Not Enough Feedback/Information

Buzz Aldrin's Space Program Manager (SPM) Road to the Moon is the ultimate game of space exploration.

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jfjohnny5
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Not Enough Feedback/Information

Post by jfjohnny5 »

I'm generally enjoying this game. But its biggest issue is definitely the lack of useful feedback. The best example I can give is failures during missions. All I get is a blinking warning light which either goes green and everything is fine, or it goes red and everyone dies. I have no idea why something is failing, what I could have done to prevent it, or how to fix it in the future. I don't know if it's just the equipment, if it was something a controller did, or a mistake the astronaut made. It would be useful to know if, for example, there was a failure during reentry because the pilot failed a check, or something like that. At least then I know. I understand it's essentially all dice rolls, but not even knowing what the rolls are is kind of frustrating.
Nacho84
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Re: Not Enough Feedback/Information

Post by Nacho84 »

Hello johnny,

Welcome to the forums! Happy to hear that you're enjoying the game.

Regarding the lack of feedback, let me explain a bit more how things work behind the scenes so that you have a better understanding of what's going on. When you run a mission, at the beginning of each step a die roll occurs which only takes into account the reliability of the mission components and, when applicable, the flight crew. If it's a robotic mission or a step that doesn't involve the presence of astronauts (e.g., the launch of the Agena Target Vehicle in a Gemini mission), then the step relies entirely on the mission components.

If the first roll succeeds, then you move on to the next step. Notice that you might get some false alarms, which involve the green light in the bottom right corner of the screen flashing for a while and then becoming fully lit again. If the roll fails, then your flight controllers kick-in and you get the pop-up with the flashing warning light. If your guys save the day, then the green light turns on again and the mission proceeds. If they fail, the red light becomes active and the mission fails.

To sum it up: a problem in the first roll can be attributed to your components and flight crew (when applicable). A problem in the second roll can be attributed to your flight controllers.

Hope this clears up the confusion!

Cheers,
Ignacio Liverotti
Lead Developer of Buzz Aldrin's Space Program Manager

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FroBodine
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Re: Not Enough Feedback/Information

Post by FroBodine »

Again, why does this very important information have to be explained after the fact in a forum? This should be explained in the game. Everything should be explained in the game.
ScottWAR
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Re: Not Enough Feedback/Information

Post by ScottWAR »

I agree,.. immersion would be much better if this were specified after the mission was over, in a report or debriefing.....or even just the results screen.
Rasseru
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Re: Not Enough Feedback/Information

Post by Rasseru »

Someone needs to open up a rocket manual and add names of things that could break down. This would be so complex we don't understand what is being repair or reroute to fix the problem.
Vivisector9999
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Re: Not Enough Feedback/Information

Post by Vivisector9999 »

I remember requesting this exact feature earlier in the game's development... indeed, it would enhance immersion if we could be shown exactly what went wrong when the failures happen.

And yes, having the die-rolling process explained in-game (if only in the Buzzopedia) would be nice, too.
mlsmith45
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Re: Not Enough Feedback/Information

Post by mlsmith45 »

That makes things clearer. I'm having more failures now that i've gone up a level, which makes sense. But I thought I would have countered that by training my flight crew/mission controllers better. All my controllers are at 80 and everyone else in the high 70s or higher. All my components are at or above 80. But when the warning light comes up, the chances of success is often in the low 70s. Even that should fix itself more often than not, but I still get tonnes of failures. I'm not even coming close to hitting the prestige targets now.
Palarran
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Re: Not Enough Feedback/Information

Post by Palarran »

To have a reasonable chance of succeeding at the early, relatively easy missions, you should aim for reliability and FC skills (and crew, if applicable) both in the 80's. For the long late game missions, such as moon landings, they need to be in the mid to high 90's to have a good chance at successfully completing the mission.
jgf1123
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Re: Not Enough Feedback/Information

Post by jgf1123 »

Eh, BARIS showed the die roll. While it was tense watching that bar inch up and up, really hoping that you didn't roll above your reliability, I think it slightly breaks immersion to show the die roll. (On the other hand, showing the die roll helps explain to the player the game mechanics so they know what to do better.)

For immersion, I would rather have a message saying: "Major/minor problem in step X: component Y is doing Z...

Flight controllers U and V and astronaut W are working on it...

Component Y fixed, mission proceeding as normal.
OR
Temporary workaround found. Component Y working at lower reliability. End mission early?"

Stuff like that.
peyre
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Re: Not Enough Feedback/Information

Post by peyre »

Agreed. When a failure occurred, BARIS usually gave some in-game explanation:
- "Engines underperforming. Orbit achieved using longer burn"
- "Problem with waste disposal unit, very messy. Crew able to clean up. Mission still a go."
- "A computer error causes probe to spin out of control, contact lost."
Those sorts of things.

Also, I've just started flying manned missions, and both suborbitals I've flown have failed. No explanation whatsoever, and I no longer see those astronauts available for future launches--I'd like to know what went wrong with the missions, please! I was packing off to bed so I didn't check to see if they were ok and just recuperating, or what, but whether or not they made it back safely, I'd like to know what happened, not just "FAIL" and "2000 PRESTIGE LOST".
jgf1123
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Re: Not Enough Feedback/Information

Post by jgf1123 »

peyre wrote:Also, I've just started flying manned missions, and both suborbitals I've flown have failed. No explanation whatsoever, and I no longer see those astronauts available for future launches--I'd like to know what went wrong with the missions, please! I was packing off to bed so I didn't check to see if they were ok and just recuperating, or what, but whether or not they made it back safely, I'd like to know what happened, not just "FAIL" and "2000 PRESTIGE LOST".
I'm not sure, but it might be in next season's news (You know, that screen that I click through without reading because it's hard to separate important stuff from routine stuff. Do I really need to be told that I started upgrading a building?) that the astronauts are dead. Either that, or you can check the cemetery. But agreed that it should be made more clear in the immediate aftermath of the mission.
Palarran
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Re: Not Enough Feedback/Information

Post by Palarran »

If you suffer a catastrophic failure, your astronauts are KIA. If you suffer a simple failure, which seems less common than a catastrophic failure, it means that they made it back OK but that the mission was a bust. You can double check whether your crew survived by using the micro screen that is shown after the mission is finished, and clicking the astronaut helmet icon in the lower right. If they survived the astronaut's leadership stat improvement is shown; if they died, they are labeled as deceased. And jgf1123 is correct, the game tells you about fallen astronauts both on the news screen at the end of each quarter and in the museum.
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