Development wishlist

[Jorgito78]

Could there be a game mode, specially for MP, where one side is the defender and the other the attacker and, in case of a draw, the defender wins? In some maps, specially if there is a hill and a stream, sometimes there is a stalemate because no one wants to take the initiative. There could be, for example, a small amount of bonus points for the attacker to buy troops (or a penalty to defender).
Ok, I know we can create this type of scenario with the advanced options but if there was a built in mode, it would be more "correct".

[Ray552]

Could there be a game mode, specially for MP, where one side is the defender and the other the attacker and, in case of a draw, the defender wins? In some maps, specially if there is a hill and a stream, sometimes there is a stalemate because no one wants to take the initiative. There could be, for example, a small amount of bonus points for the attacker to buy troops (or a penalty to defender).
Ok, I know we can create this type of scenario with the advanced options but if there was a built in mode, it would be more "correct".

There already are built-in scenarios addressing this in the "Custom Battle" page (both SP and MP.)

If you click on "Scenario", the third and fourth choices from the bottom of the list that appears are "Own Side Defending" and "Enemy Defending", with the defender having less points than the attacker.

If the defender is not routed by nightfall, he wins a strategic victory.

[Jorgito78]

Could there be a game mode, specially for MP, where one side is the defender and the other the attacker and, in case of a draw, the defender wins? In some maps, specially if there is a hill and a stream, sometimes there is a stalemate because no one wants to take the initiative. There could be, for example, a small amount of bonus points for the attacker to buy troops (or a penalty to defender).
Ok, I know we can create this type of scenario with the advanced options but if there was a built in mode, it would be more "correct".

There already are built-in scenarios addressing this in the "Custom Battle" page (both SP and MP.)

If you click on "Scenario", the third and fourth choices from the bottom of the list that appears are "Own Side Defending" and "Enemy Defending", with the defender having less points than the attacker.

If the defender is not routed by nightfall, he wins a strategic victory.

Great. I never noticed it. Ok, maybe because they were added in a patch?

[rbodleyscott]

If you click on "Scenario", the third and fourth choices from the bottom of the list that appears are "Own Side Defending" and "Enemy Defending", with the defender having less points than the attacker.

If the defender is not routed by nightfall, he wins a strategic victory.

Great. I never noticed it. Ok, maybe because they were added in a patch?

They were added to Ancients in update 1.6.6
Medieval had them from the start.

[Jorgito78]

Ok. I'm going to be a bit "picky" in this suggestion but, as I have a lot of simultaneous MP matches going (20+), and as I devise a plan on deployment in every battle but, after playing some turns over the day(s), specially when some days pass between turns, it happens that I forget that little detail/move that I planned to do... sooooo, this might be a long shot but would it be feasible to add some kind of note taker to battles (maybe on the briefing panel or something)?

(Like I said, maybe I am being a little picky because I could do that by minimising the game and taking notes on some text editor but, maybe for the ease of note taking and having them in context, it would be a, at least in my opinion, a good feature)

[rbodleyscott]

Ok. I'm going to be a bit "picky" in this suggestion but, as I have a lot of simultaneous MP matches going (20+), and as I devise a plan on deployment in every battle but, after playing some turns over the day(s), specially when some days pass between turns, it happens that I forget that little detail/move that I planned to do... sooooo, this might be a long shot but would it be feasible to add some kind of note taker to battles (maybe on the briefing panel or something)?

(Like I said, maybe I am being a little picky because I could do that by minimising the game and taking notes on some text editor but, maybe for the ease of note taking and having them in context, it would be a, at least in my opinion, a good feature)

It would be a nice extra feature, but not one that we could consider high priority for use of development time.

[Jorgito78]

Would it be possible to not have the undone moves shown on the MP replay of the turn?
For example, if the player accidentally moves a hidden unit out of cover, even if he undoes the move, it will be shown in the replay of the turn in MP matches. I think it would be better to only show definitive moves.

[SnuggleBunnies]

Would it be possible to not have the undone moves shown on the MP replay of the turn?
For example, if the player accidentally moves a hidden unit out of cover, even if he undoes the move, it will be shown in the replay of the turn in MP matches. I think it would be better to only show definitive moves.

Not to mention it's annoying to watch a bunch of undone moves and try to keep your concentration. This would be a nice change.

[rbodleyscott]

Would it be possible to not have the undone moves shown on the MP replay of the turn?
For example, if the player accidentally moves a hidden unit out of cover, even if he undoes the move, it will be shown in the replay of the turn in MP matches. I think it would be better to only show definitive moves.

Not to mention it's annoying to watch a bunch of undone moves and try to keep your concentration. This would be a nice change.

But not easy to implement. As I understand it, the moves are written to a file as they are done. It would be hard to remove them again if the move was undone.

[Karvon]

Would it be possible to not have the undone moves shown on the MP replay of the turn?
For example, if the player accidentally moves a hidden unit out of cover, even if he undoes the move, it will be shown in the replay of the turn in MP matches. I think it would be better to only show definitive moves.

Not to mention it's annoying to watch a bunch of undone moves and try to keep your concentration. This would be a nice change.

But not easy to implement. As I understand it, the moves are written to a file as they are done. It would be hard to remove them again if the move was undone.

Couldn't you simply overwrite the last move entered in that file? You would keep overwriting the same unit's move till you moved on to another as you can't undo a move once you've moved another unit.

Karvon

[rbodleyscott]

Not to mention it's annoying to watch a bunch of undone moves and try to keep your concentration. This would be a nice change.

But not easy to implement. As I understand it, the moves are written to a file as they are done. It would be hard to remove them again if the move was undone.

Couldn't you simply overwrite the last move entered in that file? You would keep overwriting the same unit's move till you moved on to another as you can't undo a move once you've moved another unit.

Karvon

The engine (which creates the MP moves file) does not know anything about Undos, it just records each action. As far as it is concerned, an Undo is the same as any other action.

Undos are scripted. I cannot alter what is written to the MP actions list file using scripts.

[Karvon]

Ah well; t'was just a thought

Thanks for the clarification.

Karvon

[Hari72]

A bit off topic, I have a strange bug that concer the undo. Sometimes the MP of the unit aren't restored! Is it know and it will be solved?

[kronenblatt]

But not easy to implement. As I understand it, the moves are written to a file as they are done. It would be hard to remove them again if the move was undone.

Couldn't you simply overwrite the last move entered in that file? You would keep overwriting the same unit's move till you moved on to another as you can't undo a move once you've moved another unit.

Karvon

The engine (which creates the MP moves file) does not know anything about Undos, it just records each action. As far as it is concerned, an Undo is the same as any other action.

Undos are scripted. I cannot alter what is written to the MP actions list file using scripts.

Could we ask you to put the suggestion forward to Slitherine, if there are people there who are responsible for maintaining and developing the engine? It'd make the replays quicker and smoother.

[rbodleyscott]

Couldn't you simply overwrite the last move entered in that file? You would keep overwriting the same unit's move till you moved on to another as you can't undo a move once you've moved another unit.

Karvon

The engine (which creates the MP moves file) does not know anything about Undos, it just records each action. As far as it is concerned, an Undo is the same as any other action.

Undos are scripted. I cannot alter what is written to the MP actions list file using scripts.

Could we ask you to put the suggestion forward to Slitherine, if there are people there who are responsible for maintaining and developing the engine? It'd make the replays quicker and smoother.

I will do that, but I don't hold out much hope.

[rbodleyscott]

A bit off topic, I have a strange bug that concer the undo. Sometimes the MP of the unit aren't restored! Is it know and it will be solved?

We thought it was fixed. In order to investigate you would need to provide a game save where the issue can be reproduced for testing.

[kronenblatt]

The engine (which creates the MP moves file) does not know anything about Undos, it just records each action. As far as it is concerned, an Undo is the same as any other action.

Undos are scripted. I cannot alter what is written to the MP actions list file using scripts.

Could we ask you to put the suggestion forward to Slitherine, if there are people there who are responsible for maintaining and developing the engine? It'd make the replays quicker and smoother.

I will do that, but I don't hold out much hope.

Ah, François de La Rochefoucauld (famous poet or footballer, can't remember) actually wrote or said this about game engine development:

“Hope is the last thing that dies in man; and though it be exceedingly deceitful, yet it is of this good use to us, that while we are traveling through life it conducts us in an easier and more pleasant way to our journey's end.”

[rbodleyscott]

Could we ask you to put the suggestion forward to Slitherine, if there are people there who are responsible for maintaining and developing the engine? It'd make the replays quicker and smoother.

I will do that, but I don't hold out much hope.

Ah, François de La Rochefoucauld (famous poet or footballer, can't remember) actually wrote or said this about game engine development:

“Hope is the last thing that dies in man; and though it be exceedingly deceitful, yet it is of this good use to us, that while we are traveling through life it conducts us in an easier and more pleasant way to our journey's end.”

Richard Bodley Scott (minor games designer) wrote: "Optimists are doomed to perpetual disappointment. Pessimists are occasionally pleasantly surprised."

[pipfromslitherine]

RBS is correct - undos are just another order that the system takes in. It doesn't have any (useful) way to tell that an order is an 'undo' order. So unfortunately it's not really possible.

Cheers

Pip

[kronenblatt]

RBS is correct - undos are just another order that the system takes in. It doesn't have any (useful) way to tell that an order is an 'undo' order. So unfortunately it's not really possible.

Cheers

Pip

And the game engine is static? No possibilities for engine improvement or development?