Ixalan

wickedwitch74
wickedwitch74 Posts: 267 Mover and Shaker
edited October 2017 in MtGPQ General Discussion
Tomorrow is November 1st, and we haven't heard a peep(*) about Ixalan.

I understand that we have a new development team, and that they are in the process of reviewing old code (which can be a real bear), resolving long-standing technical issues, and getting up to speed with the dynamics of the original design. All of this requires patience on the part of the community.

That said, any communication regarding when we can expect the Ixalan release (November? December? 2018?), or perhaps discussions of the mechanics and card design, would be greatly appreciated.

*Note: There was indirect mention to Ixalan in the Oktagon Q&A Session.

" Initially we are intent on finishing the Booster Crafting System that you have been patiently awaiting for so long. We are getting close on that, expecting to deploy it prior to the holidays.

The second priority is to catch up to paper MTG`s set release schedule."
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Comments

  • Gunmix25
    Gunmix25 Posts: 1,442 Chairperson of the Boards
    Houdin said:
    Hmm...
    I'm going to use my psychic powers here to predetermined the response you will get to this question if you do indeed get one.

    Ixalan.
    The team is working round the clock to get a grasp on all the code from hibernum. I know they really want to get ixalan released but want to make sure it's release does not come with a bunch of issues for the game.

    Booster crafting
    The team is working round the clock to get a grasp on all the code from hibernum. I know they really want to get booster crafting released but want to make sure it's release does not come with a bunch of issues for the game.

    Issues with the game.
    The team is working round the clock to get a grasp on all the code from hibernum. I know they really want to get the issues with game corrected but want to make sure it's release does not come with a bunch of issues for the game.

    Better events
    I'll take that up with the team at this week's meeting.  Oh look....squirrell....

    Better rewards
    I'll take that up with the team at this week's meeting. Oh look...squirrell...

    What happened at last week's meeting?
    I'll take that up with the team at this week's meeting. Oh look...squirrell...

    Are you guys even trying to make us believe you are listening to the important questions and not just cherry picking random inconsequential one off questions to answer in order to just fill some space?
    I'll take that up with the team at this week's meeting. Oh look....squirell...

    How am I doing so far @Brigby ? 
    I think I've got this whole smoke and mirrors business model down pat. Maybe a certain company might be hiring?? 
    Put in a good word for me at this week's meeting??
    So... in a nutshell you're calling Bravo Sierra?
  • wickedwitch74
    wickedwitch74 Posts: 267 Mover and Shaker
    edited November 2017
    I'm not sure if you were referring to me (OP) or Houdin, but I wasn't bashing the new development team. Instead I stressed the need for patience as they come up to speed.

    As it's now November, I was wondering if Brigby, or someone, could give us an update on when we might expect to see the new set. I ask the question without sarcasm or criticism. 

    Maybe a better way to ask it is...

    How is the design of Ixalan coming along?

    How large will this set be?

    How have you decided to tackle some of the new mechanics from the set?

    Should we expect a heavy tribal theme?

    What have been some of the challenges with design of Ixalan?
  • Mainloop25
    Mainloop25 Posts: 1,959 Chairperson of the Boards
    edited November 2017
    No i was referring to the other guy. I would love to know the answer to the questions you asked
  • luckyvulpi
    luckyvulpi Posts: 40 Just Dropped In
    I think you might get a better response if you wait like a week for the November Q/A session where the development team will actually answer the questions people ask.

    It's good that you opened a thread though, so we can discuss Ixalan as well.  If a new set didn't mean a sizable chunk of my collection would be unusable, I would be excited to see how transforming support cards work because of the artifarts and enchantments that transform into lands.
  • TheDragonHermit
    TheDragonHermit Posts: 465 Mover and Shaker
    So, I made a complicated program, not nearly as complex as a game but pretty sprawling. I had to make a bunch of quick changes to it to get some features to work and I used a library I was not familiar with. This resulted in a lot of cruft, and when an update to the library I was using altered the way code interacted I ended up with a non functioning program. Now I have to read through a bunch of nonsence code and edit code that I have only a passing understanding of. It isn't an exact analogy to what is happening with Oktagon, but it helps me understand what is going on with them and be patient.
  • Houdin
    Houdin Posts: 182 Tile Toppler
    The dig wasn't directed towards the design team taking it's time to release a stable and well thought out product. As they haven't done this yet, I have no frame of reference to believe or doubt they will.
    The point of my response was the propensity for misdirection in answering our questions or just straight up ignoring them completely. 
    I'm tired of questions being answered with generalizations to the point of not being I formative at all or just a wall of silence.
    At this point, you can not tell me that target dates for the release of booster crafting and ixalan are not set.
    I realize that any date is a goal and may move if absolutely required, but at this point it shouldn't be by much.
    You can not tell me that a framework for booster crafting has not been decided. If that's the case then they wouldn't even be coding it yet which would make any allusion to it's release a bold faced lie.
    If you don't get a bad feeling about the stonewalling on Information for these two items at this point, i believe i have a bridge or two I can sell you at a great price.

  • TheDragonHermit
    TheDragonHermit Posts: 465 Mover and Shaker
    Houdin said:
    The dig wasn't directed towards the design team taking it's time to release a stable and well thought out product. As they haven't done this yet, I have no frame of reference to believe or doubt they will.
    The point of my response was the propensity for misdirection in answering our questions or just straight up ignoring them completely. 
    I'm tired of questions being answered with generalizations to the point of not being I formative at all or just a wall of silence.
    At this point, you can not tell me that target dates for the release of booster crafting and ixalan are not set.
    I realize that any date is a goal and may move if absolutely required, but at this point it shouldn't be by much.
    You can not tell me that a framework for booster crafting has not been decided. If that's the case then they wouldn't even be coding it yet which would make any allusion to it's release a bold faced lie.
    If you don't get a bad feeling about the stonewalling on Information for these two items at this point, i believe i have a bridge or two I can sell you at a great price.

    Yes, I have found myself disappointed by vague and often misleading releases, I have been rereading the original booster crafting announcement and found it much more open to interpretation than I remember. This is why I would like to hear more specific information with less vague wording. It would seem we have been trained to mistrust releases.
  • Gilesclone
    Gilesclone Posts: 735 Critical Contributor
    If we’re still hearing the same vague promises in 2-3 weeks, it’s probably time to find a new hobby.  But It feels like they’re finally actually working on stuff. 
  • wickedwitch74
    wickedwitch74 Posts: 267 Mover and Shaker
    Thanks for the post Brigby.

    question for you: does D3 design the set and Oktagon implement the mechanics/cards? 

    If so, can the D3 design team provide some insight into the design of Ixalan?

    surely, they could talk about some of the themes, mechanics, and maybe even individual cards. This would give the community something to look forward to while Oktagon implements the booster crafting and stability fixes.
  • majincob
    majincob Posts: 732 Critical Contributor
    wickedwitch74 said:
    Thanks for the post Brigby.

    question for you: does D3 design the set and Oktagon implement the mechanics/cards? 

    If so, can the D3 design team provide some insight into the design of Ixalan?

    surely, they could talk about some of the themes, mechanics, and maybe even individual cards. This would give the community something to look forward to while Oktagon implements the booster crafting and stability fixes.
    @wickedwitch74 Based on posts by Hibernum back in the day it seems the developer does the design as well, with D3 more in charge of marketing and customer service.
  • babar3355
    babar3355 Posts: 1,128 Chairperson of the Boards

    @Brigby I don't want to push you guys to release content before it is ready.  But it feels a little like we have been sitting at a restaurant for over an hour and we still don't have any food.  You told us that the chef quit and you are bringing in a new, amazing chef to continue cooking for us but it will take time. Great, we are trying to be patient.

    However, we are bored and hungry.  Typically, a restaurant would bring us out some bread, offer to buy us a drink, or whatever to placate us during this time. 

    I am very surprised that D3 hasn't felt the need to provide the player base with something to satisfy us while we wait patiently.  Give us a ToS or a HoD event that actually has decent prizes rather than a constant flow of RotGP.   Create a mythics for crystals sale to keep us interested.  Offer a discount on crystals.  Give us all a free elite pack.  Put some old cards up for sale at rates that reflect the legacy aspect of the card. 

    I don't know, there seems to be tons of options and I am really surprised we are expected to just sit and sip our water while the chef takes another month to prep our food.

  • TheDragonHermit
    TheDragonHermit Posts: 465 Mover and Shaker
    edited November 2017
    babar3355 said:

    Give us all a free elite pack.  

    Didn't they try that one already?
    pic.twitter.com/R59Hh5ed5h

  • bk1234
    bk1234 Posts: 2,924 Chairperson of the Boards
    babar3355 said:

    @Brigby I don't want to push you guys to release content before it is ready.  But it feels a little like we have been sitting at a restaurant for over an hour and we still don't have any food.  You told us that the chef quit and you are bringing in a new, amazing chef to continue cooking for us but it will take time. Great, we are trying to be patient.

    However, we are bored and hungry.  Typically, a restaurant would bring us out some bread, offer to buy us a drink, or whatever to placate us during this time. 

    I am very surprised that D3 hasn't felt the need to provide the player base with something to satisfy us while we wait patiently.  Give us a ToS or a HoD event that actually has decent prizes rather than a constant flow of RotGP.   Create a mythics for crystals sale to keep us interested.  Offer a discount on crystals.  Give us all a free elite pack.  Put some old cards up for sale at rates that reflect the legacy aspect of the card. 

    I don't know, there seems to be tons of options and I am really surprised we are expected to just sit and sip our water while the chef takes another month to prep our food.

    I have this theory that all the other events are so bugged that they can't run them without having to put major work into fixing them -- pushing back the production schedule further. 

    However a good-will gesture is definitely in order -- or something different -- or something actually fun. Just anything for saying "Thank you for staying with our game while we finally get it right."

    Though for the record AM and old NOP weren't bugged. Just saying. 
  • Brigby
    Brigby ADMINISTRATORS Posts: 7,757 Site Admin
    edited November 2017
    Hi @babar3355. I can certainly understand your perspective, and you're right that the restaurant would bring some bread or drinks to satisfy the patron in the meantime. Having said that though, I'd argue that we have in fact provided some small changes and quality-of-life improvements, while we're working on the next major build update.

    For example:
    • Crafted and implemented several new Elite Packs that highlight previous card sets
    • Changed event settings for Return of the God-Pharaoh, such as node recharge times, Boss health, and progression reward structure
    • Adjusted event schedule to help alleviate issues caused by event start/end time overlap
    • Incorporated various "Legacy" events into schedule to celebrate Halloween season

    While some of these may not necessarily be as impactful as a new major feature or card set, we hope that they're still able to help improve the player experience, and appeal to players in the meantime.
  • TheDragonHermit
    TheDragonHermit Posts: 465 Mover and Shaker
    Perhaps a week without server intense events is what is called for. Give them a solid week to focus on the code issues while we deal with a bit of boredom. I know a week is not much but to much time would hurt player retention.
  • babar3355
    babar3355 Posts: 1,128 Chairperson of the Boards
    Brigby said:
    Hi @babar3355. I can certainly understand your perspective, and you're right that the restaurant would bring some bread or drinks to satisfy the patron in the meantime. Having said that though, I'd argue that we have in fact provided some small changes and quality-of-life improvements, while we're working on the next major build update.

    For example:
    • Crafted and implemented several new Elite Packs that highlight previous card sets
    • Changed event settings for Return of the God-Pharaoh, such as node recharge times, Boss health, and progression reward structure
    • Adjusted event schedule to help alleviate issues caused by event start/end time overlap
    • Incorporated various "Legacy" events into schedule to celebrate Halloween season

    While some of these may not necessarily be as impactful as a new major feature or card set, we hope that they're still able to help improve the player experience, and appeal to players in the meantime.

    Thanks for the response @Brigby. 

    I would contend that the first three examples are things that should be done anyway.  We should have a use for our jewels.  You should listen to the vast majority of voices who didn't like the 4 hour recharges and 4 day events.  We shouldn't have schedule overlap oriented crashes or lock outs.  Arguably, changing up the schedule could have been a perk, but not if you use the same events that we have every week anyway.

    Don't get me wrong, I appreciate you guys making progress.  But there is a different between making sure the game is functional with fresh content and extending a thank you to the community for our patience.  Just my 2 cents.

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