I have used the arena for a while, but it has just been a disappointment.
The only thing you play for are arena tickets for eq and house items that ( as far as I know) are not available anywhere else. The eq is fine but not extraordinary. The house items are..well..cute. No special decks, no wands that have a base damage of 100+ but there is one cool looking pet.
I understand the matchup software tries to not let you wait too long but.. When I am matched up to someone 5 or more levels higher with 500+ more lifepoints (some have been almost double my points), and more powerful spells at their disposal not to mention a bigger deck and the ability to buy higher level treasure cards, well I might as well flee and take the loss.
Not to mention the fact that in the very rare instance I manage to eek out a win over a more powerful opponent I still recieve the same rank points and tickets I would if I beat an equal. When I'm over powered and lose to the higher level even if it takes them 15 minutes to beat me I still get what (3) yes count them (3) measley tickets and of course lose the same number of ranking points...well actually more if thier pvp rank is lower than mine-bogus baby.
A level 10 veteran will get kicked by a level 23 private 9.857 out of ten times. Shoot a level 16 private should beat him 90% of the time.
Let the people wait for a good match. It's not like they don't have anything else to do..grind for badges, questing, helping others, farming, working on thier house, read the forums, post to forums, well you get what I mean.
So no more pvp for me until it gets a little more equalized.
Simple fixes 1: If the weakest player is level 10 the both players are only allowed to use level 10 or less spells and treasures. 2: equalize the hitpoints between them. Either both have the lowest level players amount, or the highest players amount, or add them together and average it out. 3: if one player has a 20 card deck and the other a 25 or 30 card deck then they both get to use 20 cards only.
4: if it stays the same as it is now, then if you beat a higher level of player regardlss of thier rank you should recieve a base amount of rank points and a base amount of tickets with a bonus amount equal to the number of levels your opponent is above you.
5: with 4: if the higher level player beats the lower level player then the amount of level difference should be subtracted from the rank and ticket amount the higher level recieves. The lower level would recieve a bonus to what they would lose in rank and a bonus to the 3 tickets they recieve for stepping into a fight with a higher level.
6: You should be able to use the signup board to scope your opponent before you have to accept. Right now it just shows thier magic school..no level no hitpoint total. If they aren't standing there with you , you won't know that info. If you are wandering around, you have to close that arena window to see and when the announcement window pops up it only says 'you have a match in (x) time do you accept?' And shows your team which is only you in 1v1.
7: Have an 'arena only' deck with say 30 slots and sidebar of 8 or 10 that all levels must use. Level restrict by spells, ex: lvl 10 to 14 if lvl 15 gets a new spell. Then lvl 15 to 19 if lvl 20 gets a new spell. Outlaw minions, to make it truely player versus player. Only allow store bought treasures based on player level. ex: a level 10 player shouldn't be able to use a level 18 treasure. Equalize the hitpoints. They don't have to be exactly equal but when one guy has 800 more than the other it's gets ridiculous.
And you knuckleheads that think beating a low level in the arena is cool..truthfully there is zero honour in it So when you do win, be a good sport and send congrats, don't gloat. It makes you look like... well... a knucklehead.
I have tried pvp in the last couple of weeks. I am waiting for the new content in the regular game. I have also been reading the boards while I wait. I must confess, I don't get why the game allows a grandmaster to oppose low level tunes. It isn't fair. It isn't fun. I don't keep low level spells in my deck. I was playing in 2 vs 2 with a friend the other day. Both of us have downed the Death Teacher. We got a level 10 and a level 12. We did not know what to do. We talked about what to do until I realized they were hitting us with spells. So I killed them. We did not want to kill them but we did not want to lose points. And they were right to hit us, it was a duel. In their shoes, I would have let the big guys talk until they were dead.
I don't think suggestions two and three, in your post, will work. Gear is the reward for doing quests and farming gold. It would make no sense to do quests or farm gold if your gear is reduced every time you meet someone who doesn't have comparable gear in battle. Better gear is suppose to give you an edge or just plain destroy the other guy.
And it isn't just high level players that gloat over beating a less experienced player. I am a Private in PvP. And I do not have any PvP gear so, it is obvious that I am new to this but the comments I have gotten when I lose are really rude and obnoxious. Worse, they flee in the middle of fight because they are losing. That's just tacky. There is no excuse for bad manners.
WHAT!!! I would never pvp if you made those rules real we higher lvl. worked to get here! Now all that work for nothing hope you get my message. No offense to this who disagree with me.
I disagree Xenobias. PvP is meant to get harder the higher rank you get. If you got a high rank, you're either going to be paired with another high rank with the same level as you, a higher rank with a lower level, or a lower rank with a higher level. That's balanced. If it was as easy at private all the time, everyone would be able to get to warlord easily! If you want to rank up in PvP easier, then you're going to have to level up your character. Other people work hard to be a higher level, and you can cut down their work because your level isn't as high.
Also about your simple fixes: #1 cannot happen because that would require the person to rearrange his deck before the fight #2 part of creating your deck is to compensate for your shortcomings. Some wizard have a short coming of health, like storm, so they pack in some shields and health spells. Other schools don't, like Ice, and therefore don't rely too heavily on health spells. To just drop their health unexpectedly would ruin their strategy completely. #3 what happens when the player with 25 or 30 cards uses his 20th card? Does he lose? How does he know he's almost done? What about reshuffle? #4 I agree with this, if you beat a higher level, or lose to a lower level, you should win or lose more rank than usual respectively. Tickets should remain constant whether you win or lose though. 10 for a win, 3 for a loss is good. #5 I don't quite know what you're trying to say here, but again, 10 for a win and 3 for a loss is good and shouldn't be touched. #6 I don't think you should be able to see your opponents stats at all before the duel. The whole point of the duel is to be prepared for anything anyone, that determines how good of a duelist you are. Flexibility is key to winning. #7 An arena only deck is a good idea, but it shouldn't be how you described. Maybe by 50 cards, 30 sideboard. 8 spells for your school, 5 for all other schools, and be available for all levels.
Just to let you know, it is possible to beat higher levels that have an advantage both armor, and health wise. I am a level 30, and, as a warlord, I almost always get paired with Grandmaster wizards. I only have about 1400 health total, and i fight people with over 2000, some as high as 3200-3400. I rarely use treasure cards, and the only one that I use is Steal Ward, which I make with my Ice wizard. I know some may say that using treasure cards is "cheating," but I think it is less cheating if you make it with your own work. I do think that Wild Bolt is a pretty cheap way to win in the arena, but for now, you're just going to have to find a technique to take them out before they actually hit you.
Sounds like you put a lot of thought in to your ideas, but my question is, what your going to do with the people ranking down? Let alone what is pushing a player to max out there character? The current system works fine, it sounds to me that you are taking a chance by entering the arena prior to your level 50 spell and you are wanting them to make the system more suitable for your needs. The only advice I can give you is to max out your character prior to entering the arena, start farming for all your level 50 gear.
All I know is people are so rude in PVP I don't even play anymore. I guess i'm just done. I beat the game helped some people with their quests, Tried PVP and Hated it. To much name calling, and rudness. I understand taunting. But some of the ad lib that comes out, is just plan hurtfull. I guess I'm done till they ad more worlds. If your a parent out there I wouldn't let a young kid go into a PVP. It's getting really bad in there.
Ki75Wolf2000, You said: "If your a parent out there I wouldn't let a young kid go into a PVP."
You are right, but not in the way you meant. I truly believe that the rudeness we 'hear' in the arena mainly comes from the younger players (boys the majority). Do your best to ignore and try to 'build them up', they may be lacking self-confidence (or guidance) in the real world and need a few positive comments. A lot can be said about a person by the way they text. Kill them with kindness really really works.
You can level out the playing field and guarentee to be equal in level by getting to level 50. I think the system does a great job of matching up people.
It's hard to design a pvp game to accomodate all levels and the game will most likely focus on level 50 as a baseline.
