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General Discussion / Ship Control Needs Improvement
« on: January 19, 2012, 07:14:45 PM »
Hey just trying to shed some light on some potent problems with the control interface. It's decent, but it inhibits the ability of the player to achieve the results of battle they are looking for. I've read the blog post on Ship Control and the order system, and honestly from reading that to gameplay experience I've found that the controls are at first counter-intuitive and cumbersome. I thought I was playing an Action-RTS by basic definition, so let me express my heavy lament of a simple context sensitive right-click not being present its so standard that ridiculous not seeing one. So from my understanding of what I've read and experienced you want the player to shout hey I want this to be done, don't care who does it and get it done however you like, go ahead take your time and die in the process. Not what you intended?
Well that's what tends to happen as the difficulty ramps up, you've built a cool system but when it comes to being outnumbered and getting punched in the face by the A.I. I don't need my "allied" A.I. to turn around and punch me too. Setup standard RTS controls, allow micromanagement, I want to send fighters to go cap that nav buoy, the A.I. decides it wants to send a strike frig...that frigate gets ambushed and dies. I've now lost a valuable asset due to the inability to tell who I want to go where. I understand maybe you want to be unique, I and I'd hope a decent player-base wants functionality. With micromanagement I can directly determine risks and rewards and plan accordingly, with the current system ships operate generally of their own volition. NO! They need to drones because nothing is more frustrating that the AI deciding to do something and it ends up getting missiles and anti-matter up its tailpipe.
Allow me to direct my units, I know what's best not the AI. I've lost engagements because the AI decides things that really I don't need it doing. You want to make a good AI? Make it good at fighting, but where it is and what its doing leave that to me. Allow me to tell the frigates to gank a destroyer, with a dragbox and a right click. Let me personally decide what ships follow mine and all other executive decisions. Leaving these kinds of choices in the hands of the computer is really FRUSTRATING when the AI fails and I lose because I couldn't apply my personal tactics to the situation, its game-breaking. I can't even get angry with the AI I can't yell at it or punish it or reprimand it. I have to start over, roll the dice and hope the A.I. doesn't *** up this time.
Give the player personal control, every RTS player is used to microing it works wonderfully, and its not a bloody chore, that was infuriating, its logical not a chore but instead a responsibility don't sit in the Flagship if you don't want to run the show. I can't invest my time into the game and be dissapointed by something I couldn't even control, that's like playing chess and every now again the pieces move on their own and there is nothing you can do about except yell at the board hoping it'll listen to you. Sorry for the block of text, sorry if this offends, I love the game in all respects otherwise but this design decision is just too inept in its depth and foresight to be practical, its cool but not right for this game. That's my $10.05.
Well that's what tends to happen as the difficulty ramps up, you've built a cool system but when it comes to being outnumbered and getting punched in the face by the A.I. I don't need my "allied" A.I. to turn around and punch me too. Setup standard RTS controls, allow micromanagement, I want to send fighters to go cap that nav buoy, the A.I. decides it wants to send a strike frig...that frigate gets ambushed and dies. I've now lost a valuable asset due to the inability to tell who I want to go where. I understand maybe you want to be unique, I and I'd hope a decent player-base wants functionality. With micromanagement I can directly determine risks and rewards and plan accordingly, with the current system ships operate generally of their own volition. NO! They need to drones because nothing is more frustrating that the AI deciding to do something and it ends up getting missiles and anti-matter up its tailpipe.
Allow me to direct my units, I know what's best not the AI. I've lost engagements because the AI decides things that really I don't need it doing. You want to make a good AI? Make it good at fighting, but where it is and what its doing leave that to me. Allow me to tell the frigates to gank a destroyer, with a dragbox and a right click. Let me personally decide what ships follow mine and all other executive decisions. Leaving these kinds of choices in the hands of the computer is really FRUSTRATING when the AI fails and I lose because I couldn't apply my personal tactics to the situation, its game-breaking. I can't even get angry with the AI I can't yell at it or punish it or reprimand it. I have to start over, roll the dice and hope the A.I. doesn't *** up this time.
Give the player personal control, every RTS player is used to microing it works wonderfully, and its not a bloody chore, that was infuriating, its logical not a chore but instead a responsibility don't sit in the Flagship if you don't want to run the show. I can't invest my time into the game and be dissapointed by something I couldn't even control, that's like playing chess and every now again the pieces move on their own and there is nothing you can do about except yell at the board hoping it'll listen to you. Sorry for the block of text, sorry if this offends, I love the game in all respects otherwise but this design decision is just too inept in its depth and foresight to be practical, its cool but not right for this game. That's my $10.05.