[Suggestion] Streamlined diplomacy interface

from Elemental Forums

Hello everyone!

My suggestion pertains to the diplomacy screen. In the beta right now, diplomacy is done by opening your diplomacy screen, clicking on the nation you'd like to talk to, which opens another screen, where you can now make proposals and have them accepted or rejected. This is a pretty standard system, similar to the likes of the Total War series, Civilization, GalCiv2, MOM, etc.

There are a number of problems with this system.

(a) Trading for what you want requires a guessing game of what bids the computer will accept or reject. A typical trading strategy consists of making a bunch of rejected proposals until the computer finally accepts your offer. This game mechanic isn't fun, so why not streamline it? [Sidenote: you don't actually have to make proposals in Civ 4, the computer will tell you whether it's a good or bad offer before you make it, but you still have to put the offer together before you know, which is a waste of time.] I'm eventually going to find out how much the computer values my tech/treaty after it rejects a bunch of proposals, so why not just tell me up front that it values my tech at 500gp, or that they're unwilling to trade altogether due to our bad relations? It sure would save me a lot of time and frustration.

( b ) If I want to find what is available for trade, I have to go through and click each civilization before I know. Why not just tell me who has what in one place? And furthermore, why not just let me trade with everyone on one screen instead of making me trade on a bunch of different screens? Again, it would save me a lot of time and frustration.

(c) Further to ( b ), not only do I have to click on every single Civ to see what they have, I have to do it nearly every turn, in case they have anything new. This would partially be alleviated by my above suggestion, but it would also be great if I could choose to be notified when someone is willing to trade me a tech I don't have, or now willing to buy a tech I have to offer, or willing to do a trade pact, etc. It doesn't have an annoying pop-up, it could be a small tab attached to the turn summary screen.

Well, that's all I've got. Feel free to post any other suggestions you have for the diplomacy interface.

 

6,210 views 4 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

(a) Looks good, but maybe you'd need a diplomacy ability or espionage to actually find out the computer's limits

(b ) Would be helpful, but could turn into a ui nightmare. I dunno how they could do this. Maybe have some kind of encyclopedia of tech where you can go find the one you're looking for, then it tells you who has it? Again, though some sort of lore explanation would be good for why you know everything. Maybe info is only available for each kingdom that you have a spy in or trading treaties with, or something.

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

Congrats! (a) & (b) are both good.   Devs should take your concern when designing UI.   I always find checking every screen each turn to see if there is something new being offerred is a very tedious process.

Rgds to (c) I have previously suggested there is very nice log at begining of every turn, to tell you what have changed since your last turn, in diplomacy (or all other aspect).   Each turn, you scroll thorough the log to see the changes.

You don't need to go to all those 'info' screen every turn.  When you want to go there, you do it because either you want to see an overview & take some action there.

 

Start11 - Customize the Start Menu and Taskbar in Windows 10/11.
Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

Goodmoring all

Civ 4 actualyl has a decent first draft of this system, 

when you go to relations, and trade it has a row for every AI, and in that row is a series of pictures of which techs they are willing to trade, and which they will accept. 


I would liek a system where the comp does the leg work for me.

I got to the diplomacy system and say i need 15 dragon hearts, it then returns with bids from various AI's as to what they want for thier 15 dragon hearts.  or for however many they have to spare.

I now have one screen which has each AI offering how many, and what they want,   possibly with some small notes about how my diplomacy skill, or how agreeing to one will change your status.

Also the same system can be used for selling stuff, easily enough.

take care.

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

I would agree with the Robbie.Price system.  Something similar also seems useful when it comes to marrying people off ot foreign factions.