Wishlist: New Requested Features

[JCrowe]

I second the motion for the inclusion of a techno-pop up alert. It's a really good thought. The guessing game is a pain, especially when some buys go through, others fail, and you're trying to remember what was what before you hit 'turn end'.

On that score, I'd also suggest expanding the drop-down box selector. As it stands, if you want to pick something from a drop-down box, you have to click precisely on the downward-pointed arrow for the box. Clicking inside the box itself does nothing. The "clicking on the box" method has become a standard MO on many platforms (Windows included), and it's so much nicer than having to scroll on over here and clicking on this tiny arrow box, etc. etc.

?

So sue me - I'm lazy. Human, too. Kinda goes hand-in-hand.

[spillblood]

Yeah, this techno pop up was really included in V 1.08.

[spillblood]

Originally Posted by JCrowe

I second the motion for the inclusion of a techno-pop up alert. It's a really good thought. The guessing game is a pain, especially when some buys go through, others fail, and you're trying to remember what was what before you hit 'turn end'.

On that score, I'd also suggest expanding the drop-down box selector. As it stands, if you want to pick something from a drop-down box, you have to click precisely on the downward-pointed arrow for the box. Clicking inside the box itself does nothing. The "clicking on the box" method has become a standard MO on many platforms (Windows included), and it's so much nicer than having to scroll on over here and clicking on this tiny arrow box, etc. etc.

?

So sue me - I'm lazy. Human, too. Kinda goes hand-in-hand.

Yes, improving the interface would be pretty nice. It's very click-intensive at the moment. Having to use the keyboard to define the number of troops I want to send isn't very user friendly. You either have to enter the number using the keyboard or click 10 or 15 times to define numbers of troops at present. It should be possible to give order more quickly. A selection rectangle that enables you to select all troops you want would be neat. And there should be more buttons (arrows) in the number selection, to for example send 10 troops with one click. The interface is pretty 90s like which should turn off most of today's casual gamers (although it isn't really a casual game, I think) or even strategy gamers that got used to modern interfaces.
Another method would be the one Triple A and Castle Vox use: Drag and Drop. Just take for example the tank symbol with the mouse, drag it to the desired territory, and press the mouse button for each troop you wanna send, or use a hotkey in connection with this to send 10 troops or all troops at once. That's much easier than the present system.

[spillblood]

Another thing: transport planes and sea transports should move in groups (in one move instead of moving each unit in a territory one after another) like tanks and other attack units do. At present, you have to wait for each plane to move to the destination before you can do anything. That's pretty annoying with bigger numbers of planes or transports.

[spillblood]

Another visual improvement that has been suggested before (and implemented in the tank mod, but for tanks only): Some kind of visual difference between different tech level units. They simply look the same now. Could be different pictures or just a little 1 to 3 number under the unit icons.

[JCrowe]

Originally Posted by spillblood

Another thing: transport planes and sea transports should move in groups (in one move instead of moving each unit in a territory one after another) like tanks and other attack units do. At present, you have to wait for each plane to move to the destination before you can do anything. That's pretty annoying with bigger numbers of planes or transports.

I think the intent is to segregate units of like character. For example, let's say you fly two jets into territory X, which is already occupied by three jets. If you move all five jets to another location, they move as one group of two and one of three, because the first two jets have already 'burned fuel' and are no longer "equal" to the three jets that have not yet moved.

In the case of transports, their movement points might be equal, but the cargo they contain might be dissimilar, so the game segregates them in order to convey that fact to the player.

I'd agree, though, that while segregating on the basis of movement points is a good idea, taking it to cargo carried is not as beneficial, and might be worth skipping.

One way to accelerate play is by going to the game OPTIONS where you save scenarios, and set unit movement from "decaf" to "espresso". Personally, I don't use it, just because I like watching my armadas assemble & sortie.

[JCrowe]

Ooo - Something else.

I brought this up as a suggestion for v1.01 and its worth bringing up again.

UNIT ANIMATION ON STRATEGIC SCREEN
Instead of showing the units moving from the center of one territory to the center of the next, cut the middleman and show the units moving directly to target, or along a "great circle" curvature from their point of departure to their destination.

For land forces, the existing center-to-center-territory-by-territory system of movement animation isn't terrible. But the jets! Oi! It can drive you nuts!

My jets might only have to fly three inches across the video screen, from Base A to Target B. But there might be two or three of those massive, irregular sea-territories between both points.

So, instead of flying three inches "to the left" from A to B, no, the jets fly northEAST and off-screen, then return on a southwest-westerly course for 10 inches, then veer southeast for five ... and ten minutes later we land in Pretoria, the kids are screaming, the stewardess is crying in the restroom, and people are looking at me like I'm supposed to know what to do with the stupid duck's head.

Basically, it's like being stuck in connecting-flight hell.

I say, if you've got the ORANGE SODA movement points to go from Point A to Point B, then just animate the movement directly between A & B. Don't worry about 'verifying' it through Ulan Bator as Continental Flight 101 routes through Pittsburgh with a stopover in Kenya.

Please - Please ... can we upgrade our seat to a direct flight? Hawaii's great, but not if I'm leaving New York for L.A.

[spillblood]

Originally Posted by JCrowe

Ooo - Something else.

I brought this up as a suggestion for v1.01 and its worth bringing up again.

UNIT ANIMATION ON STRATEGIC SCREEN
Instead of showing the units moving from the center of one territory to the center of the next, cut the middleman and show the units moving directly to target, or along a "great circle" curvature from their point of departure to their destination.

For land forces, the existing center-to-center-territory-by-territory system of movement animation isn't terrible. But the jets! Oi! It can drive you nuts!

My jets might only have to fly three inches across the video screen, from Base A to Target B. But there might be two or three of those massive, irregular sea-territories between both points.

So, instead of flying three inches "to the left" from A to B, no, the jets fly northEAST and off-screen, then return on a southwest-westerly course for 10 inches, then veer southeast for five ... and ten minutes later we land in Pretoria, the kids are screaming, the stewardess is crying in the restroom, and people are looking at me like I'm supposed to know what to do with the stupid duck's head.

Basically, it's like being stuck in connecting-flight hell.

I say, if you've got the ORANGE SODA movement points to go from Point A to Point B, then just animate the movement directly between A & B. Don't worry about 'verifying' it through Ulan Bator as Continental Flight 101 routes through Pittsburgh with a stopover in Kenya.

Please - Please ... can we upgrade our seat to a direct flight? Hawaii's great, but not if I'm leaving New York for L.A.

Hehe, yeah, planes moving over a sea territory to an island in the same sea territory always take pretty strange paths (instead of directly flying to the island).

[spillblood]

Originally Posted by JCrowe

I think the intent is to segregate units of like character. For example, let's say you fly two jets into territory X, which is already occupied by three jets. If you move all five jets to another location, they move as one group of two and one of three, because the first two jets have already 'burned fuel' and are no longer "equal" to the three jets that have not yet moved.

In the case of transports, their movement points might be equal, but the cargo they contain might be dissimilar, so the game segregates them in order to convey that fact to the player.

I'd agree, though, that while segregating on the basis of movement points is a good idea, taking it to cargo carried is not as beneficial, and might be worth skipping.

One way to accelerate play is by going to the game OPTIONS where you save scenarios, and set unit movement from "decaf" to "espresso". Personally, I don't use it, just because I like watching my armadas assemble & sortie.

Hmm, increasing the animation speed not really makes these planes that are moving one by one go faster (and I think they don't move full speed 'cause my PC is too slow).
Hehe, but you can just give orders to other units while you're waiting for them to reach their target. But it's a bit annoying anyway.

[spillblood]

- different AI difficulties, different AI personalities (that for example concentrate on air power, land units, nuclear attacks or sea power), once the AI is fixed properly