Forge version 1.5.31
Posted: 14 Nov 2014, 15:45Tentative target release date: Friday November 28 2014.
Currently, the default is to stop at every phase. This has the following problems:
- It results in the slowest possible gameplay and requires the most clicks or Enter/Space presses
- It encourages users who may be new to Magic to cast spells at the wrong time (strategically speaking), such as Instants during your opponent's Main phase that should wait for their end of turn
- It makes all the phase buttons the same color and thus does nothing to suggest the ability to configure the stops.
That last bullet is the big one. Nobody I observed seemed to even realize they could make their experience faster and easier by removing stops they didn't need. They just assumed it was a phase indicator that wasn't actionable.
To combat this and improve the out-of-the-box experience for our users, I'd like to propose we change the defaults to the following:
Player - Main Phase 1, Declare Blockers, Main Phase 2 (M1, DB, M2)
Opponent - Declare Attackers, Declare Blockers, End of Turn (DA, DB, ET)
This would cut the number of stops down from 24 to just 6 for each overall turn in a 2 player game. And if no combat occurs on either player's turn, then it's just 3 stops.
Here's my justification for the phases I'm choosing here. Note that these cases only cover when the stack is empty, as you're given the chance to respond to spells/abilities on the stack, declare attackers, and declare blockers regardless of phase stops.
- You can only activate sorcery-speed effects during the M1 or M2 phases of your turn.
- Except in rare circumstances, strategically speaking, you should only activate instant-speed effects during:
- the DB phase on your turn after your opponent declares blockers
- (e.g. combat trick, regen shield) - the DA phase on your opponent's turn after he/she declares attackers
- (e.g. flash a blocker into play) - the DB phase on your opponent's turn after you declare blockers
- (e.g. sacrifice a creature after they block, combat trick, regen shield) - the ET phase on your opponent's turn
- so your opponent has no chance to respond with anything sorcery-speed before your next turn starts
- the DB phase on your turn after your opponent declares blockers
In addition to improving the out-of-the-box experience for users, this phase setup also makes it much more obvious that you can configure the phases by clicking on them, as they appear in two colors instead of one and you can quickly see the difference between what those colors mean. It also helps teach new users when the proper time to play their spells and activate their abilities is.
Please let me know what you think of this proposal. If everyone's on board, I'll make the change before we cut the next release. Please keep in mind this will only change the defaults, so everyone can still configure the stops as they wish and have them remembered.
Thanks.
-Dan
