Small suggestions thread

[the_iron_duke]

For suggestions that probably aren't worth a thread on their own...

- Replays of one's opponent's turn in multiplayer games currently also show the moves they have consequently Undone. It didn't do this in FoG I and I can see no reason for showing them.

- Add a notification and shutter noise for taking screenshots to indicate they've been taken, as currently there's nothing.

- In the info box, when mousing over a unit, it should also show the unit's strength as a percentage. Several times I've had to bring up a calculator to work it out. Unit percentage strength information was shown in FoG I.

I would also like to see unit strength represented in the unit info box a bit more visibly, perhaps with a bar going from green to yellow to red, or maybe similarly as a circle with the percentage in the middle. I know one can look at the number of models and length of banner to get an idea, but sometimes one wants some more precise info. Plus, there's already a big bar visually showing disruption status in the unit info box. EDIT: Such a bar could also show the auto-rout point for the unit.



- I don't know much of a pet wish this is, but I'd like an option when setting up multiplayer games which, when selected, would mean someone couldn't take up one of the challenges one had set up if they were already in a current game with you. Personally, I don't like playing two battles at the same time against the same opponent and won't start the second until the first is finished.

- This is a wish carried over from FoG I, which had the same issue. I'd like the Indian Forest Tribesmen not to have an identical graphical model as an Indian Archers unit, even if it's just changing some colours of their clothes and equipment.

[stockwellpete]

I don't know much of a pet wish this is, but I'd like an option when setting up multiplayer games which, when selected, would mean someone couldn't take up one of the challenges one had set up if they were already in a current game with you. Personally, I don't like playing two battles at the same time against the same opponent and won't start the second until the first is finished.

Seconded.

[TheGrayMouser]

I don't know much of a pet wish this is, but I'd like an option when setting up multiplayer games which, when selected, would mean someone couldn't take up one of the challenges one had set up if they were already in a current game with you. Personally, I don't like playing two battles at the same time against the same opponent and won't start the second until the first is finished.

Seconded.

Glad I didn't take up two of yours this AM otherwise you would have scathed me!

The only time this has bothered me if one person takes like 5 of your challenges when you throw a bunch up, and really only when they then proceed to disappear after a few turns and abandon all the games.

Need to keep a dossier on every players playing preference quirks

[hjc]

Perhaps someone could make a thread about Multiplayer etiquette. Generally accepted behaviour, etc.

[the_iron_duke]

There's no right or wrong in playing multiple games against one opponent, per se. It's just a matter of personal preference. It would be nice, though, to include an optional tickable box at game set-up, as that would seem to be a simple solution to the issue.

[the_iron_duke]

Regarding the Indian Forest Tribesmen and Indian Archers units sharing identical graphics, I've looked through the armies and I can see only one other instance of this - the generic Massed Archers and Archers appear in a few armies together and share identical graphics. So there's only two new models in the game that could do with being created or modified to make every unit type visually unique.

[rbodleyscott]

Thanks for the suggestions.

[JaM2013]

One small suggestion - increase morale if your unit is supported on flanks, or reduce morale for unsupported units - right now, if battlefield ends up broken completely, there is actually no impact whatsoever, yet in those times, if you managed to break enemy line, it had some big impact on enemy morale.. Player and AI should be motivated to keep reserves to plug holes, instead of sending everything in fight as soon as possible..

if you look at some MP battles on youtube, these battles are complete mess with no battle line whatsoever, and all units fighting their individual duels.. i think there should be some bonus added for keeping the formation intact..

[Cumandante]

One small suggestion - increase morale if your unit is supported on flanks, or reduce morale for unsupported units - right now, if battlefield ends up broken completely, there is actually no impact whatsoever, yet in those times, if you managed to break enemy line, it had some big impact on enemy morale.. Player and AI should be motivated to keep reserves to plug holes, instead of sending everything in fight as soon as possible..

Actually, foot troops with a threatened flank get -1 in cohesion checks. I assume this is applied whenever there is a unit in position to attack their flank.

It's not a bonus for having flank support, but it can be argued that it provides a similar incentive.

[hjc]

Player and AI should be motivated to keep reserves to plug holes, instead of sending everything in fight as soon as possible..

if you look at some MP battles on youtube, these battles are complete mess with no battle line whatsoever, and all units fighting their individual duels.. i think there should be some bonus added for keeping the formation intact..

I think there's some merit to that idea. Of course though as you know, there are times when a player has no control, such as when the enemy is pushed back, causing your unit to advance further beyond your own line that you'd like ; or your unit pursues a fleeing one.

[the_iron_duke]

- Toggle grid - makes battlefield topography more visible and easier to digest.

- For the specified army skirmish battles (i.e. the non-Pot Luck version), have option at set-up to randomize sides, so each player has an equal chance of playing the "better" army, if there is one.

- Option at game set-up to randomize which player moves first.

[the_iron_duke]

- Alternative button at Auto-Deploy stage that sorts all units by type and groups each type together. This is the first thing I do in every game before deciding which troops to put where, and is probably something that could be done automatically. It could deploy them near the baseline, out of the way of the area the player will actually want to deploy troops.

[lapdog666]

more space for text/info when creating a mp battle. atm i can write 1 long sentence at best. i need like 5 sentences to explain what kind of opponent i need

[the_iron_duke]

more space for text/info when creating a mp battle. atm i can write 1 long sentence at best. i need like 5 sentences to explain what kind of opponent i need

A long sentence? Are you a Spartan? Iv hd 2 resort 2 txt spk.

[lapdog666]

more space for text/info when creating a mp battle. atm i can write 1 long sentence at best. i need like 5 sentences to explain what kind of opponent i need

A long sentence? Are you a Spartan? Iv hd 2 resort 2 txt spk.

hah yes 1 short sentence is more likely the case

[the_iron_duke]

- When choosing one's troops from the army list, it would be useful to be able to click a button to bring up a box with the opposing player's army list, in order to see what troops they are able to field.

- The replay of the opposing player's turn can be pretty rapid. Is the game making the battle calculations during the replay or is that done in the Loading part before the replay?

It might be nice to have speed options for the replay. At least a Slow, Normal, Fast. Slow to better see what's happening and Fast for when losing the battle. If fast isn't possible for performance reasons, a slower speed might still be.

EDIT: Probably the ideal would be to have some speed buttons on the screen during the replay that could be used to adjust things without going to the Preferences page. Also, it would be good if it remembered what the speed had been set to previously, so it didn't start off at normal speed and then require adjusting each turn. So at the start of the battle, one might keep it on normal speed, in the middle slow it down a bit, and then, if losing, speed it up again.

[the_iron_duke]

- It's always hard to work out whether an enemy unit will evade or not if charged. I was wondering whether some or all of this knowledge should be available to the player? So when mousing over an enemy unit, there might also be displayed information such as "this unit will try to evade if charged", or "may try to evade" if there's some random element, or something similar.

EDIT: Actually, this would only benefit one side - the side of the unit being charged would not have information about whether it would evade or not. For it to be fair to both sides, the unit with the potential of being charged would probably have to have the ability to mouseover potential charging units to see the likelihood of evading from them, so a bit more complicated.

[76mm]

- The replay of the opposing player's turn can be pretty rapid. Is the game making the battle calculations during the replay or is that done in the Loading part before the replay?

Yeah, my game speed is at 70%, but it seems like opponents' replays are at 100%--sometimes too quick for me to follow what is going on. It would be good if MP opponents' replays were at the speed set by the player for his own games.

[nikgaukroger]

- It's always hard to work out whether an enemy unit will evade or not if charged. I was wondering whether some or all of this knowledge should be available to the player? So when mousing over an enemy unit, there might also be displayed information such as "this unit will try to evade if charged", or "may try to evade" if there's some random element, or something similar.

As we know that the only units that might evade (and there is a random element) are LF, LH, and non-shock (i.e. non-Lance) Cavalry it seems to me that you are asking for something to tell you what you already know

[the_iron_duke]

As we know that the only units that might evade (and there is a random element) are LF, LH, and non-shock (i.e. non-Lance) Cavalry it seems to me that you are asking for something to tell you what you already know

This isn't something we already know since whether such a unit will try and evade is influenced by it's chance of winning a combat with the charger.