Update 1.3.1

Hello everybody!

Another update is out: Call it the Avacyn Restored Improvement Update. Two weeks ago, we were only guessing about each card’s strength on the battle field (and stack ;-)), but now we have learned our lessons. We know how fast (or slow) the format really is and how each new ability works in practice. The Soulbond ability is much more “stable” than anticipated, also due to the inherent lack of removal spells in the set. And Miracle spells… well, their effects seriously affect the board, but also expect to hard cast them more often than you would hope. All in all, that is the first and main improvement that comes with this update, the revised card ratings for a more realistic drafting experience.

Also we had the opportunity to sit down with former MTG pro Sergio Salas from Barcelona in order to discuss the AI. This invaluable feedback has pointed us to a weakness in the AI, which until now ignored mana curve considerations. From now on, all AI players are attracted to drafting a “perfect” mana curve. We hope that works out well. Thanks again, Sergio!

Apart from those gameplay issues, we also fixed a rare bug that caused the booster generator to crash due to an error while loading the database. Should you be one of the very few unlucky ones, we apologize and ask you to please update to the current version 1.3.1.

And that’s it again for now. We might be offline for a month or so, but when we come back, expect to see a new sweet feature: Convert pool to deck. Select the best 23 cards, move the rest to the sideboard and add basic lands. Until then, happy drafting!

Cheers,

AweDroid

Update 1. 3 – Avacyn Restored

Hey there!

We have another update for you: Avacyn Restored drafting! With prerelease events taking place all over the world, we thought it was about time to launch an MTG Booster update on the very same day the new set hits stores shelves. And here it is, ready for drafting.

Only time will tell the real strength of each Avacyn card, so for now the simulated players pick according to their judgment of how cards will perform, without those cards having seen play ever. So, if some opponent’s picks are a bit off, please be patient. In about two weeks there will be another update to improve opponent’s gameplay, as the experience with the new set will allow us to up-rate and down-rate some of the cards. Especially the new Miracle mechanism will have to be explored.

More new features in MTG Booster: You can now freely choose the editions you want to draft. We have configured some typical presets (triple Innistrad, triple Avacyn Restored and Dark Ascension-Innistrad-Innistrad), but if you want to draft a different crazy format, go ahead.

Also we have received some complaints about booster randomness. Players have reported that the same cards keep showing up in the boosters. Truth is, we have not been able to confirm and reproduce the bug. We tested this, programming a routine that opens 1000 virtual packs and counts how often each card shows up. The analysis shows that every card in the set shows up in a frequency according to its rarity. In any case we have done some research on the topic of pseudo-random number generation and have replaced the random-generator we were using by a random-generator widely accepted as the one with most randomized results. In any case, please let us know if boosters are still un-random and in what way (repeating rares? Repeating double-sided cards? Always the same common artifact?) and we will investigate the case. 

And that’s it for now. If you have any question or suggestion, do not hesitate to write us an email. Enjoy drafting Avacyn Restored and take care.

Cheers,

AweDroid

Update 1.2.3 – FNM mode available

Hi everyone!

Two weeks ago we launched the Dark Ascension update and as we were overwhelmed by your (generally positive) feedback. But everybody asked us the same thing: Why can’t one simulate a real draft, like on Friday Night Magic, consisting of first pack Dark Ascension and second and third pack Innistrad. Well, here it is, update 1.2.3 gives you the opportunity to practice for your FNM drafts. :-) After updating the app you probably won’t notice any obvious difference. In fact, in order to draft DKA-ISD-ISD, please open the menu, click preferences and mark the “FNM mode” checkbox. That one disables the triple Dark Ascension mode, which still remains the default setting.

What else? In this new version, we revised several features to improve game play. First of all, we revised all card ratings, as experience has shown that some cards are less powerful than they first seemed and others are much more effective than initially expected. Also, the simulated opponents now draft smarter: We fine-tuned their “desire” to stick to their archetype and colors drafted so far, but at the same they are flexible enough to not constantly pass powerful cards. And lastly, we improved the booster generation algorithm. Up to now, boosters were 100% random, which meant that despite all improbabilities you could open a booster with all uncommons and rares being of the same color. That is hardly realistic, so from now on we dismiss all boosters that are color-wise unbalanced.

Unless anything goes terribly wrong, the next time you will hear from us will be at the Avacyn Restored release. Until then, please drop us a note if you have any suggestion for new features or if you have technical problems with the app and enjoy practicing for your FNM sessions!

Cheers,
AweDroid

Release 1.2 – Dark Ascension

Hello everybody, dear MTG Booster community!

A new release is out! Finally! It has taken us way longer than expected and we would like to apologize for that, but the good news is: Dark Ascension is now available for drafting.

And that is not the only new feature! It is no longer necessary to download all card images prior to first use. That means in four clicks and ten seconds you are good to go and ready for drafting. And if you prefer downloading all pictures at home where you have wireless LAN, no problem at all. Just download them all at once, using the new download service we have implemented (open the menu and click “Load card images”).

Aside from Dark Ascension, the other most notable improvement we have made in this new version is the draft algorithm itself. CPU players draft in a more realistic manner now. If you still believe that CPU players underestimate certain cards or draft archetypes, please let us know and we will keep improving their artificial intelligence.

Okay, so much for the good news. Unfortunately we also have some bad news as well. As you might be aware, after years of ignoring mobile app development, Wizards of the Coast have finally released their own Magic: the Gathering app. For now it is only available for iPhone, but it won’t be long till it comes out on Android. Why is that a concern at all? Well, it turns out that WotC have started to take legal action and forced Apple and Google to remove most MTG apps, claiming that those apps were infringing copyrights. As of now, we are still on Google Play, so that is good news. But still we do not want to go on just like nothing had happened and that is why we have revised MTG Booster and have removed all copyrighted logos and graphics we could renounce. We are sorry that with this update the app has lost some of its original beauty and “Magic-ness”, but we feel that this is the only way to keep this project alive. 

For further reading on this issue, we recommend the following blog post by Platty Soft, which describes quite well the dilemma that independent MTG app developers like us are in. Here it is:

 http://www.plattysoft.com/2012/01/30/why-there-are-no-good-mtg-free-apps-for-android/

And that's all for now. As always we would like to encourage you to participate by giving us feedback, it is greatly appreciated. Until then, happy Easter and have fun drafting Dark Ascension!

Cheers,
AweDroid

Release 1.1.4 - 5000 Downloads

Hi everyone,

First of all, we are happy to announce the 5,000th download of MTG Booster, only very few months after initial release. Thank you so much to every one of you that downloaded the app!

Since we have received some great feedback from some of you, we owe you some kind of "road map" of our future releases. So, here it is:

Version 1.1.4: Released today, we (hopefully) managed to fix all remaining stability issues, most of them caused when the app was not closed properly but instead just moved to the background. Anyway, the app should be very stable by now, any of you that encountered issues like crashes should give this new version a try (actually version 1.1.3 was already a HUGE step in terms of stability)!

Version 1.2: We have already started to work on this one and will get it released in a couple of weeks (quite a precise prediction, we know). That version will include the latest MTG set Dark Ascension. Having to support multiple editions comes along with very deep structural changes in the code (for example a new user would not be happy to be required a 40MB initial download just in order to generate a booster). That is why we are not sure if that next update will have many more features apart from the new edition - which we want to release as quickly as possible without any delays due to new features. Because we know how excited you are to draft with the new expansion...

Version 1.3: Work on that will start once that version 1.2 runs smoothly (whenever that will be). On that version we want to improve the overall user experience. In fact, that release will include many of the suggestions we have received from all of you. Among the most notable features we are planning in that version is "Booster to Deck" (choosing the best cards of your drafted pool and fill up the remaining slots with basic lands) and somehow include card prices.

And that's all for now. As always we would like to encourage you to participate by giving us invaluable feedback, it is greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
AweDroid

Draft mode available!!! – v.1.1.0 / v.1.1.1

The booster draft mode is finally available! Yes, precisely one month after our initial release, the waiting has come to an end. In this new mode, you and 7 simulated opponents compete in a booster draft where you are supposed to always pick the most suitable card from each pack presented to you. If it were a real draft with real cards (like on FNM events, tournaments or when playing with your friends), you would then have to build a 40-card deck with the cards you picked. As for the MTG Booster app, at the end of the draft you can review your entire card pool and export it to Magic Workstation (MWS).

If you are new to booster drafting, you can learn your first steps in this type of play. And if you are a pro, even although playing against simulated opponents is not the same as playing against human players, you can still practice to draft certain archetypes and just enjoy the simulator at no cost.

Apart from the new draft mode, we have also included several bug fixes and improvements to the app. All of you guys with Android version 2.1 or less, you can finally use the app (sorry for excluding you until now!). Also the booster creation algorithm has been fixed and now is the same as you would find on MTGO. As for new features, we improved overall design and usability and you can now sort your cards. We hope you enjoy the app just as much as we enjoy its development.

If you have anything on your mind, please provide feedback, tell us what you like most about our app, which additional features you would like us to include in future releases and what you dislike. Since we are now starting our Christmas holidays, we wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year.

Cheers!

The AweDroid Team

[UPDATE]: Version 1.1.1 fixes the last Android 2.1 glitches. Now it REALLY should work.

First Update – Version 1.0.1

First of all, thanks to all of you that have downloaded and installed MTG Booster. Considering it has been our first release, we are glad to see that most of you enjoy the app and can’t wait to see the draft mode. We are not quite there yet however, because several stability issues on some phones have forced us to interrupt our development of that feature and focus on improving stability and minimize memory usage. So that’s mainly what this 1.0.1 update is for. If you are the lucky owner of a Samsung Galaxy or similar phone, you might not even notice the difference very much. But if you have an Android phone with low specs, you should notice it a lot. Plus, some design enhancements and improvements (thanks, Brad!) make this update a must-have for everyone.

From now on and for the next couple of weeks, we are going to focus on the creation of the booster draft mode. We are really excited to publish that feature, so be sure we will not take long. Our initial estimate is mid-December, but hey, it’s Android, so we can never be sure what is going to happen along the way. In the meantime, as always, please provide feedback, tell us what you like most about our app, which additional features you would like us to include in future releases and what you dislike. Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

Cheers!

The AweDroid Team