nicolasgotte

Join Date 08/2010

Quick feedback (mostly negative)

Hey there, just got my copy through this weekend Steam sales. Nice Little game that you are preparing here. Not that much different or deeper than the previous ones but ho well. This is only beta right?

As you should know, whats the most important in a strategy game is getting the right info at the right place. I'm sorry to say that as of now, this is poorly implemented. Look at the screenshot below.

I circled the 7 (SEVEN !) information about morale/approval you get here. I am totaly unable to tell which one does what. On the left most red circle on the building icon you have a circled yellow 2. This should tell me that this building is level 2, though i'm at the very start of the game and did not ordered this building to be upgraded. Or maybe i'm totally misled?

Then on the building tootip you have a light blue 2 ... 2 to what ? Then a white +2 morale ... How is this different than approval ? Then it says level 2 ... Is this building level 2 ? Or is it the bonus i'll get AFTER i upgrade this building ? Then another white +2 morale ... So it should be +4 in total right ? BUT THEN you have a light blue +1 to approval, though in the upper right part it says the bonus is ... +2 to approval. This is such a mess. I just need to know 1. the base approval this building gives 2. the bonus from the tile 3. modifiers if any 4. total of what this building gives me. This is impossible right now.

The second thing i wanted to give feedback on is the tech tree. It is so dull and linear and unreadable. On the main tech screen, 80% of the space is taken by this totaly useless white robot. Techs and bonuses are on the top left part ... why ? The icons are too small, some are messed up (like the green health icon which tooltip says +1 production). It is very hard to tell what tech will give you what, where are the starbase modules or better sensors for example.

Hope this will help taking good decisions

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peregrine23

Join Date 02/2007

+79

The information on this screen is actually very clear if you know how to read it. The top right corner shows the bonuses (if any) if the currently selected tile. In this case it is relevant that this tile gives +2 levels to approval buildings. This makes your building level 2 which is also shown on the map its self and in the tool tip. This building produces +2 morale base and another +2 because it is level 2 (due to the tile bonus) for a total of +4 morale. It also gives +1 level to any adjacent approval improvement. Approval is morale/population and you can see your total morale for the planet and where it comes from by checking the approval tool-tip. The game has no tutorial at the moment, so it can be confusing, but I think they do an excellent job of giving you all the information you need in places where it makes sense. The one thing they should probably do a better job of clarifying approval vs. morale, but I think this is a mainly a relic of the different versions of approval they have gone through so far.

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Quoting ,

quoting post

On this point have you tried clicking the change to tech tree in the bottom left hand corner. I personally find that much better to use then the default view, which I don't like too.

Bear in mind its still Beta so there is a lot of polish/making it more user friendly to come. Atm I get the impression stardock's main aim is getting everything in the game working in a stable fashion, plus adding new content so it can be officially released.

If you played GC2 have faith...that was one of the most user friendly, intuitive, easy to understood and polished games I have ever had the pleasure to play. I am sure one day GC3 will end up the same.

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Quoting peregrine23,

reply 1

The information on this screen is actually very clear if you know how to read it.

Well this is exactly my point. Your sentence should read : "The information on this screen is actually very clear to read" period. I should not have to spend 10mn on a building tooltip to try and understand it.

Quoting peregrine23,

reply 1

In this case it is relevant that this tile gives +2 levels to approval buildings.

Huh what ? It says +2 to approval, not +2 to building level. Those are 2 completly different things.

Quoting peregrine23,

reply 1

for a total of +4 morale.

Nice ! Where is the +4 written then ?

Quoting peregrine23,

reply 1

It also gives +1 level to any adjacent approval improvement.

This is not clear enough at all. Does it give +1 approval flat to any building, or +1 approval to another approval building, or +1 level to any building level with +approval bonus ?

Quoting peregrine23,

reply 1

but I think they do an excellent job of giving you all the information you need in places where it makes sense.

I strongly disagree, hence this post. They have to do a much better job.

Quoting Meglobob,

On this point have you tried clicking the change to tech tree in the bottom left hand corner. I personally find that much better to use then the default view, which I don't like too.

Of course i did. The tech tree looks like any tech tree from back 1991. Linear and dull as I said, though it looks definitly better than the totally useless screen before.

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