Issue with game..

[davidy22]

The fact that so many new players are having trouble with obtaining cards is indicative of how slow the process is. There needs to be a higher payout for beating to CPU, or lower costs. Maybe a cheap booster pack system. The game should try to hook players, not scare them away.

To the guy who says variation is dead in elements; take a good look at the cards you have, look for novel things you could do with them, build a deck around it. Works for me.

[dangthing]

Tangent Impending BEWARE!!!

I play another card game called MTG which is similar but not the same. In that game it probably took me a year to get up to the point of being able to consider myself a good player and another year to consider myself capable of making intelligent decisions without guidance. So it took me 2 years to become a player who can play the game on a competitive level with any kind of chance. That being said I was never ever board during those 2 years. It was always exciting and I was always able to improve upon my own design. It was an exciting ride up those 2 years and was very satisfying to see my own skill grow.

On the other hand there is Elements. In Elements upgraded cards ruin the day of lower level players. Playing against AI sucks, all it is is grinding and hoping the game doesn't get out of hand. There really are a few set strategies that are good, everything else can be good but is much more of a struggle to make your deck into that. You can't even buy any of the rare cards you have to spin them, and in order to spin them you have to win and get lucky. I've been wanting to build a scarab deck for ages but have never even bothered to try because I don't have pharaohs.

Overall I find this game far to much grinding, even once you have a really good unupped deck its miles of grinding to go as there are basically no non-upgraded decks that can fight false gods with a chance in all hell. Many players have just spend the time to get through it because that is who they are and now they find this game fun because they can experiment with decks and the sort and have weird decks that are good. A new player has nothing and it takes forever to have more than nothing. I have to say that a great number of players probably just quit because of how hard it is to get going in this game. I think it needs some serious revision to add fun to it instead of grinding.

[Astrocyte]

I agree with you Voxen. The game is geared towards playing a certain way with certain cookie cutter decks and doesn't really allow for variation if you want to be successful. They tell you to visit the tutorials or get starter decks because you have to play a certain way. And now with the arena, which is garbage, there's absolutely zero options to create your own deck that you want to play. If you want to be competitive, you have to have certain decks or strategies. With a game that has so many options, there's very little variance that you can use and be successful. Just look at the arena for examples. Every deck has 6 of one kind of card or several cards. I've stopped playing because of the very strict conformity that's needed to progress.

Wut? 
Can't agree with a single word here.... Are we playing the same game?  ???

Yes.

There is no incentive for a new player to design your own deck or play around with strategies, because unless you are a naturally good or very lucky player from the start, this leads to losing score and money until you're in a hole you can't possibly dig out of (unless you want to grind AI1 or 2 for hours), and you have to start all over.

If you want to get to the fun parts (PvP, having enough cards to do tournaments and leagues and build decks for Arena) without days or weeks of going in circles, really the only thing to do is pick a deck someone else already made and researched, and use only that deck for ages.

[OldTrees]

@Astrocyte
Test in the trainer? It is the friend of Newbs, the Lazy(me), the Dedicated and the Elite.

[teffy]

There is no incentive for a new player to design your own deck

I think, this is a point, zanzarino slowly tries to change. I give some examples:

- the trainer (http://www.elementsthegame.com/trainer), also the possibility to use deck codes for AI decks.
- metamorphosis costs 0 , not 100 anymore, a very important point.
- your personal set of upgraded cards - you often can´t copy decks 1:1.
- the oracle as a whole:
- The pet , which lasts for 3 games - maybe creates room for own deck creations.
- The prediction of a FG ( which could also give money to new players)
- nymphs, which make accounts kind of unique
- and we shouldnt forget the new Arena, and the decks, new players can submit around a card.

In Elements upgraded cards ruin the day of lower level players.

A good point. One of the points, which were discussed (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,239.msg1738#msg1738), when the upgraded cards were introduced. I also had my doubts: OMG, how can we balance this ? How high will the gap between veterans and new players be ? Do we get 2 games ?
I think the advantages outweight the disadvantages:
Advantages:
- Some new deck strategies for older players, but not the majority of strategies.
- Most veterans don´t have all upgraded cards. Upgraded cards are one big long-time motivation. Long time motivation is a big problem for most browsergames.
- Upgraded cards increase the chances for FGs pretty much - and FG are the fastest way to get money -> Long-time motivation

Overall I find this game far to much grinding

Although I think, that some things became easier for new players, I don´t know, how much time it takes for new players, to become ready for PvP1, tournaments or FGs.
Maybe veterans could open new accounts and test - to see if it is really too much grinding.

[Dead Inside]

"Maybe veterans could open new accounts and test - to see if it is really too much grinding."

This will not be an accurate test because veterans already know the best setup and ways to play cards to have greatest impact whereas a new player does not. The test will be skewed and give false conclusions.

[davidy22]

If the trainer is so useful, why isn't it built into the game? I only found out about the trainer when I went on the forums, and not all players have the time to browse forums. Maybe a trainer button in the deck builder, identical to the supplemental trainer on these forums.

And I agree with the poster above. A crash-course in deck building should help newcomers avoid the elementary mistakes that would otherwise lead to frustration and humiliating losses against level 0. It would also reduce the number of people complaining about not being able to stand a chance against level 3.