Development Update: November 2019 - Rune Removal and Tower Transformation
.png)
Greetings, Dragon Lords!
This month, we wanted to shine a spotlight on our development initiatives as we plan out the remainder of the year. As we enter the final quarter of 2019, we would like to take the time to acknowledge that every year should be the “Year of the Player” rather than just this one, and as such, we are committed to having player perspectives remain a facet of our development process moving forward. We will be transitioning the next “Year of the Player” posts to be Development Updates that will continue on a similar cadence moving forward
We will continue to deliver features that have been promised, such as Rune Removal and Tower Transformation. Read on for all the details!
Rune Removal
Runes are powerful items that can be upgraded and equipped to boost the strength and abilities of dragons and towers in the game. In the case of Tower (Monument) Runes, players can choose to remove and salvage previously equipped runes for dust. Dragon runes, however, require a lot more commitment, as their attachment to a dragon is permanent.
However, with more tiers of dragons being added over time and more seasonal dragons being introduced each season, which dragons players use in their roster are always changing. To allow more flexibility in customizing your dragons’ runes, we’re introducing the ability to remove and re-equip runes on dragons to a limited extent.
How it Works
Runes can be removed from a dragon using Chisels, a new consumable made specifically for this purpose, which can be earned from just playing the game. The removed rune will be returned to the Rune Vault, where it can then be equipped onto a different dragon.
Chisels can be obtained through event prizing and participation. They’ll be added to existing event prizing across prize tiers in addition to what prizes are currently available; moreover, none of the chisels added to prizing is expected to dilute what is already available. These will not be obtainable from chests at this time.
Why not make the feature cost Rubies?
The pursuit of the perfect rune encourages engagement in specific parts of the game beyond just "repeat whatever is the most efficient way to earn rubies". We believe it's important that different non-Ruby rewards in the game continue to matter in the way that Runes currently do.
When will this feature be coming to the game?
We're currently working to launch Rune Removal as part of our November Version Release
Tower Transformation
As noted in The Year of the Player Update #5, Tower Transformation is coming soon to War Dragons! In this update, we're excited to share some further details with you.
To briefly recap:
Players want the ability to experiment with different types of defense, as well as to convert the older towers on their base or in their storage into progress towards a current, effective base.
We plan to offer options for converting a single existing tower to a different type, as well as for merging multiple towers into bonus levels for another existing tower. As a basic summary, this works by taking a percentage of each transformed or merged tower’s value and applying it towards the value of the new tower being built or improved.
How does the feature work?
-
Towers must be at least level 10 to qualify for merger or transformation, and you must meet the usual restrictions on player level, builder hut level, maximum per type, island placement, etc. in order to complete the action.
-
To Transform a tower into another, select it in your base, and tap on “Transform” where you’ll be able to select a different tower to transform your tower.
-
To Merge a stored or active tower’s value into an active one, select the tower in your base, tap on “Upgrade”, and then select the “Merge” tab on the left.
-
In both Transform and Merge actions, the tower's value is determined by using specific conversion ratios for each of its premium resources (Time, Ice/Fire Shards, and Elemental Embers). This calculation is the same for all players and is independent of construction bonuses, but does factor applicable tier-based discounting. More details below.
What will transforming/merging a tower cost?
There is no upfront cost for the action of Transforming or merging towers. Instead, the “cost” will be reflected in the reduced level of the resulting tower. We want Tower Transformation to be a highlight of our Year of the Player efforts and to show our appreciation for our most loyal players, so we plan to launch the beta with 95% efficiency on the value of transformed/merged towers.
Some examples:
-
When transforming between towers that require the same resources, the 95% value efficiency means you'll get back a new tower of only slightly lower level (e.g. Dark Flak L85 to Fire Flak L83).
-
When transforming between tiers, the tower level difference will be more significant because of the conversion between resources (e.g. from Time to Time+Embers, for Archer L85 to Dark Flak L60).
-
The same value efficiency applies when merging multiple towers into one.
What about the XP I’ve already gained from my towers? Will I lose the levels I already have gained?
In situations where total player XP would normally be reduced by transforming a tower to a lower level, we’ll instead keep your player level where it currently is and increase the distance to your next level so that everything matches up again once you get there. This difference is shown as "Required XP" in the transformation or merger screen.
When will this new feature come to the game?
We're currently working to launch Tower Transformation as a Beta in November 2019. There will be no additional cost to join the beta. We plan to run it at least through the end of the year, at which point we'll look at all of the data and evaluate any adjustments which may be needed in hopes of ultimately making this a permanent part of War Dragons.
Coming Soon
We are currently working on developing a few other features that will help out our players before the end of the year! We are hoping to be able to ship out:
- Instant Breed - a feature to improve the amount of time it takes to breed a dragon
- In-game Inventory - a feature to let players see what items they have
We will have more information about these features in our next update!
The 2019 Living Forums Thread
As more Development Updates are released, we continue to maintain a living thread on the Forums to provide the latest update and a chronological snapshot of all 2019 improvements. Give the page a bookmark or check back anytime a new Update releases for the latest information!
Living Forums Thread
Improvements to Date (as of 10/30/19)
Between these Year of the Player (YotP) Updates, we’ve introduced a variety of additional features and fixes that can be seen below:
Bug Fixes
-
Fixed an issue where the keyboard would flicker when going through the steps of creating a new team
-
Fixed an issue where the tutorial video would get stuck if a user accidentally opened their notification panel while watching
-
Fixed an issue where the attack button was not disabled when a user would view their teammate’s profile from chat.
-
Fixed an issue where the info bar would not always appear or disappear when tapping on the Sheep Farm or Lumber Mills
-
Fixed an issue where Deflecting Gale was not blocking attacks from Dragon Perches
-
Fixed an issue where a basic attack would be dealt to a tower when Death Gaze was blocked by a Red Mage Tower
-
Fixed an issue where Namaka’s Empowered Shot would not activate consistently
-
Fixed an issue where the black background in various menus was not sized properly for the iPhone XR
-
Fixed an issue where production boosts were described inconsistently across the game.
-
Fixed an issue where the tower selection menu would remain open when engaging with other parts of the game.
-
Fixed an issue where players would see white squares around their dragons in shareable replays
-
Fixed an issue where Breeding Missions were not rounding correctly after Version 5.06’s Release
-
Fixed an issue where players using Russian in game would see text being cut off in the breeding screen
-
[Android] Fixed an issue where text was misaligned on the Battle Results screen when playing on a Galaxy Note 8
Quality of Life Improvements
-
Made some improvements to FPS (frames per second) on older devices by updating their default graphics settings to one that better allows players to engage in the game without memory crashes or slow frame rate
-
Fixed an issue where players would not see “Sign Out” displayed in their own language when attempting to sign out of Pocket ID
-
[Android] Fixed an issue where the event menus, both in the Main Game and Atlas, were cut off on certain devices using Oreo.
-
[Android] Fixed an issue where the game would open the device’s default web browser rather than the in-game version.
-
Fixed an issue where a player could not use the copy/paste function in the Team Statement or Description
What are your thoughts on the latest Quality of Life updates? Head over to the War Dragons Forums to discussion with fellow Dragon Lords, and give War Dragons a follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more news!