[1Z1] Impressions so far - less crashing but less fun

from Elemental Forums

I've now played three games under beta 1Z1 and, while there's more to look at and it feels more like a game, I'm finding the game less fun than earlier betas.  Here's a first pass at a few things that are killing the fun factor:

  1. Monsters are a LOT tougher than in any of the earlier betas and there are a lot more of them.  My leader used to be able to at least handle a black widow but now she dies 2 - 3 times before she can kill one and that's simply because the monsters don't seem to heal while the leader can.
  2. The idea of the pioneer unit is good but doesn't seem to be any way to determine, short of trying to build on a resource, whether the resource in question is one that at pioneer can build on.
  3. In the three games I've played under 1Z1 I've never managed to get any of the housing techs.  Randomness in the tech tree is a nice thing but things like this are just annoying.
  4. Research is taking MUCH longer in 1Z1.
  5. Lack of money.  In earlier betas it was possible to build a few cities and build enough city improvements to pay for a modest garrison in each city while still having a few units roaming the map.  That's not really feasible in 1Z1.
  6. Can't build enough housing.  For reasons I don't understand I've been unable to build any huts in my capitol city in two out of three games.  This is with the capitol founded in the starting square.
  7. Quests are inconsistent in terms of whether they can be completed or not.
  8. Quest rewards and found items are inconsistent in terms of whether the bonus stated in the item description is actually applied to the leader that holds or uses the item.  An example is a sword that declared a +4 to attack strength in the description but only gave a +2 bonus to the leader's attack strength.

That's it for now.  The game definitely crashes less often and I like the direction things are going but the current beta feels more like a "slog" than any of the recent betas.

7,069 views 13 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

If the beta is any fun at all, then we have done something wrong.

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Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

Quest rewards
End of quote
I've now played three games under beta 1Z1 and, while there's more to look at and it feels more like a game, I'm finding the game less fun than earlier betas. Here's a first pass at a few things that are killing the fun factor:

1. Monsters are a LOT tougher than in any of the earlier betas and there are a lot more of them. My leader used to be able to at least handle a black widow but now she dies 2 - 3 times before she can kill one and that's simply because the monsters don't seem to heal while the leader can.
2. The idea of the pioneer unit is good but doesn't seem to be any way to determine, short of trying to build on a resource, whether the resource in question is one that at pioneer can build on.
3. In the three games I've played under 1Z1 I've never managed to get any of the housing techs. Randomness in the tech tree is a nice thing but things like this are just annoying.
4. Research is taking MUCH longer in 1Z1.
5. Lack of money. In earlier betas it was possible to build a few cities and build enough city improvements to pay for a modest garrison in each city while still having a few units roaming the map. That's not really feasible in 1Z1.
6. Can't build enough housing. For reasons I don't understand I've been unable to build any huts in my capitol city in two out of three games. This is with the capitol founded in the starting square.
7. Quests are inconsistent in terms of whether they can be completed or not.
8. Quest rewards and found items are inconsistent in terms of whether the bonus stated in the item description is actually applied to the leader that holds or uses the item. An example is a sword that declared a +4 to attack strength in the description but only gave a +2 bonus to the leader's attack strength.

That's it for now. The game definitely crashes less often and I like the direction things are going but the current beta feels more like a "slog" than any of the recent betas.
End of quote

 

I am only offering my opinion as contrast. No offense meant. This is from the perspective of a new tester starting at 1Z.

 

1 - Monsters are not to tough for me. I just make sure I have at least one red shirt with me at all times.

2 - Mousing over a resource will give you a small grey blurb below the resource description that says what tech is required to harvest it.

3 - I have gotten the option of every housing tech up to estates in every game I have played. (Going on about 8 games now)... I can not relate to this.

4 - Research does have a steep cost curve, but so long as I keep expanding and building research, the curve stays relitivaly geometric and managable. Whoas them who do not invest in studies!

5 - Right around Civ level 6 you can get the marketplace... Which is where money begins to flow nicely in this build. I find it refreshing actually; the fact that a starting town begins rather helpless and requires modest attention at first. it compliments the new pooled resource mechanic IMO.

6 - Once again, I always make sure my minimum housing is enough to reach the next city level before building to many non-growth related buildings. This way my cities are always growing. (This took me about 5 games to figure out).

7 - Quests are hard broken for me as well... I am guessing the mod-able XML nature of them is making them a bit tricky compared to card code.

 

8 - My only gripe on items is the lack of adequate explanation as to how they get moved from unit to unit... Still have not figured that out. (assuming its possible)

 

Now back to testing I go!

Multiplicity - Control multiple PCs using one keyboard and mouse
Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

[qoute]"8 - My only gripe on items is the lack of adequate explanation as to how they get moved from unit to unit... Still have not /figured that out. (assuming its possible)"[/quote]

No moves yet. Rest assured. you are not alone. Be some what assured. :)

P.S. Written on Turn 118

 

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

For reasons I don't understand I've been unable to build any huts in my capitol city in two out of three games.
End of quote

Have you build some garden to have enough food available? (huts require food to be build)

Reply #5 from Elemental Forums Top

I've now played three games under beta 1Z1 and, while there's more to look at and it feels more like a game, I'm finding the game less fun than earlier betas. Here's a first pass at a few things that are killing the fun factor:

  1. Monsters are a LOT tougher than in any of the earlier betas and there are a lot more of them. My leader used to be able to at least handle a black widow but now she dies 2 - 3 times before she can kill one and that's simply because the monsters don't seem to heal while the leader can.
  2. The idea of the pioneer unit is good but doesn't seem to be any way to determine, short of trying to build on a resource, whether the resource in question is one that at pioneer can build on.
  3. In the three games I've played under 1Z1 I've never managed to get any of the housing techs. Randomness in the tech tree is a nice thing but things like this are just annoying.
  4. Research is taking MUCH longer in 1Z1.
  5. Lack of money. In earlier betas it was possible to build a few cities and build enough city improvements to pay for a modest garrison in each city while still having a few units roaming the map. That's not really feasible in 1Z1.
  6. Can't build enough housing. For reasons I don't understand I've been unable to build any huts in my capitol city in two out of three games. This is with the capitol founded in the starting square.
  7. Quests are inconsistent in terms of whether they can be completed or not.
  8. Quest rewards and found items are inconsistent in terms of whether the bonus stated in the item description is actually applied to the leader that holds or uses the item. An example is a sword that declared a +4 to attack strength in the description but only gave a +2 bonus to the leader's attack strength.


That's it for now. The game definitely crashes less often and I like the direction things are going but the current beta feels more like a "slog" than any of the recent betas.

End of quote

1) Just a matter of number crushing.

2) The problem with the pioneer is the cost. 50 gold then 100 gold to build upon a resource. That's a lot of gold. If think that once the pioneer is built, the resource building shouldn't cost anything. (the pioneer kit has already what th epioneer needs)

3) Yep, you can live without farming or iron mining, but not without housing tech. Maybe housing tech are automatically discovered at 1st level of civilization, then 4th then 8th etc. ? So if you research civilization at first you get farming AND housing for free. then you research iron, construction and taxe's. With that 4th tech you get for free advanced housing, etc.

4) Longer techs will make them matter more. But ! I hope the city level multiplier will stil be in the game. So a building that gives you 1 research point on a city level 1 will give you 5 points in a city level 5.

5) You need big markets (don't remember the name), and you'll be able to get enough money. And I hope the city level miltiplier will be in.

6) For the 3 first level of city you can build housing and other things. But once at level 3 you have to destroy other buildings to get enough space for more houses.

8) If you get a +4 item and you get only +2 attack it's because you have 5 in strength (and then yout only 50% from the overall attack provided by equipment)

 

I find this beta a lot more fun than any other, even is the pacing is sloooooow. I have time to try things, and to get things crash ^__^ And the last game I played lasted 450 turns, and I haven't finished it. And no crash. That's a big improvement.

Reply #6 from Elemental Forums Top

Brad wrote:

If the beta is any fun at all, then we have done something wrong.
End of quote

Maybe I have a warped sense of fun. O:)

It seems, based on the comments from others, that many of the issues I encountered were side-effects of not getting any housing techs from Civilization research.  It's not like I wasn't trying but the RNG was against me.

To answer Peace Phoenix:  Farming was the first tech I researched and the first thing I built in the city.

Reply #7 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting magus, reply 6
Brad wrote:
If the beta is any fun at all, then we have done something wrong.
Maybe I have a warped sense of fun.

It seems, based on the comments from others, that many of the issues I encountered were side-effects of not getting any housing techs from Civilization research.  It's not like I wasn't trying but the RNG was against me.

To answer Peace Phoenix:  Farming was the first tech I researched and the first thing I built in the city.
End of magus's quote

 

You just need to learn the tech tree. It has not been "random" for me at all. I research farming, then engineering (lumber mills), civics (town hall), then either housing, mining, education, or the farming tech that gives you orchards and apiaries, depending on which of them pop in what order. You must actually research Civics in order to research housing. Also, you must build farms or gardens to build houses.

Build a watch tower, then a workshop, then an operation post, then a farm, then a hut, then a merchant, a research building, and a lumber mill. This assumes you go for farming and then engineering for your first two research options. You don't need a hut right away because it takes a little while for your pop to reach the max housing mark that your new city starts at. While it is growing towards that mark, you can build the other items. Gardens are pretty worthless unless you get a bad starting location. If you pick the options that give you worse starting locations, then they might be needed on a real, randomly generated map. In that case, you swap the farm for two gardens and then your hut.

Also, markets are worthless. Just build merchants in all your cities (as many as you are allowed) and don't build roads. If you do that, money will not be a problem. Also, if you don't build roads, it will solve a lot of crashing/locking up issues. The roads and caravan code seem to add a lot of bugs, so just play without them. They are going to get revamped anyway.

Reply #8 from Elemental Forums Top

Not sure I understand the OP's issue. Out of those, 6 are just balancing issues for systems which haven't even been finalized yet, and the other 2 are demi-bugs. Or in other words, none of that will be anything like the release.

Reply #9 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting alway, reply 8
Not sure I understand the OP's issue. Out of those, 6 are just balancing issues for systems which haven't even been finalized yet, and the other 2 are demi-bugs. Or in other words, none of that will be anything like the release.
End of alway's quote

But the a big part of why Stardock releases betas that are this raw is to solicit feedback.  This is feedback.

Reply #10 from Elemental Forums Top

A number of people have expressed some questions about what we're looking for in feedback right now. For this first early beta release, our primary focus is on technical issues. That is to say:

- Does it run?
- Does it crash?
- Does it hang?
- Does it run poorly?
- Does it look all messed up?
- Does some basic function (ex: save/load, map generation, movement) not work right?

These are the main questions we need your answers to right now. 

End of quote

From the sticky "BETA 1 Series: ..."

Reply #11 from Elemental Forums Top

Frogboy - Don't worry, the Beta isn't fun.  What you're seeing is the result of an endorphin rush caused by getting so close to a MOM-like experience.   

Reply #12 from Elemental Forums Top

What you're seeing is the result of an endorphin rush caused by getting so close to a MOM-like experience.
End of quote

That explains why it's so addictive!

Reply #13 from Elemental Forums Top

The only thing about this version that has dissapointed me is that the other soverigns don't seem to be interested in attacking me.  They declare war, but they never send any troops to do anything about it.  In the last version they attacked me every few turns when we were at war, that was more fun.  Now the only difference being at war seems to have it the games I have played is that it gives me the ability to roam around in their land.