Urgent Interface Problems

[st.patrik]

I suppose it would be easier for new players if you didn't have to click 'host' and such, but I am nonetheless really glad of that feature - it makes it way easier to stop playing.

I would suggest having a saved game file, set at around turn 5, with an accompanying written guide, so that people could become familiar with the game for a turn or two while having their hands held. The quick start guide which was available for Dom I was like this, and it was really helpful. Maybe something like that for Dom II, or even for the demo thereof?

[Saber Cherry]

The problem is not really learning how to play... it's the fact that it seems like such a hassle, and is so counter-intuitive, to start a new game. In every other game, you click "Start an SP game", and you're on tracks from there, and never see a misleading "Host" button between turns.

It would do a lot to make the game seem mainstream and normal. The current functionality would, of course, remain for PBEM and hotseat games, but it would be concealed from singleplayer games. There's enough complexity within the game, without adding more outside.

-Cherry

[Mephisto]

I second this. It is confusing for a newbie and people with little to none computer experience.

[Pocus]

yes, but what if you want to save your turn half done and resume it when you can? with the separation between doing your turn / processing it, you can do that.

[Dekent]

Yes but now it makes those turns where you are just passing time waiting 10x more annoying...

[Pocus]

Originally posted by Dekent:
Yes but now it makes those turns where you are just passing time waiting 10x more annoying...

wow, you are playing doms turns at the speed of say master of orion III (nothing happens before turn 80 roughly).

in doms, and especially in MP, but this is true in SP too, each turn is important. By turn 20 you should already have more than 10 provinces and a booming nation.

anyway, I think you are a bit overstating here. I can understand if the issue is newbie learning curve, but to say that clicking on host is a painful is a big exageration.

Thats IMO, we agree that we disagree anyway.

[PhilD]

I don't know, I played very little of the original DomI, and I got it right on the first try with this one. Of course I read the DomI manual a few months ago, but let's face it - anyody trying to play this game without reading the manual is going to have other problems than just "what's this Host command anyway?". OK, maybe they'll get stopped by this one, but they really should read the manual.

Which brings me to one of my complaints - not including even a toned-down Version of the manual in the demo is really bad; effectively, this means the demo of DomII is only attractive to people who know DomI. How much of the documentation for DomI is still valid in DomII? If that's a large part of it, then I suggest they add a link to the DomI documentation on Illwinter's site...