Your Questions for Hearthstone Game Designer Dean Ayala!
Blizzard has generously invited Hearthpwn to fly to the Bahamas this weekend for the upcoming Hearthstone Winter Championship! While at the event, we'll have a chance to sit down with Hearthstone Game Designer Dean "Iksar" Ayala to ask him some questions about Hearthstone's upcoming expansion, Journey to Un'Goro!
Do you have a great question on your mind? Write it down in the comments below and we might include it when we compile the best ones later this week!
Dean is a Game Designer on the final design team, focusing on testing and balancing new cards, making sure they're fun, trying to predict what decks they will go in and what the meta will look like. He also plays a lot of Arena! He's also very active on Twitter and Reddit, often responding to questions from the community.
There is a vibrant 'user-created card' community. Would you consider doing a contest to allow cards to be submitted for review with the possibility of inclusion in future expansions?
Will there be free cards like C'thun this expansion? For example... are all the quest cards free?
I loved land destruction in MTG. Do you consider to enhance this mechanic in Hearthstone for destroying mana? Like Felguard does.
man this guys smile annoys me
Will balance changes ever include buffs? So far we've only seen nerfs when cards turned out to be more powerful than expected, but not buffs to cool cards that don't see play because they're underpowered.
I have Madam Goya in my collection, for example. When she doesn't pull something good out of the deck her stats are just terrible compared to the mana cost, unlike for example Barnes.
You nerfed Blade Flurry to open up more design space, when will you actually use that extra design space you created this way?
In Sc2 they balance a game with an computer doing a ton of simulated games, are they doing the same for Hearthstone?
The Sc2 league system was very motivationg, why they stay with the Hearthstone ladder system for ranked?
Will Priest Shifting Shade or Mana Geode be considered elementals when Journey to Un'Goro expansion is released?
No they won't.
Here are the 18 cards we changed into Elementals:
Also, as many have mentioned, Shifting Shade is actually not Elemental but Undead.
Battlecry effects are activated before Swamp King Dred attacks?
I play a control pala with Finja / Soggoth / Ysera and have no problem vs Jade decks. 13-3 @ rank5+
Sure I have a bonus because people don't play around my cards because paladin is a new class for them but there are few decks beside shaman/druid jade who can compete with them. the problem is more likely that not every of the niche decks is good against warrior / dragonpriest as well
Can we get special heroes like Khadgar and Tyrande on a general basis in the future? Not everyone uses Apple's products etc.
Speaking of races... where are the black, Latin, and Asian, etc people? P
edit: forgot to quote... will Do later
... What are you talking about?
I don't know... I haven't seen a Single Hispanic looking person and as a Hispanic I always feel unconnected kinda ( I felt super Whiney complaint about this)
I feel like in a game about dragons and fireballs and weird tentacly pirates, the skin colour of the few human characters in the game shouldn't really be worried about.
Are you concerned about the pro scene for example lifecoach quitting ladder. Additionally, why do systematically try to nerf combo decks, do you think they are bad for the game.
Will you guys make something that could kill, or counter existing archetypes (for example, jade golem, or discard warlock, in case they gets too strong)?
What happens if Unearthed Raptor copies the deathrattle of Sherazin, Corpse Flower?
I noticed that when you guys introduced Elementals, they would join in Murloc, Beast, Pirate and Dragon. But you didn't mention mech. Will you guys develop mechs again?
If you choose to mulligan your quest away, can you get the copy of it from Shadow Visions?
Will there be another type of expansion besides card set and adventure?
Why didnt spell damage make it in the adapt list?
that's all the questions I can think of.
I really like that Unearthed Raptor and Sherazin, Corpse Flower! I think the raptor simply becomes Sharazin as soon as it dies once?
That is going to be a problem for wild since Unearthed Raptor is rotating out.