Yesterday the Walken team did our very first live stream and proudly unveiled the dynamic gameplay of Isle Clashes. No need to mention that the Community enthusiasm about the upcoming feature truly blew us away, and we’re so grateful for all your questions and suggestions.
Though we couldn’t cover every question in the jam-packed, almost 2-hour session, all comments were meticulously collected and considered post-stream. Today we’re following up on them in this article hoping that it might be of help for those who missed the live stream or those eager to delve deeper into Isle Clashes. Here’s your backstage pass to all the insights and intricacies of the feature, ensuring your Cathletes step into their first team battle brimming with confidence. Enjoy the read!
Island Insights
Question 1: Is it possible to upgrade or level up an island?
🗯️ At the moment, there’s no upgrading or improving mechanics for Islands; they come as they are. However, we’re all about possibilities! In the future, we might explore options like this, but only if it brings meaningful value to our players and aligns sustainably with the economy. We’re dedicated to enhancing the Walken experience, and if this feature fits the bill, we’ll surely consider it down the line.
Question 2: Why don’t islands have names?
🗯️ That’s a nice one! Islands in Walken only have IDs, like items. We believe that names should be given to CAThletes only in the game. They are the stars of the show, your digital pets, walking pals that you hold dear, right? Islands serve more as properties or assets within the game, each with its unique set of characteristics rather than individual entities deserving of names. While they lack specific names, islands are distinguishable by their distinct characteristics, allowing players to recognize and choose among them based on these features — and IDs.
Question 3: Will the themed islands appear in the future? For example, holiday-themed collections of islands, similar to clothing collections for Cathletes?
🗯️ That’s a really lovely idea, thanks a lot for sharing! We are already thinking about Christmas activities, and this suggestion is certainly worth considering.
Question 4: How you will introduce more isles, by Lootbox lotteries only?
🗯️ That’s correct! Currently, lootboxes are the primary source of acquiring new islands. However, based on the community’s reception and interest in the feature, we’re open to exploring additional methods in the future. Island crafting could be one of those potential avenues, but we’re eager to see how the community embraces this feature before diving into further development.
Inside Isle Clash Mechanics
Question 5: Why are there 4 genes, if only 2 are needed in the game? Will landscape and land genes be further involved in the game mechanics?
🗯️ That’s a query we frequently receive. Essentially, our current perspective on island design centers around incorporating all the genes but assigning 2 of them an extra role. An island lacking a landscape or scenery might feel a bit incomplete, wouldn’t you agree?
Although the building and tree genes hold sway over booster and debuff power, thereby boasting relatively higher value, the remaining genes can potentially elevate an island’s rarity — resulting in more energy and faster cooldown. This could be a game-changer, as you’ll soon discover! In the future, the two genes currently without additional influence may be leveraged for other mechanics. However, let’s wait and see how it unfolds!
Question 6: How will opponents be selected for the Isle Clashes? Can an uncommon island face off against a legendary one? Or is it only uncommon against uncommon, legendary against legendary?
🗯️ Let’s dive into matchmaking. It’s not centered on islands but rather on the teams themselves. We’ve established various reward tiers, each with specific team CAThleticism range requirements for participation. This means you could potentially face off against a team with islands of a different rarity, making the competition diverse and exciting!
Question 7: Are there Cathleticism ranges for participating in Isle Clashes?
🗯️ Yep, just like in Duels. Instead of individual CAThleticism, it will be team CAThleticism this time — the sum of 5 CAThletes’ CAThleticisms.
Question 8: Are stat coefficients applied in disciplines?
🗯️ Let’s unpack the mechanics in Isle Clash, especially in comparison to Duels. Unlike Duels where coefficients play a role, Isle Clash revolves around CAThleticism. When it comes to boosters, such as the tree or Mysberry boosters and the building debuff, they exclusively impact the most effective stat within the specific discipline you’re currently engaged in. This minimizes randomness, as these boosters are tailored to enhance only the most relevant stat.
However, keep in mind that the winner is determined by the CAThlete with the highest CAThleticism score within each pair. Therefore, influencing a discipline through boosting or debuffing directly affects the overall CAThleticism score, which encompasses all CAThlete attributes.
Question 9: If 2 teams have the same Cathleticism, who takes the first turn?
🗯️ Both have a chance. In case of equal CAThleticism scores, a random player starts the game.
Buffs and Debuffs
Question 10: What if the time for choosing a booster and debuff runs out? Is the debuff randomly applied, or can you refuse to use it? Do the charges remain or expire in such cases?
🗯️ Players have 60 seconds to apply a booster and debuff in Isle Clash. Each player must use one booster and one debuff change per clash. You decide which CAThletes receive the tree booster and building debuff, but they are mandatory and cannot be omitted. If a player is disconnected or forgets to use the booster and debuff, they will be automatically applied to random CAThletes at the end of the time limit. So take your time but make sure to decide on the CAThletes before the time is up!
Question 11: Should the one who takes the first turn in the battle apply a buff and debuff first, or 2 players can apply them simultaneously?
🗯️ During the booster stage in Isle Clash, the turn sequence is irrelevant as both players apply their boosters simultaneously.
Question 12: What applies first, if the same CAThlete is selected for boost/debuff? Is it first YOUR debuff for the opponent’s CAThlete and then HIS boost? or first HIS boost, and then YOUR debuff?
🗯️ The sequence of actions isn’t relevant. The Mysberry booster is the initial action, followed by the tree booster and eventually the debuff. The final stat is boosted only once — by a combined percentage from all the boosters and debuffs, provided they are applied.
Let’s have a look at the example. Say we have a CAThlete that receives a tree booster (say 15%) and also gets debuffed by a rival (by 10%). A player has a Mysberry boost of 20%. Let’s see how it works:
- a Mysberry boost 20% plus the tree booster 15% = 35%;
- here comes the building debuff 10%, that means deduction;
- then some math is done: 35% — 10% = 25%.
And the resulting 25% that is applied to a CAThlete’s stat.
Strategies of All Sorts
Question 13: If I take the turn first, what advantages do I have in the Isle Clashes?
🗯️ When you take the first turn, your team usually possesses higher CAThleticism, offering a potential advantage. Additionally, initiating the game allows you to establish its rhythm without needing to adapt to the opposing player’s strategy.
Question 14: The first move with the highest Cathleticism is a good advantage for the second player, but isn’t it too significant? The first player takes all five turns blindly. Perhaps, taking turns would be better? 1/3/5 — the one with a bigger Cathleticism score, 2/4 — the one with a smaller Cathleticism score?
🗯️ Thank you for your input! Both designs are possible, but we’ve opted for a gameplay style where the player who takes the first turn continues to do so throughout the game. This decision aims to enhance consistency and make the gameplay experience a bit smoother. Moreover, having a higher CAThleticism score than your opponent can be an advantage in itself, so being the first to play cards in all five rounds helps balance this advantage.
In any case, we’re completely open to feedback. As we roll out the feature and gather insights from players, we’ll consider potential changes based on the feedback we receive. Your input is invaluable in shaping the Walken experience!
Question 15: What unusual strategies do you expect to see from players in Isle Clash mode, and how does your team plan to deal with unexpected tactics?
🗯️ Absolutely! We’re thrilled to see the strategies and tactics you’ll employ in Isle Clash. However, if by unexpected tactics you’re referring to cheating, please note that we are committed to promptly identifying and preventing any such patterns to ensure a fair and enjoyable gaming experience for everyone.
Isle Clashes as part of Walken universe
Question 16: Will the Isle Clashes appear in the Weekly Quests?
🗯️ It sounds exciting! We’re actually planning a major Daily Quests revamp since Walken has changed quite a lot since the quests were designed. The revamp should align the Daily Quests with the new mechanics and experiences within Walken, ensuring they remain engaging and aligned with the overall gameplay. This update will likely integrate a variety of existing features to make the quests more diverse, challenging, and rewarding. Keep an eye out for these changes — it’s going to be an adventure!
Question 17: Will Isle Clashes influence rankings?
🗯️ Initially, Isle Clash won’t factor into the Rank calculations. It’s a deliberate choice for the initial release, and we’ll closely monitor its impact and reception. Future adjustments might include incorporating the clashes into the Rank calculations, depending on the feedback and overall impact on the game’s ecosystem.
So far one of the requirements for Rank is a certain number of duels, not clashes.
Question 18: How will victories in the Isle Clashes be counted for Duel Tournaments? Will it be counted as 1 or as 5, or only those who won in the card battles? Will this somehow affect the win rate percentage? Please clarify how losses in Isle Clashes will influence the win rate.
🗯️ Presently, we only have the Duel Leaderboards, and as such, Isle Clashes won’t have any impact on it. However, in the future, there’s a possibility of introducing specialized Isle tournaments. But the two modes won’t get mixed in one leaderboards for sure.
Question 19: Will there be a weekly tournament in this mode, as done in regular PvP, with jars as rewards?
🗯️ As mentioned, the options are (nearly) limitless. So, if players find Isle Clash engaging and the reception is positive, we’d be delighted to introduce a weekly tournament and leaderboards.
Triumphs, Losses, Rewards
Question 20: Will there be any rewards for losing — Mysberries, Textile, or something like “land” or”seeds” to later craft islands?
🗯️ Currently, this mechanic isn’t in place, but it might be considered in the future.
Question 21: If there’s no division into leagues, won’t it be the case that players with regular islands will consistently have a win rate of less than 50% over time? In that case, the value of islands would diminish. Thank you.
🗯️ As far as I can see, league restrictions and win rates below 50% aren’t directly related in this context. The competitions are structured based on CAThleticism score restrictions, which ensures that the variance in team CAThleticism falls within a specific range. Thus, the Leagues aren’t relevant in this setup yet the range of possible CAThleticism differences is still regulated.
Question 22: Will prize tokens be allocated for islands, or will the Clashes be self-sustaining like duels?
🗯️ Similar to duels, this mode is structured to be self-sufficient. The rewards will be funded through the entry fees in Mysberries.
Question 23: How high can the rewards be? How many different tiers will we have?
🗯️ Stay tuned for the Isle Clash release to discover the entry costs and rewards! However, before it goes live, I want to emphasize that the initial configuration we’ll have on the release day might require changes. This adjustment will likely be necessary once real players test it out and the diversity of participating teams becomes apparent.
Question 24: How many reward tiers there will be?
🗯️ Most likely 5. Yet please wait for the release to see!
Functional Nuances
Question 25: With only 7000 islands, will there be enough opponents for everyone? How long will one have to wait for an opponent at maximum?
🗯️ We’ve done the research and the first 7000-island drop is based on the current player’s potential to join the Clashes. However, if the need becomes clear (for example, players who own islands won’t show up or would prefer to put their islands up for sale) and we’ll see that there’s a matchmaking issue, another drop is possible. As for the time to be matched with a rival, it will obviously depend on the online at the time, but ideally it shouldn’t take longer than 60 seconds. We’ll be closely monitoring and adapting based on how things unfold :)
Question 26: If the connection is lost during an Isle Clash, what will happen? Will the battle be automatically lost?
🗯️ Not quite, we’ve placed special attention to this aspect. If one or two players get disconnected during a Clash at any moment after they got matched, the Clash continues in an autoplay mode. CAThlete pairs and boosters will be played at random.
Question 27: Is it possible for me to be matched with the same enemy right again? just like in current pvp?
🗯️ Understood! The likelihood of being matched with the same rival right away depends on the number of online players seeking the same reward for a Clash. In theory, yes, it’s possible to get paired with the same rival again.
Just Curious
Question 28: What was the inspiration to create this feature?
🗯️ The Isle Clash feature was inspired by the desire to introduce a new dimension of strategy and engagement to the Walken gaming experience. It aimed to offer players a fresh challenge by combining team play and PvP dynamics, enhancing the excitement within the game’s ecosystem. Additionally, the feature was developed in response to the community’s interest in exploring new game modes and engaging in competitive gameplay.
Question 29: What was taken into account, when you were setting the Isle Lootbox price?
🗯️ That’s a nice one. The major factor was the average projected return of investment to make sure that this investment of our players was not only returned but profitable. Additionally, there’s a rarity versus value aspect involved: rarer assets will be more valuable than common ones. Last but not least, we constantly consider the current $WLKN and $SOL prices, keeping them in mind throughout development.
Question 30: Can I transfer my island to my friend’s account?
🗯️ Surely as all islands in the game are NFTs and transferable via the blockchain. Yet mind the 14-day reconstruction for islands transferred outside of the Marketplace.
Hope this article was informative! As you will see this Thursday, the Isle Clash feature in Walken stands as a testament to our commitment to delivering innovative and engaging experiences to our players. It’s a unique blend of strategy, teamwork, and competitive spirit. As we embark on this journey together, we value your feedback, suggestions, and enthusiasm, all of which play a pivotal role in shaping the future of Walken. Can’t wait to see you on the islands and learn more about the strategies, alliances, and exciting battles that will unfold on these newly discovered islands.
Thursday is not just another day; it’s the day when Isle Clash becomes a reality! Your skills, strategies, and enthusiasm will shape this feature’s success. So, team up, gear up, stay sharp, and let’s make this release a moment we’ll all remember.
