beta 3a some bugs and my feedback on the game

serious bugs keep kicking me to desktop

from Stardock Forums

in every game i have played since 3a i have been kicked the desktop around turn 300+  the game was running fine until it just kicks me.. i have a dxdiag and the err report but when i try to use that dropbox thing i cant get it working .. anyway i have a short dxdiag for ya if u want the more detailed version pls give me a email to send it and the err reports to..

Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7600) (7600.win7_gdr.100226-1909)
           Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: System manufacturer
       System Model: System Product Name
               BIOS: BIOS Date: 05/19/09 12:10:39 Ver: 08.00.15
          Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU         920  @ 2.67GHz (8 CPUs), ~2.7GHz
             Memory: 6144MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 6134MB RAM
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        Windows Dir: C:\Windows
    DirectX Version: DirectX 11
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
   User DPI Setting: Using System DPI
 System DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent)
    DWM DPI Scaling: Disabled
     DxDiag Version: 6.01.7600.16385 32bit Unicode

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     Driver Version: 8.17.12.5721
        DDI Version: 10.1
       Driver Model: WDDM 1.1
  Driver Attributes: Final Retail
   Driver Date/Size: 6/7/2010 18:58:00, 12338280 bytes
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        Video Accel: ModeMPEG2_A ModeMPEG2_C ModeVC1_C ModeWMV9_C

Now for the feedback.. i find it extremely frustrating that the towns can not begin farming unless there is a square with resources on it near the city start point.. i find that makes it extremely hard to get food production going well at new cities as i can spend up to 20 - 60 minutes to find food producing icons to start a city near.. and it makes it a long dangerous journey for my poineers and wagons to travel to a city so far away..

 

i would like to be able to choose to start a farm and a hut immediately at a new city.. i do belive unless its desert soil its a pretty realistic thing for most people to do immediately.. make some crude shelters and get some form of food production underway.. if the farms only produce a small amount it would be okay as long as im not having starving people.. also,.. i think being allowed to have multiple farms to get a larger crop of food.. and even multiple food types of farms such as hunting and orchards and fishing and farming industries all together should be allowed.. it would be nice to have one or more of my cities able to send food to all my other cities from a surplus that they are a aggro/farming community which can set up graneries, silos.. etc for a farming bonuses..

 

other than the balancing needed of more low level goodie huts and encounters and the above mentioned desires on food production i am loving the game when it is working for me.. this game is rocking and keeping me interested and wanting to play.. devs are doing a fabulous job on it imo;))

elemental
4,636 views 4 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

The food feature is WAD and I am all for how it makes it hard or harder to build cities/towns up. Too many gamers turn into a rush to power and don't play the low or middle game because of it. Keeping cities/towns low on food was a great idea and I knew Brad would come up with a design to make and keep the game challenging and fun from the low level up. History shows that those who migrated from their normal place of abode had to migrate thousands of miles before finding the right and proper spots to settle. Elemental does no less in that you can't always just immediately plop down on the place you origionally spawn in. Some players are just too used to easy games like Civilization where it always starts you out in a pretty nice spot. I'm glad Brad took a new direction in how the game starts and plays out with growth and food "limitations".

Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting rossanderson48, reply 1
The food feature is WAD and I am all for how it makes it hard or harder to build cities/towns up. Too many gamers turn into a rush to power and don't play the low or middle game because of it. Keeping cities/towns low on food was a great idea and I knew Brad would come up with a design to make and keep the game challenging and fun from the low level up. History shows that those who migrated from their normal place of abode had to migrate thousands of miles before finding the right and proper spots to settle. Elemental does no less in that you can't always just immediately plop down on the place you origionally spawn in. Some players are just too used to easy games like Civilization where it always starts you out in a pretty nice spot. I'm glad Brad took a new direction in how the game starts and plays out with growth and food "limitations".

not taling about being able to rush.. just to be able to build a basic farm and hut.. u not gonna get a huge pop fast with a a hut or two.. or much food on a regular farm.. i like that the rare and super rare farming bonuses are few and far between.. i do not like rushing.. even in age of empires and age of conquerors it took away from my enjoyment of the building aspects of the game the with the rushing.. i dont see that this game is slanted for rushers at all and im very glad.. theere are many games out there for rts rushing people.. i think this game is more strategy... and once the non existant diplomacy works well will be more of a civ building and strat game not a rushing game.. i loved master of magic and the heroes of might n magic type games and this is alot more slanted for those trypes imo.. not wanting to see changes for rushing at all.

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Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top

not sure if u want ideas for the diplomacy.. dont see it working well at all.. i see the general mechanics for it .. but it doesnt work properly at all.. imo it would be nice if it was based on history.. such as civ a and civ b have a history of trade and alliances.. so they will be able to open trade and good relations easily.. so badically once u open the alliance and get your trade going just send a wagon to thier cities from yours to open trade.. pretty basic and easy.. , now civ a and civ c and civ d will not be able to trade or open neogations easily as their history is full of war and anything with them will take huige repartions and time to devolop per diplomacy.. civ a and civ e have never met so maybe start out nuetral..kinda easy to get a trade alliance at least maybe.

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

The best diplomacy game I ever played where diplomacy was fun and worked was "War of the Lance". Each neutral/minor nation had a factor you had to reach to bring it toward you or toward the Dark Queen or stay neutral. Also, each neutral/minor/major nation had diplomatic POINTS you could use to influence those nations albeit only 1 or 2 at a time and then as you got more and more minor/neutrals to join you they had diplomatic points to help you with as well. Over the period of the game one would jockey up to 25pts per minor/neutral per turn and then take a random chance based on the level of influence they got (L1 to H1) of getting those nations to join your side. L1 to L3 was Low, M1 to M3 was a medium chance, and H1 to H3 was a high chance. Even at the high chances though you could still lose in the negotiations.

One could counter diplomacy nations of the other major. Like the Dark Queen might have 15pts into Maelstrom and I could put 16to25 and boost Maelstrom over to my way of thinking and the level meter L to H would move slowly in my favor each turn.

I've always preferred this method over the 100 requests per turn to try to gain an alliance or trade agreement with the ai. This way is short and sweet. You get it all or none and the same with the ai. Of course as the game opens up some factions are already in favor of the good and evil races. There are many factors that could be included with this system like who you are at war with, who you are at peace with, other neutrals influence, other evil or good cities nearby, etc. etc.

Please don't put something in like the Total War series which is totally garbage diplomacy and the ai breaks it on a whim and gives you 10000 denari and then makes peace with you on the following turn only to do it all over again the next turn.