The Weekly Card Design Competition imho is one of the great features that Hearthpwn can provide for us. Every week a different challenge for our creativity and the custom creations are awesome! Aren't they?
Then curiosity just hit me: "What make people give 'Upvote' for a submission?"
I'm sure that this information would be relevant and useful for all hearthpwners who are anxious to get his/her card to the finals.
So I made some rating pools who might get a general idea of what make us choose where ours upvotes will be.
But detailed opinions would be better for what I'm proposing, so help me, help us, help yourself! What your criteria? What take your atention? What you don't like? Why? Share with us! Let's build a better Weekly Card Design Competition!
About the pools: I made it rated pools because its personal opinions, so its subjective and somethings are more or less important in each evaluation (of custom cards). On a scale of 1 to 5 for least to more important criteria.
For now I picked some basic topics: (I gladly accept suggestions for more complex topics for the pools)
Balance: How much the card is correctly priced for it value matter?
Artwork: How much the visual beauty of the card matter?
Inovation: How much a different effect (card text) matter?
Synergy: How much the card interact with the existing ones matter?
Humor: How much the card is flavored and humorous matter?
Lore: How much the consistency with the Warcraft lore matter?
"As part of ongoing communication with the WoW developers, it has been agreed that Hearthstone is now the official source of WoW lore. We hope you look forward to seeing Ragnaros, Lightlord in Legion!"
About my opinion: I upvote/design cards that would be viable to introduce on the game. I don't care much for artwork and humor (sometimes dark/grim cards are awesome).
So Balance/Synergy/Lore > Innovation > Artwork > Flavor
Innovation > Balance > Flavour > Artwork UNLESS if it's VERY clear that the card is super unbalanced.
Cards that are willing to try something new mechanics-wise gets my vote. However, if the creator doesn't make an attempt to balance it/ it's clearly OP/UP, then sorry, but it just shows that you made no effort in balancing it compared to other worthy cards out there.
Your poll is completely messed up OP. Apart from that I believe you forgot an important factor: card utility. When I evaluate (or design) a card, I generally ask myself how it would fit into current archetypes/classes, what kind of interesting synergies I can see for this card, and whether it could make low tier decks better. If it has no synergies, I look at the stand-alone value of the card à laPiloted Shredder/Dr. Boom. Then comes other factors.
So for me it is : Utility > Balance = Innovation > Flavor/humor > Artwork = Consistency with WoW lore.
Also I generally ignore cards with too much text, too far-fetched effects, obvious grammar/formulation mistakes, or ugly-as-fuck arts. I don't think I'm the only one.
Well thanks, the poll got fixed by the mods, I was considering the Utility/Synergy part of the balance, but I'll split up for more detail. Also will add the Flavor/Humor criteria and Lore in the poll.
It's an interesting topic but obviously incomplete, there are more reasons out there, from flavor to "how much would a card like this benefit me", yes i'm aware that some people will prefer and upvote cards from their favorite/only class they play.
1) Personally i'm all for flavor and the transposition of WoW characters/abilities into cards using hearthstone mechanics (especially when making a legendary)
2) Secondly i'd call it creativity, using the existing tools to make something really interesting, by innovation i understand new effects but most i seen are needlessly complicated and kinda off from the hearthstone theme. I'd mix here what the posted above me calls utility, making a card that cleverly interacts with some unused cards is a big plus, although cards that try to reinforce existing archetypes, especially boring ones like freeze mage or fatigue warrior just feel wrong :)
3) As balance goes i'm guessing you can't really achieve perfection, especially with class cards, they just need to be in the ballpark, with some special attention that within a certain combo breaks the game or enables some crazy OTK.
4) Artwork and this is a bit funny cause when reading that "Guide to card creation" is described as the centerpiece but as long as you don't make a murloc card and put the picture of an ogre i guess it will do fine :)
1. Balance - You have to balance it, otherwise it can't be called a good design. If you didn't get close to being balanced, I won't vote for it. This is more of an issue for overpowered cards, but I also don't want to vote for something that is clearly too weak to see play.
2. Lore - It isn't that hard to make something generally fit the lore. If it is fantasy-themed, it probably works. So if it really doesn't fit in Warcraft I won't vote for it. This is especially true for class cards. If you picked a specific class for your card, you have to be able to justify it over making it a different class or just neutral. No, a "Magician's Parrot" is not a Mage card...
3. Innovation - It's gotta do something interesting. This one is pretty subjective, though.
4. Synergy - I don't think cards have to have synergy with other cards to be a good design. Sometimes something stands well on it's own, even if you can't really foresee how it would be used in a deck. That being said, I love seeing designs that clearly are meant to synergize with existing cards, especially ones that need some love, like the Taunt warrior archetype.
5. Artwork - Your artwork can't be something that makes no sense. If it's a real-life photo or a screenshot from a game, I won't vote for it. Other than that, people generally do an okay job, although sometimes people find one that really fits the card which makes me want to vote for it.
The Weekly Card Design Competition imho is one of the great features that Hearthpwn can provide for us. Every week a different challenge for our creativity and the custom creations are awesome! Aren't they?
Then curiosity just hit me: "What make people give 'Upvote' for a submission?"
I'm sure that this information would be relevant and useful for all hearthpwners who are anxious to get his/her card to the finals.
So I made some rating pools who might get a general idea of what make us choose where ours upvotes will be.
But detailed opinions would be better for what I'm proposing, so help me, help us, help yourself! What your criteria? What take your atention? What you don't like? Why? Share with us! Let's build a better Weekly Card Design Competition!
About the pools: I made it rated pools because its personal opinions, so its subjective and somethings are more or less important in each evaluation (of custom cards). On a scale of 1 to 5 for least to more important criteria.
For now I picked some basic topics: (I gladly accept suggestions for more complex topics for the pools)
Dude, your poll, something's wrong lol
Polls fixed!
About my opinion: I upvote/design cards that would be viable to introduce on the game. I don't care much for artwork and humor (sometimes dark/grim cards are awesome).
So Balance/Synergy/Lore > Innovation > Artwork > Flavor
Innovation > Balance > Flavour > Artwork UNLESS if it's VERY clear that the card is super unbalanced.
Cards that are willing to try something new mechanics-wise gets my vote. However, if the creator doesn't make an attempt to balance it/ it's clearly OP/UP, then sorry, but it just shows that you made no effort in balancing it compared to other worthy cards out there.
Can clearly see it in this week's competition. :P
Your poll is completely messed up OP. Apart from that I believe you forgot an important factor: card utility. When I evaluate (or design) a card, I generally ask myself how it would fit into current archetypes/classes, what kind of interesting synergies I can see for this card, and whether it could make low tier decks better. If it has no synergies, I look at the stand-alone value of the card à la Piloted Shredder/Dr. Boom. Then comes other factors.
So for me it is : Utility > Balance = Innovation > Flavor/humor > Artwork = Consistency with WoW lore.
Also I generally ignore cards with too much text, too far-fetched effects, obvious grammar/formulation mistakes, or ugly-as-fuck arts. I don't think I'm the only one.
Custom cards :
CLASSES : Alchemist (CCC#5 | Phase V) | Chef (CCC#4)
EXPANSIONS : Year of the Scorpion (Year Comp)
Well thanks, the poll got fixed by the mods, I was considering the Utility/Synergy part of the balance, but I'll split up for more detail. Also will add the Flavor/Humor criteria and Lore in the poll.
It's an interesting topic but obviously incomplete, there are more reasons out there, from flavor to "how much would a card like this benefit me", yes i'm aware that some people will prefer and upvote cards from their favorite/only class they play.
1) Personally i'm all for flavor and the transposition of WoW characters/abilities into cards using hearthstone mechanics (especially when making a legendary)
2) Secondly i'd call it creativity, using the existing tools to make something really interesting, by innovation i understand new effects but most i seen are needlessly complicated and kinda off from the hearthstone theme. I'd mix here what the posted above me calls utility, making a card that cleverly interacts with some unused cards is a big plus, although cards that try to reinforce existing archetypes, especially boring ones like freeze mage or fatigue warrior just feel wrong :)
3) As balance goes i'm guessing you can't really achieve perfection, especially with class cards, they just need to be in the ballpark, with some special attention that within a certain combo breaks the game or enables some crazy OTK.
4) Artwork and this is a bit funny cause when reading that "Guide to card creation" is described as the centerpiece but as long as you don't make a murloc card and put the picture of an ogre i guess it will do fine :)
These are the most important things for me:
1. Balance - You have to balance it, otherwise it can't be called a good design. If you didn't get close to being balanced, I won't vote for it. This is more of an issue for overpowered cards, but I also don't want to vote for something that is clearly too weak to see play.
2. Lore - It isn't that hard to make something generally fit the lore. If it is fantasy-themed, it probably works. So if it really doesn't fit in Warcraft I won't vote for it. This is especially true for class cards. If you picked a specific class for your card, you have to be able to justify it over making it a different class or just neutral. No, a "Magician's Parrot" is not a Mage card...
3. Innovation - It's gotta do something interesting. This one is pretty subjective, though.
4. Synergy - I don't think cards have to have synergy with other cards to be a good design. Sometimes something stands well on it's own, even if you can't really foresee how it would be used in a deck. That being said, I love seeing designs that clearly are meant to synergize with existing cards, especially ones that need some love, like the Taunt warrior archetype.
5. Artwork - Your artwork can't be something that makes no sense. If it's a real-life photo or a screenshot from a game, I won't vote for it. Other than that, people generally do an okay job, although sometimes people find one that really fits the card which makes me want to vote for it.
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Check out my Worgen Class in the Class Competition