the ability to choose where you place creatures gets implemented, then I suggest that placement dependent buffs get implemented also. For example, a creature that gets +1/+1 for every adjacent copy of itself. Or a spell that removes poison from every creature in a 3x3 cell area. This would make placing creatures have more strategy other than just trying to spread them out as much as possible to avoid fireball and others like it.

[Lanidrak]

Yeah I'd totally agree with you Abacus. The examples I used were merely to do with Damage-Spells. But, it is of course, highly possible that we have creatures and buffs which are also affected by the Placement rules.

One example I can think of is

Armaggio Totem (Creature)
Element: Gravity
Cost: 4
Stats: 1/20
Ability: Nearby creatures are protected by the Totem.

So, when a creature next to the totem is targeted, the spell effect will hit the Totem instead. A bit like a Armaggio, except to protect creatures instead of players.

Note: This could also effect positive spells. So if I put an Armaggio Totem into play, and want to put a Blessing +3/+3 on one of my creatures, that blessing will hit the Armaggio Totem instead.