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FrenziedFan
FrenziedFan
Join Date 04/2012
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Easy to fix [Annoying bugs - UI problems] - Containment thread

May 21, 2012 6:45:03 AM from Elemental ForumsElemental Forums

There are too many reposts and long discussions about small, annoying bugs and annoying little UI problems. To make this forum easier to read and to get the most bang for buck development out of the devs I made this thread that is intended to collect information from other threads and recap it here.

Below I will give a list of small annoying things that should be fairly easy to fix and would make the game less frustrating. Feel free to add anything that I missed, but please keep the posts super short and try to only add things that are somewhat easy to implement (remember this is about bang/buck development). All of these things have been heavily discussed and if the devs want to read more about a particular point there are many other threads that talk about them in detail.

Small annoying things that should be relatively easy to fix:

  • When you get an item you should immediately be able to see the item stats. Also you should get the choice to go to the trade window. As it is now you only get to choose between storing it and equipping it (without even seeing what it does).
  • "Zzzz" city idle alert needs to be easier to notice and should, at least, be on the same side as all the other alerts.
  • You should not have to tell the AI to leave your territory all the time. Some kind of "Open borders" type deal should have to be made. 
  • Health bar and animations should be synchronized. (Not sure how easy this is to do).
  • When units or cities level up you need to see all the information to make an informed choice.
  • After playing for a just a short time, holding down Shift starts to lag mouse movement (this makes it hard to select units in a stack for example).

ONE MORE THING: Since this list might get very long you should let the devs know which issues you think they should focus on. This way they can fix the most annoying things first.

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FrenziedFan
FrenziedFan
Join Date 04/2012
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Reply #1 May 21, 2012 6:47:51 AM
from Elemental ForumsElemental Forums
  • Show unit pathfinding before you move.  

I think devs should focus on the item popup window because it is such an easy thing to do and it happens frequently.

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FrenziedFan
Trojasmic
Join Date 04/2006
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Reply #2 May 21, 2012 1:54:53 PM
from Elemental ForumsElemental Forums

1. UI issues with the Army, City, Quest list down the left-hand side

  • The list extends past the viewable screen real estate when you have lots of armies, cities, and quests.  That should trigger a visible scroll bar
  • It should be easier to determine which armies still have movement points available
  • Whichever army or city is selected on the main screen should be highlighted in the list down the left

2. Tactical battle UI issues

  • The hover UI that shows average damage should also be showing potential bonus damage from fire, cold, weapon bonuses, trait bonuses, etc.
  • The hover UI should also show average spell damage if targeting with spell
  • You should be able to target attacks or spells using the list down the left side
  • Spells and arrows are still flying in the from the side of the screen instead of from the army performing the action

3. Hovering over a spell cast on a city should tell what you spell is

4. Should show pathfinding before you move and it should show how many turns to get that tile

5. HUD icons should change if an improvement has been built vs. being built vs. not started being built yet on a resource

 

 

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FrenziedFan
Gaunathor
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Reply #3 May 22, 2012 6:29:52 AM
from Elemental ForumsElemental Forums

In order of descending priority:

1. Notification to select a research path. At one point I had to reload a autosave. At the beginning of the turn research has been finished, but I got no notification when I loaded the save. I have no idea how many turns have past until I realized that I wasn't researching anything. You shouldn't be able to end the turn without a research path selected.

2. Outpost/resource destroyed notification. This notification should send you to the location where it happened. Outpost in the north-west is often not enough of an indicator for you to find it yourself. In addition, it should have on icon on the right side like most of the other notifications.

3. Resource-building notification. Currently, you get notified each time a new resource is in your territory, even if you aren't able to use them yet. It would be better, if those notifications would only show for up for those resources you could actually use. It can be quite frustrating later in the game, when you have researched the necessary technology to use a certain resource, but have now to hunt all over your territory to find each instance of it yourself.

4. Notification when the build queue is empty. The "zzz" on the left are just not enough. I'm now quite accustomed to it, checking all of my cities every turn, but it could be very annoying for a new player. My suggestion would be a simple one-off notification that the build-queue of your city of x is empty. This should give you the option of either going to the city and selecting something new to build or a simple OK button to acknowledge it.

5. Selecting multiple targets for spells. Right now you have to buff each unit individually. This can be quite the chore when you want to buff a whole army. In WoM, you could select multiple targets in the same stack to receive the spell. Why is this no longer possible?

 

Edit: Forgot to swap number two and three. 

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FrenziedFan
dctrjons
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Reply #4 May 22, 2012 8:11:28 AM
from Elemental ForumsElemental Forums

Quoting Gaunathor,
reply 3
3. Outpost/resource destroyed notification. This notification should send you to the location where it happened. Outpost in the north-west is often not enough of an indicator for you to find it yourself. In addition, it should have on icon on the right side like most of the other notifications.

I'd put this higher.  Or in fact, maybe the entire notification needs a rethink.  It's been so long since I've played an old-school strategy game that I'm not sure how they handled AI turns.  Think this calls for a post in of itself.  The AI going from fog to fog without you being able to see it comes to mind.

2. Resource-building notification. Currently, you get notified each time a new resource is in your territory, even if you aren't able to use them yet. It would be better, if those notifications would only show for up for those resources you could actually use. It can be quite frustrating later in the game, when you have researched the necessary technology to use a certain resource, but have now to hunt all over your territory to find each instance of it yourself.

Not true, least not entirely.  Many people will change their tech trees (and even intentionally holding back on the relevant tech) based on a new resource that their leveled/upgraded city can now grab.  Possibly a less invasive notification, but not entirely removed.

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FrenziedFan
Gaunathor
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Reply #5 May 22, 2012 8:22:28 AM
from Elemental ForumsElemental Forums

Quoting dctrjons,
reply 4
I'd put this higher. Or in fact, maybe the entire notification needs a rethink. It's been so long since I've played an old-school strategy game that I'm not sure how they handled AI turns. Think this calls for a post in of itself. The AI going from fog to fog without you being able to see it comes to mind.

You're right. I forgot to change the number.

Quoting dctrjons,
reply 4
Not true, least not entirely. Many people will change their tech trees (and even intentionally holding back on the relevant tech) based on a new resource that their leveled/upgraded city can now grab. Possibly a less invasive notification, but not entirely removed.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean. Could you please elaborate?

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FrenziedFan
dctrjons
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Reply #6 May 22, 2012 8:37:31 AM
from Elemental ForumsElemental Forums

Quoting Gaunathor,
reply 5


I'm not entirely sure what you mean. Could you please elaborate?

An example of the ?deer? tile...lol forget the tile name.  But you need animal husbandry to 'farm' it.

Later in a game, when I have significant research strength and I have been in the other two trees for most of the game.  I might have 5+ cities and one of mine is juuuust about to grab the 'deer' tile but still has a few turns before the population causes it to level.  I will likely continue on other tasks, since there isn't anything I can really efficiently do about it. 

In this scenario, I want to know right away when I can grab that tile since in ten or so turns I might have forgotten about it.  And will probably be able to switch my research and taxes up to be able to grab it (at least start building on it) in a few turns.  Otherwise I would have to time the research to pop before or at the same time my city expands and that's assuming I don't have other research priorities at the time, and I don't feel like matching numbers up to time that.

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FrenziedFan
Gaunathor
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Reply #7 May 22, 2012 9:22:12 AM
from Elemental ForumsElemental Forums

Quoting dctrjons,
reply 6

An example of the ?deer? tile...lol forget the tile name. But you need animal husbandry to 'farm' it.

Later in a game, when I have significant research strength and I have been in the other two trees for most of the game. I might have 5+ cities and one of mine is juuuust about to grab the 'deer' tile but still has a few turns before the population causes it to level. I will likely continue on other tasks, since there isn't anything I can really efficiently do about it.

In this scenario, I want to know right away when I can grab that tile since in ten or so turns I might have forgotten about it. And will probably be able to switch my research and taxes up to be able to grab it (at least start building on it) in a few turns. Otherwise I would have to time the research to pop before or at the same time my city expands and that's assuming I don't have other research priorities at the time, and I don't feel like matching numbers up to time that.

I think I understand know what you meant.

In any case, I wasn't implying that the notification should be removed, just that it should be more 'smart' about when to notify you. It isn't really helpful to know that those deers or an Ogre lair is within your territory when you don't have the tech yet to use them. It is interesting, surely, and can help to influence your research decisions, but you can't do anything about it immediately. Far more important is to get notified where those tiles are within your territory when you have researched the techs. This way you don't have to waste time looking for them (and possibly overlook some of them). If I understood you correctly, this is what you want, too. Correct?

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FrenziedFan
dctrjons
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Reply #8 May 23, 2012 2:56:53 AM
from Elemental ForumsElemental Forums

No I want to keep the notification if I can research, because that may change my research.  It often does, because I will have seen the resource availability 'coming', just not when.  And the notification is a reminder to switch research (or not). 

Now for techs you can't use...ever, I can still see a benefit if it happens to be an active lair.  But this essentially would be a different notification, essentially "uh oh, you've encroached on the ogres' home."  This way you know that you woke some beasties.  So, yeah no "build here" message if you can't ever.

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FrenziedFan
Gaunathor
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Reply #9 May 23, 2012 4:23:24 AM
from Elemental ForumsElemental Forums

Okay, now I get it. Thanks.

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FrenziedFan
Dm184741
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Reply #10 May 24, 2012 1:23:58 PM
from Elemental ForumsElemental Forums

MuLaFlaga has a nice series of pics documenting zoc display bugs https://forums.elementalgame.com/425423

I've run into those as well, those colored triangles projected over the map are annoying.

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FrenziedFan
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Reply #11 May 24, 2012 1:35:04 PM
from Elemental ForumsElemental Forums

also I vote for fixing: Outpost/resource destroyed notification

being on the top of list for priority. It is incredibly frustrating, many games have got this right. Just put markers on the map of resources that got destroyed. When you click on the side notification have it take you to the resource that was destroyed, or even cycle through them if more than one, like the enemies in your territory notification.

 

Next up are all the spell damage success rates,  which should include %chance of success for resistible spells, and an estimate of expected damage for spells not just the formulas.

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FrenziedFan
dctrjons
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Reply #12 May 25, 2012 3:08:15 AM
from Elemental ForumsElemental Forums

Kinda like Sins.

 

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FrenziedFan
ins2
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Reply #13 May 25, 2012 3:45:43 AM
from Elemental ForumsElemental Forums

 

Let me add my own small pet peeves to include in the thread:

1. The Legacy of Serraine ability does not give ANY horse (warhorse or other) to the shop in order for champions to be able to buy it

2. Higher-level champions end up asking for negative amounts of money, which makes them impossible to recruit

3. The 10% selling price for items in the shop - please make it higher, or at least moddable

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