Preconstructed decks avaliable for purchase in quest mode

[Max mtg]

Since 13593



Place files in res\quest\precons\.
Format is usual, except for a couple of lines.

Code: Select all

[shop]
WinsToUnlock=0           // clean and simple
Credits=20               // this is cost in shop
MinDifficulty=0          // difficulty range from easy=0 to v.hard=4
MaxDifficulty=5
[metadata]
Name=Blood and Fire
Description=The ultimate goal of the deck is to have three specific artifacts—Crown of Empires, Scepter of Empires, and Throne of Empires—on the battlefield at the same time.
Deck Type=constructed
Set=M12                  // might show this is table
Image=Blood-and-Fire.jpg // filename to search in #your_card_images#/precons/ folder


Feel free to add / modify anything.

I've also uploaded a couple of deck package images to svn, which may be copyrighted and so on...
Probably they should be stored at a different place - see the very commit 13593.

[friarsol]

Seems pretty handy. We should probably raise the default prices from 20 to like... 1200? Or some such?

What's the deal with Min/Max difficulty? Is this comparing the Quest Difficulty? So some precons would only be available in particular difficulties?

[friarsol]

Code: Select all

Detailed error trace:
com.thoughtworks.xstream.converters.ConversionException: null : null
---- Debugging information ----
cause-exception     : java.lang.NullPointerException
cause-message       : null
class               : forge.item.ItemPool
required-type       : forge.item.ItemPool
converter-type      : forge.quest.data.QuestDataIO$CardPoolToXml
path                : /forge.quest.data.QuestData/shopList/precon
line number         : 302
class[1]            : forge.quest.data.QuestData
converter-type[1]   : com.thoughtworks.xstream.converters.reflection.ReflectionConverter
version             : null
-------------------------------
   at com.thoughtworks.xstream.core.TreeUnmarshaller.convert(TreeUnmarshaller.java:79)
   at com.thoughtworks.xstream.core.AbstractReferenceUnmarshaller.convert(AbstractReferenceUnmarshaller.java:65)
   at com.thoughtworks.xstream.core.TreeUnmarshaller.convertAnother(TreeUnmarshaller.java:66)
   at com.thoughtworks.xstream.converters.reflection.AbstractReflectionConverter.unmarshallField(AbstractReflectionConverter.java:355)
   at com.thoughtworks.xstream.converters.reflection.AbstractReflectionConverter.doUnmarshal(AbstractReflectionConverter.java:306)
   at com.thoughtworks.xstream.converters.reflection.AbstractReflectionConverter.unmarshal(AbstractReflectionConverter.java:234)
   at com.thoughtworks.xstream.core.TreeUnmarshaller.convert(TreeUnmarshaller.java:72)
   at com.thoughtworks.xstream.core.AbstractReferenceUnmarshaller.convert(AbstractReferenceUnmarshaller.java:65)
   at com.thoughtworks.xstream.core.TreeUnmarshaller.convertAnother(TreeUnmarshaller.java:66)
   at com.thoughtworks.xstream.core.TreeUnmarshaller.convertAnother(TreeUnmarshaller.java:50)
   at com.thoughtworks.xstream.core.TreeUnmarshaller.start(TreeUnmarshaller.java:134)
   at com.thoughtworks.xstream.core.AbstractTreeMarshallingStrategy.unmarshal(AbstractTreeMarshallingStrategy.java:32)
   at com.thoughtworks.xstream.XStream.unmarshal(XStream.java:1052)
   at com.thoughtworks.xstream.XStream.unmarshal(XStream.java:1036)
   at com.thoughtworks.xstream.XStream.fromXML(XStream.java:912)
   at com.thoughtworks.xstream.XStream.fromXML(XStream.java:903)
   at forge.quest.data.QuestDataIO.loadData(QuestDataIO.java:111)
   at forge.view.home.ViewQuest.<init>(ViewQuest.java:99)
   at forge.view.home.HomeTopLevel.<init>(HomeTopLevel.java:71)
   at forge.control.FControl.changeState(FControl.java:141)
   at forge.view.FView$3.run(FView.java:120)
   at java.awt.event.InvocationEvent.dispatch(Unknown Source)
   at java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEventImpl(Unknown Source)
   at java.awt.EventQueue.access$000(Unknown Source)
   at java.awt.EventQueue$1.run(Unknown Source)
   at java.awt.EventQueue$1.run(Unknown Source)
   at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
   at java.security.AccessControlContext$1.doIntersectionPrivilege(Unknown Source)
   at java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEvent(Unknown Source)
   at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpOneEventForFilters(Unknown Source)
   at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForFilter(Unknown Source)
   at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForHierarchy(Unknown Source)
   at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(Unknown Source)
   at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(Unknown Source)
   at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.run(Unknown Source)
Caused by: java.lang.NullPointerException
   at java.util.Hashtable.get(Unknown Source)
   at forge.item.ItemPoolView.count(ItemPoolView.java:158)
   at forge.item.ItemPool.add(ItemPool.java:153)
   at forge.quest.data.QuestDataIO$CardPoolToXml.unmarshal(QuestDataIO.java:329)
   at com.thoughtworks.xstream.core.TreeUnmarshaller.convert(TreeUnmarshaller.java:72)
   ... 34 more



I'm getting this error after following the precon mold to create my own precon and buying it through a new quest..

[Chris H.]

I remember someone suggesting that we could have some starter decks for sale that might give us the beginning of some sort of a theme deck. A 10 card starter deck with with weakish cards for a theme could be priced at a low level of credits. People would still want to add some of the cards from their starting pool of cards to flesh the deck out to 40 cards or so.

A 60 card tournament winning deck could be priced at a level that is far greater. Some of the decks that Gos has posted could provide us with a few of these later stage decks. This would help to convince people to play a longer quest rather than starting over after a few matches.

This is starting to look very interesting.

[friarsol]

Ok this his how I'm getting the error above.

Code: Select all

[shop]
WinsToUnlock=0
Credits=20
MinDifficulty=0
MaxDifficulty=5
[metadata]
Name=DKAQuest
Description=Sealed Deck to start a quest
Deck Type=constructed
Set=DKA
Image=Blood-and-Fire.jpg
[main]
1 Ambush Viper|ISD
1 Artful Dodge|DKA
1 Bitterheart Witch|ISD
1 Bone to Ash|DKA
1 Brain Weevil|ISD
1 Briarpack Alpha|DKA
1 Bump in the Night|ISD
1 Butcher's Cleaver|ISD
1 Cellar Door|ISD
1 Champion of the Parish|ISD
1 Chapel Geist|ISD
1 Chill of Foreboding|DKA
1 Clinging Mists|DKA
1 Cloistered Youth|ISD
1 Corpse Lunge|ISD
2 Crossway Vampire|ISD
1 Curse of Oblivion|ISD
1 Curse of the Bloody Tome|ISD
1 Dawntreader Elk|DKA
1 Deadly Allure|DKA
1 Dream Twist|ISD
1 Elder Cathar|ISD
1 Elgaud Inquisitor|DKA
2 Fires of Undeath|DKA
18 Forest|ISD
1 Forge Devil|DKA
1 Galvanic Juggernaut|ISD
1 Gather the Townsfolk|DKA
1 Geistflame|ISD
1 Ghoulcaller's Chant|ISD
1 Ghoultree|DKA
1 Gnaw to the Bone|ISD
1 Gravecrawler|DKA
1 Gravepurge|DKA
1 Headless Skaab|DKA
2 Highborn Ghoul|DKA
1 Hinterland Hermit|DKA
1 Hollowhenge Beast|DKA
1 Hysterical Blindness|ISD
1 Immerwolf|DKA
1 Invisible Stalker|ISD
18 Island|ISD
1 Isolated Chapel|ISD
1 Kindercatch|ISD
1 Kruin Outlaw|ISD
1 Loyal Cathar|DKA
1 Lumberknot|ISD
1 Makeshift Mauler|ISD
1 Midnight Guard|DKA
18 Mountain|ISD
1 Nearheath Stalker|DKA
1 Niblis of the Breath|DKA
1 Niblis of the Mist|DKA
1 Night Revelers|ISD
1 Pitchburn Devils|ISD
18 Plains|ISD
1 Purify the Grave|ISD
1 Pyreheart Wolf|DKA
1 Rally the Peasants|ISD
1 Reap the Seagraf|DKA
1 Rotting Fensnake|ISD
1 Russet Wolves|DKA
1 Sanctuary Cat|DKA
1 Saving Grasp|DKA
1 Screeching Skaab|DKA
1 Shriekgeist|DKA
1 Skaab Goliath|ISD
1 Skillful Lunge|DKA
1 Soul Seizer|DKA
1 Spiteful Shadows|DKA
1 Stitcher's Apprentice|ISD
1 Stony Silence|ISD
1 Stromkirk Captain|DKA
18 Swamp|ISD
1 Think Twice|ISD
1 Tormented Pariah|ISD
1 Undying Evil|DKA
1 Unruly Mob|ISD
1 Urgent Exorcism|ISD
1 Vampire Interloper|ISD
1 Vault of the Archangel|DKA
1 Wakedancer|DKA
1 Wolfhunter's Quiver|DKA
1 Wooden Stake|ISD
1 Woodland Sleuth|ISD
1 Wrack with Madness|DKA
[sideboard]



I generated a Sealed Deck to start a quest with. I put this in my precon folder, and create a new Quest. Buy the "precon" from the store, and Create a deck (I was creating a WBr deck with only cards from the Precon, but I doubt that matters). Sell a bunch of cards. Then buy a Wall and a Pet (I bought a Wolf). As I'm leaving the Bazaar I get the error above. I was able to repro it, so it seems like there's something fishy going on here.

[Max mtg]

Seems pretty handy. We should probably raise the default prices from 20 to like... 1200? Or some such?

What's the deal with Min/Max difficulty? Is this comparing the Quest Difficulty? So some precons would only be available in particular difficulties?

Thanks.
Prices - 20 credits is just for testing purposes. I suggest someone in charge for quest balancing adjusts them.
Quest difficulty, yes. - see forge.quest.SellRules class. While unaffected by checkstyle rules yet it's very clean and simple. Hard quest might be harder for limited avaliability of precons.

[Max mtg]

That large exception fixed in 13599.

[Sloth]

The feature that the decklist is available to play right away is awesome. Good work Max!

[Roujin]

I downloaded the latest snapshot build and tried this out, and I also like it very much

Is there any place where the deck's description is displayed? I didn't find it anywhere. It would be nice if you could already view this description prior to buying the deck - maybe in the space above the card image (where for cards the description in text form is)?

And about the pricing discussion - I think it would be nice to have something cheap available that a starting player can buy right away. So maybe the starting money (250)?

edit: Oh and there's a little typo: "Deck 'XY' was added to youd decklist."

[friarsol]

I don't think that really works; these precons are fully playable decks with the equivalent of 3 boosters worth of rarity. Selling them for 1200 is a bargain considering they would all be in the color scheme and thematics you were expecting.

[slapshot5]

edit: Oh and there's a little typo: "Deck 'XY' was added to youd decklist."

Fixed. Thanks.

[squee1968]

I don't think that really works; these precons are fully playable decks with the equivalent of 3 boosters worth of rarity. Selling them for 1200 is a bargain considering they would all be in the color scheme and thematics you were expecting.

What if you break the deck up into pieces, the first piece would have only so many nonlands, and you could buy the rest of the pieces, like maybe 5 nonlands each, for 250 each? Maybe have the piece with the rares cost more, depending on it's value.

[friarsol]

I don't think that really works; these precons are fully playable decks with the equivalent of 3 boosters worth of rarity. Selling them for 1200 is a bargain considering they would all be in the color scheme and thematics you were expecting.

What if you break the deck up into pieces, the first piece would have only so many nonlands, and you could buy the rest of the pieces, like maybe 5 nonlands each, for 250 each? Maybe have the piece with the rares cost more, depending on it's value.

Don't worry, there's a ton of ideas floating around similar to this to make this interesting. There's a tough balance between making it useful early and making it useful later.

[Roujin]

Of course the existing ones are far too good for such a price. I was also thinking more along the lines of a "themed starter", rather than a complete deck, for that price. Number of cards and rarity composition could be similar to a booster - the difference is that you get a basic starter set for the color/theme/mechanic of your choice.
So there could be an Elf starter, with 11+3+1 cards, consisting only of elves and spells commonly found in elf decks. Something like that could be sold at 250-ish, no?
Power could be limited by simply not using any awesome cards, but mediocre ones.

Another option to limit power, some starters could also be spread over all colors (where the theme of the starter exists in all colors - maybe infect or a sliver starter?), so the player can only utilize about half of them. Unless he plans to go 5-color, which is not really a good idea without those fancy lands, which you don't have at the beginning

[Chris H.]

I started a new quest and bought Grab for Power for 20 credits. Fun precon deck, but I agree that 20 credits is not enough. 1200 seems to be more reasonable than 20.