Dual Eclipse: Player Progression & Agency

Card Crafting versus a Shop

Feedback received from the demo showed that players desired more agency in regards to card collection and an ability to target a goal for their decks.

At the moment, collecting cards/loot is statistically fair and provides a range of options, but that “fairness” isn’t felt by the player as much as I’d like. Also, it’s important to recognize that I can’t ignore player expectations for deckbuilding. Most deck builders offer some sort of market or shop for cards, but this didn’t fit my original design goals and could scale up the game’s scope too late in development.

Over the holidays I was lucky enough to get a key for Path of Exile 2 and played through the campaign. I really enjoyed the constant breaking down and crafting of gear. Rolling new stats and spending resources to do so. It was fun and inspiring! After a year of development, I had a much stronger understanding of the systems I’ve implemented and quickly saw crafting as an easy fit.

It only took a week to refactor how card data is handled and prepare a functional crafting build. It feels great and offers a way for players to target specific builds, stories, and styles. Need a shield to go with your sword? Now you can craft one!