A couple of suggestions based on my first experience with the Beta
Yesterday I played the Beta for the first time. At first it seemed like a convoluted piece of a game, but after a couple of turns it all became quite clear. I was playing along with another player (littlemad) and we began to work out the mechanics of the whole thing. All in all, it was a very interesting experience.
The main issue I see with this game is waiting for the next turn, as many have already pointed. At first this was not evident because my game partner and I were examining stuff in the game and so time basically flew. Once we got the hang of the game, though, each turn felt considerably lengthy; even when we were playing rather fast (we didn't hesitate much on taking actions and such, 'cause we planned our movements while waiting for our respective turns). However, there is no limit timer for turns, or at least we didn't seem to hit any time limit, because some of our turns lasted several long minutes.
We reached a point when my partner seemed gone and, after waiting for over 20 minutes for her to move or even reply in the game chat, I had to log off to attend other business in the real life.
Based on my first impressions, here are a few things I think could benefit the game:
1. Add a time limit for turns.
Each turn should last between 2 to 5 minutes per player. I can not imagine how long one would have to wait if all four players are connected ina same game. As a bonus, it could be made a variable at the moment of creating a private match, like "TURN TIME" and the possibility to choose a number of minutes. This should also be shown on potential lists of open games, letting players to know how much time they have between turns. If you are new to the game you might want more time to think, while Pro Players will have enough with 2-3 minutes per turn.
2. Display a list of past actions.
While I was playing with my partner we found it impossible to keep track of everything that was happening in the game. I haven't seen a recorded history of the game anywhere, so it would be very interesting to have a history window listing all the events happening in the game. It doesn't need to be present all times; it can easily be deployable, just like the chat window. As a bonus, you could switch between "Basic" and "Detailed" information. Basic would show basic movement of players across the board and their happenings, while Detailed would provide specific information of minor events, cards and battle results.
3. If the Chat Window is open, make it keep focus.
This one is rather minor, but it felt a little annoying after a while. Since my partner and me were discussing the game as we played we used the chat quite a bit, and one annoying thing was to click back to the chat bar in order to write a reply. More than once I thought I was typing and then I realized nothing was being written down because I had previously clicked on the game to order actions and so on. Since there doesn't seem to be hotkeys for this game, it would be more efficient to, IF the chat window is open, return the focus to the chat window so you can type immediately.
4. Possibility of asynchronous matches?
This one is a longshot, but I've seen enough material in my first game as for suggesting it. Provided you can add the History window and considering that the game already give you quite a lot of information of your current quests and such, and keeping in mind how lengthy waiting for your turn could become if not keeping a Time Limit for each turn... why not add a "Asynchronous Game" option for 2-Player games? It would work similar to games like Hero Academy. When activated the option, an Asynchonous Game would allow two players to play a match along hours, days and weeks, taking their time to recall their current quests thanks to their cards, make their moves, and then sending his actions to the other player, who will see them once he/she logs in and checks their list of Asynchronous Matches.
That is pretty much what I could come up with after my first game session. I will be playing again on the weekend, considering a proper game is meant to take ages without the Time Limit per turn. I find this game extremely enjoyable once the rules set in. Of course it needs polish, but that's what Betas are for.
Take care, guys. Very good job.
(Max)
Yesterday I played the Beta for the first time. At first it seemed like a convoluted piece of a game, but after a couple of turns it all became quite clear. I was playing along with another player (littlemad) and we began to work out the mechanics of the whole thing. All in all, it was a very interesting experience.
The main issue I see with this game is waiting for the next turn, as many have already pointed. At first this was not evident because my game partner and I were examining stuff in the game and so time basically flew. Once we got the hang of the game, though, each turn felt considerably lengthy; even when we were playing rather fast (we didn't hesitate much on taking actions and such, 'cause we planned our movements while waiting for our respective turns). However, there is no limit timer for turns, or at least we didn't seem to hit any time limit, because some of our turns lasted several long minutes.
We reached a point when my partner seemed gone and, after waiting for over 20 minutes for her to move or even reply in the game chat, I had to log off to attend other business in the real life.
Based on my first impressions, here are a few things I think could benefit the game:
1. Add a time limit for turns.
Each turn should last between 2 to 5 minutes per player. I can not imagine how long one would have to wait if all four players are connected ina same game. As a bonus, it could be made a variable at the moment of creating a private match, like "TURN TIME" and the possibility to choose a number of minutes. This should also be shown on potential lists of open games, letting players to know how much time they have between turns. If you are new to the game you might want more time to think, while Pro Players will have enough with 2-3 minutes per turn.
2. Display a list of past actions.
While I was playing with my partner we found it impossible to keep track of everything that was happening in the game. I haven't seen a recorded history of the game anywhere, so it would be very interesting to have a history window listing all the events happening in the game. It doesn't need to be present all times; it can easily be deployable, just like the chat window. As a bonus, you could switch between "Basic" and "Detailed" information. Basic would show basic movement of players across the board and their happenings, while Detailed would provide specific information of minor events, cards and battle results.
3. If the Chat Window is open, make it keep focus.
This one is rather minor, but it felt a little annoying after a while. Since my partner and me were discussing the game as we played we used the chat quite a bit, and one annoying thing was to click back to the chat bar in order to write a reply. More than once I thought I was typing and then I realized nothing was being written down because I had previously clicked on the game to order actions and so on. Since there doesn't seem to be hotkeys for this game, it would be more efficient to, IF the chat window is open, return the focus to the chat window so you can type immediately.
4. Possibility of asynchronous matches?
This one is a longshot, but I've seen enough material in my first game as for suggesting it. Provided you can add the History window and considering that the game already give you quite a lot of information of your current quests and such, and keeping in mind how lengthy waiting for your turn could become if not keeping a Time Limit for each turn... why not add a "Asynchronous Game" option for 2-Player games? It would work similar to games like Hero Academy. When activated the option, an Asynchonous Game would allow two players to play a match along hours, days and weeks, taking their time to recall their current quests thanks to their cards, make their moves, and then sending his actions to the other player, who will see them once he/she logs in and checks their list of Asynchronous Matches.
That is pretty much what I could come up with after my first game session. I will be playing again on the weekend, considering a proper game is meant to take ages without the Time Limit per turn. I find this game extremely enjoyable once the rules set in. Of course it needs polish, but that's what Betas are for.
Take care, guys. Very good job.
(Max)