Let's talk about Countdown Tiles

Unknown

It changed. When you cycle through the goons, their countdown tiles will flash when they move to the front. Also works for characters?

Unknown

Thanks for the tip. I was wondering how I could tell.

HailMary

HawkeyeSucks wrote:

Why would you want enemy Falcon/Redwing to rejoin the fight sooner and claim another one of your special tiles?

Anytime Falcon is on my team I try to match the Redwing tile right away so he can claim another enemy special tile next turn.
That reminds me, even the friendly copy is wrong, it says "Protect this tile..." but if you match it you can use him again next turn. Having that tile on the board serves your team no good.

I just used Falcon against goons in a Story node. I think I see your argument now.

The friendly Redwing tile copy reads: "Protect this tile for 3 more turns to launch your attack: While this tile is on the board, Redwing is en route back to Falcon. One turn after this tile is destroyed, Redwing re-joins the fight."

The bit before the colon, "Protect this tile for 3 more turns to launch your attack", doesn't make much sense, since you want to destroy your own Redwing tile to launch your next Redwing attack. The bit after the colon, though, does make sense.

It has nothing to do with whether the CD mechanics themselves are "broken," but the description is a bit confusing.

ClydeFrog76

Agree with OP. It's lazy coding.

mjh

this needs addressing among the countless other things they continue to ignore in lieu of more 4*s nobody wants

"David wrote:

Moore"]
Special Strengthen on Match - PASSIVE
(PASSIVE) Whenever the team makes a Blue match, strengthens 1 friendly special tile by 22.
Level Upgrades

Level 2: Strengthens a friendly special tile by 29. Level 3: Also reduces the timer on a friendly Countdown tile by 1. Level 4: Strengthens a friendly special tile by 41. Level 5: Strengthens 2 friendly special tiles.

Max Level

Level 3: Strengthens 1 tile by 90. Reduces 1 friendly Countdown by 1. Level 4: Strengthens 1 tile by 129. Reduces 1 friendly Countdown by 1. Level 5: Strengthens 2 tiles by 129. Reduces 1 friendly Countdown by 1.

I have CD on the board, now I make or cascade into a blue match and screw myself. Wonderful.

Mawtful

I'd like opposite versions of OBW & Hood's powers. So, something to shorten my opponents CDs and something (other than Bag Man) to increase the duration on my own. Particularly that second one would create some interesting synergy with Ant-Man's Cooldowns.

Nonce Equitaur 2

The Hood reduces friendly Countdown tiles by 1.
Black Widow Original increases enemy countdown tiles by 4.
Bagman can increment any 2 countdown tiles by 4.

Beneficial to increment
4 ^ - Small Time Crooks
4 ^ - Ants! Ants! Ants!
4 ^ - Everyone With Me
4 ^ - Oldest Trick in the Book
4 ^ - Recovery
3 ^ - Immovable Object
3 ^ - Jab, Jab, Cross
3 ^ - Shapeshift
3 ^ - Furry Friends
3 ^ - Density: Heavy
3 ^ - Density: Light

Beneficial to decrement
4 v - Maggia Pawns
4 v - Escape Plan
4 v - Sleight of Hand
3 v - Mutagenic Breakthrough
X v - Star Spangled Avenger
X v - Peacemaker
3 v - Life of the Party
3 v - Redwing
3 v - Recharge
3 v - Mischief
3 v - Bewilder
3 v - I Got A Plan
3 v - Arcane Incantation
3 v - World Rupture
3 v - Anger
2 v - Sunder
2 v - Sonic Boom
2 v - Electric Arrow
2 v - Blast Arrow
2 v - Speed Shot
2 v - Iron Hammer
2 v - Magnetic Flux

Recycling, but good to decrement
3 r - Defense Grid
3 r - Nightstalker
3 r - Billy Club
X r - Flame Jet
3 r - Molotov Cocktail

Pylgrim

It is a much of a bug as Ant-Man basically eating alive Cage or IF, stealing their special tiles every turn. In other words, it is not. Some characters interact negatively with other characters' stuff. You just don't bring those characters if you are facing them or bring them when you are facing the others to benefit from it.

mjh

Pylgrim wrote:

It is a much of a bug as Ant-Man basically eating alive Cage or IF, stealing their special tiles every turn. In other words, it is not. Some characters interact negatively with other characters' stuff. You just don't bring those characters if you are facing them or bring them when you are facing the others to benefit from it.

It's not a bug, just lazy deving. I disagree and stand by the mantra "all countdown tiles are not created equal".

simonsez

Nonce Equitaur 2 wrote:

Beneficial to increment

You need to add the new Deadpool

Nonce Equitaur 2 wrote:

Beneficial to decrement
3 v - Density: Heavy
3 v - Density: Light

I think these are on the wrong list. You want their effects lasting as long as possible.

Nonce Equitaur 2 wrote:

4 v - Recovery

Not if you're looking for it to do damage

Bottom line, given the way a lot of new and reworked abilities work, the CD component of Falcap's blue passive doesn't feel like it's necessarily doing me any favors.

CrookedKnight

Like Recovery, Ants! Ants! Ants! and Furry Friends should be on both lists, since you might want the strike tiles or the ongoing damage from Ant-Man, and likewise the board shake or direct damage from Squirrel Girl. Oldest Trick In The Book too, now that I think of it.

(and abilities being structured to make you think about your team composition is still not a bug)

Nonce Equitaur 2

I tried out Luke Cage, Ant-man, Bagman in a game.

I was able to push Small Time Crooks and Jab, Jab, Cross to level 14 counters with repeated uses of Snarky Remark. I found a new use for Bagman!

liminal_lad

This thread is making we wish still had the downvote. The original poster is correct -- This may have become a strategic part of the game but the countdown tile/power interaction on some powers is completely illogical. Can we also try to avoid the snark and condescension? This is a game we all love. Can't we all be friends or at least friendly?

mjh

liminal_lad wrote:

This thread is making we wish still had the downvote. The original poster is correct -- This may have become a strategic part of the game but the countdown tile/power interaction on some powers is completely illogical

Thanks for that. I'd like this addressed before the new 4* (Captain America / Falcon) is released and all the CD tiles you want on the board get removed from a guy ON YOUR TEAM

Unknown

I have to admit, and I'm probably viewed as a pretty vocal detractor these days, that I find the various behaviors and interplay between characters and CD tiles part of the point.

As others have already mentioned, the CD sword cuts both ways, and I tend to see it as more a way to further increase the richness of what is, after all, a pretty simple match 3 game on it's face.

Rather than get upset when things don't go my way, I find that it's pretty hilarious and enjoyable when certain "unforeseen consequences" arise as a result of different character/CD tile interactions...

IDK, I can see people being upset, but it feels like it's a good example of "working as intended" to me.

DBC

famousfoxking

Ideally, I'd like to see CD's that provide a benefit while they're out made into "count ups" from a negative number toward 0. So decreasing a count up would move it away from 0 and keep it on the board longer, and increasing a count up would move it toward 0 and resolution. There you go, Intimidation now decrements that Immovable Object tile from -3 to -4 and adds a turn of effect.

Now, there may be a whole lot of reasons that doesn't work. For one, is there enough space in the UI to include a negative sign? For another, does it actually make the game more confusing? Negative numbers are fairly simple mathematical concepts, but I think it'd be cool, but I'm not convinced it'd ultimately be better for the game.

JVReal

I've mentioned this before a long time ago in a thread far far away.

I think they can differentiate the different types of CD tiles internally. Just like you have attack, strike, shield tiles, you can have defensive CD and offensive CD tiles, then you can specify them in the code.

OBW extends enemy OCD tiles (and shortens enemy DCD or leaves them alone).
Hood shortens friendly OCD tiles (and extends friendly DCD tiles or leaves them alone).

CrookedKnight

mjh wrote:

liminal_lad wrote:

This thread is making we wish still had the downvote. The original poster is correct -- This may have become a strategic part of the game but the countdown tile/power interaction on some powers is completely illogical

Thanks for that. I'd like this addressed before the new 4* (Captain America / Falcon) is released and all the CD tiles you want on the board get removed from a guy ON YOUR TEAM

Why would you bring characters who place "timer" countdowns to complement a character who will destroy them?

teknofyl

I agree with the OP that it would be better if OBW-blue and Hood-black or whatever universally did good things to your CDs and bad things to enemy CDs.

This isn't a complicated issue; in fact, it just seems like some people value (for some reason) the existing consistency (that all CDs are treated only as friendly or enemy).

Ultimately, though, it looks like it's just a matter of taste.

mjh

CrookedKnight wrote:

mjh wrote:

liminal_lad wrote:

This thread is making we wish still had the downvote. The original poster is correct -- This may have become a strategic part of the game but the countdown tile/power interaction on some powers is completely illogical

Thanks for that. I'd like this addressed before the new 4* (Captain America / Falcon) is released and all the CD tiles you want on the board get removed from a guy ON YOUR TEAM

Why would you bring characters who place "timer" countdowns to complement a character who will destroy them?

There's many reasons this could happen. Limited rosters in those beloved Heroic PVEs. Powered up character set could be the best choice. Sometimes it's not ideal but you bring the guys who cover the broadest spectrum of AP as well as have the best powers for your match. It's a best of worst situation sometimes.

Point remains is a guy on your team shouldn't be hindering you by accident. I still consider this a mistake and a simple code fix that has been placed in the back-log for far too long.