Arena Season 19: Harvest of Champions

[Meeplelowda]

So no Catan Cities & Knights in arena
It has been asked so many times, it would have been so good. Why?

Because asking for it isn't how it gets selected. It has to be 1) put up for a vote by one of the Catan gurus, and 2) approved by a vote of the gurus.

Just as 7WD finally got a critical mass of gurus who could vote in Pantheon, maybe one day the same will happen for Cities & Knights.

[Vandaley]

Thurn and Taxis is on a rotation and should have rotated to 3 players.

Making sure this was flagged. The rotation language has been removed, but the vote was to keep the format (rotating between 2 and 3 players). Will you change current format to 3 players and restore the rotation language?

[FBones]

Can someone give any explanation/rationale for limiting Terra Mystica to only base game: only base map, no landscapes, no F&I factions?

It's a step backwards.

I understand if Fan Factions are still a bit too wild, but the base map is extremely tired, and none of the F & I factions are over-powered (either with or without landscapes).

[miklomike]

Have you lost the amount of pre-elite levels in that game? The XP increases per level you have to climb through.
Player counts as far as I know are only there for if top 5/10/20 are given out.
(which also increase in XP gain based on number given)

The XP is based on a hidden player count that isn't published. Each level is higher than the last but not all games give the same rewards for the same levels. In all of my examples I started each season at the same level and got to elite in the same manner as the previous seasons. They mentioned nerfing them a number of seasons ago and it happened but didn't mention anything about reducing it again.

There is also a threshold for top 3, again not publicly listed.

This is why I'm asking for transparency, so players can know what to expect if they decide to aim for elite, or know which top trophies will be awarded and how much will be awarded.

[ONLY ONES]

Thank you for all de information but can there be a morning Arena because in the evening mij had thus go sleeping and I can't play anymore.

[RicardoRix]

When making it to Elite league. For the ELO(is it called EAS?) does it matter how you get there?
Would it be best to get 0 losses? Apart from the fact that you'll get to Elite quicker.

Does everyone start at 1500? or does this carry over from previous seasons?

[Meeplelowda]

Does everyone start at 1500? or does this carry over from previous seasons?

It specifically says "EAS is reset" under "What happens at the end of the season?" in the FAQ. So unless the FAQ is wrong, everyone goes back to 1500.

But losses and wins still modify your EAS behind the scenes before your EAS is revealed upon reaching elite.

[Patrick of the Isles]

Can someone give any explanation/rationale for limiting Terra Mystica to only base game: only base map, no landscapes, no F&I factions?

It's a step backwards.

I understand if Fan Factions are still a bit too wild, but the base map is extremely tired, and none of the F & I factions are over-powered (either with or without landscapes).

This has been discussed at some length over the years in various forum threads. To briefly summarize:

1. Some players enjoy the game more with those settings. Such players may feel that base Terra Mystica, like chess, is capable of being played with the same settings in perpetuity without feeling "tired" or stale.

2. Other players feel the game with those settings is more attractive to newer players and will thus build the player base.

3. The most upvoted proposal for the season was to play on base map with fan factions, but BGA admins announced after voting had closed that they would not allow a beta option in arena mode. They previously allowed this beta option in arena mode during two past seasons, but apparently elected to chart a different course on this occasion.

[KenFin1]

Posted this elsewhere, but since this relates to Arena:

Is anyone else seeing that game Arena table pages have had the 2nd progress table removed (the right hand table that used to show a player's position and the nearest 10 people)? Now if you're not top 10 it means you have no idea where you are and who is near you in the rankings. Instead we now have a massive area devoted to "play this game now" when that was easily placed elsewhere before.

Is this change deliberate? It seems like a big step backwards to me. Yet again I find myself writing: "Is there any way we can get the old format back? It worked so much better."

[lippoe]

Thurn and Taxis is on a rotation and should have rotated to 3 players.

Making sure this was flagged. The rotation language has been removed, but the vote was to keep the format (rotating between 2 and 3 players). Will you change current format to 3 players and restore the rotation language?

I presume this never was resolved.