Impartial MASTER LIST of issues/problems

[st.patrik]

Originally posted by Windreaper:
Let me make a poor example here. Checked spells are the ones that the mage is allowed to cast. Unchecked ones would be the ones that won't be casted. All spells would start checked.
.
.
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[_]Flying Shard
[_]Fire Flies
[x]Magma Bolts
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[select all][clear all] <-- important buttons

I think I get the picture. Maybe this should be summarized as "enabling/disabling spells" - though that's not incredibly informative. Can you think of a better way to put it?

[st.patrik]

Originally posted by Saber Cherry:
Oh, I mentioned this in another thread. For Category 1):

Line up numeric unit stats. So instead of like this:

Strength 10
Attack Skill 10
Defense Skill 10
Precision 11

It looks more like this:

Strength ......... 10
Attack Skill .... 10
Defense Skill . 10
Precision ....... 11

-Cherry

I have this on the list, as "alignment of stats in unit info screens." Your post is a better explanation though. Is there a way to better summarize what you're getting at?

Originally posted by Saber Cherry:
I don't like scrolling down a menu to find the exit button. Every exitable menu should have a big "X in a Square" in the upper-right corner, where you click to exit... just like in MS-ish standardized programs. Or at a minimum, never have to scroll to the bottom to exit (like in the spell lists).

I'll add this one

[st.patrik]

Originally posted by PhilD:
I'll add a few, because apparently some of you experts don't remember what it is to discover this game and its hundreds of unit types...

Unit names together with icons (in recruitment screen, and in army screen; maybe just where it says "12 units" it should say "10 Heavy Infantries, 2 Light Infantries")

More detailed lists of losses in battle reports, again with the list of unit names (at least for the units you lost)

Bring back the battle simulator, and make it more tweakable. OK, maybe only when there's a way to speed up battle replays, but still.

Short list of troops under a given commander when you right-click on him.

I'm pretty sure there are other UI issues, but I'm forgetting them. Someone mentioned they'd like the Exit button to always be available in scrollable lists; that, and right-clicking out of the list (when something is supposed to be selected) should close the list.

Adding:
� Unit names with icons/detailed breakdown of mixed squads
� Detailed lists of losses (most importantly commanders)
� Battle Sim
� Right-clicking commander gives you list of troops under his command

Good input. The list is growing...

[st.patrik]

1. Tweaks/Easy changes to implement
� Darker colours/textures in unit displays
� Alignment of stats in unit info screens
� Pre-made Gods for New players
� Newbie 'get started' guide
� Quick start game for Newbies
� End/quit/save/host button remake
� Bless effects more prominently displayed when creating a God's magic
� Actual effects of scales explained when creating a pretender's scales
� Line between commanders and regular units in recruitment screen & Titles to for each

2. Additions of relatively minor features
� Castle battle results
� '?' accessible on main menu
� Research point 'lock' for schools of magic
� Random nation AI opponents
� Map and Scenario triggers [not sure where this was mentioned]
� Ability to rename, or at least add epithets to commanders
� Enhanced start (starting with more than one province)
� Closing dialogues without having to scroll down or press 'esc'
� Unit names with icons/detailed breakdown of mixed squads
� Detailed lists of losses (most importantly commanders)
� Right-clicking commander gives you list of troops under his command
� Build queue for commanders
� Shift-click to add higher multiples of units [e.g. 5 at a time] in recruitment screen

3. Additions of relatively major features
� SP diplomacy
� Increased battle replay functionality (various speeds, etc.)
� More than one god for each nation
� Moddability
� Ability to search for items on commanders
� Battle Sim
� Enabling/disabling spells (see Windreaper's post in this thread for details)

4. Balance considerations
� Improve Strategic AI
� Bug fixes
� Less focus on supercombatants
� More regrowth possibilities / less emphasis on population death
� Greater 'bless' effects (perhaps starting at an earlier level)

Any more additions? Anything in the list that needs to be explained/re-articulated?

Licker: for now the AI stays in #4, primarily because it doesn't fit in any of the other categories - it is neither a trivial change (aka tweak), nor an addition, either small or large - isn't it is continued development of something already in the game. The difference between #1 and #2 is that things in #1 are very minor changes of things already existing, by and large; whereas things in #2 are new features, albeit new feature that aren't very large/wouldn't require too much coding to implement (on my best guess)

*edit: added some stuff, moved some stuff.

[ October 30, 2003, 01:31: Message edited by: st.patrik ]

[Saber Cherry]

In the recruitment screen: an obvious border (e.g., a line) between regular units and commanders. This should be labeled "Commanders" below the line, and something like "Normal Units" (that sounds dumb, but what are they called?) above the line.

Ideally, a commander queue in the production screen would be nice, even though you'd still be limited to 1 commander/province/turn.

-Cherry

[HJ]

Ability to shift click (or something similar) to add or subtract more than one unit to the production queue, say 5 units of the chosen type per shift-click.

[ October 30, 2003, 01:14: Message edited by: HJ ]

[st.patrik]

Originally posted by Saber Cherry:
In the recruitment screen: an obvious border (e.g., a line) between regular units and commanders. This should be labeled "Commanders" below the line, and something like "Normal Units" (that sounds dumb, but what are they called?) above the line.

Ideally, a commander queue in the production screen would be nice, even though you'd still be limited to 1 commander/province/turn.

-Cherry

Edited in - see below.

[st.patrik]

Originally posted by HJ:
Ability to shift click (or something similar) to add or subtract more than one unit to the production queue, say 5 units of the chosen type per shift-click.

edited into the post below.

Keep them coming

[st.patrik]

Re-posted just to keep it at the top

1. Tweaks/Easy changes to implement
� Darker colours/textures in unit displays
� Alignment of stats in unit info screens
� Pre-made Gods for New players
� Newbie 'get started' guide
� Quick start game for Newbies
� End/quit/save/host button remake
� Bless effects more prominently displayed when creating a God's magic
� Actual effects of scales explained when creating a pretender's scales
� Line between commanders and regular units in recruitment screen & titles for each

2. Additions of relatively minor features
� Castle battle results
� '?' accessible on main menu
� Research point 'lock' for schools of magic
� Random nation AI opponents
� Map and Scenario triggers [not sure where this was mentioned]
� Ability to rename, or at least add epithets to commanders
� Enhanced start (starting with more than one province)
� Closing dialogues without having to scroll down or press 'esc'
� Unit names with icons/detailed breakdown of mixed squads
� Detailed lists of losses (most importantly commanders)
� Right-clicking commander gives you list of troops under his command
� Build queue for commanders
� Shift-click to add higher multiples of units [e.g. 5 at a time] in recruitment screen

3. Additions of relatively major features
� SP diplomacy
� Increased battle replay functionality (various speeds, etc.)
� More than one god for each nation
� Moddability
� Ability to search for items on commanders
� Battle Sim
� Enabling/disabling spells (see Windreaper's post in this thread for details)

4. Balance considerations
� Improve Strategic AI
� Bug fixes
� Less focus on supercombatants
� More regrowth possibilities / less emphasis on population death
� Greater 'bless' effects (perhaps starting at an earlier level)

Comments/Additions?

[ October 30, 2003, 01:46: Message edited by: st.patrik ]

[HJ]

This is something that hasn't been mentioned before, but it crossed my mind while playing, so if you feel it's a worthy addition, add it to the list. Otherwise, we can discuss it in some other thread.
I noticed that some spells and abilities show the exact value of the effect: for example fire shield clearly stated that it inflicts 7ap damage, or fear effect shows the exact modifier. Would it be possible to add the same amount of detail to other effects from spells and skills? For example, instead of saying that chill makes units more tired, to have an exact number available during the battle when you right-click the ability, since the formula has to be applied anyway and has to take into account the climate as well; it just remains invisible, but it's running in the background. Or instead of saying that survival decreases chance of starvation to actually say by what amount. So, I guess this can be summed up as more detailed effect descriptions.