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A Gateway into the Past

Laurelin

Sorcerer
@Sir Derf @Herodite : It seems that not all of the small icon representations of the full-scale board game pieces are entirely correct - with the gold decoration, it seems, apparently not added to one / a few of the Figurines. Perhaps some other minor differences between full-scale and icon-sized versions of the pieces may appear too, if Inno's artists haven't simply used a scaled-down version of the large-scale graphics when creating the icon versions? But the game piece designs are so distinct, overall, that mistaking the Tiers for each other probably won't be a problem? - well, in my opinion:

Gateway_to_the_Past_Summer_Event_2022_Figurines_Graphics_01a.jpg


ETA : Here's all five of the Tier 1-5 Figurine board pieces, together with their icons, for comparison - achieving a Tier 6 takes a long time and a lot of merging of lower-Tier pieces, so I've yet to acquire one, but those - with their horns - are SO distinct that they're easy to spot:

Gateway_to_the_Past_Summer_Event_2022_Figurines_Graphics_01b.jpg
 
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Laurelin

Sorcerer
A bit of unasked-for advice about the Event mechanics:

The lower-value 'Requests' from the Dwarves are rarely the best choices - almost always, the best option is the Rare [or better] Requests with a useful chance to win one or ideally more (I've seen up to three offered as a single prize) of the Lucky Draws, which are this Event's [more complicated] version of winning back extra Event Currency from Chests [or, more probably, a Tier 5 or 6 board game piece - see image below]. As such, the 'Rare' or better-level Requests are almost always the best ones to choose - BUT - once completed, none of the Requests can be discarded, including the low-value ones, so you'll have to accept them, and thus use up the board game pieces they're asking for, in order to get new Requests. [ETA : Correction - This is NOT actually the case - please see separate post below - it's possible to discard a board piece in order to revert any 'completed' Request to a pre-complete state, so that the Request itself can then be discarded as well].

Gateway_to_the_Past_Summer_Event_2022_Lucky_Draws_01a.jpg


And while all of the above probably becomes obvious via common sense and practice with the Event, it may not be so immediately apparent that while you're spawning new pieces from the Cups and/or merging lower-Tier pieces together, in order to fulfil your chosen Request, if the right combination of pieces happens, by chance, to appear on the board, ALL active Requests which ask for those pieces - whether you'd like to fulfil them or not - will auto-complete, so you'll have to accept them (and use up the pieces they've asked for) in order to generate new Requests.

Therefore - it's important to manage the active pieces on the board carefully, with an eye on what your active Requests are asking for - with the best idea, if possible, being to immediately delete any Requests you know you won't want to fulfil, before they can 'use up' any pieces you're either trying to save and/or have yet to spawn or create via merging. And because the lower-value Requests (Common and Uncommon, usually) mainly ask for lower-to-mid-Tier pieces - which spawn more frequently from the Cups, and will also be created more frequently as you merge pieces - the chance of accidentally completing lower-value Requests is much higher than accidentally completing a higher-value Request - most of which ask for at least one Tier 5 piece and/or frequently a Tier 6 piece - which [Tier 6] can't be spawned and are acquired only via merging or from a Lucky Draw.

I hope this may be helpful info for some of us - I do like this Event's format, more than any other so far, in fact, but it does have its pitfalls... and on top of the fact that it operates, more or less, on the basis of RNG ^ RNG ^ RNG [? or more iterations of the same - I can see it's quite a few, though!], it's obviously going to be more difficult to formulate systems which can help to predict how best to earn the full Grand Prize Set.

Just as it happens, out of my four attempts so far at a Rare Request (I haven't seen any better ones yet), I've [wow!] actually won one Daily Prize already, purely by chance, but I'm not trying for Dailies in this Event because none of them really appeals to me personally. Furthermore, and although I'm no mathematician, it's fairly apparent even to me that even if one or more Dailies did appeal, the level of RNG involved in acquiring Daily Prizes would probably defeat me anyway, with my typically awful RNG luck. Even with my poor maths ability (although I do have a fair amount of experience of playing merge-type mobile games), it seems to me that it's going to be difficult for anyone to [accurately] strategise to win Dailies, especially in multiples, considering the involvement of the randomly assigned Tasks, the variation in spawned pieces from Cups plus the number of lower-Tier merges required by higher-Tier pieces, the influence of the Lucky Draws, and so on... all of which is RNG-based*.

And of course, being as RNG-favoured (?!) as I ever am, I've also managed to win a whole 5% !! PP, from this selection - any other of which I'd like:

Gateway_to_the_Past_Summer_Event_2022_Rare_Request_PP_01a.jpg


... so that's definitely tempering my desire to rejoice, too soon, about my apparent good fortune in winning that Daily Prize as well...! :D

* PS : @Sir Derf : Even contemplating the RNG odds of THIS Event makes my brain melt .... so, without asking you to do it, is it even feasible...?!

[ETA on 03rd August 2022 : Please see Correction above, first paragraph]
 
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Jake65

Sage
Previous events have had a rough cost of 25 currency per 'step' towards the main prizes.
I haven't done the maths on this event but it certainly seems more expensive per step.
The various level pieces from the cups makes the "how much currency do I need to get 260 steps" dependant on the RNG.
 

Silly Bubbles

Necromancer
Previous events have had a rough cost of 25 currency per 'step' towards the main prizes.
I haven't done the maths on this event but it certainly seems more expensive per step.
The various level pieces from the cups makes the "how much currency do I need to get 260 steps" dependant on the RNG.

Based on what players said on Beta, the event is quite doable and number of people got full set and more. I think that because we get less currency this time around but get more per currency, it skews the currency per 'step' average comparison.
 

Sir Derf

Adept
The lower-value 'Requests' from the Dwarves are rarely the best choices - almost always, the best option is the Rare [or better] Requests with a useful chance to win one or ideally more (I've seen up to three offered as a single prize) of the Lucky Draws, which are this Event's [more complicated] version of winning back extra Event Currency from Chests [or, more probably, a Tier 5 or 6 board game piece - see image below]. As such, the 'Rare' or better-level Requests are almost always the best ones to choose - BUT - once completed, none of the Requests can be discarded, including the low-value ones, so you'll have to accept them, and thus use up the board game pieces they're asking for, in order to get new Requests.


* PS : @Sir Derf : Even contemplating the RNG odds of THIS Event makes my brain melt .... so, without asking you to do it, is it even feasible...?!

Question - can you expand a little more about the BUT you described above? I'm already cheesed by not being able to discard an offer you don't like if you coincidentally happen to have all the pieces to accept the offer, but what I think you're describing there is different.


Also, if you want a fun read now that the event has started, look in the thread in the Beta section for this event. I did do some math, attempting to come up with nominal relative costs for the various pieces, or coming up with the odds for how many draws it might take to be reasonably assured of getting a piece you wanted. It's a pain in the neck.

Oh, and if you are RNG-favored, this is the Event for you. There are 6 different aspects of this Event that involve the RNG...
 

Laurelin

Sorcerer
@Sir Derf : Thanks for the reply! :)

Question - can you expand a little more about the BUT you described above? I'm already cheesed by not being able to discard an offer you don't like if you coincidentally happen to have all the pieces to accept the offer, but what I think you're describing there is different.
Sure - what I meant was that not only will any Request auto-complete if you happen to have the pieces it's asking for on the board at the point when it [the offer] first appears, i.e. when the 30-minute Request timer expires, which I think is what you're describing here (?) - but this also happens even if you create or spawn the relevant pieces after the offers are already active and waiting to be completed.

An example taken from my current situation : I'm working towards completing (a) a Rare Request asking for T5 Figurine - T5 Tool - T3 Die. Also currently on offer is (b) a Humble Request asking for T1 Figurine - T5 Tool - T1 Die. I already have the T5 Tool which they both require. If I were to spawn [and/or merge if applicable] enough pieces to [unintentionally] complete the T1 Figurine and the T1 Die requirements of (b) the Humble Request before completing the T5 Figurine and T3 requirements of (a) the Rare Request, then (b) the Humble Request would auto-complete first.

At this point I had thought - wrongly - that I would have to accept it - thus using up the pieces concerned, which isn't what I want to do right now.

However : This isn't actually the case. I've just experimented a bit and, much though it's painful to discard any spawned pieces, if an unwanted Request does [seem to] auto-complete, this is in fact only a cosmetic appearance - it can actually be reverted at any time to an uncompleted state - and then discarded as normal - by using the 'Dustbin / Trash Can' icon to discard one of the board pieces which are currently counting towards its progress - as well as any other identical same-Tier pieces which may also be on the board [ETA : or alternatively, merge upwards one of the pieces currently counting towards the 'completed' Request, so that it [the Request] is no longer complete, and no pieces are lost].

Also, if you want a fun read now that the event has started, look in the thread in the Beta section for this event.
Yes indeed - it was better [for players] when there was a small chance to spawn the Tier 6 pieces, but worse because each attempt cost 5 Chips, not 4.

I did do some math, attempting to come up with nominal relative costs for the various pieces, or coming up with the odds for how many draws it might take to be reasonably assured of getting a piece you wanted. It's a pain in the neck.
I will take your word for it!

There are 6 different aspects of this Event that involve the RNG...
Does this include the random manner in which the Requests appear...? I'm guessing that you would have included that, but just thought I'd ask?

Thanks again for even having a look at this one - it must be amazingly complicated - and also : it's occurring to me that the best [or at least simplest - concentration-wise] way to win the most Lucky Draws, without too many added complications possibly caused by lapses of attention due to the usual pressure to complete Quests, Tournament, Spire, etc. while trying to merge items efficiently, would be to wait until the last couple of days [to allow time for the Request cool-downs without paying Diamonds to reset them] and then spend all of one's Dwarven Chips at once, strategically using any Lucky Draws won, and using the 'Re-roll' option to try to win one's choice of Dailies [as well as the Grand Prizes] if applicable - or am I wrong here...?

[ETA on 04th August 2022 : Please see above, fourth paragraph]
 
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Laurelin

Sorcerer
@Sir Derf : Addendum : Two charts have now been independently posted by players on the US Forum, giving a breakdown of 'best value Requests' for Dailies etc. (I won't re-post them here - they're not my creations, after all, and I'm also not very sure they are fully accurate, especially because they seem to disagree with each other mathematically in some respects - and this is not intended to be read as any criticism of either of the two authors, of course). Please see the US Forum Event Discussion thread to have a look at the charts, if you'd like to - and there is also at least one link to a spreadsheet showing the underlying calculations, which I haven't even looked at, since I won't understand it anyway.

However, on closely reading the Lucky Draw Tooltip (below), I'm not sure that the way in which Lucky Draws work even allows for a true [as opposed to 'well enough estimated to be useful'] breakdown of the best value Requests ? - especially because the Lucky Draw description seems to be missing [what I would think is] some necessary info about the precise odds of winning specific rewards. To aid in explaining what I mean :

Gateway_to_the_Past_Summer_Event_2022_Lucky_Draws_01a.jpg

  1. Within the stated 75% chance to win a Game Piece, the actual likelihood of earning either a Level 5 or a Level 6 Game Piece appears not to be defined - even though a Level 6 piece is MUCH more valuable than a Level 5 - and either one may even have a significant, yet also differing, influence upon whether a player might be able, by using the 'free' Level 5 or 6 piece they have won [and which cost a lot of Chips to merge], to earn another Lucky Draw, and so on and on, presumably infinitely; and

  2. Within the stated 25% chance to win additional Dwarven Chips, the same problem is present; there is no definition of how much extra Currency will actually be won - it's obviously min. 50 and max. 100, but no exact figures are stated, and in fact it's not even clear whether the meaning implies 'exactly 50 or exactly 100', or might extend to include one or more other amount(s) between those two limits as well.
Of course, either or both of these points might be no more than a case of obscure phrasing on Inno's part, and my own best guess is that the meaning of both statements is meant to imply a definite choice between 'either only A or only B', with an assumed equal 50-50 chance of either outcome occurring - but if that is NOT the case, can the true odds attached to Lucky Draws even be calculated at all...? (Again : this is not a request to attempt to do so, of course - just a theoretical question!).

I wish I understood probability... and Inno-speak...!
 
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Sir Derf

Adept
1) Okay, thank you for clarifying. You are describing the same thing that was mentioned just a little earlier. I was getting confused by what you were referring to as "auto-complete", but mainly by what you meant by "...once completed, none of the requests can be discarded..." which made it sound a matching offer for one prevented the discard of all and not just that one. You were not describing a 1-for-3, but a 1-for-1.

2) I've seen @Jackluyt give a breakdown of the Lucky Draw odds somewhere else in this forum.

3) I'm pursuing a strategy that has better usefulness in this event than earlier ones. My goal is to focus on what I think is the better Lucky Draw offers for Lucky Draws, and a couple of the other Offers for the non-Daily rewards (Like the Pet Food). In earlier events, if you were given a slate of chests where you did not like any of the rewards, you still had to open one of them. Here, if you don't like all three choices, you can, at no cost, trash and replace them for others. In past events, you could prioritize certain chests; in this event, you can guarantee opening only preferred chests. In order to pursue this strategy, I need to be playing continuously, and not wait for the last couple of days. To maximize the ability to trash unwanted offers, every half-hour counts.
 

BlueSoul

Seeker
I don't count beans (aka stats) in this game, real life's too short & complicated enough! - I simply try to enjoy all aspects of the game, but this event is TOTALLY REFRESHING - a little bit of strategy, a little bit of planning, a little bit of chance, and a really nice array of useful goodies along the way. Well done to the devs :)
 

Laurelin

Sorcerer
I don't count beans (aka stats) in this game, real life's too short & complicated enough! - I simply try to enjoy all aspects of the game, but this event is TOTALLY REFRESHING - a little bit of strategy, a little bit of planning, a little bit of chance, and a really nice array of useful goodies along the way. Well done to the devs :)
@BlueSoul : Out of interest - what do you mean by "a little bit" of strategy (in merging? in choosing Requests? or something else?) and how well are you doing so far? A member of my FS has reported spending ~300 Dwarven Chips [Event Currency] to win 4 x Red Gems [Triumph Gems?], which he found so disappointing, in terms of the obviously very high cost of progress, that he has currently lost interest in further engagement.
 

Jake65

Sage
@BlueSoul : Out of interest - what do you mean by "a little bit" of strategy (in merging? in choosing Requests? or something else?) and how well are you doing so far? A member of my FS has reported spending ~300 Dwarven Chips [Event Currency] to win 4 x Red Gems [Triumph Gems?], which he found so disappointing, in terms of the obviously very high cost of progress, that he has currently lost interest in further engagement.
I'm really enjoying this format but I'm finding it really expensive to make progress on the grand prize bar.
Ignoring the dailies and looking purely at the grand prize, I've completed 35/78 quests but only have 81 gems out of 260 needed to complete the set. At this point it's highly unlikely I'll achieve that.
Previous events I could calculate how much currency was required to get to 260 which at least was a defined target.
This event it seems RNG will determine the progress.
In terms of cost per gem with my current offers, if RNG is really nasty and only gives me level 1 pieces,
1 gem offer will cost 88 chips (88 per gem)
3 gem offer will cost 128 chips (42 per gem)
4 gem offer will cost 224 chips (56 per gem)
My current 'strategy' is to focus on the cost per gem and the % chance of getting a Lucky Draw card which could give me more chips.
May the best RNG win :)
 

Silly Bubbles

Necromancer
I'm really enjoying this format but I'm finding it really expensive to make progress on the grand prize bar.
Ignoring the dailies and looking purely at the grand prize, I've completed 35/78 quests but only have 81 gems out of 260 needed to complete the set. At this point it's highly unlikely I'll achieve that.
Previous events I could calculate how much currency was required to get to 260 which at least was a defined target.
This event it seems RNG will determine the progress.
In terms of cost per gem with my current offers, if RNG is really nasty and only gives me level 1 pieces,
1 gem offer will cost 88 chips (88 per gem)
3 gem offer will cost 128 chips (42 per gem)
4 gem offer will cost 224 chips (56 per gem)
My current 'strategy' is to focus on the cost per gem and the % chance of getting a Lucky Draw card which could give me more chips.
May the best RNG win :)

Yeah, in this event you really need luck to get far and I think there's a lot of opportunities for that.
There's 60% chance that you'll get a piece higher than level 1. So even if you get level 2 on average, it doubles your chances. Also, most of the chests offer Lucky Draw cards and they will help a lot too.
From my experience, Inno aims for majority of very active players to be one building/artifact short so anything more than that requires diamonds or luck. In Beta, roughly 15% of players won the whole set.
 

zmokito

Dreamer
So, correct me if I'm wrong, but do the pieces from your board get deleted by the system? I know I had 2 pieces on my board (1 statue and 1 tool, don't remember the level) a couple days ago that I just left there to use whenever I see a prize I want. Today those pieces are gone, my game board is empty.
If this is the case, it's the worst game system Inno has thrown at us yet.
 

C-Nymph

Necromancer
So, correct me if I'm wrong, but do the pieces from your board get deleted by the system? I know I had 2 pieces on my board (1 statue and 1 tool, don't remember the level) a couple days ago that I just left there to use whenever I see a prize I want. Today those pieces are gone, my game board is empty.
If this is the case, it's the worst game system Inno has thrown at us yet.
I've seen the same thing happen. I suspect that when the turnaround for the new daily exclusive happens, the board gets swiped and the requests get renewed as well. I had saved up some pieces and a specific request, and everything was gone the next morning. Couldn't continue where I left it. So be careful when you draw your lucky draw pieces, as you might lose them overnight if you don't use them.

I'll be testing it again this night. Going to take a screenshot before I go to bed and will check again in the morning.
 

C-Nymph

Necromancer
All my pieces from 2 days ago are still there as well as the requests I have lined up.
Might be worth contacting support and checking what happened to your boards.
I checked today, they seem to have stayed the same now. Apparently this was a one-night-only bug. And I have no screenshots from that night, so I'll just leave it and continue regular business.
 
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