Upcoming in R278: Chapter Select Update and Bonus Shard Update

IceIX

Hey all,

With R278, we’ve got a couple of features going Live, one of which is a UI update that has been long in the works and is only finally coming to fruition. The second is a more quiet but noticeable update to the whole Bonus Shard system, meaning you’ll be seeing more Shards and more impact on them when pulling covers from any Pack! Let’s get into it.

Chapter Select UI Update
This update has been planned since the newer, purpler UI took over from the blue UI years and years back. However, due to other things taking priority, it had sat on the back burner, getting small bits of work whenever someone had some spare time. With Broken Circle taking over the project, it got a bit of a boost. After all, what better way to figure out how to make UI changes than to bring a project already in the works to the finish line? Hence, the Chapter Select UI Update.

This update is relatively simple in practice but very useful, especially for mobile players, in organizing all your events. Essentially what it does is to collate each event and its sub events into a single card with tabs for each of the subs. Here we see Cosmic Chaos running, showing that the first sub is unlocked, with 2 other subs still locked. Instead of Mayhem In Manhattan taking up space next to Cosmic Chaos, it is instead taking up the first position on the tab next to it.

Hey, we’re on Mayhem In Manhattan! But it’s already over. We joined too late. So what can we actually play if the only visible event is locked?

Ah hah! Tab 2 shows how! We just need to beat Breakout in the main event, Cosmic Chaos. Gotcha. Go back, do that, and we get

Visions of Danger, sub 2, unlocked and playable.

Note that there’s no new information available here. We concentrated on getting the UI system worked out and finishing up the work on the current mechanics. Updates to make the event more readable and surfacing more info will come with time.

Single events will look much the same as they do as current, just with a purpler outline than current.

Also to note, Versus seasons are NOT tabbed, despite having multiple events running “inside”. This is mostly a mechanical thing, as we can’t easily add new subs to this style of UI as it runs. Meaning that we’d essentially have to have every season set in stone before it releases and hold to whatever it contains. Which also means that you’d know the characters released in that upcoming season. So for now anyway, different tabs in most Versus events. The exception to this right now is Lightning Rounds, which are set in stone when they run, so no reason not to consolidate!

So that’s the Chapter UI update. Simple, but effective for what it does. We’re looking forward to getting this out with R278 and improving on it in future!

The other feature coming with R278 is an update to Bonus Shards.

Bonus Shard Update

What are Bonus Shards? For those who aren’t up to speed on them, Bonus Shards are a special bonus to the shards that you receive every time you make a pull on a pack.

These basic Pull Shards were introduced with the Shard system to take the place of the Bonus Cover system, which did the same basic thing, but in discrete chunks of a single cover. The new pack pull Shard system provided largely the same odds as the Cover system, outputting about the same number of covers when taken over time, but with sure rewards as opposed to hoping that a cover just kind of dropped for you. But we wanted to provide a similar feel to the previous system where sometimes you felt like you got a really cool reward, so we ALSO implemented Bonus Shards.

There was just one problem with this system though. Since the normal pack pulls essentially replaced the Bonus Cover in terms of odds, these Bonus Shard odds were very low. We added a counter that forced a set of Bonus Shards at a certain point, but even still, most players wouldn’t see these rewards very often at all. This turned the system from one where it felt like a cool but somewhat rare bonus into something that players completely forgot existed. Which, when built out as a system that would help to deal with people feeling like they’re not getting great stuff from pulls over time, isn't the greatest.

So what we’ve done is go through all the different pack types and increased odds of getting those Bonus Shards across the board. Sometimes this meant flat buffing chances, other times it meant breaking out bonuses into more discrete amounts so that we could then buff the overall chances. Here’s an example of the former, with Heroic 1x Pulls

As you can see, the odds of getting Bonus Shards overall is now up by quite a bit! Still a somewhat low chance for any given pull, with a 1.9% chance of getting a set of Shards on each pull, but over time, you’re going to be seeing them much more. Especially since we’ve also tweaked the formula to more quickly force Bonus Shards if you’re just unlucky and haven’t gotten one of these Bonus Shard sets. The overall effect of this is that you’ll be getting Bonus Shards anywhere from 3x-7x more often depending on the pack, and if your luck with proccing these is just THAT BAD, you’ll be getting them forced about twice as quickly.

Here’s an example of a more aggressive push on these Bonus Shards, Legendary Packs

Again, not only are the odds overall higher (~14% up from ~2.4%), but we’ve also added in intermediary sets of Shards that allow us to tweak those odds a bit better.

Remember, these Bonus Shards do not replace the Shards you get from every pull, but are in addition. The intention of this change is to not only help with the feel of getting something cool more often from these pulls, but also to help a bit with dilution. It’s harder and harder to pull covers for any particular character, but with this change, it’ll get a little easier to get these characters buffed via Shards. This isn’t the only solution here, just a step along the way that we think will help!

As with the Chapter UI Update, looking forward to getting this in your hands!