Attendees: Benjamin Lee, Game Director, Nathan Licens Smith Production Director
Blizzard Entertainment (hereinafter referred to as Blizzard) revealed its new lineup and the future direction of existing games through the’BlizzConline’ event on February 20th. In the case of Blizzard’s popular card game Hearthstone, the new expansion pack’The Barrens’, the’Core Set’ that replaces the basic and original cards, the’Classic’ mode consisting of the early Hearthstone cards, and the Roguelike RPG-style mode’Mercenaries’ are available. It showed off and drew the attention of fans. In this regard, Blizzard invited Game Director Benjamin Lee (Ben), who is in charge of Hearthstone development, and Production Director Nathan Licens Smith (hereinafter, 4), to conduct a media interview to discuss the content in detail.
Below is a Q/A professional
Q. Please explain in detail how the battle of the newly revealed’Mercenary Corps’ proceeds. Is it the same as the existing game method? Or is the battle going on in a completely different way like the’battlefield’?
Ben. Neither. It is also different from the arena of the traditional Hearthstone method, or the battlefield of a slightly unusual method. In the case of’mercenary troops’, they will be deployed in a completely new and unique way.
Q. I know that the spell card has an attribute this time. I wonder if it is possible to construct a deck with only the corresponding attribute concept as the main one.
Ben. At first, the number of cards is small, so it seems that it is not possible to construct a deck with only those cards. However, as the game continues, the spell attribute cards will increase, so I think it will be possible.
Q. I am curious if Hearthstone’s’Core Set’ cards are being reviewed for the same active balance patch and transition to wild mode.
Ben. First of all, the’Core Set’ cards are generally stronger in value or power than those in the wild. It is difficult to say at this time whether the’Core Set’ card will turn into the wild, but if there is feedback from fans, of course, we will pay attention to balance adjustment.
Q. I am curious about the reason for adding the’classic’ mode.
Ben. There are over 100 million users worldwide playing Hearthstone. Therefore, I think that there are a lot of users who have not experienced the early games represented by the’classic’ mode. I thought it was very valuable to let such users experience the classic mode, so I added it.
Q.’Mercenary Corps’ basically follows the rogue-like method. It is a structure that goes up to the top floor and defeats certain enemies. How does the play progress in PvP mode?
Ben. When it comes time to release the’Mercenary Corps’, it seems that specific information will be released. It is currently difficult to provide specific information. However, compared to the other modes, the randomness will be greatly reduced. The user’s judgment will be very important to the game, and it can be considered that the element of the mind game is large.
Q. I think the’Mercenary Corps’, which will be added soon, is a mode that satisfies both PvE and PvP. It seems that e-sports can also be promoted. However, it seems that the’Mercenary Corps’ proceeds PvP based on the mercenaries they have nurtured, and in this case, there seems to be a difficulty when proceeding with e-sports. What do you think about this.
Yes. In the case of e-sports shoes, we are not in the lead. Basically, I think it is possible only when there is a demand from the community. We believe that providing an exciting gameplay experience comes first. If there is a growing demand for e-sports in the community, it may be considered later.
Q. This time, a major upgrade patch for the shaman job card has been made, and I would like to know if there are other job groups that are currently considering the patch other than Priest and Shaman.
Ben. Of course, besides that, there will be many parts in the core set where there is a major upgrade. In addition, many changes will be made in the wild. However, it is difficult to say everything here. I will be able to explain this in detail about next week.
Q. Personally, I like the Explorers League and the Journey to Un’Goro expansion pack. Do you have any plans to mod a specific expansion pack besides the’classic’ mod?
Ben. First, in this expansion pack, Un’Goro enters duel mode. It is a difficult requirement in reality to reproduce a specific expansion pack beyond bringing some cards of a specific expansion pack in a regular match. However, it is an interesting suggestion, and if the response of classic mode users is good, we will consider it later.
Q. A core set has been released that replaces the existing basic and original cards. That’s a pretty big change. I am curious about the purpose or background of the decision to make this change.
Yes. Among the basic and original cards, there were cards that were used quite a long time, and it is true that there are quite a lot of differences between the cards when looking at the power level. Therefore, I felt the need to reset the card. I thought that users could feel a clear improvement, and considered synergy with the expansion pack coming out next year as well as this expansion pack’Barren Land’. Most of all, the core set is provided for free, so you can always participate and users who quit the game can always come back.
Q. Isn’t it actually a nerf that you’ve upgraded the shaman card, but subtracted the Nemesis Totem from your hero ability? I am curious about the reason for this patch.
Ben. Personally, I think it is a buff, not a nerf. We reduced randomness and considered synergies a lot. Of course, I don’t know how it will be played in real life, but I think there are many aspects that can be supplemented because there are new cards.
Q. Among the new core set cards that appear this time, there is a card called’I will thrive in the dark’, but it seems to have the same effect as the existing Priest card, The Dark Vision. You want to know if the old card has been replaced, or if you can put all four cards in the deck in the wild.
Ben. We haven’t yet had all of the dark-related cards in the core set, so wait a week or so and we’ll be able to reveal related information.
Q. I think users’ pies are split every time a new mod is added. Currently, Tavern Brawl has been changed to a mode for card packs once a week, and modes such as duel are much marginalized even though they are new modes. Are there any additional care options for these modes?
Ben. We are aware of the potential for this to happen. However, it was determined that it was not a big problem in the current situation. In the case of duel, it is true that the number of users is smaller than that of the battlefield, but 1.5 million matches were played yesterday, and it is believed that there is no problem with matching.
Q. I use adventure mode rather than battle, but as Hearthstone’s patch progresses, the difficulty of the existing adventure mode tends to become too difficult or too easy. Can the patch not affect the existing adventure mode?
Ben. In the past, there were many users who felt too difficult in difficulty due to randomness. Therefore, we are thinking of introducing new technologies to increase the player’s control in the text play mode.
Q. The composition of the free core set is of great concern. While it is possible to pursue a specific theme for each profession, it seems that a general purpose composition is needed. What criteria did you design the core set for each profession?
Yes. First of all, the team looked at what was interesting and interesting for each job, and considered the characteristics of each job. I would like to reiterate that the core set is more powerful than the basic or original. A typical example is a card that gives you coins in case you face an enemy minion in this expansion pack. I think such a card can be a very interesting element.
Q. Lastly, please give a word to Korean users who enjoy Hearthstone.
Yes. I would like to thank Hearthstone fans for playing regular matches as well as the battlefield. We have prepared a variety of new contents this time, and I think you will love it very much.
We also thank you for continuing to play Hearthstone, and we always want to actively listen to your opinions. We ask for your continued feedback on upcoming content.
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