Author Topic: Gameplay Feedback / Questions  (Read 32795 times)

Tom

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Gameplay Feedback / Questions
« Topic Start: May 17, 2016, 07:46:48 AM »
Here are some thoughts I have about the gameplay, once you have played a few turns, let me know your thoughts:


a) taking plots is too easy at this time, especially once you play competitively (i.e. try to destroy other players).
Possible restrictions I am thinking about:
1) if there is anything on the plot, the first take action only turns it into common ground
2) buildings cannot be taken at all
3) add a "defend" action that is more powerful than take, e.g. it defends the plot you select and all adjacent plots

b) maybe creatures trampling through fields should damage them?

c) (this is pretty much decided) - Destroyed buildings and walls do not return the plot to empty, but to a new state "ruined".
This gives both better visual feedback of the events and makes rebuilding more difficult because those plots need to be cleaned first (which on the plus side will yield 0-2 wood).

d) I've always, since the original design, wanted to make gathering actions in the forest competitive
By that I mean that the more people do it, the less everyone gains. But with the current resource values that just doesn't work unless I go into fractions.

James

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Re: Gameplay Feedback / Questions
« Reply #1: May 17, 2016, 04:16:33 PM »
As I said in another post, I do think that the difference between numbers of family members does have too much of an influence on things at the moment - there are not alternative tactics, if you have fewer family members, you'll lose. If somehow this could be balanced (possibly increasing the food requirements and yields from certain activities) so that having fewer actions per turn doesn't matter so much as you don't have to gather as much food, that would make it more viable.

Taking plots - perhaps only be able to take plots adjacent to the unbroken 'main' section of your own lands. As we've seen in one of the alpha games, at the moment you can end up with random scattered individual plots when both sides are trying to take everything, which could result in losing your house with nothing you can do about it (though some of the ideas mentioned in your post would cover that).

Being able to destroy things yourself would also be good - disassembling huts/fences on common land for example. Quicker way to gather resources, and a tactic to help destroy other families.

Very small chance of death when gathering in forest after x number of days?
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Tom

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Re: Gameplay Feedback / Questions
« Reply #2: May 17, 2016, 06:23:21 PM »
Unbroken is an interesting idea, but hard to define. But something like single plots (all neighbours are not yours) is possible, exception for homes or something. I will think about it. I just want to avoid making things too complicated.

James

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Re: Gameplay Feedback / Questions
« Reply #3: May 20, 2016, 03:19:48 PM »
The option to abandon your current plot and set up in another house on common ground somewhere, with that one square then being your plot that you can build out from - allows a smaller family the chance to get away from an overly aggressive larger family next door.
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James

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Re: Gameplay Feedback / Questions
« Reply #4: May 22, 2016, 09:43:34 AM »
Following on from my previous post, what happens to a family when they lose their last plot of land? As I've just taken that in one game. Do they just live on the common and hope they can last?
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Tom

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Re: Gameplay Feedback / Questions
« Reply #5: May 22, 2016, 12:42:53 PM »
Yes, my family in that game took up home in one of the common houses. I cannot take land, but I can harvest and build on common grounds.

Maybe the solution is simply to allow you to take land next to your sleeping home?

Tom

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Re: Gameplay Feedback / Questions
« Reply #6: May 23, 2016, 10:17:59 AM »
My impressions so far from a dozen or so test games:

After day 20, it becomes a real struggle. Monsters begin to destroy things faster than you can rebuild them. That is good, exactly as I wanted, my design goal was that games would last about a month (30 days).

The first days seem boring, but maybe that is because there are so few players at this time.

I'm thinking if maybe it would be better if there would be one plot of common land between all the player lands. Right now, you can have your hut directly at the border.

James

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Re: Gameplay Feedback / Questions
« Reply #7: May 31, 2016, 10:49:35 AM »
Looking at some of the games now, I'm not sure if the order of things is correct:

Eating seems to happen before food gathered that turn is added to the supply. Also, if you don't have enough food for all family members then none of them eat? Randomly select who doesn't eat that turn maybe, with the most hungry being excluded from the randomness (so if one person didn't eat the previous day, they'd be first to eat the next day).

Damage by beasts seems to happen before repairs are done (but after building new things, or it's something else I don't understand). For example I definitely had enough resources at he start of the turn to repair my house and build a fence. Fence was destroyed the same turn, but house says that the construction project failed.

***Edit - definitely something wrong with repairing. My house had 5 damage, I didn't gather any more wood this turn (though I'm not sure what two of my family did do as they aren't listed in the events...) still have 9 wood stored and got an error that I didn't have the resources to complete the repair work...
« Last Edit: May 31, 2016, 01:46:52 PM by James »
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James

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Re: Gameplay Feedback / Questions
« Reply #8: May 31, 2016, 12:19:03 PM »
Or maybe repair values are costing more than the listed values?

My thoughts on how things should run (which they may, but I'm not clear):

1 - all gathering (done first thing in the morning)
2 - repairs/planting/taking
3 - building
4 - eating
5 - darkness and the beasts it brings.

(Think I covered everything that happens...)
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Tom

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Re: Gameplay Feedback / Questions
« Reply #9: May 31, 2016, 03:25:06 PM »
There may be bugs, of course.

At the moment:

* gathering happens first
* then all in-village actions, in random order
* then darkness falls and the monsters come

The most hungry peasants eat first.

James

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Re: Gameplay Feedback / Questions
« Reply #10: May 31, 2016, 04:28:43 PM »
In which case, if you see my post a couple above, there's something wrong with repairing houses. I've made some notes in a couple of games I can see the issue is definitely there, in the hopes I might be able to give more info!
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Tom

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Re: Gameplay Feedback / Questions
« Reply #11: June 01, 2016, 01:41:26 AM »
Yeah, any info helps to find bugs.

James

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Re: Gameplay Feedback / Questions
« Reply #12: June 02, 2016, 09:30:01 AM »
With fields being damaged when walked across, it might be useful to see how much food they will yield. At the moment, potentially you could harvest one with 1 food left, so would be better off going to the forest. I say this seeing that a field in one of my games (not my field) lost 3 food this turn and still can't be harvested. Maybe there should be a guaranteed minimum yield, or start with a higher base value (though that would then change game tactics as it would be easier to stockpile early).
An indicator for how much food is left on a field would be useful though :)
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Tom

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Re: Gameplay Feedback / Questions
« Reply #13: June 02, 2016, 06:29:42 PM »
If you hover over the field, it should say something like "growing (4)" - meaning it has 4 food left.

And after adding trampling, I changed the base value from 5 to 6.

James

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Re: Gameplay Feedback / Questions
« Reply #14: June 02, 2016, 06:57:24 PM »
If you hover over the field, it should say something like "growing (4)" - meaning it has 4 food left.

Nope. Maybe in the version you're using but not in 18? (I'm pretty sure I'm on 18 due to date on file, would be useful to have the version number on the opening page somewhere (unless it's already hiding somewhere?))
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