Strict Standards: Declaration of description_walker::start_el() should be compatible with Walker_Nav_Menu::start_el(&$output, $item, $depth = 0, $args = Array, $id = 0) in /home/thehexva/public_html/blog/wp-content/themes/Variance/functions.php on line 123 Strict Standards: call_user_func_array() expects parameter 1 to be a valid callback, non-static method sidebar_generator::init() should not be called statically in /home/thehexva/public_html/blog/wp-includes/plugin.php on line 429 Strict Standards: Non-static method sidebar_generator::get_sidebars() should not be called statically in /home/thehexva/public_html/blog/wp-content/themes/Variance/includes/m_s/multiple_sidebars.php on line 52 Hex Vault » Cryptozoic

Hex Vault - a Hex: Shards of Fate Fan Site

Blog
Reflections on GenCon 2013
HexVault
August 20, 2013
Article,Convention,Cryptozoic,Hex Vault,Hex: MMO/TCG,Hex: Shards of Fate,Interview
7

Hex: Shards of Fate

The game was amazing! The Hex UI is little buggy in places, but mostly beautiful, very responsive, and a dream to play. I was still learning (i.e. making stupid mistakes) minor things about how certain cards had been implemented and needed to be used at the Con, but I’d imagine a solid day playing in the comfort of my own home would get through most of that process.

What about the decks? I really liked the Ruby Burn deck (fast and simple), the Bunnies (so many bunnies, so much carnage!), and the Sapphire Tempo deck (I ran, ran so far away…), but I ended up being beaten enough by the Inspire-based Diamond/Ruby deck that I’d bet that it was probably the best deck of those available to us (having originally been convinced Burn Baby Burn was the way to go).

Overall, I’d be happy if Alpha was the version of the software we got to play at GenCon. But, since we’re probably 4-5 weeks away from the Alpha build, I’m betting the UI and Game will be much improved again by the time we play again.

 

 

Hex: Shards of Fate

Hex: Shards of Fate

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GenCon 2013: Interview with Dan Clark, Lead Developer
HexVault
August 19, 2013
Convention,Cryptozoic,From the Vault,Hex Vault,Hex: MMO/TCG,Hex: Shards of Fate,Interview
5

 

Dan Clark, Lead Developer

Dan Clark, Lead Developer

 

I got a chance to interview HEX Lead Developer Dan Clark at GenCon. You can catch the RAW UNEDITED (I’ll take a pass at editing it, transcribing it, and reducing the background exhibit hall noise once GenCon is over) audio on SoundCloud. We discussed a wide range of topics including:

  1. Dan’s GenCon experiences throughout the years
  2. His thoughts on interacting with the KickStarter backers
  3. How much time he gets to play/test Hex, his favorite deck types and cards
  4. Some interesting thoughts on a number of game design-related areas:
    • Novel Mechanics
    • Not letting his personal preferences impact the overall design

 

I hope you’ve enjoyed the GenCon interviews as much as I did chatting with the CZE folks. I wanted to provide Hex-related information, but I was also interested in finding out about the guys behind the game. Hopefully I accomplished that.

 

I’m planning to post a summary of GenCon today or tomorrow – check back to read that. And, as always, enter our giveaway! It takes less than a minute and you could win an iPad, flights to/from HexCon, or Set 1 Boosters.

 

GenCon 2013: Interview with a Princess
HexVault
August 16, 2013
Convention,Cryptozoic,From the Vault,Hex: MMO/TCG,Hex: Shards of Fate,Interview,PVE
9

I stopped by the Cryptozoic booth earlier today and got a chance to interview the Man, the Myth, the Legend – Mr. Cory Jones!

 

The Man, the Myth, the Legend... Mr. Cory Jones!

The Man, the Myth, the Legend… Mr. Cory Jones!

 

You can catch the RAW UNEDITED (I’ll take a pass at editing it, transcribing it, and reducing the background exhibit hall noise once GenCon is over) audio on SoundCloud. We discussed a wide range of topics including:

    1. Cory’s GenCon experiences throughout the years
    2. His thoughts on interacting with the KickStarter backers
    3. How much time he gets to play/test Hex, his favorite deck types and cards
    4. Some interesting thoughts on a number of PVE-related areas:
      • Gold Sinks
      • Rewarding players for recruiting other players
      • Spectral Lotus in PVE Tournaments

 

We’ll have more interviews from GenCon over the weekend! If you have specific questions for any of the CZE folks leave a comment and I’ll see what I can do to get you an answer.

 

GenCon 2013: Friday Update
HexVault
August 16, 2013
Convention,Cryptozoic,Hex: MMO/TCG,Hex: Shards of Fate
0

Here a few pictures from this morning at GenCon:

 

Hex League PCs

Hex League PCs

 

 

Hex League PCs

Hex League PCs

 

 

Drew and Chris (the Rock Star) adding the Twitch.tv stream Orc and Flying Sapphire decks for Hex League Play

Drew and Chris (the Rock Star) adding the Twitch.tv stream Orc and Flying Sapphire decks for Hex League Play

 

 

The Man, the Myth, the Legend... Mr. Cory Jones!

The Man, the Myth, the Legend… Mr. Cory Jones!

 

I’ll be posting an interview with Cory shortly. Enter our giveaway in the meantime! Stay tuned!

 

Other than that, the line at the Hex League is INSANE today! 3-4 times as many people as yesterday. And a huge number of non-KS players – looks like the game is starting to really take off! I managed to win another game with the Burn Baby Burn Ruby deck – so much fun to play…

  • League play just about to begin...
  • GenCon13
  • My Mushwocky was so VERY hungry... He always is... Poor, poor bunnies...
  • Playing the demo at the CZE Booth
  • New Spoiler! From the demo deck at the CZE Booth.
  • New Spoiler! From the demo deck at the CZE Booth.
  • Funktion and Ben discuss the finer points of game design...
  • CZE's Booth in the Exhibit Hall
  • CZE's Booth in the Exhibit Hall
  • Setting up the Hex League play area. A little behind schedule because of some logistics issues...
  • Sea of people just before the Exhibit Hall opened!
  • Sea of people just before the Exhibit Hall opened!
GenCon 2013: Pictures from Thursday
HexVault
August 15, 2013
Card Spoilers,Convention,Cryptozoic,Hex: MMO/TCG,Hex: Shards of Fate
4

 

Here are some pictures from GenCon, the Cryptozoic’s (CZE) booth (Hex:Shards of Fate takes center stage, but CZE’s other games are also represented), the Hex League Play area, and some gameplay screenshots (and a couple of new spoilers and a VERY hungry Mushwocky!). Notably, and as promised, Cory delivered funktion’s hug:

 

Funktion gets his KS hug from Cory

Funktion gets his KS hug from Cory

 

Hex is awesome! It’s not perfect yet, but I’d be more than happy to play it the way it is. The UI is beautiful, the gameplay was really responsive, and, with minor exceptions, it was really easy to pick up and play. I played 4 of the decks: the ruby Burn deck was a LOT of fun (and lethal) and the blood/wild bunnies were awesome (and multiplied like, well, bunnies…). Some minor bugs, and some not particularly obvious gameplay elements, but I imagine they’ll get fixed pretty quickly.

 

Difficult day for the CZE folks – all of the wireless networks were completely unusable so they had to change course and do everything using switches and ethernet cables (which they had to procure). That added up to a ~5 hour wait for some of us to actually play Hex at the Hex League area. Not quite the day many of us expected, but pretty successful by the end of the night .The CZE folks were rock stars in the face of significant adversity! It took quite an effort to get us the game, but it was well worth it in the end.

 

We’ll have much more time to take (better) pictures and post more frequent updates tomorrow!

 

Remember to enter our giveaway! Return flights to/from HexCon, and iPad, and lots of other prizes could be yours!

 

 

  • GenCon 2013 Program
Welcome to GenCon 2013!
HexVault
August 15, 2013
Convention,Cryptozoic,Hex: MMO/TCG,Hex: Shards of Fate
0

Hex Vault is at GenCon 2013!

 

Over the next few days we’ll have reports from the exhibit floor, our first impressions of Hex, and interviews with many of the Cryptozoic folks, including the man, the myth, the legend, Cory Jones!

 

Here is the “Golden Ticket” – just under 8 hours before we get to play Hex for the first time!

 

Golden Ticket

Hex TCG/MMO @ Dragon*Con!
HexVault
August 8, 2013
Convention,Cryptozoic,Hex Live!,Hex: MMO/TCG,Hex: Shards of Fate

No tags.

0

Cory and Ben are headed to Dragon*Con! Here’s the schedule of Hex-related events at Dragon*Con in Atlanta, GA (August 29th – September 2nd, 2013):

 

MMO Design 101

Description: MMO designers of Elder Scrolls, WoW, DC Universe, Star Wars: TOR, and HEX discuss building massive interactive worlds.
Time: Fri 01:00 pm

Location: Grand Salon D – Hilton (Length: 1 Hour)

 

You’re the Publisher: Kickstarting Videogames

Description: Kickstarter has made crowd-funding easy, and most of its biggest projects are videogames. Come learn about how it’s changing game development.
Time: Fri 07:00 pm

Location: Grand Salon D – Hilton (Length: 1 Hour)

 

HEX, the MMO Card Game: PvP Design

Description: HEX combines the best of trading card games and MMOs. Cryptozoic’s Kickstarter was a massive success, meet the designers to learn what’s next!
Time: Sat 04:00 pm

Location: Grand Salon D – Hilton (Length: 1 Hour)

 

HEX, the MMO Card Game: PvE Design

Description: HEX combines the best of trading card games and MMOs. Cryptozoic’s Kickstarter was a massive success, meet the designers to learn what’s next!
Time: Mon 11:30 am

Location: Grand Salon D – Hilton (Length: 1 Hour)

 

 

Hope to see some of you there! Don’t forget to enter our giveaway!

Getting Excited for GenCon!
HexVault
August 1, 2013
Card Spoilers,Convention,Cryptozoic,Hex: MMO/TCG,Hex: Shards of Fate
1

Seems like the oversized GenCon 2013 Promo Cards are ready!

Cory GenCon

 

Anyone else excited for GenCon? GAX was previously spoiled on July 12th, but can anyone make out the name of the second, previously unrevealed, mercenary?

 

Enter our giveaway! Win an iPad, flights to/from HexCon, and many other prizes!

Pre-Launch Announcement: Hex Vault
HexVault
July 7, 2013
Article,Card Spoilers,Card Strategy,Convention,Cryptozoic,Deck Archetypes,Design a Card,Design a Dungeon,Exclusives,Exploring Entrath,From the Vault,Hex Live!,Hex Online!,Hex Vault,Hex: MMO/TCG,Hex: Shards of Fate,HexCon,Interview,Kickstarter,Metagame Strategy,Off Topic,Podcast,PVE,PVP,Tournament,Vanity Card

No tags.

0

Welcome to Hex Vault!

 

Things will be a little spartan around here for the next week or so, but expect a big launch (with some incredible giveaways!) in the very near future.

 

I’m in the midst of putting together Hex Vault, a Hex: Shards of Fate information/fan site: blogs, articles, YouTube videos, convention reports, tournament coverage, etc. It will be a week or so before the final logos, website art, etc. are finished and the various sites launch officially, however, these are all the places you’ll eventually be able to interact with Hex Vault:

 

Website: http://www.hexvault.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HexVault

Twitter: @HexVault http://www.twitter.com/HexVault

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/HexVault

Twitch.TV: http://www.twitch.tv/HexVault

 

EDIT: Thank you, Hexizens! All of the booster-granting “Likes” have been claimed! Check out the thread on the Hex Forums to see who picked up extra boosters and/or a Slacker Backer pledge.

 

More to come… Stay tuned!