Viewing Remaining Hit Points

Hi Kilby,

Thanks for checkout the game. We do believe that R&R has a lot of potential. The initial release is going to be fun and we have many more features in the pipeline which will just expand the game play.

That's a good point about displaying a character's health points numerically as well through a health meter. I'll definitely bring it up with the design team and find out why they took that direction.

RR_Desolate

I can see pros and cons of doing it either way.

On the plus side, conveying information visually is going to be more appealing and intuitive than looking just looking at a number. R&R is a fast-paced game, so I can understand the importance of getting information to the player as quickly as possible. There is so much math going on in the background (especially since damage is not just determined by the number of the card but also player skill levels and amount of mana used) that it would be foolish to imply that the player should be performing calculations to find the best move (a la untimed card games or RPG battles).

I can think of two issues that come from withholding this information.

First, it can be difficult to gauge the meters comparatively in a close battle because they are on opposite sides of the screen and, at least in the games I played, the average damage per attack was about the same for both players. It's hard to decide on how much risk to take (whether to use a low mana / point card or high mana / point card) without a clear picture of how far ahead the leader is.

The other issue is the endgame. If I see my opponent has a health meter of some width, how do I know which of my attacks could potentially be game winners? Again, this is especially critical in a close game. Should I attack now or should I save mana for a defensive maneuver and a stronger attack on my next turn?

Other than just showing the HP as a number, I could think of a few ways to convey the game's status:

- Create a third "tug-of-war" meter that shows how much more health meter the player in the lead has.

- Only show the amount of HP when health is critical (either below a certain threshold or below a number based on the cards left in the opponent's hand and deck).

- Highlight the cards that could POTENTIALLY win the game assuming the player does not block.

Either way, thanks for finding out the rationale behind this design choice. And feel free to correct me if I've made a mistake about how the game's mechanics work... I'm still learning. :)

Hi Kilby,

These are awesome points. I really appreciate the time you put in to check out and analyze this feature of the game. I went back to the design team to get some answers.

First, using a graphical health meter was easier to implement for the initial release of the game. The team does want to enhance it by also displaying a numerical value. We don't know exactly when it would go into production but it's on our list of upcoming features.

Second, they agree with your points about how a numerical value would make it easier to judge where you and your opponent are at. As you stated, this is very important information to know especially when the meters are very low and you need to decide what to do.

I like your idea about highlighting cards near the end of play. Reminds me of a last breath hint system. I'll bring it up with the design team.

Thanks again Kilby.

RR_Desolate

Thanks for the info. Sorry to get antsy waiting for features like this one!

Hey Kilby. No worries. Always happy to provide new info and keep asking away when you have a question.

RR_Desolate