That just looks simple. The outcome might not be simple at all. Does this loop? Like, reroll if 4+ match and repeat until no 4+ match? What if it creates another 4+ match somewhere else on the board after an action? Or that only considers only those 4 tiles that drop in 4+ -recognizable pattern? Also, this is very specific and traces only certain conditions. The number of conditions to be traced is quite high. So, IMHO, not really practical from the point of curbing “luck”, it is just a one tiny aspect of “luck”. Is it even needed? Was the game tested without it?
Oh, wait, conspiracy theory anticipated. What if that has been done deliberately so that Salty can spread it around here to appease the player base while it does not have any real impact on the game? No, that is probably just nonsense although some people can pick it up. Sorry, that was a bad joke.
Well, yes, it loops, that’s why I put it in a while () loop. And if it creates a 4-match elsewhere, it loops. And yes, it only traces certain conditions. Like I said, Salty hasn’t mentioned if this is what is covered by “lucky events” or not, so all of this is speculation (and with regard to the OP’s question, irrelevant, as the cheating is allegedly only in the player’s favor anyway). Whether or not the game was tested, and adequately, is another question, the answer to which will depend on your level of cynicism.
With all due respect, we don’t know if “cheating” is in the player’s favor anyway as we don’t know what specifically is considered “lucky” event and what is considered “lucky” outcome or any “luck” is only based on event and not on an outcome. An unlucky event can lead to lucky outcome and vice versa. Like, 4-match gives only 4 mana but 3-match can give 6. As I said, it is not that simple and coding all these things does not look trivial at all.
Thanks for finding that. Since it is in the console section, it is easy to miss for PC players. It is both outcome and event-based.
It is also evident that the list is very limited and largely inconsequential for the general flow of the match. Well, apart from giving a foolhardy freeze or burn but that is normally unavoidable anyhow in most cases. So, to be fair, the “luck” that is manipulated does not appear to be altered to substantially influence the battle unless there is something else missing.
Other random event like devour, resurrection, blobs and multiple matches during spawning, etc have much more profound impact and are not in the list.
IMHO, these sections of the code can be completely removed and this won’t affect anything to any substantial degree. So, the result is just that developers can claim exactly what is claimed.
That’s interesting. There are numerous complaints on the forums of being “looped to death,” which would be at least somewhat mitigated by the bad-luck protection. To be sure, mechanics like Devour and the like are quite game-impacting, but I disagree that reducing the AI’s chance to loop (and thereby obtain the mana to Devour in the first place) are insubstantial.
That being said, I think the AI limiter isn’t enabled until the AI has had a chance to pull way ahead, by which time it is too late.
I think the OP’s wish has been granted, insofar as it was never an issue to begin with. At this point the rallying cry becomes, “Please tilt the odds more in my favor - even odds aren’t enough!”
This is exactly the case in current meta, so by the time “luck tweaking” triggers, it is inconsequential.
IMO, it is not that bad. Current unity pRNG is very streaky. The streaks are also very noticeable due to lack of rounding. This creates well justified perceptive impression that is not outcome-based. Players don’t complain about losing but do complain about losing in a specific manner through exceptionally low (less than 1%) probability events coming one after another. Introduction of various excessive looping mechanics does not help and blob glitches are also contributing to it. This, in turn, reduces variety. Which makes streaks even more noticeable. So, no, I don’t think it is possible to stop people complaining about it or leaving the game due to it as this is natural perceptive behavior, that is how human brain works in the majority.
The issue is how to move away from this and if developers want to do it.
The issue is not hard to resolve. First you would have to monitor the extent of the RNG bias, tracking colors dropped, dropped in 3, 4 and 5 matches and how often “random” color placements create 4 and 5 matches. These seem to be the most egregious issues when players see the game suddenly loop through extra turns and magic drops to win for no other apparent reason. Granted I have seen that in my favor on rare occasion. I didn’t feel like I won those matches, the game just went berserk.
If these stats were viewable by players then that would quell the issue of the game cheating for the most part. Right now we are forced to simply believe “Luck is never created for the AI”. With all the code we know is there to affect color drops (and probably placement) and the very long string of bugs - many of which are still not resolved - it is not an unfair statement to suggest there is bias in the game.
Once you know the issue with the RNG bias, you can deal with that through better math.
I think they should remove luck factor for players, too.
Last week, at least 20 of my wins were 1 troop left, but I got a lucky cascade that killed 3 enemy troops in a row.
The only way to play the game is “each player gets to make one 3-match per turn”, and to be honorable you can’t use any effects that have a random chance. Fox, no items, Final Destination.
id like the “skydrop” chances - and the “gem spawn loop” chances, on both sides, to be reduced greatly
right now its riddiculous, and often a nonsense
its like the “loop breaker” which supposedly “disallows” gem spawns to loop itself after a while - was programmed to first “ensure” the looping
and so also the skydrops happen as if they are “ensured”
after the first one or two extra turns the effect diminishes/stops, but its too late by that time.
the extra turn - gained with riddiculous low chance to happen - became a common reality
IMHO, something is definitely off, not sure what specifically, it just that “normal” PvP flow is somehow feels different. It is quite hard to pinpoint exactly what is going on though.
In my household, we are 3 players, and we call this « the switch »
The game is fine , and then, suddenly, the switch is flipped. Gorgotha will spawn a demon, TDS keeps looping and resurrecting, Kraken devours 100%, Famine fills from zero to 22 with the extra-turn to cast, and on your turn there is only 1 move that will give 4 skulls to the opponent.
And you just know it. You can’t find your colors, and then the AI’s starts, and you go « game over, the switch is flipped! »
Every since the update, the rng has been pretty bad, especially with exploders and cascading bringing an empty team to full in one move with famine wiping away your mana or a generator like kraken continuing onwards. Most troops used frequently nowadays have some control in their spell and/or traits that even with a synergized team, you could lose in an instant still and this update feels a bit regressive in that the rng is awful. The ai is fine and seems to still do quite well without sliders but when an indernus cast insta-fills himself and a famine with an extra turn, that brings ya down as you feel cheated, not outplayed, especially when you were ready to cast the winning blow.
I did a few PvP matches and still something fells wrong apart from usual “the switch”. I also lost to some guardian team without them casting any spells, purely on sudden skull drops. I was playing quite carefully and had Famine and Alchemist at the bottom, so no way I’m being confused. And I myself did not have any particularly lucky drops, certainly no skulls from nowhere. IDK, maybe mysterious “luck” breaker is not working as intended. There were no multiple Humility triggers, there was no Courage, nothing otherwise suspicious. Honor on top had pretty high stats but I did not notice it had gained anything substantial. Still killing full team just with sudden skull drops feels wrong although it have happened before maybe a few times.
Theoretically speaking, at some point, it should have interrupted. No? Never mind.
