Q&A w/ Oktagon - March Edition (5/1/19)

Brigby

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for submitting your questions from both March and April. We unfortunately weren't able to get the April questions compiled and answered in time for this combined Q&A, however we will be sure to include them in May's session.

We want to thank the following team members over at Oktagon for taking the time to review and answer the questions provided: Alain Valchera and Guilherme Evangelista!

Without further ado, here is the March Q&A Session w/ Oktagon!
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How does the team prioritize bug fixes?
We have a priority guide that divides issues into "priority tiers". The community reports are always classified as Critical and are moved to the front of the line. Crashes and freezes are classified as Critical too, but we depend on many factors to reproduce and fix those, because in a lot of cases the problem revolves around both hardware and software. Bugs in the events, leaderboard, or rewards are Critical too, but usually easier to fix than the rest.

Issues regarding cards and mechanics that do not trigger infinite loops or crashes have Major priority. To be more specific, we fix cards starting from Masterpieces and ending with Commons because, in most cases, cards in higher rarities generate more reports (often due to complexity)

What kind of schedule can we expect for when new sets arrive?
The focus is currently on the development of War of the Spark, but we had some space for a new interesting event we hope makes the cut; if not for the War update, then for a future one. We'll have the new updated schedule up soon. We'll be able to present the major changes related to scheduling and events when the Seasons system is closer in development.

Is improving Duel Decks still the priority over Planechase and Draft?
Yes. The updated Duel Decks event is ready at the moment, and if its snags have been solved and everything runs smoothly now, then new duels should be available sooner and easier.

Can game settings be tied to Facebook login?
Sadly that isn't possible in the current conditions that player data is stored. It is something we would like to try, but we have yet to estimate how complicated this shift would be.

Does the team feel like event experience is in a good spot right now, or will there potentially be adjustments in the future?
Experience gaining and curve will be adjusted once the Season format is implemented, given that it provides other means to gain experience. For the time being, the current configuration is in place so that leveling provides somewhat palpable rewards.

Are there any additional plans to optimize and improve the speed at which the game functions?
There are many plans to optimize the speed of the game, although they often conflict with what we're able to render functional within its original structure. The loading times are our biggest concern, which pull data from different places and these often take longer than necessary to communicate and confirm these requests. It's being looked into, but will take a while. Regarding content such as animations and game speed, improvements in that area should fall in line with updates to the Options.

What is the benefit of ending a player's turn after a certain amount of time, as opposed to other methods?
It's a little more about what we can and can't track in relation to turn data in the game. Our main focus was to return certain cards to their original (and written) effects, allowing them to be as powerful as they should while still making them possible to play, especially played against. But some things we can do, others just don't work and break the game.

For instance: counting the number of times a card has been cast before ending a process generated a problem with the library and drawing cards. It's not possible to disable specific cards after four copies had been cast, and disabling all cards after that would have made even stranger interactions. Given we can't have a judge to identify and rule over all MtG situations - especially in Legacy - allowing an amount of time for each phase is the only way of covering all current and future cases where interactions may take too long, and still conserve those cards' real effects and powers.

In regards to that though, we've been pushing for a different system; a player-controlled way of stopping loops and long turns; although other deadline constraints take priority.

Will Mana Runes ever be used for something other than leveling up Planeswalkers?
Probably not. While there were some concepts related to alternative uses for Mana Runes, they unfortunately didn't make the cut.
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Thanks for checking out the March Edition of the Q&A w/ Oktagon. If you have questions you'd like to ask them for the April + May Edition, then please submit them HERE