5551
Goko Dominion Online / Re: I'm kinda liking zaps.
« on: September 23, 2012, 12:09:35 pm »I made this topic just after completing a match where, by using my zaps just right and crafting finely tuned engine, I was able to just squeak past a big money strategy. This was satisfying. I had hopes that adventure mode would continue to be rich with carefully balanced matches where a clever pairing of zaps and strategies would be need to progress, almost like a sequence of puzzles.Right, if the number of free zaps is enough to beat the level, then it's a puzzle, how do you best use your zaps. Sometimes an easy puzzle but still. And when you beat the level, you beat the level at its defined difficulty level. It's satisfying, even for levels with no special difficulty, where it's just a regular game of Dominion.
But when the bot has six silvers to start and you have two zaps, you have to use non-free-zaps to compete. The non-free-zaps are of course free - you buy them with dominion coins that you get for playing at all. But still you lose that feeling of beating the level as given. Now you are setting the difficulty by how many zaps you spend. You can try to spend the minimum number (using a non-free zap permanently increases that level's zaps, so you can inch up), but then you will have games where it seems like shuffle luck will let you beat it with your current number of zaps, if only you endlessly play and lose.
I have written many long emails to them about this. Having the zaps stick around was an improvement, but it's still not entertaining enough to want to play through the act 2's. Act 1 is fun most of the way. Well I haven't played through them all as they stand today, and some crashing levels need to be fixed before I can, so maybe they aren't, but Dark Ages Act 1 is fun most of the way.
But I quickly discovered that this was not the case. The last match of Act 1, for example. How can you overcome CSSSSSSDDP with CCCCCCEEEE and two zaps? I'm sure there are boards where this is possible, particularly if the bot is using poor enough strategy. But on this one, with this bot's script? Has anyone done this?I wouldn't think so! Originally act one ended with the computer having 7 copper 3 province. Kirian beat that with no zaps. I beat all but two levels with no zaps, and only needed the free zaps on two levels - I think I used three on the last level, but it gave you five. Now it gives you two and the computer has all that Silver.
I'm not aware of the bots having special level-based scripts - I think the bot is specified (conqueror etc.) and that's that. So the early levels of act 1 give you serf, and maybe a few have the attack-loving bot, but you know, it's the regular bots.
By the way, is there anyone to unlock the promo cards without playing adventure mode?I have been told that there will be another way to get the VP tokens, specifically involving tournaments.