Slitherine

Hi,

after playing for a few hours, following things come to mind:

Pro:
- nice graphics and animations
- fast turn times
- familiar feeling (alpha centauri)
- unit naming
- population focus, maybe add an "entertainer" to increase morale?

Cons (my opinion, based on current status, I am sure many things will still be implemented):
- no faction customizing
- no clear goals (victory types?)
- built units cannot be upgraded?
- no roads through wooded tiles
- research too fast for my liking (new techs every few rounds, I do not feel I have enough time to use my current tech, until I built stuff, the tech feels already obsolete) - maybe an option (tech cost *2 / *5)?
- special resource hexes only give bonus to food / minerals / etc. ... I miss strategic resources (and yes, I can imagine balancing all that would be difficult)

All in all, for a gamer who played Civ and similar games since Civ1, it is a promising game, visually pleasing and fast. For me a little to fast paced at the moment and apart from the boni / mali all the factions look and feel to similar for my tasts.

Regards,
mios

thanx a lot for the feedback, most of the things you pointed out are being improved but what i want to hear a bit more about is:

- What kind of faction customization did you have in mind?
- What do you think we could change/add to make the factions seem more distinct?

Since I think, the second question is more easily anwered:
One of the best examples for me, regarding Faction customization is Birth of the Federation.
Granted the LCARS templates used in the Star Trek IP where easy to adapt and since all the factions currently in are human (btw. are there aliens and/or hybrids planned for a later point?)
So for the game, maybe some interface graphic designs and maybe coloring scheme (if that is not already ties to faction colours) should go a big way to feel some more "ambience" for each faction.

Regarding faction cusomisation:
Being able to change a number e.g. 5% steps of boni or mali would allow a more extreme or more balaced and individual playstyle. Also a possibility would be technical affinities and starting situation changers (one additional scout / former; larger explored area, ...).
Also boni / mali for certain unit types (navy, mecanised, air force) or even a new unit line (psychic unit base with bonus against sentient defenders) come to mind.

Regards,
Mattmios

Ok some good ideas there, we have done some experimenting with the idea of adding faction specific ui colors and background and the results have been surprisingly good looking in my opinion. As for the rest of your suggestions we will talk it over.