FragPunk's Shard Card System Explained

Fragpunk will be hitting digital shelves soon, throwing itself headfirst into an incredibly competitive hero shooter scene. When it comes to standing out in such a dense market, FragPunk's Shard Cards is a valuable asset.

In addition to its fast pace, FragPunk's Shard Cards are its most distinguishing element. A game of FragPunk is divided into rounds, and players can collect Shards during these rounds by getting kills, getting an assist, winning a round, and more. Between rounds, players can spend Shards activating Shard Cards, a random set of which will be presented to each team in this period. From making enemies easier to hit to imbuing attacks with elemental damage, Shard Cards can have drastic effects. The Best War Games was able to sit down with FragPunk's creative director and producer, Xin Chang, who went into depth about how this system is being developed.

fragpunk closed beta on xbox insider program

Xbox Gamers Have Chance to Get FragPunk Closed Beta Access

Xbox Gamers get a chance to try out the closed beta for the card-based hero shooter FragPunk, from NetEase subsidiary Bad Guitar Studios.

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By Brett Byll

Fragpunk Creative Director Explains Shard Cards

The Importance Of Shard Cards

Chang highlighted Shard Cards as a key part of FragPunk, the element that gives it a unique draw more than anything else. He noted that the incredible changes they bring to a match create experiences no game other than FragPunk can provide.

"The rule-bending Shard Cards make the gameplay of FragPunk chaotic and unpredictable. In traditional demolition gameplay, players must follow a sequence of steps: scouting, searching for a site, and setting bombs. However, in FragPunk, you can throw the bomb onto the site, carry the site with you, or even turn the entire map into sites—all thanks to the power of Shard Cards. No two rounds in FragPunk are governed by the same rules."

Chang compared this core feature of FragPunk to "sports like soccer, basketball, and volleyball, as well as F1, boxing, and WWE." In these sports, Chang noticed "a clear trend in the revision of rules: to prevent fixed strategies from making the game predictable. Unpredictability creates suspense, and suspense captures the audience's attention and interest." The team at Bad Guitar found that the lack of these revisions in the FPS giants led to "increasingly rigid and formulaic" gameplay, with "perfect tactical execution" becoming increasingly essential for progression. Shard Cards in FragPunk should act as a way to prevent a single dominant strategy from staying on top.

How New Cards Will Be Rolled Out

Moreover, Chang also went on to detail the creation process for new cards, specifically how the team balances them with FragPunk's other gameplay features. With new cards set to release with FragPunk's seasonal updates, keeping them balanced with the game's existing deck will be crucial.

"At the initial design stage of new Shard Cards, we involve our game designers, who are responsible for different modules to assess whether a card might disrupt the balance of combat, levels, and, of course, Lancers. Through this process, the development team aims to reach a consensus that a card's ability to bend the rules is kept in check. Additionally, our QA team will conduct various tests before a card's release to ensure it does not disrupt the game's balance. We will also closely monitor card balance after FragPunk's official release and make timely adjustments as needed."

Considering the competition, FragPunk needs to get Shard Cards right, so it's good to see how much the team is investing in their balance. Bad Guitar is also balancing for the inherent RNG aspect of FragPunk's Shard Cards, though those who dislike this random element shouldn't expect any sort of reversal.

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