Suggestions for more informative messages

[Talleyrand]

Oh, this is lovely. I've suddenly become the bad guy.

Leif, given that this is the way they've decided to design the game for every iteration of Dominions, I think my position is probably more concrete than yours in regard to Illwinter's thinking. I'm perfectly okay with the status quo, although I'm willing to compromise. It's you who is wanting to change things and is being exclusive of others.

Graeme Dice, I'm all for more information too. Sometimes even when I watch a battle I don't know the specifics of who got killed, etc. Can't you read? I think my position has been pretty clearly stated. I'm supporting a compromise between the two different groups: those who enjoy the suspense, and those wanting more information in a more timely manner. If clicking on a message and reading information is still too slow for you and Stryke then perhaps you need to be playing another game.

[Chazar]

I think people misunderstand each other here:

The original poster suggested that the first line of a battle message should indicate who has won and who as lost. I do not like that, since it would spoil the suspense by gleaming on the message list.

However, I think no one here objects to having more information in the battle summary obtained by clicking on the battle message inside that list.

---
Besides I think that suspense is also a reason why the message window opens first, so you do not see the map and hence do not know immediately which provinces were won and which ones were lost unless you click on the battle summaries or dissmiss the message window...
---
Geez, these boards have turned hostile...

[JaydedOne]

It -is- a bit of a pain to run around to other boards, trumpeting how mature and intelligent our board is, and then come back to find three or four different threads where the level of discourse has, shall we say, become sub-par for what we're used to around here.

The internet is not a great medium for conversation. Subtext gets lost. Misunderstandings are common, even moreso than in day-to-day conversation where it's frequent to say the least. While not everyone can or will get along, it's not too difficult to remain civil and agree to disagree without resorting to name-calling or unnecessary aggravation.

Relax. It's just a game. Discussing it should maintain some of that in perspective. If we didn't have each other, who would we talk to about Dominions?

[Stryke11]

I'm sorry for my contribution to the lowering of the discourse. I certainly didn't intend my first post to be anything but a vote for more info and my opinion. I didn't mean to demean anyone's position above and beyond disagreeing with it and I certainly don't feel my opinion is any more relevant (even less so compared to some of the folks on here with thousands of posts) than anyone else's. I wasn't thrilled by the personal attack on me in response to my post, but I understand how he took the intent of my post to be an attack on his beliefs (which it wasn't, and I'm sorry).

I agree with the new semi-consensus that more info when you click the headline would be great, for numerous types of messages, and one more I thought of, sorry if it was mentioned before, is to actually state what site was found when a site is found. For suspense purposes, if you don't want to click on the headline you can watch the battles first or do what you would like.

[Foodstamp]

If you can't take a little discourse, the internet is not the place to hang out! Give billions of nerds access to a medium that allows them to sling mud and throw a tantrum without getting punched in the face, and your gonna have millions upon millions of people QQ and angry.

Folks... Body language, spacing between individuals, eye contact or lack of, tone of voice, facing someone squarely... These things have more to do with conveying messages than the actual symbols (words) we use to tell a story or convey ideas.

On the internet we lose 90% of our ability to communicate because it is just written text. Try to think the best of what people are typing to you, because trust me, your going to run into someone eventually on the internet that is trying to get one over on ya!

That definetly did not happen in this thread.

As far as changing the messages, I still think it would be better as a player modded ability that we can toggle on and off.

Alot of people play this game like a database, wanting all the information presented in front of them so they can make their next move, just like chess. These people rule from a general's point of view.

Other people try to get absorbed into the game, they "care" about their prophet or that poor brave commander that fought so bravely all these years and now has several afflictions. These are the people I think suspenseful messaging would appeal too.

[Cainehill]

Stryke11 said:
I didn't mean to demean anyone's position above and beyond disagreeing with it and I certainly don't feel my opinion is any more relevant (even less so compared to some of the folks on here with thousands of posts) than anyone else's.

I don't recall your first post that you refered to, but as one of the entities with thousands of posts here, I'd like to point out that quantity isn't quality.

[Graeme Dice]

Chazar said:
Besides I think that suspense is also a reason why the message window opens first, so you do not see the map and hence do not know immediately which provinces were won and which ones were lost unless you click on the battle summaries or dissmiss the message window...

No, the reason the message window opens first is because that's standard behaviour for a message log. It contains the most important information needed to complete your next turn.

[Graeme Dice]

Talleyrand said:
Leif, given that this is the way they've decided to design the game for every iteration of Dominions, I think my position is probably more concrete than yours in regard to Illwinter's thinking.

I'm glad that you've got a direct mental link to their brains and can determine exactly how they want the game to be. Back in the real world, we'd like to see things that need to be fixed, get fixed.

I'm supporting a compromise between the two different groups: those who enjoy the suspense, and those wanting more information in a more timely manner.

The nature of a compromise is that it leaves everybody unhappy with the result. Now, we can either please the tiny minority of people that like to be confused by their games, or we can please the majority of people who would rather their game not hide information from them.

If clicking on a message and reading information is still too slow for you and Stryke then perhaps you need to be playing another game.

I'm going to suggest that you go back and re-read my suggestion for what information should be presented, and my suggestion that people who are worried about losing "suspense" should simply not click on the message, since they apparently don't want to know a battle's result before the battle has finished.

[Talleyrand]

Graeme Dice said:

I'm glad that you've got a direct mental link to their brains and can determine exactly how they want the game to be. Back in the real world, we'd like to see things that need to be fixed, get fixed.

Stating something needs to be fixed implies that it is broken. If Illwinter thought the current system were broken, don't you think they would have "fixed" it by now? I don't have a direct link to their brains but I do have a little bit of common sense. Perhaps you should try exercising yours before you post something else.

The nature of a compromise is that it leaves everybody unhappy with the result.

Here's some advice: Don't bother applying for a position as ambassador for your country because you have very little knowledge about how negotiations work.

[JaydedOne]

Yet another good thread with a good initial idea headed for Locksville.

Is there something in the water this month?