MichaelCook

Join Date 03/2009

+23

Just joined Beta 1G, my opinion plus suggestions

The title says "Just joined Beta 1G, my opinion plus suggestions", so here we go....

I actually really like the cloth map. I don't know exactly what the full map will be like but I like the simplicity of it, makes for easy understanding of whats going on. I would like to see the option to edit and customise the icons for anything on the map, in particular for me the building icons.

I like the technology research tree, in that each technology has no actual cost but rather each further level costs more and you pick which technology you want. This allows for a strategy of leaping up one branch of the tree ASAP or getting all the "basic" techs. Really good.

The unit icons for me are good and bad. I like being able to equip them with different weapons, choosing their hair and other details bores me to tears and then having the unit icon dependant on these choices is rotton for me. I would like to be able to have unit icons not of people but say a bow for bowmen or a spear for spearmen. I'd like a button that will randomly change hair and other features so in the tactical battles I don't have armies of clones because selecting different things to make each unit unique bores me.

The city building aspect needs to be more informative to the player. Resources are so important and if you slap a city down between a food resource and an iron resource to be able to harvest both but your city won't grow because it won't grow to reach the food this just sucks. Based on my playing I would like to see some way to build outposts which are directly connected to a city and transport the resource to the city. This way I don't feel pressured to spam cities to get resources. The ammount of outposts per city could be increased by research and the distance an outpost can be from a city could also be increased by research. Outposts near the borders could be occupied by multiple civ's with each civ only getting their share of the full amount and trade deals could be done to secure outposts for sole harvesting.

Overall I'm impressed with the way this game is going and look forward to enjoying its development.

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I'd like a button that will randomly change hair and other features so in the tactical battles I don't have armies of clones because selecting different things to make each unit unique bores me.

This is just temporary. Here are a couple quotes from Brad on how it will work in the final game:

In Elemental, when you design a unit, you literally grab a random peasant from your cities to train. That means that each guy will look a little different from the other.

Eventually, the Fabios will all look slightly different from one another

He was designing and building "Fabio" units in this thread https://forums.elementalgame.com/376445

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Quoting Cauldyth,

reply 1

This is just temporary.

Thats good.

Here is a quick and easy map I did to represent the idea of cities with outposts to resources:

The Houses are cities, the mountain and wheat resources. The double lined roads are roads between cities, the single lined roads between a city and a resource. Resources could be shared between cities or not, could be shared between rival civ's or not. A resource could be linked to a city via not a direct route but via another resource.

The popular idea of organically developing roads could be used in that all roads could grow over time without player input. The number of resources and the maximum distance resources could be connected could be increased via research. Also resource allotment could be changed by the player, such that in the beginning when the maximum distance allowed from city to resource is low then cities will take what is nearest, later when the distance grows the player could re-allocate the resources to make cities more occupation specific, ie make a mega city for tax via increased food, a magical research city via increased shards or a military city with lots of iron to speed production. Cities could have "+% to X" type buildings to further maximise the bonus of making occupation specific cities (ie Granary gives +10% to all food sources). Making these +X% buildings expensive to build favours the making of occupation specific cities and for getting the increased maximum outpost distance techs.

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Yes I would like the ability to construct outposts or small towns for the sole reason of transporting resources back to cities. Right now I feel pressured to spam cities to take advantage of all the surrounding resources, which is not realistic nor very fun.

I was thinking of maybe a unit that could be buildable in major cities, like a caravan or something, that could go out and set up outposts next to resources and then send the resources back automatically to whatever city built the unit. Or you could have the ability to build roads to any city you like from the outpost.

This would really open up strategic options like using light horsemen for raiding and outpost protection. You could even use them as forward posts to warn of invasion forces.

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Your second paragraph is exactly how it was done in "Rise of Nations". My memory is you built a market, which allowed you to create "traders" or something like that that you could direct the trader to go out and build a post near any particular resource on the map (the trader could only build one such post, and then was stuck at that spot).

Worked well in my opinion...didn't have to spam roads or cities everywhere or otherwise micro-manage the process, and could decide whether to defend these "resource gathering" trading posts or not - overall, I think that type of solution makes sense.

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"I would like to see the option to edit and customise the icons for anything on the map, in particular for me the building icons."

That is absolutely doable currently. Under your install drive look for Stardock Games\?\GFX in there are the current .DDS files used on the Cloth Map. All you need is an graphic editor that can save in the proper/exactly as found .DDS (DirectDraw Surface) format and replace what is provided. I would save the original though.

Much of the "real art" is ther as well but is simply not turned on as we are "Clothin it" in the Beta.

P.S. "Clothin it" - a game term similair in meaning to "slumming it".. LOL

I will post my new road .DDS when it gets (WIP) completed...

Modding FTW!

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I for one can't wait to see the full game engine at work. The cloth map is readable but I needs me some sparklies to keep my attention.

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