[Beta 3a] Empire gameplay observations

from Elemental Forums

Figured it was time to be the "bad" guy so took imperial.

Stability is much improved, although the game seems to run slower now. Probably from having minor factions added and all the calcs for spawning monsters, etc.

Guardian units are pretty neat. AI is expanding their empires, although it seems the Kingdoms grow better. Will look into it some more. The kingdom next to me is pretty big and another one grew fast enough to trap my monarch on that side of the map until he learned to teleport. One of the fallen empires next to me was only 3 low level towns and they only produced peasants.

1) Who slowed all the ships down! They only move 1 tile again, frustrating.

2) Cannot build lumber mill on old growth

3) nothing over hovel for housing? It is practically impossible to get to a level 4 town! This is a huge problem as hovels are only for 25 people, so getting to 500 population is not practical.

4) err - I am not seeing any armor here. Will research some more to verify

5) not enough monsters walking about. I am not fearful at all to have champions or pioneers move long distances alone. Also they are rather weak, which is fine at first and all, but I haven't seen much that most champions alone could not handle in single combat.

6) Minor factions don't appear to tech up at all. They are easy pickings currentlly

7) Still getting quests inside of another factions kingdom

8) The popup to choose what to specialize a city in when it grows is a cool feature. What isn't cool is you can't see details of the city to help you make a wise choice.

9) Still having AI parties show a cost of "X" when the cost is really "X + Y + Z" so you go into the hole bigtime.

10) Building city with pioneer says it will be "0 gildar" just to get spanked for 100s of gildar.

11) Having units leave a city and directly attack units outside the city (moving to the stack from the city, not a free tile first) results in each unit fighting one at a time like ninjas in a kung fu movie.

12) Children still get some amazing low stats at times and rarely above avg stats. Shouldn't it be something like a base of 9 per traits and then randomly up or down but a couple of points, but the base points to be distributed are at least "X" and no more than "Y"? How come none of the children can pickup channelling? Wouldn't it be genetic?

13) Was able to build a kennel to get mounted units, but I don't see where I can create any mounted units.

14) I get messages that a unit deserted in some town. I have no idea why or to who/where they are going. I am guessing because of a high prestige location, but where???

15) Why is a oak staff 5 attach and other weapons like dagger and I think was dagger or whatever the name is, 3? Also, who thought a regular shortbow should be 10! Why arm everyone with anything else?

16) Ruined houses don't show up when zoomed in, only on the cloth map. The name is also misspelled "ruinined" or something like that.

Thanks for getting the update out, the stability is much better as I could barely play 3A before it would hang/crash and I wouldn't be able to continue.

1,484 views 8 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

Great stuff! Thanks blaze!!!

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

Thanks Boogie,

I forgot to mention, large map, single continent. Also when starting a game, the default number of factions should give the player an indication of what the developer thinks is the right balance of factions vs map size.

 

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Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

Blaze - Awesome feedback!

And yea, I've been pulling my hair out having seen some of my balance tweaks disappear. It's one of the pains of data driving so much is that it's easy to get it overwritten.

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

Tell me about it. I work for a company that designs data driven software. I am working on a feature for a major client that we signed that has to be delivered in August or we lose money. I have to make something work like it was never intended to, but don't slow or break anything anyone else does because what they want is unique.

Then, I get to figure how to reverse it all and show how it was calculated with none of the interim calculation saved. Not that I won't throw a record somewhere if need be to make this damn thing work. Once it works and doesn't effect performance, it is easier to get acceptance:-"

And again, I get a part of it working, then work on something else, it breaks what I did before.  I hear ya! Then you turn it over to the testers and they show you what an idiot you really are! Good times... Good times...

Reply #5 from Elemental Forums Top

Here I just thought I was unlucky - there's no better Housing tech for Empires? I'd think a slum would make a lot of sense, or maybe create them a new 'type' of housing called 'Forced Labor Camp' that can be built, allowing some housing and granting us a bit of materials. Make it lose us prestige if need be (like the sacrificial altar).

Even better if they could built the Camp over a refugee campsite.

Reply #6 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting EvilTwinTepe, reply 5
Here I just thought I was unlucky - there's no better Housing tech for Empires? I'd think a slum would make a lot of sense, or maybe create them a new 'type' of housing called 'Forced Labor Camp' that can be built, allowing some housing and granting us a bit of materials. Make it lose us prestige if need be (like the sacrificial altar).

Even better if they could built the Camp over a refugee campsite.
End of EvilTwinTepe's quote

I was thinking the same on the slums, adding the refugee camp is a solid idea as well!

Reply #7 from Elemental Forums Top

Is it me or the empire doesn't have technologies for research treaties, economic treaties and arranged marriages? I may understand why they haven't the 2 first since it may be alien concepts for them. But I don't see why they can't make arranged marriages.

Reply #8 from Elemental Forums Top

I must say one of my concerns with the Empire is that in some ways they seem to be breaking the cardinal rule that realistic backstory should never be more important than fun. I get the impression they have plenty of work to be done but, yes, whilst different factions are good I hope they can avoid having things different for the sake of being different, when these 'standard' things are standard for a good reason.