My TCG/CCG: Beta 2
Posted: 2 Oct 2014, 3:03
Dragoona Battles is a TCG/CCG game I’ve been working on for nearly 10 years. Many of the Creature cards included in this game are taken from the storyline of a book I was writing called “Dragoona Tales: Rise of the Dark Master”. The concept as a whole basically uses themed battle zones, Creatures/Objects and places from the story.
Over the years, I’ve shaped the game itself, based upon the working backbone of other TCG/CCGs without blatantly ripping them off. Some of the elements used are inspired by games such as Yu-Gi-Oh! and apparently, Pokemon too, though I’ve never really looked into these claims. In any case, Dragoona Battles, like most other card games, requires you to either defeat your opponent by reducing their health, or by making them Deck out. That said, there are a small number of other ways of grasping victory, like how Yu-Gi-Oh! has Exodia’s instant win guarantee.
Dragoona Battles also in ways, requires the need for strategies to send certain Creatures through their evolutionary stages to become more powerful, but to also manipulate special Powerplays to affect the battle zone and the Creatures on it.
Prototype 51
But, going to back where it all started, I’ll firstly show you the game, or parts of it, in its earliest stage of infancy. The game originally consisted of 51 cards, and was made specifically as a school art project, which consisted of designing our games. So, Prototype 51 was born, and with it, some features which are still present in Beta 2, the current dev stage.
The original 51 cards, were much more plain in design, mainly due to time constraints and also used terms, which were no longer used after the end of Prototype 51. Some of which can be seen below:
- All cards used “PWR” instead of “AP”. “PWR” stood for “Power” and “AP” meaning “Attack Power”. This was changed when Creatures also gained “Defense Power” or “DP”.
- Magic cards (now known as “Power” cards) had infinite “PWR”. Cards of any sort no longer have infinite “PWR”.
- Creatures were referred to as “Monsters”.
- Creatures could be “Jinxed”. This was changed to “Disarmed”.
- Creature types were referred to as “(Type) Stone Monsters”. E.g. “Earth Stone Monsters”. Stone was a reference to the early storyline where each type of Creature were classed under a Type Talisman, which in the storyline, were made of Stone.
- The Battle Zone was known as “The Island”, which referred to the “Island of Dragoona”.
- The Crypt/discard pile, was known as “The Isle of Spooks”, which was an island from the storyline that served as a place of fallen spirits.
- Creature cards only included descriptions about their respective Creature. None had their own Powerplays.
- Power Cards were the only cards to use Powerplays.
- Prototype 51 included a “Food” type, which was discontinued after the end of the prototype. The 6 “Food” type Creatures were removed till Beta 2, with the exception of “Gassy Gut”, who was changed to the “Alien” type.
- 8 of the cards from Prototype 51 were not reproduced in Beta 1. 6 of them of course, were the “Food” type Creatures.
Here is a list of the cards from Prototype 51:
Many of the cards experienced a change of some sort between Prototype 51 and Beta 1. Mostly this was an adjustment of their AP, however a few had their names and/or images changed to nullify copyrighted material that was used solely for art project as mock-up cards. Some cards experienced a name change, simply for the fact that they sounded a little too simplistic and undescriptive.
Beta 1
Beta 1 was drawn up within the few months that followed the end of Prototype 51. There were a number of changes made to the basic card design and other changes which occurred during the production of Beta 1. The first of which happened from the card # 501 - #1000, the second of which affected cards #1001 -#1050. #1050 was the last card made during Beta 1.
The changes made can be seen below:
- Beta 1 introduces new Creature/card types:
• Forbidden
• Legendary
• Plant
• Bug
• Alien
• Nightmare
• Dreamer
• Power-Up
- Cards from Beta 1 include printed Rarities: C,UC,R,SR,GR,PR (Common, Uncommon, Rare, Silver Rare, Gold Rare, Platinum Rare.)
- Cards include printed Type names (E.g “Earth”)
- “PWR” becomes “AP”.
- All Card type Mark Letters and Type Icons become separated into their own squares.
- Card #501-#1000 include an extra printed subtype (E.g Earth/Rock, Machine/Metal, Elemental/Air)
- Cards #501-#1050 introduce the “Legendary” type.
- Cards #1001-#1050 introduce the “Dreamer”, “Nightmare” and “Forbidden” types.
Beta 2
Beta 2 was drawn up towards the end of Beta 1 and includes many new updates, some of which are updates to run with the mechanics of the game itself.
The new additions and changes to the previous Beta 1 can be seen below:
- Cards now include both an “AP” and “DP”.
- Cards now only use a Type Icon, Mark Letters were removed, as they were considered pointless.
- Creature Cards now use a printed Sacrifice Icon to show how many sacrifices are required to summon said Creature. These are shown in dot form, like that shown on a dice.
- “AP” icons have been moved to the bottom left corner, with the addition of the “DP” icon now using the bottom right corner.
- Power-Up cards have been turned into Power cards to make obsolete of an unnecessary card type.
- “Nightmare” Creatures and “Ghost” Creatures have been combined to become “Dark” Creatures, again removing an unnecessary type.
- “Dreamer” Creatures have been combined with the existing “Light” type.
- “Relic” and “Karma” Creatures have been introduced.
- “World” and “Element” Power cards have been introduced.
- Beta 2 also introduces a new rarity, "Diamond Rare", printed as "DR". Diamond Rare is now the highest Rarity, above "Platinum Rare".
Over the years, I’ve shaped the game itself, based upon the working backbone of other TCG/CCGs without blatantly ripping them off. Some of the elements used are inspired by games such as Yu-Gi-Oh! and apparently, Pokemon too, though I’ve never really looked into these claims. In any case, Dragoona Battles, like most other card games, requires you to either defeat your opponent by reducing their health, or by making them Deck out. That said, there are a small number of other ways of grasping victory, like how Yu-Gi-Oh! has Exodia’s instant win guarantee.
Dragoona Battles also in ways, requires the need for strategies to send certain Creatures through their evolutionary stages to become more powerful, but to also manipulate special Powerplays to affect the battle zone and the Creatures on it.
Prototype 51
But, going to back where it all started, I’ll firstly show you the game, or parts of it, in its earliest stage of infancy. The game originally consisted of 51 cards, and was made specifically as a school art project, which consisted of designing our games. So, Prototype 51 was born, and with it, some features which are still present in Beta 2, the current dev stage.
The original 51 cards, were much more plain in design, mainly due to time constraints and also used terms, which were no longer used after the end of Prototype 51. Some of which can be seen below:
- All cards used “PWR” instead of “AP”. “PWR” stood for “Power” and “AP” meaning “Attack Power”. This was changed when Creatures also gained “Defense Power” or “DP”.
- Magic cards (now known as “Power” cards) had infinite “PWR”. Cards of any sort no longer have infinite “PWR”.
- Creatures were referred to as “Monsters”.
- Creatures could be “Jinxed”. This was changed to “Disarmed”.
- Creature types were referred to as “(Type) Stone Monsters”. E.g. “Earth Stone Monsters”. Stone was a reference to the early storyline where each type of Creature were classed under a Type Talisman, which in the storyline, were made of Stone.
- The Battle Zone was known as “The Island”, which referred to the “Island of Dragoona”.
- The Crypt/discard pile, was known as “The Isle of Spooks”, which was an island from the storyline that served as a place of fallen spirits.
- Creature cards only included descriptions about their respective Creature. None had their own Powerplays.
- Power Cards were the only cards to use Powerplays.
- Prototype 51 included a “Food” type, which was discontinued after the end of the prototype. The 6 “Food” type Creatures were removed till Beta 2, with the exception of “Gassy Gut”, who was changed to the “Alien” type.
- 8 of the cards from Prototype 51 were not reproduced in Beta 1. 6 of them of course, were the “Food” type Creatures.
Here is a list of the cards from Prototype 51:
- Spoiler
Many of the cards experienced a change of some sort between Prototype 51 and Beta 1. Mostly this was an adjustment of their AP, however a few had their names and/or images changed to nullify copyrighted material that was used solely for art project as mock-up cards. Some cards experienced a name change, simply for the fact that they sounded a little too simplistic and undescriptive.
Beta 1
Beta 1 was drawn up within the few months that followed the end of Prototype 51. There were a number of changes made to the basic card design and other changes which occurred during the production of Beta 1. The first of which happened from the card # 501 - #1000, the second of which affected cards #1001 -#1050. #1050 was the last card made during Beta 1.
The changes made can be seen below:
- Beta 1 introduces new Creature/card types:
• Forbidden
• Legendary
• Plant
• Bug
• Alien
• Nightmare
• Dreamer
• Power-Up
- Cards from Beta 1 include printed Rarities: C,UC,R,SR,GR,PR (Common, Uncommon, Rare, Silver Rare, Gold Rare, Platinum Rare.)
- Cards include printed Type names (E.g “Earth”)
- “PWR” becomes “AP”.
- All Card type Mark Letters and Type Icons become separated into their own squares.
- Card #501-#1000 include an extra printed subtype (E.g Earth/Rock, Machine/Metal, Elemental/Air)
- Cards #501-#1050 introduce the “Legendary” type.
- Cards #1001-#1050 introduce the “Dreamer”, “Nightmare” and “Forbidden” types.
Beta 2
Beta 2 was drawn up towards the end of Beta 1 and includes many new updates, some of which are updates to run with the mechanics of the game itself.
The new additions and changes to the previous Beta 1 can be seen below:
- Cards now include both an “AP” and “DP”.
- Cards now only use a Type Icon, Mark Letters were removed, as they were considered pointless.
- Creature Cards now use a printed Sacrifice Icon to show how many sacrifices are required to summon said Creature. These are shown in dot form, like that shown on a dice.
- “AP” icons have been moved to the bottom left corner, with the addition of the “DP” icon now using the bottom right corner.
- Power-Up cards have been turned into Power cards to make obsolete of an unnecessary card type.
- “Nightmare” Creatures and “Ghost” Creatures have been combined to become “Dark” Creatures, again removing an unnecessary type.
- “Dreamer” Creatures have been combined with the existing “Light” type.
- “Relic” and “Karma” Creatures have been introduced.
- “World” and “Element” Power cards have been introduced.
- Beta 2 also introduces a new rarity, "Diamond Rare", printed as "DR". Diamond Rare is now the highest Rarity, above "Platinum Rare".
