Differences/Comparison With Hero Academy

[onealexleft]

(05-10-2012 12:58 PM)ArtNJ Wrote:  (1) Hero Academy games average around 36 "turns," which is to say each player moves an average of 18 times. Games range from a minimum of about 16 turns to a maximum of about 65 turns (with exceptionally rare games of 80 turns not being totally unheard of, although I personally dont know I have ever had more than 60);

In the 1v1 context, games can last as little as 7 turns to as high as 40-60. 2v2 is probably around then 15-50 mark, but haven't really looked into that data lately.

(05-10-2012 12:58 PM)ArtNJ Wrote:  (2) Hero Academy has a luck element, in that the units and items you get from a fixed deck are randomly drawn. Does Outwitters have a luck element?

Spawning units is purely under the control of the player. Yet, Outwitters has a 'Fog of War' element that introduces a slight element of luck, but as players get better it becomes less of a luck element as opposed to random items/units.

(05-10-2012 12:58 PM)ArtNJ Wrote:  (3) Hero Academy has no official league, but I am the founder of a player run league that uses the ELO system. Do your Leagues use Elo, or how do they work exactly?

We have a league and ladder system. Players are divided into separate 'tiers' of leagues. Within tiers you are competing against 99 other players of similar skill on a ladder called a division for ladder points. Each league has a range of skill ratings that encompass it. Your skill rating is hidden, and the system is not a pure ELO system but has some ELO elements to it to help drive the matchmaking.

(05-10-2012 12:58 PM)ArtNJ Wrote:  (4) Using an "K" value of 32 and a starting rating of 1200, the Hero Academy League has player ratings ranging from about 950 to 1610. What this means, more or less, is that the best players beat "new" players about 90-95% time, and that includes new League members (assigned a 1200 rating) that have practiced a lot on random opponents. Are you seeing that kind of skill curve in your beta?

In general, yes we have a pretty wide variety of skill and the better players can clearly dominate newer players 90+% of the time.

(05-10-2012 12:58 PM)ArtNJ Wrote:  (5) Do you have in game chat? Do you have the ability to privately chat with a teammate?

Yes and yes.

(05-10-2012 12:58 PM)ArtNJ Wrote:  (6) Do you have "time controls"? (Hero Academy has none)

Are you referring to games expiring after inactivity? Not yet in beta, but it's planned for release or very soon after.

(05-10-2012 12:58 PM)ArtNJ Wrote:  (7) What do folks think that have tried both games?

I haven't heard any comments from beta testers directly comparing the two. I've played Hero's Academy and thought it was an awesome game. Granted, I think Outwitters plays quite differently and if players bring in HA gameplay assumptions into Outwitters they may be disappointed in the results. Although I think strategy buffs will find something to love in both games.