Hello Everyone!
I have been going through the Centraforge feedback threads and mulling over what could be done to improve the Centraforge. I wanted to present the information with the community and hear feedback.
Before we get started:
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I am not looking to remake Centraforging completely. My goal is to help with player experience, balance and data collection. I think suggestions about removing items or complete changes might be a bit premature.
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Stick to dev’s vision of the Centraforge. That means that there will be an element of RNG. If you think the Centraforge should not have RNG, I would support you instead positioning your feedback to improving and increasing the Augment system. From posts by the Dev’s it seems the Centraforge is designed to have RNG to improve tools/weapons and the Augment system is the Non-RNG answer to improving Tools/Weapons. I think increasing the number of Augments would be very healthy for the game and am in full support!
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I also wanted to address the learning curve and cost of items needed to learn to use the Centraforge.
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Below I ignore any exploits that max out Stability/Vigour. Those are not the base design and have evolved out of a need since the system isn’t favorable. This would be like the Vigor process before, or the Gum trick now for Stability/Vigour.
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I wanted to remove the incentive to just keep cleaning your item and starting over. That just isn’t fun.
Ways to Improve the Centraforge:
Reduce RNG and Increase Player Agency
I have made this point on a few threads, but I think it is key. Right now the experience of the Centraforge has limited Player Agency and as a result the RNG is held up as the primary issue. I think both can be addressed.
1) Allow players to Select the Buffs they Want when they put an item in the Forge without increasing the odds of getting that buff.
WOAH! I know that sounds crazy, but hear me out. Right now in the game there aren’t easy ways to see what buffs are available in the Forge. We use Google Sheets or notes to access that information. Buff selection would allow a player to put a tool in and see the buffs, their grouping (Effect, special, ect) and choose what buffs they want for that tool.
Selecting a Buffs would also show you ‘odds’ of getting that buff numerically, but doesn’t directly increase the chance of you getting it.
This has HUGE impact to both the experience of the Forge and also the Data that it collects.
Imagine it like a window to the left of the Centraforge. You put your Hammer in, and bam it populates with what buffs it could get. You see them organized by grouping (Effect, special ect) and can select a buff from the list and put it into 1 of 3 spots for that item.
Then you start forging. You would see the odds of getting those buffs, the likely hood of it happening.
Right now, the current Forge, you can’t see that data. The Dev’s have no idea based on the number of forges what % of them succeed. How many AOE + Damage + Durability Hammers are trying to be made and fail? What do they cost to be made?
What buffs do people only keep when they get stuck with them, but don’t want initially?
All that data would be available! It would help balance the forge immeasurably because the team could see failure rates of forges…and that would allow them to break apart groupings and organize % to better balance the forge.
As players, our experience is also improved, because we can see what chances we have of getting a buff listed numerically. This would allow us to make calculated decisions with our expensive ingredients and have better insight into the process.
2) Remove Gum RNG
There is a lot of RNG elements in the Centraforge and I think that Gum RNG can just be removed. With the above suggestion, allow Gums to move % points from the non-selected groupings into the selected groupings by a flat amount.
This would drive down the RNG, allow the points you use for GUMS to increase your odds.
If we imagine it like a buff window on the left (with the above example) we would have the 3 buffs listed on the left and their groupings and a fourth spot for "other buff’ which would represent the chances of getting something else. As you used Gums it would reduce the “other buff” section and move it to the grouping for that Gum.
Even with high Gum use, this doesn’t give the item you want 100% or remove RNG. Gums only give you the Group…you still have to fight for the buff you want from it…and gums only improve 1 family…so % you are still fighting between several buffs for good items.
3) Allow Transmutes to be Used on Any Buff - not just the last one gained
This is just a small change that would really improve Transmutes. Right now, as a high end forger I use Pastes as a part of the process for getting the item I want.
Transmutes hurt way more then they should for their cost. I loose a round of possible buff acquisition AND the cost AND a round on my paste just to try and get what I want. It is often cheaper and easier to just clean the item and start again. By allowing Transmutes to change a targeted buff I can use them at the end with limited cost.
Considering Transmutes large cost to create, I think this is fair. Buff Removal would remain the same.
4) Change the Centraforge Skill
My last suggestion is based on the above suggestions and would change the Centraforge skill. Remove the ‘deck improvement’ part of it. I think that it doesn’t really help. I get the idea that a smaller deck is for early players…but let us all have the same playing board to learn the game on.
I didn’t learn chess or backgammon on a smaller board, and the number of deck slots you have change the tactics you can use.
Once that is removed from the skill, add a small % to the skill to improve the chances of getting the buff you want. This would be contingent on the first item above.
Example:
I choose “Damage” buff for my hammer. The group pulls over, but the % of receiving the Damage buff is higher then the rest of the group slightly because of this skill.
So for the effect group: Critical chance is 5%, Critical Damage is 5% and (Selected) Damage is 10% (just for ease of numbers and this example).
This would help forgers get their buffs more often without making it 100%
Thanks to anyone that read that all the way through! Happy to hear thoughts.