An alternative to equipment: Mercenary Purification.

[keith.lamothe]

If you do return Mercs for tile purification will using them roll the turn over or will it be able to work like an extra purification that turn?

It would still advance the turn, otherwise it would give a major advantage in the strategic game for something which does not take any strategic time, which would completely break the strategic game for people willing to grind coins

[Panopticon]

Yeah, that's why I was asking. Grinding is bad, and the drive to optimize the value of a turn is a thing that will drive it in a heartbeat with most gamers. Myself definitely included. I suddenly had a vision of myself trying to come up with five coins every turn and figured I would just check to see if you guys were on the same page.

 

[x4000]

I'm definitely leaning away from this now, just FYI.  Improving the display of the equipment, including specifying just what the heck each one does before you pick it up, really seems to make a big difference.

[Panopticon]

Yeah, knowing whether or not a piece of gear will set me on fire or give me an extra shot will make a difference. It's the unknown quantity of gear that bugs me right now.

As it stands improving the gear is probably the best thing to do right now, as much as I like the idea of something from the action side feeding back into the strategic side. I think you'll get more mileage out of the gear, it's already in and just needs some tweaking. Bringing back the Merc coins in this fashion would be a new thing to balance. While with the gear the balance would remain unchanged, but players will have information to make informed decisions with. That's a pretty cool thing and enhances them as bonus power up items. Will any of the gear be keeping the negative effects, and if so will that info be available to the player? There could be some neat risk/reward things that way. Like I take this piece of gear and I get an outrageous bonus to damage output but I only have one heart.

And maybe there could be an achievement for playing through the game without any gear at all.

[wyvern83]

I'm definitely leaning away from this now, just FYI.  Improving the display of the equipment, including specifying just what the heck each one does before you pick it up, really seems to make a big difference.

I would be ok with the merc coin idea as stated in the first post of this thread. Equipment right now doesn't interest me that much but then again improving the display of the equipment might make them feel more tangible, which is something they lack for me at the moment.

[x4000]

Yep, I think the tangibility thing was really a bit part of the problem for sure -- we'll see how it feels in the next release, and then go again.

[LaughingThesaurus]

Heh, and my idea was completely on the opposite end of the spectrum. The items feel intangible, the effect is what you feel, so make power-ups that give the effect and drop the 'equipment' pretense. Let's see how the extra tangibility goes. I hadn't even thought of that.

[Oralordos]

I rather like the idea of mercenary coins making their return like this. Rather cool idea and would be nice to get past those annoying areas.

P.S. Congrats LaughingThesaurus for reaching 1000 posts.

[Coppermantis]

I like this idea, but not as a replacement for equipment. Adding an improved equipment interface and using the trade idea is an idea that I support as well.

[Billick]

I'm not going to lie.  I want to see coins come back so that I can get the Recettear achievement 

[x4000]

Maybe I'll make it so that each boss drops a coin and it works as described above, rather than having it replace equipment.  That could be interesting, and then those achievements get to come back, too.

[LaughingThesaurus]

...and then suddenly bosses have a point aside from another thing to break up the main action of the game. Hurray!
edit: And, well, being a challenge, but that's the whole game aye?

[Jerebaldo1]

I like this compromise suggestion, as I didn't want to see equipment/powerups go as a mechanic. I also vastly prefer the upcoming concentration mechanic on paper...it seems far less artificial!