Impartial MASTER LIST of issues/problems

[geo981010]

This thread seemed to slow down, so here is some fodder:

1) compress trn files for Online play. In a big game, the files can be over half a meg, and this sucks for modem players/overseas connections!

2) Allow changing pretender in design screen (right now you choose once, and then you have to start over if you want change from a GM to a BoF)

3) Research estimate in recruit screen should reflect research with current drain scale

4) In enemy/indie province screen, link unit names to description (even if it is just generic).

5) In battle screen, link spell casting notification to spell description

6) Special Guard commander order "Surround Body Guard":Auto position body guards encircling the commander

7) prevent blood slave harvesting in provinces where no chance exists to get slaves (pop too low), and show estimated blood harvest for each mage (ie command would be "Blood Hunt 3.2" for a mage who would find on average 3.2 slaves per turn under these circumstances)

8) Combine Blood Harvest reports into one, linking to each commander

9) new Order in map screen "Collect Gems/Slaves" - collects all the gems/slaves held by any commanders in a province, and gives them to the selected commander (Note: this is very important for "blood ferries" - usually scouts that go to a province where mages are gathering blood, and collect them up and return them to a lab. This is the most cash efficient way to run a harvest, and right now is tedious beyond belief. I stopped blood harvesting in Dom1 because of it, and likely will in Dom2 also).

10) When using the "N" key to cycle through commanders and a commander in a group gets selected, select the whole group of commanders. Currently Groups are made, but then with the N key you only get the first commander in the list, and so have to select him again with the mouse to get the group.

11) New battle order "Hold or Cast Spells"

12) When a magic site is found, include the level required to find it in the site info window. Rarity would be nice too

13) Show actual adjustments to stats from fatigue (ie 0 defense, half armour, etc)

[ November 12, 2003, 00:50: Message edited by: geo981010 ]

[Sammual]

Originally posted by geo981010:
1) compress trn files for Online play. In a big game, the files can be over half a meg, and this sucks for modem players/overseas connections!

I agree with this one.

Originally posted by geo981010:
2) Allow changing pretender in design screen (right now you choose once, and then you have to start over if you want change from a GM to a BoF)

Not all that big of a deal. Keep it in mind for Dominions 3.

Originally posted by geo981010:
3) Research estimate in recruit screen should reflect research with current drain scale

I think that would confuse people more than it would help.

Originally posted by geo981010:
4) In enemy/indie province screen, link unit names to description (even if it is just generic).

Keep in mind for Dominions 3.

Originally posted by geo981010:
5) In battle screen, link spell casting notification to spell description

??? Do you want the battle to pause and the spell description window to pop up when a spell is cast???

Originally posted by geo981010:
6) Special Guard commander order "Surround Body Guard":Auto position body guards encircling the commander

Isn't this what happens now (At least when the commander is not moving)?

Originally posted by geo981010:
7) prevent blood slave harvesting in provinces where no chance exists to get slaves (pop too low), and show estimated blood harvest for each mage (ie command would be "Blood Hunt 3.2" for a mage who would find on average 3.2 slaves per turn under these circumstances)

I agree with the first part but the second part is too much info. Let people learn from experence.

Originally posted by geo981010:
8) Combine Blood Harvest reports into one, linking to each commander

Hmmmm.. I am not sure if I like that one. If it was done correctly it would be very nice but I think the message system needs a bit of an overhall (See Master of Orion 3 for a nice one).

Originally posted by geo981010:
9) new Order in map screen "Collect Gems/Slaves" - collects all the gems/slaves held by any commanders in a province, and gives them to the selected commander (Note: this is very important for "blood ferries" - usually scouts that go to a province where mages are gathering blood, and collect them up and return them to a lab. This is the most cash efficient way to run a harvest, and right now is tedious beyond belief. I stopped blood harvesting in Dom1 because of it, and likely will in Dom2 also).

I build too many Labs so this is not a problem for me.

Originally posted by geo981010:
12) When a magic site is found, include the level required to find it in the site info window. Rarity would be nice too

Too much info. People get overwhelmed as it is. A link to more info about the site might be nice.

Originally posted by geo981010:
13) Show actual adjustments to stats from fatigue (ie 0 defense, half armour, etc)

I agree.

Most of these would be nice for Dominions 3.

Sammual

[geo981010]

5) In battle screen, link spell casting notification to spell description
??? Do you want the battle to pause and the spell description window to pop up when a spell is cast???

Sorry - I was unclear on this!

In the battle screen when a mage casts a spell, the top left will say "(Mage Name) casts (Spell Name)". Right clicking on the spell name could give you a pop up link to the spell book, so you can see exactly what the mage is casting.

6) Special Guard commander order "Surround Body Guard":Auto position body guards encircling the commander
Isn't this what happens now (At least when the commander is not moving)?

Not exactly. My request would have been clearer if I said "Auto position body guards encircling the commander at the start of the battle"

The troops will do that eventually, but they start off where ever they are positioned and have to move there. The problem is they start off in a block, so your commander has only one side covered initially. Flying troops have a very good chance of getting free attacks on him before the guards get in position. So to overcome that, you can split your bodyguards into 4 Groups that are arranged around him, but that is very tedious and you have to be careful you are positioning things right. So I'd like to have this done automatically.

9) new Order in map screen "Collect Gems/Slaves" - collects all the gems/slaves held by any commanders in a province, and gives them to the selected commander (Note: this is very important for "blood ferries" - usually scouts that go to a province where mages are gathering blood, and collect them up and return them to a lab. This is the most cash efficient way to run a harvest, and right now is tedious beyond belief. I stopped blood harvesting in Dom1 because of it, and likely will in Dom2 also).

I build too many Labs so this is not a problem for me.

Building too many labs will prevent this and is easier - but is a lot slower and in MP you would suffer. A scout costs only 1/10 of the cost, which is enough to get another blood hunter out there. The scouts are useful too - any commander killing spells that hit them is a blood mage saved (note: your most common unit should be scouts for this purpose - you can get 10 of them for the price of one mage, so you can make your mages largely safe from seeking arrow/Mind Hunt/etc)

Plus, lightly guarded labs are dangerous - your enemies can gateway reinforcements into that province if they take it, they can resupply all their mages with gems, and inanimates (golems/undead) will heal.

So IMHO ferries are more economical and safer, but will seriously increase micromanagement.

12) When a magic site is found, include the level required to find it in the site info window. Rarity would be nice too

Too much info. People get overwhelmed as it is. A link to more info about the site might be nice.

Apologies again - I don't want the message changed, I'd just like the popup window for the magic site from the map screen to include that info.

[Shael]

different types of battle terrain
ie battling in a mountain province the battle area is still squered some sort of canyon ? would be nice and other stuff like this
trees in a forest province (brining cover from archery fire) this would increase the tatic's usage ie it might be a smart idea to let opponet have couple provinses and then keep em at bay at some canyon where they cant use their numbers so badly against you

[Sammual]

Originally posted by Shael:
different types of battle terrain
ie battling in a mountain province the battle area is still squered some sort of canyon ? would be nice and other stuff like this
trees in a forest province (brining cover from archery fire) this would increase the tatic's usage ie it might be a smart idea to let opponet have couple provinses and then keep em at bay at some canyon where they cant use their numbers so badly against you

Another item I would like to see in Dominions 3, too much work for a patch.

Sammual

[Sammual]

Originally posted by geo981010:
In the battle screen when a mage casts a spell, the top left will say "(Mage Name) casts (Spell Name)". Right clicking on the spell name could give you a pop up link to the spell book, so you can see exactly what the mage is casting.

OK, now I like the idea better. Once we get the full game I will be playing Dominions2 in a window with the Spell List and Unit List open next to it. I would like to see this added in Domions3 so I don't have to do this.

Originally posted by geo981010:
Not exactly. My request would have been clearer if I said "Auto position body guards encircling the commander at the start of the battle"

The troops will do that eventually, but they start off where ever they are positioned and have to move there. The problem is they start off in a block, so your commander has only one side covered initially. Flying troops have a very good chance of getting free attacks on him before the guards get in position. So to overcome that, you can split your bodyguards into 4 Groups that are arranged around him, but that is very tedious and you have to be careful you are positioning things right. So I'd like to have this done automatically.

*nod* OK, now I understand.
I just place the commander to be guarded in the block or behind it.

Originally posted by geo981010:
Building too many labs will prevent this and is easier - but is a lot slower and in MP you would suffer. A scout costs only 1/10 of the cost, which is enough to get another blood hunter out there. The scouts are useful too - any commander killing spells that hit them is a blood mage saved (note: your most common unit should be scouts for this purpose - you can get 10 of them for the price of one mage, so you can make your mages largely safe from seeking arrow/Mind Hunt/etc)

Plus, lightly guarded labs are dangerous - your enemies can gateway reinforcements into that province if they take it, they can resupply all their mages with gems, and inanimates (golems/undead) will heal.

So IMHO ferries are more economical and safer, but will seriously increase micromanagement

This shows that I have only played the demos and no MP (yet). I never thought of Labs as such a liability (Never had to deal with high level spells) or Scouts as Commander Meat Shields.

Originally posted by geo981010:
Apologies again - I don't want the message changed, I'd just like the popup window for the magic site from the map screen to include that info.

I like that better but do we really want to see this much info in the game? If we know everything then the game becomes a graphical spreadsheet.

Sammual

[Kaljamaha]

Originally posted by st.patrik:
• Expanded gem-transfer screen, showing more than 2 commanders

I'd like to add to this. Currently right-clicking does not work in the gem-transfer screen, which means you have to remember which mage wanted which gems. Really annoying, especially if you have mages with random magics. Or to put it shortly:

• Right-click should bring up commander details in gem-transfer screen (as it does everywhere else).


K.