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Valentina Friendship Festival

AuthorMessage
Explorer
Jan 03, 2014
61
1. Why are all the wands for fire school? Why not any of the other schools as well?

2. Why are these sold for crowns only? I pay good money to play this game, why should I have to also buy crowns to get content that ought to come with my payment.

I was considering a year subscription but bought a 1 month to see if it would be worth it. From what I can see, it isn't.

First, the subscription only gets basic gear so there is absolutely no chance for a basic subscriber to achieve any decent level in ranked PVP since the best gear is reserved for those people who buy crowns for cash.

Second, some areas of the game are unplayable/unwinnable by one self. A perfect example is the Sunken City with the three enemies in the towers. If you can get your character by the first, the second group will definitely beat you. The game should not be so difficult as to require a group to complete.

Third, many times I have seen the game "cheat" by witnessing enemies casting spells they did not have the required pips for and doing more damage than the spell allows. A perfect example, in the Krok ice dungeon, one prince had 4 pips and cast the Cyclops spell which is a 3 pip spell and on the very next turn case the fire school bird which is also a 3 pip spell. Also, without any enhancers each spell did over 350 damage which exceeds the amounts stated on the cards.

Fourth and last, the math used by the game to figure damage is flawed. If I cast a spell that does exactly 100 damage and have no bonus to damage and the enemy has no resist, then it does 100 damage. Now add the +25% blades card and the damage goes up to 125. Add a trap card adding another 35% and the spell should cause 160 damage because 25 and 35 add up to 60. The game, however, adds or subtracts the bonus when the tick vanishes. Thus, after casting the spell it adds 25% to 100 for 125 and then adds 35% of the 125 for about 44 damage making the total 169. Maybe the makers designed it this way intentionally, but it is flawed. Done correctly, the percentages should be resolved first, then added or subtracted from the spell. Also, when people have shield cards in play and then enact a shield absorbing damage, the game ignores the shield cards and applies full damage to the shield. This, too, is flawed. The shielded amount should be reduced shield absorb whatever's left. That is the point of using those shield cards, after all.

All in all, I see a potential in this game. I like the play (despite the fact that we're taking on the role of a child who, if they hail from the US, probably cannot read, yet are able to learn and cast spells to fight). Story is okay though a bit repetitive. Fix the loot so ALL paying players have equal chance to the best stuff. Otherwise there is no reason to subscribe, just buy crowns for everything including areas.

Archon
Oct 24, 2010
4952
ghowriter on Feb 8, 2014 wrote:
1. Why are all the wands for fire school? Why not any of the other schools as well?

2. Why are these sold for crowns only? I pay good money to play this game, why should I have to also buy crowns to get content that ought to come with my payment.

I was considering a year subscription but bought a 1 month to see if it would be worth it. From what I can see, it isn't.

First, the subscription only gets basic gear so there is absolutely no chance for a basic subscriber to achieve any decent level in ranked PVP since the best gear is reserved for those people who buy crowns for cash.

Second, some areas of the game are unplayable/unwinnable by one self. A perfect example is the Sunken City with the three enemies in the towers. If you can get your character by the first, the second group will definitely beat you. The game should not be so difficult as to require a group to complete.

Third, many times I have seen the game "cheat" by witnessing enemies casting spells they did not have the required pips for and doing more damage than the spell allows. A perfect example, in the Krok ice dungeon, one prince had 4 pips and cast the Cyclops spell which is a 3 pip spell and on the very next turn case the fire school bird which is also a 3 pip spell. Also, without any enhancers each spell did over 350 damage which exceeds the amounts stated on the cards.

Fourth and last, the math used by the game to figure damage is flawed. If I cast a spell that does exactly 100 damage and have no bonus to damage and the enemy has no resist, then it does 100 damage. Now add the +25% blades card and the damage goes up to 125. Add a trap card adding another 35% and the spell should cause 160 damage because 25 and 35 add up to 60. The game, however, adds or subtracts the bonus when the tick vanishes. Thus, after casting the spell it adds 25% to 100 for 125 and then adds 35% of the 125 for about 44 damage making the total 169. Maybe the makers designed it this way intentionally, but it is flawed. Done correctly, the percentages should be resolved first, then added or subtracted from the spell. Also, when people have shield cards in play and then enact a shield absorbing damage, the game ignores the shield cards and applies full damage to the shield. This, too, is flawed. The shielded amount should be reduced shield absorb whatever's left. That is the point of using those shield cards, after all.

All in all, I see a potential in this game. I like the play (despite the fact that we're taking on the role of a child who, if they hail from the US, probably cannot read, yet are able to learn and cast spells to fight). Story is okay though a bit repetitive. Fix the loot so ALL paying players have equal chance to the best stuff. Otherwise there is no reason to subscribe, just buy crowns for everything including areas.
1. Each special person for the holidays represents one specific school. She is fire. Others are Ice, etc.

2. Because they are special items available only for a limited time. And compared to other crowns items, are relatively inexpensive.

No one is forcing anyone to buy crowns items. I buy very few (although I do buy packs). It's a matter of choice.

As for the math, there is nothing flawed with it. Whatever trap/blade you cast first gets added to the damage first. Then the next one, etc. It is to the wizards benefit to do it this way.

Historian
May 06, 2009
633
ghowriter on Feb 8, 2014 wrote:
1. Why are all the wands for fire school? Why not any of the other schools as well?

2. Why are these sold for crowns only? I pay good money to play this game, why should I have to also buy crowns to get content that ought to come with my payment.

I was considering a year subscription but bought a 1 month to see if it would be worth it. From what I can see, it isn't.

First, the subscription only gets basic gear so there is absolutely no chance for a basic subscriber to achieve any decent level in ranked PVP since the best gear is reserved for those people who buy crowns for cash.

Second, some areas of the game are unplayable/unwinnable by one self. A perfect example is the Sunken City with the three enemies in the towers. If you can get your character by the first, the second group will definitely beat you. The game should not be so difficult as to require a group to complete.

Third, many times I have seen the game "cheat" by witnessing enemies casting spells they did not have the required pips for and doing more damage than the spell allows. A perfect example, in the Krok ice dungeon, one prince had 4 pips and cast the Cyclops spell which is a 3 pip spell and on the very next turn case the fire school bird which is also a 3 pip spell. Also, without any enhancers each spell did over 350 damage which exceeds the amounts stated on the cards.

Fourth and last, the math used by the game to figure damage is flawed. If I cast a spell that does exactly 100 damage and have no bonus to damage and the enemy has no resist, then it does 100 damage. Now add the +25% blades card and the damage goes up to 125. Add a trap card adding another 35% and the spell should cause 160 damage because 25 and 35 add up to 60. The game, however, adds or subtracts the bonus when the tick vanishes. Thus, after casting the spell it adds 25% to 100 for 125 and then adds 35% of the 125 for about 44 damage making the total 169. Maybe the makers designed it this way intentionally, but it is flawed. Done correctly, the percentages should be resolved first, then added or subtracted from the spell. Also, when people have shield cards in play and then enact a shield absorbing damage, the game ignores the shield cards and applies full damage to the shield. This, too, is flawed. The shielded amount should be reduced shield absorb whatever's left. That is the point of using those shield cards, after all.

All in all, I see a potential in this game. I like the play (despite the fact that we're taking on the role of a child who, if they hail from the US, probably cannot read, yet are able to learn and cast spells to fight). Story is okay though a bit repetitive. Fix the loot so ALL paying players have equal chance to the best stuff. Otherwise there is no reason to subscribe, just buy crowns for everything including areas.
Welcome to the message boards!
I disagree with a majority of about everything you said. I think because you're new here, you're not quite familiar with the in's and out's of the game.

1.) You're coming into the game during a different time of the year. KI celebrates each holiday at a different time of year and each holiday takes a certain school theme. Valentine's Day (or Friendship Festival) wands are Fire-themed. During Halloween (or Hallowe'en), wands are Death-themed. On Christmas (or Yuletide) you'll find Ice-themed wands for purchase. Easter brings Balance themed wands. During Thanksgiving, and St. Pactrick's Day, Life-themed wands are buyable. All wands can be dropped from bosses around Wizard City and the Spiral during these holidays. There are no holiday wands for Storm as of now.

2.) They're for Crowns. If you don't wish to spend Crowns on them, try fighting bosses around Wizard City, or around the Spiral to attain them.

3.)Subscribtion gives access to ALL areas of the game. Period. At the lower levels, Wizards are typically given standard, basic gear, but the challenges are not overbearing that you need strong gear and most good gear in the First Storyline is found dropped from bosses. At Level 30, you can travel to Aquila and gain more powerful gear in Mount Olympus. At level 50, dropped gear from Malistaire remains very helpful. Level 60's can go into the side dungeon Waterworks of Crab Alley (which you access at Level 12) to gain powerful gear from Sylster or the Tower of the Helephant in Wysteria (accessable at Level 25). Level 70's can go to Atlantea in Aquila for more powerful gear. Finally, at Level 90, Wizards can challenge Hades in Tartarus for the most powerful gear in the game. Crafted gear is also passable throughout the game.

4.) Sunken City is a side dungeon, and thus not needed to be completed to get to new areas of the game. Higher Level Wizards, specifically Level 30+, can complete Sunken City soloed. Attacking-all-enemy (AoE's) spells help a lot. It is a known fact of the community, that side content can be found harder than main content. This method is prefered than vice versa.

5.) They're are bosses who "cheat" however no bosses in Wizard City, Krokotopia, Marleybone, MooShu, or Dragonspyre "cheat" in the main content. The more difficult worlds of Celestia, Zafaria, Avalon, Azteca, and Khrysalis hold these bosses. Some bosses carry Mastery Amulets that allow them to use their power pips toward a secondary school.

I'm not sure if you were looking at things correctly. I've never witnessed what you're talking about. Are you familiar with Power Pips? These count for 2 regular pips. Also an opponent may cast a spell like Cyclops if they have more than 3 pips. Each round, everyone gains an additional pip. I'm not sure I can see how your accounts are adding up.

Historian
May 06, 2009
633
ghowriter on Feb 8, 2014 wrote:
1. Why are all the wands for fire school? Why not any of the other schools as well?

2. Why are these sold for crowns only? I pay good money to play this game, why should I have to also buy crowns to get content that ought to come with my payment.

I was considering a year subscription but bought a 1 month to see if it would be worth it. From what I can see, it isn't.

First, the subscription only gets basic gear so there is absolutely no chance for a basic subscriber to achieve any decent level in ranked PVP since the best gear is reserved for those people who buy crowns for cash.

Second, some areas of the game are unplayable/unwinnable by one self. A perfect example is the Sunken City with the three enemies in the towers. If you can get your character by the first, the second group will definitely beat you. The game should not be so difficult as to require a group to complete.

Third, many times I have seen the game "cheat" by witnessing enemies casting spells they did not have the required pips for and doing more damage than the spell allows. A perfect example, in the Krok ice dungeon, one prince had 4 pips and cast the Cyclops spell which is a 3 pip spell and on the very next turn case the fire school bird which is also a 3 pip spell. Also, without any enhancers each spell did over 350 damage which exceeds the amounts stated on the cards.

Fourth and last, the math used by the game to figure damage is flawed. If I cast a spell that does exactly 100 damage and have no bonus to damage and the enemy has no resist, then it does 100 damage. Now add the +25% blades card and the damage goes up to 125. Add a trap card adding another 35% and the spell should cause 160 damage because 25 and 35 add up to 60. The game, however, adds or subtracts the bonus when the tick vanishes. Thus, after casting the spell it adds 25% to 100 for 125 and then adds 35% of the 125 for about 44 damage making the total 169. Maybe the makers designed it this way intentionally, but it is flawed. Done correctly, the percentages should be resolved first, then added or subtracted from the spell. Also, when people have shield cards in play and then enact a shield absorbing damage, the game ignores the shield cards and applies full damage to the shield. This, too, is flawed. The shielded amount should be reduced shield absorb whatever's left. That is the point of using those shield cards, after all.

All in all, I see a potential in this game. I like the play (despite the fact that we're taking on the role of a child who, if they hail from the US, probably cannot read, yet are able to learn and cast spells to fight). Story is okay though a bit repetitive. Fix the loot so ALL paying players have equal chance to the best stuff. Otherwise there is no reason to subscribe, just buy crowns for everything including areas.
5.) [Continued] Some bosses and creatures have base damage boosts.

6.) I don't think the math of the game is flawed. I think you're looking at it in a way that you're accustom to and not how the game truly works. The game does not add 25% and 35% to equal 60% and give it to the spell. The game adds the percentages after each other over the subsequent boost.

If I have a a spell that deals 100 damage, and I have 3 blades for +25%, +35%, and +45%. I cast the 100 damage spell. The +25% will add to the 100 for 125. Then, the +35% will go off at add 35% of the 125 (not the 100!) for a total of 168.75 (which the game automatically rounds to 169). Then, the +45% will add 45% of the 168.75 for a final value of 244.68 (245 by game standards). This is how the game calculates damage. I'm sorry you don't like how the math worlds, but this is how the game does it. You can take it or leave it.

From what I've seen, Absorb shields and shields are acting as intended. Say, I have a -80% Shield up and a 400 Damage Absorb Shield. 100 Damage is coming toward me. The -80% Shield will deflect that 100, bringing it to 20 Damage. 20 Damage is less than the 400 Absorb shield, so the Absorb will take it. I believe, there is a case where if an Absorb Shield comes out before or after a Shield will effect it's function. This is the same case with Prisms, Traps, and Shields. I don't think what you've stated about the Absorbs and Shields is a bad thing. Even if the Absorb takes the damage over the Shield, under your control, once the Absorbs is broken, you still have Shields for other incoming spells.

I've planned this game for close to 5 years now, and I like it as is. At one point, there was a wide spread belief that Crowns gear was the very best gear (to some extant it still is). However, you, in no way, need to spend Crowns for the best gear. Crowns gear will be the most powerful (after Tartarus gear) because it short-cuts game play and is payed with real money, but the best gear still lies in Crafted or Dropped gear throughout the game and everyone has access to that. The Story, in my opinion, is excellent, but I'll agree with repetitiveness (but what can you do?)

I, personally, prefer Crowns over Subscription. Crowns allows me to buy and keep my areas and can be used between Wizard101 and, KI's other game, Pirate101. As long as you've purchased Crowns within 30-Days, you can post on the message boards and use the Test Realm. However, there are little perks to being a Crowns player. Subscription allows you to go to all areas of the game for 1, 2, or 6 months or a whole year, get Ranked PvP free, a discount on Tourneys, immediate access to the Test Realm and bigger backpacks and friend's lists. However, Sub. is limited to only 1 game and if you wish to buy something for Crowns, you must spend more money for them.

If you don't like the game, then by all means, find another than suits you more. I've enjoyed my time in Wizard101 and would recommed it to anyone.

Archon
Feb 07, 2011
3175
ghowriter on Feb 8, 2014 wrote:
1. Why are all the wands for fire school? Why not any of the other schools as well?

2. Why are these sold for crowns only? I pay good money to play this game, why should I have to also buy crowns to get content that ought to come with my payment.

I was considering a year subscription but bought a 1 month to see if it would be worth it. From what I can see, it isn't.

First, the subscription only gets basic gear so there is absolutely no chance for a basic subscriber to achieve any decent level in ranked PVP since the best gear is reserved for those people who buy crowns for cash.

Second, some areas of the game are unplayable/unwinnable by one self. A perfect example is the Sunken City with the three enemies in the towers. If you can get your character by the first, the second group will definitely beat you. The game should not be so difficult as to require a group to complete.

Third, many times I have seen the game "cheat" by witnessing enemies casting spells they did not have the required pips for and doing more damage than the spell allows. A perfect example, in the Krok ice dungeon, one prince had 4 pips and cast the Cyclops spell which is a 3 pip spell and on the very next turn case the fire school bird which is also a 3 pip spell. Also, without any enhancers each spell did over 350 damage which exceeds the amounts stated on the cards.

Fourth and last, the math used by the game to figure damage is flawed. If I cast a spell that does exactly 100 damage and have no bonus to damage and the enemy has no resist, then it does 100 damage. Now add the +25% blades card and the damage goes up to 125. Add a trap card adding another 35% and the spell should cause 160 damage because 25 and 35 add up to 60. The game, however, adds or subtracts the bonus when the tick vanishes. Thus, after casting the spell it adds 25% to 100 for 125 and then adds 35% of the 125 for about 44 damage making the total 169. Maybe the makers designed it this way intentionally, but it is flawed. Done correctly, the percentages should be resolved first, then added or subtracted from the spell. Also, when people have shield cards in play and then enact a shield absorbing damage, the game ignores the shield cards and applies full damage to the shield. This, too, is flawed. The shielded amount should be reduced shield absorb whatever's left. That is the point of using those shield cards, after all.

All in all, I see a potential in this game. I like the play (despite the fact that we're taking on the role of a child who, if they hail from the US, probably cannot read, yet are able to learn and cast spells to fight). Story is okay though a bit repetitive. Fix the loot so ALL paying players have equal chance to the best stuff. Otherwise there is no reason to subscribe, just buy crowns for everything including areas.
Hi there, and welcome to the game! Here are the answers to your questions, in order:

1) each holiday is a different school; all of the Easter wands are balance, Christmas is ice, St. Patrick's day is life, and so on.

2) yes, those who don't spend cash on pvp have very little chance of ever ranking up. it makes low-level pvp quite unbalanced, but the in-game gear trumps it at the higher levels. I have had a sub for 3 years, and i pvp very rarely, if ever.

The best gear available is the level 56 crafted set and the elite boss drops at levels 60 and 90. These are available to anyone with a sub or who buys the area with crowns.

3) yes, some areas of the game are designed for team play. This is an mmorpg~ massive multiplayer online roleplaying game. if you are like me (read: in a time-zone that leaves you with entire servers to yourself 90 percent of the time), there are always people on these boards who are willing to help.

I have met most of my in-game friends on these forums; we connected on a sister site called wizard101central.com. It's free to make an account, and the posts appear in real time (you don't have to wait 12+ hours for mod approval), plus there's an entire forum dedicated to quest help and meetups for difficult instances.

4) while KI math is flawed in some aspects (ie: 100% is not actually 100%), the damage calculation is not among them.

For example, a scarab (rank 1 balance spell) does between 85 and 105 damage: it could hit 85, it could be 105, it could be somewhere in between. All bosses have 80% resist to their own element as well, so .the proverbial fighting fire with fire will not work.

As for the damage "exceeding" what's on the cards, a few things to consider: was there a trap on you, or an aura in play?

If you're referring to pvp, there are even more factors to consider: player resist, damage or other stat boosts from gear or pets... the list goes on.

-

As an adult player, I enjoyed the first-arc storyline. Since you are new, you just haven't made it to the good parts yet. It does pick up down the line, so be patient... good things come to those who wait. :)

-von
20something wizard

Explorer
Jan 03, 2014
61
Thanks for the replies but my post stands. I see what I see and no can tell me different. I see the game boss casting two rank three spells back to back when it had but 4 pips and no power pips were involved. That's cheating, plain and simple. It was in the fire theater fighting the boss.

The math is still flawed and may "benefit" the wizard, it also costs him dearly when a level 4 spell is suddenly taking 1000 health because of the math and the way the percentages are calculated. And the absorb shield is random, sometimes a shield will be applied before the absorb, most times not.

But here's the funniest happenstance, I have a level 30+ balance wizard and use the mander minion. It's a good helper mostly but never uses the healing hands spell which could be helpful. One spell it does use is called Donate Power and it usually chooses one of the other players to give the pips to. It did on two occasions decide to donate power to itself. In short it used 3 pips to cast donate power to give itself 2 pips. This has to be a bug but it is funny.

I still doubt any bosses will drop any loot that is better than what is in the crown shop, but after actually reviewing what is available in the crown shop, only a few items are better that what I found in the bazaar and most are for level 60+. Where the items in the crown shop come from, who knows.

Anyhow, my original complaint was that the items sold by Valentina should be crowns or gold and not just crowns. I can use crowns for buy gold, so it's a simply matter of figuring an equitable balance so I have something to spend the 30K gold I have. So far, other than treasure cards, there is nothing worth spending the gold on in the game.