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Tracks Blizzard employees across various accounts.

Hearthstone AMA #18 Ask me a question about Hearthstone! 7:30PM - 8:30PM https://t.co/zZDYta7oEY

Hearthstone AMA #18 Ask me a question about Hearthstone! 7:30PM - 8:30PM https://t.co/zZDYta7oEY

  • Iksar
    Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
    Hearthstone AMA #18 Ask me a question about Hearthstone! 7:30PM - 8:30PM https://t.co/zZDYta7oEY

    • coolboypai
      Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS CustomHearthstone recently made some intentionally complicated “math” cards and it made me wonder. How does the team gauge complexity and determine if an effect is too difficult to grok/understand? It's certainly seems like something that changes over time too. https://t.co/kUgflQVxV7

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
        @coolboypai Serena Bloodfeather is an example of a complex math card we'd only do one or two of at a time. We try to use text that sounds like plain english whenever possible. Any text that feels game rules-y we'd view as a downside.

        • Iksar
          Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
          @coolboypai Not to say we wouldn't do it, but it would have to have many other positives.

    • lamri247
      Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Now that there is a new minion type, Will there be new ones like Treants or others in the near future? For regular gameplay or battlegrounds?

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
        @lamri247 We'll continue to do new minion types. It's a relatively low complexity way to inject flavor. The biggest hurdle is usually trying to make each minion type feel cohesive and different than other types we've done in the past.

        • Iksar
          Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
          @lamri247 Quilboar don't have a unifying mechanic the same way Dragons or Elementals do. When possible we'd like for minion types to tell a story of what that minion might do.

    • yggdreigon_hs
      Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS It's been the second expansion in a row where the main gimmick turns out very underwhelming. Have you guys been extra cautious with the gimmicks since schoolomance or was it just a missed mark?

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
        @yggdreigon_hs Hard to answer questions like this because A: I don't know what you are referring to B: It sounds you are saying you personally don't like something and asking me why we didn't make something you did like.

    • PascoaHS
      Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Hey Dean! How are you? Control Warrior feels like it could go into a new direction without Shield Blocks/armor gain and with new ways to mitigate damage, like Bulwark. Are there any plans/ideas to go into that? Maybe more "shield" weapons with different effects?

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
        @PascoaHS I think we'll continue to use armor as the main form of control warrior life gain. It's interesting to have damage mitigation as an option but I think the core fantasy of Warrior loading up on armor is probably stronger.

        • Iksar
          Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
          @PascoaHS I like doing one-off effects that make you think about your damage sources differently. Doing small bits of chip damage is great vs specifically Bulwark but I don't think tokens being strong vs Warrior is particularly interesting or thematic as a general rule.

    • CN_Soda
      Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Now there are a lot of cards with 8, 9 or 10 mana, however there is only one "7+" button. Have your smart guys considered this issue?

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
        @CN_Soda Just a restriction of the UI and trying to use the space in the most effective way possible. Fun fact, if you want to search 8 mana minions you can type mana:8 and search.

    • BIGYKN
      Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS What's your go to order at a Chinese restaurant? Ps. please bring Madame Lazul back to the shop : )

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
        @BIGYKN Sichuan. In the United States the most common sichuan is usually kung pao chicken but I usually enjoy any sichuan style dish.

    • Fleeeeetwood
      Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS From what I can gather, most people thought Incanter's Flow would be nerfed. However, since it wasn't, would you be able to share the thought process as to why it wasn't? No judgment here, more of a general curiosity since a lot of non-card game designers just assumed it'd be hit

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
        @Fleeeeetwood A change to Incantor's Flow would have been more impactful and given that the deck was already only borderline powerful we opted to make the less aggressive change.

        • Iksar
          Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
          @Fleeeeetwood It's worth noting that you should only make a balance change if you believe the resulting meta is more enjoyable. In this case, we didn't think changing Flow would have made a net positive effect.

    • jdeejohnston
      Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Just want to say thanks for being part of my favorite game. Please pass along love to the team.

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
        @jdeejohnston I shall. Thanks for the positive energy :D

    • Luker_HS
      Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS If Hearthstone ever did a cross-over with an anime, let's say Naruto - What heroes would you assign characters too? The two that come to mind are Illidan as Sasuke, and Malfurion as Yamato :D

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
        @Luker_HS hmm here are some very quick top of brain answers Warrior - Guy Sensei Rogue - Itachi Druid - Yamato Demon Hunter - Sasuke Priest - Tsunade AND DEIDARA AS SOMETHING Team deidara

        • Luker_HS
          Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
          @IksarHS Deidara is legit my fave character so this is a based reply https://t.co/pBJAaPUjLm

          • Iksar
            Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
            @Luker_HS I am a very predictable edgy character lover so I'll always love Itachi most. Deidara is just so awesome, though. Probably 2nd fave.

        • Itachi_HS
          Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
          @IksarHS @Luker_HS Can't wait for me Rogue

          • Iksar
            Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
            @Itachi_HS @Luker_HS https://t.co/3BniVdfKka

    • LTTUltimate
      Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS What's your balance perspective on high level vs. "pubs"? Can be related to HS specifically (i.e. power level of Rogue and Priest at high Legend vs. below), but this is a general game balance issue I see across genres. Genji and Medivh in HOTS is another case that comes to mind.

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
        @LTTUltimate The meta at the high level tends to trickle down to lower level play over time, so given the choice we generally balance around high-level play. The statistics we most commonly look at at top 1% of players.

        • Iksar
          Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
          @LTTUltimate High level players generally have access to more cards and are more likely to try new strategies, so when an imbalance exists we are usually only concerned when it looks unlikely any stratgies will arise to challenge the powerful thing.

          • Iksar
            Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
            @LTTUltimate When counters do exist, high level players will usually gravitate towards them and shift the meta on their own. This is the ideal case.

            • Iksar
              Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
              @LTTUltimate When there is something extremely powerful in low-level play, it's less likely for the meta to shift on it's own so we step in to adjust so long as it doesn't adversely affect other skill levels.

    • Reavered_HS
      Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Is it true that Hearthstone was never meant to be an Esport?

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
        @Reavered_HS It's a question with a lot of subjectivity. We have an esports team and have ran championships, leagues, broadcasts, and events all over the world for many years. So in a literal sense, there is obviously direct intention for Hearthstone to be an esport.

        • Iksar
          Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
          @Reavered_HS The question of 'was hearthstone intended to be an esport' usually comes from someone with an opinion on exactly how much should be invested into an esports program in terms of time and resources.

    • oEltinho
      Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Tomorrow is Nozdormu day. Wouldn't it be a good way to push the idea forward if Noz games (only those who triggers him) were worth double XP during the 15th of each month?

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
        @oEltinho We've been thinking about just adding a quest for playing a game with Noz in your deck. What if we just forced all turns to be 15 seconds long for one day?

    • ChaosOS_59
      Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS What does success look like for the latest round of buffs?

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
        @ChaosOS_59 Buffs don't do a very good job at being meta-balance-fixers, but give classes a few more options for experimentation and allow for more tools in future card releases.

        • Iksar
          Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
          @ChaosOS_59 Success for buffs means that the cards we think make for better play experiences have a higher chance of being used in a deck. Success for nerfs is almost always a meta-level change or a population change to a particularly unfun playstyle.

    • Joshosss
      Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS 2 things :) , will we see nerfs for wild?, las sets of changes barely did anything. And is there any chance that we can see the card buckets in dungeon run like adventures and duels with golden cards based in our collection like it happens in arena drafts?

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
        @Joshosss Want to see the effects of changing Spring Water, First Day, and Crabriber. All were highly played in strong and powerful decks in Wild. After we see how things shake out I think we'll take a look at the high power decks and see if the resulting meta is acceptable.

    • KAZI88k
      Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS I am Japanese. Currently, only Snowflipper Penguin has an effect when summoned, but I would like other 0 mana minions to have an effect as well. How do you decide whether or not to give an effect?

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
        @KAZI88k Some of it is the time the FX team has on a given expansion to make visuals. We'd love to make a custom entry for everything but there isn't always enough time to do that.

        • Iksar
          Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
          @KAZI88k So we pick the characters that are iconic or the characters the FX team is most passionate about making a custom effect for.

    • Gurubashi_homo
      Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Why did this card change the cost, not the effect? Please tell me the reason. https://t.co/ihtuJEXvDm

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
        @Gurubashi_homo In cases where we are trying to change power level, we'd prefer to change cost/stats if we can so players don't have to relearn what a card does. Sometimes this doesn't make sense but in this case changing the cost was a solution that met our power level goal.

    • Red1003493649
      Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Hello Iksar I have three questions for you -How did you choose cards for BoH ? I see you changed some cards to fit more to the lore (like armorsmith for Horde characters) but on the others hands I don't know if all cards have the same treatment (I haven't played to wow 1/4

      • Red1003493649
        Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
        @IksarHS Actually so I don't know, but I like to be "rp", most of all because I have bought "Azeroth is Burning" card back because of BoH) Were all the cards supposed to fit to the lore or some cards were added to support an archetype composed of lore cards ? 2/4

        • Red1003493649
          Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
          @IksarHS -It can sound weird but could we have an option to have non-golden hero ? I liked the King Anduin one in Tavern Brawl, and I prefer to have a full golden, or full non golden deck than to mix up, but as I will never had a full golden deck I would like to have my non golden hero3/4

          • Red1003493649
            Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
            @IksarHS as well -If an Alliance expansion had to be released, would Shalamayne be a priest weapon (as it is now Anduin's weapon) ? 4/4

            • Iksar
              Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
              @Red1003493649 Weapons are supposed to be something that makes weapon classes feel different than non-weapon classes. So unless there was some expansion level reason to do it (legendary weapons in Kobolds), we're unlikely to add one-off weapons for classes that generally don't use them.

          • Iksar
            Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
            @Red1003493649 Not something we're planning. There are so many different ways to change an customize a player's experience that we have to pick and choose which ones we think are the most important so we aren't overloading our UI with layers and layers of buttons/screens.

        • Iksar
          Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
          @Red1003493649 I wish I could answer this more clearly but I don't work on BoH. Generally speaking, the core goal of BoH is to be a very mildly challenging gameplay experience that is mostly focused on telling the stories of our characters.

          • Iksar
            Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
            @Red1003493649 So when choosing minions and spells, we're trying as hard as we can to choose characters and settings that do a great job of helping us accomplish the core goal, which is telling that story in a compelling way.

    • RidiculousHat
      Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS you knew this was coming. what role does the design team play in esports overall? i feel like it's not very clear who is in charge of what and how design influences competition and vice versa.

      • ZeddyHS
        Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
        @RidiculousHat @IksarHS I like that he used the Kermit gif from that thread, I feel like it's classic cheeky Iksar and I love it.

        • RidiculousHat
          Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
          @ZeddyHS @IksarHS 100% there's a premeditated answer here after seeing that gif

          • Iksar
            Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
            @RidiculousHat @ZeddyHS esports decisions are made entirely by some combination of the esports team and executive leadership, very little if any design involvement outside of director level (which I am not)

            • Iksar
              Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
              @RidiculousHat @ZeddyHS I personally believe the design philosophy of easy to learn hard to master just lends itself very well to esports.

          • Iksar
            Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
            @RidiculousHat @ZeddyHS lol, there was not it's actually just my favorite kermit gif

    • onescoop
      Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Mini set ? Are we getting close ?

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
        @onescoop yes

    • V3dn3y
      Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS We know we'll get acheivements for old adventures eventually. But will they be retoactive? For example, clearing all levels of dalaran heidst with all hero powers.

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
        @V3dn3y If it's tracked in game it should be retroactive. If it's not already tracked in game it likely won't be retroactive.

    • Kx_Jdbskx
      Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS In the early years of the game we didn't have a lot of cosmetics, so in the last 2 years a lot of skins were added. What has changed for that to happen?

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
        @Kx_Jdbskx Mostly team size in terms of our internal team and our outsourcing partners. There is some healthy demand for cosmetics so we've just been trying to meet expectation. Going well so far.

    • DerpedGuyInSuit
      Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS This is a question I’ve been wondering since the success of the game mode: How correct of a choice does the whole dev team think it is to release BG instead of scraping it like many other concepts? To me it seems that HS BG is one of the greatest choices the ever made in HS

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
        @DerpedGuyInSuit Extremely good choice. Playerbase for BG is huge and growing, Hearthstone would be far less popular in its absence.

    • Velho_Treant
      Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Do you guys keep track of how often people concede after a certain card is played against them? Is that a relevant metric at all?

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
        @Velho_Treant We don't look at that metric. If there is a card that is doing that the community is usually loud enough about it that I think it's enough to rely on player feedback and our own intuition. We do look more broadly at what behaviors a player has before they quit.

    • Hi3n3rgy
      Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS What do you personally to survive internet hate? Like either when you see people flaming hs and when people flame you.

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
        @Hi3n3rgy Outside of the threats of violence the vitriol doesn't bother me much anymore. What can sometimes get to me is when every comment has to have some negativity attached to it, even if it's supposed to be positive commentary.

        • Iksar
          Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
          @Hi3n3rgy It's pretty common that when someone likes a card the commentary is something like "I love this card so much for X reason, also I wish all those other horrible designed that sucked were more like this one. Good job on this card, hope you can stop designing bad cards!"

          • Iksar
            Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
            @Hi3n3rgy Recently we ran a BG tournament that I think players really enjoyed. Despite that, most comments afterward we related to how we're not doing enough.

            • Iksar
              Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
              @Hi3n3rgy Again, I'm glad players share their opinions, it helps us get better. It can just be really taxing when every single comment has some tacked on negativity. Makes it hard to feel good about anything you create.

              • Iksar
                Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
                @Hi3n3rgy The answer for me is to try and not get consumed in reading feedback all day every day. I make time to take it all in and make sure I'm also making time to turn it all off and focus on creation.

            • Iksar
              Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
              @Hi3n3rgy also, rereading my own tweet.... I'm not referring to diversity here, I'm 100% down with being consistently held accountable for fair inclusion.

    • jleetay77
      Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
      @IksarHS Say you were to leave something from Hearthstone in the Blizzard Archive for all of eternity what would you pick and why? Asking for ‘a friend’ (it’s a me☺️)

      • Iksar
        Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
        @jleetay77 what a good question I would love the original team picture. There were so few of them! It was always a good reminder to me that it doesn't take an army to build something special. Just a small group of people talented people working towards a common goal.

        • Iksar
          Posted 4 years, 9 months ago (Source)
          @jleetay77 As for physical props, we have this awesome stained glass Hearthstone mural that was always a team favorite. It felt like a piece of our real-life tavern.
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