Artifact, the multi-lane card game from Valve is closing in on release and so Valve have given out a bunch of new details on what to expect.
Firstly, it's now up for pre-order on Steam for £15.99/$20 and for that price you will get 10 card packs, 5 event tickets, and two complete starter decks. Considering how much such packs cost for real-life card games, that price is actually quite reasonable I think. Additional packs of cards will be $1.99, each pack has 12 random cards. You will also be able to buy and sell cards on the Steam Market.
As for system requirements, Valve are stating the Linux version will need Ubuntu 16.04 or newer, Intel i5, 2.4 Ghz or better, 4 GB RAM and a Vulkan-capable GPU from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel. So it looks like it will run on quite a lot of hardware which is nice.
At launch, it will have three different modes of play: Social, Casual, and Expert.
The Social mode is where you will find user-made tournaments, private lobbies and what they call Open Play. Open Play will allow you to have a freestanding invite to anyone within a Steam community. Be sure you're in our GamingOnLinux Steam group for that. Casual will include bot matches, global matchmaking and the "casual constructed Gauntlet" which is a series of increasingly challenging opponents. Finally, the Expert mode is a harder version of the Gauntlet from the Casual mode where you can win packs of cards.
Also, Valve have given out some public APIs to help people build interesting tools. Will be interesting to see what people make with it like the Deck Builder.
I'm extremely curious to try it out, so I will likely be diving in on release day. I'm probably going to be terrible at it, but learning is part of the fun. I've always wanted to get properly into a card game, so hopefully it will run well on Linux.
See more on the official site and Steam itself.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
QuoteAdditional packs of cards will be $1.99, each pack has 12 random cards. You will also be able to buy and sell cards on the Steam Market.
...that it has gambling mechanics. No thanks.
Last edited by Brisse on 12 November 2018 at 11:08 am UTC
Now the big question is what this will bring you if you try to play this game seriously and want to get good at it. Technically the five gauntlet entry tickets could provide you with an infinite source of new entries and card packs if you are really good at the game. But what are the odds of that. This means that the "need" for rare cards and how the market will develop will be something to look at for this game. One good thing I noticed (from the little I understood of the game during the tournament) is that even the good/rare cards come with consequences, so it may not be all about getting those.
Since I haven't played anything like that since playing Magic The Gathering with actual physical cards a few decades ago, I'm inclined to at least jump in for the base package and see if I enjoy this.
Quoting: BrisseHaven't really gotten into any of these card games (except The Witcher 3 minigame :D ). I was mildly interested in this as a potential entry point, but then I learned...In fairness, this is exactly how physical trading card games work. You buy packs of cards and get random cards inside.
QuoteAdditional packs of cards will be $1.99, each pack has 12 random cards. You will also be able to buy and sell cards on the Steam Market.
...that it has gambling mechanics. No thanks.
Quoting: KeyrockQuoting: BrisseHaven't really gotten into any of these card games (except The Witcher 3 minigame :D ). I was mildly interested in this as a potential entry point, but then I learned...In fairness, this is exactly how physical trading card games work. You buy packs of cards and get random cards inside.
QuoteAdditional packs of cards will be $1.99, each pack has 12 random cards. You will also be able to buy and sell cards on the Steam Market.
...that it has gambling mechanics. No thanks.
I know, but that doesn't make it not gambling.
Vulkan on the old hd 4000, displays white bars instead of text for some reason -_-.
I want to buy it, but waiting for more opinions.
Quoting: liamdaweConsidering how much such packs cost for real-life card games, that price is actually quite reasonable I think.I'm not sure it's pertinent to compare the two... Considering how different the production means and costs are and the fact that you don't have to pay for distribution and resellers, I'd be upset if those virtual cards were not noticeably cheaper than real ones. Add the fact that Valve will get a cut of every player trade on top of selling the cards in the first place, and Wizards of the Coast should be jealous if this becomes popular ^_^
Quoting: SalvatosConsidering the cost of a single starter deck for stuff in the UK, it's vastly cheaper to buy Artifact. You also get the convenience factor on top of that, being able to play anyone anywhere. I'm happy with the pricing personally.Quoting: liamdaweConsidering how much such packs cost for real-life card games, that price is actually quite reasonable I think.I'm not sure it's pertinent to compare the two... Considering how different the production means and costs are and the fact that you don't have to pay for distribution and resellers, I'd be upset if those virtual cards were not noticeably cheaper than real ones. Add the fact that Valve will get a cut of every player trade on top of selling the cards in the first place, and Wizards of the Coast should be jealous if this becomes popular ^_^
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