Draconian Wars

Edit: The second patch fixed multiplayer, the only major isusue i had so far. The devs are actually trying to improve the game (I mentionned some quirks about the in game shop and they were fixed) and are actively playing with the community and listening to what it has to say, i can only hope the playerbase expands now. As an avid CCG player, I feel Draconian Wars brings a refreshing twist to the card games genre, the mechanics are well thought of and quite fun. As they say, it's probably the most strategic card game out there. It's pretty hard to compare to other games and that's a good thing. The atmosphere reminds me a bit of Infinity wars, and the combat system and spell stacks are a little bit like MTG. There is much more management and thinkering to be done than in other card games IMO. I had a lot of fun playing the game so far. Except for a couple of minor bugs on release (which were patched less than an hour or two after) the game runs well.

As a longtime player of Magic The Gathering I bought this thinking it would be a nice diversion. There are certainly aspects of Draconian Wars that I can respect, but it is hindered by some major problems. First of all it is graphically well made. The cards look nice, the battlefield is well thought out, and the music is decent. I can't really say much more about the things I like about this game as the problems far outweigh the good. To get right to it, the first thing that really turns me off is the translation (I assume it is translation) is riddled with logical errors that should absolutely not exist in a game that depends heavily on card abilities & effect rulings. Getting past the translation issues is a major hurdle in learning to play the game, and I could get behind spending the time to do so if the core game wasn't so... overly complicated. The thing about card games like Magic The Gathering is that their complexity should not come from the basic game mechanics but from the card effects and how they directly influence how you play the game. Draconian wars sits on a very complex core game and throws in the poorly translated card effects to muddle up the whole experience. It honestly feels like I'm playing a game developed by three different people with vastly different opinions of how the game ought to be played, and instead of deciding on one thing they mashed all of their opinions together into some sort of technical mess. I really wanted to like this game because it looks really cool from the videos and screenshots, but it is so different-so utterly over complicated- that it appeals only to the most hardcore players. If you're hoping for a casual card game to pick up and play this absolutely is not for you.

A lot of reviewers are saying that this game is overly complicated and that even after hours of playtime they couldn't understand the rules, but I think that might be a problem with them, rather than the game. I played through the supplied tutorials (about 20 minutes of time commitment) and then played one actual game, and had a fairly solid grasp on the rules at that point. I've played a LOT of CCGs, and it sounds like the people who're having trouble may have only ever played Magic: the Gathering, and are trying to equate the mechanics in this game to MtG's. The game itself is very complex, it's true, but the mechanics are fairly logical and manageable. The biggest 'wishlist item' I have with regards to the gameplay itself is that there needs to be some kind of easier to spot at a glance differentiation between card types; they have text telling you what they are, but the number of times I've mistaken a Gear for a Support card (which are played at completely different times but often have similar effects - think Sorcery vs Instant) is rather embarrassing. As others have mentioned, there's a random element to combat, but like every other CCG that uses a "fate" style system wherein you reveal the top card of your deck to get the number, the pool of numbers you have available is determined by you when you build your deck. Naturally if you build it with drawing high fate in mind, you'll stack it with 5s and 6s and you'll be drawing consistently high numbers in exchange for a lower power of card overall. Additionally, there's a number of ways to 'stack your deck' and either see what your next fate draw will be, or influence it (either by re-ordering your deck or putting a card from your hand on top of your deck). Another issue a number of reviewers have brought up is the combat system whereby 1 damage will kill any unit, and it's possible for units to die before the combat even starts. This all comes down to strategy; you can see clearly before the combat starts (with the exception of Support cards played during the combat) whether you're going to lose units or not, and knowing when you should and should not pick a fight is rather integral to the game. There's 6 battlegrounds, and units can be played at, moved to, and engage in fights in any of them, so if your opponent has an unwinnable board position at one, well... you have the ability to avoid that one entirely and focus on the others. I don't know if I'd agree with their claim that this is the 'most strategic' CCG, but it's got a pretty solid set of mechanics and strategic possibilities. Right now, the lack of single player game options is its biggest weakness - there's 6 "skirmish" decks to play against (as well as the ability to play against one of your own decks), and 4 "challenge" scenarios that're akin to puzzles to solve, but that's it, and considering the AI is fairly poor (often making completely obvious bad plays - playing an expensive card that will, because of its own text and the board position it's played into, immediately be destroyed with no effect is a prime example). Finding a multiplayer game is a sketchy proposition, as there don't seem to be many people playing the game, and I feel they were kind of banking on the multiplayer being the main attraction (which it could be, but only if there's more players actually playing) when they designed the system. Overall, it's a fun game, and for the price, it's worth the purchase if you enjoy CCG games. Complex rules and a generally enjoyable game.

[b]...но ни один наездник в истории не летал на двух драконах[/b] Draconian Wars - типичный представитель семейства коллекционных карточных игр. От большинства аналогов отличается полным отсутствием доната: заплатил один раз - и играй сколько влезет. Но влезает немного... Какой же должна быть хорошая компьютерная реализация ККИ, и какими из желаемых критериев обладают Войны Драконов? Прежде всего, необходимы простые и очевидные правила и/или доступное обучение, дабы любой желающий мог освоиться легко и непринуждённо. К примеру, Magic 2014-15 проводит нас через долгий, но очень увлекательный туториал, SolForge буквально за полчаса объясняет всё и вся. Здесь же куцее обучение не даёт практических никаких теоретических и практических навыков, а только объясняет этапы выкладывания карт и этапы боя. Причём сама механика игры далеко не очевидная. Авторы переусложнили правила, придумали карты с мудрёными характеристиками, чтобы было "не как у всех". Попытка - не пытка, но результат довольно запутанный. В графическом плане игра выглядит двояко. Стол выполнен в примитивном 3D и выглядит откровенно корявенько. Дизайн карт приятный и несколько неоднородный - даже арты одного художника могут быть выполнены в разных стилях - от проработанного рисунка до простенького скетча. Но всё атмосферно, фэнтезийно и добротно. Интерфейс в целом можно назвать удобным. Совершенно излишнее 3D компенсируется тем, что карты на столе вполне узнаваемы, и лёгким движением колёсика (или тач-зоны) мыши можно легко приблизить их для детального рассмотрения. Впечатление портит разве что мелкий плохочитаемый шрифт. Ещё один прокол - игра не имеет под собой бумажной основы, не имеет своего глубоко проработанного мира. Это не критически важный фактор, хотя он был бы плюсом. Такую ситуацию можно было компенсировать грамотным пиаром, однако авторы забили гвоздь в крышку и похоронили своё творение. Онлайн мёртв - и этим всё сказано. Уровень ИИ оценивать не буду, для этого нужно сыграть не один десяток партий и полностью освоиться в игре. [b]Итоговый результат[/b] Игровой интерес - 5 Графика и дизайн - 6 Музыка и озвучка - 6 Концепция игры - 6 Реализация игры - 5 Общая оценка игры - 54 / 100. [b]Вердикт[/b] Для фанатов ККИ, которые уже наигрались во всё остальное и хотят провести долгие зимние вечера за спокойными вдумчивыми партиями против компьютерных противников.

Draconian Wars is a unique and very innovative experience in the niche world of CCG's. It takes place in the fictional world of HyperBorea - a world now ruled by dragons. After having been oppressed and forced from their homelands, humans return with a vengeance and many a technological wonder. In an attempt to take back that which was stolen the Draconian Wars begin. The two factions, Dragons and Technocrats both have unique sets of cards that can be supplemented with the third Neutral faction to create interesting, synergistic deck combinations and strategies. Dragons feature large units, brute force and magical spells to overcome their foes in air and on land. The Technocrats on the other hand use their immense knowledge of engineering and technology to dominate their battles using fantastic weaponry. The way you play the game will most likely be dictated by the kind of player you are in other video games and CCG's. If you are someone who enjoys playing aggressively and likes to have dominance over the board you will most likely enjoy the draconians. They have massive units and spells to pump up their creatures to make them even stronger. They also have a couple of tricks to weaken enemy units in combat with them, deal direct damage but ultimately have very straightforward and readable tactics. If you are the kind of player who likes to look at a losing situation from all sides, manipulate the battlefield, the combatants and completely change the outcome of a game then the technocrats are for you. They sport slightly weaker units overall but they have incredible abilities and cards that played correctly make you feel as if you are always the one pulling your opponents puppet strings. Your cards are everything in this game - literally. They act as your life total and resource count to play cards from your hand. The claim that this is one of the most strategic card games is not at all a lie - Having played my fair share of them, this is easily one of the top contenders. Everything you do in this game must be executed carefully and with great precision because knowing how to manage your resources properly while maintaining cards in your hand and board advantage calls for a balancing act that only experienced players will achieve. There are some bugs that still need ironing out, but the the devs have been very active on the community hub and everything that was brought to them so far they have either acknowledged or fixed in a patch. That said, Draconian Wars has a thoroughly steep learning curve and it will take many hours before you feel even remotely comfortable with all of the different mechanics. If you dedicate the time though, the game is quite rewarding! Great game, great devs and a growing community of strategists, tinkerers and fun individuals!

What an unmitigated disaster of a game. The tutorial sessions do a good job of laying out the rules of the game, only to have every skirmish fail to follow them. I want to move some units during my movement phase. Skipped! Why? I don't know. I had points to spend and units capable of being moved .... I have a card that costs nothing and can be played during any phase that will stop an opponent from initiating combat where he's just summoned two units. He summons two units to kill my sole unit, so I pause to play the card. Nope. Can't. Why? I don't know. I unpause and let it continue, expecting it to let me use it before the opponent initiates combat. Nope. Combat time. Why? I have no idea. Turn 2, opponent plays an 8 cost unit despite only having 5 to spend. How? No idea. Didn't play anything to boost his points as far as I can see. I have played dozens and dozens of card games and this is the first time where I can honestly say I have no idea what's going on from turn to turn. Not because I didn't understand the rules as they were explained to me, but because the game clearly doesn't follow those rules. And I'm not going to waste the time necessary to figure out what's going on in a game that doesn't seem all that interesting or innovative to begin with.

I salute the people who have mastered this program and find it enjoyable. I found it gratuitously complicated and more akin to mastering the latest corporation productivity software than playing a game. I went into the program with high hopes. The artwork on the cards is good, the presenting lore was engaging and I've enjoyed other fantasy-based card games on Steam such as Magic the Gathering and Spectromancer. In fact the layout is very reminiscent of MTG which may have helped lull me into a false sense of familiarity. My first trepidation came during the tutorials. Guidance such as "Moreover, your Life Drainer here has 'Extract 2' and the Albino Sorcerer has 'Extract 1'. The Extract X modifier allows you to increase the effect of your extractions." is the norm as variables are abruptly piled on top of other variables in a triumph of complexity over depth. There's no drawing you in in small doses. It's quantum field theory from the first hello. I still might have given the program a qualified thumbs up but then after persevering through to a modicum of proficiency and investing a few nights, I realized the fun factor was just not there for me. So props to the folks who've mastered Draconian Wars and find it a deep strategic card game. Alas, I'm not one of them.

Interesting game to say the least... I would definitely recommend this game to any fan of card based battles and tactics.. Being new this game had some rough bugs but most have already been solved very fast from the devs. I've played so many battles now. The mechanics of the game posed as a very steep learning curve, but it offers alot of strategy. All the cards are available to the player from the start but cost in game gold which can easily be earned through battling the ai. The shop is all random and you can shuffle the options of cards available, free of charge, to find the card your searching for with the possibility of a unique, sparkling, more expensive version. I have high hopes for this game. I feel that it offers a more controllable strategy than other card games. Whether you build up several large armies to slowly drain the land of resources or dedicate your resources to hit squads to severly wreck a small enemy army. Either way, Every turn brings more and more to the table to take notice of.

Draconian wars is a rewarding card gaming experience that will certainly scratch that the itch of your inner strategist. Unfortunately plagued by a couple of bugs at the time of this review but this and the games relatively small scope can be forgiven for its low price point ($5 at the time of this review). You can watch me go through some of the game's features and game play here: [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFvJJWQoSQk]Check Out: Draconian Wars[/url] [h1]GAMEPLAY[/h1] The game might disappoint some who are hoping for another Magic The Gathering or Hearthstone analogue as, while it is a card game, it's gameplay and format differs from the relatively more fast paced aforementioned games. I myself am reminded more of two games when I play this: Smash Up and Battle Tech. Smash Up mainly for the objective based aspect of the game where you are playing for control of areas as a pathway to victory and Battle Tech (an old card game that is now out of print) for the two asymmetrical factions to build your deck with: One more strategic and tricky and one with more powerful units. In this case the Technocrats and the Draconians. You also have the ability to splash in the neutral mercenaries or natives for more varied play styles and more interesting deck building. Like I mentioned before, the gameplay is a bit slower and more deliberate than Magic or Hearthstone while the difference is not so pronounced as this, I would use the difference between an RTS and a MOBA as an analogy between the two: both can be fast paced but in one there is a lot more factors to take into account and micromanagement to be done which will leave you finding that you spend a long time deliberating on the best course of action. This is exacerbated by the fact that the way combat resolves is hard to get your head around in the beginning. This could just be my experience with the game but I find there is a couple of issues with the pacing; in my games the outcome of the match was often decided in the first few turns and I would find myself unable to do much more than slow the hemorrhaging for the rest of the match. Most of my cards felt largely impotent and I felt like I couldn't do anything to significantly alter the outcome of the game past the first couple of turns. Don't get me wrong though, I still very much enjoy this game and I did have some legitimately close matches and most likely my inability to fight the opponents momentum is largely due to my inexperience with the mechanics of the game which leads nicely into the next section: [h1]LEARNING CURVE:[/h1] The tutorial is disappointingly bare bones and Kardfy appears to have gone with a very 'throw them in the water and they will learn how to swim' outlook for the most part. I found after completing the tutorials I still didn't understand many of the mechanics, and my first couple of matches with AI opponents I found frustratingly difficult and unable to follow what was happening. A little perseverance however and I started to feel a more and more rewarding sense of achievement when I managed to make a plan and see the outcome actually turn out how I expected! So for people looking to play this game I say this: Don't let the difficulty curve turn you off, as the complexity of the game only belies the potential for meaty meta game and a high level of strategic possibilities! [h1]CARD POOL:[/h1] At the time of this review there is only 140 cards, so with a deck of 50 cards and two factions precluding each other in a deck means that at the moment there is less option for deck building than I would like to see. But the game is $5... so still a good deal... [h1]ONLINE PLAY:[/h1] At the time of this review there is very few people playing online, I didn't see any matches taking place any time I have checked it, but as the game has only just been green-lit hopefully this will increase! [h1]THE SHOP:[/h1] [b]THERE ARE NO REAL MONEY MICRO TRANSACTIONS.[/b] You can buy all the cards with in game credits won from playing matches. They chose a strange model for the shop where you are shown 10 random cards, and can then press 'more' to see another ten random cards. You can click 'more' as much as you want and eventually you will come across the cards you were looking for... which begs the question: Why don't they just let you search through all the cards to buy what you want, after all, currently the only barrier to you not getting that card is a little patience and needless frustration. [h1]CONCLUSION:[/h1] While it may seem like I complain about a lot of elements of the game I must say all things considered I did enjoy it and there are some things that it does do 'right'. I would describe Draconian Wars as a rough diamond, currently it isn't as polished as it could be, but there is great potential for them to increase the scope of the game, add more cards and tighten up the issues. You will find $5 is definitely a worthy price for the current amount of content, and an great investment in the potential for the future of this game.

This should be quite a good game - you have a collectible (purely through playing the game) card game with some pretty innovative gameplay - your "mana", life, spells, troops, equipment and the fortunes of war are all represented by the one pack of 50 cards chosen from your collection. There are two sides, the Technocrats and the Draconians, as well as some shared neutral cards both can use, and things are pretty well balanced and interesting, with a number of different viable deck builds that can be put together as you accumulate more cards. Playing a battle is fairly straightforward generally, although the combat system takes a little getting used to, there is one main issue I have here which is when your opponent attacks you, you have very little time to react and choose cards whereas when you attack you have no time limits at all - I think there is a pause to stop the timer but I never remember it. Particularly when playing the AI this seems unnecessary, especially given when it is your turn certain cards you have in play that have abilities you can activate then on your turn the turn progress stops every step of the way and you have to manually advanced, but then when it switches to the AI turn it just whizzes through without stopping most of the time. Still this is a relatively minor quibble with the control system. So the main problem - AI freezing. Repeatedly while playing through a battle, and with no clear pattern, you fire off an ability, or launch an attack, or the computer has to produce at the beginning of the turn, and the computer just stops an thinks about it for minutes, probably forever. The only option you have is to concede the game, no matter how close you were to winning. If this happened very rarely, it would be very annoying, but given it has just happened 3 out of the last 5 games I have played, it really makes the game impossible to recommend (and fixes seem very unlikely at this point).