Exovi
07-12-2020, 03:42 PM
The recent buff to Monsters and Mantids has been a ton of fun - the game is certainly much more engaging, but also much more profitable. I had been casually gambling, keeping track of winnings in a spreadsheet here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FV1DscNyayZMzLrNLbBiMFmSqGoJ2DdZAo1dukRPy18/edit#gid=0
PRE-PATCH: I hadn't played terribly many games, but I played enough to see some profit: My running average on Cashfall is 1,400 councils, meaning if I can get one ticket per game I'm in the black. Loot Master was pretty solid as well, as long as I played to win valuable items.
However... take a look what happens after the recent buff to Monsters and Mantids. Win after win, bringing in 15k+ Councils with some reliability. I'm not a huge fan of the gambling games, so I don't have a larger sample size on M&M... but it a clear trend, and probably one of the best money-making skills in the game right now - it is surely going to be nerfed before game release. So on to the suggestion: Make Zek an actual boss.
Currently Zek, boss of Level 8: The Treasure Room, feels like a pushover. If you can make it all the way to him, you're probably going to win anyways. So lets up the ante! Have Zek's fight live up to the theme of the level: A powerful dungeon elite looking over a hoard of treasure, treasure defeated adventurers have left behind. I typically have 3~4k Councils before the boss fight, so cashing out if I can't beat him is still plenty profitable.
Buff Max HP to ~200(?), damage/turn remains similar to live, but use the Player's own skills against them:
Lurk: Strong opening hit, then reliable damage afterwards. Big threat against glass-cannon players with low max hp, no trouble if you made it with 70+ HP.
Skewer: Bonus damage against players with odd-numbered current HP (best use a potion to avoid a big hit!).
Mindgnaw: Zek will have no low-damage rolls thanks to doubling.
Prey: Longer, drawn out fight (Prey should have noticeably lower damage).
Dying to Zek leaves your councils behind, adding to the growing Treasure Hoard. Beat Zek and you stuff your pockets with gold, bringing home 75~80% of the hoard and leaving some behind to encourage other players to try the encounter.
Closing Thoughts:
>Cashing out before Zek still takes home a good chunk of profit! ~4,000 councils for 900 entry, plus artifacts, cashfall tickets.
Players will swarm a table with a massive treasure hoard. Slow down dice rolls at crowded tables, giving a reason to tip Game Masters!
> If the Treasure Hoard has a habit of becoming too vast, have only [x]% of gold on death add to the pile. The rest go back to the dungeon underlings (they get their councils from somewhere, right?)
> Having players only win 75~80% of the hoard encourages people to keep playing the table, rather than starting from zero. Crowns from winning are still a valuable reward, anyways. Or make it another dice roll! % of Treasure Hoard taken home modified by your Saving Throw buffs
> With the current balancing a skilled player can reliably reach Zek with a table buff or two (as shown in the spreadsheet above). The Final Boss is the only thing that needs to be adjusted
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FV1DscNyayZMzLrNLbBiMFmSqGoJ2DdZAo1dukRPy18/edit#gid=0
PRE-PATCH: I hadn't played terribly many games, but I played enough to see some profit: My running average on Cashfall is 1,400 councils, meaning if I can get one ticket per game I'm in the black. Loot Master was pretty solid as well, as long as I played to win valuable items.
However... take a look what happens after the recent buff to Monsters and Mantids. Win after win, bringing in 15k+ Councils with some reliability. I'm not a huge fan of the gambling games, so I don't have a larger sample size on M&M... but it a clear trend, and probably one of the best money-making skills in the game right now - it is surely going to be nerfed before game release. So on to the suggestion: Make Zek an actual boss.
Currently Zek, boss of Level 8: The Treasure Room, feels like a pushover. If you can make it all the way to him, you're probably going to win anyways. So lets up the ante! Have Zek's fight live up to the theme of the level: A powerful dungeon elite looking over a hoard of treasure, treasure defeated adventurers have left behind. I typically have 3~4k Councils before the boss fight, so cashing out if I can't beat him is still plenty profitable.
Buff Max HP to ~200(?), damage/turn remains similar to live, but use the Player's own skills against them:
Lurk: Strong opening hit, then reliable damage afterwards. Big threat against glass-cannon players with low max hp, no trouble if you made it with 70+ HP.
Skewer: Bonus damage against players with odd-numbered current HP (best use a potion to avoid a big hit!).
Mindgnaw: Zek will have no low-damage rolls thanks to doubling.
Prey: Longer, drawn out fight (Prey should have noticeably lower damage).
Dying to Zek leaves your councils behind, adding to the growing Treasure Hoard. Beat Zek and you stuff your pockets with gold, bringing home 75~80% of the hoard and leaving some behind to encourage other players to try the encounter.
Closing Thoughts:
>Cashing out before Zek still takes home a good chunk of profit! ~4,000 councils for 900 entry, plus artifacts, cashfall tickets.
Players will swarm a table with a massive treasure hoard. Slow down dice rolls at crowded tables, giving a reason to tip Game Masters!
> If the Treasure Hoard has a habit of becoming too vast, have only [x]% of gold on death add to the pile. The rest go back to the dungeon underlings (they get their councils from somewhere, right?)
> Having players only win 75~80% of the hoard encourages people to keep playing the table, rather than starting from zero. Crowns from winning are still a valuable reward, anyways. Or make it another dice roll! % of Treasure Hoard taken home modified by your Saving Throw buffs
> With the current balancing a skilled player can reliably reach Zek with a table buff or two (as shown in the spreadsheet above). The Final Boss is the only thing that needs to be adjusted