Turn-Based Strategy

GDC Plays Pendragon with Inkle Studios

9 Takeaways from Duelyst: From Tabletop to Digital Game

• To ensure high-frequency engagement, prioritize matchmaking quality by using real-time monitoring tools to track performance metrics, aiming for a quality score above 0.5 to identify and resolve balance or algorithm issues early.
• Design for short, high-intensity sessions by setting strict constraints on match duration; the Duelyst team successfully reduced average match times from 15 minutes to under 10 minutes through iterative card tuning.
• Launch digital games on web-based platforms initially to enable rapid deployment of balance updates and patches, which allows for faster iteration cycles without requiring players to download frequent client updates.
• Improve accessibility and readability by avoiding hyper-literal card text, aiming for a budget of 30 characters per line and a maximum of four lines per card to ensure clarity for players.
• Maintain a consistent skill curve by balancing deterministic gameplay with controlled randomness, positioning the game's RNG levels between high-skill strategy games like Chess and more luck-dependent collectible card games.