Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Oct 15, 2024 22:30:07 GMT
I finally completed a run! It only took me the best part of 10 hours.
From memory, I had Ride the Bus, Mystic Summit, Bull, Hanging Chad, and Abstract Joker.
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Tomo
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Post by Tomo on Oct 15, 2024 22:55:52 GMT
Now the game begins!
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Post by dfunked on Oct 16, 2024 6:58:24 GMT
Had a lovely one recently with Vampire, then the joker that makes face cards into gold cards and Pareidolia turning all cards into face cards, every 5 card hand added x0.5 multi to Vampire. I've wanted that combo since I started playing. It sounds utterly ludicrous! Always get one of them late in the game when they don't really fit into whatever I've already got. |
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deez
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Post by deez on Oct 16, 2024 8:21:42 GMT
I know that is what is usually said about games like this, but is there really a huge reason to persevere? I've completed runs on 5 decks but it's quite quickly shifted from an all encompassing obsession, to an occasional dip in, which will then likely soon become never played again. There's clearly a ton of depth I'll never uncover like an enthusiast would but I feel like I've now seen enough - what am I missing? |
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MolarAm🔵
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Post by MolarAm🔵 on Oct 16, 2024 8:30:12 GMT
You unlock new decks, new Jokers, use them to try to beat more difficult stakes. It's a run-based game, there's no "reason" to keep playing it aside from it being fun. But if it's not that fun, time to stop and play something else!
Fwiw I'm also in the "play a run occasionally" camp. It's a good game, but it's not going to be a forever thing for me like, say, Into the Breach.
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Post by Duffking on Oct 16, 2024 8:41:03 GMT
I've never really thought of winning a run as beating the game in a roguelike, it's all about seeing everything the game has to offer and seeing what challenges I can reach and overcome.
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Oct 16, 2024 8:44:31 GMT
I don't see Balatro being as endlessly replayable for me as Slay the Spire was/is, but I do think I'll get a lot more mileage out of it yet.
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Post by Vandelay on Oct 16, 2024 9:04:08 GMT
Agree it doesn't have the same endless draw as Slay the Spire for me. I completed runs with all the basic decks, but haven't had much interest going back since then.
I've kind of felt that Balatro was about figuring out the right combination of jokers to get and now I've done that it doesn't hold as much appeal. Although there is possible variation of builds, it ostensibly is "get jokers with multipliers".
With Slay the Spire, yes, you are working out the combination of cards to get but there is definitely much more possible variation of builds, even with just an individual character. But, even when you do know the winning combination you still need to use it correctly. You can have the perfect build and still fuck it up. With Balatro, you get the right combo of jokers and it basically doesn't matter what you play.
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Post by gamingdave on Oct 16, 2024 9:32:10 GMT
Since installing (on Android) a couple of weeks ago I've played for 40hrs, on average 2hrs a day which is more than I play some AAA titles!
I've only 3 decks to unlock, but only just won with a Green Stake. Not delved much into the challenges but have done a couple.
Had a hand just shy of 5million yesterday, which utterly smashed the scores I had been getting up till then.
It really does open up the more you play, currently on a run on the 9th Ante and all I have been playing is 2 Pair (which normally wouldn't get a look in). But I have extra chips on pairs, a x2 multiplier on them, a +10 multiplier and +4 for even cards, a x4.25 multiplier from skipping blinds (Throwback), and then a x3 multiplier for hands played this round. Pairs are on Level6, Tow Pair on Level5, but even a High Card is scoring well if I've had to play one that round.
It'll all probably collapse on the next ante, but it's made me look at runs in a different way.
And I hardly touch Tarots (other than as cash or Joker boosters) and haven't figured out how to use Spectral's to my advantage. Similarly don't often purchase additional cards, focussing on Planets mainly.
There is so much depth, behind something so simple. Probably helps that I grew up playing cards and for a while got into playing poker regularly, but happy to say this has broken my Snap addiction and become my goto mobile game and time filler.
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mcmonkeyplc
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Post by mcmonkeyplc on Oct 16, 2024 11:57:44 GMT
Jesus alonso. I just started this and quickly lost 30 mins of my life.
Perfect for my flight next week!
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Post by dfunked on Oct 16, 2024 12:39:57 GMT
Flight? What flight?
I played it on an 6 hour train journey last month and it felt like I blinked and missed most of it.
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Post by gamingdave on Oct 16, 2024 13:05:38 GMT
Flight? What flight? I played it on an 6 hour train journey last month and it felt like I blinked and missed most of it. That was me on my first weekend. Partner was away so thought I would play some in bed with my morning coffee. All of a sudden it was 3 in the afternoon and still hadn't got up! |
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Snake
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Post by Snake on Oct 16, 2024 13:51:53 GMT
I really enjoyed beating all the challenges after I had done a couple of successful runs.
The 20th being a particularly tough one to crack...
The spectrals can really throw your run around in a good way. Forcing the same random rank for instance makes getting those "multiples of a kind" much more feasible.
Happen to get all aces? You've got the joker that gives chips and multiplier for those.
All 2s? The wee joker is there to help.
All 8s? Magic 8 ball joker.
All 9s? Cloud nine joker.
Queens? The +13 mult if they're in your hand joker
Kings? The x1.5 mult for every king in your hand
Or that one legendary joker...
Right now I've decided I want to do all stakes for all decks. I'll get bored before that I imagine, but it's a fun new challenge.
Also, not sure if it's possible, I'd like to get to the last ante.
Though I see no way of getting close to that. Maybe Anaglyph deck and a whole heap of luck, but even then I doubt it can be done...
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cubby
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Post by cubby on Oct 16, 2024 13:55:46 GMT
What's the last ante? I had no idea there was a hard end.
So to speak.
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Snake
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Post by Snake on Oct 16, 2024 15:25:43 GMT
It thought it ended at ante 16.
Points required for the boss blind are apparently... 3.4e21
That's...A lot...
Though according to the wiki apparently that's just the end of "tracked endless mode". It apparently then goes on until the number required is larger than can be represented by the system...
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Kay
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Post by Kay on Oct 16, 2024 16:10:25 GMT
So the Android version of this is the one to get, for convenience? I read it was a bit buggy at launch.
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cubby
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Post by cubby on Oct 16, 2024 16:29:57 GMT
I'm still using my homebrewed android version... I kinda prefer the ui of it to the official one.
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Post by gamingdave on Oct 16, 2024 16:35:17 GMT
I've not encountered any bugs on Android. It loads from cold very quickly, and has always saved my progress so it's easy to play a round, put it down, then pick up in the next break.
Text is small (and that's on a Pixel 8 Pro) - but then I do need glasses and hold my phone further away than I used too - I found it hard at first to quickly see the difference between the black suits, but there is a high contrast mode that makes Clubs blue (and Diamonds orange) which helps massively (to the point I never mix things up accidentally).
It also seems to be easy on the battery.
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Tomo
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Post by Tomo on Oct 16, 2024 20:00:35 GMT
So the Android version of this is the one to get, for convenience? I read it was a bit buggy at launch. PC/Steam version controls better imo, but the phone version is still really good. I don't think you'd care if you hadn't played the PC version. |
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Tomo
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Post by Tomo on Oct 16, 2024 20:02:42 GMT
I know that is what is usually said about games like this, but is there really a huge reason to persevere? As with most rogue games, I think get out of it what makes you content. I really like trying new combos of cards and Jokers in this, so quite happy treating it as a high score attack game. It has challenges if you want something more tangible in terms of achievements. But there's a good amount of game in here before you even need to get into the Challenges and whatnot. |
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Oct 16, 2024 23:19:07 GMT
Having finished my first-ever run with the blue deck, I started on the red deck this evening.
After several failed attempts, I finally cleared my second-ever run... with perhaps the most haphazard deck imaginable. It was literally all based around playing two pairs as often as possible - anything else, and I was putting up pitiful numbers.
I figured I'd be lucky to make it to ante 4, but the longer the run went on, the more nail-biting it became. Pretty exhilarating for a turn-based card game!
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MolarAm🔵
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Post by MolarAm🔵 on Oct 17, 2024 1:00:33 GMT
Had a lovely one recently with Vampire, then the joker that makes face cards into gold cards and Pareidolia turning all cards into face cards, every 5 card hand added x0.5 multi to Vampire. I've wanted that combo since I started playing. It sounds utterly ludicrous! Always get one of them late in the game when they don't really fit into whatever I've already got. I got it once, then ran into the boss that debuffs face cards. |
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Tomo
Junior Member
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Post by Tomo on Oct 17, 2024 6:14:03 GMT
MolarAmCry
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MolarAm🔵
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Post by MolarAm🔵 on Oct 17, 2024 7:30:18 GMT
It was pretty annoying, yeah. I was still able to win by selling Pareidolia, but that run was no longer broken in my favour.
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Oct 19, 2024 18:51:29 GMT
Struggling to win a run with the yellow deck, for some reason or other.
Still having fun trying!
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MolarAm🔵
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Post by MolarAm🔵 on Oct 20, 2024 9:10:17 GMT
One thing I'll say for the early game (especially the yellow deck) is that you shouldn't be afraid to not spend money at the shop. If you start earning regular interest, you can get enough money to not have to worry about being able to afford things. And that can be worth more than picking up a crappy joker in the first shop.
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Post by dfunked on Oct 20, 2024 10:03:26 GMT
Yeah, I pretty much always aim to get above the interest cap asap unless there's something irresistible in the shop. Anything above that becomes my spending money.
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Oct 20, 2024 10:27:17 GMT
I cleared a run with the yellow deck last night. Now I'm struggling with the green deck, which disables interest and can easily leave you cash-starved at every turn!
Chances are I just suck at the game, but I tend to find that if I haven't picked up at least one joker by the start of the second ante, I can't progress any further; as a result, I tend to spend whatever limited funds I have on the first Buffoon Pack I find.
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cubby
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Post by cubby on Oct 20, 2024 10:38:23 GMT
Green is actually one of the easiest of the early decks for me, as it tends to give you quite a bit more money early on if you win with one hand. You also can start spending with it from the off, unlike other decks. It's harder later into the run if you haven't found a way to make more money or a way to still be winning with 1 hand. Vouchers that give you extra hands and discards pay for themselves a lot quicker with that deck too.
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Oct 21, 2024 20:28:04 GMT
Having completed runs with all five of the coloured decks now - and thanks for the help on that front, chaps! - should I start playing around with the other decks (Magic, Nebula, Ghost, Abandoned, and Checkered), or would I be better off trying one of the higher difficulties?
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