[horsaken]

Сегодня на Полях Сражений Hearthstone стартовал очередной 12 сезон. Новинки получились довольно необычными, и поэтому разработчики опубликовали отдельную заметку, где постарались прояснить различные спорные и неясные моменты.

Самые важные моменты:

• Работа над сезоном
  
  • Изначально идея была довольно скромной, что-то вроде чёрного рынка, но со временем обрастала всё новыми и новыми деталями
  • Разработчики с одной стороны хотели создать что-то совершенно новое, а с другой стороны не выйти за рамки баланса и качества, которые в прошлом показали аксессуары
  • С точки зрения баланса у разработчиков будет сразу несколько рычагов: стоимость в Хронуме, отдельные карты для 6 и 9 хода
  • Разработчики хотели, чтобы игроки не чувствовали, что приковывают себя к той или иной стратегии в самом начале игры; поэтому первый заход в искажённую временем таверну происходит на 6 ходу
  • При этом малые карты изначально создавались как временные, не оказывающие слишком уж большого влияния – чтобы игрокам не было настолько жалко с ними расставаться; а вот большие карты это уже существа для поздней стадии игры, и по замыслу разработчиков игроки должны хотеть сохранить их до конца матча
  • Разработчики хотели сохранить гибкость, чтобы игроки не могли специально уходить в сторону конкретных сборок; вместо этого им будет предлагаться то, что они могут не увидеть снова в течение многих игр
  • Другими словами, разработчики хотели, чтобы отряды поздней стадии игры буквально выглядели непохожими друг на друга, т.к. в них могут быть 3-4 карты, которые вы не встретите в течение ряда матчей
• Правила искажённой временем таверны:
  
  • Вы не можете обновлять или замораживать таверну
  • Ваши карты, сила героя или эффекты стола не имеют воздействия на таверну
  • Если после покупки вы должны превысить лимит карт в руке, лимит действительно будет временно повышен, чтобы рука вместила все карты. Другими словами, если ваша рука полна, вы всё равно сможете купить искажённую временем карту
  • Продавать существ нельзя
  • Искажённые карты не образуют триплет с обычными своими копиями, а только с другими искажёнными копиями
  • В качестве выбора вам всегда будут предлагаться 3 карты стоимостью в 1 Хронум и 2 карты стоимостью в 2 Хронума
  • В таверне всегда будут 3 существа и две иных карты (заклинания или сила героя)
  • В малой таверне всегда будет предлагаться вторая сила героя (за исключением случаев, если у вас каким-то образом уже есть вторая сила героя)
  • Пул предлагаемых карт будет зависеть от типов существ в текущем лобби, составе вашего отряда и вашей силы героя
  • У некоторых карт есть свой внутренний тэг, относящий их к одному из типов существ. При посещении таверны вам будет предложена как минимум одна карта такой разновидности
  • Вам нужно иметь минимум 2 существа одного типа, чтобы таверна распознала ваш отряд как относящийся к этому типу

Developer Insight: Timewarped Tavern

The wait is over, the Tavern at the Edge of Time is open, Heroes!

If you are a new player, then welcome! If you are a veteran, we hope we’ll push your tactics even further!

With this update, we are introducing a major refresh to keep Battlegrounds dynamic and evolving, with a lot of new cards to build your strategies with. The new Timewarped Tavern system is now available in every game, and every decision you will make during the Timewarp carries additional weight - you can play it safe or make bold moves to outsmart your opponents.

When we first sat down and started to think about how we could make the last season of the year memorable, we weren’t really planning to make such a big overhaul; it just…evolved.

What started as a smaller “Black Market” concept, steadily grew and transformed into variant cards, aligned with the current time-bending theme of Across the Timeways Hearthstone expansion.

It truly took many tweaks and updates to land on what we feel is the best experience: visiting the Timewarped Tavern on turns 6 and 9 with a fixed amount of Chronum, a sweet spot for both casual adventurers and highly competitive masterminds.

With this new system, we also set ourselves a few goals:

• We wanted to introduce something completely new!
• We wanted to develop on what worked well in the past, for example:
  • The game pace and the content quantity (and quality) we’ve seen with Trinkets.
  • We wanted access to balancing levers (similar to armor affecting Quests or Trinket Gold costs), so we have Chronums and two separate card pools (Major and Minor Timewarps). This gives us space to move things around as needed to keep the game more fair.
  • We know that players like feeling powerful and getting free stuff during the game, so we decided to give players Timewarped Cards without any Gold cost (similar to Darkmoon Prizes).
  • The system had to have unique elements to feel special (i.e. like Buddies), so we wanted the cards in the Timewarped Tavern to be more or less inaccessible outside of that special shop.
  • We didn’t want players to feel locked into a strategy too early in the game while still keeping the fun. Many of the Minor Timewarp cards are designed to be temporary or small impact so you don’t feel obligated to keep them forever. Major Timewarp cards, however, are intended as endgame minions (around the power of Tier 6-7 minions), and we intend players to keep them for the rest of the game.
• We wanted the system to provide flexibility and variety. We want players to not be able to force specific builds and instead be offered things that they might not see again for many games.
• We wanted each shop to offer interesting decisions and tension. Do you want 2 cheaper Timewarped cards or 1 powerful expensive Timewarped card? Do you want power/tempo now, or do you want long-term value?
• We wanted endgame boards to literally look different. Depending on what Timewarped cards you get your strategy will change, but your board will also visually look different because there can be 1-4 cards on it that you may not see again for a while.

Ultimately, we wanted this Season to support as many unique strategies and approaches as possible, be it a fun casual lobby, or a pulsing high MMR match brimming with tension, quick thinking, and insane combos.

And now, after many tweaks and refinements, the Timewarped Tavern system is finally here.

If this is the first time you hear about it, the new Timewarped Tavern is a special Tavern, ruled by Nozdormu, that you can visit at Turn 6 (this will be your first Timewarp) and Turn 9 (your second Timewarp). Here, you will be given a special currency to use here - Chronum.

This Tavern will offer 5 cards you won’t be able to find in the normal Tavern, such as unique minions and spells, alternate versions of existing cards (including Standard cards), and - in the first Timewarp only - 2nd Hero Powers.

Timewarped Tavern Rules

The Timewarped Tavern operates under its own set of rules:

• You cannot Freeze or Refresh the Timewarped Tavern.
• Your hand, board, and hero power do not function here.
• If buying cards causes you to exceed your hand limit, your hand limit will be temporarily increased to accommodate those cards - this means that if your hand is full of cards, you will still be able to buy Timewarped cards.
• You cannot sell minions in the Timewarped Tavern.
• Timewarped cards cannot Triple with their regular versions (e.g., Timewarped Busker can only Triple with two more Timewarped Buskers, not with Southsea Busker).
• The Timewarped Tavern will always offer three cards that cost 1 Chronum and two cards that cost 2 or more Chronum.
• The Timewarped Tavern will always offer 3 minions and 2 non-minions (i.e. spells or hero powers).
• The Minor Timewarp will always offer a 2nd hero power as an option (unless you somehow already have 2 hero powers).
• Cards in the Timewarped Tavern are divided into two pools: Minor and Major. Minor Timewarped cards will appear on Turn 6 and will be Tier 3 cards. Major Timewarped cards will appear on Turn 9 and will be Tier 5 cards.
• Similar to Trinkets, the pool of eligible Timewarped cards you can be offered will be based on the minion types in the game, your warband, and your hero power.
• Some Timewarped cards have an internal tag that ties them to a particular type. In each offering, you’ll get at least one card that has that type. You more frequently get offered Timewarped cards for your most common minion type.
• A Timewarped card can be considered part of a type even if the card doesn’t have that minion type (e.g. Timewarped Nomi for Elementals, Timewarped Whelp Smuggler for Dragons).
• A Timewarped card can be considered NOT part of a type even if it has that minion type (e.g. Timewarped Lubber can be offered in lobbies without Elementals or Pirates).
• You need 2 minions of a type to be considered “in” for the Minor Timewarp. For the Major Timewarp, you need 3 minions.
• Certain heroes can always be offered typed Timewarped cards even if they don’t have minions of that type in their warband (e.g. Azshara can be offered Naga).
• Timewarped cards will be arranged by cost in the Tavern.
• You need 3 minions of different types to be considered “in” menagerie.
• You can’t be offered more than 1 card from a type that isn’t your most common type.
• You cannot be offered multiple Timewarped StarCraft cards.
• Timewarped Leapfrogger cannot be offered in Duos.
• N’Zoth cannot be offered Timewarped Saurolisk.
• You cannot be offered Timewarped Mothership, Timewarped Geomancer, or Timewarped Recycler unless you have at least 4 minions.
• Gallywix, Millhouse, Sindragosa, Flurgl, Hoggarr, and Kaelthas cannot be offered Timewarped Skipper.
• You cannot be offered Timewarped Lei if your hero doesn’t have a Buddy.
• You cannot be offered Power of Al’Akir, Power of George, Power of Teron, Power of Guff, Power of Zephrys, Power of Flurgl, or Power of Sylvana if you already have their respective hero powers.
• You cannot be offered Timewarped Jungle King, Timewarped Tamuzo, or Timewarped Karathress if you did not summon any minions in the previous combat.
• You cannot be offered Timewarped Whirl-O-Tron if you don’t have a Deathrattle minion.
• You cannot be offered Timewarped Murk-Eye if you don’t have a Battlecry minion.
• You cannot be offered Timewarped Sylvar if you have no Golden minions.
• You cannot be offered Timewarped Stoneshell if you don’t have a Rally minion.
• Few special notes for Timewarped Thief:
• This card is rarer than almost all other Timewarped cards
• You cannot be offered Timewarped Thief if your past warband had 5 or less minions on it
• Timewarped Thief should offer from your last warband in the mode you’re playing in. For example, if you play Timewarped Thief in Duos it will offer based on your last Duos warband, not Solos.
• Yes, you can get minions that don’t exist in your lobby (e.g. a Beast when Beast are not in your lobby)
• Yes, you can technically get minions that are no longer in the game. We make no promises they’ll work though: commit time crimes at your own time peril.

We hope to see you all in Season 12: The Tavern at the Edge of Time update.
And if you want to know more, or just say hi and share your first impressions with us, don’t forget and tune in to DogDog’s and HapaBear’s streams today, at 2PM and 3PM PT respectively (and grab a few drops along the way)![Источник]