Discussion News from Beta (may contain spoilers!)

[Lelanya]

Also, I do have some hanging unanswered questions from an earlier post.

We have been asking and asking, and, asking, for better spacing of the Fellowship Adventure. Fact is, a certain CM, on another server which might have a lot to do with this thread, solicited input about why we all feel obliged to participate in the grueling challenge known as Fellowship Adventure. He got lots of answers from some of the most respected advisors, arch mages, and strategists in the game. And many of us feel that this information was fed straight to Inno's psychologist. *Believe me when I say I have a hard rein on my tongue right now*
The game needs bigger icons. It needs better coding so that the cache and lagging issues do not impact so very many players. It needs less clicks - tourney streamlining was a big step, but there needs to be more done. The mobile app has some features we have been looking for, but it has a long way to go before it achieves the 'parity' we were assured it would have.
This is a roundabout way of saying, that I am an Archmage with a long memory, a lot of good teachers and role models, and I try to pay it forward. A lot of folks talk to me however I do not maintain the same correspondence as I have in the past. But I am not on the 'Honour Guard', as the Support team was called when I joined the game. Sorry Sir Derf, perhaps you will have to make a Beta city, or a Forge of Empires city, to play the Halloween events and find your own answers, for I am a busy lady with 2 wonderful fellowships to run, not to mention a few others I advise. Happy Halloween!! And Happy Thanksgiving to all us Canadians who will be spending less time than is desired with family.

 

[Sir Derf]

Thank you for that, but I think you missed my, admittedly vague, statement that you quoted.

My hanging questions were ones that I posed to the Beta players for more specific descriptions/details on the way this Halloween event is played. Things like a clearer explanation of what triggers the scrolling of the grid, and an approximation of how often they find chests and cats per total misty/cleared squares. I want the spoiler news from the Betas.

 

[Lelanya]

Yeah, I know. And you may have to play the event yourself, hon, we are all a wee bit busy just now.
The scrolling is tripped by opening clear squares, with the candles, lanterns and such.

 

[Herodite]

@Sir Derf I understand your need to discuss the mechanics of the Beta Event and whilst I would always suggest using this thread for this, I will ask if you are able to raise a separate thread (with major spoiler alerts) to get into the nitty gritty! I can't guarantee a yes, but I will always ask

 

[Pauly7]

My hanging questions were ones that I posed to the Beta players for more specific descriptions/details on the way this Halloween event is played. Things like a clearer explanation of what triggers the scrolling of the grid, and an approximation of how often they find chests and cats per total misty/cleared squares. I want the spoiler news from the Betas.

I'm looking for the post where you asked these questions... You may need to resend them.

The scrolling of the grid is triggered when you reveal a square on the far right column. This can be done with a candle or with a flash flask. Note, the lanterns, by their nature, don't ever make the grid scroll because there isn't a point where you would ever be able to use one on the furthest right column.

The frequency of 'chests' is hard to answer. In any given grid of 48 squares I would expect there to be about 3 of them. That's a very rough guess. Of course there isn't ever a point where all of the 48 squares I am looking at will be revealed. You can do the maths on this, but my feeling is that it is not efficient to go back and reveal miscellaneous squares that have been left 'misty' unless you can see something behind them that you want. As the grid keeps scrolling the most important thing is to reveal the most amount of squares possible at once. I figure it's better to leave the random ones behind as there's no reason to assume you will miss out compared to the next batch that you would miss uncovering. I wonder how many people are OCD enough to want to clear every square they see though. I expect there's quite a lot.

 

[Sir Derf]

Thank you. I'll look back and repeat any of my questions that have been skipped.

That response explicitly clarified the scroll trigger - I had asked because the initial response was vague from it's wording and my understanding at that time. The forcing of a single misty square off the right of the screen scrolls to bring that misty square into view. Got it.

If I understand correctly, there is a chance that a lantern can trigger a scroll. If the lantern misty-fies a dark square in the last column that is one of the random free cleared squares, then that square will misty-fy an off the screen square and scroll. You can't plan on it, but it could happen. Same thing with candles and lanterns that you don't expect to illuminate off the screen; they might.

I need to ponder a little on the efficiency of searching every square. Using your proposed 3 per 48, or 1 in 16... Hhhhmmmmm. On the one hand, spending a single candle to identify a single square is less efficient than using that candle in another area where it could expose 2, or 3 squares. On the other hand, each failed square lowers your success percentage by a small amount, while each found item raises by a good chunk. I think the second thought is a fallacy in operation, though. I'm leaning towards logic saying, unless all your options available at the moment are single square reveals, it is better not to chase one-offs in cul-de-sacs.

 

[Sir Derf]

3 in 48 odds for chests... similar for cats? So about 6 in 48, or about one per row per full screen, for either chest or cat?

 

[FieryArien]

If I understand correctly, there is a chance that a lantern can trigger a scroll. If the lantern misty-fies a dark square in the last column that is one of the random free cleared squares, then that square will misty-fy an off the screen square and scroll.

Well spotted! You are right.

3 in 48 odds for chests... similar for cats? So about 6 in 48, or about one per row per full screen, for either chest or cat?

I can’t respond to that directly, but I can give you this info: I’m pretty sure I found more cats than chests. (As for the hard per screen numbers - I have no idea.)

 

[Pauly7]

If I understand correctly, there is a chance that a lantern can trigger a scroll. If the lantern misty-fies a dark square in the last column that is one of the random free cleared squares, then that square will misty-fy an off the screen square and scroll. You can't plan on it, but it could happen. Same thing with candles and lanterns that you don't expect to illuminate off the screen; they might.

Well spotted! You are right.

A lantern has to be used on a revealed (non-misty) square. If I'm getting this right then by its nature a revealed square should always have a misty square immediately to the right of it, which means that you can never use the lantern on the furthest right column. This is why I think the lantern never advances the scroll.

3 in 48 odds for chests... similar for cats? So about 6 in 48, or about one per row per full screen, for either chest or cat?

The 1 in 16 chance of a chest could be out, but I don't remember ever seeing more than 3 on the screen at once. Often there's only 1 or 2. Sometimes none, but then you won't ever have the whole 48 squares revealed at once, so it's hard to say.

My feeling is that cats are more frequent than this. They seem to quite often appear about 4 at a time quite close to each other. I wouldn't be surprised if you're seeing 5 or 6 cats per 48. The last ones not mentioned are bonus candles, lanterns and flasks. Any square can have one of those hidden behind and there's probably at least 6 of those hidden in the 48 squares. Also bear in mind that there are obstacles. These hinder progress as they block light sources (particularly the lantern), but they are also visible when dark, so that provides a bunch of squares that you know not to try to reveal.

 

[FieryArien]

A lantern has to be used on a revealed (non-misty) square. If I'm getting this right then by its nature a revealed square should always have a misty square immediately to the right of it, which means that you can never use the lantern on the furthest right column. This is why I think the lantern never advances the scroll.

Imagine these two rightmost columns (M=misty, D=Dark, C=clear):

CM
MD
MD
MC
MD
MD

You don’t actually see the clear square in the third row from the bottom. It shows as dark for you. I mean you see this:

CM
MD
MD
MD
MD
MD

But if you use a lantern on that clear square at the top, it will reveal also the hidden clear square and the screen will have to move to the right by one column. After using a lantern.

 

[Sir Derf]

Lantern is used on a clear square. Clear square can never be in column 8. Yes, you can never use a lantern in column 8 and misty-fy column 9 directly.

But...

You can use a Lantern in column 7. The lantern will misty-fy squares in column 8. If one of those squares in column 8 is a free clear square, then that square in column 8 will be made clear, and will misty-fy a square in column 9, causing a scroll. You don't know when this will happen, but it can, occasionally.

 

[Pauly7]

OK I get you. So you are saying that some of the squares just don't have mist in them, so they go straight from dark to revealed. I assumed that it was just a random bonus of the candles that sometimes they cleared more than one square.

 

[Sir Derf]

Next topic... I haven't seen it tabulated. I haven't seen it it on this thread. I don't see any details even on my favorite early-but-tested Platinum Leaf page.

12 different chests, but what are in them? Are they like chests of the past, with an add-to-100% table of potential prizes? Does each particular chest have a fixed table of potential prizes?

I get the feeling that there are going to be a lot of gap-tooth-smiling elves wandering around, what with all the tooth-pulling I seem to have to go through...

 

[Pauly7]

12 different chests, but what are in them? Are they like chests of the past, with an add-to-100% table of potential prizes? Does each particular chest have a fixed table of potential prizes?

Yes. I haven't got a full list to hand. There may be one on Beta that I'll look for. The prizes are actually slightly different from previous events. One chest has a pet food in it. One has 4 x MM spells. The thing that strikes me most though is troops. I seem to get platoons, battalions or regiments thrown at me maybe two out of three chests.

 

[Pauly7]

And, incidentally, one of the chest rewards is a regiment (25 squads) of troops, and yet they still put out a daily exclusive again which is a 10% PP or something. #backwards.

 

[FieryArien]

12 different chests, but what are in them?

There’s complete list in this post on beta forum. It’s not the pretty version, but in your case I’m sure you’ll manage.

I think the winner this time is a chest that has 55% chance of 5 broken shard.

 

[Sir Derf]

Interesting. Most of these chests look to have a theme, ignoring the Daily Prize option.

2 chest with military options
2 chest with KP options
1 chest with AWKP options
1 chest with spell options
1 chest rune/shards

1 chest with coin/supply/Catalyst
1 chest with coin/supply/PP/AWKP
1 chest with coin/supply/military

1 chest with AWKP/spell/pet food
1 chest with AWKP/PP/rune

Assuming evenly random chance of any one chest over another, average Daily Prize odds at 12.9%.

 

[Pauly7]

Assuming evenly random chance of any one chest over another

That's the 64,000 dollar question. It may be all luck, but I've had troop instants coming out of my ears this week and I've hit a KP prize maybe twice.

 

[Jackluyt]

Here is a screenshot of the main Misty Forest main screen that you will see in the Halloween Event.
More information about the event here: https://tinyurl.com/ybkrem82

1. Event Timer
2. 5 Help Screens
3. The evolutions of the evolving building (see below)
4. Number of Magical Ingredients you have available, and + button to buy more
5. Magic Lanterns - Candles, Lanterns and Flares
6. Buy Magic Lanterns using Magic Ingredients
7. Daily Exclusive
8. Gather 20 Friendly Spirits to claim this prize
9. The next prizes in the queue

A. Obstacles - Lanterns will not clear past these
B. Friendly Spirits (that look like blue cats). You need to click on this one with a Candle to clear the fog before you can collect it.
C. This prize has been freed by a Magic Lantern - you can click on it to collect now.

Buy Candles, Lanterns and Flash Flasks in the Magic Lantern Shop, using the Magic Ingredients that you have collected from Quests and the drops on the outskirts of your city.
You can buy them one at a time, or in packages with different numbers of all three.

 

[Killiak]

Chapter 17 just released on beta

https://beta.forum.elvenar.com/index.php?threads/chapter-17-the-traders-of-unur.15676/


Edit: The third chapter in a row with waste-of-space AW.