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Hearthmind brings the 'Twitch Plays' phenomenon to Hearthstone
Ever since Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft launched on PC and Mac in March, we've been asking ourselves one question: How would this strategic card game behave if a democratic octopus were in control? That question is now partially answered thanks to Hearthmind, a website that blends Blizzard's CCG with the livestreamed, crowd-play-style of control popularized by Twitch Plays Pokemon. Hearthmind isn't quite controlled the same way Twitch Plays Pokemon is though, as players vote on actions in the game by dragging their mouse cursor over the playing field as opposed to entering commands in the stream's chat. An action is picked by the game every five seconds, so it retains a somewhat brisk pace compared to its Pokemon-based counterpart. As of this writing, the stream, powered by Hitbox as opposed to Twitch, is hovering around 100 participants. Hearthstone just launched on iOS for free this month after Blizzard detailed the game's single player campaign. An Android port of the game is still in the works. [Image: Blizzard Entertainment]
Hearthstone is not coming to consoles any time soon
Despite player interest, Blizzard has now officially said that a console version of the popular Hearthstone strategy card game is not in the works at the moment as the development team is focusing on the upcoming expansion and the game's Android version. "It's not something we're actually looking at right now," production director Jason Chayes told Eurogamer in a recent interview. "We feel like we have our hands full in the short term with getting onto Android as soon as we can, which is kind of one of the big priorities we're looking at right now." A spectator mode is also a possibility for a future patch after the game's wild popularity livestreaming on Twitch.tv. "Twitch has been great, all the streamer support has been awesome, and it's something that's really kind of surprised us a little bit," Chayes added. Hearthstone is currently available for the PC, Mac, and iPad with an Android version coming soon.
Kids webcomic Dreamland Chronicles gets trading card game for iPad
Indie developer Protobird Games launched its Kickstarter project for The Dreamland Chronicles, a trading card game for iPad, Kindle and Android tablets this week. The game is based on the long-running, kid-friendly fantasy webcomic of the same name, and has players collecting animated trading cards featuring characters from the series. Protobird is seeking $35,000 by May 2 to fund the game, which features card battles in which players summon allies, cast spells and use items, similar to other popular trading card games. The game is in development for iPad first, and the project's $40,000 stretch goal unlocks the game on Android tablets. The developer plans to offer character customization features as well as multi-screen support, so players can watch their card battles play out on TVs. The project is led by Protobird Games CEO Scott Hyman and President Parker Davis, each veteran developers with credits in games such as Tony Hawk's Motion on DS, Tomb Raider and Red Dead Redemption. Both are also parents, and cite a partnership with Privacy Vaults Online (PRIVO) along with a planned series of parental controls to harbor safe online play for younger players. The duo self-funded The Dreamland Chronicles' development since late 2012. According to the Kickstarter page's reward tiers, the developer plans to deliver the game to backers in June. [Image: Protobird Games]
The Daily Grind: Would you buy a spinoff game based on an MMO?
It's not really fair to call Hearthstone purely a spinoff of World of Warcraft, since World of Warcraft itself is a spinoff of the original RTS games, but it's close enough for consideration. Nor is it the only game to have an odd sort of related spinoff game; City of Heroes had some HeroClix figures, Star Wars Galaxies had a card game, Final Fantasy XI has had characters show up in a number of crossover video games and card games, and so forth. For some people, the whole point of playing an MMO is that you aren't playing a board game or a card game or whatever else the spinoff focuses upon. But there's also a certain appeal in playing with characters and locations you recognize from the online game you play extensively. So would you buy a spinoff game based off an MMO? Have you done so in the past? If so, what sort of game would you want to play? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
War of Omens CCG strives to cross Kickstarter finish line
War of Omens, a deck-building CCG by Fifth Column Games, is making an attempt to meet its Kickstarter funding goal by January 13th. The game is set in a dark fantasy world and has three factions to which you can pledge loyalty and undying devotion. The devs describe War of Omens a hybrid between deck-building games like Dominion and traditional collectible card games like Magic: The Gathering. Players will purchase cards during play that will then be shuffled into their inventory for future rotation. There are also resources to collect and use during the course of a match. Fifth Column is asking for $30,000 in funding to finish the title. As added incentive to donate, all those who chip in $10 or more will be given an early access beta key. You can get a look at how a battle works after the break. [Thanks to Mike for the tip!]
Lara Croft: Reflections card game launches on iOS for New Zealand, Australia
Square Enix recently launched a Tomb Raider-based card game on iOS. Dubbed Lara Croft: Reflections, the free-to-play game has players dueling one another in real-time card battles, combining weapon cards to upgrade and evolve them and protecting their artifacts from thieving opponents. Reflections also includes group battles in which players work to defeat special event bosses. Lara Croft: Reflections is currently only available in New Zealand and Australia. The game is compatible with iPhone 4 and iPad 2 devices or better and requires a network connection to play. It launched just a few days after the original Tomb Raider's iOS port.
iOS card game Dead Man's Draw sets sail for free-to-play waters
Critically acclaimed iOS card game Dead Man's Draw enters the realm of free-to-play this week, abandoning a US$1.99 entry fee in favor of the tried-and-true in-app purchase model. The game features strategic elements, but places a good deal of emphasis on simple rules that should maximize the number of casual iOS gamers that can enjoy it. Now that the game is free, existing users may feel a bit ripped off by their early purchase, but Stardock has a fix for that: Anyone who purchased the game prior to its F2P odyssey will be presented with "a generous sum of in-game currency." So if you're a seasoned Dead Man's Draw veteran, check your digital treasure chest for a surprise. [via Joystiq]
RuneScape players will choose cards in themed Top Trumps game
What's in the cards for RuneScape players? The chance to select which monsters and villains will appear in the newly announced themed Top Trumps card game, Monsters of RuneScape. Today Jagex announced a partnership with Winning Moves to produce the first card pack based on the game, a move that Neil McClarty, Global Marketing Manager for RuneScape noted would "expand the RuneScape brand and bring the game to new audiences." Starting today, registered players can participate in 15 daily votes on the official site to select their favorite monsters to include in the game. Do you think Kalphite King or Kalphite Queen should wear the crown as best monster? Who deserves a place in Monsters of RuneScape more, Vorago or Nex? Make your choices known, then watch for Monsters of RuneScape to launch before Christmas. The card game will be available for purchase in the game's online store. [Jagex press release]
Hacker reveals League of Legends collectible card game
Things got a bit weird in the League of Legends community last night when a hacker took over Riot Games president Marc Merrill's Twitter account. The intruder, working under the sinister alias, "Jason," used the opportunity to out League of Legends: Supremacy, a collectible card game built from the League of Legends universe. In a series of tweets from Merrill's account, the hacker posted images and files related to the project including card art and the main sign-in page for the game. According to "Jason," Supremacy was fully completed but never announced or revealed to the League community. Riot did trademark the Supremacy name last year, lending credence to the hacker's claims. Marc Merrill eventually recovered control of his account, noting, "We're always working on a variety of new ideas for League and beyond. Lots of experimentation that may never see the light of day." Make of that what you will. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip]
Strategic iOS game Dead Man's Draw getting physical card game version
Stardock Entertainment launched a Kickstarter project for its strategy card game Dead Man's Draw today. While the iOS game is already available for $2.59, the developer took to the crowdfunding platform in order to raise $16,500 by November 9 to produce a physical tabletop card game set, which it said is just enough to break even on the project. Dead Man's Draw is based on a mod for Civilization 4 called Fall from Heaven, which was created in 2007 by the head of Stardock Entertainment, Derek Paxton. Paxton added a strategic mini-game to the mod by the name of Somnium, which tasked players with the simple decision of drawing cards from a deck at the risk of losing their entire hand. Dead Man's Draw takes the Somnium mini-game further by adding special abilities and more depth to the risk-versus-reward card game concept. The game includes a number of pirate-themed cards like anchors, mermaids, chests and maps, each with a unique instruction. The project's $5 reward tier grants donors access to a high-resolution printable PDF file of the game's cards, whereas the Stardock-produced card set starts at the $20 tier and is estimated to ship in March 2014.
Blizzard ending World of Warcraft trading card game
Blizzard Entertainment has announced that the World of Warcraft trading card game's recently released Timewalkers: Reign of Fire expansion will be the final new set brought to the series. Timewalkers has the distinction of including every previously released rare loot card, but will mark the end of new production for the World of Warcraft TCG. Blizzard thanked its players in the announcement, noting: You made ripping open booster packs, discovering the wonders they held, and then building decks and taking them into battle a truly awesome experience. Fans of card games and Blizzard can take solace in the fact that Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, is currently cruising through closed beta and should launch later this year.
New Hearthstone warrior card revealed
Blizzard has been steadily tossing us tidbits of information on the upcoming Hearthstone game. Earlier this month they gave us a preview of the Void Terror warlock minion card and some instruction on when and how to use it effectively during a game. Yesterday they posted the warrior ability Commanding Shout, which makes your minions impossible to kill for the duration of your current turn. I'm sure there are approximately a bazillion different situations in which this could come in handy, but what makes it extra appealing for the warrior is how it can be paired with mechanics that depend upon a minion receiving damage in order to reach their full potential. Got a berserker minion who gets +3 to attack after being hurt? Toss him Commanding Shout and you don't have to worry about him dying that round. Got your opponent's minions on the brink of death, but not sure you'll survive the next attack? Pair Rampage's +3/+3 with Commanding Shout and watch the other player squirm with impotent rage as you annihilate all their best-laid plans. What could possibly be more satisfying? Check out WoW Insider's Hearthstone coverage for further information, and we all look forward to Hearthstone's release!
Hearthstone card preview: Void Terror
It looks like Blizzard has begun revealing Hearthstone cards prior to release, with the first being the Void Terror warlock minion. This big bad blue dude absorbs the minions on either side of him, adding their power and life to his own. Even temporary power or health bonuses, like the +4/+4 from Power Overwhelming, are made permanent inside the Void Terror's blue belly. Need to protect from an incoming AOE attack? Gobble your other little minions up and let your Void Terror take the attack instead. It's a super simple and super powerful effect, fitting for a warlock and especially for Gul'dan, currently the game's sole warlock hero. Check out all of our Hearthstone coverage thus far and stay tuned as the game gets closer to release.
Graeme Devine takes off with Rocket Patrol
Graeme Devine is a veteran game developer (he created The 7th Guest and then worked on Quake 3 and Halo Wars) who's turned his attention to iOS recently, putting together touch-based games meant for gamers of all ages. His latest title, which I got to see at GDC 2013 last week, is a board/card game called Rocket Patrol that runs on Apple's touchscreens. The game involves two players (you can play against the computer or asynchronously online), and has you running a rocket ship across the galaxy, trying to complete your journey before your opponent does. During each turn of the game, you get access to a hand of cards that you can play one from. Distance cards are how you win the game: Each player has a little chart of cards with various distances on them that you need to fill up, so you need to play eight cards of five light years, four of 15 and so on. As you play those cards, the chart fills up, and the first person to fill up their chart sends a rocket all the way across the screen and wins the game. Just racing would be a bit too simple, so Rocket Patrol also has red and green cards of various types. Red cards attack the other player (perhaps by sending them through a warp hole or causing some engine trouble), and then they need to play a green card to fix whatever problem you've given them. Certain green cards match up with certain red cards, so if there's a problem card on your ship, you need exactly the right green card to fix it. That's how the game goes back and forth, with the two players trying to play distance cards in between attacking each other and solving problems they've been attacked with. Devine says he got the idea for a game from an old 1906 automobile board game called Touring, but of course he's translated it to a journey across the stars. Rocket Patrol seems like some good clean fun -- and it's due out sometime this month. It'll be free to play, with some freemium elements in there for in-app purchase. Devine is also working on his very popular Full Deck Solitaire game -- he says the title "by and large is our number one platform," and that the game has reached a whopping 750,000 daily active users so far (with about four million downloads total). He's working on an Android version, thinking about bringing the game to Kindle Fire, and says players have asked for a PC version as well. Devine originally built that game just for his own family to play, so it's fascinating to hear that it's grown so big since its release a while ago.
SolForge preview gets an update, with new decks to play
SolForge is an interesting iOS card game that keeps getting even more intriguing. The game, which is being made by a company called StoneBlade Entertainment (formerly Gary Games, the gang behind the great Ascension), earned a nice chunk of change on Kickstarter a while ago, and then saw a free preview hit the App Store more recently. That free preview has now turned into what's essentially an open beta, however, as StoneBlade has added four starter decks of cards to the game. Those decks are available as an in-app purchase for US$4.99 each, but my guess is that they're really for the Kickstarter crowd. StoneBlade promised some free starter decks to supporters and I'm guessing these are those. But if you want to get in early on the game, they'll be more than happy to take your money. There are also some skins available for purchase, and there are even more features on the way, including the long-awaited deckbuilder and the ability to play in online tournaments. StoneBlade is really building this thing out piece by piece, and it's definitely becoming a more and more impressive venture. Even if you don't want to jump in on the starter decks, the core preview is still available for free.
Daily iPad App: Penny Arcade The Game: Gamers vs. Evil is simple but excellent deck-building action
Playdek is a developer that's caught my eye recently. They're the folks behind what I think are the best card games on the App Store, including the great Ascension (which Gary Games, now called StoneBlade Entertainment, actually designed but Playdek brought to iOS), as well as the excellent Nightfall and Summoner Wars. Their latest title is an adaptation of Cryptozoic's deck-building card game based on the Penny Arcade webcomic, and just like the other titles, it's a full-featured, well-made game that feels right at home on the iPad. The game is not the best deck-building game I've ever played. The process, if you've never seen it before, is that you spend some currency cards to buy other cards, which then add in to your deck and unlock various actions and extra currency for you every turn. It's essentially a board game, though you're moving cards around, and Playdek more or less just sticks to digital versions of the analog cards rather than adding a lot of extra digital fluff to the game. But this company is now so familiar with these types of games that the tutorial is great and all of the movement is very intuitive as you play. The added theme of Penny Arcade can be a little off-putting if you don't like the comic or its dark and often gross humor, but the core game itself is solid and fun. Just like all of Playdek's other games, there are multiple options for playing the game itself, and you can play with any number of AI players at various difficulties, or go online to play against other humans. I would like to see a few more cards in the mix, but just like the real-life card game, the proceedings are very expandable, and so you can expect to see some more packs added in the future, probably via in-app purchase. Even with just the included content (available for US$4.99 on the App Store), this is probably one of the most accessible games of this type out there. Try this to see what you think, and if you like it as much as I do, you can move on to a more complicated game like Nightfall, or the very impressive SolForge, set for a release later on this year.
A trio of trailers: Vectrex Regeneration, Baldur's Gate Enhanced and Poker Knight
Well, it happened -- Thanksgiving was last week, Cyber Monday is today and from here on out, we are neck deep in the holiday season. This time of year is particularly busy on the App Store, as various game developers try to get their best products out during the holiday rush, taking advantage of all of those game-hungry users with brand new iDevices. To that end, we've got not one, not two, but three great trailers for upcoming iOS games that we've been waiting for, all ready for you to watch below. Vectrex Regeneration is first -- this is not just a game, but a complete emulator for the old Vectrex video game console. The app includes more than a few old titles (available for in-app purchase, with likely a few freebies to get you interested), and will be out on the App Store later this week. Next up is a new trailer for that Enhanced Edition of Baldur's Gate that we've been expecting on iOS for a while now. As you can see in the video below, this game will be a very faithful (perhaps too faithful?) recreation of the old Baldur's Gate title, except of course that it'll be running on your iPad instead of a computer. Old-school fans will probably love this one, but we'll have to wait and see if it can grab a new audience later on this month. And finally, I haven't heard of Poker Knight until now, but it's piqued my interest big time with the trailer below. The idea looks like a poker game mixed with some fantasy RPG elements, and there's nothing I like better than a genre-crossing puzzle/RPG concoction like that. Poker Knight is due out some time this month as well, so we'll look for it soon. All three of these look great, and they're just a small sampling of what we're in for from the App Store this coming holiday season.
Daily iPhone App: Summoner Wars is a complicated mix of virtual board and card game
I took a trip down to Tampa Bay, Fla., for my sister's wedding last week, and before I headed for the airport, I loaded up my iPhone and iPad with a few new apps to check out on the way. Honestly, Fieldrunners 2 HD ended up taking most of my gaming time, but Summoner Wars was a very impressive choice as well. Summoner Wars is a complicated, intriguing game that combines tactical strategy, good old fashioned dice rolling and even some deckbuilding card game elements. You're fighting on a board pushing around cards as units. With each turn, you can either use your cards (as spells or actual heroes) in the battle, or save them as mana to summon more units on your next turn. There are plenty of deep strategical choices here that fans of complicated board games will find satisfying. Unfortunately, all of that complexity makes the game tricky to pick up. There is a tutorial, but even it only explains the mechanics of the game, and leaves you to figure out strategies completely on your own. But I appreciated that, especially on a long plane ride where I needed plenty of distraction from the crying baby behind me and the talkative gent across the aisle to my left. Summoner Wars is completely free-to-play, too, so if you want to check it out, you've got no excuses not to. If you like it, you can unlock everything in the game for US$7.99, or pick up individual card decks or card packs individually.
Magic 2013 brings (the Xbox version of) Magic to the iPad
The iPad is ideal for card games -- its size and wonderfully inviting touch screen makes it excellent for representing physical cards on a digital device. That's why, back when the iPad was first introduced, one of the most popular apps was a simple deck of cards, a virtual set of graphics that you could move and slide around the screen as needed. Traditional card games have always been well-represented on the iPad, and collectible card games really shine. As the iPad has matured, we've seen more and more virtual card games arrive, from Hothead's popular Kard Combat to enjoyable titles like Ascension and Shadow Era. For the longest time, however, Wizards of the Coast has declined to bring its monstrously popular collectible card game, Magic: The Gathering, to iOS. There have been popular versions of Magic on both PC (and even in the browser) and on game consoles, but up until this summer, there was no official way to play Magic on iOS. Fans had even released makeshift versions of the title on the App Store at times, all of them crushed by Wizards of the Coast's legal threats. Finally, about a month ago, we got what we'd been waiting for. Magic 2013 is an official version of Magic, the full game playable on the iPad's gorgeous screen, with all of the modern game rules and strategies (mostly) intact. But is this the version we've been waiting for, or is it yet another stopgap to let Wizards exploit the brand on iOS without actually pulling players away from its core physical card game? In short, this is the game you've been looking for if you're a Magic fan. It's as close as you'll get to playing real Magic almost anywhere, and it's plenty effective at imitating the real thing. The biggest drawback of Magic 2013 is that it's basically a port of the popular Duels of the Planeswalkers console series rather than an all-new iOS version, so all of the complaints about that series (that you can't truly build your own decks, and that most of the content is buried in a segmented campaign) are still mostly valid here. But otherwise, this is Magic, and all of the features that you'd hope to find in an official Magic game, including multiplayer online play, unlockable cards, Two-Headed Giant and custom game modes, and any other little extras, are all here for the taking. The base game is free and that is just a tester version. It offers just five levels, and doesn't include any of the larger features or card unlocks. A very reasonable US$9.99 unlocks everything else. While you can buy other cards or packs, the single $9.99 charge will get you most of the Magic you want: A full 30-match campaign, 10 decks to choose from and multiple opponents, including that online mode. There's no problem with content here at all. The digital game obviously isn't as flexible as the offline game (where you can put together your own strategies or play any number of custom rules), but given that Wizard definitely doesn't want to stop selling physical cards, all of the limits here are completely understandable. The biggest issue with Magic 2013 isn't in what it has, but in what it doesn't, and that's an iPad-specific interface. Again, the interface is lifted straight from the console version, which itself was originally designed to work with an Xbox 360 controller. As a result, Magic's digital cards just don't feel as real as they should. You do swipe cards up to play them, but tapping to attack simply moves them into position, and cards tap themselves rather than having you push them to the side. It's mostly an aesthetic argument, but still -- the iPad's screen is so well designed for tactile interaction that it's disappointing the developers didn't take more advantage of it. Wizards is probably leery of investing too much in a brand new version of the game, so hopefully later versions will have a more touchscreen-specific interface. The other issue with porting over from the console version is that games tend to run a little slow. The game moves through each phase with plenty of time for either opponent to jump in and cast spells or play cards, and all of that waiting seems less workable on the iPad's closeup screen. Again, this is the fault of the way the game was designed (and, to a lesser extent, the way Magic works in general), but I can't help but think that if the game was remade completely for the iPad, it would run just a little smoother than it currently does. Once you figure why everything moves as slowly as it does, however (and you'll have no problem doing that if you're an expert Magic player already), there's not a lot of other issues. The cards are clear, colorful and easy to read, and matches work just as they do in real life. The game's graphics are actually a little flashy for Magic, I thought, but they're also well-designed, and the music is pretty good as well. I don't know if this is the ideal version of Magic. Personally, I will probably tend towards playing the game on the Xbox, since that's where this version started and that's what I'm most used to. But we do finally have Magic: The Gathering on the iPad, and it runs as well as you'd want an official Magic app to run, with all of the boxes checked that you'd need. Hopefully, when the next version of the game comes around (Wizards has been releasing both new digital and physical versions on a somewhat annual basis), iOS will get a copy of the game that's been designed just for the excellent touchscreen it's rendered on.
Daily iPad App: Fairway Solitaire
Big Fish Games has been producing Mac and PC titles for a while, and we've chronicled a few of their iOS outings here on TUAW. The company has long tried to bring its own flavor of casual gaming to iOS with some success (mostly in hidden object games). Today, I can say this about Fairway Solitaire: It's the best Big Fish Games title I've ever played. The company knows how to build great content into its titles, and Fairway Solitaire is a fine example. There are many levels to play through, and the graphics and sounds are big, bright, and colorful. But the kicker here is gameplay. Most Big Fish games use one core mechanic (like finding hidden objects), but Fairway Solitaire somehow makes it endlessly satisfying to match cards in a pile. Part of the fun is the pairing of solitaire and golf. The idea is to clear the board, leaving as few cards as possible. Your score translates to golf holes, so you must determine how to best clear the board for the lowest score. The golf mechanic isn't perfect. For example, clearing many cards in a row builds a sand trap, which helps you hit a bonus shot. That's odd. There's also a cute gopher character that seems thrown in. I presume because someone at Big Fish believes every game needs a cute character. Or is a fan of Caddyshack. One of Fairway Solitaire's stranger features eventually grew on me. The game's running joke as it were features golf-style commentary. Two unseen characters make jokes when you don't play for a while, or start off a certain hole with a little bit of fun. At first, I found it distracting, but the characters have grown on me (more than the gopher ever did). In short, despite my issues with Big Fish's sensibilities, Fairway Solitaire is a great title, especially on the iPad's big bright screen. It's a free download with several courses to play through. Additional content is available via in-app purchase. I'm glad to see Big Fish come through with a quality hit and feel certain we'll see more big games from them in the future.
