Wish-List for Dominions 4

[Gandalf Parker]

Or... alternatively...
a message whenever a mage finds a special site (anything not involving gold or gems).

[Edratman]

I would like to get a more permant way of grouping units together.

To explain, I often group three mages together for manual site searching. However, when the results are announced on the message screen, the mages are listed (I am guessing here) by their unit ID number, which means they are scattered about the message screen, which may be two pages, most probable if I'm playing a 250+ province map and have 10 to 30 units searching on any given turn. So when I go to the first unit listed, it is the only unit highlighted and my group is broken unless I am smart and clever (small enough chance, not even worthy of consideration) and remember that this particular independent mage is part of a group.

Alternatively, if site searching results were listed by province instead of unit number, I would have a better chance of maintaining the groups integrity.

I also have the same problem with armies when I pause in a province and do. some construction, patrolling and site searching

[MaxWilson]

I agree that would be a nice feature. I the interim I sometimes rename the mages for the same effect, e.g. Bless-E, Arty-E, and Buff-E compose task group E (for "East army").

-Max

[Edratman]

max, that's a good idea. I rename now for various other reasons, but I haven't thought of extending it to a group.

So that gives me another thought, make renaming allowed the default option on the menu screen and "No renaming" the option requiring the click. That will save me on the times when I forget to click on renaming allowed, which always seems to generate a starting province with six or seven neighbors, all forest and/or farmland and positioned in a corner of the map.

[SCKnight]

My wishlist is this (some of my wishes, people have already stated):

1) The ability to customize your nation and Pretender. I want to pick what my Pretender's titles are! The nation can be default one that has been altered or one that you created from scratch.

2) The ability to spare another nation's Pretender. This lets you create a pantheon. In fact, I hope they have a feature where you can actually create a pantheon of allied pretenders for a nation, or choose to play a single pretender. For example, I might have my Ulm's Virtue spare the life of Mictlan's Enchantress, making the Enchantress a member of a new Pantheon for Ulm.

3) The ability to create a hero. I want to create a hero that is unique.

4) Diplomancy: This would include such things as alliances, trades, and spying.

5) I want to be able to create unique buildings. For example, as Ulm is my favorite nation, I want to create the Iron Statue, a statue made of black iron that grants a morale bonus to all my forces in the providence it's in, and any 3 neighboring areas.

6) Allow us to purchase and download the game!

Basically, everyone's already mentioned some of my wishes already.

[Morkilus]

Have you tried modding, SCKnight? You can get pretty much all of points 1, 2, 3, and 5 with some creativity. 4 already exists, but you have to play with other people 6 has been shut down repeatedly by Shrapnel. Well, maybe for Dominions 4, but don't hold your breath.

Oh yeah... You can get a building that raises the morale of troops in the province, and eventually that of surrounding provinces. It's called a "temple"

[Gandalf Parker]

SCKnight said:
My wishlist is this (some of my wishes, people have already stated):

1) The ability to customize your nation and Pretender. I want to pick what my Pretender's titles are! The nation can be default one that has been altered or one that you created from scratch.

You can pick one or two. There is a pretty good space there. When you name your god you can name him "Brik, the SuperCombatant"

2) The ability to spare another nation's Pretender. This lets you create a pantheon.

In multiplay nothing stops you from doing that. In solo play you can create a pantheon to play against by creating a map where the AI's are allied (they wont attack each other). If you mean that as a human player you want to grant subservience to an AI pretender then thats kindof possible by using higher magics such as wish

3) The ability to create a hero. I want to create a hero that is unique.

Already in modding commands. Check out the Worthy Heroes mod which does a few for every nation.

4) Diplomancy: This would include such things as alliances, trades, and spying.

Already a big part of the game. It is a multiplayer game mostly. Putting it in a menu would only limit it. As a human playing solo you can send things to the AI (which can be useful) but any effort to open human/ai diplomacy and trading only opens it up to be abused.

5) I want to be able to create unique buildings.

available in modding commands

6) Allow us to purchase and download the game!

Its not really a "allow" thing. You can purcase/download some of Shrapnels games but its not really feasable for Dominions at this time. But obviously Shrapnel keeps up on the subject so things might improve in the future for digital downloads.

[StrictlyRockers]

I'd like to see a completely new engine with better graphics for the tactical battles. I'm not satisfied with the speed, clarity or modernity of the current system.

Right now, the combat system works. It is functional and legible and you CAN make out what is happening. If you want to pay close attention to the intricacies of the battle, you may need to watch twice - once to see what happened to your forces, and once to see what happened to the opponent's forces.

There are some good programs out there that would enable an improvement in the graphics for the tactical battles. It would mean a huge overhall and reworking of the code, and this may not even be a real possibility for Shrapnel or Ilwinter or whoever would be in charge of making this big investment. Firaxis uses some XML or Python based program for their newer games, Civ 4 (not 3), Pirates, Railroads, etc. The engine is very pretty...in a way that Dom 3 is not pretty.

Ok, my motivations here are solely to bring in new players to this great game! I don't honestly care that much personally about pretty cartoon graphics. I am more into it for the contest and the matching of wits, the outguessing of your enemies, and the sweet thrill of victory over an aggressor nation. I am an old grognard who plaed Avalon Hill boardgames since the age of 8.

Who gives a heck about grpahics? Everyone else but me and a few other die-hard wargamers. I want to see a big pool of players. Many people are turned off from this game by the graphics they see in the battles. Some would consider these graphics pretty lousy if Dom 3 had come out ten years ago.

I would like to see a whole new engine used for tactical battles. Specifically, the ability to zoom in on the tactical battlefield with the mouse scroll wheel would be great. Also, the ability to rotate the battlefield view angle would be fun.

Pathing would be a great addition, or even simple rally points for newly built commaders. A command for newly built commanders to load up all available troops and rally to a province would be great.

I love this game, and I will try to think up more improvements. My big push is to make the game prettier to attract more players.

[Sir_Dr_D]

The better the graphics are the harder it will be to have the wide variety of units that is out there now. Personally I find that focus on graphics ruins games. All main stream commercial games bore me quickly. Dominions is the only one that has held my interest for such a large period of time. The Space empires series tried to go the route of better graphics in the last addition, instead of game play improvements, and suffers for it.

For graphics to work there will need to be a larger team to work on it. One that does not get in the way of the enhachment of other game play features.

personally graphics won't do a thing to interest me. I will want more strategies and challenges available.

[MaxWilson]

StrictlyRockers,

In the interests of data-gathering, of the people you know who are turned off by the sprite-based graphics, how many of them have the patience for long strategy games? Or even short strategy games, a la Axis and Allies? What is it about Dominions that they're likely to enjoy?

It's just that I'm having trouble imagining a person who would appreciate a complicated game and yet NOT have an old wargamer's attitude toward graphics.

-Max