After a few games, and having learned the interface, it is not as bad as I first thought.
But it could be improved. The Land Battles phase could start with a window listing the battles to be fought, click on the one you wish to fight first, and then the screen appearing when the battle ends. The death of a general is announced, well why not the end of wars and the conditions they ended under? Or a place were that info can be examined (beyond info about my own nation)? Likewise, I should be able to see how much $ a nation has left, and what his buys were. I nice botton labeled "Major Power National sheets" listing all corps and fleets, with pertinent data I should be able to know, like fleets, their strength and location, etc.
Right now if I click on a nation I get a box with some info that is useful, but the display could be better even if the resolution stays the same. That's pretty much my point; improve the asthetics and effiency of data presentation. Now, everything I NEED to play is there, but there is a real learning curve and i think better data presentation would be a big boost.
Some good news; thanks for not over doing the music. I like a quiet game.
yamma
Interface feedback
Moderator: MOD_EIA
-
yammahoper
- Posts: 231
- Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2004 7:14 pm
RE: Interface feedback
...nothing is more chaotic than a battle won...
RE: Interface feedback
I just want to throw out my thoughts for a couple of possible future interface mods. Certainly not required for the first patch (which is all I want for Christmas
), but I’ll toss them out while their on my mind.
1. Sequence of play display: It would be nice if there was an easy way to see who is coming up in the sequence of upcoming phases without having to constantly go the manual. In addition, the manual won’t show where France (land) and Britain (naval) have selected to take their turn. Either a button you could select to show this data or if it were displayed when you scroll over the turn display would be beneficial in my opinion.
2. VP Status page: The display shows a percentage of VPs gained but not the actual totals. I’m aware it is available by selecting each country individually, but if I’m going to take the time to go to this screen it would be nice if I could get the actual total number of points possessed by each country displayed in one spot. A scroll over pop-up or a button that allowed the user to toggle between percentage and total might be nice.
), but I’ll toss them out while their on my mind.1. Sequence of play display: It would be nice if there was an easy way to see who is coming up in the sequence of upcoming phases without having to constantly go the manual. In addition, the manual won’t show where France (land) and Britain (naval) have selected to take their turn. Either a button you could select to show this data or if it were displayed when you scroll over the turn display would be beneficial in my opinion.
2. VP Status page: The display shows a percentage of VPs gained but not the actual totals. I’m aware it is available by selecting each country individually, but if I’m going to take the time to go to this screen it would be nice if I could get the actual total number of points possessed by each country displayed in one spot. A scroll over pop-up or a button that allowed the user to toggle between percentage and total might be nice.
-
Grapeshot Bob
- Posts: 222
- Joined: Sun Dec 16, 2007 8:35 pm
- Location: Canada
RE: Interface feedback
Some things I'd really like to see:
1. When you click on a minor ally a popup screen tells you a summary of that country. It tells you what reinforcements are coming and some information about thier political and diplomatic situation. In order to see the same type of information for the country I'm playing I have to click on a relatively tiny icon in the upper left corner. Could we make the system work the same for both cases? A click on the map is much quicker and easier.
2. About the combat chits. I'm not exactly clear how these work. The provided chart seems like encrypted top secret code. It is a list of numbers with no key that I know of. Could someone either post (or revise the manual) to show the relative advantages and disadvantages of each choice? Which attacks are best for each defence and visa versa? Which tactics work best in different types of terrain? Which tactics work best with infantry, cavalry, militia or in cities? Do some leaders use some tactics better than others? Are some countries better at some tactics than others? I'm not asking to see the enemy choice before I pick mine. I just want a rough idea how the system works.
3. When I want to build an artillery corps I have a few problems. I always make artillery factors in my economic phase but I always forget to place the artillery corps because I keep forgetting what reinforcements are coming up. Then I lose them. I know this is my fault and I should be more careful but I assume that in a face to face game this information would be more apparent. Could the game advise me of my upcoming reinforcements a turn ahead?
4. I'd really like a splash screen at the start of my diplomatic phase that tells me about who has changed or accepted alliances with me. I would think this would be a major thing in a face to face game and it would be immediately apparent to a player (maybe all players?) when an alliance is accepted, offered or broken.
5. There are times when the game tells me that I need to place depots or forage to keep units in supply or that supply costs may be excessive. A unit will get a yellow box, which makes it easy to forage. The case of "supply costs may be excessive" is confusing to me. It likely has something to do with my economy and the money in my treasury but in some turns I have $50 or more, yet the game still gives me this warning. Is $50 in the treasury not typically enough? Are there some special circumstances or rules that would make this more clear? When I get this warning I click on every corps and they are all "normal supply" or "foraging".
6. In some combats I get a system error that the game can't access certain files or tables (I'll forward the exact errors if needed by the dev group). When I clear the error messages, the combat resolves. I assume it resolves normally. Is this the case? I'm using the Vista version of the game by the way.
7. When I click on some countries and try to influence them the information window in the bottom left shows a bunch of random figures. I assume someone is working on this?
8. What disadvantages do corps without assigned leaders have?
9. What do I need to do to get reinforcements during a battle? This button always seems to tell me no reinforcements are availavle.,
Sorry for being so dense but I'd really appreciate some posted help on topics 2, 5, 6, 8 and 9.
Thanks in advance,
GSB
1. When you click on a minor ally a popup screen tells you a summary of that country. It tells you what reinforcements are coming and some information about thier political and diplomatic situation. In order to see the same type of information for the country I'm playing I have to click on a relatively tiny icon in the upper left corner. Could we make the system work the same for both cases? A click on the map is much quicker and easier.
2. About the combat chits. I'm not exactly clear how these work. The provided chart seems like encrypted top secret code. It is a list of numbers with no key that I know of. Could someone either post (or revise the manual) to show the relative advantages and disadvantages of each choice? Which attacks are best for each defence and visa versa? Which tactics work best in different types of terrain? Which tactics work best with infantry, cavalry, militia or in cities? Do some leaders use some tactics better than others? Are some countries better at some tactics than others? I'm not asking to see the enemy choice before I pick mine. I just want a rough idea how the system works.
3. When I want to build an artillery corps I have a few problems. I always make artillery factors in my economic phase but I always forget to place the artillery corps because I keep forgetting what reinforcements are coming up. Then I lose them. I know this is my fault and I should be more careful but I assume that in a face to face game this information would be more apparent. Could the game advise me of my upcoming reinforcements a turn ahead?
4. I'd really like a splash screen at the start of my diplomatic phase that tells me about who has changed or accepted alliances with me. I would think this would be a major thing in a face to face game and it would be immediately apparent to a player (maybe all players?) when an alliance is accepted, offered or broken.
5. There are times when the game tells me that I need to place depots or forage to keep units in supply or that supply costs may be excessive. A unit will get a yellow box, which makes it easy to forage. The case of "supply costs may be excessive" is confusing to me. It likely has something to do with my economy and the money in my treasury but in some turns I have $50 or more, yet the game still gives me this warning. Is $50 in the treasury not typically enough? Are there some special circumstances or rules that would make this more clear? When I get this warning I click on every corps and they are all "normal supply" or "foraging".
6. In some combats I get a system error that the game can't access certain files or tables (I'll forward the exact errors if needed by the dev group). When I clear the error messages, the combat resolves. I assume it resolves normally. Is this the case? I'm using the Vista version of the game by the way.
7. When I click on some countries and try to influence them the information window in the bottom left shows a bunch of random figures. I assume someone is working on this?
8. What disadvantages do corps without assigned leaders have?
9. What do I need to do to get reinforcements during a battle? This button always seems to tell me no reinforcements are availavle.,
Sorry for being so dense but I'd really appreciate some posted help on topics 2, 5, 6, 8 and 9.
Thanks in advance,
GSB
-
yammahoper
- Posts: 231
- Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2004 7:14 pm
RE: Interface feedback
2) The attack chart is simple. The numbers mean Casualty and Moral levels on the attack table. So a 4-1 attack is resolved by cross indexing the 4th casualty colum (at the top of the table) with the 1st moral column (on the left side of the table). The chits are cross indexed in the same manner, assualt against defender, providing the three sets of numbers that are applied to the attack table to resolve a combat. With this information you can easily determine which attacks and defenses are best against what, though national mods do apply to some attacks and dense, in addition to swamps, forest, mountains, etc.
Page 70 in the rule book provides al this info under "Combat Tables".
3) The Current Nation Statistics box is what you want. It shows all reinforcements that are due and soon to arrive (you can click through the upcoming months to see what is coming, while it shows you what is due this month and nezt by default). I keep that box open for most of the game.
4) I SO agree.
5) this warning proves to be relative the cash you have versus how much you intend to spend. In the board game, going bankrupt cost pp, but apparently not in the computer version. As Turkey, I recieved this warning all the time, as GB, never.
8) Corps without leader use their defaul Strategic/Tactical ratings. For Fr and GB, this is 2-2 (better than some generals, lol). For all other nations, it 1-1. See page 105 of the manuel for how ratings are reduced for leaders and corps and the table that shows how they effect combat (in short, strategic ratings are compared providing malus for both sides).
9) You need to have adjacent corps that will not be involved in another battle that turn. A roll is made against the strategic rating of the corp/commander and if successful, they arrive after the first round and help out, or after the second. Page 76 of the manuel.
Can't help ya on six. It happens to me too.
yamma
Page 70 in the rule book provides al this info under "Combat Tables".
3) The Current Nation Statistics box is what you want. It shows all reinforcements that are due and soon to arrive (you can click through the upcoming months to see what is coming, while it shows you what is due this month and nezt by default). I keep that box open for most of the game.
4) I SO agree.
5) this warning proves to be relative the cash you have versus how much you intend to spend. In the board game, going bankrupt cost pp, but apparently not in the computer version. As Turkey, I recieved this warning all the time, as GB, never.
8) Corps without leader use their defaul Strategic/Tactical ratings. For Fr and GB, this is 2-2 (better than some generals, lol). For all other nations, it 1-1. See page 105 of the manuel for how ratings are reduced for leaders and corps and the table that shows how they effect combat (in short, strategic ratings are compared providing malus for both sides).
9) You need to have adjacent corps that will not be involved in another battle that turn. A roll is made against the strategic rating of the corp/commander and if successful, they arrive after the first round and help out, or after the second. Page 76 of the manuel.
Can't help ya on six. It happens to me too.
yamma
...nothing is more chaotic than a battle won...
-
Soapy Frog
- Posts: 282
- Joined: Sat Jul 16, 2005 12:33 am
RE: Interface feedback
I must say its very annoying that I cannot see a summary screen of how much I am spending in supply for the turn and how much each corp is paying. The warning that its going to be expensive is nice, but HOW expensive?
Either it exists and I am too stupid to find it or there is no way to tell. I'd prefer if it was the first becuase I can barely conceive of a designer who left out this important piece of information.
Either it exists and I am too stupid to find it or there is no way to tell. I'd prefer if it was the first becuase I can barely conceive of a designer who left out this important piece of information.
RE: Interface feedback
Its part of the information found on the bar at the lower left of the screen. Highlighting a corps will tell you how much it;s paying for supply and where it's coming from.
The warning screen always comes up when you're spending a decent amount on supply, no matter how much you've had in the bank. I've had it come up when I spend $28 and I have $60 in the bank, and when I am spending $5 and have $8 in the bank.
Todd
The warning screen always comes up when you're spending a decent amount on supply, no matter how much you've had in the bank. I've had it come up when I spend $28 and I have $60 in the bank, and when I am spending $5 and have $8 in the bank.
Todd
RE: Interface feedback
Ah, you guys are still talking under this thread. Heh.
By the way, my main concern is more about when the patch will come out (or is it already there that I don't know?) to fix the diplomacy thinking freeze. I have a couple of games right in this type of stalemate.
Merry X'mas
By the way, my main concern is more about when the patch will come out (or is it already there that I don't know?) to fix the diplomacy thinking freeze. I have a couple of games right in this type of stalemate.
Merry X'mas
RE: Interface feedback
the problem with this game is, they removed the nice boardgame turn sheets and status card and i must say, i am not impressed with the way you need to find info now, as it is now, its way to messy and you quickly loss overview. i have my fingers crossed to get these items into the game 
-
Soapy Frog
- Posts: 282
- Joined: Sat Jul 16, 2005 12:33 am
RE: Interface feedback
Yeah one would think the logical way to do it would be to have literal representations of the board game charts, openable in windows. Such a thing would have been childishly easy.
And as for corp supply, I know you can look at an individual corp and see how much it is paying. But you cannot have an overview of all your corps and supply costs, so that when that message pops up (that your supply may be very expensive) you actually have some idea of what it all means.
And as for corp supply, I know you can look at an individual corp and see how much it is paying. But you cannot have an overview of all your corps and supply costs, so that when that message pops up (that your supply may be very expensive) you actually have some idea of what it all means.
-
yammahoper
- Posts: 231
- Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2004 7:14 pm
RE: Interface feedback
The interface is learnable, but it could be improved. I am an experienced EiA player and have made several accidental clicks, particularly as the night wears on.
Very fun game. Improved interface can only help.
yamma
Very fun game. Improved interface can only help.
yamma
...nothing is more chaotic than a battle won...
RE: Interface feedback
And as for corp supply, I know you can look at an individual corp and see how much it is paying. But you cannot have an overview of all your corps and supply costs, so that when that message pops up (that your supply may be very expensive) you actually have some idea of what it all means.
If you right click anywhere in your home nation during the land phase it tells you your current supply cost...the unit report overview will also tell you which corps are out of supply, and those units that are out of supply should be highlighted, but the highlight can be hard to make out in some areas....
Todd
RE: Interface feedback
Can we make the bottom part of the interface like Windows-Hide. When you put the cursur down low it pops up and when you move the cursur off it disappears. That is my biggest hic-up......hard to get a good strategic view of whats happening and i end up getting Tunnel vision and miss stuff around me.