February 13th, 2004, 02:58 AM
|
|
|
Re: Should I buy this game?
Quote:
Originally posted by Nethog:
My reason for ranking Space Empires low is not due to its lack of depth and strategic possibilities, but to the user interface:
(A) There is not enough *visual* feedback to assess your overall current strategic status in the game without examining a dozen info windows each turn.
|
With respect to (A), my personal opinion is that you should not be able to divine your strategic status in one standing analytical report. It comes from the fact that the amount of information and it's impact is easier to define and use for me personally if it is funneled into sectional data (Research, Income, etc).
The Strategic Map has the following:
Total Income, Total Upkeep, Treasury.
Provincial Information in Provincial Defense, Population, Provencial Income, Resources, Scales (though these are a bit annoying, I'd rather a number or graphical representation for ease of reference), Unrest, Supplies, Supply Usage, and Tax.
The Strategic Map also includes a visual representation of Fort, Army Size, Temple and Commander In Province, Dominion (yours and your enemies).
Selecting an Individual Province will of course allow you to give orders to any and all Commanders in said province, which also includes a popup menu for Commands (like Blood Hunt) if you are unfamiliar with the Hotkeys.
The F1 Key gives a fairly accurate summary of your empire, allowing you to click and adjust specific aspects (like Taxes and Provincial Defense are common ones) as well as know what provinces have been searched and what availiable searching power you have in any particular province. Also a /sword/ icon next to a province name indicates troops present (when next to a Commander, troops under his command). This allows an easier access to independant recruitment and supplementation to your armies. It also provides you with Supplies and Supplies Used.
F7 Allows you to see your total represented Gem Income
F5 Total research levels and RP
F8 Magical Items within your Lab
There are of course UI improvements that are to be desired, but this is pretty much the standard for most games I have played, they have their sections where you gather your data for a particular aspect of the game. Where Dom2 differs is the impact and implementation of all the different aspects and their effect on your Empire.
Quote:
|
(B) It is difficult to keep track of enemy movement and aggression between turns since all you see is a snapshot of before and after.
|
This can be the case if you base it only off of the Messages viewed at the beginning of the turn. Which I admit are slightly counter-intuitive.
Another visual aid is the fact that on the Strategic Map any province that has had a battle has a crossed sword icon on it (Turn on the Filter with 7 if not visible). This for me provides a better mental image of what happened in what context (I can find routing troops easier, check effects of Scales and their impact on the battle, see if there are reinforcements from me/enemy nearby, etc)
Quote:
|
So if I buy the game will I discover ways to work around my perceived problem with the game or will it become a coaster along side my Space Empires IV coaster?
|
I wouldn't want to pick IW and Shrapnel's pockets by saying "Don't because you don't like it" but if you don't enjoy a game it has no purpose, so there would be no reason for you to play it if you have played the Demo and it has not appealed to you based on your initial impressions.
My standing advice is, play the Demo again, and again, and again. Play it with 1 AI on Easy on Aran and try things out, do things that are dumb or crazy. Cast spells you have no idea what they are going to do. Set up classic or weird formations of troops and orders.
If you like what you can do and how you can do it, you will like the game. If it seems like one big confusing, hairy mess but you can't seem to stop playing it, you'll like the game  . If you can't handle the UI or the way information is detailed and can't get past it, you more than likely will not enjoy the game and noone here would want you to spend your hard earned money on something you wouldn't like.
|