Guest posts by Silkenfist

37

Card Ideas and Art / Reworking the Existing Card - Druidic Staff/Jade Staff

« on: February 02, 2010, 03:03:15 pm »

So this is my shot at improving a card of Elements. Let me introduce my suggestion by giving my line of reason:

This contest should be about making a significant positive alteration to the world of Elements by giving one card a new face. This means to me that the change itself should be recognizable (not just one or two added quanta to a cost) and that it should be an obvious improvement of the overall metagame.
So let us start by thinking of a card that needs improvement, read: is harmful to the metagame or makes no contribution to it at all. Fortunately, I can't think of one card that is harmful to the metagame (although there are always one or two that could be nerfed a bit) but there are several cards that see play so rarely that they deserve a do-over. The most serious case by far is the Vampire Stiletto that sits miserably in the shadow of Druidic Staff and Shard of Gratitude.
What can we do to improve  the Stiletto? Actually, not much is needed. If you just add a few points of HP drain (and up the quanta accordingly) you get a pretty decent weapon already. Surely that is something that doesn't need a contest to be implemented. But wait - there is another problem: Vampire Stiletto and Drudic Staff are two weapons that are way too similar, a deficit that will be further exacerbated when the Stiletto was to be improved. Which means that I vouch for the Stiletto/Dagger to be made a bigger stick - the actual reworking I will do to the Druidic Staff, though.

Why the Staff? Obviously, the whole "Draining Life from your opponent to feed yourself" bit belongs more to Darkness than life. But what else could there be as an effect that deserves the name "Druidic"? Easy...

Druidic Staff 2
Weapon: At the end of each turn, deal 2 damage to your opponent and heal each of your creatures for up to 3 HP.

Jade Staff 2
Weapon: At the end of each turn, deal 2 damage to your opponent and heal each of your creatures for up to 5 HP.


Pictures will follow later. I need some time to figure out the interface.

38

Tournament Archive / Re: Brackett for second played Tournament and games

« on: January 30, 2010, 09:45:31 am »

I know I am late to notice this... but I have not received the price for 2nd place yet. Did I miss to submit my ingame handle or something?

39

Competitions / Re: Vote For Winner: Short Story Competition

« on: January 29, 2010, 07:36:17 am »

Sorry for being a noob, but what does "appear out of the blue" mean?

Actually, this is not an actual idiom (happens to me in both my first and second language that I use expressions that don't exist). It is derived from "a bolt out of the blue" which is used to describe sudden and unexpected events (like a lightning bolt out of a blue sky).
It refered to the name Greeph that wasn't introduced in the story and only appeared when the character was just about to die.

40

Competitions / Re: Vote For Winner: Short Story Competition

« on: January 27, 2010, 10:44:05 pm »

Concerning my story: I am glad that it is well-received. Of course. I gain a lot from using significantly more space than most other stories. In the future, we should probably define how many words "Short Story" constitutes. Depending on definition and source, it could be anywhere between 500 and 5000.


But for now, let's just look at the competition for this contest:

Slovenc555: Sorry, but I am not convinced. You had your story finished first and you had all the time to review it and make improvements. I am far from being a grammar nazi (my own grammar is horrible enough to prevent that) but if I have to read most sentences twice to get the meaning, it is too much. More importantly, a lot of potential is wasted with the role of the original thirteenth element. Given its significance in the development of the world, its deeds (and death) are not used nearly enough in the story.

Lanidrak: I like the whole "happy balanced world is becoming hostile and desolate" motive, but I think you should have spent more time to develop the story. For example, the "past religion" on which the False Gods are based remain ominous throughout and I do not know from where Entropy has returned. There is potential but the story needs more content to convey a stringent image.

Icybraker: Niice. You don't write stories very often, do you? It is quite interesting to see how the quality of your story improves as you go along. Morte is introduced nicely and the  feeling of fear and desperation is well-conveyed in the description of your poor protagonist. Oh, and a bitter end is always a plus with me. That said... I think that you didn't double-check your story well enough after finishing it. For example, the "thousand gasps" become "two hundred archangels" who somehow still constitute a "scout group". Your story is neigh perfect after you had established the setting, but this establishing process definitely needs work.

Daxx: Great story and about as good as it can get with the short format you chose. Strong introduction, excellent use of language and I especially like your choice of calling the battling elements "Childs". My only complain is, that you could have allowed yourself a bit more space to build up tension a bit further.

Cynxos: The story itself is very impressive. You take your time with vague-but-threatening exposition, building up suspense towards an inevitable climax. The exposition and description of the scene flows well with this process of building up a certain punchline and preparing to deliver it with ruthless efficiency. The only problem is - I am not impressed by that punchline. Seism is a pain to go up against but the deck really doesn't match the person in your description IMO.

Essence: I like the general setting, the theme, the protagonists and the solution. The whole "beseech the elusive mystical creature"-deal is always nice and working the Nymphs into it works well. There is some room for improvement, though. More dialogue between the protagonists to build up pressure would have been nice and I like it more, when the plan (what to do with the tears) is worked into the midth of the story to be able to finish the story quickly after the solution to the critical element is found.

Kurohami: There is a lot of potential in the story, but you really should have run a better double-checking process at the end. There are names (Greeph?) that appear out of the blue and it is never quiet clear whether the Graviton village in the beginning is connected to the Graviton army in the later part of the story in any way.

Lord_Midnight: I like the archeologist setting. It can solve a lot of problems we get from the fact that there are few humanoid cards in elements. Thinking of marks as powerful artifacts opens up story ideas, I might try myself sooner or later. Still, there are some elements in the story, I am not entirely satisfied with. I would have liked a stronger focus on the characters instead of their precise actions to reach the place. Also, I don't really like the punchline - there is not much wisdom in the question, it can be simply answered with "cartography changes a lot over a few millennia". The strong setup for the one deadpan question could have been executed way better.

Bloodshadow: A marvellous work with excellent language, good ideas and an irresistible logic behind it. I have always wondered, why light was always associated with good, while darkness should harbor evil but your explanation makes a lot of sense, surprisingly. To the work itself, I can only deliver praise. It is highly unfortunate that it will not be the story to receive my vote, though.

Why not? Let me do the segue to my choice for Best Story: The obvious problem is, that there is a lot of variance in the entries in terms of language, themes, subject, etc. My criterion for best story is based on the question who made the best story which means to me the best setting, the best course of action and the best execution in a conclusion of the story. Which means that my vote goes to a story that certainly has (minor) flaws in the execution but surpasses the others in creating a course of action to play with the suspense of the story, creating several dramaturgical peaks in short time: My choice for this contest is Icybraker.

Which leaves me to address as a final part: Bloodshadow's world creation story certainly is the work of highest quality in here and I think it has the potential to be added to the "official" Elements material. If the current state of the homepage/wiki allows, it could make a nice addition as the flavor of Elements in a nutshell.

41

Competitions / Re: Elements Short Story Competition

« on: January 26, 2010, 01:59:59 am »

ETERNITY

The majestic shape of the pyramid grew constantly larger as the two men – one with delicate elven features, the other a young broad-shouldered Human – approached. Surrounded by the solemnly humming time factories it had been the focal point of their journey for the past hours.
“Are you sure, this is the right place?” the Human whispered. The other man just cackled quietly.
“It is not a matter of place, Jefferson. It is a matter of time. If we are in the right time, this is the only place to reach.” He sped up the pace as his feet left the sand and hit the solid limestone that made the first step of the pyramid’s entrance.
“The spell should have brought us to a time where nothing exists except Time’s realm itself.” Jefferson nodded. He didn’t mind the lecture. In fact, he sort of requested it when his companion – of whom he still had to ask the name sooner or later – stumbled into the tavern and asked for someone to join his expedition to the temple of Time. The other patrons had turned down his request with a laugh, but Jefferson had remained calm. The man had sounded like a madman (and still did), but the prospect of finding the long lost temple of an Element was not to be turned down.
“I shall lend you my company, Sir” he had replied when the other patrons had turned their back on them again “…under the sole condition that I receive an equal share of what is wrested from the temples.”
“If that is so, I reject your offer in your own interest. There is nothing but knowledge and wisdom for me to seek.” The man had turned away again but Jefferson had insisted.
“Then it shall suffice for me to share the knowledge you retrieve. Of course, for this understanding to achieve, I will need to match your current knowledge of our destination. If you are willing to teach, that is.” And so they had gone to purchase the spells and supplies with the Elf instructing Jefferson about their destination: The temple of Time where the Guardian Elementals kept the secrets of the world and were knowledgeable about past and future – given that one would be able to approach them, of course.

So far, that pursuit had been without serious problems. They both had journeyed through the desert before and knew how to avoid Shrieker incursions and Antlion pits. And the Rewinding spell had worked just like a charm, bringing them close to the very doorstep of the temple they seeked. But now they had entered the home turf of Time. And while that particular Element was not exactly notorious for undue cruelty, there surely was resistance to be expected. Just as if their fears didn’t need further fuel, the men could soon hear a distant clicking sound around them, coming closer the deeper they went into the stone-wrought labyrinth. When they finally identified it, it was almost too late. Mandibles!
“Quintessence!” the Elf screamed and with a quick movement, both men produced a small flask from their belts and downed the contents simultaneously. Their bodies left the physical plane just in time to avoid the starved horde of Scarabs that dove through the corridor towards them. Moving slowly through the swarm of insects, they continued.
“I never asked you… if it is not treasure, you seek – what is your reason to risk your life and sanity, venturing into Time’s realm.” Jefferson looked at the elvish traveler with suspicion.
“Call it a spiritual journey, if you will… there are some questions that only a master of time can answer. There are some ghosts in my past I need to clear.”
“And you expect me to believe this?” He felt unable to disguise the disdain in his voice.
“Of course not. But my motives shall not concern you just like yours are not bothering me.” The Elf looked at his cohort but received no answer from him. They quickly left behind the Scarabs and turned towards a hallway that ended in an adorned door of solid gold.
“After you, my friend.”

They passed the door to enter the king’s chamber – the centre of Time’s keep. Hourglasses filled hundreds of shelves to each side of the room, enshrining a path towards a diamond-crested altar before which an illuminated figure was poised. Its appearance was that of a female Human but its quick and graceful movement gave away its nature immediately. They had expected nothing less than a Guardian Elemental here anyway. Tensed, they watched as the Elemental produced a turtle shield and a gilded spear while assuming battle stance. A cold and metallic voice rang through their ears.
“Intruders! You should know better than setting foot on this ground.” The first spell hurtled towards them but it struck nothing but empty air between the phase-shifted bodies.
“Hold on!” The Elf yelled, showing empty hands and dropping one knee to the ground. “We are not here to pillage but to beseech. We mean no harm to you or your shrine.”
“If that is so…” The Elemental’s face remained stern and motionless as an emptied flask appeared in her hand. A single amber drop fell to the ground. “…then will you explain to me, why I would preconceive an Entropist attack on the temple? Are you the enemy or did you merely clear the path for them?”
“Yes and yes for the two of us.” A sudden smile appeared on Jefferson’s face as he stepped forward past his dumbfounded companion. “It was quite hard to track down your sanctum but fortunately I had some… help.”
“Damned fool” came the hissed reply from behind. “Do you expect me to just stand aside and allow your desecration?”
“Of course not” Jefferson replied calmly “I expect you to lend me your full support. Tell me… how exactly do you feel right now, my friend? Do you feel the sore muscles? The cold sweat? The warmth slowly crawling through your veins towards the heart? Just as if someone laced your potion with Aflatoxine?” Carelessly, Jefferson discarded the empty bottle. “Don’t worry about your equal share, though. I came to seek death and we all will get to make his acquaintance today.” He turned to the Elemental when he heard the Elf fall to the ground and cry in his dying throes. In his final moments his anger had suddenly disappeared and a panicked fear had crept into his eyes instead as he watched the two adversaries – seemingly ignorant to his own fate.
“NO... You must flee! Run for your life! Flee before it is too late!” he pleaded as the first Malignant Cells already wretched themselves from his body.

“I am afraid that is not an option.” the Elemental solemnly replied, watching the Elfs last breath turn into another cankerous cell crawling threateningly towards her. “But I will impose justice for the life that has been taken in the sacred halls”
“Tough words for a girl with her back to the wall” the Entropist replied. He watched the army of cells spread out and divide further, driving one attack after the other against his opponent. Wave after wave drove the Elemental back. The shield gave her some time to retreat by stalling the cells that struck it, but the damage soon began to show and it would be just a matter of time before she would be overwhelmed.
“Yield!” the Entropist cried triumphantly “and your death will be quick. This shrine is forfeit either way.”
“How quaint – do you think, a mere bundle of diseased flesh was enough to overcome one of us?” The Elemental had reached the far end of the hall and retrieved another shield. As the wave of cells launched themselves at her again, she produced her new equipment – a crimson buckler inscribed with a fire emblem, charring and destroying the enemies that struck her.
“Oh, you decide to pose a challenge after all?” Jefferson smiled and raised an arm. “Then I shall match your challenge – Mutate!” He gestured at the remaining cells in an effort to infuse them with the necessary quanta to develop their full potential and bring down not only the weakly Elemental but the entire temple around them. Alas, no magic sprouted from his hand and more cells crashed vainly into the Elementals shield. Desperately, he launched another attempt to use his magic but to no avail. Struck with disbelief, the Entropist dropped to the ground on his knees. Shivering, he held a hand before his face only to find his fear verified – the purple aura around his arm indicated clearly that it was he who was mutating. Helpless he watched the last of his army die and the Elemental directing her full attention to him once again.
“Do you really think, ‘Jefferson’, that an Elemental capable of Precognition would allow herself to be overrun that easily? Now then, tell me: Do you feel it? The wrenching feeling in your guts? The itching just below your skin? The pain in your bones and muscles being stretched and shifted?” The former Entropist before her had lost all distinction and features already, his shapeless mass slowly reforming itself.
“I am quite disappointed, though. I thought your kind would be able to at least notice a Mutation potion when they are slipped one.” She observed the final stages of reforming, unable to hide her delight when she recognized the new shape he was assuming.
“Well then – It seems that the two of you will get to fulfill your promise after all.” With a subtle gesture she cast a spell through her spear and the last intruder vanished.

The man awoke in the desert. His memory was blanked from any trace that could explain how he arrived at this place – or his very identity for that matter. The only thing he remembered was the temple of Time and the Elemental he had encountered. It was the only thing about his past that he remembered but it was a lead after all. It was what kept him going for seemingly endless miles until he reached the small town at the brink of the desert. Gathering his last strength, he stumbled towards the local tavern to address the patrons:
“Does anyone feel adventurous? I could need some help on an expedition to the temple of Time.”

42

Competitions / Re: Vote for Winner: Best Card Idea

« on: January 25, 2010, 08:55:04 pm »

Yay! Debate!

- You should never name a card just after its function on the field.
- Poison. Freeze. Congeal.

These are no problem because there the effect is named after a concept that easy to imagine. With "Lockdown", you have a card name which is hard to create an image for. Do you lock the opposing elemental into some kind of cage for one turn? Naming a card after the colloquial term for a deck concept doesn't add flavor to the game.

- Cute, but the effect is too small and too situational for me to consider building it into a deck.
- Actually, the effect is quite powerful. And 90% of decks are build around creatures with a skill.

Ok, my fault. I was going through the cards pretty quick and for some reason thought that this was a spell... ah well, my vote is cast and my three favorites would have exceeded the real card as well.

- But uhm... what IS a piranha?
- ... you are joking right?

I am not. I don't know, what the abilities of a piranha are. What is its power/HP? What is its casting cost?

- Crusader: Its a shame that it is not going to work with Morningstar, isn't it? Couldn't you just have phrased it with "your weapon"?
- The effect doesn't say "your weapon" exactly because it isn't supposed to work only on your. Read previous comments, the morning glory issue has been discussed further.

I am aware that it is able to use an opponent's weapon as well. Probably I should have said explicitly that I would have liked the Crusader better if he sticked to his own weapons. I know that the real Crusaders spent a lot of time pillaging before they went to the actual Crusade but I thought that Elements used the idealized version of the term :p

43

Competitions / Re: Vote for Winner: Best Card Idea

« on: January 25, 2010, 03:48:58 pm »

Let's see:

Fear - Brings something new to the game but I don't like it in Darkness (Element has loads of good stuff already) and I think we should exploit the abilities we have, before tinkering with triggered abilities.

Add Pillar - Could use a "sexier" name, but it is definitely a card to consider that is easy to add and might add value.

Kitsune Trickster - The random creature part has been done sufficiently. I want to see more novelty.

Dark Matter - Sorry, but Black Hole is already in development and that card just collides with it.

Glitterdust - I really want options against immaterial dudes that exceed "just play more lifegain". I don't know, if Air is the best element for the card, but I want to see the concept done.

Desolation - I miss spells that attack the opponent's deck and I am inclined to vote for Desolation just because of that (and because of the well-calculated cost). However, I don't like the effect in Death. Maybe Time?

Wisp - Looks like a nice card to play and I want to see the "attack your owner" bit done sooner or later. However, the 0/8 doesn't match the name of the card.

Epidemic - These strong random effects look more at home in Entropy. Besides, the card is worded too vague to be considerable. Counts poison as status?

Silence - MonoLight is close to playable and this card might give it the final push. I'd hate to play against it but it could make a welcome addition to the metagame.

Main Gauche - Very nice weapon but the Element is off. Earth shouldn't be known for finesseful parrying maneuvers.

Spellbreaker - Nice, simple and efficient. I can imagine, voting for this one.

Lockdown - Interesting and maybe the last card needed to give MonoDarkness the final push to stardom. Only (but sizeable) No-Go is the name. You should never name a card just after its function on the field.

Inevitable: The "unshieldable" damage looks nice... until writing this made me realize that this is basically momentum

Loki: Repeatable stealing brings a lot of power. The card is good but I am afraid that it would decide too many matches on its own. So far, no single card has that much potential and it should not have.

Good News: Cute, but the effect is too small and too situational for me to consider building it into a deck.

Wolf: Too vague - Is "Friend" a random creature? Also, I am not sure whether Air is the right place.

Phoenix: I assume that you can only spend the quanta immediately and that it is mandatory. In that case, definitely conceivable.

Gamble: NO! We shall not reduce Elements to a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors. Next!

Dryad: I miss cards that give boni to other creatures, so this is a welcome addition. One of my favorites.

Abrasax: Fun idea and why not? There are other concepts that are more important to push, though.

Static Electricity: You should add something about the effect not being cumulative. Besides that: Very interesting concept.

School of Piranhas: But uhm... what IS a piranha?

Rampage: Lacks a casting cost.

Crusader: Its a shame that it is not going to work with Morningstar, isn't it? Couldn't you just have phrased it with "your weapon"?

Quantum Scales: Interesting fixer for Rainbow. But I just happen to want to push the other decks a bit more for now.

44

Tournament Archive / Re: Brackett for second played Tournament and games

« on: January 23, 2010, 06:25:03 pm »

I claim a win by default against Lordstriker...

45

Tournament Archive / Re: Brackett for second played Tournament and games

« on: January 23, 2010, 06:07:52 pm »

Silken wins against mike1313132003 by a hair's breadth with 2-1

46

Tournament Archive / Re: Brackett for second played Tournament and games

« on: January 23, 2010, 05:25:13 pm »

Claiming a win by default against gogomumex. I don't see him in the chat and duelling directly does not work either.

47

Tournament Archive / Re: Brackett for second played Tournament and games

« on: January 23, 2010, 04:24:24 pm »

Silken claims a win against "Bye"

48

Forum Bugs, Suggestions and Feedback / Swiss League: A Framework

« on: January 11, 2010, 02:11:55 am »

Seeing that both the League and the Elimination Tournaments are struggling with some problems, I'd like to submit a framework for a swiss league that is more robust against problems with coordination and unreliable signups.


The League
- The league consists of six individual tournaments. Players may participate in any number of these.
- Players will be added to the league standings as soon as they participate in one of the tournaments
- A player's league score is the sum of their three best tournament scores. Tiebreaker between players with equal league scores is the 4th best tournament score, then the 5th, then 6th.
Should two players have an equal league score and equal tiebreakers at the end of the season, they may play a match to determine the final ranks at the end of the season.

The Tournaments
- Each tournament consists of five rounds Swiss (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss-system_tournament (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss-system_tournament)).
- Matches are played best-of-3 games. The marks and any number of cards may be changed between the games
- If a player is not available for the match 10 minutes after the pairings for the round, they are forfeited for the round (and dropped from the tournament if they do not show up before the end of the round)
- 35 minutes after the beginning of the round, there is a deadline. No new games may be begun after that point. This means that a match can end with 1-0, 1-1, 2-0 or 2-1.
- Each player receives 1 point for a win (1-0 counts as a win) and 0 points for a loss. Should the match end 1-1, both players receive 0.5 points
- A player can enter the tournament after round one and/or exit it before round five if they notify the tournament coordinator accordingly

The Pairings
- Criteria for pairings are:
1) The score in the current tournament
2) The league score
3) The relative number of "downfloats" in the current tournament (times where a player was paired against a player with lower scores in 1 or 2)
4) Randomness
- In one tournament players may not play against each other more than once and not receive a (planned) bye more than once.
- After ensuring that rule, the players are paired in matches according to the 4 criteria.