STORYBOOK BRAWL
You may have heard about this card game in the past few weeks. You may even be playing it.
1. I wanted to address the following issues im gonna talk about for over a week, but i wasnt sure whats the best approach... "should i create a thread, with the "click-baity" title of this game?" Nah, not a fan of clickbait at all. And im sorry if this is still not a good approach.
Also, i didnt want to make it seem like i am promoting this new game, which is definitely not the case.
2. I havent tried this game, nor do i plan to do so. Just like every other CCG out there.
But it looks so much like Hearthstone that for someone like me, i thought it was a new mode or mod of the Blizzard's card game
This thread is not to compare both card games, but to talk about the impact Storybook Brawl (SBB from here on) had on Gwent and its playerbase, which sheds light on a lot of issues that we must face.
In case you are unaware, SBB is a F2P card game that came out in the last month or so (i think its still in beta). Its an auto-battler (whatever that is...)
And a lot of Gwent streamers and creators have changed to stream SBB, not necessarily permanently but at least for the time being.
A lot of big names in Gwent, but most noticeably, Trynet123, who was Gwent's most regular content maker for years now, until recently (he hasnt left Gwent completely, still casted some tournaments and from last i heard, he's just taking a break from it).
I am not here to blame the streamers who switched games (actually its closer to the opposite), or to praise this new game, since im not well informed about it - only caught some small impressions of players who are having fun with it.
Now, SBB had a great release timing. Patch 9.3 on Gwent wasnt very well received, tons of bugs on launch (which is becoming a recurring issue) and players complaining about stale meta in day 2 or 3 due to lack of significant changes. I dont want to be a doomsday-sayer, but the morale of the Gwent playerbase is probably at an all-time low, or not far from it.
So a lot of players were eager to jump into a fresh new trend.
Except, this is nothing new!
When Legends of RuneTerra came out, also a lot of Gwent players moved on to that game.
(Now my PERSONAL opinion) - Some might say this is unavoidable, but i think its a testament to Gwent's poor health state, which has persisted for a long time.
Next month will be Gwent's (final version) 3rd birthday, or 5th birthday if we count the betas.
And i still think this game suffers from a lack of direction, at least one that is sustainable.
I believe if the game had solid roots on gameplay and an increased focus on its balance, Gwent wouldnt spiral down into disastrous states so easily, and players wouldnt become frustrated or bored with it so quickly after each patch.
What i mean with lack of sustainability - the focus on cosmetics, journeys and "providing content".
It feels like the short-term way to keep players engaged, because they're getting tons of stuff, the easy way of triggering dopamine release in our brains.
And i've seen enough posts, of players who got over this initial rush, and were unhappy because they dont want to play but since they bought the journey they feel like they must continue or they're missing out.
To conclude - the most frequent counter argument used in these discussions, to defend Gwent - "but there are some players who enjoy playing Gwent, and can still find fun in it."
That is true, and i respect them, and do notice their praise posts from time to time. But i did notice a pattern - they are ALL from players starting out relatively recent, or that have returned after many years away, and are still finding out new things. OR, players who play it casually, in short sessions, which is healthy and definitely decreases the risk of building up frustration.
If you ask veterans, streamers or pro players, with thousands of hours of Gwent, they will never say they are truly happy with the game's state (i have never found one, correct me if im wrong), some are like me and are blunt on their opinion, while others prefer to be more evasive, or neutral (like Geralt would like to say...)
I do hope things will change for the better in the future, but that hope is running dangerously short for me at least.
NOTE: yes, i am a Gwent Partner and yet im here being incredibly critical of the dev team, like ive been before getting such status.
You may say im "biting the hand that feeds", that im betraying them, but im just expressing my free speech, in a negative but hopefully constructive way, and i did warn them i wouldnt soften my words right on my Partner application, and i still got it so this behaviour must not be considered infringement and thus, censored.
You may have heard about this card game in the past few weeks. You may even be playing it.
1. I wanted to address the following issues im gonna talk about for over a week, but i wasnt sure whats the best approach... "should i create a thread, with the "click-baity" title of this game?" Nah, not a fan of clickbait at all. And im sorry if this is still not a good approach.
Also, i didnt want to make it seem like i am promoting this new game, which is definitely not the case.
2. I havent tried this game, nor do i plan to do so. Just like every other CCG out there.
But it looks so much like Hearthstone that for someone like me, i thought it was a new mode or mod of the Blizzard's card game
This thread is not to compare both card games, but to talk about the impact Storybook Brawl (SBB from here on) had on Gwent and its playerbase, which sheds light on a lot of issues that we must face.
In case you are unaware, SBB is a F2P card game that came out in the last month or so (i think its still in beta). Its an auto-battler (whatever that is...)
And a lot of Gwent streamers and creators have changed to stream SBB, not necessarily permanently but at least for the time being.
A lot of big names in Gwent, but most noticeably, Trynet123, who was Gwent's most regular content maker for years now, until recently (he hasnt left Gwent completely, still casted some tournaments and from last i heard, he's just taking a break from it).
I am not here to blame the streamers who switched games (actually its closer to the opposite), or to praise this new game, since im not well informed about it - only caught some small impressions of players who are having fun with it.
Now, SBB had a great release timing. Patch 9.3 on Gwent wasnt very well received, tons of bugs on launch (which is becoming a recurring issue) and players complaining about stale meta in day 2 or 3 due to lack of significant changes. I dont want to be a doomsday-sayer, but the morale of the Gwent playerbase is probably at an all-time low, or not far from it.
So a lot of players were eager to jump into a fresh new trend.
Except, this is nothing new!
When Legends of RuneTerra came out, also a lot of Gwent players moved on to that game.
(Now my PERSONAL opinion) - Some might say this is unavoidable, but i think its a testament to Gwent's poor health state, which has persisted for a long time.
Next month will be Gwent's (final version) 3rd birthday, or 5th birthday if we count the betas.
And i still think this game suffers from a lack of direction, at least one that is sustainable.
I believe if the game had solid roots on gameplay and an increased focus on its balance, Gwent wouldnt spiral down into disastrous states so easily, and players wouldnt become frustrated or bored with it so quickly after each patch.
What i mean with lack of sustainability - the focus on cosmetics, journeys and "providing content".
It feels like the short-term way to keep players engaged, because they're getting tons of stuff, the easy way of triggering dopamine release in our brains.
And i've seen enough posts, of players who got over this initial rush, and were unhappy because they dont want to play but since they bought the journey they feel like they must continue or they're missing out.
To conclude - the most frequent counter argument used in these discussions, to defend Gwent - "but there are some players who enjoy playing Gwent, and can still find fun in it."
That is true, and i respect them, and do notice their praise posts from time to time. But i did notice a pattern - they are ALL from players starting out relatively recent, or that have returned after many years away, and are still finding out new things. OR, players who play it casually, in short sessions, which is healthy and definitely decreases the risk of building up frustration.
If you ask veterans, streamers or pro players, with thousands of hours of Gwent, they will never say they are truly happy with the game's state (i have never found one, correct me if im wrong), some are like me and are blunt on their opinion, while others prefer to be more evasive, or neutral (like Geralt would like to say...)
I do hope things will change for the better in the future, but that hope is running dangerously short for me at least.
NOTE: yes, i am a Gwent Partner and yet im here being incredibly critical of the dev team, like ive been before getting such status.
You may say im "biting the hand that feeds", that im betraying them, but im just expressing my free speech, in a negative but hopefully constructive way, and i did warn them i wouldnt soften my words right on my Partner application, and i still got it so this behaviour must not be considered infringement and thus, censored.